Reading Lately - July

August 9, 2022

 


Happy Tuesday everyone.  I've read some good books lately that I'd love to share with you.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid


Book Description:

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.


My Thoughts on the Book:

I like reading books by this author and I've read Daisy Jones & The Six and Malibu Rising.  I couldn't wait to read her next book The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.  I loved this book about Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo and all of her seven husbands and her rise to fame.  It's a good summer read which I'm sure you'll enjoy.  Taylor Jenkins Reid has a new book coming out soon which I can't wait to read called Carrie Soto is Back.

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews

Book Description:

In trouble and on the run...

After she discovers her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her fashionable New York City townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain she knows who did it: Tanya’s ex; sleazy real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister’s warnings: “If anything bad happens to me—it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.”

With a trunkful of emotional baggage...

So Letty grabs her sister’s Mercedes and hits the road with her wailing four-year-old niece Maya. Letty is determined to out-run Evan and the law, but run to where? Tanya, a woman with a past shrouded in secrets, left behind a “go-bag” of cash and a big honking diamond ring—but only one clue: a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel in a Florida beach town with the improbable name of Treasure Island. She sheds her old life and checks into an uncertain future at The Murmuring Surf Motel.

The No Vacancy sign is flashing & the sharks are circling...

And that’s the good news. Because The Surf, as the regulars call it, is the winter home of a close-knit flock of retirees and snowbirds who regard this odd-duck newcomer with suspicion and down-right hostility. As Letty settles into the motel’s former storage room, she tries to heal Maya’s heartache and unravel the key to her sister’s shady past, all while dodging the attention of the owner’s dangerously attractive son Joe, who just happens to be a local police detective. Can Letty find romance as well as a room at the inn—or will Joe betray her secrets and put her behind bars? With danger closing in, it’s a race to find the truth and right the wrongs of the past.

My Thoughts on the Book:

This is the first book I've read by this author.  The book is a mixture of humor, romance, and mystery.  I found myself laughing at times and I enjoyed reading this book. 

Summer Island by Kristin Hannah




Book Description:

Years ago, Nora Bridge walked out on her marriage and left her daughters behind. She has since become a famous radio talk-show host and newspaper columnist beloved for her moral advice. Her youngest daughter, Ruby, is a struggling comedienne who uses her famous mother as fuel for her bitter, cynical humor. When the tabloids unearth a scandalous secret from Nora's past, their estrangement suddenly becomes dramatic: Nora is injured in an accident and a glossy magazine offers Ruby a fortune to write a tell-all about her mother. Under false pretenses, Ruby returns home to take care of the woman she hasn't spoken to for almost a decade.

Nora insists they retreat to Summer Island in the San Juans, to the lovely old house on the water where Ruby grew up, a place filled with childhood memories of love and joy and belonging. There Ruby is also reunited with her first love and his brother. Once, the three of them had been best friends, inseparable. Until the summer that Nora had left and everyone's hearts had been broken. . . .

What began as an expose evolves, as Ruby writes, into an exploration of her family's past. Nora is not the woman Ruby has hated all these years. Witty, wise, and vulnerable, she is desperate to reconcile with her daughter. As the magazine deadline draws near and Ruby finishes what has begun to seem to her an act of brutal betrayal, she is forced to grow up and at last to look at her mother--and herself--through the eyes of a woman. And she must, finally, allow herself to love.


My Thoughts on the Book:

I love reading books by the author Kristen Hannah.  I enjoyed reading The Nightingale and The Four Winds by this author.  I found this book to be just ok and it's about family, love, and forgiveness. 


What book are you reading now?  Do you have any book recommendations? 

Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.

Julie

11 comments

  1. These all sound great for a light summer read. Thanks for the reviews. xoxo Kris

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  2. I read mostly mysteries and I'm reading one with the Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. It's really good. Your books look like fun too!

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  3. The Law of Innocence is the book I just finished and liked so much!

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  4. I enjoy most of Mary Kay Andrews books and thought the newcomer was really good. I think this might be one Kristin Hannah book I haven't read yet... though the summary sounds vaguely familiar.

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  5. We've been on the same wavelength lately!! I read the Evelyn Hugo book for Book Club a few years ago. I will check those other titles out and add them to my list!

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  6. I love Kristin Hannah books but that one was just so so for me too.

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  7. Julie,
    Thanks so much for stopping by!! I have to make more time to read as i seem to be so busy... And whoever thought I would be bored in retirement was crazy!! LOL!! I just wanted to mention that i sometimes have to click on the sin in button 2-3 times to be able to comment and on some blogs, it never lets me comment at all...Just wanted you to know in case your comments are down....Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

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  8. Oh, they all sound good!! I haven't read anything yet this summer, we've been very busy, but I'd love to squeeze at least one of these in before summer's end!!

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  9. Thank you for sharing your list Julie!

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  10. Life throws you unexpected opportunities sometimes. That's what happened in seven husband's I guess.

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