Monthly Archives: April 2023

Apr23

Nantucket: The Ultimate Playground by Tara Moos photographs by Rebecca Love

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Nantucket: The Ultimate Playground by Tara Moos photographs by Rebecca Love

Moss,Tara; photographs by Rebecca Love. Nantucket: The Ultimate Playground. Schiffer Books, 2022. 272 pp. ISBN: 978-0-7643-6476-1. $50.00

***

This coffee table book features photographs of white people in expensive clothes walking exclusive beaches with their beautiful children eating gourmet food on an a prestigious island off the New England coast. Divided into sections, images document treasured sights, tastes to savor, timeless activities, toys, playgrounds and traditions and celebrations. Inspired by a life-changing childbirth experience, the author, a long-time seasonal resident, wanted to capture the famous island with a child’s playful wonder. It didn’t quite land that way for me–I’m not sure this book knows what it wants to be or who it’s for.

At first glance, and from the foreward, the book seems geared to parents taking their kids places on Nantucket, but it’s not really a guidebook, and the activities are also aimed at those young at heart who want to rent a jet ski or charter a boat (maybe while the nanny watches the kids?) Several playgrounds are mentioned–few captions, no addresses. Two little free libraries are mentioned and although the Nantucket Atheneum is referenced twice, it is never disclosed that the Atheneum is Nantucket’s public library, which has a cozy children’s room that is a destination in and of itself; it is simply mentioned as a provider of children’s programs. The only travel guide nod is a list of bike paths–no map, no addresses, not even a starting location in most cases, just a mention of the road the path parallels. There is no index, and a list of locations is alphabetical, rather than grouped by chapter, and is mostly limited to commercial businesses.

While the photos are consistently gorgeous, the content itself feels inconsistent. Captions have varying degrees of detail from several sentences to… none at all. Some images feel like teasers–just a glimpse of the attraction. I wanted to see all of the famous Bartlett Farm, not just pictures of tomatoes and corn. There are lots of lighthouses shown, which are fun to see but don’t really convey “playground.” Isolated stretches of barren beaches and waterways leave me wondering: where are the tourists? There are nods to all seasons, but if these were taken in the off-season, when?

A multi-page spread of dogs has no captions or context–are the dogs of Nantucket? Do they belong to vacationers in pet-friendly places? Or are they family members to the creative partners who produced the book? Same with vintage vehicles: are these familiar sights every season? Or novelties that came over on this year’s ferry? More disturbing than an arrangement of dried tuna tails whose mounting pins seem to stare back at the viewer are multiple pictures of naked baby bottoms that steal the agency from those too young to choose whether their nudity be sold for profit.

Perhaps this will find an audience with fans of the queen of beach reads Elin Hilderbrand: those who can only afford a coffee table book (and not a Nantucket vacation). That said: do art books need to have a purpose beyond just being beautiful or evoking a response, whether it’s nostalgia or envy or longing?

The photography, by islander and portrait/landscape/wedding photographer Rebecca Love, is absolutely breathtaking and #goals, but is too pristine, capturing way more Pinterest-perfect stills than people actually playing. An artist’s statement on the collection would have been a welcome addition. An outtakes section of dropped ice cream cones, sunburned toddlers and crying kids who can’t have what they want at the toy store might have balanced out this perfect collection. Purchase for your coastal AirBnB guests to thumb through and enjoy with a glass of Veuve Clicquot.

Apr15

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher

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The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher

Schumacher, Ashley. The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway. St. Martin’s Press, 2023. 320 pp. ISBN 9781250840240 $20.00

*****

This was such a sweet book. Madeleine and her dad have been on the Renaissance Faire circuit where her parents met for most of her life. When they arrive at a favorite spot, it’s been overhauled: dirt paths are now gravel, buildings are permanent structures, and everything has a Hollywood sheen. The son of the new owners, Arthur, seems determined to win her over, and dubs Gwen the Princess of the Faire. Reluctantly drawn in, suddenly she is schewing plans with her dad, hanging out with friends, and trying to remember what her mother’s laugh sounded like. Will shaking up her routine make her forget her mother?

This lovely book deals with grief so beautifully, and also addresses body image, budding romance, and LGBTQIA issues (Arthur has two dads). The device of a best friend to Zoom with and a journal provide opportunity for Gwen to process, but so do her conversations with Arthur. This is a great for fans of Well Met who also enjoy coming of age romance.

I received a free, advance reader’s review copy of #TheRenaissanceOfGwenHathaway from #NetGalley.

Apr15

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

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In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Lauren, Christina. In a Holidaze. Gallery, 2020. 336. pp. ISBN 978-1982123949. $17.99

***1/2

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren is sort of Groundhog day but set at Christmas. While spending Christmas with her family at their home in Utah, Maelyn Jones makes a last ditch effort pass at her crush of thirteen years… and ends up back on the plan to Utah, stuck in some time loop. Humor, romance, and self-discovery abound.

