Review and Giveaway - Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble

Miss Julia is one of my favorite characters, and southern fiction is one of my favorites genres.  So when Viking/Penguin offered me a copy of Ann B. Ross' latest episode of Miss Julia's antics, along with the opportunity to do a giveaway, I couldn't resist.

In this latest, when James, the housekeeper for J.D. and Hazel Marie, falls and breaks his hand, he is unable to cook, leaving Hazel Marie --who can't even boil water--to cope with serving meals, cleaning house and taking care her husband, her teenaged son, and her less than a year old twin girls.  Miss Julia of course, steps right in to solve Hazel Marie's problem.  Her solution is to teach Hazel Marie to cook.

Her help results in a collection of cooking lessons and recipes that are right out of the Southern Cooking hall of fame.  However, as in any Miss Julia story, the fun doesn't stop (or start) there.  We have the ever obnoxious Uncle Vern who arrives to add to the chaos, when he moves in and begins bilking the ladies of the town for funds to open a "soup kitchen".  Lloyd and James become engaged in some sort of internet/lottery scam scheme, Julia thinks J.D. is chasing another woman, and sets out to catch him red-handed.  As usual our heroine manages to twist good intentions into a variety of mash-ups requiring help from all the friends,family and helpers in her life.

The recipes in the book are a large part of the fun.  Everyone else seems to be doing "cookbook" versions of their stories, so why not Ann B. Ross?  Although Miss Julia of course can't cook anything but basic grilled cheese, she manages to sweet-talk her trusty maid/cook/housekeeper, and other friends into "donating" recipes and lessons that are lots of fun.  They are well-indexed in the book, and make this one a keeper for the cookbook shelf in your library even if the story is lighter than it might be.

If you like Miss Julia, if you like cooking, if you like Southern lit, this one's for you.  It was published last week.

I have one copy to give away thanks to Viking/Penguin.  Easy entry - no PO Boxes, leave me a comment saying why you want to win.  Include your email address.  Contest ends May 10th.  I'll draw and announce on May 11th.


Title: Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble (#14 of Miss Julia series)
Author: Ann B. Ross
Publisher: Viking Adult (2013), Hardcover, 368 pages
Genre: Southern Fiction
Subject: Housekeeping, cooking, family dysfunction
Setting: Abbotsville NC (fictional town)
Series: Miss Julia
Source: ARC from the publisher
Why did I read this book now?  I love the series, and the publisher asked for a review.

And the Winner is...

The Winner of Constance Hardy's (Rather) Startling Year is

MARGIE

I've sent an email and she has until Friday May 3rd to send me a mailing address. Thanks to all who entered.  Be sure to check back tomorrow for another giveaway.

Monday Mailbox

This month  Monday Mailbox  is being hosted by Mari at MariReads. The wonderful weekly meme gives us a chance to shout out books that have appeared in our mailboxes (real or virtual).  This week, two ARCs arrived, both set in Maine.  They both look perfect to put on that summer reading list we're all starting to compile.

 

A Skeptic's Luck....Intrigue, adventure and romance find Maxine Rholf, botanist in Maine, as she pursues orchid research. She has started wearing Lewis's clothes five years after he was lost in New York during 9/11. The relationship with her wealthy friend Byron is souring. While she collects data in the wilderness, she contends with quarrelsome motorcyclists who step on her orchids. She ignores her doubts, but when daughter Eva tells Maxine that she has seen Lewis at the Bangor airport, she must face a stark possibility -- could Lewis be alive?

Doesn't that sound intriguing?   Maine Author's Publishing has been sending us some great reads this spring, and this one is definitely going into the queue.

 

Sweet Salt Air....Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, spending summers together in Nicole's coastal island house off of Maine. But many years, and many secrets, have kept the women apart. A successful travel writer, single Charlotte lives on the road, while Nicole, a food blogger, keeps house in Philadelphia with her surgeon-husband, Julian. When Nicole is commissioned to write a book about island food, she invites her old friend Charlotte back to Quinnipeague, for a final summer, to help. Outgoing and passionate, Charlotte has a gift for talking to people and making friends, and Nicole could use her expertise for interviews with locals. Missing a genuine connection, Charlotte agrees.

Another Maine summer and island, and this one sounds just as intriguing.  Maybe I should look for a Maine island (or pretend my house on the river is really on an island?) so I can lock myself away and read all these goodies.

