June: A Novel by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

June: A Novel by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore. Crown, 2016. Adult fiction. A good choice for summer reading! Friendships, love, mystery, and movie magic! Mourning her grandmother in Ohio, Cassie Danvers receives news that she is heir to a Hollywood star’s fortune. The book alternates between 1955 and 2015 as readers learn about Cassie, her grandmother, and a long ago movie that was filmed in small town Ohio. The man’s very famous daughters are not thrilled with the developments and all the girls have many questions. Are they family or not? In exchange for an honest review, I received this book from Blogging for Books . More Info Author Bio

Kick: The True Story of JFK's Sister and The Heir to Chatsworth by Paula Byrne.

  Kick: The True Story of JFK's Sister and The Heir to Chatsworth. Paula Byrne. HarperCollins, 2016. Adult Nonfiction.  (July, 2016 publication).


Although Kathleen Kennedy was born the second daughter and fourth child of Rose and Joe Kennedy, she acted as the older sister to the other siblings and as the equal to Joe, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. Because of older sister Rosemary's disabilities, Kick's vivid personality and lively spirit especially stood out. (Read Kate Clifford Larson's Rosemary, the Hidden Kennedy Daughter for that story.) In this well researched tale, Byrne tells how Kathleen fell in love with Cavendish while her father was ambassador to England and later returned to live there. Her short marriage to Billy Cavendish was controversial because he was Protestant and she was Catholic. A young woman with Kick's faith did not take lightly never being welcome at communion or confession again. Tragically, both her brother, Joe, Jr. and her husband were killed during WWII. Kathleen found love again, but, alas, with a married man. Both were killed in a plane crash. Many readers already know these facts, but the way that Byrne weaves the facts with accounts from people, letters, and other documents makes this an interesting history of both Kick and the Kennedy family. Byrne mentions the book is dedicated to her own sons and to her grandfather, Robert Kennedy.

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson. Imistad (an imprint of HarperCollins), 2016. Adult fiction (billed on the galley as Woodson's lst adult novel in 20 years).


A coming of age story about four girls in 1970's Brooklyn, New York, this tale takes a close look at what happens when dreams meet reality. The narrator (Autumn), her younger brother, and father have moved to the city from rural Sweet Grove, Tennessee. The children watch life outside their window as they grow up. Angela, Gigi, and Sylvia become fast friends  with Autumn when it's time to go to school. Each of the girls has different talents and think that they are safe as a group, but they know the dangers that lurk in the streets. As teenagers, they take different routes. Sylvia is pregnant. Gigi gets and then flubs the role of a lifetime. Angela dreams of being a movie star. And, Autumn escapes to university in Rhode Island. Their paths are not straight and readers will be the richer for having walked for a few moments with these girls.

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. HarperCollins, 2016.
                                   Adult fiction


Ann Patchett does not disappoint with her smooth storytelling and intricately crafted characters. When I picked up this galley at Texas Library Association, the cover really didn't tell much about the book, but based on Patchett's other work, I grabbed it. Coming out in September, 2016, the book will only enhance the reputation of bookstore owner and author Ann Patchett. Looking for a family drama for the autumn? This is it!


Two families live in the same community and their lives intertwine. No one can predict, though, that the two marriages will break apart as one mother and one father fall in love with each other. Pulled from California to Virginia to live with a new father, one set of children grow up with visits from the other set of children. The two "abandoned" parents do the best that they can with their own lives.  The novel takes off as the five adult children adapt and come to grips with their childhoods. Each  character is very different, but readers will care about both their pasts, some of which are revealed only as adults, and their futures, which happen both because of and in spite of, their shared pasts.

The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Cooper and Vanderbilt.

 The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss. Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt. HarperCollins, 2016. Adult nonfiction.


Anderson Cooper has made a name for himself as a leading journalist who covers the world. His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, while a designer and artist, is best known as the child over whom a custody battle raged in the early 1900's. For about a year, when Ms. Vanderbilt is between 91 and 92 years of age, she and her son correspond, talk, and visit about their lives. Cooper comes across as an honest and caring adult son, Vanderbilt as a mother who wished she had done some things differently in her life. Her letter to herself at 17 should be read by every teen girl. Her letter to her son, giving advice and expressing much love, should prompt every parent to write a letter to a child. Both acknowledge good times and tragedies, but compare these to a rainbow that comes and goes. Vanderbilt hesitates to call herself an optimist, but says she is hopeful. Cooper hesitates to call himself a pessimist, but clearly plans details and is a realist. Yet, they are family. The bottom line? It is never too late to start a conversation with a loved one. What you learn about them may not be as important as what you learn about yourself.