Even though The Merriest Magnolia sounds like a Christmas book, and the beautiful cover makes it look like a Christmas book… it’s not what I would call a true Christmas book. And, I really liked that about it. Hear me out, Countdown to Christmas fans: I love me a good seasonal read when December rolls around, but sometimes my beloved Debbie Macombers are a little too simple, too predictable, and too syrupy sweet for my taste. Author Michelle...
I want to tell you what reading An American Marriage by Tayari Jones did to me: it blew the doors of my understanding of white privilege wide open. Those doors will never be shut again. I read An American Marriage in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. With a few exceptions, most of my reads are written by white women. This isn’t a purposeful decision, but it’s a trend I’ve noticed over the past few years, so I’ve decided to diversify...
Who else pounces on a new Mary Kay Andrews book the minute it comes out? My copy of Hello, Summer arrived a few days before Memorial Day Weekend, and it made me so excited to kick off the summer season. I'd devoured another beach read last MDW, and I figured a book titled "Hello, Summer" would be a shoo-in to invoke the easy, beachy, summertime vibes. Um, no. Hello, Summer combines two things that I couldn't give two hoots about: politics and...
Um, who's about ready for a beach vacation? THIS GIRL. While we may not be taking actual vacations anytime soon, I'm here to tell you that you can take a vicarious one with Summer Rental. I feel like this novel could've easily been called "Summer of Secrets," because that's pretty much the sitch in this easy, breezy, beach read from Mary Kay Andrews. It's admittedly an older book from this popular author, but it's a goodie. I loved Andrews'...
Glory Road is the first book I was able to read after my concussion, and it was the perfect novel to reacquaint me with the pleasure of losing yourself in a story well-told. Go ahead and judge this book by its gorgeous cover. Glory Road is just as lovely and enchanting as first glance would lead you to believe. I first fell in love with Lauren K. Denton’s writing when I read The Hideaway, and her newest novel is full of the same easy, familiar...
I think I seriously missed out on a life experience by not rushing a Southern sorority. That's something I never thought I would say, since I pretty much mocked sororities every chance I got back in college. And, for a good halfway through Rush, I was feeling pretty darn smug about my decision to eschew all Greek life when I had the chance. By the end of this amazing book, though, author Lisa Patton had completely sold me on Southern sorority...
I read this book on the weekend I wasn’t supposed to be reading a book. I had decided to take about a week off from my TBR list in order to concentrate on revising my query letter and pitching my novel to literary agents. (I can’t become a published author if I don’t actually try to publish my book, right? Right.) However, in true CJ fashion, I woke up super early on Saturday morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I didn’t think that...
You don’t even know the level of excitement I had when I received the email from my library that this book had come in. A heat wave had just hit, and The High Tide Club seemed like the perfect beach read for a hot summer’s day. And, while I don’t plan on going near any beaches this year, you can bet your bottom sand dollar that I plunked myself down under my pergola to read this, pretending that the grass surrounding me was sand and the...
I love me a good "renovate your house, renovate your life" story. After reading a particularly terrifying but excellent novel, I decided I needed something a bit lighter as my next read. Cue The Hideaway, by Lauren K. Denton. This was an impulse grab at the library. I generally stop by my town library once or twice a week to pick up books that have come in for me (love the InterLibraryLoan system...or whatever it's called these days!), and I...
