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I would start out by laying on my float with my sunglasses on my face, my hat on my head, my foot on the edge of the pool (to keep me in one place!), my cool drink by my side and my book in my hand!! Then... as I got hot... (and I did!!)... I would scoot off of my float and sit on the steps of my pool and prop my feet up on the handrail. Then... I would move to the edge of the pool, where the umbrella gives shade, and stand for a bit, all the while... reading and reading! I only read on Friday & Saturdays, tho.
Last weekend, was when I got to chapter 21!!! Since then... I have not only read by the pool, but everywhere!! I HAD to find out what happened to poor Griff!!! -- Plus, since I was so close to finishing the book, I decided that I wanted to finish it before our trip. That way, I could start a fresh one while we were ON our trip!
Here is what Amazon has to say about the book ---
Foster Speakman, an eccentric Texas paraplegic millionaire, offers $500,000 to Griff Burkett, a disgraced former NFL quarterback fresh out of prison after serving a five-year sentence for racketeering, to impregnate Foster's wife, Laura. Foster insists the child be conceived naturally (The way God intended). Broke with no prospects, Griff takes the job. Meanwhile, Stanley Rodarte, the crooked detective behind Griff's arrest, is bent on pinning an unsolved murder on him and takes to terrorizing Griff and those close to him in the hopes of nailing him when he self-destructs. After Griff's stint as stud takes a bad turn, the ex-footballer must track down the one man who can secure his freedom. The tension builds as lust, greed, pride, wrath and envy threaten to undo everyone in this tightly told tale of modern temptation. (Aug.)
Also --
Foster Speakman and his wife Laura lived a charmed life before fate denied them the one thing they wanted most -- a child. Fresh out of prison and out of prospects, Griff agrees to do a job for the Speakmans that demands secrecy. But he soon finds himself once again in the spotlight of suspicion when an unsolved murder comes back to haunt him. While safeguarding his new enterprise, Griff must also protect those around him, especially Laura Speakman. Griff stands to gain the highest payoff he could ever imagine, but cashing in on it will require him to forfeithis only chance for redemption...and love.
Sounds good, doesn't it?? --- It is!
So, now that I have finished that book... in which I bought at Goodwill, by the way! (I rarely buy books new unless they are a book that I plan on keeping.) .... I needed to find another good one for my trip.
Yes. I have PLENTY of books at home, but I love the fun of "hunting" for a good book! My favorite author is Mary Kay Andrews, and she has a few books that I haven't read yet. Here's the link to the Amazon page where you can see and read about her books -- LINK. Her books are light-hearted & funny. They also usually involve a little bit of romance & mystery. A little bit of it all! She is a Georgia Girl and therefore, most of her books take place in Georgia.
Anyway.... I went to the library in hopes of finding at least ONE of her books that I hadn't read yet. Nope. There weren't any. Well, there was one. It was her Christmas one. I don't think Summer is a good time to read a book that has to do with Christmas. I'll save that one for Winter!
So, then... I started searching for another Sandra Brown book. I saw a few. But, none peaked my interest. I ended up leaving without a book, but made my way back to Goodwill to look there. They have a large selection of books, but they are in NO ORDER what so ever!! So, you have to "crank" your neck to one side in order to read each title and/or author! Luckily, I can spot fiction books pretty easily.
I scanned the shelves and found not one, but THREE books that caught my eye! All three seem to be light-hearted books like Mary Kay's. I do not recognize the authors, but the books seem "fun". Two of them are by the same author -- Beth Harbison. I am not sure if one is a sequel to the other, or not. I decided to first read the one that seems to come first, but bring along the second one as a back up book, in case I finish the first one!
Here's the one that I am going to read first ---
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From Publishers Weekly
Arriving just in time for beach-read season, the effervescent hardcover (mine is soft-cover!) fiction debut of cookbook author and romance novelist Harbison features four D.C.-area women who meet weekly to swap and chat about... shoes. Trying to get a handle on her massive consumer debt, Lorna Rafferty posts an Internet ad looking to trade footwear with women who have good taste and wear size seven-and-a-half. A senator's trophy wife, Helene Zaharis, is dreaming of escaping her loveless marriage when she stumbles upon Lorna's post. Overweight phone sex operator Sandra Vanderslice struggles to overcome her agoraphobia long enough to attend the shoe meetings. After a few funny missteps, the threesome finds a fourth member, Joss Bowen, the nanny of a shrewish socialite's hellion boys. Joss couldn't care less about shoes, but uses the group as a reason to get out of the house. Harbison does a fine job of showcasing how each woman is trapped—Lorna by her debt, Helene by her marriage, Sandra by her self-image, Joss by her employment contract—and how the fresh eyes of the group allow them to see themselves in a new light. Harbison creates vivid, convincing characters and handles them well. Reading this novel is like eating a slice of cake. (June)
From Booklist
In this entertaining novel set in Washington, D.C., three very different women are brought together by a shared passion: shoes. They meet once a week to trade Manolos and Maglis, but soon they rely on each other for much more. Lorna, a debt-ridden waitress, founded the group to curb her destructive shopping sprees. Helene, a senator's trophy wife, attends to escape her loveless marriage and the banality of high-society life. Sandra, an overweight phone-sex operator, hopes the group can help cure her agoraphobia. They're joined by Joss, a young nanny, who doesn't care about shoes but needs a place to avoid her demanding boss. The four women become fast friends, trusted advisors, and eventually business partners. Readers will root for these four plucky women. Like the designer shoes that pepper its pages, this book is pleasing and stylish. This frothy confection is sure to fly off the shelves this summer.
Like I said... It sounds light-hearted and fun! I'll fill you in on the second one after I finish this one! I love to read in the car, and we'll be in the car quite a LOT! There is a good chance that I will at least finish the first one!
I have to tell you what the clerk at Goodwill said to me when I was checking out...
She saw the books that I was buying and asked (while laughing!!).... "Girl! Do you have a thing for shoes??" It was quite cute! I had to say... "No. I just have a thing for fun light-hearted books!"
