Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Wow. Well this was a book that had me stay in bed all morning to finish it, I was that in to the characters.

This is not your typical fluffly chick lit novel – it’s a story of friendships, motherhood and love.

Walker and Daughter is Georgia Walker’s yarn shop  on the Upper West Side. She’s raising 12 year old Dakota alone but with much support from her good friend and mentor Anita. The Friday Nigh Knitting Club is improvised by some of Georgia’s regulars who need tips on knitting and end up finding much more.

Georgia is central to the story but the other supporting characters are fully drawn. And where if this was the typical chick lit book, it would’ve stopped at page 229. But instead the next 100 pages take you deeper in and show the reader the power of friendships and how sometimes the most powerful support group is the family we create.

 

Small Town Odds by Jason Headley

Is everything a coming of age novel or is that just the kick I’m on?

Eric is 24 and still living in the small town he grew up in West Virginia. Eric had big dreams but they were derailed when a mistake one night led to the birth of his daughter, Tess. He gave up the girl he loved and college to stay and be a father. During one week his old girlfriend, the high school’s Big Game, and the gorgeous mother of his daughter all converge, propelling Eric to unavoidable decisions.

Not quite lad lit, this was a moving story of what it means to be a father, to be a family and how to reconcile yourself when your future doesn’t turn out like you planned.

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti

Finally a YA novel! I know it’s been awhile.

18 year old Indigo works as a waitress in a downtown Seattle diner and lives with her mom, brother and sister. She’s a free soul who doesn’t want to attend college and is happier tooling around in her boyfriend’s renovated Mustang, Bob Weaver. Then Indigo receives a $2.5 million tip. Will the money change her?

I was thoroughly charmed by Indigo. The one silly thing was her absolute revulsion at cigarettes, which I thought odd at first, but then turned into a major plot device.

Also this paragraph stuck with me: “He put his arms around me. . .Because that’s what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you’re not so lovable. And right there I learn something very simple and fundamental about love. That it is there or it is not there. That some of biggest troubles probably come when we try to convince ourselves it is there when it isn’t, or that it isn’t there when it is.” (pg. 292)

Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff

I suppose I should be blogging about these children’s books I read for work, just so I am keeping my list accurate. However, the take so little time to read I feel as though I’m cheating when I read them. Anyway, set in 1944 this tells how Lily befriends a war refugee in the seaside town of Rockaway Beach.

Nice to Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers

A good little chick lit novel about finding your place in life.

Prudence Whistler, 36, is still single and childless. She’s been fired from her job and her boyfriend just left her. Blinking in bewilderment, Pru wonders what happened to the life she’s planned. Throw in a sister who moves across country to be with a guy (who then dumps her) and the cute owner of the corner dinner and you have an entertaining novel about creating a family from friends and finding the life you desire.

I enjoyed this book, the characterizations were whole and believable and the pacing was quick. I would classify this as “intelligent” chick-lit, not “beach read” chick-lit.

I am not myself these days by Josh Kilmer-Purcell

This was a read for book group. I can’t decide what this was supposed to be about; it’s either a memoir of a drag queen or a love story gone wrong. Not sure. It was a quick read. I didn’t dislike it, but I wasn’t sure what the point was, and (unlike the other memoirs we’ve read this year) I felt the author didn’t share enough emotionally.

Plus the book I had included some “extras” in the back, one of which was an interview with the author. In the interview when the author mentioned knowing James Frey and his wife, I immediately began doubting everything I’d just read. Especially because the author candidly shares his battle with alcohol and how he frequently blacked out.

The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum

This is a coming of age novel. It’s also a novel of loss, of allowing yourself to fall in love, and of friendship. Emily is 29 and a Manhattan lawyer, who has just broken up with her boyfriend. The break up is just the first in a series of shifts that sends her life unraveling and forces her to confront her fears to take control of her life.

I cried at the end of this book. I’m often surprised when I cry while reading. Perhaps that’s how I know somethings struck a nerve. Anyway, I enjoyed every moment of this book. The author authentically portrays what it’s like to be in your late 20s and have so many decisions looming before you.

My favorite part: when discussing the suitability of a boyfriend Emily asks, “If he needed one of your kidneys would you give it to him?”

Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella

I’ve been a fan of the Shopaholic books by this same author, but never read outside the series. This is the author’s latest and was recommended by a friend, and it didn’t disappoint.

28 year old Lexi Smart wakes up in the hospital following a horrible car wreck and doesn’t remember any of the last 3 years. Somehow she’s gone from junior salesperson to Department Manager, married to super cute & super rich Eric, and has a brand new wardrobe. Now she has to figure out how she got her.

Parts of this made me laugh out loud, and it’s a charming story of finding out who you are.

City of the Sun by David Levien

A fabulous thriller! I stayed up way too late trying to finish this, because it grips you from page 1 and is non stop action until the end.

Newspaper Delivery Boy Jamie Gabriel disappears one morning while out delivering papers. Fourteen months later, his parents are on the verge of abandoning all hope. Crushed by dead ends and exhausted by a police force that cannot find their son, the Gabriels finally stumble upon an elusive private investigator who may represent their last chance for answers.

Non stop action. Tense, quick plotting. A tension between wanting to know the PI’s back story, and the need for resolution of Jamie’s disappearance. I enjoyed it so much I’m adding it to my recommended category.

I will forewarn readers that it is gritty, there is violence, and the resolution is quick and leaves you wanting more.