I grew up in a large family and was often forgotten since I wasn’t the loud and rebellious child, but I was often pushed over because I wouldn’t stand up for myself in fear of anger. My only escape was walking the seven blocks to my local library and reading about heroic deeds, beautiful ladies falling in love with the dashing prince, and wishing I could be brave like the characters in my books. In my late teens, I realized there’s more to a person than physical strength.
I’m a sap for a cute romance story, and this one is as cute as it comes. What I really loved was Weston. He chose to keep helping Tessa work through her grief and temporary blindness because he loved being treated like a “normal” person because normal for him is people taking one look at him and feeling sorry for him.
Since Tessa is blind, she wasn’t aware of Weston’s disability, and this allowed Weston to show a level of quiet strength in the face of someone who completely hates his presence because she could only think of all the things she couldn’t do now that her eyesight is gone.
When 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight for 100 days, she feels like her whole world has been turned upside-down.
Terrified that her vision might never return, Tessa feels like she has nothing left to be happy about. But when her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper looking for a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging, an unlikely answer knocks at their door: Weston Ludovico, a boy her age with bright eyes, an optimistic smile…and no legs.
Knowing how angry and afraid Tessa is feeling, Weston thinks…
Nicholas Sparks is one of those romance writers whose work I mostly like, but I’m not a die-hard fan. However, I love this book. Not every sweet, sappy romance makes me cry, but this one did. I really cared for the main character, Katie. She’s quiet and keeps to herself, but beneath the reserved smile, she’s hiding from an abusive marriage.
It takes courage to run from a bad situation and strength to face your demons finally. I also liked that the romance was believable and took its time. Romances that make me fall in love with the characters are among my favorite kinds of love stories.
In a small North Carolina town, a mysterious and beautiful woman running from her past slowly falls for a kind-hearted store owner . . . until dark secrets begin to threaten her new life.
When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken…
In the bigoted milieu of 1945, six days after the official end of World War II, Bess Myerson, the daughter of poor Russian immigrants living in the Bronx, remarkably rises to become Miss America, the first —and to date only— Jewish woman to do so. At stake is a $5,000…
I flipped between liking and hating this one several times before finally loving the book enough that it has a place on my own bookshelf. Leni's coming-of-age story kept me reading, but I nearly did not finish it because of the mom, Cora.
I hated her so much because I was thinking of leaving the man she was married to, but we wouldn’t have a story if it were that easy. The more I read, the more I realized that Cora displayed a different kind of strength. She believed with all her heart that her husband would get better (he was forever changed by the Vietnam War) and so endured the hardship of his abuse because of her belief.
Her arc was finally realizing he wouldn’t get better and defending Leni when he turned on her.
In Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone, a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature.
#1 New York Times Instant Bestseller (February 2018) A People “Book of the Week” Buzzfeed’s “Most Anticipated Women’s Fiction Reads of 2018” Seattle Times’s “Books to Look Forward to in 2018”
Alaska, 1974. Ernt Allbright came home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes the impulsive decision to move his wife and daughter…
This one is the queen of romance novels. I loved this when I read it in high school, and whenever I decide to pick it up again, I remember why. Elizabeth Bennet must overcome many obstacles before finally finding love with Mr. Darcy. It takes courage to say no to the societal expectations of her time, like marrying the first man who asks just because they aren’t wealthy or who her mother tells her to because her cousin could take their home away.
What I love most about her is that she’s virtuous but isn’t a pushover; she stands up for herself. Something I’m constantly working on in my personal life.
Jane Austen's best-loved novel is an unforgettable story about the inaccuracy of first impressions, the power of reason, and above all the strange dynamics of human relationships and emotions.
Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated by Hugh Thomson and features an afterword by author and critic, Henry Hitchings.
A tour de force of wit and sparkling dialogue, Pride and…
Every picture tells a story, but it’s not always the one we expect or remember. Christmas Actually is a festive drama about family and forgiveness and a snapshot of modern family life, addressing Instagram to motherhood and everything in between.
Why Christmas? My publisher wanted my new novel to have…
Romance isn’t always fireworks. I loved this book for two reasons: a sweet contemporary royal romance and Shelby. Her character was so kind and lovely that I kept hoping her arranged marriage to Nikolai would turn into one of love.
Spoilers, it does. I love happily ever after. The biggest highlight I can make regarding Shelby’s character is her silent strength and faith. She agrees to marry a prince who is still grieving the loss of his first wife and clearly doesn’t love her, but by the end, she falls in love with him, and he is with her.
In the Land of Pendaran, Shelby Parker lives a humble but good life. Her special qualities are eventually noticed by the king and queen of the House of Markham, who seek a new wife for their widowed son, Prince Nikolai.
To uphold the tradition of their country, Shelby and Nikolai agree to an arranged marriage. But while Nikolai is a perfect gentleman in public, he remains distant at home, leaving Shelby to wonder what is in his heart. Will the prince ever love her as he did his first wife? Can the faith they…
My book is a fairytale romance for lovers of true love, action, intrigue, and happily ever after. Prince Richard is searching for a princess and can have any woman he chooses, but he longs for a love he knows is forever out of his reach. Lady Margaret has no desire to marry the Prince, but she participates in the Choosing Season to restore her family’s honor.
But her voice is ripped from her daily, and she destroys those she cares for by telling the truth. The only person who can save her is the man she’s trying not to care for.
From Kirkus Reviews: "This debut short-story collection paints the wistful life of a newspaper journalist as seen through his sexual and romantic encounters...
Throughout, Hickok writes in an assured style, pulling readers along. The narrow sexual focus results in a distorted picture, yet other aspects of Art's life emerge at…
This delightful fable about the Golden Age of Broadway unfolds the warm story of Artie, a young rehearsal pianist, Joe, a visionary director, and Carrie, his crackerjack Girl Friday, as they shepherd a production of a musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream towards opening night.
