Welcome to the Stacks
Fostering the love of reading, here are several reviews from myself.
Looking for grade-level recommendations for your kiddo? Click here
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
Star Rating: ★★★★
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Listening to Mel Robbins was a great reminder of things I've known along the way. If you find that you're overwhelmed or frustrated, it's helpful to remember the problem is not just you. The problem lies within your response. It's something that I needed to hear again in the framework of raising teens and working with partners (vs. managing directly a team). Let Them doesn't give you a secret handshake on how to get the results you want out of someone. But rather it helps you think about how to give yourself the reaction and logic to stay less frustrated. I don't listen to Mel Robbins' podcast nor have I read her books. This one was a good reminder and I think it would be great for those who really feel frustrated or overwhelmed with where you are in your life.
Greenwich by Kate Broad
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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The summer of 1999 finds 18 year old Rachel Fiske begging to escape some friend drama at home. She sets off to Greenwich, CT to live with her aunt and uncle for the summer to help her aun as she recovers from an injury. Rachel is awkwardly situated in the world here, not quite an adult and not needing a babysitter. She finds friendship in her cousin's nanny, Claudia. As summers are want to do, Rachel finds herself hoping for romance with Claudia. Suddenly, a tragedy occurs and Rachel is forced to choose a side between her family and the nanny.
Troubles in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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The 3rd in the Paradise series, Irene Steele travels one last time back to the beautiful island of St. John to deal with the mess her late husband left behind. But, now she has roots of her own on the island. And so do her grown sons. Will they tie up loose ends and leave once and for all or will they choose to tend to the roots now growing on this tiny island?
The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Driven by grief, Abby returns to the remote Isla Colel where her fiancée, Eszter, died—only to suspect the tragedy was no accident. As she befriends a tight-knit group of expats, one hints at the truth about Eszter’s final days—but disappears before he can speak. Amid hurricane-scarred beaches and simmering secrets, Abby must confront a tangled web of lies before she becomes the next victim
The Andy Cohen Diaries by Andy Cohen
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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A very candid look at one year of Andy Cohen's life. It's 2013-2014 and he does not hold back. Name drops left and right, shamelessly discusses hitching helicopter rides to the Hamptons with Kelly Ripa, and honestly assesses his ability to care for a dog while debating how selfish he truly is. I loved this book. It's diary format and so easy to pick up, read a little, and put down. I scatter it in while reading other books because I didn't want it to end!
Sunburned by Katherine Wood
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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A fantastic murder mystery set in St. Barth's among a tech billionaire's friend group. It's what all summer beach reads should be! Audrey Collet gets a phone call from her high school sweetheart, Tyson, out of the blue. He wants her to come down to St. Barth's and see which of his friends is disloyal. A foot has washed ashore in Florida that Audrey and Tyson have a shared connection to (well, the foot and its deceased owner). But, who knows of this shared past and is now extorting Tyson? Is it Audrey? Is it one of his business partners or friends?
A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand
Star Rating: ★★★★
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While traveling to Nantucket, it is only appropriate to read Elin Hilderbrand. This was a great read while on island. A Summer Affair follows Claire Danner Crispin through a yearlong effort to co-chair the summer gala on the island. But, Claire, a mother of four and a retired glassblower, has maybe bitten off more than she can chew with this position. As she spends the year co-chairing, she explores what she wants her life to be like as a newly minted mother of four. Is she truly retired? Does she want to stay in her marriage? Does she even want to stay on the island? All of this and more is explored in A Summer Affair.
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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At the exact same time, everyone around the world is delivered a small wooden box with a string inside it, which measures their lifespan. The Measure follows 8 people and their decision to look at the string, to not look at the string, to measure it and know the exact time you have left, etc. A fascinating concept that I am finding myself asking everyone over cocktails or dinner. I still don't know what I would do in this situation! The Measure isn't sad at all, in my opinion. Moreover, it's a fascinating look at human behavior when having to reconcile one's own mortality.
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Edie Lane leaves her home in Ireland to start fresh at a bakery in Paris. Except, whoops. It's not in Paris, but rather a small town in France on Rue de Paris. As she tries to settle into this new realization, she also realizes the bakery she has come to work in has an air of mystery about it. Edie finds working at the bakery to be not what she signed on for, but instead exactly what she needs. I liked this later "coming of age" story where we follow someone who doesn't have it all together still as an adult, but comes into her own in due time and with the right life experiences.
Mansion Beach by Meg Mitchell Moore
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Readers of Pineapple Street and Bad Summer People will love Mansion Beach. Set on Block Island, RI, Mansion Beach follows people summering and working on the island. A mix of old money, new money, and no money, everyone's summer story becomes intertwined. Some congenial relationships are formed, and some are not so congenial. The summer tension and heat rise in tandem together in this book and come to an apex when a dead body is discovered. Mansion Beach was a great summer escapist novel to dive into while on vacation!
Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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A really fascinating read from a NPR journalist who covered the courts and befriended a judge (RBG) as they were both building their careers. And, interestingly, how they chose to respect their friendship first over using the connection of each other to help their careers. It was a heartwarming read.
Be Ready when the Luck Happens by Ian Garten
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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I knew very little about Ian Garten. So, why did I pick this up? I was just curious about how she got to be the Barefoot Contessa! And I learned so much. What a fun listen to hear her sharp pivots in her career. I really enjoyed learning about her persistence in purchasing the land adjacent to hers to build out a barn to film!
What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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What Happens in Paradise picks up in the story of Irene Steele. The 2nd novel in Elin Hilderbrand's Paradise series is a page turner! So much of the plot from the first book thickens in this second book. I could not put it down and immediately ran to the library to grab the final book in the series upon finishing!
Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Winter in Paradise hooks you right in! Irene Steele lives in Iowa City and is a happily married empty nester who is the envy of many of her friends between her beautiful home, her career, and her doting husband. She receives a call as she is ringing in the new year that makes all of that crumble to the ground. Her husband has been killed in the British Virgin Islands in a helicopter crash. Finding it odd that he is in the BVIs when she thought he was in Florida, she discovers her husband had been living a secret life. She flies down to St. John with her adult sons to face the truth in what is a fantastic start of plot twists and turns of this transporting trilogy.
Running with Sherman by Christopher McDougall
Star Rating: ★★★★
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Born to Run author Christopher McDougall is back with another great story to tell. He takes in a malnourished and neglected donkey, Sherman, who was a part of a hoarding situation on a farm. Sherman is untrusting of humans and uncooperative. Knowing that animals need to feel a sense of purpose, the author works toward getting Sherman into burro racing (running alongisde with donkeys). This story was of personal interest because we have seen the burro races many times in Colorado. But, Running with Sherman interestingly covers not only the personal story of Sherman, but also the many fringe benefits of exercise and animal interaction, which helps humans with mental and physical health. The data is fascinating to learn and intertwines into the story of Sherman naturally.
Saltwater by Katy Hays
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Set in Capri, Saltwater bounces between Sarah Lingate in 1992 and her daughter Helen, then and now. In this hush-hush, old money doesn't speak family, Sarah's death in Capri is ruled as an accident but with a hint of suspicion. Helen is untrusting of her family and enlists the family assistant, Lorna, to flee the family while in Capri. But, when Lorna suddenly goes missing, Helen is left to reconcile all of the little signs bubbling to the surface about her mother's death. A page turner set in the summer in beautiful Capri, this book had me capivated through to the last page.
The Club by Ellery Lloyd
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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There are exclusive resorts and then there is The Club. Set in England, Home is a business of Uber-private residences for the ultra-celebrity to have the ultimate privacy and discretion upon entering. Or do they? A death at the new property, Island Home, brings out all of the quiet secrets and discretions that were once afforded to Home's clients. How many secrets are at risk and what would someone do to protect their public image? It all comes out to play in The Club, a book where everyone is ill-willed for different reasons and vengeance is the only currency accepted on the island.
The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh
Star Rating: ★★★
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I may be showing my age with this review. I would love this book if I were 15-25 years old. But, at 43, the tale is too cutesy and predictable. And maybe that is comforting to some, like the way an early 2000's rom-com is. Everyone knows how it's going to end, but we all play along with the cat and mouse game. This story starts with a girl who has lost herself by putting everything she has into her career. And she suddenly gets a wakeup call and decides to try saying "yes" to life more and "no" to her career (via a vacation to try this out). And, it goes exactly where you thinking it's going as you progress in the narrative. For me, it was just okay. I finished it because I kept wanting a spin, a suprise. Maybe I'm too Georgina Tate in my stage of life :) I'm going to pass this on to my YA reader tween and see how she likes it as I'm sure she will have a fresher take than I.
The Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand
Star Rating: ★★★★
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This checks all of the boxes for my kind of summer read. Escape to a new (to me) place. An air of mystique underlying spoken narrative. Mid-century historical fiction. This is my first Elin Hilderbrand novel and I heard from many that I started with the best one. The Summer of '69 is Americana at its peak, with Bostonians escaping the city for Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard. And, while everything is perfectly picnic-friendly for care-free beach days, the Vietnam War keeps things grounded in this family. As does the old adage that every Americana family has secrets lying within its perfectly manicured trees.
A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Star Rating: ★★★★★
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Keaton finds herself in desperate need of escaping NYC and her present life when her mother randomly says she needs someone to head down to Beaufort, NC to put her childhood home on the market. Keaton takes up the offer to flee the city and head to a past she has never known much about as her grandparents passed away before she was born. What starts as a quick way to distract herself from her life ends up becoming a thirst for knowledge about the family she had but never had the chance to know, including the matriarch that reigned over the sleepy southern beach town of Beaufort. A Happier Life had me yearning for traditions that have gone amiss in modern times while also turning the pages to see how the women of yesteryear and today were going to handle the day's dilemmas. Always with grace, poise, and dignity, no doubt of that.