This past month I got around to reading this book from my Paperwhite. I didn't have to read my Book Club book since I had previously read it, so I decided to go with this one. It was a really good book, as Rachel Hauck rarely disappoints.
When five New Yorkers receive an anonymous, mysterious invitation to the Fifth Avenue Story Society, they suspect they’re victims of a practical joke. No one knows who sent the invitations or why. No one has heard of the literary society. And no one is prepared to reveal their deepest secrets to a roomful of strangers. Executive assistant Lexa is eager for a much-deserved promotion, but her boss is determined to keep her underemployed. Literature professor Jett is dealing with a broken heart, as well as a nagging suspicion his literary idol, Gordon Phipps Roth, might be a fraud. Uber driver Chuck just wants a second chance with his kids. Aging widower Ed is eager to write the true story of his incredible marriage. Coral, queen of the cosmetics industry, has broken her engagement and is on the verge of losing her great grandmother’s multimillion-dollar empire. Yet curiosity and loneliness bring them back week after week to the old library. And it’s there they discover the stories of their hearts, and the kind of friendship and love that heals their souls. (picture and description at Amazon)
Here are some amazing quotes that stuck out to me in the book:
p109:
Ed laughed. "Nothing in the world like the spark between men and women. What a marvelous and mysterious combination. Two sides of the same coin, you know. We both want the same thing, to give and receive love, to be cared for, respected. We just come at it from a different point of view. Points of view we both need, you know.'
p268: (note: Storm is Jett's brother who was creamated. They are having a ceremony to scatter his ashes)
As eerieness swept through him. To a stranger, Storm's ashes would be no different from the wood ashes from the firepit. It was as if he had never been flesh and bone, as if he'd never possessed a beating heart or breath in his lungs.
... As he dug into the polished urn, his emotions swelled. The moment he touched his brother's soft dust, Storm's heartbeat pounded in Jett's chest.
And since I had a good 4-5 weeks off for my half summer break I read several books in my reading plan: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Matthew, Galatians, Obadiah, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and 2 Corinthians. I can't believe I am actually down to just under 40 days left on this 250 day reading plan. You know, that I started in 2018ish .....
Keep reading!
Melissa