Traveling Light

Traveling Light
By: Lynne Branard
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Berkley Books
Pages: 320


I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Driving from North Carolina to New Mexico with her three-legged dog, a strange man's ashes, and a waitress named Blossom riding shotgun isn't exactly what Alissa Wells ever wanted to be doing. But it's exactly what she needs...

It all starts when Alissa impulsively puts a bid on an abandoned storage unit, only to become the proud new owner of Roger Hart's remains. Two weeks later, she jumps in her car and heads west, thinking that returning the ashes of a dead man might be the first step on her way to a new life.

She isn't wrong.

Especially when Blossom, who just graduated from high school, hitches a ride with her to Texas, and Alissa has to get used to letting someone else take the wheel. Posting about their road trip on Facebook, complete with photos of Roger at every stop, Blossom opens Alissa's eyes to the road in front of her and to how sometimes the best things in life are the ones you never see coming.

                                                                    First Impressions

I was drawn in immediately by the summary. It sounded exactly like a book that I would read. I also really love the cover and if I had seen it somewhere I would’ve picked it up. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up in December/January, but over the summer it would’ve been in my beach bag instantly.

                                                                    What I thought

This book was so cute!

Alissa Wells (AKA Al) has discovered a box of ashes in a storage unit that she bought. She finds out that they belong to a man who was cremated in New Mexico and decides she’s going to drive from North Carolina to return them to the man’s family and find out how they ended up so far away from his home. Along the way she meets some interesting characters and, of course, discovers a bit about herself.

Al works at the small town local newspaper that her father owns. While she enjoys doing it, she has fallen into this life as a sort of duty and not of passion. While traveling, she meets a teenage waitress who ends up becoming her travel companion. Blossom, the waitress, is actually one of my favorite characters. She feels like one of those waitresses that would be an old lady who has seen the word and can give you all of the advice, but she’s trapped in a teenager’s body.

For a road trip/life discovery book this was a lot lighter than I expected it to be and I really appreciated that. Sometimes books like these can get a bit heavy and this one seemed relatively realistic to me. There weren’t unnecessary road blocks so that the main character could learn about his/herself. Al is a relatively easy going character and because she goes with the flow, it leads to interesting opportunities.

There is a little bit of romance in this book but it’s not a main point. It’s definitely a strand in the story and it plays a part in her self-discovery, but it isn’t as though she finds herself by finding the right man. Considering how many novels have the main character not able to find out who she truly is until she finds her true love, it was refreshing to see a character find herself first.   

This book would also make a wonderful book club book. It’s an easy read but because it deals with life, it has some really good discussion points. There are a lot of fun characters and each one has an individual personality. Like I mentioned, it’s not a heavy book so you could easily count it as a beach read but there is still substance to it which is what made it so enjoyable.
 

I loved Al and Blossom and that’s really what made the book for me. Al’s journey is unique to ones that I have read and while not completely unpredictable, it doesn’t always play out in the way you expected it to. I would definitely read this book again, if only to choose it as a book club book so I can discuss it with my friends! If you like road trip novels, books about learning who you are, or female centered fiction in general, you would definitely enjoy this book!
 

Play! By Sephora Deceber 2016

lay! By Sephora is a monthly subscription box by Sephora. It costs $10 a month and you received 5 beauty and skincare samples plus a perfume sample each month. Previously, you needed to put yourself onto a wait-list and wait to receive an email before you could subscribe, as they were rolling it out to limited quantities.

In addition to the products, Sephora includes a booklet that includes information about the product, the brand, and then tips of how to use the products. Also at the back of the book is a Play! PASS. This Pass gives you a complimentary one-on-one session with a Sephora artist as well as an extra 50 Beauty Insider points when you scan the pass at the register with any purchase. If you have the Sephora app, you can also scan the images of the products to learn more about them.

Previously, everyone received the same exact box. Lately it seems like they offer two or more varieties based on the preferences that you select for your profile. This month’s theme is (fittingly) The Partygoers.

As a heads up, the boxes are a little bit larger and will not fit into a small apartment sized mailbox. For reference, a Birchbox box is able to fit almost perfectly into my mailbox, but this one has no chance. Therefore, I’ve had to go to the post office both months to pick up my box.

This month the products I received were as follows:

Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara (Full-size $30)
Bobbi Brown is a great brand and I was excited to see this in my box. I haven’t purchased a mascara in a long time because of samples that I’ve received, so I always welcome new ones. This mascara claims to deliver both volume and length. The brush doesn’t look revolutionary, but I’m sure this will be a great standard mascara.

