reading challenge






WELCOME BOOK LOVERS


Thanks for stopping by. My name is Cyndi and each week, myself and my two best book friends forever Ann and Karen jointly blog together on Book Club Thursday (BCT). To learn all about BCT please click here

If you're a regular reader, you are going to see some fresh changes to each of our BCT blogs for 2017. We are very excited and hope you will participate in our events. 



This week we have:


Simply put, each of us reads a book containing a "challenge" from our pre-set lists. 

I chose a book from this list, but I'm pretty sure I could have found something that fit from one of the harder lists 😏

Plus I haven't chosen an "easy" one yet!


EASY

Read a new author
Start a new series
Read an anthology
Read a hardcover
Read a trade
Read a “small town romance”
Re-Read a “suitcase” / desert island book
Read a book with a favorite romance trope
Read a book set in another country (any genre)
Read a book with a favorite historical time period
Read a paranormal with a favorite type of character
Read a book under 250 pages
Read a book over 300 pages - Today's pick 
Read a book you keep meaning to read
Read a book set in the Future
Read or re-read a favorite authors debut book





From Adriana Trigiani, the beloved New York Times-bestselling author of The Shoemaker’s Wife, comes an exhilarating epic novel of love, loyalty, and creativitythe story of an Italian-American family on the cusp of change.
It’s 1949 and South Philadelphia bursts with opportunity during the post-war boom. The Palazzini Cab Company & Western Union Telegraph Office, owned and operated by Dominic Palazzini and his three sons, is flourishing: business is good, they’re surrounded by sympathetic wives and daughters-in-law, with grandchildren on the way. But a decades-long feud that split Dominic and his brother Mike and their once-close families sets the stage for a re-match. 
Amidst the hoopla, the arrival of an urgent telegram from Italy upends the life of Nicky Castone (Dominic and his wife’s orphaned nephew) who lives and works with his Uncle Dom and his family. Nicky decides, at 30, that he wants more—more than just a job driving Car #4 and more than his longtime fiancée Peachy DePino, a bookkeeper, can offer. When he admits to his fiancée that he’s been secretly moonlighting at the local Shakespeare theater company, Nicky finds himself drawn to the stage, its colorful players and to the determined Calla Borelli, who inherited the enterprise from her father, Nicky must choose between the conventional life his family expects of him or chart a new course and risk losing everything he cherishes.
From the dreamy mountaintop village of Roseto Valfortore in Italy, to the vibrant streets of South Philly, to the close-knit enclave of Roseto, Pennsylvania, to New York City during the birth of the golden age of television, Kiss Carlo is a powerful, inter-generational story that celebrates the ties that bind, while staying true to oneself when all hope seems lost.
Told against the backdrop of some of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies, this novel brims with romance as long buried secrets are revealed, mistaken identities are unmasked, scores are settled, broken hearts are mended and true love reigns. Trigiani’s consummate storytelling skill and her trademark wit, along with a dazzling cast of characters will enthrall readers. Once again, the author has returned to her own family garden to create an unforgettable feast. Kiss Carlo is a jubilee, resplendent with hope, love, and the abiding power of la famiglia.


I've never read Ms. Trigiani before and I'm glad I finally tried her, although perhaps the fact this book is filled with what I consider the heart and soul /essence of Italian family influenced me more than a bit (I'm half Italian).

The book is meaty, at just over 500 pages but it didn't seem that long. 

There are plenty of laugh out moments, along with the touching ones. It's also a filled with a sense of many kinds of romance.

It's also a book about forgiveness, growth, and acceptance and to say more would ruin the magic of this novel.

There are endings and beginnings in the book and in my opinion everything comes to a nice finish- again I don't want to ruin anything.

Taking place (mainly) in South Philly in the late 1940's/early 50's the sense of setting fits perfectly for the novel - I don't think it could have or would have worked as well another way. The sense of authenticity really stands out.  

The characters are well written and developed and being a book about an Italian family (mostly) the people were realistic; they were perhaps a touch stereo-typical of Italians but I mean that in the best of ways. 

I have so many favorite moments in the book, but one of my favorites is when Sam cooks eggs for his daughter Calla. It made me think of the times my own dad made fried salami and scrambled eggs for me. 

I plan on seeking out more titles by Ms. Trigiani and would love to hear your thought about this book or any others she has written. 




















August 3rd: Remember When



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