Becoming Mrs. Lewis

Everyone knows who C.S. Lewis is, but I had no idea who his wife was or how they met until a friend picked this work for book club. 

This historical fiction account of how Jack and Joy became acquainted, fell in love, and ultimately married is as twisting a romance as any fiction author could create. 

There are insurmountable obstacles to overcome and yet the reader is aware the whole time that they will ultimately end up together. I spent the book wondering how and when. 

Ms. Callahan brings these real people to life on the page, full of thoughts, emotions, and challenges to help you feel as if you really know them and that you're there in post WWII America and England. 

I listened to the audiobook and give high praise to Lauren Woodward for giving voice to these beloved souls. 

Which based-on-real life romances have you read that thought were stranger than fiction?

AMAZON

When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis - known as Jack - she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn’t holding together her crumbling marriage. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford professor and the beloved writer of The Chronicles of Narnia, yet their minds bonded over their letters.

Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, found a love that even the threat of death couldn’t destroy.

In this masterful exploration of one of the greatest love stories of modern times, we meet a brilliant writer, a fiercely independent mother, and a passionate woman who changed the life of this respected author and inspired books that still enchant us and change us. Joy lived at a time when women weren’t meant to have a voice - and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn’t know they had.

At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer’s life, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is above all a love story - a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.

Eat Cake

This is my first read by Ms. Ray. 

Ruth endears you to her the moment she describes her safe and happy place as being inside of a bundt cake. The cake theme is heavy throughout the book as Ruth navigates all the hurdles thrown in her way. And in the end, cake will be the thing that saves her and everyone she loves. 

Everyone needs a pyschological safe and happy place. Mine is the beach. What's yours?

AMAZON

Ruth has always found baking cakes to be a source of relief from the stresses of life. And now-as her husband loses his job, her life-of-the-party father arrives for an extended stay (much to the dismay of her mother, who also moved in recently), and her teenage daughter perfects the art of sulking-Ruth is going to have to save the day. And let the crumbs fall where they may...

The Thursday Murder Club

I highly recommend the audiobook. It was a delight to listen to. Well done, Lesley Manville. 

Definitely listen to the author interview at the end for insights behind the story. 

If you like murder mysteries, particularly solving the whodunit before the reveal, then this is a must read. It was a bit reminiscent of Murder She Wrote with our cast of characters in their mature years using their individual skills to find the culprit. 

Some parts of the plot I unraveled before the reveal, but not all, which is why this is a satisfying read for the murder mystery aficianado. 

Listen and enjoy. 

Which books have you read and solved before the reveal?

AMAZON

Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves.

A female cop with her first big case.

A brutal murder.

Welcome to...

The Thursday Murder Club

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together, they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club.

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late?

Catching the Cowboy

Ms. Isaacson continues this cowboy romance series with a fun premise. 

She gives her heroine an interesting job as a retired hair dresser turned mammologist, then shoves her in a cabin in the woods with a handsome cowboy. How could there not be sparks? 

Assuming the author did her research, which I believe she did, I learned quite a bit about how to deal with wild animals preying on herds. 

And enjoyed every minute of push and pull between the main characters. 

Tell me about a romance that taught you about an unfamiliar career. 

AMAZON

A cowboy who can't get off the ranch to meet anyone, a stylist who hasn't been on a second date in a year, and the relationship that starts when they're stranded in a cabin together...

Cowboy Dylan Royal is good at two things: whistling and caring for cattle. When his cows are being attacked by an unknown wild animal, he calls Texas Parks & Wildlife for help. He wasn't expecting a beautiful mammologist to show up, all flirty and fun and everything Dylan didn't know he wanted in his life.

Hazel Brewster has gone on more first dates than anyone in Grape Seed Falls, and she thinks maybe Dylan deserves a second... Can they find their way through wild animals, huge life changes, and their emotional pasts to find their forever future?

BIg Magic

This is an insider's look into how Ms. Gilbert became a published author. 

Besides being part memoir, she also points out how to live a fulfilling and potentially lucrative creative life. She invites us to be curious, unflinching in our pursuits, and embrace the unique spark in each of us. 

I think the book is most helpful for those who work/live in a creative space, and many of the ideas she brings up are applicable to anyone. 

The audiobook is read by the author, which I appreciated. 

This book was recommended by a fellow creative, and I pass that recommendation on to you. 

What books have you read that spark your creativity? 

AMAZON

The path to the vibrant, fulfilling life you’ve dreamed of.

People of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives.

Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.

Women's Beach Club

Ms. Johnson delivers another great romance in this series. 

I'm a fan of the fake relationship trope, and the reasons for this one are compelling. 

Both characters have commitment issues along with other emotional baggage to work through as they simultaneously navigate their chemistry. 

Do you like the fake relationshipt trope? Would you agree to be in a fake relationship? Why or why not?

AMAZON

He's a billionaire in hiding. She's a yoga instructor with an ex-boyfriend problem. When they attend a gala together and Tawny's ex is there, the next thing she knows, she's engaged to the handsome Tyler - who the children's wing is named after.

Tawny Loveless loves her beach yoga, her Women's Beach Club, and fruity drinks. Oh, and dogs. So it's no wonder when a golden retriever brings her face-to-face with a man she's seen plenty of times on the beach. He's hot, with a dazzling smile - but seemingly without a job.

Tyler Rigby doesn't need to work. As the reknowned "Poker King," the man has more money than he knows what to do with. So he donates here and there around the island and then he has to attend the galas honoring him.

Tawny's caught his eye, and he asks her to one such party. No strings attached, he says. That is until her ex-boyfriend is there and she's on the verge of a panic attack.

Then there are way more than strings attached - there are diamond rings involved in their fake engagement.

But his feelings are real, and once he tells her who he is, maybe - just maybe - they can have a shot at a true island romance.

Can Tyler and Tawny take their fake relationship from the headlines and into their private lives...where it could become happily-ever-after?

Straw & Diamonds

I always know I'm getting a satisfying read when I open one of Ms. Johnson's books. 

A bit of a Beauty and the Beast retelling but in all the best ways. Sasha is sassy, and Jasper is a little lost. It was fun to watch them navigate their inner turmoil and schedules to come together, especially with the bets running in the background by Sasha's friends. 

Would you ask out a beast?

AMAZON

She's barely making ends meet with her beach side drink stand because her ex stole from her and fled the island. So Sasha Redding does what she has to in order to support herself—she takes a job cleaning a house in an exclusive gated community. She just didn't know she'd been hired by a billionaire beast...

Her plan to get out of debt doesn't afford her many hours of sleep, and the handsome man who owns the house she cleans doesn't help that when he tells her not to go upstairs, questions her for showering at his place (hers has no hot water) and then...asks her out.

Jasper Rosequist works in the diamond business and keeps odd hours due to his dealings in Europe, and he doesn't want anyone in his office upstairs. It's not a lair. (It's not.) Not only that, but with his schedule, maintaining a relationship with Sasha is difficult.

He wants to keep chipping away at her, because she's got a big wall around her heart, but he can see how good it is. He doesn't mean to come off as the beastly I-get-what-I-want type...but he does want her.

Can Sasha open her heart to the possibility of a second chance at love? Or will she get burned again?