What's been arriving in your mailbox lately?

The Maine Readers Choice Award - Tutu's latest project

well...let's talk for a bit about the Maine Readers Choice Award program. I was invited to serve on this panel late last year, and we are now entering into the next phase. The participants are finishing their reading of the short list (listed below)  and now must rank these from one to ten. We then "vote" no later than May 1st. The top choices will be announced shortly thereafter and promoted to the readers of Maine.

We are going to be promoting these books all summer, encouraging adults to read some really good stuff. The Readers themselves will then vote for their Choice as the best of the best, and the winner will be announced in the fall. We hope to have the award presented at the Bangor Book Festival in October.

So Tutu has finished reading the shortlist, and several from the long list too. I haven't quite finished the final ranking, but I have pretty much separated them into two tiers: 1-5, and 6-10. All of tier 1 are solid ★★★★★ reads. These are going to stay in my permanent library for a long time, and they will stay in my psyche for just as long. They are incredible tributes to the art of good writing.

The second tier are excellent, but not quite as earth-shaking. So here's my list by tier. I'll be writing reviews for the next several days. I don't think you can go wrong reading any of the top 5. My comments about a couple of the others will be in my individual posts. The links are to reviews I've already posted.

Top Tier
Billy Lynn's Long Half-time Walk by Ben Fountain.
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
The Light Between the Oceans  by M.L. Stedman
Canada by Richard Ford
A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash

Second Tier:
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Mr. Penumbra's 24 hr Bookstore by Robin Sloan  

I'm going to be honest and say that when I voted for the first cut, none of the 2nd tier books were on my top 10 list, even though I had already read three of them. I am looking forward to getting to some of those books that were on the long list, but will not be reading them in such a compact time frame. These are all books that deserve to be read slowly and carefully. The top five are definitely going to be re-read because I can't help but think I didn't get everything there was to get.

It's been an interesting project. I'm hoping to be asked to have another go for next year, and I'm already starting my 'long list' for 2013 books to suggest to the committee.

Now I'm going to settle back, read a couple good mysteries and a good old southern fiction Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble so I can clear my brain before the final vote in a few days.

For the original long-list, be sure to visit the Maine Reader's Choice Award page.

We're Home! - Contest extended.

Just a quick note to say thanks for your patience to all my faithful readers. We've arrived safely back in our nest in Maine, and while Real Life is still keeping us busy, I'm going to be able to catch up on posting here during the next week, so get ready to read about some awesome books. Our Maine Readers Choice Award is up and running. I hope to finish reading the final one of the 10 books on the shortlist today or tomorrow and then give you reviews and comments.

Don't forget the contest for the giveaway for Constance Harding's (Rather) Startling Year ends soon.  The original deadline was tomorrow but I'm extending it until the weekend.  So leave me a comment for an entry no later than 11:59PM Sunday night April 29th.  If you've entered before, you are hereby granted a special blessing to leave another comment for a second entry.  I'll pick the winner on Monday.

And......I plan to finish Miss Julia Stirs up Trouble by the end of the week.  That contest will post with the upcoming review.

I haven't gotten to the Post Office to pick up my two weeks worth of mail waiting there and see what goodies the book fairy has left.  I did pick up a few from Net Galley which I 'll tell you about in the next Monday Mailbox.

Now if I could just convince spring to come here in Maine ....those plain brown trees are just begging for some leaves!

Stay tuned............

Travels with Tutu

As I've mentioned, the Mr and I are having a delightful visit with old Navy friends here in Jacksonville Florida. Yesterday, we went out to Mayport where we lived in the mid 80's on a beautiful stretch of beach where we walked everyday looking for shark's teeth, building castles with the kids, and generally enjoying life while our sailor husband/dad spent most of his time at sea.

We had a wonderful time with two busloads of retirees who had previously served on three different ships here in the area as we climbed up and around the USS FARRAGUT DDG 99 - a new and beautiful vessel. They had just returned from a 9 month overseas deployment but were more than gracious in proudly showing us around their ship. We met some outstanding young Americans who deserve every ounce of our support. We were all blown away by the safety advances and the steps the Navy is taking to help our young men and women maintain a happy and healthy life style while enduring the rigors of endless days at sea.  Unfortunately, Tutu was too old-fashioned and thought that photos would be verboten, so I did not take my camera aboard.  The photo here is an official Navy shot.