Make Up Forever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Smoothing Primer (Full-size $37)
I’m not a primer girl, so I don’t know how much use I’ll get out of this product, but I’m always up for trying it. Especially around the holidays when I’m out and about and need my makeup to last. The interesting thing about this primer is that it comes in different shades to address specific problems. I believe the color that I got is to make a natural finish. I think it’s interesting that there are different colors to address different skin tones and skin issues. I’m curious to see how this works with makeup!

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red (Full-size $14)
Sephora has given a few of their lip products in previous boxes and I have enjoyed them. I haven’t had a chance to try their stain and a blue based red will be perfect for the holidays! Stains are always great because with all of the eating and drinking regular lipstick comes off way too easily. Only bummer is that the sample is so tiny. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a lip sample this small!

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray (Full-Size $31)
I actually own the full size of this spray and love using it in the summer. It helps to keep my makeup from sliding too much when I’m sweaty. The mist is nice and light and there’s no odd scent. It really does help to make my makeup set and I enjoy the product. It’ll be nice to have a travel size for when I go on trips and it will last me a long time.

Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo (Full-size $23)
Dry shampoos are meant to remove oils and odors from your hair on days when you just can’t wash your hair. They are also often used to add some volume and texture to hair for styling. However, it’s been tricky for me to find a way to work dry shampoo with my hair. I don’t wear my hair down often and with my curls I definitely don’t need extra volume. I will probably pass this one on as I do with most dry shampoos.

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Bourbon (Full-Size $85)
As a young girl, I was obsessed with Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen. As they’ve aged, I have always had an interest in their fragrances and clothing lines. I was honestly a bit disappointed in their Black and White fragrances as I wasn’t really drawn to either of them. When I did get a sample of the black (which I preferred over the white) my husband didn’t like it at all. I’m excited to try this new fragrance! Bourbon has notes of vanilla bourbon, oakwood, and tuberose. It’s a spicier scent which I tend to enjoy in the cold winter months. I have a bit of a cold so I can’t give an honest opinion of the scent, but I’m looking forward to trying it and seeing what my husband thinks.

Winter Storms

By: Elin Hilderbrand
Published Year: 2016
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 256

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Some of the stormy weather of the past few seasons seems to have finally lifted for the Quinns. After a year apart, and an ill-fated affair with the Winter Street Inn's old Santa Claus, Mitzi has returned to rule the roost; Patrick is about to be released from prison; Kevin has a successful new business and is finally ready to tie the knot with Isabelle; and best of all, there's hopeful news about Bart, who has been captured by enemy forces in Afghanistan.

That doesn't mean there aren't a few dark clouds on the horizon. Kelley has recently survived a health scare; Jennifer can't quite shake her addiction to the drugs she used as a crutch while Patrick was in jail; and Ava still can't decide between the two lovers that she's been juggling with limited success. However, if there's one holiday that brings the Quinn family together to give thanks for the good times, it's Christmas. And this year promises to be a celebration unlike any other as the Quinns prepare to host Kevin and Isabelle's wedding at the inn. But as the special day approaches, a historic once-in-a-century blizzard bears down on Nantucket, threatening to keep the Quinns away from the place--and the people--they love most. Before the snow clears, the Quinns will have to survive enough upheavals to send anyone running for the spiked eggnog, in this touching novel that proves that when the holidays roll around, you can always go home again.

                                                                         First Impressions

When I first say Winter Street 2 years ago, I had no idea that it was going to be a trilogy. I was so excited when I saw it was time for the third and final installment. I think it’s my second favorite cover of the trilogy and I would easily pick it up off the shelf based on the cover alone.

                                                                          What I thought

This was a really nice conclusion to the series. I feel like I have lived with this family for years and it was a unique experience to feel their joy with them. If you haven’t read the other novels, there might be spoilers ahead.

Unlike the previous two stories, Winter Storms follows the Quinn family from Spring-Christmas Day. It was a bit different to see the families outside of Christmas but I enjoyed it. It allowed for me to get to the know each family member a little bit more. Ava is working through deciding who she wants to be a relationship with, Kevin is enjoying his new baby with Isabelle, Patrick is getting out of jail, and Margaret is planning her wedding with Drake.

I think part of what makes this story so enjoyable is how realistic the family drama is. While it’s definitely not full of events that I have personally experienced, the craziness isn’t unbelievable. The story was a bit short for my tastes and I felt like everything moved a little quick. I would’ve enjoyed more time with Ava and Jennifer and Patrick. Patrick gets out of jail in this novel and it seems a bit too easy and unfinished after the lead up. His wasn’t the only story that felt that way either. The conclusion of Bart’s story line seemed so rushed considering it felt like all three books were bringing us to this event.

