Quickly Quickly, I Have to Read

Okay folks, I have been waiting and waiting for the release of Mockingjay and when it arrived where was I? At a concert in San Francisco not even thinking about books. The worst part is I had all these grand plans to read the first 2 again and I haven't even started yet because I am so wrapped up in the other books I am reading! But I will read them and then quickly start and finish Mockingjay.

I think I am feeling sad because when Catching Fire was released the timing worked out perfectly and I had 2 days off where I only stopped reading to sleep and now I have work and all kinds of other things that are going to pull me away from my book! Argh the life of a grown-up, when did I sign-up for this? So to all of you who are currently enjoying the story (or who are WAY ahead of me and have already finished it) I envy you and I hope you are enjoying it. I am scared to read any blogs out of fear of a spoiler so I guess I better get reading...

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page.

Thank you Chick Loves Lit for hosting this month's Mailbox Monday blog tour.

Check out her blog and post all the new books you acquired last week.

I have come to the end of a long period where I didn't request any books and my mailbox finally has some excitement in it again.

Radiance by Alyson Noel (ARC from publisher)

From Amazon:

Riley has crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up life where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. When she’s summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isn’t just an eternity of leisure. She’s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy who’s definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Riley’s first assignment, a Radiant Boy who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of that was before he met Riley ...

The Swimming Pool - Holly LeCraw

The Swimming Pool
Holly LeCraw

When The Swimming Poll arrived on my door-step, I set it aside specifically for summer, poolside reading.  I waited and waited until the weather was right and I had the time to just sit and relax in the sun.   This plan backfired as I was soon struck by the reality that my pool/beach time was very limited, that is how this book became my lunch read at work.  I found myself sitting outside on the gorgeous sunny days, when I wanted to be anywhere but in the office and it was the perfect escape for an hour a day.

The Swimming Pool is the dramatic story of a good old fashion summer fling but interwoven through out is a deeper story about relationships and what we would do for the many different kinds of love we have in our lives.  It is a story in which all the characters are connected in some surprising ways.  Jed is the focus of much of the story.  He is at the Cape for the summer to stay with his sister and soon finds a love interest in a woman connected to his parents...his dad in particular (do you see where I am going with this?), who died 7 years earlier.  LeCraw shifts perspective throughout the story allowing us to see deeper into the lives of Jed's parents as well as the other people involved in his life.  I don't often enjoy stories which jump time or perspectives (because I feel disconnected from the characters) and The Swimming Pool does both, but LeCraw flows beautifully between the various voices and I loved it. 

Parts of the storyline may have been a bit obvious but I honestly can't say for sure because I was so caught up in what was going on in each current moment that I forgot to think about what may happen, I just wanted to know what did happen next.

I would recommend this as a book to bring to the beach or to read when you just really need to get away and feel like you are at the beach.


**Source: ARC for review from publisher.