In the afternoon, we went across the base to the USS STARK Memorial for a service of remembrance for our departed shipmates. The weather was Mayport perfect...blue skies, gentle breezes, temps in the low 80s. The service was quite moving, and the reading of the long list of those who went before us, gave us all time to reflect on the tragedies our country continues to endure.

Tonight, we have have one final gala (after a water taxi ride across the river to attend a shorefront event).  Then we're off tomorrow to the next adventure: Tutu's High School reunion.

I have been reading, but just haven't been able to generate the energy to put together good reviews. So be patient book friends, they're coming.

Can you say "Sendak"?

Last week while I was cataloging new books for our library, I had to stop and read this one immediately. It's exquisite!! And sadly, it's the last gift we'll receive from Maurice Sendak.

How can you not love anything written by Maurice Sendak? This one takes only about 15 minutes to read, but will stay with you for the rest of your life.  An elegant tribute to love for his brother Jack, and for his life partner Eugene, this is truly (IMHO) his  tour du force...a journey back through tales of Shakespeare, and through a mind as imaginative and exploratory as any writer ever possessed. 

An ordinary review is impossible...it's only 32 pages...buy it, treasure it, read it, again and again. And when you go, be sure to bequeath it to someone you love.

Title: My Brother's Story

Author:  Maurice Sendak

Publisher: HarperCollins (2013), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 32 pages
Genre: farewell valedictory
Subject: life and love
Setting: Sendak's mind
Source: Library (but I subsequently bought one).
Why did I read this book now? Can you say "Sendak"?

Monday Mailbox

This month  Monday Mailbox  is being hosted by Mari at MariReads. The wonderful weekly meme gives us a chance to shout out books that have appeared in our mailboxes (real or virtual).  I haven't played the game in a while (it's a little hard for the UPS truck to get down our long windy driveway in the snow), but here are the ones that were delivered in the last two weeks.

Fonduing Fathers by Juli Hyzy was a contest win from Karen at Bookin' With Bingo.  I've read a couple of Hyzy's mysteries, love cozies, and having spent several years living just outside the DC beltway, I'm looking forward to this one. It's on the top of the summer reading list. 

White House executive chef Olivia Paras has enough on her plate. But after gaining new information about her father’s death, the First Family isn’t the only family Olivia is concerned about… Olivia has always believed that her father was an honorable man—until a trip to visit her mother reveals that he was dishonorably discharged from the army. Olivia is even more shocked to learn that he was brutally murdered because someone at his company suspected him of selling corporate secrets. Refusing to believe that her father was a scoundrel, Olivia won’t rest until she proves his innocence. Enlisting the help of her boyfriend, Gav, Olivia must reach out to her father’s colleagues to discover the truth behind his murder. What she’s about to discover may not only put her at risk, but threaten national security as well…

Miss Julia Stirs up Trouble. This latest in the delightful series by Ann B. Ross is scheduled for release by Viking/Penguin next week.  I received a review copy from the publisher, and will be running a giveaway toward the middle of April.  Stay tuned, because Miss Julia fans are not going to want to miss this one!

With a crisp bite in the air, Miss Julia is enjoying a well-earned respite by her new fireplace. But autumn leaves aren’t the only things falling: James, Hazel Marie’s housekeeper, has had a nasty tumble down some stairs. How can Hazel Marie feed and take care of him—not to mention a husband and two babies—when she barely knows how to boil water?

Miss Julia jumps in to help by convincing the ladies of Abbotsville to put on their aprons and give cooking lessons. With success so close she can taste it, Miss Julia isn’t thrilled when an unexpected visitor shows up. Brother Vern Puckett, Hazel Marie’s no-good uncle, started life on the wrong foot and stayed there. What could he possibly want from his frazzled niece this time?

With a delightful helping of madcap antics, Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble is a perfect next course in this charming series.

 Darcy Scott, author of the fabulous debut novel Matinicus, an Island Mystery, has just published her next story in the series: Reese's Leap.   Maine Authors Publishing has sent me a review copy and I'm anxious to get to this one.  I loved the first (it was one of the most popular in our town library last year) and expect this one will be every bit as exciting and enjoyable.