This was also the least Christmas centered story. while I enjoyed seeing the Quinn family outside of Christmas time, I think I expected a little bit more based on the previous novels. It’s still a book to read to get you in the Christmas spirit, but the other ones had more of a Christmas theme.
 

If you like family stories with realistic drama, then you will love this series. All three books are solid and they are fun to read near the holidays. While the conclusion seems a bit rushed, it is still wonderfully done. I think I’d re-read it in a few years if I decide to re-read the whole series.
 

Book Club December 2016

This month Logan chose Lauren Graham’s autobiography Talking As Fast As I Can. Since our whole book club is fans of Gilmore Girls and A Year In The Life came out in November, she felt like it was perfect timing to read the book too!
 

By: Lauren Graham
Published Year: 2016
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages:224

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Summary (Provided by Barnes & Noble): In this collection of personal essays, the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood reveals stories about life, love, and working as a woman in Hollywood—along with behind-the-scenes dispatches from the set of the new Gilmore Girls, where she plays the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore once again.





                                                                                    What I thought

This book was pretty much everything that I wanted it to be!

Lauren Graham is best known for her role of Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls and as Sarah Braverman on Parenthood. This past year, Gilmore Girls was revived in the way of a 4 part Netflix mini-series. At the same time, Lauren was writing her autobiography.

Lauren discusses a little bit of her childhood, the beginning of her career, and then a decent amount of Gilmore Girls. The final portion of the book is from a diary that she kept during filming for the revival of Gilmore. Lauren’s writing is just as funny and light as youwould expect it to be. There were definitely moments where I could almost hear Lauren speaking as Lorelai. The only thing that threw me a little bit (and not necessarily in a bad way) was that there were a few chapters that were a bit random and not tied to any time period of her life. It reminded me of chapters from Mindy Kaling’s autobiography and other comedian’s that have written where not every chapter is a part of their lives but some are lists or other funny “bits”. Like I said, it wasn’t bad, but I didn’t necessarily expect that from Graham.

If you are a fan of Lauren Graham, you obviously need to read this book. It’s short and quick and fun from beginning to end. I wouldn’t call it a “tell all” but she gives a lot of fun peeks into her life.

                                                                         What Book Club Thought
We all agreed that this book is enjoyable if you are a fan of Gilmore Girls or Lauren Graham. It is no tell-all, but has some interesting pieces of information. It wasn't a great book for discussion as there weren't a lot of earth shattering moments, but it allowed us to transition into talking about the newest Gilmore Girls episodes which was part of the reason we read the book anyway.

Next Book Club Book: London Belongs to Me By: Jacquelyn Middleton

What Light

By: Jay Asher
Published Year: 2016
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 256

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it's a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. 

Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.

By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb's past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.

                                                        First Impressions

A few years ago I read Jay Asher’s novel 13 Reasons Why and absolutely loved it. When I found out he was coming out with another book I was super excited. Even if I hadn’t read his other novel, how beautiful is this cover?? It immediately puts me into the Christmas spirit and all I want to do is read it in front of a fireplace while it’s snowing outside.

                                                                               What I thought

Sierra’s family owns a Christmas tree farm in Oregon. Every year, starting the day before Thanksgiving, she and her parents drive down to California where they have a lot to sell their trees. For an entire month, their family lives in this town and sells their trees as they have done for almost 30 years. This year may be their last year and it is also the first year that Sierra meets a boy who catches her eye. However, Caleb carries a lot of baggage and Sierra is worried about falling in love before she has to return to Oregon.

What Light is a very cute Christmas story that is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. Sierra and Caleb are not my favorite characters, but their story is cute and short which is just what I need in a holiday love story

Sierra lives in California for a month during the holiday season and has done so since she was a year old. She has formed a little bit of a life there with one best friend. Every year, she enjoys working on the tree lot with her family and spending time with her friend, but other than that she doesn’t do much. Her dad, as a former baseball player, has always hired boys from the high school baseball team to work on the lot. However, they have always been very off limits. Sierra and her dad have never wanted her to fall in love during that month, like her mom and dad did, because they knew heartbreak would be waiting when she had to leave for another year.

While I understand the teenage thought process, I felt her dad was a bit overkill. Considering the tree lot is where he met his wife, it seemed a bit unbelievable that he would be so vehemently against Sierra meeting someone. It also got to be a bit annoying hearing Sierra with the same thought process. I felt like every other line was “but I will leave in a month! And maybe never come back!”

