(Image from Barnes & Noble)

People have been flocking to Scarborough—the famed seaside town on England's Yorkshire Coast—for hundreds of years.  They come seeking adventure, relaxation, and a refuge from their cares.  For three very different women whose lives intersect there one Fall, Scarborough will become a place out of time, a place where they discover what they really want and find the courage to be who they really are.

Kat Murray, a 26-year-old single mother, dotes on her young son.  With cash running low, she's desperate to find a job that will pay the bills but not encroach on her time with Leo.  Worried about making ends meet, Kat finds solace where she always has—at the Seafront Tearoom.  The owner of the quaint shop has long mothered Kat, offering support, strength, and love.  Séraphine Moreau, a French au pair, stumbles onto the tearoom by accident.  Although she's in England to tutor a prickly 10-year-old, her main reason for fleeing Bordeaux has more to do with the secret she's keeping from her family.  The tearoom, and its sympathetic proprietor, give Séraphine something she never expected to find in Scarborough—warm, lasting friendships that give her the strength to deal not just with her difficult charge, but also with her personal dilemmas.  For go-getter Charlie Harrison, visiting Scarborough is a matter of killing two birds with one stone.  The Londoner can do her sisterly duty by dropping in on perfect, judgmental Pippa, while fulfilling an assignment for the culinary magazine she hopes to run one day.  Unsuspecting Charlie gets more than she bargained for, however, when she finds her sister in a crisis, herself on the verge of being fired, and a handsome architect who wants more from her than she's prepared to offer.  The Seafront Tearoom, where she meets both Kat and Séraphine, becomes her shelter from the storms brewing in her life.  

As the trio of women become acquainted, a strong, bolstering friendship forms between them.  With each of them struggling in their own unique way, the bond (solidified over copious amounts of tea) provides what they need to fight their battles.  But will they triumph away from Scarborough's warm embrace?  Or will their trials be too much for any of them to bear?

The Seafront Tearoom, a new romance by British author Vanessa Greene, is a light, warm-hearted tale about friendship, family, and finding oneself in the most unexpected of places.  It's a quick, fluffy read with a happy, too-neat ending that feels satisfying if not entirely realistic.  Although one of the novel's plot twists did catch me off-guard, most of the plot is as routine and predictable as, well, afternoon tea.  The women at the center of the story are all pleasant, just not overly interesting or exciting.  Which, incidentally, describes how I feel about The Seafront Tearoom overall—it's a nice, easy read that's enjoyable but not particularly memorable.  I liked it, didn't love it.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of other novels about women forming fortifying friendships because of shared interests [knitting, book clubs, art classes, etc.], although no specific titles are coming to mind.  Suggestions?

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs) and a couple non-graphic references to sex

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Seafront Tearoom from the generous folks at Berkley Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House).  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Jackson Wade is going into 5th grade.  He's way too old for imaginary friends.  Which is why the re-appearance of a certain giant feline alarms him so much.  Jackson knows he made Crenshaw up when he was seven as a way to deal with the fear and uncertainty he felt while his family was homeless and living in their minivan.  So, why has Crenshaw returned?  Is it because of the strain that's so palpable in the Wade's rented apartment?  Is it because of the unpaid bills, the empty kitchen cabinets, his parents' arguing, his dad's inability to hold a job because of his MS?  Jackson doesn't want to lose his home again.  The worry is driving him crazy—and Crenshaw's presence is not helping.  

Although Jackson thinks he's old enough to hear the truth this time, he's not sure he can handle what his parents will surely tell him.  Should he ignore his fears and find solace in his old pal Crenshaw?  Or is he mature enough to send Crenshaw packing while he handles the situation like an adult?  Or at least not like a scaredy-cat baby?  Either way, it's a terrifying choice for a boy who's shouldering a burden that already feels too heavy to bear.  

Like her beloved The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate's newest middle grade novel, Crenshaw, is a quiet, sneak-up-on-you kind of story.  It's poignant and touching, heartbreaking yet hopeful.  Crenshaw adds some humor to the tale, but overall, this is a sobering book about a little kid dealing with big worries.  That might put some readers off and that's too bad because Crenshaw is an impacting read that will resonate with kids—and adults—as they struggle with real, difficult problems in life.  Although the novel's resolution is realistically imperfect, the story nonetheless ends on a positive, upbeat note that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit.  Despite its serious subject, this is another can't-miss-it middle grade tale.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for serious subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

1.  Into Thin Air by Jon Krakeur—You've probably all read this haunting memoir about an American journalist's quest to summit Mt. Everest in 1996.  I finished it a couple weeks ago, but I can't stop thinking about the terrible, life-changing events that happened to him and others with whom he was climbing.  Although Krakeur's trip took place in March—technically Spring—I can't think of a chillier, more winter-ish book than this one.

Because Into Thin Air made such an impact on me, I also checked out these two to read soon: Left for Dead by Beck Weathers (a member of Krakeur's climbing party) and Buried in the Sky, a memoir about sherpas climbing on K2's deadliest day by Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan.  I've heard mixed reviews about the former and lots of praise for the latter.  Both sound fascinating to me.