In this much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning Matinicus, five longtime friends--briefly freed from their complex lives for an annual, all-female retreat on Adria Jackman's remote, 200-acre enclave of Mistake Island, Maine--are forced to put the partying on hold to host the hard-drinking, bachelor botanist, Gil Hodges, stranded there for what could be days. A hopeless womanizer, Gill is secretly pleased at the layover, but soon finds Mistake's deeply forested interior deceptively bucolic and the women a bit too intriguing for comfort, stirring both glorious memory and profound regret. When a ruthless, diabolical stranger appears out of nowhere, insinuating himself into the fold and bent on a twisted kind of revenge, it falls to Gil to keep the women safe, despite their dawning awareness that not everyone will make it off the island alive.

And finally,  Maine Authors Publishing also sent a review copy of Joel Chandler's debut crime novel The Fine Art of Murder.  I'm thinking May is going to be a marvelous mystery month with this many good ones stacking up.

 A murder is committed in an art gallery overnight by a copycat artist, using the same manner, technique and materials used by the artist whose work is on display. An art critic is convinced that the perpetrator has committed this murder, not because of the usual motives of revenge, anger, jealousy, greed, etc. but as a work of fine art in itself. If he is right, the key to discovering the anonymous murderer is to correctly attribute the work to an artist. A police detective is skeptical of the critic's assumptions and pursues the murder in her usual ways and finds a few suspects with compelling motives. The critic follows several preconceived ideas, assumptions, and false clues to no avail. Who will tag the murderer first? Meanwhile art students and faculty of nearby Boston art colleges are convinced that the person responsible, if an artist, will surely reveal himself on his own, and wanting credit and acclaim for a famous and major work of art, will eventually come forward and sign the work as his or her own.

So what was in your mailbox lately?  Next week, I'll let you take a peak at my virtual mailbox....it's been pretty full lately too.

Sunday Shoutout - Life and Reading don't always mesh

Let's hear it for a Sunday as a day of rest.  I have been so involved with Real Life that I didn't even get around to two very important posts last weekend, so I'm doing this one early and scheduling it for Sunday so I can truly have a day of doing NOTHING.

First,  a belated Happy Easter to all my Christian friends who celebrate this important holiday.  We had a very intense week of church services and choir practices starting with Palm Sunday (March 24th) and ending on Easter Sunday.  I had choir practice and/or church service every night that week with the exception of the Tuesday nite when we had our annual TOWN MEETING here in Maine.  I love the dynamics of the Town Meeting form of government.  The town is the legistlative body.  The town passes the budget, the town elects its officials for the year, and decides what projects to undertake.  A lot of people went to a lot of trouble putting together a very well developed budget and ordnances making it a relatively painless experience.  It took only two hours to get everything voted on.



The other important post I missed (again this year) was to mention that March 29th was my 4th blogoversary.  I  started this adventure in March 2009, and have enjoyed every minute of being able to blab about books, travel, and life in Maine.  I look forward to having all my wonderful followers tagging along for another year or two or three or more.....

Last week I also did a lot of work on my upcoming class reunion.  I managed to complete the 50 page memory book, inserting biographical sketches and updated photos my classmates sent and getting the booklet to the printer on time.  I picked up the finished pages, collated them with front and back covers, and they are now packed and ready to go in my car when we leave later this week.

 I've been reading a lot of really good books for a special project, and should be ready to blog about them and the project itself later this month.

And finally, under the good news/bad news column,  I managed to kill my MP3 while swimming last Monday.  It appears that the waterproof pouch only works if the user LOCKS the pouch closed.  When this vital step is overlooked, water pours in and the electronic device says "Too bad, so sad, I'm not going to work any more."    AARGH..............I cannot live without my audio books, so I quickly ordered a much cheaper and less fancy model online, paid for next day delivery, and had resigned myself to having to re-learn a new set of controls and menus.  In the meantime, just for chuckles, I put the drowned unit in a big ziplock bag of rice, and left it.  On Wednesday, after my new MP3 arrived, and I went to get my charging cord, I discovered that the old one had an Easter moment and had returned from the dead.  I now have two (port and starboard as we say here in sailor land) ---great deal because now I can have one charging while I listen to the other.  A better Easter present than all the Chocolate bunnies in the world.

