Try some short stories: After the Funeral and Other Stories by Tessa Hadley

#AftertheFuneralandOtherStories #NetGalley

Short story lovers, this could be your lucky day. Here is a wonderful collection by the inimitable Tessa Hadley. She has a knack for taking something quotidian and turning it into something that resonates. All twelve stories are well worth the reader’s time. I especially enjoyed The Bunty Club and The Other One.

Dip in anywhere or read in order. Even if you are not generally a reader of short stories, this one is worth your time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 11 July 2020

From my stack of overdue reviews: The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm

#TheSundayPotluckClub #NetGalley

Since The Sunday Potluck Club came out, there have been two more related titles published. Readers may want to take a look at all three. I am clearly behind here.

Sometimes life just doesn’t give us what we want. We know that loss is something that, perhaps can be postponed, but cannot be avoided. The main characters in this novel met in an Alaskan hospital ward when relatives were dying. This is not just a story of loss though; it is one of figuring out how to get through and moved forward. It is about friendships formed and the aspirations that we still go for.

Follow Bridget and Amy as well as some of their other friends. You will be a witness to the goodness of The Sunday Potluck Club.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

This title was published in 2020.

From the Publisher

The Sunday Potluck Club, Melissa Storm, Trade Paperback, Contemporary, Kensington
The Sunday Potluck Club, Melissa Storm, Trade Paperback, Contemporary, KensingtonThe Sunday Potluck Club, Melissa Storm, Trade Paperback, Contemporary, KensingtonThe Sunday Potluck Club, Melissa Storm, Trade Paperback, Contemporary, Kensington

Now out: A Month in Provence

Boldwood has a talent for finding the kinds of stories that readers of women’s fiction crave, and that is clearly the case here. There will be readers who are excited about some romance and professional challenges with a character who is NOT in her twenties. Nicky: She has been widowed and this has not been easy. Nicky’s two children are now grown and she is a bit adrift. Enter a friend with a challenge (that readers will adore) and a trip to Provence. What will NIcky find? Will she be successful? Will she find love again? Settle down to read this one when you have time. You will enjoy the escape and won’t want to be interrupted. Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

A perfect summer read: High Tides and Summer Skies by Jennifer Bohnet

#HighTidesandSummerSkies #NetGalley

Those who are looking for a relaxing summer read may very well enjoy this title. It is an easy read with good settings and characters, just the thing for a lazy afternoon.

Readers meet Mattie and Katie. Mattie is of a certain age and looking to expand her world from Dartmouth, where she has lived her whole life. Katie is looking for a change after losing a job and no longer having faith in her boyfriend. Each will shake their life up with what readers will hope are good results.

Mattie has run her family’s yarn shop for years but has had enough. She offers Katie the opportunity to make of it what she can, while Mattie plans her first trip away.

Mattie goes on a luxury cruise where she meets Henri and has the beginnings of a romance. Katie, meanwhile, faces challenges in getting the store up and running; who is sabotaging her? Good thing that Leo is around to offer support.

I liked the descriptions of the settings in this book. I especially enjoyed visiting the small island that Mattie and Henri went to (where they heard the chanting).

In some ways, this story is predictable but, then again, predictable sometimes is just what I want. Recommended for when a reader wants a nice story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this title. All opinions are my own.