Saturdays at the Café

 

Saturdays at the Café is a weekly feature hosted here to talk about and discuss the books I’ve discovered during the past week, added to my shelf and am excited about reading. They may be new/scheduled releases I’ve seen on NetGalley, at the library, or from publishers or they may be older titles my friends have reviewed and shared on Goodreads or blogs.

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A senior citizens’ center and a daycare collide with hilarious results in the new ensemble comedy from New York Times-bestselling author Clare Pooley

When Lydia takes a job running the Senior Citizens’ Social Club three afternoons a week, she assumes she’ll be spending her time drinking tea and playing gentle games of cards.

The members of the Social Club, however, are not at all what Lydia was expecting. From Art, a failed actor turned kleptomaniac to Daphne, who has been hiding from her dark past for decades to Ruby, a Banksy-style knitter who gets revenge in yarn, these seniors look deceptively benign—but when age makes you invisible, secrets are so much easier to hide.

When the city council threatens to sell the doomed community center building, the members of the Social Club join forces with their tiny friends in the daycare next door—as well as the teenaged father of one of the toddlers and a geriatric dog—to save the building. Together, this group’s unorthodox methods may actually work, as long as the police don’t catch up with them first.

I finally added this after the umpteenth Goodreads friend raved about it and reading the review by Carol @ Reading Ladies Book Club. I’m in a fairly long library queue for the audiobook.

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From USA Today bestselling author Rachel Hanna, Happy Harbor is a heartfelt hometown romance perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber and Susan Mallery.

Josie Campbell has spent her entire adult life distancing herself from her childhood in the small Southern town of Happy Harbor. Growing up with an alcoholic mother who was either absent or scandalizing the town with her antics, all Josie ever wanted was to escape to somewhere no one knew her as Diane’s daughter. Now, she finally has it all—a great job, a condo in one of Atlanta’s most desirable areas, a successful fiancé, and her teenage daughter, Kendra, enrolled at a top-rated school.

But when that life falls apart, and her beloved nana dies, Josie is forced to return to the one place she never wanted to visit again. Soon, she finds herself stepping into Nana’s shoes in Happy Harbor: running her quaint restaurant, living in their family’s historic home, and bumping into Walker Jackson—the disturbingly handsome man who lives in the guest house—on a near daily basis. All of which sounds idyllic, if it weren’t for the painful memories lurking around every corner. Still, the place seems to be good for Kendra, who begs to stay, and Josie is inclined to at least make an attempt at a new life in this old town.

That is, until her mother turns up. Diane insists she’s truly sober now and wants just one more chance. Nana’s last wish was for the two of them to reconcile, and she’s even arranged things to help make that happen. But with a lifetime of painful experiences that have taught her not to trust this woman, can Josie truly bring herself to forgive Diane?

As soon as I read the description I knew it was my kind of story. Thanks to my library for the audiobook.

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The New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had (“wonderfully immersive…deliciously absorbing”—NPR) returns with another brilliantly observed family drama in which the enduring, hard-won affection of a long marriage faces imminent derailment from events both past and present.

Same As It Ever Was showcases the consummate style, signature wit, and profound emotional intelligence that made The Most Fun We Ever Had one of the most beloved novels of the past decade. Featuring a memorably messy family and the multifaceted marriage at its heart, Lombardo’s debut was dubbed “the literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler” (The Guardian) and hailed as “ambitious and brilliantly written” (Washington Post). In this remarkable follow-up—another elegant and tumultuous story in the tradition of Elizabeth Strout, Ann Patchett, and Celeste Ng—Lombardo introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters, this time by way of her singularly complicated protagonist.

Julia Ames, after a youth marked by upheaval and emotional turbulence, has found herself on the placid plateau of mid-life. But Julia has never navigated the world with the equanimity of her current privileged class. Having nearly derailed herself several times, making desperate bids for the kind of connection that always felt inaccessible to her, she finally feels, at age fifty seven, that she has a firm handle on things.

She’s unprepared, though, for what comes next: a surprise announcement from her straight-arrow son, an impending separation from her spikey teenaged daughter, and a seductive resurgence of the past, all of which threaten to draw her back into the patterns that had previously kept her on a razor’s edge.

Same As It Ever Was traverses the rocky terrain of real life, —exploring new avenues of maternal ambivalence, intergenerational friendship, and the happenstantial cause-and-effect that governs us all. Delving even deeper into the nature of relationships—how they grow, change, and sometimes end—Lombardo proves herself a true and definitive cartographer of the human heart and asserts herself among the finest novelists of her generation.

I dawdled over this so long that I ended up in a long library queue for the audiobook.

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Molly the Maid has a whole new mystery to solve this holiday when a Secret Santa gift exchange raises questions about who she can and cannot trust—a heartwarming story about the true spirit of the season, by #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest

Molly Gray has always loved the holidays. When Molly was a child, her gran went to great lengths to make the season merry and bright, full of cherished traditions. The first few Christmases without Gran were hard on Molly, but this year, her beloved boyfriend and fellow festive spirit, Juan Manuel, is intent on making the season Molly’s most joyful yet.

But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?

A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mystery reminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all.

Discovered this upcoming release during a NetGalley surf. It’s a library audiobook hopeful scheduled for release in October.

