Tag Archives: Summer

Book Review

Review & Giveaway: Summer Dance

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Summer Dance

Summer Dance
By Nan Rossiter
Kensington Publishing Corporation, Paperback, 9781496705051, May 30, 2017, 352pp.

The Short of It:

Rossiter revisits the much-loved characters of Nantucket and goes a bit deeper into the family’s history, giving us the long-awaited love story between Coop and Sally.

The Rest of It:

Nantucket is the perfect setting for new beginnings so when Sally ends up there, she’s hopeful that a new job and change of scenery is just what she needs to recover from an abusive marriage. One evening at a dance with her friends, she sees Coop across the room and after just one dance, she begins to think that happiness is not far off. Summer Dance is the story of Coop and Sally and how their love for one another challenged them in ways they never thought possible.

I am a huge Nan Rossiter fan. She writes such beautiful stories with great settings (Nantucket, Cape Code, etc.) and all of her stories center around characters who are flawed, but genuine and typically good, family minded individuals. I shy away from the typical “summer” read because usually there isn’t enough for me to sink my teeth into.

In Summer Dance, there is plenty for you to sink your teeth into. Sally was raised in the Catholic Church and this greatly affects her relationship with Coop. Her childhood friend Lizzy, also Catholic becomes Jewish in order to marry and so Sally is left wondering what religion means to her.

Can you be a good person even though you may not be perfect in the eyes of the church?

Sally is torn between doing what is right and doing what feels right and whether religion is a part of your life or not, I think most people can relate to this dilemma which is why this book would be great to discuss with a group.

I really enjoyed Summer Dance. It’s a great book to kickoff these hot summer months. I suggest you grab some wine, grill some scallops, find yourself a shady spot and dig in.

Read more about Nan Rossiter here.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

This giveaway is for one copy of Summer Dance and is open to the US and Canada. A winner will be chosen randomly by me. The book will come directly from the publisher/author. Only one entry per person. Giveaway closes on June 9, 2017 (pacific). I will contact the winner for his/her mailing address.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY! (Now Closed)

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

Life

What Does Summer Mean To You?

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What does summer mean to you?

Summer always sneaks up on me. This year especially because the weather has been so cool and nice and then BAM, feels like an oven and everything is brown again.  Yep, sure enough the calendar says June. How did this happen?

This time, I am going to sit down with my planner and pencil in summery things because before I know it, summer will be over and the kids will be reminding us that we didn’t do much in the way of fun. The other day I saw some bloggers talking about summer and their summers differed so much that I thought I’d ask the question:

What does summer mean to you?

In my head, this is what it means to me:

  • Several trips to the beach
  • Evening BBQs with fresh seafood, steak and lots of watermelon!
  • Summery drinks (Pimm’s Cup, Arnold Palmers, Mint Juleps)
  • After dinner runs to the ice cream shop
  • Lots and lots of reading
  • Summer movie blockbusters on the big screen
  • Sitting outside in the shade just to take in the view
  • Shortish road trips to undiscovered beach towns
  • Eating a tuna salad sandwich while watching the waves roll in
  • The smell of sunscreen mixed with an ocean breeze
  • The Otter Pup, happy for all the extra sunny spots to check out
  • Visiting air-conditioned museums when it’s blazing hot outside
  • Concerts at the park

Summer, in general, means a more carefree attitude. It should with school being out and all but since I work for a year-round university, we don’t have much of a break so I have to try harder to get those “feels” in there.

When I picked up my daughter from her last day of school yesterday, she literally did a dance down the sidewalk and I SO remember how the last day of school felt. Such promise of things to come. This year, I plan to make more of the above happen.

Now it’s your turn. What does summer mean to you? What are your must-have summer foods or drinks and tell me what you love to do during these hot summer months.