Apr15

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

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Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Henry, Emily. Book Lovers. Berkley, 2022. 384 pp. ISBN 978-0593440872. $27.00

In this novel brilliantly plotted like a Hallmark holiday movie (without the Christmas), protagonist Nora, a shark-like NYC literary agent, has lost not one but four boyfriends to the trope of “went out of town on business, met a local girl, saved her family’s business instead of destroyed it, had a complete change of morals and heart and breaks up with her.” The most recent dumping coincides with a late lunch meeting with notoriously grumpy editor Charlie, to invite him to edit author Dusty’s latest manuscript. He passes. Their verbal sparring is foreplay, but neither knows it yet.

Fast forward two years, and Libby, Nora’s sister, pregnant with her third child, wants a babymoon with her big sister and drags Nora off the not-so-charming Sunshine Farms for a vacation, complete with an irresistible checklist that includes hiking, horse-petting, makeovers, baking and camping–elements of a grownup, multiple- week- long slumber party. Special items for Nora include dates with not one, but two, hot local men.

One of whom turns out to be a certain book editor, born and raised in Sunshine Falls, running his mom’s bookstore while his dad recovers from a second stroke… Nora can’t be completely “off” on her vacation, because her best-selling and sensitive author is working on a new novel, featuring a rather bloodthirsty and seemingly irredeemable Cruella DeVil of a film agent whose characterization is hitting a little too close to home for Nora’s taste. When Dusty’s agent goes into labor prematurely, Charlie takes over the book, forcing he and Nora to work together. Meanwhile, Libby is hatching a plot to save the ailing bookshop.

This is a gem of a book from the pacing, the plot, the characters. The voice is pitch perfect. The baggage Nora and Libby need to work through is real and not over the top: their single actress/waitress mom who adored New York and made being broke fun; their dad who abandoned them; Libby’s focus on family and Nora’s on career; their sweet and loving but high stakes sibling relationship which Nora perceives as forcing her into a rescuer role. The subplot of a mini-mystery about what’s going on between Libby and her husband Brendan is a nice little side story.

The banter between Nora and Charlie and Nora and her sister is fun, snarky and just wonderfully written. The attraction between Nora and Charlie is real, palpable and a bit gut wrenching. Motifs are just so beautifully carried through, from Nora and Charlie’s crashing into one another to the analogy of their relationship being like a great book that leaves you with a lingering heartache. NYC and Sunshine Falls are both lovingly rendered in their exquisite gory, run-down, lush and gorgeous details.

I have a stack of ARCS to read, but right now, I’m going to finish the paperback copy of People We Meet on Vacation, because I loved Beach Read, loved Book Lovers, and can’t get enough of Emily Henry right now.

I received an advance reader’s review copy of #BookLovers from #NetGalley.

Apr7

Anonymous Sex edited by Hillary Jordan; Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

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Anonymous Sex edited by Hillary Jordan; Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

Anonymous Sex. Scribner, 2022. 368 pp. ISBN 9781982177522. $18.00

***

This is sort of the literary equivalent of a zipless fuck–instead of an anonymous stranger having their way with you, a group of literary authors share dirty stories, leaving the reader to only guess at who wrote which lascivious tale. It’s both intriguing and a little bit of a cop-out.

As a collection, the stories are well-written, but not necessarily any better than one of Susie Bright’s best erotica anthologies, because by definition, erotica has to be sensuous, sensual, and with exquisitely rendered sensory detail. There are perhaps more stories that end on a poignant note, and the collection is more literary, with characters that discuss Rilke and modern art. Stories are prefaced by poetry, peppered with allusions, and seasoned with phrases in foreign languages (“Post coitum omne animalium triste est“). The stories cover first times, online hookup sex, group sex, prison sex, hate sex, infrequent married sex.

In “History Lesson,” a historian has a Same Time Next Year BSDM affair with a colleague at the annual conference they both attend. In “Find Me,” a historical tale of an arranged marriage between a widow and a rancher; on her way to meet her new husband to be, Eloise is seduced by a train-robbing stranger in a bear coat on the train. There is a hot retelling of Rapunzel, a horny middle-aged teacher grappling with the sexual life of her teeenaged daughter, In one rather meta tale, the narrator opens with wondering if the other included authors will recognize her story, implying she’s been involved with one of them–in another, the characters discuss how no one writes about real sex, sometimes boring and awkward and mundane and disappointing–but they will.

There are (unintentional?) motifs as well: planes and trains feature in several tales, as does clockwatching during sex. Rapunzel comes up twice, Shakespeare multiple times. While multicultural and set all over the world, no stories focus on trans, plus-size, disabled, or neurodiverse characters, though there is an elderly gentleman reminiscing (which I would not define as elder sex). Still, this is a nice addition for a personal or library collection.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #AnonymousSex from #NetGalley.

Apr6

Right Girl, Wrong Side by Ginny Baird

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Right Girl, Wrong Side by Ginny Baird

Baird, Ginny. Right Girl, Wrong Side. Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2023. 352 pp. ISBN 9781728256559 $16.99
**1/2

A high school grudge over a school election carries through decades in this Romeo and Juliet styled story. Evita Machado (not McCoy) and Ryan Hatfield were sort of friends in high school as lab partners, but the feud between their mothers meant there was no chance of pursuing a relationship. A vacation rental gone awry results in a double-booking and the two families are forced into proximity on their Nantucket vacation. A serious of petty, selfish and possessive actions from the elders in both families result in ratcheting up of tensions; the kids just want to all get along, and Ryan thinks Evita is still pretty cute.

