From the library
“A Happier Life” By Kristy Woodson Harvey Keaton Smith thought she had everything going for her. Climbing the career ladder and looking at brighter days ahead. Out of nowhere Keaton finds herself in need of a new beginning. At the very moment Keaton is floundering, her mom and uncle need someone to go down to their childhood home and oversee the renovations and clearing out of the house. After almost 50 years of no one setting foot on the inside, they are ready to sell. So, Keaton sets off to Beaufort, North Carolina. When she arrives, she is immediately drawn to her ancestral home and the charm of the town. Keaton never knew her grandparents, Townsend and Rebecca (Becks) St. James. They mysteriously disappeared almost 50 years ago. Everyone thought they died in a car crash. While learning about how wonderful her grandparents were and the lovely life they lived, Keaton not only feels like she knows them, but she truly knows herself now too.
This is a fantastic book. This book is filled with many great loves. A love for a town and its community. A love for family. The ones we know and the ones that have gone on before us. A love of oneself. Coming into your own. The love of a new-found family with an adorable little boy, and his incredibly smart and handsome dad. “A Happier Life” brings the nostalgia of a simpler time and sharing cherished memories. You can pick it up at the library or read it on Libby.
“15 Summers Later” By RaeAnne Thayne Sisters Madi and Ava Howell aren’t on speaking terms since Ava’s book was published and became an instant best seller. The book is their story of the trauma they shared as children at the hands of a cult that their father got them into. Madi is angry that the whole world seems to know her darkest moments, and Ava doesn’t seem to be at all bothered. When Ava comes back to town to visit their grandmother, Madi is reluctant to see her. As circumstances force them together, Madi starts to see that her sister isn’t living the dream she thought she was and maybe she should give her a chance. Some traumas can be shared, but the changes that come from it may be different for everyone.
