Summer Reading | Book Chatter

Sunday Matters

There is something special about Sunday morning. It just seems easier and more laid back. Maybe that’s because I am still working from home so the Monday “scaries” don’t hit me like they used to. I have really gotten into a good routine from home. Hope I can make it work long term in some way.

We are minus one now. My son left last Thursday for Kansas and he begins work tomorrow but his car broke down in New Mexico. I will spare you the details. Not sure he is going to be able to start work as planned. My advice to you, do not break down in a small town.

Right Now:

We have nothing at all planned for today. Trust me, there is plenty that HAS to be done but I am not feeling it. For example, we have to go through my daughter’s closet to get a feel for how much will need to be shipped to her when she’s away at college. We are really trying to keep it pared down. The idea of moving it all out over the summer is intimidating to me since we are so far away. We can only take so much with us on the plane. My son took her guitar for her (which she has shed tears over). He will be helping us with move in and he took her cold weather stuff but there is still a lot. Of course now the “helping us with move-in” might look different.

This Week:

My book club meets this week to discuss The Last Thing He Told Me. We are meeting at a restaurant and I am super excited. We will sit on the patio just to be safe.

Reading:

I am reading Count The Ways by Joyce Maynard. I don’t know if you follow her on social media but I just love her. I love her writing so much and if you follow her, then you’ve read her short, thoughtful pieces about her husband and her lovely home in Guatemala. I would love to attend one of her writing workshops in Guatemala some day.

Watching:

American Horror Stories (spin off) began on Hulu. We will probably give it a spin although I am partial to just wait for the next season of American Horror Story: Double Feature.

Grateful for:

Now that my son is out, I was able to put his room back in order. Honestly, it looked like a bomb went off in there. The garage is somewhat decent again too since he took some of that with him. A nice clean space makes me happy.

This is so random but I have been thinking about the fall already. Mostly because someone on Instagram posted a photo of the most delicious looking pot pie. First of all, I can’t do pie because of gluten. Second, I am vegetarian now and a vegetarian pie just doesn’t sound good at all. BUT, that pie made me think of all the yummy comfort food that goes with fall. I know, let’s not rush it.

Shoulder Season
By Christina Clancy
St. Martin’s Press, 9781250239631, July 6, 2021, 336pp.

The Short of It:

The Playboy empire makes for an interesting story, no matter how you feel about the empire itself.

The Rest of It:

I never knew that Lake Geneva, Wisconsin was home to a Playboy resort. It seems like a very odd location but I looked it up and it was a very popular resort and attracted girls from all walks of life. In this story, Sherri is a small-town girl who spends most of her time playing the organ for her church. She’s a very pretty girl though and when her friend Roberta invites her to interview for a position as a Playboy bunny, she thinks the whole thing is a bit ridiculous. Her? A Bunny? But the Bunny mother sees something in her and offers her a job.

At first, Sherri is completely overwhelmed. Getting to live on the property with all these glamourous, beautiful women makes her feel like an outcast even though many continue to tell her that she has that sweet, pretty quality that the Playboy organization loves. But what she didn’t realize was just how much work was involved. Tight costumes, weight checks, standing in stilettos for hours on end, putting up with drunk club members and yes, dealing with all the numerous propositions that many of the girls accept as a side gig.

As Sherri begins to acclimate to the lifestyle, she finds herself struggling to find happiness. Drugs and drink don’t help and the abundance of male attention makes it hard to find true love but there are some good people looking out for her which gives her hope.

I found this book to be a quick read and I was pleasantly pulled along for most of the story but Sherri makes some very bad decisions and I kind of lost interest in her. Then, the last quarter of the book took a huge leap and turn. My copy was a review copy and it’s quite possible that something was left out because it seemed to lack a transition piece into the next part of the story. It was abrupt and jarring and not believable at all. I literally put it down and said, “Oh, come on.”

I really loved and enjoyed Clancy’s last book, The Second Home. I highly recommend it. However, Shoulder Season missed the mark for me. It lacked heart. I wanted to know Sherri more, which made her a likable character even though she did things to frustrate the heck out of me but the story was not believable and I feel like there was so much more to know.

This was a review copy but also on my 10 Books of Summer list so I am making progress with that list!

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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