Jeanette's Staff Picks
Three Sisters2013 Wednesday, April 10, 2013  After pediatrician Andi Gordon was left stranded at the altar, she knew she needed to make a fresh start for herself. She is now the owner of one of the famed Three Sisters historic houses on Blackberry Island. Here she plans on opening her own practice and start her new life. Her house is the only one of the three houses that has been neglected, the other two have been fully restored by their devoted owners. One neighbor is Boston King, an artist who shares her house with her husband Zeke. Free-spirited Boston seems to lead a very charmed life but in reality, she has suffered a devastating tragedy and struggles daily to keep her marriage together and her career afloat. The third house is owned by Deeana Phillips, the ice queen, who rules her house and her family with an iron fist. When Deeana’s perfect world starts to crumble, long buried scars resurface and she is left to face some harsh realities. This is a story of three women, all very different, all facing difficult situations, and all of them needing each other’s help to heal. |
Happily Ever Madder2012 Wednesday, February 13, 2013  When we last left Ace Jones (Diary of a Mad Fat Girl) and her adorable Chiweenie Buster Loo, she had decided that the love of her life, Mason just may deserve to be given the second chance he has asked for. In Happily Ever Madder we find that Ace is ready to leave Bugtussle, Mississippi and follow Mason to Pelican Grove, FL. If leaving her beloved home wasn’t hard enough, leaving behind her smart-mouth and sassy ways may be even harder. Once in Pelican Grove, the new civilized Ace opens an art gallery of her very own, where she will finally have time to nurture her own burgeoning art career. Life is good for Ace and it seems as if nothing can stop her from realizing all of her dreams. Well, unless you count Mrs. Lenore Krennashaw, a spiteful busybody, who for no apparent reason has it out for Ace.
Life is never dull when you are Ace Jones. Readers of Diary of a Mad Fat Girl will continue to be entertained by Ace’s maddening and crazy antics in Happily Ever Madder. |
Crazy Little Thing2012 Monday, December 17, 2012  Sadie Turner is still reeling from a nasty divorce. She needs time away from her controlling mother and cheating ex-husband, so on a whim, she decides to pack up her kids and spend the summer at her eccentric Aunt Dody’s beach cottage on Lake Michigan. Sadie had spent many wonderful summers there as a child and figures it may be just the place to get some peace and quiet. Little does she know that her two cousins are also living at Dody’s cottage, one of which is flamboyant Fontaine, who can’t wait to get his hands on Sadie’s boring and mundane social life. Perhaps he can even help Sadie catch the eye of the handsome neighbor, Des.
This book is filled with charming and quirky characters. It was a joy to read and I found myself laughing out loud at times. If you like reading authors like Janet Evanovich and Jennifer Crusie, or if you are just looking for a fun and breezy read, pick this book up! |
Better Than Chocolate2012 Wednesday, November 7, 2012  Welcome to Icicle Falls, home of the Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company, which has been run by the Sterling Family for generations. Samantha Sterling has just been given a heavy burden. Her recently deceased step-father, Waldo, has left the company near ruin and it is up to her as the eldest daughter and newly appointed CEO, to save the family business. To make things worse, there’s a new bank manager in town, the handsome Blake Preston who has given Samantha less than two months to repay the company’s debt. Can Samantha and her family save the chocolate factory in time? You will have to read the book to find out! This book has all the ingredients of a great read—humor, a bit of suspense, and a healthy dose of romance. And who can forget the chocolate, all the chocolate...
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Tomorrow is a River1977 Monday, October 1, 2012  Tomorrow is a River is the story of Caroline, who, with her preacher husband Adam, settled a homestead near the Tomorrow River in Northeastern WI in the late 1800s. After being abandoned by her husband, Caroline and her 2 young children struggle to survive the rugged wilderness of pioneer Wisconsin with the help of a Menominee Indian woman who befriends them. Together they weather many storms, the most terrifying of all, the Peshtigo Fire of 1871. This book is full of fascinating facts from Wisconsin’s history and a good choice for any history buff, yet it is also a wonderful story of friendship, family, love and perseverance. I read this story about 15 years ago and it made such an enormous impression on me, that I still recommend it to people who are looking for a good book to read. |
A Simple Thing(2012) Friday, August 17, 2012  Susannah Delaney‘s life is unraveling. Her son Quinn, a quiet, cerebral child is being severely bullied at school and her high-spirited, 14 year-old daughter Katie is spiraling out of control. Susannah makes the drastic decision to move her family thousands of miles away from home to an isolated island off the coast of Washington, where there is no electricity, only a one-room school and any resemblance of a store is an hour boat ride to the mainland. Life on the island is anything but easy and Susannah must also deal with Katie’s hostile attitude towards her. The island and it’s quirky inhabitants will lend a hand in healing this family’s wounds, even the deep psychological wounds Susannah herself has tried to keep hidden for 30 yrs. Susannah’s story and those of the islanders will keep you turning the pages and wanting to hear more. |
Winter Garden(2011) Tuesday, May 31, 2011  I got hooked on Kristin Hannah years ago after reading Angel Falls and have been an avid fan of hers ever since. Her books tend to be warm, romantic reads and the plots usually have strong family ties. In 2010 she published the book, Winter Garden. I anticipated a nice, heart-warming story as always, but this book went far beyond her usual charm. The book chronicles the lives of sisters, Nina and Meredith. The story opens with Nina and Meredith as adult children of a warm-hearted father and a seemingly distant mother. The twist in the book begins when the women are forced to deal with their strained relationship with their mother, Anya, the woman with whom they share little memories except for her haunting fairy tales, told to them as small children. Together they begin to solve the puzzle of their mother’s past and discover the mysteries that made her the woman she is today. The story takes you to Cold War Russia, during Stalin’s reign, a time of great despair and terrible hardships. Not only does the book captivate you with its wonderful story, but also takes you back to a dark era of history many of us know little about. I have recommended this book to numerous people and have only heard positive feedback. Most, like myself were deeply touched by this book. Have a box of Kleenex on hand for this read. |
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