2.  Bones On Ice by Kathy Reichs—While we're on the subject of Mt. Everest ... This novella (#17.5 in Reichs' popular Tempe Brennan series) concerns a female hiker from North Carolina who dies mysteriously while climbing the mountain.  It's up to Tempe, a forensic anthropologist, to figure out what really happened.  This is a quick but very compelling whodunit.

3.  Winter at the Door by Sarah Graves—This is the debut novel in a new series starring homicide detective Lizzie Snow.  Believing her mysteriously missing sister and niece might be in northern Maine, Lizzie takes a deputy job in the small town of Bearkill.  She quickly discovers there's much more going on in the sleepy village than meets the eye ...

4.  Trapped by Michael Northrop—A vicious New England blizzard traps seven teenagers at their high school with no access to the outside world.  Can they survive with no heat, little food, and a dwindling hope of rescue?

5.  The Shining by Stephen King—When Jack Torrance accepts a job as the caretaker of an old hotel for the winter, he's looking forward to family time and a new start.  But, as the weather takes a turn for the worse, he finds himself trapped in isolation, fear, and his own madness.

6.  Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys—Unlike most readers, I wasn't totally bowled over by Sepetys' Between Shades of Gray.  The YA novel, about a Lithuanian girl who's sent to a Siberian work camp during WWII, is vivid and compelling, but I just didn't feel much connection with the characters.  The total opposite is true of its sequel, Salt to the Sea.  It's been months since I read the chilling follow-up and it still haunts me.

7.  The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon—All McMahon's books are creepy, but this one is especially so.  The novel revolves around a mysterious old legend about the deaths of a mother and daughter.  Now occupying the farmhouse in which the dead females once lived, a teenager gets wrapped up in the chilling truth about what really happened to them.

8.  Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterson—It's been a long time since I read this novel about a drowned fisherman and the Japanese-American accused of murdering him.  Time for a re-read of this atmospheric tale, methinks.  

9.  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens—Probably the most iconic wintertime book of them all, I try to re-read this classic tale every December just because I love it so much.

10.  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis—I read this first volume of Lewis' classic Narnia series when I was in elementary school (a loooonnnngggg time ago) and yet, many of its vivid scenes have stuck with me through the years.  I'm way overdue for a re-read of this one, as well as a first-read of the rest of the books in the series.

What do you think?  Love winter or hate it?  What are your favorite cold weather books?  With a long, scorching Arizona summer just around the bend, I'd love lots of shivery book recommendations to keep me cool.  Leave me a comment and I'll happily return the favor on your blog.    

Happy TTT!   

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

At 23, Kika Shores isn't quite ready to dress in big girl clothes and commute to the city for an adult job with all the other suits.  She'd rather be backpacking across Europe or scouring an African bazaar for unique jewelry to sell on her blog.  Too bad traveling requires so much dough.  Working for a corporate travel agency in New York City helps pad her checking account, but that doesn't mean Kika has to enjoy acting like a grown-up.  

When she screws up one too many times on the job, Kika finds herself unemployed, with so little coinage she can barely afford a trip to the dollar store, let alone overseas.  Then, fate steps in.  A wealthy friend asks Kika to come to London and nanny for her daughters.  Overjoyed, she accepts.  Not only will Kika be able to hang out with her favorite girls, but she'll also be much closer to Belfast where her "roadmance" boyfriend, Lochlin O'Mahone, lives.  She especially can't wait to reconnect with the gorgeous Irishman, the memories of whom still keep her warm at night.  

London soothes Kika's wanderlusting soul, but that doesn't mean it's a problem-free zone.  Not at all.  Kika's charges are having trouble fitting in; she's lying to their parents; and for some weird reason, she's thinking more of stuck-up Aston Hyde-Bettencourt than of Lochlin.  When a series of shocking revelations rocks Kika's world, she has to decide what she really wants and how much she's willing to risk in order to get it.  For a Peter Pan girl, Kika's suddenly having to make some very adult decisions.  And she doesn't like it.  Can she grow up enough to go after what she wants?  Or will she grab her passport and head for the hills like she always does when things get dicey?

I wasn't expecting to like Girls Who Travel, a debut novel by travel writer Nicole Trilivas, quite as much as I did.  Why not?  I'm not a huge fluff reader.  And the novel is undeniably fluffy.  At least sometimes.  Not always, though, which is the part that surprised me.  Yes, Girls Who Travel is a zany, funny romp with a sometimes annoyingly immature heroine, but it also makes some deeper points about growing up and getting real.  A messier ending would have been more true to life, but still ... Overall, this is a satisfying novel voiced by a woman who matures over the course of the tale while never losing her unique, free-spirited perspective.  Like I said, I enjoyed Girls Who Travel much more than I thought I would.  Needless to say, I'm looking forward to seeing what Trilivas comes up with for her sophomore voyage.

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing is coming to mind.  Suggestions?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), sex, violence, and depictions of alcohol abuse

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of Girls Who Travel from the generous folks at Berkley (an imprint of Penguin Books).  Thank you!