Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Welllllll…it turns out that our internet problem was actually an electrical problem–or something, because this is emphatically NOT my area of expertise–and getting it fixed involved a fried (quite literally) modem, a hole melted into a power strip, concerning noises and foul-smelling electrical smoke, and a midnight visit from Rocky Mountain Power. Good times! Between that and household things and our fall break trip to Idaho to visit family, I clearly got VERY behind on my posts. Here I am, however–eating lunch, pear crisp in the oven, and ready to review Karen Hawkins’ A Cup of Silver Linings, which has been sitting by my keyboard, patiently waiting its turn.

Full disclosure? I liked The Book Charmer better, probably because books. Silver Linings, however, was still a thoroughly enjoyable read, and those with an affinity for plants (or tea!) will be delighted. (That’s the rest of my family, not me. Or, perhaps, my dad.) There’s not much romance in this one; instead, Sarah and Ava’s relationship is almost a main character. The other relationship at the forefront is a grandmother/mother/daughter one, with Julie’s (the mother/daughter) death forcing Ellen (the grandmother/mother) and Kristen (daughter/granddaughter) to learn to truly know and compromise with each other. The pacing of that felt slightly off to me–the compromise comes late but in surprisingly full force when it does–but grief messes up the regular order of things, so it may be just as realistic that way. Regardless, the Dove Pond series is a solid I’m-waiting-impatiently-for-the-next-one series for me, and since the teaser at the end suggests the imminent return of a previously absent Dove sister to town, I’m especially looking forward to the next one.