The rest of the month will be exciting - two reunions to attend: one a ship reunion in Florida, the other a high school reunion in Baltimore.  I promise to take pictures, and a Kindle and a Nook and at least one MP3 so I can get some reading done in the car and on the planes.

Have a wonderful week.

Review: Keeping up with mystery series

As most of you know, when the going gets tough, Tutu turns to mysteries, particularly those that come in series. Recently, I've discovered these two, and can't seem to stop reading them.


Title: A Dedicated Man
Author: Peter Robinson
Publisher: Scribner (2001) , 352 pages
Genre: mystery -  police procedural
Subject: murder
Setting: Yorkshire England
Series: Inspector Peter Banks
Source: Public Library
Why did I read this book now? A friend recommended the series.

Peter Robinson published the first Inspector Banks mystery back in 1988.  Since then, there have a been many more- the 21st was just published in January of this year!   Since Dedicated Man is only #2, I have a ways to go, but I am already excited when I know that I can look forward to meeting characters who grow with each book.  It's refreshing to be able to read an "old-fashioned" mystery story - no instant DNA analysis, no cell-phones, no CSI, etc.  Banks is a steady, sure and intelligent plotter of facts, a listener who puts as much faith in what he doesn't hear from those he's interviewing as in what they say.  His solving of the puzzle is not instantaneous, but rather slow, measured, and finally correct.  It's a series I'm definitely going to continue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Title: The House at Seas End

Author: Elly Griffiths

Publisher: Mariner Books paperback reprint 2012, 384 pages;

      also audio : Audio Go Ltd, 2011 10 hrs, 45 min

Genre: mystery - forensic detective work

Subject: unidentified bones

Setting: Norfolk England

Series: Ruth Galloway

Source: public library

Why did I read this book now? I'm hooked on this series.

Elly Griffith's Ruth Galloway series has been compared to Kathy Reichs' books, although I like Ruth much better than Temperance Brennan.  Ruth is middle-aged and overweight, an academic, a forensic archaeologist with a precocious one year old daughter (Kate) and no husband. The only reason she's excited to be involved with police work is her attraction to Kate's father Harry Nelson, who is married to a drop-dead gorgeous woman he's still in love with.  The Norfolk England setting in the salt-marshes is fantastic, the range of characters from professors, to detectives, to druids, to English aristocracy, makes for a wonderful blend of motives, raising red-herrings galore as Ruth and Nelson try to ascertain the origin of six skeletons unearthed on a ragged cliff overlooking the sea.  Were they German soldiers?  Did they invade during World War II?  How did they come to be buried in this spot?  Great suspense, wonderful human interest, and you bet I'm looking forward to the next one because she has a 5th coming out later this year!

Review and a Giveaway: Constance Harding's (Rather) Startling Year by Ceri Radfords

The publisher sent me this one for review enticing me by saying

CONSTANCE HARDING’S (RATHER) STARTLING YEAR hilariously observes what happens when a delightfully oblivious Surrey housewife—think Bridget Jones’s insanely daffy mother—pulls back the curtain on her chintz-covered domestic fairy tale and goes in search of a life of her own. Constance has filled her time leading a bell-ringing club on Tuesday evenings, and concocting ways to get her son Rupert to settle down and her daughter Sophie to wear appropriate clothing and snag a smart man. But like it or not, change is in the air. Constance is about to learn that her perfect home conceals a scandal that would make the vicar blush. Her Lithuanian housekeeper's polyester underwear keeps appearing in her husband's study, and her husband is—well, let’s just say his career is going south—all the way to South America. But as Constance’s family life seems to be falling apart, she begins to discover a whole new side of both herself and the world around her. And she’s putting it all in her blog-thingy. Side-splittingly funny, CONSTANCE HARDING’S (RATHER) STARTLING YEAR is a witty, sharply observed and relatable tale of one woman’s midlife crisis and self-discovery (well, sort of).

 I really enjoyed this one.  I'm a huge fan of Brit-lit, and this one just pushed my giggle button.  The main character reminded me immensely of Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "Bouquet") in the BBC comedy "Keeping up Appearances."  In the beginning at least, Constance Harding doesn't handle change well (or maybe not at all.)  She is almost too oblivious to be believable, but in the meantime, her snooty attitude, and lack of comprehension about what is happening all around her, leave readers shaking their heads, laughing at her interpretations of events, and just snorting out loud at some of the situations described. It is written as a series of blog posts, and Constance doesn't seem to understand that the world is reading her blog!!!