While the relationship building is charming and the cultural details wonderful, the cringey behavior of the parents made this a tough read for me to get through.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #RightGirlWrongSide from #NetGalley.

Apr6

Wish Lists and Road Trips by Lauren H. Mae

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Wish Lists and Road Trips by Lauren H. Mae

Mae, Lauren H. Wish Lists and Road Trips. Headline Eternal, 2023.352 pp. ISBN 9781035401673. $17.99

***1/2

When two strangers miss getting back on their cruise ship, they agree to travel together to get back to the States. Neither seems to be in a good place to embark on a new relationship: beautician Brit has recently called off her wedding (the cruise was to be her honeymoon) to a man who works with his dad in the family business, while real estate developer Nick is fulfilling his deceased brother’s charge to scatter his ashes on a number of adventures. On their journey, they encounter multiple setbacks that hint they may not make it to their final destination in time for Brit to purchase the auctioned property that will launch her business and new, independent life; Nick is determined to help her get there on time.

Road trips tell you a lot about a person, from the snacks they select to the music they choose to how they deal with travel snafus. The plot works wonderfully to reveal character. Watching Nick and Brit get vulnerable was heartfelt, but sometimes he was written a little too overprotectively, diminishing her agency.

Pair with Seat Mate by Cara Bastone when you’re looking for good road trip books that delve into relationships, obligation and career goals as well as romance.

I received a free advance readers review copy of #WishListsAndRoadTrips from #NetGalley.

Apr6

Love at First Psych by Cara Bastone

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Love at First Psych by Cara Bastone

Bastone, Cara. Love at First Psych. Audible Audio, 2023. 4 hours and 35 minutes.

****

Non-traditional students Robbie and Marigold seem to be very different – he’s gregarious, silly and outgoing, while Marigold is more introverted and serious. When they are paired together for a project for their Psychology of Love course, they need to interview at least five people about their first meetings, to determine if love at first sight is a real thing. Meanwhile, there is still some awkwardness in the air from an incident from last semester that the listener is not yet privy to and that Marigold definitely does not want to discuss.

This audible exclusive, full-cast audio presentation is an absolute delight. The premise of having to record interviews lends itself well to the audiobook format. The nuanced voice acting and sound effects work together perfectly to convey the characters, plot and setting. I want to recognize Bastone’s skill at creating believable dialogue and warm, real characters with great backstories and rich vocabularies.

I discovered this author through an Audible ad, and went on to listen to Seat Mate, which was equally wonderful, but had more exposition/monologue.

Apr6

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

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The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

****

Now a classic enemies-to-lovers romance, The Unhoneymooners was alluded to in at least two other books I read recently, so I bought my own copy and re-read it, and it’s still a gem.

Olive is the unlucky foil to her perfect, lucky sister Ami–until Ami’s wedding day, when Olive’s shellfish allergy prevents her from getting food poisoning at the amazing seafood reception catered for free due to one of many contests Ami won to put on her wedding free.

Unluckily, the only OTHER person who avoids food poisoning is the Ethan, the best man and brother of the groom who is against bacteria-ridden buffets on principle. Luckily, Ami and Dane insist Olive and Ethan take the Hawaiian honeymoon so the trip doesn’t go to waste. Since Ami and Olive are twins and Ethan and Dane are brothers, it’s a believable lie. When Olive and Ethan run into Ethan’s ex and Olive’s soon-to-be boss at the honeymoon resort, they need to up their game and truly fake that they are newlyweds. Tension, hilarity and bonding ensue; bickering turns to banter turns to flirting; a sensual couples massage and #Just!One!Bed! eventually lead to the inevitable. Upon returning home, more secrets are revealed, including that Ami and Dante’s relationship is not all it seems, and the fledgling relationship seems doomed.

I like that the heroine is awkward and curvy, and I found the premise funny and the plotting solid. The single perspective narrative worked very well, and the writing is detailed and steamy.

Apr6

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

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Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Center, Katherine. Hello Stranger. St. Martin’s Press, 2023. 320 pp. ISBN 9781250283788. $29

****
An artist looks her facial recognition ability after a potentially life-threatening tumor is removed–just as she’s getting ready to create a portrait for an art contest in which she’s a finalist. Sadie is very anxious about her future, the contest, and her health–and her ability to recognize her canine companion!–but post-surgery, her inability to identify people she knows becomes an opportunity for her friends to come up with creative ways to be recognized. During her physical healing, her evil stepsister messes with her but it’s a chance for her stepmother to support her in ways she couldn’t when was a teenager; and an opportunity to get to know the hot new veterinarian and the cute but fratty guy in her building.

Center’s novel is a great read for fans of Lisa Genova, blending medicine, psychology, family dynamics and light romance with a well-paced, not overly dramatic story, replete with humor and pathos.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HelloStranger from #NetGalley.