The Sunday Post #247 | May 9, 2021

    

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's a chance to share news: a post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books,
 and share what's coming up on your blog in the week ahead. 
Hello friends! I skipped last week's Sunday Post (simply because I didn't feel like writing a post) but I did try to make the rounds and visit everyone. 

My company is officially moving to a hybrid approach between WFH (working from home) and RTO (returning to the office). I've started going in two days a week and will likely go to three days a week by the end of the month. I would say it's nice to have a bit of normalcy, but in reality, after over a year it's the WFH that feels normal now. 

Our dining room furniture was finally delivered - two and a half months after we ordered it. The living room furniture arrived last month and the lamps we finally cancelled when we learned they were back-ordered until July. It's nice to finally have some furniture in the dining room! It's been empty since I sold our previous set back in January.


The Husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary (22 years) last week. Well, I say celebrated... For the second year in a row we nixed our usual week-long anniversary getaway (thank you, COVID) and instead we attempted to go to one of our favorite restaurants because they offer outdoor seating. We called to make a reservation (even mentioning that we wanted outdoor seating), drove across town, went inside to check in... only to be told that they weren't offering outdoor seating that evening. Gah! So we ended up grabbing some takeout from a nearby place and called it a night. We tried. :)

Happy Mother's Day to those who celebrate. I'll be having a small get-together Sunday afternoon/evening with my mom and my younger sister (plus her husband and daughter). Just six of us (and everyone is vaccinated) but it will be a treat to all be together and celebrate my mom. I hope you enjoy your day, however you spend it.

This week's 80's music fix is Since Yesterday (1984) by Strawberry Switchblade. Enjoy some synth-pop goodness.



Tuesday, May 4

Friday, May 7

WHAT I COMPLETED IN THE LAST WEEK



READ:

LISTENED TO:

Jay's upcoming release, the second generation of the Marked Men, has me so excited that I decided to do a re-listen of the entire series. This is probably my fifth reread of the series and it never gets old. :)


WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING

 

READING:

I am not understanding the low ratings for this one. The main complaint seems to be that it's not a redux of Red, White, & Royal Blue? *scratches my head in confusion* I'm about halfway through, have had a non-stop goofy grin on my face the entire time, and have been thoroughly charmed by Carter and Prince Edgar. It's a little campy, a little over the top, and has been a total good time.

LISTENING:
 
Not a thing.



How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share?
I'd love to hear about it!
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Review: That Summer by Jennifer Weiner

THAT SUMMER
Jennifer Weiner
Publication date: May 11, 2021
Genres: Adult Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary
Format: eARC
Source: Atria Books
4 Stars

Daisy Shoemaker can’t sleep. With a thriving cooking business, full schedule of volunteer work, and a beautiful home in the Philadelphia suburbs, she should be content. But her teenage daughter can be a handful; her husband can be distant, her work can feel trivial, and she has lots of acquaintances, but no real friends. Still, Daisy knows she’s got it good. So why is she up all night?

While Daisy tries to identify the root of her dissatisfaction, she’s also receiving misdirected emails meant for a woman named Diana Starling, whose email address is just one punctuation mark away from her own. While Daisy’s driving carpools, Diana is chairing meetings. While Daisy’s making dinner, Diana’s making plans to reorganize corporations. Diana’s glamorous, sophisticated, single-lady life is miles away from Daisy’s simpler existence. When an apology leads to an invitation, the two women meet and become friends. But, as they get closer, we learn that their connection was not completely accidental. Who IS this other woman, and what does she want with Daisy?

From the manicured Main Line of Philadelphia to the wild landscape of the Outer Cape, written with Jennifer Weiner’s signature wit and sharp observations, THAT SUMMER is a story about surviving our pasts, confronting our futures, and the sustaining bonds of friendship. 

Two women named Diana (although one goes by Daisy) met in the most unusual way: Daisy had been receiving emails meant for Diana and this eventually leads to an in-real-life meeting. A friendship formed and in Diana, Daisy admired all the things she might have been but was not – single, successful, career-focused, confident. Instead, Daisy quit college to marry a man thirteen years her senior, a man who offered stability and comfort (of the financial type, anyway). Now Daisy lived with a mild but persistent dissatisfaction with her life, questioned the state of her marriage, and dealt with her teenage daughter’s expulsion from boarding school. But Daisy and Diana’s meeting was no coincidence and the more time the two women spent together, and the closer Diana was drawn into Daisy’s life, it’s obvious there was more to her story.

The cover of the book belies the story inside because this is not a light and fluffy beach read, or a simple story of female friendship. Heavily influenced by the #MeToo movement, That Summer examines the aftermath of sexual assault and chronicles one woman’s journey for… truth? Revenge? Justice? There were times when I didn’t fully understand Diana’s end-game, even though her motivation was clear. And there were times when I wanted to shake Daisy and force her to use her voice and stand up for herself.  While the ending wasn’t fully satisfying for me (I wanted “real justice”, whatever that is), maybe the way Weiner portrayed it is a more likely scenario.

I was easily pulled into Daisy and Diana’s lives, and even that of Beatrice, Daisy’s teenage daughter who unapologetically marched to the beat of her own drum. Once again, I loved Weiner’s storytelling and her focus on the issues women face. I appreciated the varied responses to the #MeToo movement shown throughout the story – by different genders, generations, and social classes. While That Summer is not the beach read the cover implies, it is thought-provoking, emotional, and a truly worthwhile read.


Disclosure: I received a complimentary advance copy of this book for review. This does not impact my opinion of the book or the content of this review. I received no compensation and my review is voluntary.

THAT SUMMER
RELEASES ON MAY 11, 2021

YOU CAN FIND THAT SUMMER HERE:
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Top Ten Tuesday: Most Recent Reads

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC:
MY TEN MOST RECENT READS

This week's prompt is super straightforward and simple but I like it. 
1) Because it's just so easy to share my last ten reads.
2) I always love to see what others are reading (or have just read).



Starting with the most recent:

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories - Holly Black
Not at all necessary to the series, but interesting to learn more of Cardan's background.

That Summer - Jennifer Weiner
The story went in a direction I didn't expect and that's one of the reasons I love Jennifer Weiner.

40-Love - Olivia Dade
Enjoyable enough but not my favorite from Dade.

Could Have Been Us - Corinne Michaels
An emotional, second chance romance - totally enjoyed it.

Teach Me - Olivia Dade
I loved seeing the male lead come into his own and recognize his worth.

Heartscape - Garrett Leigh
Jax and Tanner were both so lovable.

Make It Sweet - Kristen Callihan
Sweet, sexy, funny... plus food porn. The total package.

Hunker Down with the McKallisters - J. Bengtsson
My only complaint is that this novella set during the lockdown was too short. I wanted more.

Rogue Wave - J. Bengtsson
Keith + Sam's story wasn't my favorite in the Cake series, but it was still a great read.

The Invitation - Vi Keeland
Nothing memorable, but a solid romance from Keeland. 


HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS?


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