It Must’ve Been the Mistletoe by L.P. Dover
Fields Where They Lay (A Junior Bender Mystery) by Timothy Hallinan
Island Girls by Nancy Thayer
It Must’ve Been the Mistletoe by L.P. Dover
Fields Where They Lay (A Junior Bender Mystery) by Timothy Hallinan
Island Girls by Nancy Thayer
Book: It Must’ve Been the Mistletoe
Author: L.P. Dover
Genre: Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance
Basic Description: A sweet, holiday romance by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, L.P. Dover.
Finding your soul mate is a dream Adeline Hamilton thought was just that … a dream. After several failed relationships, she realizes she’s not capable of falling in love. The only passion she’s ever had is teaching U.S. History at the local high school.
Arden: Oh, I loved escaping to the past. I found myself walking through the streets with Adeline and reliving days gone by… Are you a history junkie like Adeline?
Arden: I bet! Speaking of stories… this book is quite different from others you’ve published. Why did you take the slight turn in your writing?
Arden: Clearly, I know what I’m reading next. 🙂 Is there anything else you’d like my Arden’s Book Club readers to know?
Robert Ludlum’s (TM) The Patriot Attack (Covert-One series) by Kyle Mills
The City by Dean Koontz
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown
The Hundred Story Home: A Journey of Homelessness, Hope, and Healing by Kathy Izard
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
As I continue to watch so much strife unfold on social media, I want to encourage whoever is reading this to get curious, ask questions, and be okay with difference. I think we too quickly jump to conclusions about “the other” and miss an opportunity to gain a new perspective. Quite often hate covers up something much more fragile. Give some grace. Have some conversations. Fight for love.
I’m getting a lot of requests for suggestions of books to read while on vacation. So, I’ve compiled a list of what I’m reading this summer. I also want to know what you’re reading.
To entice you to share what you’re reading, I’m going to give away two autographed copies of books on my list IF you complete the following steps:
This contest starts today and goes through Friday, July 28, 2017. I’ll announce the winners Saturday. The books you’ll win are Nemesis by Brenden Reichs or Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh. Both books are autographed by the authors!
Now, check out what I’ve loved this summer…
Secrets in Summer by Nancy Thayer
Fun and easy read to be enjoyed by the pool with a fruity drink. You’ll fall in love with the protagonist and her cat. Fun fact: she’s a children’s librarian!
Nemesis by Brendan Reichs
Suspenseful and mind-bending. You’ll never quite know what’s next and you won’t put down this book.
Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh
A bit of intrigued and a kick-booty protagonist. You can read this one with your family during your beach trip.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Wow. Incredible historical fiction story. Well-written. Be sure to take breaks while reading it or you may dry out your tear glands.
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Three women living through World World II; a socialite, a concentration camp captive, and the doctor at the concentration camp. You’ll find yourself shocked at the strength, and cruelty found in the character.
Secret Sisters by Joy Callaway
Read along with the secrets, and ingenuity, four women use to lay the foundation for the sorority system women for generations have come to know and love.
Remember to enter to win the autographed copies of Nemesis and Flame in the Mist complete the following steps:
Book: Secret Sisters
Author: Joy Callaway
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Historical Fiction
Basic Description: Illinois, 1881: Whitsitt College sophomore Beth Carrington has two goals to fulfill by the time she graduates: obtain a medical degree, and establish a women’s fraternity, Beta Xi Beta, that will help young women like herself to connect with and support one another while attending the male-dominated Whitsitt.
Neither is an easy task. The sole female student in the physicians’ program, Beth is constantly called out by her professors and peers for having the audacity not to concentrate on a more “fitting” subject like secretarial studies. Meanwhile, secret organizations are off-limits, and simply by crowding together in a dank basement room and creating a sense of camaraderie, she and her small group of fraternity sisters risk expulsion.
Arden’s Thoughts: Okay. If you have followed me at all (which, you should be following all the time) you know I LURVE Joy’s first book, The Fifth Avenue Artist Society. It speaks to me in ways very few books can because I am Ginny, Fifth Avenue‘s protagonist.
I’m also a proud Kappa Delta, a member of the Beta Chi chapter out of UNC-Chapel Hill. So, reading Secret Sisters felt a bit like returning to my pledge year at Carolina. Reading Beth’s struggles with owning her space within the male dominated physician program, in which she’s constantly told she cannot perform at a male level because her menstruation cycle interferes with her ability to think, while she also embraces her femininity by falling in love, resonates soundly with me.
I could see myself back at the KD house studying for an exam while also dreaming of a boy. The beauty, and complexity, of being a woman often means chasing two or three dreams at once and not being at all willing to give up any of them.
Secret Sisters also resonates with me in the here and now.
Ladies, can we admit, it’s flipping hard being a woman? Regardless if you’re a sorority gal, you mostly likely travel with a few tribe members who make life beautiful and also doable. From your book club members who are also your back-up carpool calls, to your board room bosses who are also your happy hour buddies, we women work better when we work together.
Joy captures the building of a tribe in the captivating and beautifully written Secret Sisters. I love seeing women working together to beat the odds. We need more books showing us how to stand together. I’m proud of my friend who always writes these books and lives them out in her daily life.
Yep. You read that right. I get to be friends with Joy. Do you wanna meet this rad author in person? She’ll be hosting a book launch party July 11 at 7 p.m. at the Park Crossing Clubhouse, 10201 Park Crossing Dr, Charlotte, NC 28210 and you’re invited. See you there!