Category Archives: UpLit

What You Wish For [Book Review]

July 14, 2020

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

What You Wish For by Katherine Center (cover) ImageL white title on a blue backbround with flowers and a yellow ferris wheel edging the border

Genre/Categories: Contemporary Fiction, Romance

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summary:

Samantha is a happy elementary school librarian in Galveston, Texas. One day, the school loses its beloved principal and his replacement is Duncan Carpenter, someone that Sam knows from her past. She’s a bit concerned about how this will play out because she used to have a crush on Duncan. She keeps this a secret while assuring everyone that the new principal is a great person and they are lucky to have him. However, Duncan shows up as a stiff and humorless person who is preoccupied with school safety. Everything that Sam loves about her school is suddenly being systematically destroyed. How will she stand up to him and fight his policies, and how will this affect their relationship?

My Thoughts:

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#TopTenTuesday: 10 Books That Make Me Smile

July 14, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books That Make Me Smile

10 Books That Will Make You Smile (white text) over a background image of a girl looking up and laughing

Top Ten Tuesday celebrating 10 years (image: a birthday cake with 10 candles)

*I’m linking up today with That Artsy Reader Girl for Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Make Me Smile.

If you’ve clicked over from That Artsy Reader Girl, Welcome! Please look around and enjoy your stay.

Today’s prompt is “Books That Make Me Smile” and I hope that I’ve chosen books that will make you smile, also. I interpret “make me smile” to mean that they make me “happy I read that,” not funny books that make me laugh out loud.

Because I read a great deal of histfic, I do not have an overabundance of “uplit” books that fall into this category. I hope you enjoy the titles I’ve picked out for this week’s prompt. Let me know if we share any favorites or if you have an “uplit” title I can add to my list.

 *This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

No.1 Ladies Detective Series by Alexander McCall Smith

Kind, gracious, and wise Mma Precious Ramotswe and a cast of quirky supporting characters and the culture of Botswana bring many smiles to my face. A recent favorite is The House of Unexpected Sisters and I look forward to a new installment this fall, How to Raise an Elephant. Each installment is like visiting with old friends. If you are looking for easy-reading, gentle, comfort reads with likable characters and uplifting themes, this might be a good option.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abi Waxman

Smart, snappy, and humorous writing with a likable and quirky character will bring a smile to your face. (skip Ch 5 if you are would rather not read crude humor)

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman (cover)

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman

If you have children in your life, Backman’s essays on parenthood will bring a smile to your face.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (cover) Image: pen and ink sketch of a horse, a boy, a mole, and a fox

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

Delightful illustrations and poignant, thoughtful reflections on life (reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh) will bring a smile to your face.

This Won't End Well (cover) ....a young woman peeking through some bushes

This Won’t End Well by Camille Pagán

Some snappy writing, a quirky character, and an enemies to lovers trope will bring a smile to your face.

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Red Sky Over Hawaii [Book Review] #BookTour

June 9, 2020

Red Sky Over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman

Red Sky Over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman (cover) Image: a young woman in a blue dress stands with her back to the camera overlooking a Volcano landscape....four planes in the sky

Genre/Categories: Romance Historical Fiction, WW11, Hawaii, Women’s Fiction

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for Red Sky Over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman. Thanks for the invitation!

Thanks, #netgalley #harlequin for a complimentary e ARC of #redskyoverhawaii by Sara Ackerman. All opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Summary:

WW11 + Hawaii + Saving Neighbors + a Side of Cowboy Romance

The attack on Pearl Harbor during WW11 sets the events in motion. Lana has recently learned of the passing of her father. Even though they were estranged at the time of his death, Lana is saddened by his death and left with unanswered questions. As the government begins to arrest her German and Japanese neighbors as suspected sympathizers, she takes two young German girls and a Japanese fisherman and his son to a secret property hidden away in the remote rain forest of Kilauea volcano. Lana struggles to keep her secrets and those in her care safe. Would you save your neighbors in a time of crisis?

My Thoughts:

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The Summer House [Book Review]

June 2, 2020

The Summer House by Lauren K Denton

The Summer House by Lauren K Denton (cover) Image: a blue wooden swing on a wide white porch

Genre/Categories: Light Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Southern Fiction, Uplit, Divorce

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summary:

Thanks, @thomasnelson #netgalley for the complimentary e copy of #thesummerhouse. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

From the author of Hurricane Season and Glory Road…

Lily is devastated to find a goodbye note and signed divorce papers on the kitchen table when she awakens. Before her brief marriage, she was a hairstylist, and she contemplates the possibility of leveraging this skill to make a fresh start. By chance, she notices a flyer advertising the need for a hairstylist in a nearby retirement community. Desperate for a job, she makes the call and shows up for the interview and also negotiates for the apartment above the salon.

My Thoughts:

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Of Literature and Lattes [Book Review]

May 12, 2020

Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay

Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay (cover) Image: a large red coffee cup sits on a stack of books against a blue background....whimsical flowers as an accent

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summary:

Thanks #netgalley @thomasnelson for providing a complimentary e copy of #ofliteratureandlattes … all opinions in this review are completely my own.

Thirty-something Alyssa never planned to return home. Suddenly, the company she works for implodes, and she is broke, under FBI investigation, and returns to her home in Winsome, Illinois to regroup. Once in her quaint and charming hometown, Alyssa faces the challenges of reconciling with her mother, earning money to fix her car, and dealing with a health crisis. She meets Jeremy who is struggling to establish a coffee shop, working toward a functional relationship with his ex, and fighting for consistent, quality time with his daughter.

My Thoughts:

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The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters: A Review

June 19, 2019

Can three very different sisters living three vastly different lives come together to honor their mother’s last dying wish of traveling to India and scattering her ashes?

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Unlikely Adventures of Shergill Sisters Review

Genre/Categories: Contemporary Fiction, Family Drama, India

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summary:

To honor their mother’s dying wish, three Punjabi sisters travel to India on a pilgrimage to visit sacred places that are special to Mom and to scatter her ashes. Told from the three perspectives of three very different sisters, The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters explores sibling relationships, modern vs traditional roles of women, secrets, and the importance of family.

My Thoughts:

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