Caleb is an interesting character and I can’t decide how I feel about him. While I want to believe, like Sierra, that he made a mistake and is a different person, something about him seems a bit off. I feel like her relationship with him, while adorable and fun, really did only start to scratch the surface. He does some very sweet and good things, but I would definitely read an entire book on him just because I feel like there is a lot more to him that I need to know.

Overall, the story is a cute, predictable love story that is centered around the holidays. I loved the holiday aspects and the fact that there was a set timeline on how long Sierra was in California. My one issue with the book, and maybe this is because I’m not in my late (eek!) 20s, is that all of the characters were so whiny. Not only were Sierra and Caleb moody and whiny and refusing to enjoy what they had while they had it, but her friends were super complainers as well.
 

This book is cute and easy to read. If you want an easy Christmas story to read during the holiday season, I would recommend it. It’s not a book that I will read again or purchase, which is why I didn’t rate it higher. I finished it in a day and enjoyed every minute, so don’t let the maybe not so rave review deter you from this book.
 

November Reading Round Up

This past month has been super busy and with Thanksgiving last week, December snuck up on me. Because of that, I don't have the time (or energy really) to get a full favorites post together. I promise I will have a better one next month. Either way, I still wanted to do a bit of a round-up of what books I read in November, as well as which was my favorite read. I am also hoping to get a Black Friday Haul up sometime next week (fingers crossed).

Books I read in November

When All The Girls Have Gone By: Jayne Ann Krentz (Review)
A Million Worlds With You (Firebird 3) By: Claudia Gray
A Gentleman in Moscow By: Amor Towles
The Boys is Back By: Meg Cabot
The Magnolia Story By Chip & Joann Gaines
Love Alice By: Barbara Davis (Review)

This month was probably my slowest reading month of the year. I wasn't in a slump, but a lot of the books I was reading were a bit slower to read and took me more time. My pace this month slowed down a bit between the types of books I was reading and being super busy. While I definitely have my favorite (which you will see below) I wanted to take a minute to talk about A Gentleman in Moscow. When I was reading it/shortly after, I didn't think I enjoyed the book that much. It was a slow slow read and I think ti wore me out a bit. However, a few weeks later I feel like the story has really grown on me. I have a lot more fond memories of it and feel more apt to recommend it than I would have immediately after reading it. In short, I'm not counting it as my favorite because it wasn't immediately after reading, but I still highly recommend it.

Favorite Book I read This Month: A Million Worlds WIth You is the final book in the Firebird Trilogy. I have loved reading this trilogy and was nervous about the final book coming out. So often lately it seems like the third book in a trilogy departs from the original story and what I fell in love with. This one does not and I can't recommend the series as a whole enough. It is so much fun and I am so pleased with it.

Love, Alice

By: Barbara Davis
Published Year: 2016
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 432

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A year ago, Dovie Larkin’s life was shattered when her fiancé committed suicide just weeks before their wedding. Now, plagued by guilt, she has become a fixture at the cemetery where William is buried, visiting his grave daily, waiting for answers she knows will never come.

Then one day, she sees an old woman whose grief mirrors her own. Fascinated, she watches the woman leave a letter on a nearby grave. Dovie ignores her conscience and reads the letter—a mother’s plea for forgiveness to her dead daughter—and immediately needs to know the rest of the story.

As she delves deeper, a collection of letters from the cemetery’s lost and found begins to unravel a decades-old mystery involving one of Charleston’s wealthiest families. But even as Dovie seeks to answer questions about another woman’s past—questions filled with deception, betrayal, and heartbreaking loss—she starts to discover the keys to love, forgiveness, and finally embracing the future…
                       
                                                                 First Impressions

The cover is pretty and I would definitely pick it up off the shelf. The summary held my interest as it sounded like a unique love story. I enjoy stories where the past and the present intertwine in similar ways so I was excited to read this book.

                                                                                            What I thought

I wanted o like this book more but it was a little too predictable.

Alice is a young woman from Cornwall England in the 1960s that is pregnant with a dead man’s baby. Her mother doesn’t want her to deal with the stigma of being an unwed mother and ships her off to a convent where she will have the baby and then the baby will be taken away. Dovie is a woman in 2005 who is grieving the loss of her fiancé who killed himself a few weeks before their wedding. While mourning him at the cemetery, she notices an old woman putting a letter down at a grave. She decides to pick up the letter and read it, and from there becomes involved in Alice’s story.

