Sloth Goes Places is a feature where I share books I have tracked from the Literary Escapes and Read Around the USA reading challenges.
Today we are looking at books set in ....
Washington
The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on April 30, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Goodreads
A.J. Fikry meets The Bookish Life of Nina Hill in this charming, hilarious, and moving novel about the way books bring lonely souls together.
Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She's just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book from the 1960s at the local flea market. Deciding it's a sign of her luck turning, she takes it home with her―only to be shocked when her cranky hermit of a neighbor swoops in and offers to buy it for an exorbitant price. Intrigued, Chloe takes a closer look at the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins between two young lovers back when the book was new…one of whom is almost definitely Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door.
And when she begins following the clues left behind, she discovers this isn't the only old book in town filled with their romantic marginalia. This kickstarts a literary scavenger hunt that Chloe is determined to see through to the end. What happened to the two tragic lovers who corresponded in the margins of so many different library books? And what does it have to do with the old, sad man next door―who only now has begun to open his home to Chloe and her siblings? In a romantic tale that spans the decades, Chloe discovers that there's much more to her neighbor than meets the eye. And in allowing herself to accept the unexpected friendship he offers, she learns that some love stories begin in the unlikeliest of places.
I am a sucker for books about books, and here we had a love story playing out in the margin of several books. The search for the other books was great fun, and I found Gilmore's book choice wonderful too. And I loved Chloe. She was doing all she could to keep her family together but it was still a great challenge for this young woman to care for her siblings. Gilmore gave her a great community that supported her. That, along with the search for the lovers was all very touching and heartwarming making this a solid hit for me.
[review]
Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows
Published by Avon on November 29, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
A sweet and spicy holiday romance between a spirited artist who returns to her small town for Christmas, and her older brother’s best friend, a serious architect who pushes all her buttons—but whom she can’t seem to stay away from.
Lena’s plans are simple. Surprise her family for Christmas, don’t tell them she lost her job, and most importantly, spend the week relaxing with the people she cares about.
But when she arrives in Juniper, she discovers she’s not the only unexpected guest this year. Her older brother’s best friend, Gavin, is back after disappearing three years ago without a word. He has the kind of charm Lena has always been drawn to, but she knows he’s also the kind of temptation she needs to stay far away from.
Gavin has built his architecture career out of planning strategies for dealing with the unexpected—but he didn’t have a strategy for the possibility of seeing Lena again. Though he’s been dreaming of her since the day he left, he can’t risk giving in to his feelings when they could upend the only family and home he has ever known.
New try to be friends again. Just friends.
But as the pieces fall into place about why Gavin left, staying friends is the last thing on his mind…and on Lena’s. All the plans they’ve made might end up completely wrecked. And for once, maybe they want it that way.
In Wreck My Plans, we leave the city and head home for the holidays. I loved this book! It was fun and festive, and I am sucker for a good second chance romance. The Santos family went all out with their celebrations, but the heart of this story (for me) was Gavin. He was not only an exceptional hero, he was an exceptional person. There were several storylines that tugged at my heartstrings, and I was definitely left in a better mood when I finished this book.
[review]
The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison
Published by Dutton on January 7, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Goodreads
The extraordinary new novel by Jonathan Evison, about a married couple in their golden years, from when they met across big ups, deep downs, and survive-it-all, opposites-attract love
Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke were never meant to be together—at least if you ask Ruth. Yet their catastrophic blind date in college evolved into a seventy-year marriage and a life on a farm on Bainbridge Island with their hens and beloved Labrador, Megs. Through the years, the Winters have fallen in and out of lockstep, and from their haunting losses and guarded secrets, a dependable partnership has been forged.
But when Ruth’s loose tooth turns out to be something much more malicious, the beautiful, reliable life they’ve created together comes to a crisis. As Ruth struggles with her crumbling independence, Abe must learn how to take care of her while their three living children question his ability to look after his wife. And once again, the couple has to reconfigure how to be there for each other.
In this bighearted and profound portrait of a marriage, Jonathan Evison explores seventy years of big moments in subtle ways, elegantly braiding the Winters’ turbulent history with their present-day battles, showing us how the oddly paired college kids became parents, fell apart and back together, andgrew into the Abe and Ruth of today. Endlessly heartwarming and moving, The Heart of Winter is a reminder that true love lives in small, everyday moments.
This book chronicled a love story that was 70 years in the making. Abe and Ruth were in their twilight years when a health crisis arose. This had Abe thinking back to his history with Ruth. All those years were filled with ups and downs, and a multitude of memories. I also loved the Bainbridge Island setting which is where the couple spent most of their years on "the farm".
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