For the past couple of summers I have tackled a small stack of books for pleasure reading during the summer. (Recall earlier this year, 2012 part 1, 2012 part 2, 2012 part 3, 2011, and 2010). I love reading during the summer. Throughout the school year I read so much serious information (which don’t get me wrong I do love), but during the summer I need to change it up. I spring for something a little easier to read; a little less thought provoking. I love a good book; give me a good book, a cup of coffee, & you won’t hear from me for a while :-)
I am 2 weeks into my 2013 summer reading and I want to share 2 books with you:
Where We Belong by Emily Giffin- I have read every one of Giffin’s books and enjoyed all of them, so when this one was released I purchased it immediately but waited for this summer to dive in. I loved this book, and ate it up! I read it so fast because I couldn't put it down; I had to know what was going to happen. I was so invested in the characters and sad when it was over. When I finished the book I “stalked” Giffin’s website to see when the next book was coming out and actually had to stop myself from tweeting her to ask. I'm sure she gets that all the time and I dont want to annoy her, know what I mean?
From the back cover:
Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six-year-old television producer living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and picture-perfect relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had locked away forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s meticulously constructed world will be shaken to its core, resurrecting memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her. For the precocious and headstrong Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to reevaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As Marian and Kirby embark on a quest to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves. A place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.
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Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter- I have never read a book by this author but I purchased this for a book club a couple years ago and never got to read it. (Sometimes I am so lame!) So I decided to crack open the pages this summer. I cannot tell you how much I identified with this character. I thought this book was going to be an added pressure to be perfect but it was the complete opposite. Perfection is something that I have struggled with for as long as I can remember and watching how Taylor, the main character, worked through her own struggles was so familiar and even comforting to me. We all have been guilty of wanting to find acceptance in our performance but as Christians we know this is not how we are defined. This is a great story of how love works through difficult seasons in life with family, finances, and love. It is a great story of hope and I was captivated by each page. I can't even tell you how many times this book made me late in the mornings before work lol I will definitely be reading more from Jane Porter!
From the back cover:
As a young California girl growing up in a blue collar neighborhood, Taylor Young dreamed of being popular, beautiful, and acquiring a wardrobe to die for. Not to mention marrying a handsome, successful man and living happily ever after in a gorgeous house with three wonderful children. Now, at 36, Taylor has reached the pinnacle of her dreams, but is it all about to unravel? As the new school year approaches, Taylor prepares herself for playing the perfect alpha mom: organizing class activities, fund-raising, and chairing the school auction. But the horror! Her archrival, bohemian mom Marta Zinsser, is named Head Room Mom of Taylor's daughter's fifth grade class. As tensions rise at committee meetings and school activities, the two rivals seem to be destined for a final confrontation. But as Taylor plans her next move, she is floored by a more serious blow at home-her husband has been secretly unemployed for the past six months. With her posh lifestyle crumbling, Taylor struggles to maintain her alpha image-but could Marta, who cares little about appearances, be her only true friend?