The journey of Dovie was definitely the strongest aspect of this book. The person who she is at the beginning is vastly different from the person she is at the end and it was done in a very natural way. At the beginning of the story she is broken. Her fiancé William killed himself two weeks before their wedding and left no note. Now it’s a year later and she is still broken and asking herself why he did what he did. As her journey moves, she does eventually get her answer. I think this book does a nice job of showing someone who is grieving and showing that it’s ok to grieve to a certain point. The nuances of her grief and the grief of the other characters was well written and had some very interesting perspectives.

For me, the weakest part of this book was what was supposed to be a love story. It’s obvious from the beginning that Austin and Dovie are meant to get together. However, the only thing that they seem to have in common is that they think the other one is attractive. There is no connection between them and I honestly couldn’t understand what made them be in love. They have maybe one conversation that is deep and meaningful, but immediately they then try to be a couple and then Austin blows up and decides he can’t or else he’ll wreck her. This happens multiple times. It was very hard to get behind a couple who seemed so wrong for each other.

While the ending to Alice’s tory was obvious, it was the most enjoyable storyline. I liked learning about Alice’s journey even though it reminded me of the movie Philomena. She gives up her baby who is then adopted by a rich couple in America and then eventually follows to America in hopes of finding her baby. It was heartbreaking to hear what she went through at the convent and I wished that she had found a happy ending.

The story is well written, and even though it was predictable it was engaging. In fact, if the writing wasn’t so strong, I would not have rated this book so high as the story itself isn’t that unique. I connected to the characters enough that I wanted to see how their stories played out. If you enjoy stories like these, where two people have different lives and yet they intersect, I would recommend this book. It would be an interesting book club choice because there are a lot of choices that need to be made but different characters which would allow for a lot of discussion.
 

When All the Girls Have Gone

By: Jayne Ann Krentz
Published Year: 2016
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 204

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her step-sister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished.

Beautiful, brilliant—and reckless—Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.

After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends, women in a Seattle-based online investment club, for answers. But what they find is chilling…

When her uneasy alliance with Max turns into a full-blown affair, Charlotte has no choice but to trust him with her life. For the shadows of Jocelyn’s past are threatening to consume her—and anyone else who gets in their way...

                                                                          First Impressions

This cover looked interesting. It looked like it would be a creepy mystery which was what I was constantly in the mood to read in October/November. I would've picked it up off the shelves to read it if I had seen it in the library for sure.

                                                                            What I thought

I don’t know if it’s me or what, but I keep getting stuck with what I think is a mysterybut is more of a romance novel based around a mystery. When this is not what you’re expecting, it’s extremely disappointing.

Charlotte works in a retirement home near her step-sister, Jocelyn, who is currently attending a month long tech-free retreat. When Jocelyn’s friend turns up murdered, Charlotte heads to her friend’s apartment after she saw a mysterious letter at Jocelyn’s house from said friend. At the apartment, she runs into Max Cutler, the private investigator hired to look into the murder. From there, they essentially become partners and work together to figure out what is going on.

This book just bored me. It was super predictable and the chemistry between Charlotte and Max was terrible. In their first scene together, Charlotte walks into the lobby and Max’s immediate thoughts are “I can’t allow this woman to hire me because I’m attracted to her and I can’t sleep with a client.” Then immediately, Charlotte, who has issues with men, somehow forgets them and falls in love with Max. it was so unrealistic and frustrating.

I liked Charlotte at first when she was a single girl who was recently dumped by her fiancé and working in a retirement home. This is only Charlotte for the first few chapters of the book. As soon as she meets Max she forgets her past and forgets her job, essentially becoming his partner and solving the crowd. There is no mention of her job until she is back there at least halfway through the book.

There is also a whole subplot about Jocelyn and her friends and I feel like if this had been told from Jocelyn’s point of view, that plot would have been interesting and made this book a bit more intriguing. However, it just ads more confusion and more holes as Charlotte doesn’t understand what her step-sister is a part of or how it is connected to anything. And Max just magically knows what is going to happen because he is good at finding “patterns”, seemingly without evidence.

In the end, neither character was fleshed out well and it seemed like the killer was so random. Like his escalation and how he found who he was going to kill had so many holes and I could not connect. I knew what was going to happen and just kept reading it to get to those points. It was not a page turner in any sense of the word.
 

Don’t bother with this book. It is neither a good mystery nor a good romance. While it wasn’t horrible (meaning I was able to finish it and was interested at least a part of the time), I would not recommend this book. It was hard for me to write this review because I hate to write negative ones, but I can’t find much else to say.