More Than Words / Jill Santopolo / 352 p.

Nina Gregory is the heiress-to-be of the elite Gregory Hotel in NYC. Nina became the apple of her father's eye after her mother died on Christmas Day when she was a young child. He made sure she knew all the aspects of his business and was devoted to preparing her to do so when he died. It even included cultivating the perfect husband for her with her childhood friend, Tim. What Nina wasn't prepared for were the secrets her father kept from her. Nina's world comes undone as she navigates the disillusionment of her world and the people around her when her dad died. How can she trust anyone again after she learns that her father was not the person she thought he was?

The Summer Guests / 348 p. / Mary Alice Monroe

An ensemble of guests from the world of equestrian sports come together at a mutual friend's (Grace and Charles Phillips) N.C. mountain home to escape the ravages of Hurricane Noel that is posed to hit as a Category 5 along the Florida and South Carolina coasts.  They have come from the coasts with their precious prize horses that will be boarded at the large horse farm in North Carolina.
    The group includes highly accomplished winning horses and owners.  The evacuees are forced to confront the unresolved issues they have with themselves and with each other. Trust is not easily given and challenges are frequently thrown out to each other. As they ride out the storm together they realize that what really matters isn't what they brought with them to the mountains. Rather, it's what they'll take with them once they leave that really matters.

Every Breath / Nicholas Sparks / 321 p.

With the news that her father has recently been diagnosed with ALS, Hope Anderson decides to spend a week at the family cottage in Sunset Beach, N.C.  While there she wants to sort out her priorities of caring for her father and where her relationship of 7 years is going with an orthopedic surgeon.
    Tru Walls, a safari guide from Zimbawe, has also come to Sunset Beach to meet a man claiming to be his father.  He arrives with hopes of learning about his mother's early life now that she has passed away.
     Hope and Tru meet and there is an instant connection. Hope, however, needs to decide if love triumphs over loyalty and family duty triumphs over personal happiness. 

MIDNIGHT AT THE BLACKBIRD CAFE / 336 p. / Heather Webber

Anna Kate has returned to her recently deceased mother's home of Wicklow, Alabama after her Granny Zee has also passed away.  Anna has now lost her mother and her grandmother and is forging ahead trying to fulfill her mother's wish to have her go to college to become a doctor AND her Granny's wish that Anna Kate takeover the family bakery in Wicklow.
   This is a story of Anna Kate's fractured family and her longing to find the truth behind her father's death before she was born. Anna Kate also needs to find what she wants to do in life. The story is full of Southern charm, kindness, forgiveness and love.

The Last Romantics / Tara Conklin / 368 p.

   

 In the spring of 1981, the young Skinner siblings—fierce Renee, dreamy Caroline, golden boy Joe and watchful Fiona—lose their father to a heart attack and their mother to a paralyzing depression, events that thrust them into a period they will later call “the Pause.” (Goodreads)

   The narrator is Fiona who has become a renowned poet.  She recounts the story of her siblings and herself while participating in a reading of one of her poems in her later years.  This is a story of her family's interactions, betrayals, forgiveness and love throughout their lives.

Rainy Day Friends / Jill Shalvis / 384 p.

 This is the second book in the Wildstone series, however, it can easily be read as a stand alone. Lainie Jacobs is newly widowed and floundering. After her husband (Luke) died Lanie discovered he had other wives.  She decides to leave home and try something new to get her life back on track.  Her arrival at the Capriotti Wildstone Winery is not quite what she bargained for - a loud, nosy, loving Capriotti family brings her on as their web/tech designer for their winery. After feeling so betrayed by the man she thought she knew and loved, the Capriotti family shows each other and Lanie the humor, love, trust and loyalty that Lanie so desperately needs, but can't bring herself to believe. Lanie's journey to healing is the story. Mama Cora Capriotti is full of guiding wisdom, kindness and patience along the way.  An enjoyable story of family love like we hope it would be for all of us.

Summer of '69 / Elin Hildebrand / 432 p.

I am very biased since I love Elin Hilderbrand's novels. The Summer of '69 just happens to be the year of my high school graduation. I decided it was the perfect read prior to going to our 50th reunion.
   Each chapter is a line or title of a song from that time period.  So fun and clever!

Where the Crawdads Sing / Delia Owens / 384 p.

Kya's story is compelling. She was abandoned by her mother, siblings and father by the age of seven. Kya's strong survival instinct was her only lifeline.  She had so many trials and was wracked with such lonliness, but she survived!  Reading this novel by Delia Owens is an experience not ordinarily felt by the readers of most novels. Our most basic human instincts are revealed and lived by Kya. There is so much to ponder after reading her story. This is, at minimum, a perfect book club discussion novel. I will remember Kya for a long, long time.

The Girl He Used to Know / Tracey Garvis Graves / 291 p.

