A book haul bonus for the end of summer!

Well, I did say that I might do an extra post this week and between my recent library haul and some book mail, it only seemed fitting to start the end phase of summer with new reads.

My library haul will go first; while I am in the middle of one book in that bunch, I’ll talk about it last.

In the meantime, I was happy to find at my local library one of Tarah DeWitt’s earlier novels, Funny Feelings.  Our heroine is Farley Jones, an up and coming stand up comic who is on the verge of her big break. That chance at the big time, however, puts her into the position of fake-dating her manager, Meyer Hannigan, who was a comedy performer himself at one time.

Since Meyer and Farley are good friends as well as professionals, this ruse seems worth while yet as it happens, they both share feelings for each other that have been pushed aside in order to not endanger their already established bonds there. Can they showcase their true emotions in public and private while achieving the success that they’ve been working towards so long?

I recently picked up DeWitt’s latest book(Left of Forever, signed no less!) from Aardvark and even though I’m saving it for a fall read, was curious about her prior work.
 Glad to find a nice copy to borrow and looking forward to some love and laughs along the way:

Speaking of love, I also found a book club favorite from last year, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lydia Cohen Loigman.

Upon a reluctant retirement at age eighty, Augusta moves
to Florida and while settling in, runs into Irving, who worked at her father’s pharmacy in Brooklyn back when they were both young.

While planning on following her father’s footsteps, Augusta became intrigued by her Aunt Esther’s brand of homemade remedies, which bordered on magic. Using one of her aunt’s recipes, Augusta attempted a love potion for Irving that backfired big time for them both.

Now, after all these years, is Augusta able to make right what once went wrong? Also, can she do this with or without that special talent that her aunt had?

This does sound lovely and I do recall the very positive buzz the book got, particularly from reading groups(especially Club Calvi, run by a news anchor in my area!) and even though this is a solo journey for me, my page turning will have many friends traveling along, I’m sure:

As for my book mail, Harper Collins kindly gifted me a pair of romantic themed reads that are definitely cool for the summer and beyond:

Starting with The Build-a-Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver, we meet Eli Francis,who is in both a personal and professional rut in life. In order to change things up a bit, he goes out on a blind date with Peter Park that goes horribly wrong yet makes for a great story to tell.

Upon hearing that story, Eli’s boss at the magazine he works at suggests that this experience could make a great series of articles about “teaching” Peter to be a better boyfriend. While this is a great opportunity, Eli wants to go for a more heartfelt angle and Peter is a good enough of a sport to help him out here.

However, as time goes by, Eli finds this assignment to be more meaningful than he or Peter ever expected it to be. Can he achieve career success without putting his true feelings for Peter in jeopardy?

Deaver is best known as a YA author and a film adaptation of one of their works(I Wish You All The Best) is due out later this year. This novel is their first one for an adult readership and should be a fine introduction to a fresh literary voice indeed:

The other  title is Poppy Alexander’s The Battle of the Bookshops , set in a seaside town in England where Jules Capelthorne finds herself returning to after so many years away. She intends to save her great-aunt Florence’s bookshop that has been a solid staple of the community for nearly a century.

Apart from the financial woes that the shop has suffered lately, her biggest challenge is in dealing with Roman Montbeau, whose family owns half the town and has decided to open up a much larger bookstore directly across the way from her aunt’s shop. Is this rivalry personal or professional and can one shop be saved without destroying too many lives there?

I do like the notion of a Romeo & Juliet meets You’ve Got Mail tale with some British small town charm thrown in for fun fictional flavor. Definitely my cup of storytelling tea for sure:

So, my late summer reading appears to be all set to go and considering the chaotic weather these days, staying inside with a good book feels more and more like the best option for the season.

Oh, and the library loan that I am currently enjoying is The Little Lost Library by Ellery Adams, part of her Secret, Book & Scone Society series that involves murders in a small health resort town with an independent bookseller as one of the amateur sleuths. 

When one of her homebound customers dies under suspicious circumstances, bookseller Nora not only has to figure out who did it but also follow a set of clues in a strange book left to her by the deceased. 

These clues lead to a treasure hunt of sorts in the old manor house owned by the recently departed,which has various hidden compartments concealing miniature books that may be worth a literal fortune! Can more than one mystery be solved here without any other casualties occurring?

This book is one of those reads that you have to force yourself to slow down and savor, despite being swept up on such a riveting emotional ride. Instead, sipping it slowly is the best way to embrace the experience and take the time to learn a little something about miniature books to boot. Reading is truly fundamental in more ways than one: