grief

Gracie Harris is Under Construction

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Gracie Harris is Under Construction by Kate Hash

The book cover is funny because Gracie doesn’t actually paint any walls during her house remodel. She does wallpaper her bedroom closet, though, which I think sounds cool. Gracie Harris is on a journey of self-discovery and grief after her husband Ben suddenly dies. She has two great kids and money does not seem to be an issue as the house being remodeled in a small North Carolina town is her second home. I really enjoyed the scene when her bookshelves were being put together because it means she can go on a shopping spree at the local indie bookstore. Imagine having multiple new bookcases to fill, and plenty of money to fill them! I think I’d really enjoy visiting Gracie’s remodeled house.

This summer, Gracie’s kids are spending 8 weeks at a sleep-away camp 30 minutes from town. Gracie is writing a memoir and trying to do interviews but has a rough time with nerves and grief during her first major interview. Josh, her realtor’s brother, is remodeling the Craftsman house part-time for Gracie. Over lunches, Josh asks Gracie questions she might face at future interviews, and gives her advice on the best coffee shop for her writing sessions. To no one’s surprise except Josh and Gracie, they fall for each other. Even Gracie’s daughter thought they might start dating.

Not a rom-com, and not a steamy romance, this is a sweet and tender story about starting over and second chances, plus some good advice about working through the messy seasons of grief. Well, the romance is kind of steamy, but the bedroom door stays almost closed for the reader. This is Kate Hash’s first novel, and it’s a memorable, compelling read. I look forward to seeing what she rights next.

Brenda

Eddie Winston is Looking for Love

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Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin

A truly sweet novel, this was a pleasure to read. In flashbacks to the past, Eddie meets Bridie when he is a Ph.D. student at the University of Birmingham and she works as an administrative assistant. Her husband, Alistair, not a nice man, is a professor there. Eddie and Birdie, as he calls her, become friends and are attracted to each other.

In the present, Eddie is 90 and works in a charity shop in Birmingham with Marjie. He takes extra care with the belongings of people who have recently passed away, donated by friends or family. He also adopts a guinea pig that is brought to the shop. Young Bella brings in Jake’s concert t-shirts, notebook, and painted Converse shoes. Eddie saves them, certain she’ll want them back someday. They become friends, often eating lunch on a park bench. She writes her way through grief by writing letters to Jake. When Bella learns that Eddie has never been kissed, she sets up an account for him on a dating app.

Bella works at Sainsbury’s grocery store, where she meets a man she calls Ham & Cheese, for the sandwich he buys every day. Bella and Ham & Cheese, aka Chris, go on a date. In an exciting turn of events, Eddie and Bella are invited to visit a Greek island to return a packet of letters to a woman’s sister. At long last, Bridie comes back into the picture. I really enjoyed Bella and Eddie’s unlikely friendship, the main theme of the book for me. I won’t say anything more about the plot, except that I finished the novel with a big smile on my face.

Brenda

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway

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The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher

This is a charming novel about a teen girl dealing with grief, holding onto the past, very reluctantly allowing new friends into her life, and coping with body image issues. Going forward, the reader and Maddie can enjoy the fun of summer at a large renaissance faire in Oklahoma. Oklahoma? Apparently, there are a few ren faires there; this one seems to be based on the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival set at the Castle in Muskogee.  Maddie meets Arthur, a skinny teen bard who’s funny, friendly, and annoying. He calls her Gwen for her lovely golden hair, and asks her to fill in as princess of the faire, to be in processions and appear at events with his two dads. Maddie’s dad and her friend Fatima encourage her to try something new, and she becomes Princess Gwen. On weekdays, there are road trips to all sorts of tourist attractions with Arthur.

Maddie and her father travel from faire to faire, living in their RV. He crafts leather bound journals while Maddie makes jewelry from the designs her mother created, and attends high school online. Almost a year ago, Maddie’s mom died. She’s been dreading the upcoming anniversary and doesn’t want to let anyone new into her life. Arthur is very persistent, and she agrees to be a friendly acquaintance. Maddie is plus sized, and it’s a nice change to wear princess gowns instead of peasant garb. A later shopping trip for mundane clothes even turns out to be surprisingly fun.

This title has been on my list of books to read for several months, but I didn’t remember the ren faire setting. I have really enjoyed Jen DeLuca’s ren faire rom-coms for adults, beginning with Well Met, and was pleased to see her blurb on the back cover. Reading about a ren faire summer makes for a perfect winter read, and you can look for information on renaissance faires both large and small here. Ashley has two other teen novels I’ve not read, but plan to consider soon.

Brenda

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

This novel, spanning three decades, is about three friends, Sadie, Sam, and Marx, who come together to create, produce and sell video games. The themes are relationships, grief, and collaboration. You do not need to be a gamer to appreciate the story.

To begin with, this is not a happy book. The book’s title is part of a famous soliloquy in Shakespeare’s MacBeth, a tragedy. I quite disliked one of the secondary characters, which I’m sure the author intended. I also objected to the author’s need to have some trauma in each main character’s background, which apparently made them more creative.

That said, this was compelling and immersive reading. It was also interesting to see how important playing video games was to the characters, as reading books, especially fiction, is meaningful to me. The wide variety of games developed and played in these pages were richly detailed and unique; I’m sure many gamers would love to play them if they were available.

This book has been a bestseller for a whole year, and I now understand the buzz that has kept it there for so long. The characters are intriguing and the quality of the writing is excellent; I just wanted a slightly different plot.

The author’s first novel, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, is also bittersweet, and just as memorable.