I Love the 80s by Megan Crane (4 stars)
Since Jenna’s fiance dumped her, she’s coped by indulging her obsession with the 80s – not hard to do, since she works at an all-80s music channel. Her greatest passion is rock icon Tommy Seer, who died mysteriously in 1987. While changing a light bulb during a lightning storm, she’s magically transported back to several months before Tommy’s death, and into the life of her aunt Jen, who worked at the same music video channel. After playing a role in one of the band’s most famous moments, Jenna finds herself involved in Tommy’s life and decides to try to save it. Needless to say, this novel requires total suspension of disbelief, but it’s a lot of fun.
Whatever Life Throws At You by Julie Cross (4 stars)
Downloaded from Netgalley. Review to come later.
I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections by Nora Ephron (4 stars)
I saw this collection of essays on my library’s Kindle site and decided it was past time to start reading Nora Ephron. She’s a writer’s writer with lots of interesting stories and insights!
Never Have I Ever: My Life (So Far) Without A Date by Katie Heaney (4 stars)
In this hilarious, wise, and honest memoir, Katie Heaney shares her romantic history or lack thereof – from her kindergarten crush to the last guy to break her heart. Anyone who’s been single for a long time should love it!
Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love & Karaoke by Rob Sheffield (4 stars)
In Love Is A Mix Tape, Rob Sheffield told the story of his young marriage and the sudden loss of his wife. In this new memoir, he tells how he found a new love – and karaoke. It’s kind of rambly, but I enjoy his ramblings!
The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith (4 stars)
When Lucy and Owen meet in an elevator during the NYC blackout, their chemistry is obvious immediately. But after knowing each other only a short time, they both move away in opposite directions. Though they communicate only through sporadic postcards and try to move on with their lives, they can’t seem to forget about each other. This novel is a little disjointed and longer than it needs to be, but it’s heartfelt, and I give it 4 stars purely for emotional reasons.
The Best of Us by Sarah Pekkanen (2.5 stars)
A novel about four women who accept a college friend’s invitation to vacation together at a beach house in Jamaica. All of them, including the host, are hiding secrets that start coming out in unexpected ways. It’s very soapy with lots of plot twists. I’m a Pekkanen fan, but this was my least favorite of her books. (Though it has similar themes to Outer Banks by Anne Rivers Siddons, which to me is the epitome of good soap.)
Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker (3 stars)
Clementine is spending her sixteenth summer on a boat with her parents and sister, sailing down the Mississippi River. So she has plenty of time to think about her recent estrangement from her best friend and how everything went wrong. When she meets James, also sailing with his dad, his friendliness and cheer starts breaking down the walls she’s built around herself. This is a cute story with a unique setting, but for some reason I wasn’t in love with it.
Books for September: 8
2014 year to date: 54
I loved that book on singleness. It was fun and quirky. It is so difficult to find good books on singleness.