It's Monday! What Are You Reading? June 4, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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This is two weeks worth of reads since I didn't get a chance to post last week.

At the time this post is scheduled to go live, I will be undergoing knee surgery. We are hoping it will be a partial knee instead of a total knee replacement so send positive thoughts my way. Anyway, with the lead up to surgery and the busy, holiday weekend last week (4 days babysitting the 4yo grandson), my reading and blogging life has been in kind of a slump. It's been hard to concentrate, what with thinking about the surgery and also being in pain like I have been. It's been an eye-opener to find out how much I was relying on ibuprofen for pain management when I have had to go without it. this past week leading up to surgery.

I have a lot of reviews to catch up on as well as getting my reading mojo back. I apologize to any authors who are waiting on me. It's been hard to be upbeat and complimentary about the fabulous books I've been reading right now. I'll get back on track soon and will get all caught up.  

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Castaway Cottage

by Joanne DeMaio

Love Joanne's stories!

Before I Knew 
(The Cabots #1)
by Jamie Beck

(audio-book)
Just started this one.

What I recently finished

A Sister's Place

by Savannah Page

(audio-book)
Interesting look at sister dynamics.

The Season of Silver Linings 

(A Sweet Lake Novel Book 3)

by Christine Nolfi 

Another wonderful story! I love this series.

Ross Poldark 

(The Poldark Saga #1)

by Winston Graham

This was a book club pick. Not a big fan so I won't be reading any more in the series. 

Everything We Give 

(Everything #3)

by Kerry Lonsdale

Love this series!

Smyth Saves the Date 
(The Marrying Type Book 2)

by Laura Chapman
Great short story continuing this fun series!

Beach House Reunion 
(Beach House #5)

by Mary Alice Monroe
Loved my return to the Beach House.

What I am going to read next

The Space Between
by Dete Meserve
Super excited to start this one!

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Release Day! Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe ~ My Thoughts

Happy Release Day!! 

Echo Moon

Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe
Series: Beach House #5
Print and e-book, 400 pages
Published May 22nd 2018 by Gallery Books

Whisking you back to the shores of her bestselling Beach House series, Mary Alice Monroe weaves together a tale of the struggles and triumphs of the historic Rutledge family of Charleston, South Carolina. Beautifully wrought and rich with keen insight, this is an illuminating tale of new beginnings, resilience, and one family’s enduring love.

Cara Rutledge returns to her Southern home on the idyllic Isle of Palms. Everything is comfortingly the same, yet each detail is rife with painful memories. Only through reconnecting with family, friends, and the rhythms of the lowcountry can Cara release the hold of the past and open herself to the possibility of a new love, career, and hope for the future.

Meanwhile, her niece Linnea, a recent college graduate who doesn’t know where her life will take her, leaves her historic home in Charleston, with all its entitlement and expectations, and heads to her aunt’s beach house. On the island, she is part of the freer, natural ocean lifestyle she loves, rejoining the turtle team, learning to surf, and falling in love. Remembering the lessons of her beloved grandmother, Lovie, the original “turtle lady,” Linnea rediscovers a meaningful purpose to her life and finds the courage she needs to break from tradition.

In this heartwarming novel, three generations of the Rutledge family gather together to find the strength, love, and commitment to break destructive family patterns and to forge new bonds that will endure long beyond one summer reunion.

Congratulations Mary Alice

 on the release today of

Beach House Reunion!

My thoughts about Beach House Reunion ~~ 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"All roads lead home. That thought mingled with the soothing sound of Debussy as Cara descended from the majestic highlands of Tennessee toward the sultry lowcountry of South Carolina."

I really love reading Southern fiction and this one was a real pleasure to read. Beach House Reunion is only the second book by Mary Alice Monroe that I have read and the first book of her five book Beach House series. I loved that I could jump right into the story, five books in, and not feel like I had missed a thing. I can only imagine how much more I would've loved this book if I had started to meet the characters from the beginning.

This is a wonderful, emotional story as we watch so many of the characters grow, put the past behind them, and move on to discover whatever the futures holds for them. I quickly became a part of their lives and got swept up in their emotions. Parts did bring me to tears, I haven't had a good cry over a book in a long time. I love it when a story touches me to tears.

I am excited to take more trips to the beach house which was just as much of a character in the story as the people were. I am ready to go back to book one to see how it all started.  

I received an ARC from Gallery Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe found her true calling in environmental fiction when she moved to coastal South Carolina. Already a successful author, she was captivated by the beauty and fragility of her new home. Her experiences living in the midst of a habitat that was quickly changing gave her a strong and important focus for her novels.

Mary Alice Monroe writes richly textured books that delve into the complexities of interpersonal relationships and the parallels between the land and life. Monroe’s novels are published worldwide. With the same heart of conservation, Monroe has written two children’s picture books as well.

Her novels have achieved many lists, including the New York Times, USA Today and SIBA. She has received numerous awards, including several Readers’ Choice Awards; the 2014 SC Book Festival Award for Excellence in Writing; the 2015 SW Florida Book Festival Distinguished Author Award; RT Lifetime Achievement Award; and the 2008 South Carolina Center for the Book Award for Writing. Most recently, Monroe was named by the South Carolina Academy of Authors as a 2018 inductee of the Literary Hall of Fame.

Monroe’s novel A Lowcountry Christmas won a 2017 Southern Book Prize in fiction, awarded by the Southern Indepedent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA). In 2011, her novel The Butterfly’s Daughter won the International Book Award for Green Fiction. It was also selected as a finalist for the 2012 Book of the Year by SIBA.

Monroe’s novel The Beach House will be adapted into a Hallmark Channel Hall of Fame Movie, starring three-time Golden Globe nominee Andie MacDowell and premiering exclusively on the network in 2018.

Monroe lives with her family on a barrier island outside Charleston, South Carolina. She is an active conservationist and serves on the Board of the South Carolina Aquarium, The Leatherback Trust, and Charleston Literacy Volunteers. She is a frequent speaker at book festivals, conferences, and private events. Monroe is also a frequent contributor to magazines and blogs.

Connect with Mary Alice

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? May 21, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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Here we go into another week and summer is trying to make a appearance. We'll have a few days in the 80's and then we drop back to the 50's and then back up. Crazy weather! 

Not too much going on, other than the usual stuff. High school graduation is right around the corner so there are those parties, and a retirement party or two coming up. The beginning for some and the ending for others. Life goes on. 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Beach House Reunion (Beach House #5)

by Mary Alice Monroe

Releases May 22nd.

A Sister's Place

by Savannah Page

(audio-book)

What I recently finished

Laurie 

by Stephen King

This is a short story by SK, available to download from his website here. 

Girls' Night Out
by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
So, so good! My thoughts will be posted soon.
Releases July 24.

How to Walk Away

by Katherine Center

Amazing! My thoughts will be posted soon.

What I am going to read next

Everything We Give (Everything #3)
by Kerry Lonsdale
Love this series. Book #3 releases July 3.

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!