Recently, I started two new books at about the same time. I always have one on my Kindle and one real, live book. Once I got a good start on both I realized that I had accidentally made myself a book flight.
The Surviving Childhood Book Flight
The main characters in each of these books grew up with mothers who struggled with addiction and are still trying to overcome the effects in adulthood. They will both need to find their way home to the family that will help them see that they can be different.
The Summer of Songbirds
The Summer of Songbirds introduces us to Daphne, and her two best friends. They all met at summer camp that had become Daphne’s safe place when her mom died of an overdose and her dad was never there.
Much of this book takes place at the Camp and it is awesome if you also went to camp growing up. I spent several summers at Camp Skyline and I could totally visualize the cabins and the dances with the boys camp.
The three friends are all at crossroads in their lives and it takes having to save the camp to realize that all they need is each other. They even send weekly emails where they ask each other to do their “hard things”. The things the others are more equipped to do. This was a great end of summer read and if you loved your camp days, you will love this!
My Magnolia Summer
In My Magnolia Summer, Maggie is working non stop to try and make her New York City chef dreams come true when she is summoned home by a car accident that seriously injures the beloved grandmother who raised her when her mom couldn’t. Digging back in with her sisters life, her mother’s addiction and the family restaurant pulls her back. She will have to figure out which life is the one she really wants.
I enjoyed the lowcountry setting and the fast paced, family drama and it was a very easy read. If you are expecting the depth and emotion of Dorothea Benton Frank in this debut novel from her daughter, it is not quite there yet. The dialogue was rough and the characters one dimensional. It was an echo of her mother (who was referenced in very weird ways), there will just never be another.
