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34) "Now That You Mention It" - Kristan Higgins
This is a from nowhere surprise favorite. I happened to pick it up while I was waiting for some people at one of our satellite offices to finish a test, started reading and didn't want to put it down. It's a chic book, not my usual thing, but it kept me involved and going forward from start to finish. The theme was returning home to a small town after a variety of hard knocks in life and finding that you can fit back in to a place you never thought you fit, before. She managed to do racial and sexual orientation, body type, disability and age inclusivity, and yes it is somewhat glaringly obvious at a point about halfway through the book, but the reasons why the main character has these friends makes sense. She was an outcast because of her weight in high school and it's modern day, she's well educated and has spent a great deal of time in Boston.
I was also most impressed with how well she nailed a lot of Maine mannerisms as well as dialect. Most often forgotten is the inverted nod - kind of a chin-jerk of acknowledgment, "I see you" - which stands in place of a wave or actually saying hello. She didn't mention that it's often done with the mouth opening, kind of like a fish grabbing a fly. I wasn't sure it made perfect sense on a small island so close to both Boston and Portland, but fiction gets some passes. :) She undoubtedly reads a lot of Stephen King, and I don't, so that's probably mentioned by him.
There was some horrific traumatic stuff in her past which I wasn't sure was necessary, but it drives some of the plot.
Gotta run, getting Matt's car inspected today. Which makes three days not quite in a row I'm sitting in the Fiat dealership in Portland - I almost feel like I live there.
ETA: Car inspected, but had to have new shock bushings and have been told it will need another appointment soon for a variety of 'scheduled maintenance' and an oil change. Can I get a cot there? I get a lot of reading done, though.
It occurred to me I should get one of my friends (ElvenGirl) who reads a lot of Stephen King to let me know if this Connecticut author, Higgins, got all her Mainerisms from his books.
This is a from nowhere surprise favorite. I happened to pick it up while I was waiting for some people at one of our satellite offices to finish a test, started reading and didn't want to put it down. It's a chic book, not my usual thing, but it kept me involved and going forward from start to finish. The theme was returning home to a small town after a variety of hard knocks in life and finding that you can fit back in to a place you never thought you fit, before. She managed to do racial and sexual orientation, body type, disability and age inclusivity, and yes it is somewhat glaringly obvious at a point about halfway through the book, but the reasons why the main character has these friends makes sense. She was an outcast because of her weight in high school and it's modern day, she's well educated and has spent a great deal of time in Boston.
I was also most impressed with how well she nailed a lot of Maine mannerisms as well as dialect. Most often forgotten is the inverted nod - kind of a chin-jerk of acknowledgment, "I see you" - which stands in place of a wave or actually saying hello. She didn't mention that it's often done with the mouth opening, kind of like a fish grabbing a fly. I wasn't sure it made perfect sense on a small island so close to both Boston and Portland, but fiction gets some passes. :) She undoubtedly reads a lot of Stephen King, and I don't, so that's probably mentioned by him.
There was some horrific traumatic stuff in her past which I wasn't sure was necessary, but it drives some of the plot.
Gotta run, getting Matt's car inspected today. Which makes three days not quite in a row I'm sitting in the Fiat dealership in Portland - I almost feel like I live there.
ETA: Car inspected, but had to have new shock bushings and have been told it will need another appointment soon for a variety of 'scheduled maintenance' and an oil change. Can I get a cot there? I get a lot of reading done, though.
It occurred to me I should get one of my friends (ElvenGirl) who reads a lot of Stephen King to let me know if this Connecticut author, Higgins, got all her Mainerisms from his books.