Jonathan Hoffman and Annika Rose first meet at a Chess Club at the University of Illinois.  Jonathan is at the university to start over from a bad experience at Northwestern.  Annika is studying to be a librarian, is very introverted, shy and awkward with some autistic tendancies. Their meeting eventually evolves into a tender, loving relationship. Jonathan graduates and takes a job in NYC with the plan that Annika will follow after she graduates a year later. Unfortunately, fate is not kind to Annika as she finds herself in a crisis that she can't handle. She drops out of school and discontinues contact with Jonathan.
    A decade later Jonathan and Annika bump into each other. They start to see each other informally. So much has changed and Jonathan realizes Annika has grown into a capable librarian living on her own. Their story takes us through the difficult road back to each other with some very significant bumps along the way - including the fateful September 11, 2001 twin towers tradedy.

The Friends We Keep / Jane Green / 384 p.

Evvie, Maggie, and Topher have known each other since university. Their friendship was something they swore would last forever. Now years have passed, the friends have drifted apart, and none of them ever found the lives they wanted – the lives they dreamed of when they were young and everything seemed possible.
   Move forward to their 30th reunion when they reunite and delight in being together again.  However, there is a secret that threatens to derail their plans for a happily ever after.
    This is a story about friendship and forgiveness. 

A Spark of Light / Jodi Picoult / 352 p.

Jodi Picoult always finds a way to take a controversial topic and help readers to see both sides. This time her topic is abortion. Her epilogue is filled with statistical findings from her research as she was writing this novel. I found the story interesting with several twists (as always with Picoult) that I didn't see coming. No matter what your view is on this topic, A Spark of Light will help you understand the thoughts and views of the other side. I don't think her story will change anyone views, however it will broaden the conversation.
I only gave it four stars because of the repetitiveness throughout the story. I'm not sure why that was done. Perhaps to give the reader the background (again) of why that character felt the way they did. 
This is a good book club read IF your group can agree to disagree on this topic.

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Ann Morrow Lindberg's life is the subject of this novel.  While this is a work of fiction, it does chronicle the facts of Charles and Ann Morrow Lindberg's accomplishments and family members.  Told from the voice of Ann, we hear the emotional highs and lows (lots of lows!) of being the wife of the famous aviator.  She refers to herself as the aviator's wife throughout. 
    The description of the loss of their first child is particularly moving and also bizzare as Charles comes off as very cold-hearted.  He is often distant and narcissistic in his life with Ann.  She describes the pain and lonliness of being married to him.  She also takes comfort when a morsel of love and affection is shown to her by Charles.  You often wonder why she stayed with him.  The book vascillates between their history, his last months of life in 1974, and Ann's life after he dies.
     This is a good bookclub option when discussing marital relationships.

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

The story has a diverse representation of characters: a Black main character (Nikole), Latino love interest (Carlos), Black lesbian side character (Dana), and overweight Korean side character (Courney).

     The first chapter introduces us to Nik at a Dodgers baseball game with her current lover.  After only 5 months of dating she finds herself on the Jumbo Tron with a proposal of marriage.  When she says "No" the backlash from an entire stadium is horrifying. Her boyfriend and his friends march off to leave her alone with the crowd's jeers.  

     Enter Carlos and his sister, Angela, who are sitting 3 rows back and come to Nik's rescue.  They are strangers to Nik, but she is willing to trust them to get her safely out of the stadium and away from cameras.  While Nik is being whisked away in Carlos' car, she text messages her best friends(Courney and Dana) to tell them what happened and to please meet her at their favorite bar.  Carlos and his sister join them and that's when the attraction begins for Carlos.

     This is a predictable storyline, however there are clever quips and events along the way.  If you are looking for a quick light romance read, then this is for you.

Tony's Wife by Adrianna Trigiani

I am a big fan of AdrianaTrigiani and have read most of her books. This is a stand alone so far so if you haven't read the Big Stone Gap or Shoemaker's Wife series you won't feel like you've missed out on getting to know the main characters, Tony (Saverio) Arma and Chi Chi Donatelli.
I ended up looking the main characters up on Google because they were so true to life, however, they are fiction. I love the characters and all their depth, flaws, and humor.
Chi Chi is a songwriter who lives on the Jersey shore. Tony (Saverio) is a Michigan-raised Italian with a gift for singing. His father kicks him out of the house at 16 because he feels Saverio is wasting his life on a silly career.
Chi Chi and Saverio finally meet and find magic in her songwriting and his voice. The story follows their ebb and flow through their careers and relationship ups and downs. It was a very satisfying story. I looked forward to reading this novel every day!

Ready, Set, Read - Almost ...

Have signed on to the SCCCLD Book Challenge blog and am waiting for the 2011 Missouri Book Challenge to begin!!!