Book ~ "Our New Normal" (2019) Colleen Faulkner

From Goodreads ~ Liv Ridgely prides herself on being the responsible wrangler of all things stay at home mom, caretaker of elderly parents, supporter of husband Oscar’s career, savior of her wayward sister. 

Now with her son off to college and her ambitious daughter, Hazel, a year away from following him, it’s Liv’s turn. She’s even established her dream career of bringing beautiful old homes back to life in the most picturesque part of Maine. Until she learns that 16-year-old Hazel is three months pregnant. Hazel insists she will have the baby and raise him with her boyfriend, Tyler, who’s no one’s idea of a model father. 

Clearly, there are going to be some conflicts to iron out. Liv just doesn’t expect them to be with her husband. As it turns out, Liv and Oscar have very different ideas about what to do. Perhaps it’s because Liv, who was adopted, has a unique perspective on this baby’s future. And perhaps it’s because, as a mother, she knows better than anyone how Hazel’s young life will be changed forever. As the family fractures in every direction, past resentments and pain come tumbling out. After years of putting others first, Liv wonders if she can do what’s best for her daughter, her parents, and her marriage - while still being true to herself.

Liv is married and in her 40s. Her son, Sean, will soon be off to university and her daughter, Hazel, is almost finished high school. Finally Liv can focus on herself and start her home redesign business. Then 16-year-old Hazel announces she is pregnant and though she has plans of eventually becoming a doctor, she is adamant about keeping the baby ... having an abortion or putting the baby up for adoption are out of the question. Everyone thinks Liv is selfish and controlling because she thinks Hazel keeping the baby is a bad decision, especially since they know Tyler, Hazel's boyfriend, is a loser. Liv knows a lot of the responsibility will fall on her (she's already taking care of her parents) and she's not willing to take that on at this point in her life.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I hated it. It is written in first person perspective in Liv and Hazel's voices (the chapters are labeled). I didn't care for most of the characters. Liv tried to stand up for herself and be honest about how Hazel's baby would affect their lives and everyone thought she was being controlling and selfish. Liv's parents are ailing and it's up to her to take care of their needs. Her father's mind was failing should have been put in a home but no one thought he was bad enough (huh?! at one point he didn't even recognize himself in a picture!). Beth, Liv's younger sister, who was apparently their mother's favourite, was flakey and left everything for Liv to take care of. Oscar, Liv's husband, was a jerk and gave her no support and expected her to put her life on hold again so she could raise Hazel's baby. Granted Hazel was only 16 and apparently a smart girl but she was a spoiled brat ... she's lucky her family, especially her mother, supported her as much as they did considering how she treated them. If I was Liv, I would have bailed a lot sooner and let them all take care of themselves.

Book ~ "Before He Finds Her" (2015) Michael Kardos

From Goodreads ~ Everyone in the quiet Jersey Shore town of Silver Bay knows the story: on a Sunday evening in September 1991, Ramsey Miller threw a blowout block party, then murdered his beautiful wife and three-year old daughter. 

But everyone is wrong, the daughter got away. Now she is nearly eighteen and tired of living in secrecy. Under the name Melanie Denison, she has spent the last fifteen years in small-town West Virginia as part of the Witness Protection Program. She has never been allowed to travel, go to a school dance or even have internet at home. Precautions must be taken at every turn because Ramsey Miller was never caught and might still be looking for his daughter. 

Yet despite strict house rules, Melanie has entered into a relationship with a young teacher at the local high school and is now ten weeks pregnant. She doesn't want her child to live in hiding as she has had to. Defying her guardians and taking matters into her own hands, Melanie returns to Silver Bay in hopes of doing what the authorities failed to do: find her father before he finds her. 

It's September 1991 and Ramsey is throwing a big blow party and has invited his friends and even his Silver Bay neighbours, who he doesn't really know. The reason he's throwing the party eventually comes out and I thought "seriously?!?!". Anyway, by the end of the night, Allison, Ramsey's wife is dead and Meg, their three-year-old daughter, is missing and presumed to be dead. Ramsey has disappeared and it's assumed that he murdered them and then took off.

Fifteen years later, Meg is now Melanie and has been living under a witness protection program, hiding out in rural West Virginia with Uncle Wayne and Aunt Kendra. To keep her protected in case Ramsey ever comes looking for her, Wayne and Kendra have ensured she's led a very sheltered life ... she was homeschooled until grade 12, they have no Internet and she's not even allowed to have a library card as it will leave a record. As she gets closer to age 18, she's tired of living scared and protected and heads back to Silver Bay to look for clues to find her father so she can live a normal life.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was okay. The book bounces back and forth in time, mainly to 1991 and 2006 (the chapters are labeled). It is written in third person perspective in various characters' voices including Melanie, Ramsey and Allison. I found Melanie a bit unbelievable ... considering how sheltered and naïve she was, there's no way she could venture off to the big city and get along as well as she did. As the story progresses, we learn what happened on the night of the party and the ramifications. I was okay with the whodunnit but wasn't buying the ending which comes together with a tidy bow. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Local Public Eatery, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had a late lunch today at the Local Public Eatery in Liberty Village.

He had The LOCAL Burger (two grilled patties, melted american cheese, caramelized onions, shredded lettuce and secret house sauce) and a salad.

Book ~ "As Close As Sisters" (2014) Colleen Faulkner

From Goodreads ~ Since the age of twelve, McKenzie Arnold has spent every summer at Albany Beach, Delaware, with her best friends Aurora, Janine and Lilly. The seaside house teems with thirty years of memories - some wonderful, others painful - and secrets never divulged beyond its walls. This summer may be the last they spend together, as Janine contemplates selling her family cottage. 

For now, all four enjoy morning beach walks and lazy evenings on the porch, celebrating Lilly's longed-for pregnancy and offering support during McKenzie's greatest crisis. It's a time for laughter and recriminations, a time to forge a new understanding of a long-ago night when Aurora sealed their bond with one devastating act. And as the days gradually shorten, events will unfold in ways that none of them could have predicted, to make this the most momentous summer of all.

Aurora, Janine, Lilly and McKenzie are in their early 40s and have been best friends since they were 12. Aurora is single and a successful but unhappy artist; Janine is a gay police officer; Lilly is married and pregnant with her first child; and McKenzie is divorced, with teenage twin daughters and has terminal cancer. 

Every summer the four spend a month at Janine's family cottage on the beach and this will probably be the last one the four will be there together. Since it's the only time the cottage is used, Janine is thinking about selling it. As the friends enjoy their time together, they deal with tragic events from the past along with coming to terms with having to say good-bye to McKenzie.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was okay. Because the friends are dealing with McKenzie's cancer, it is a bit of a downer at times (though McKenzie usually deals with her cancer with humour) and some of the backstories were a bit extreme. It is written in first person perspective in each of the friends' voices (the chapters are labeled). I wasn't crazy with the ending and would have liked it to have ended differently for one of the friends. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Happy New Year!

I wish you health ... so you may enjoy each day in comfort.

I wish you the love of friends and family ... and peace within your heart.

I wish you the beauty of nature ... that you may enjoy the work of Mother Nature.

I wish you wisdom to choose priorities ... for those things that really matter in life.

I wish you generosity so you may share ... all good things that come to you.

I wish you happiness and joy ... and blessings for the New Year.

I wish you the best of everything ... that you so well deserve.