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I planned the perfect vacation. But now my son is missing…

Everyone believes my husband Donovan and I have it all – a loving marriage, two adorable children and the dream house. But beneath the surface of our enviable American lifestyle lies a secret that binds us tighter than our vows.

I thought we could keep the truth buried forever, but I was wrong. To protect the secrets of my past, we have to go to Ireland to find the woman who has the power to shatter my perfect family. And I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to stop her.

Except my plan for revenge has gone horribly wrong. And now my eight-year-old son Barnabyis missing.

My body trembles as I scan the sunny spot where I last saw him. But there’s no sign of Barnaby’s blue t-shirt and sandy blonde hair.

Who has taken my son? I thought I was in control but now I fear this whole vacation was a trap… Can I save my family, or will our lives be destroyed forever?

From the number one bestselling author of The Doctor’s Wife, this completely addictive psychological thriller will have you glued to the pages until the very last twist! Perfect for fans of T.M. Logan, Freida McFadden and John Marrs.

I got the ebook for $.99 after receiving a Bookouture alert. I have the audiobook on my Audible wishlist.

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An unforgettable story about an unlikely friendship and about healing the wounds of a broken past from the million-copy bestselling author of Fresh Water for Flowers.

Justine is 21 years old and has lived with her grandparents and her cousin Jules since the death of her parents. As a nursing assistant at a retirement home, she spends much of her days listening to her residents’ stories. 

After bonding with Hélène, an almost 100-year-old resident, the two women slowly reveal their stories to one another. Whilst Justine helps Hélène to relive her memories of love and war, Hélène encourages Justine to confront the secrets of her own past, and the loss she keeps buried deep within. 

One day, a mysterious phone detailing a shocking revelation shakes the retirement home to its core. At once humorous and melancholic, Valérie Perrin’s novel depicts the consequences of undeclared love and, in her inimitable way, portrays once again how the past is never really past.

I initially gave this a pass when it was first offered for audio review but changed my mind after reading the reviews by Sandy @ Sandy’s Book a Day Blog and several Goodreads friends.

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A struggling writer is forced to walk down the aisle at her best friend’s wedding with the man who gave her book a very public one-star rating in this fresh romantic comedy from Laura Hankin.

Natalie and Rob couldn’t have less in common. Nat’s a messy artist, and Rob’s a rigid academic. The only thing they share is their devotion to their respective best friends—who just got engaged. Still, unexpected chemistry has Natalie cautiously optimistic about being maid of honor to Rob’s best man.

Until, minutes before the ceremony, Nat learns that Rob wrote a one-star review of her new novel, which has them both reeling: Nat from imposter syndrome, and Rob over the reason he needed to write it.

When the reception ends, these two opposites hope they’ll never meet again. But, as they slip from their twenties into their thirties, they’re forced together whenever their fast-track best friends celebrate another milestone. Through housewarmings and christenings, life-changing triumphs and failures, Natalie and Rob grapple with their own choices—and how your harshest critic can become your perfectly imperfect match.

After all, even the truest love stories sometimes need a bit of rewriting.

This showed up at the library and I quickly got in the library queue for the audiobook.

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A time travel romance, a speculative spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingeniously constructed exploration of the nature of truth and power and the potential for love to change it Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machine,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But he adjusts quickly; he is, after all, an explorer by trade. Soon, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a seriously uncomfortable housemate dynamic, evolves into something much more. Over the course of an unprecedented year, Gore and the bridge fall haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences they never could have imagined.

Supported by a chaotic and charming cast of characters—including a 17th-century cinephile who can’t get enough of Tinder, a painfully shy World War I captain, and a former spy with an ever-changing series of cosmetic surgery alterations and a belligerent attitude to HR—the bridge will be forced to confront the past that shaped her choices, and the choices that will shape the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.

This was offered for audio review and I gave it a pass as I have a rocky relationship with time travel. But after seeing lots of interesting reviews, I got in the extremely long library queue for the audiobook.

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A young father must clear his name and protect his queer son when his wealthy new wife’s televangelist grandfather is found murdered in this binge-worthy locked-room thriller from the acclaimed author of The Bright Lands—perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Paul Tremblay, and Alex North.

For years, single father Toby Tucker has done his best to keep his sensitive young son, Luca, safe from the bigotry of the world. But when Toby marries Alyssa Wright—the granddaughter of a famed televangelist known for his grandiose, Old Testament preaching—he can’t imagine the world of religion, wealth, and hate that he and Luca are about to enter.

A trip to the Wright family’s compound in sun-scorched Texas soon turns hellish when Toby realizes that Alyssa and the rest of her brood might have some very strange plans for Toby and his son. The situation only grows worse when a freak storm cuts off the roads and the family patriarch is found murdered, stabbed through the heart on the roof of the family’s mansion.

Suspicion immediately turns to Toby, but when his son starts describing a spectral figure in a black suit lurking around the house with unfinished business in mind, Toby realizes this family has more than murder to be afraid of. And as the Wrights close in on Luca, no one is prepared for the lengths Toby will go in the fight to clear his name and protect his son.

Kim @ It’s All About the Thrill absolutely insisted I add this book, knowing I’m not big on horror. But, it has many other interesting themes I find intriguing so it’s an audio review hopeful scheduled for release next month.

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What books did YOU add to your shelves this week?