Tag Archives: short and sweet

June 19, 2011 · 8:48 pm

>The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

>

Okay, where to start? This is a lovely debut novel by Sarah Jio, and one of the poll winners for June’s read. I really enjoyed it.

The Violets of March centers on Emily. An author with a severe case of writer’s block and now newly divorced, Emily decides to spend some time healing at her great-aunt Bee’s house on Bainbridge Island, WA. As she uses the peace and sound of the sea to clear her mind, she stumbles upon a secret diary from 1943. The diary tells the story of Esther, and Emily is sucked into the story as she notices more similarities between the diary and her own life. I really can’t say much about Esther’s story, because I don’t want to spoil anything.

There were so many things I liked about this novel. I loved the double story-line; while getting to know Emily, I also got to read Esther’s story. And I have to say that the writing is beautiful and mystery of the plot stays with you even when you put the book down. I love books that take place on cozy islands, and this is no different. The sounds of the sea, the descriptions of gardens, of friendly neighbors and small local shops… it’s all so idyllic.

Emily is a great main character. Besides her being sweet and honest with herself, I noticed that she’s also a foodie – the book goes into detail about food when mentioned, and Emily always admits to unabashedly digging in. It’s such a small detail, but I really liked that about her. I really liked the secondary characters too – when I’m a little old lady, I want to be spunky like Bee and her friend Evelyn.

The only thing about this novel that I wasn’t crazy about was Emily’s romantic interests. Once on Bainbridge Island, she’s asked out a bit and I never really warmed up to the man that she found herself attracted to. And while I really like a bit of romance in books (I’m a sap), Emily did just get divorced before she comes to the island. It all happened a bit too fast for my taste.

Anyways, this is a great novel and probably perfect for some pretty, mysterious beach-reading. I’m really glad that it’s one of the novels that won the June poll :-)

Sarah Says: 4 stars

post signature

6 Comments

Filed under 4-star, Contemp. Lit, Fiction, Poll Winner Reads

Tagged as , , , , , ,

May 31, 2011 · 9:02 am

>Top Ten Tuesday: Perfect Beach Reads

> Good morning ya’ll! Time for my favorite meme of the week, Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by the fabulous peeps over at The Broke and The Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books That Should Be In Your Beach Bag. Perfect topic for today, since it’s going to be about 90 degrees here. I wish I was going to the beach…

1. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd – This books takes place for the most part on a small island. The main character, Jessie, comes home to Egret Island to re-evaluate her life and rediscover who she is and her passion for life. There’s a lot of local mermaid history too. Good if you want kind of a deep beach read.

2. Mrs. Whippy by Cecelia Ahern – This is a SUPER-short book, so it’s perfect for those beach-goers who fall in asleep in the sun, or who get distracted by friends and family. It’s about a lady and her interest in an ice-cream man. This might make you want to go visit the ice cream stand by your beach, if you’re lucky enough to have one.

3. Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler – Basically a bunch of hilarious stories about Chelsea’s life, it’s funny and it has short chapters, so again perfect if you can’t really concentrate. Or if you’re drinking while you’re at the beach.

4. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey – If you like fairy-tale retellings with a little bit of romance, this novel is right up your alley. And it’s light and cute, perfect for the beach.

5. anything by Christopher Moore – Moore’s books are all hilarious, and they take place for the most part in California. Fluke in particular takes place a lot in the ocean.

6. Married With Zombies by Jesse Petersen – Cute book about how a couple close to divorce reconnects when the zombie apocoplyse hits. It’s the start of a series too. The newest, Eat Slay Love, is coming out in June.

7. Harry Potter books – Because most of us have read and read them again, these are perfect comfort reads. And yet they’re still SO good that you won’t want to put them down.

8. Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand – Honestly, I haven’t read anything by this author yet. But if I was going to the beach today, I’d stop at the library and borrow this book. Look up the author and look at the book covers – they’re all beach scenes!

9. anything by Jennifer Crusie – She’s my favorite contemporary romance author. Her books are always fun and sweet and fluffy.

10. The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris – Especially if you already like True Blood, give the books a try. They’re not great, but they’re easy and fun and have vampires.

This list was surprisingly harder than I thought. I know that “chick lit” is usually the go-to genre for beach reads, but I haven’t read a lot of it. At least not that I’ve liked. Anyhoo, those are my suggestions! What are yours?

BTW, this list is PERFECT for my Summer Mini-Readathon coming up in July! It’s only 12 hours long, and there are prizes to win at the end, so check it out and sign up before you leave! It’ll be fun, I promise.

post signature

10 Comments

Filed under Top Ten Tuesday

Tagged as , , , , , , ,