Wishing

I am all about wishing these days. Wishing for everyone to be happy, wishing for peace in the world, wishing for less stress. With all the negative news lately, it's hard to see how my wishes can come true!

My wish for this season is to slow down after the holidays and curl up with a good book and a cozy blanket. I am not asking for jewels this year, but I am wishing on a star that there are at least three books under the tree for me. Hint, hint!! Here are just a few of the book choices on my winter wish list.

The books on the my “Wish to Read” list are either on the NPR Best Books of 2015 List, The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2015 or the Indie Nextlist. Most books appear on multiple recommended lists.

http://apps.npr.org/best-books-2015/

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2015.html?_r=0

Descent by Tim Johnston

This thriller has twists and turns and is said to captivate readers! I can’t wait to read this fabulous book!

Did You Ever Have Family by Bill Clegg

This books is on almost every top ten list. It is said to be a “powerful story about people who find solace in the least of likely places as they cope with a horrific tragedy.”

Girl in the Dark: A Memoir by Anna Lyndsey

I am not sure why over the years I have chosen to read an abundance of books about people losing their sight. Maybe all those years I played “would you rather” with my brother and sister. I never preferred hypothetically losing my sight over my hearing. At any rate, this gem is on the NPR Best Books of 2015 list and I can’t wait to read this memoir that turns into a beautiful love story.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

This is on the NPR “staff pick” list. Many readers say this is the book you won’t be able to put down. I am  planning to read this enchanting book under a cozy blanket.  

Like Family by Paola Giordano

According to NPR, “The importance of this book, in our numbingly busy, propulsive lives, is pausing to fully experience the present.” I am eagerly planning to read this book the day after Christmas! Definitely brewing tea with honey for this book! 

Outline by Rachel Cusk

I LOVE to talk to people on planes when I am traveling, so I can’t wait to read this book that brilliantly captures conversations among people traveling to Greece.  

The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics by Barton Swaim.

I adore a juicy memoir and this one is said to not disappoint! Barton Swain shares about his experience working as a speechwriter for the governor of South Carolina. Infidelity and other moral dilemmas make this book an interesting political read!

I hope all your wishes come true!

Warm Winter Reading,

XO Cherylann

The Summer Winds Came Blowing In…

I am pretty sure we all wanted this summer to come. With more snow than ever this winter, we are ready to enjoy the sunshine that summer brings. Beach days, green grass, fresh tomatoes and unscheduled time…Need I say more?

My list of what I want to read this summer is too long to be realistic. I have covered an old school legal pad with book titles and notes. My nightstand is ready for summer with books piled high. I am definitely getting excited!

In keeping with tradition, I am sharing “my list” with fellow readers. I hope you find one or two titles that you might want to dive into!

Happy Reading and most of all, Happy Summer!

Cherylann

Nonfiction:

The Angel in my Pocket by Sukey Forbes

This book was recommended to me by my friend Susan Broomhead. I started reading this gem on the train back from NY. Ten minutes into reading the book, I was sobbing. I don’t mean that my eyes watered, I mean I was seriously crying! This heartfelt book is written by the great-great-great granddaughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is a moving story of a mother’s undying love for her child. Pack the tissues in your beach bag!

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

I am putting this book on my list for all the serious readers who love history. The New Yorker says it best: “Larson vividly captures the disaster and the ship’s microcosm, in which the second class seems more appealing than the first.”

Where You Go is not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni

This is a must read for everyone getting sucked in by the college craziness! Run, not walk to get this book that puts it all in perspective. The interview with Condoleezza Rice is amazing. I wish she was running for president, just saying!

Fiction:

A Constellation of Vital Phenomenon by Anthony Marra

This book is the “pick” from my friend and book expert Kate Lentz. In the words of Kate: “This is the best book I've read in a very long time...brilliant writing, vivid characters...it's a masterpiece...but you have to be ready to go...to the hopelessness and heaviness of it all. It's the kind of book that stays with you.”  I plan to definitely take Kate’s suggestion and read this book.

We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas

I just finished reading this family saga. The New York Times Book Review says this book is: “A long, gorgeous, epic, full of love and caring…one of the best novels you’ll read this year.”

The Rocks by Peter Nichols

I can’t wait to read this page-turner that appears on many suggested summer reading lists. Even Oprah raves about this romantic book that is said to have romance, secrets, mystery and a seaside resort. I am definitely packing this one in my beach bag!

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

This is another page-turner that I am packing in my beach bag. Reese Witherspoon says this book is a “huge” summer read… “One of those great stories you can’t put down!” I am predicting that this is the book we will talk about with our friends over a glass of pino.

Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova

This is another one of Kate Lentz’s “picks” for summer. She is planning to pack this gem in her beach bag. Lisa Genova is a wonderful writer and all her books touch the hearts of her readers. I can’t wait to read this powerful novel.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Want to bond with your teen this summer over a book? Maybe even have rich discussions about a captivating novel that involves drama, class and family dynamics? If you have a student at Barrington High School, then this is the book that you should read. All BHS students have this as a book choice for summer reading. I am sure you will impress your teen by reading this gem! Leave it on the coffee table when you are finished reading and maybe your child will read it early in the summer. Maybe!

Providence Noir edited by Ann Hood

You know I can’t resist adding anything by Ann Hood to my book lists. This is a collection of short stories focusing on Providence. Ann Hood explains: "I've asked fourteen of my favorite writers to contribute short stories to Providence Noir. We have stories to make you shiver, stories to make you think, stories that will show you my beautiful, noirish city in a way it’s never been highlighted before."

It is snowing in New England. I mean snowing practically daily. My love for this snow is slowly fading. I am officially tired of shoveling, cleaning off my car and staying home. Okay, maybe I am tired of watching my husband clean off my car, but still I am actually tired of snow. It doesn't help that my life is preoccupied with planning college visits for my daughter who has banned any discussions of New England in her college search. I guess she is tired of snow too, because she refuses to visit schools that involve walking to class in the snow. Hmm…like mother like daughter? 

Complaining aside…the snow has given me an abundance of time to read this winter and here are my picks for dynamic reads: 

 Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope 
This gem of a book was recommended to me by my friend Holly Paras. It’s a wonderful book for parents who are beginning the crazy college search with their children. 
 Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ne 
This is Amazon’s book of the year and a must read. Fantastic escape book and loved by my friend and fellow reader Christine Griffin. 
Norwegian Night by Derek Miller 
This is the Read Across Rhode Island Book and highly recommended by book lover Kate Lentz. This novel has won many Crime Writer’s awards and seems to be what every intelligent reader is reading these days. I love reading a book that is not something I would pick up without a recommendation.
 The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 
This chiller is better than Gone Girl and Martha Stewart loves it, so it must be great!
 The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant This is an unforgettable novel about family and values. I loved reading this wonderful gem of a book! 
Now I See You by Nicole C. Kear This memoir is amazing! Pack this one in your suitcase if you are going away. 
 Big Little Liars by Liane Moriarty 
My good friend Terrie Kovolyan and I loved this fun book that involves drama among PTO moms. Crime, craziness and yoga pants are the heart of this book, but if you are looking for a “light” book that will captivate you, this is the one.

Happy Reading!  May the sun shine and the snow STOP!
Cherylann