Till Then Smile Often

When I searched through my Goodreads list I noticed I didn’t read nearly as much as I thought I had this month. Then I remembered how full of other projects there were in October. It does end up being just over a book a week so I can’t really complain. I feel like with the Winter coming my book choices will get a little more heavy in subject matter though a few lighter romances will always sneak in. I read everyday even if it is only for 5 pages. Normally I try to read in the morning before work and just before bed. If you aren’t already feel free to follow me on Goodreads to see what else I am reading.  Clicking on the book covers will take you to the Goodreads page for that book. 

The Widow Smalls 

I was really torn with this book as it was a group of short stories and after the second story I wanted to end reading this book. The stories ended with no clear understanding to the point of why the story was even told. It painted farm life as hard, which I can imagine is true but it also painted the male characters to be loud and abusive. Again while I imagine it to be true in some cases it came across as very biased. What saved this book a little was The Good War which carried through for multiple chapters but it again ended abruptly with no definitive ending. 

The final story is the Widow Smalls, the patriarch in the story is mean and aggressive though he has died, his temper has effected Leah his widow. She takes on a farm hand that others in her small bigoted town can’t handle. She finds herself looking forward to the next day so she can help on the farm even though her brothers-in-law are trying to buy her out and make life difficult for her. This story was the title story and would have been best as a stand alone story and helped push it into enjoyable for me overall. 

White Lies

The main character of this book Natalie is an accountant in a struggling shoe company. She meets a man in the elevator and the attraction is instant. She soon learns he is a consultant hired to help the struggling business. Natalie gets overheard about how outdated and dreary the designs have been and while it is used to try to get her in trouble, it actually helps her get a position in the team to come up with new ideas.  

While Natalie decides to use the want ads to find her perfect man, she realizes she may have already found him. The secondary characters add to the story without distracting from the main story life.  

Just a Little Crush

Brinley and Ryder shared a kiss in high school during a game of spin the bottle which ended up with Brinley in the pool and Ryder making fun of her. Later in college they meet at a party where another guy is trying to make his move on Brinley and Ryder tries to intervene. Ryder warns her off but also can’t stay away. 

What I really liked about this book was Ryder, he has some of the good guy charm even if he has a rocky past. He is really protective of Brinley and tries to do the right thing. Brinley has a rocky past as well, her mother is an alcoholic and Brinley is always having to deal with her vicious attacks on her verbally. Both Brinley and Ryder are relatable. Brinley’s best friend Mason and roommate Fallon add even more character, and left me hoping for a series.

Champagne and Lemon Drops

Beth finds herself torn between two men. While her fiance breaks up with her to “find himself” she finds herself lost and confused. After 8 long months of trying to give him time and mixed emotions she decides it’s time to move on. Enter Nash the sophisticated and well travelled new doctor from the city. He shows interest and shows her what she has been missing.

Her fiance seems to want to do something new but at the same token doesn’t want Beth to try anyone new. My only criticism was how Nash was handled or mishandled throughout the story.

Attachments

Lincoln finds a job working in IT at a newspaper before realizing it was the third shift and encompassed reading peoples emails for policy violations. When he comes upon the exchanges of two employees Jennifer and Beth he can’t help but laugh and delete it without sending them a warning. Through these exchanges Lincoln begins to fall for Beth.

Things I liked about this book: Jennifer and Beth were funny and you felt like you could be friends with them. Lincoln was adorably shy and sweet. Trying to figure out his life. His relationship with Doris an older co-worker, who he shared his lunch with was really sweet.

Things I didn’t necessary like: the sister and mother were really unsupportive for no reason other than wanting to hold onto their idea of him. The weird level of both of them “stalking” each other. That the end was a little rushed, and some really cheesy cliche lines.

Overall the writing was good and between Lincoln, Beth, Jennifer and Doris the characters were very like able. Totally worth the read!

What are you reading?

Will you be adding any of these to your reading list?