If you are a fan of Brit-lit, or British comedies, this one is for you. It's a quick, fun read. It was published last year (under the title A Surrey State of Affairs),in Britain, and is now available in paperback.  Viking/Penguin has offered a copy for me to give away to some lucky reader.  If you'd like a chance to win this one, just leave me a comment with your email.  I'll pick a winner on April 25th.

Title: Constance Harding's (Rather) Startling Year
Author: Ceri Radford
Publisher: Viking/Penguin (2013) trade paperback, 288 pages
Genre: Fiction
Subject: changing mores
Source: ARC from publisher
Why did I read this book now? The publisher asked me to review it and it sounded like fun.

Review: What My Mother Gave Me

I enjoy short stories and was prepared to like this collection enormously. Some of my favorite women authors are represented in this collection--Joyce Carol Oates, Eleanor Clift, Luanne Rice, and Lisa See to name a few. The thirty-one contributors were asked to relate stories about their relationships with their mothers. Some were touching, others seemed a bit contrived. I especially loved Oates' description of the multi-colored patchwork quilt her mother had given her and how she would curl up with it during the terrible period of her first husband's illness and subsequent unexpected death. I could almost picture a small child clutching a "lovey".

The premise behind the collection is a good one, the stories are short and easy to read, even if their quality is a bit spotty. It speaks of tangible inheritances, such as jewelry and horses, to more ethereal but just as long-lasting gifts of life lessons, such as when Eleanor Clift says "On the surface, my mother was a deferential housewife, but she shared her secret weapon with me when I was still a girl: 'Do what you want to do. Just don't talk about it.'"

It is a book that would be a lovely gift to exchange between mothers and daughters.

Title: What My Mother Gave me : Thirty One Women on the Gifts That Mattered Most
Author: Edited by Elizabeth Benedict
Publisher: Algonquin Books (2013)
Genre: short stories
Subject: mother-daughter relations
Source: egalley from publisher via Net Galley
Why did I read this book now? I like the genre, and the cover grabbed me.

Many thanks to the publisher for making a copy available for review.

Review - Summers in Supino: Becoming Italian by Maria Coletta McLean

Due out today, just in time for spring and getting ready for summer reading.  This surprising memoir brings much more than travel, food, and scenery.  I expected it would be about another American couple who decided to go back to the old country and how they dealt with the language and culture differences and the difficulties they occasioned.  Instead, I got a warm, loving, bittersweet story of a Canadian couple returning to an Italian  home they've had for years, and the growing affection they felt for the village and its people: an affection that was obviously reciprocated.

Maria Coletta McLean's father came to Canada from the village of Supino.  When she married Bob McLean, she and her Italian family embarked on a mission to help Bob become Italian.  Later, she and Bob purchased a small home in Supino to take her father home again before he died.  Her earlier book " My Father Came from Italy" published in 2011, gives the backfill.  However, I didn't feel I needed to read the earlier one to enjoy this one.

The heart-warming stories of how the Canadians (the becoming Italians) learn the pace of life in this tiny village, how to deal with electric companies, narrow streets, bathrooms that are only accessible by going outside and then coming in another door, village shopping, festas, and an entire cast of lovable, eccentric (to our eyes) characters who guide them on the journey of acculturation. Each summer, they stay a little longer, and each year the pull of staying permanently grows stronger.  Bob, who runs a coffee roasting business in Toronto, finally decides he wants to open a coffee shop in the village.

When they return to Toronto to begin preparations for this momentous step, the story takes an unexpected and heart-stopping twist.  Maria Coletta McLean's beautiful tribute to her husband, her family (both Canadian and Italian) is much more than a summer read.  It's a memoir of love, loss and comfort.  A definite cut above the average travel diaglogue.And  I'm definitely going to go read the first one.

Many thanks to ECW Press for making the galley available for review.

Title: Summers in Supino
Author: Maria Coletta McLean
Publisher: ECW Press
Genre: Memoir
Subject: intercultural living
Setting: Supino Italy
Source: E-book ARC from publisher via Net Galley
Why did I read this book now?  My father was Italian....what more do I need to say?