People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

 

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

364 pages

★★★★

Lifelong friends but complete opposites, Poppy and Alex have taken vacations together every year since college. Until two years ago when their vacation went awry and they haven’t spoken since.

Poppy feels like her life and job are in a rut so she reaches out to Alex and they decide to plan another vacation together. Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Beach Read by Emily Henry -- 361 pages

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really. 

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu - 350 pages

The story of Magnus Bane and Alex Lightwood's vacation to Europe.  Unfortunately, it is interrupted by an evil demonic cult bent on revenge against Magnus.

I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed it.  Only one issue was one of production values -- sometimes the narrator's voice got so soft that you couldn't hear.

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu - 350 pages
The Eldest Cursses: Book One

Alec and Magnus are on a romantic vacation in Europe when they are confronted with a problem from Magnus' past.  It seems that at some point he created a cult and then completely forgot about it.  Now that cult is trying to raise a greater demon.  Alec and Magnus must stop this cult before the other Shadowhunters find out.

This is the first book in a new series by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu focusing on the characters of Alec and Magnus Bane from the Shadowhunter world.  It takes place between books 3 and 4 of the Mortal Instruments.  It was interesting to see their relationship develop and to learn more about Magnus' past.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

The Top 10 Chicago by Eyewitness Travel

The Top 10 Chicago by Eyewitness Travel, 128 pages

If you are planning to travel to any major city, I highly recommend these little travel books.  Filled with colorful photographs, detailed maps, and travel tips, you will have everything you need to know about that city at your fingertips.  This particular one covered Chicago and highlights the must sees throughout the city.  Also interesting, inside the book are highlights of the city's memorable historic events.

125 Wacky Roadside Attractions by National Geographic

125 Wacky Roadside Attractions by National Geographic, 112 pages

I found this book in the juvenile nonfiction section.  125 Wacky Roadside Attractions is an interesting and curious book.   Unfortunately, many of the attractions are found in Europe, including the one on the front cover.  But, I may have to visit the salt and pepper museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee or the Pez Museum in California.  This book is a great read for children and adults with very colorful pictures.

Portrait in Death by J.D. Robb

Portrait in Death by J.D. Robb - 354 pages

Eve Dallas has another murder case to solve.  Someone is killing college kids to "capture" their light and become immortal.  But that isn't the only thing Eve has to deal with.  Roarke has just discovered a secret about his past that has completely thrown him for a loop.

This is one of the many books in the Eve Dallas mystery series by J.D. Robb, pseudonym of Nora Roberts.  I enjoyed the story even though I pegged the murderer pretty early on.

The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island by Dana Alison Levy

The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island by Dana Alison Levy - 259 pages

The Fletchers are spending the month of August on Rock Island - just as they do every year.  They are looking forward to all their favorite things about the island -- soccer on the beach, ice cream in town, and most of all the lighthouse.  But this summer, change is coming to Rock Island.  For the first time there are other children to play with, an ice cream truck is on the island, and the lighthouse is closed due to safety concerns.

This is the second book about the Fletcher family.  I really enjoyed this book and hope the author continues to write about them.