Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

HELLO STRANGER is another light, relatively feel good book by Katherine Center (What You Wish For and How to Walk Away). Her latest novel centers on Sadie Montgomery who undergoes an operation that leaves her unable to recognize faces – difficult for any of us, but especially for a portrait artist. Sadie’s perseverance is tested, of course, but she overcomes a number of obstacles and disappointments as readers of Center’s work would expect. HELLO STRANGER has quite a bit of “woe is me” mixed in, but Sadie grows to accept help from others. Buried in the angst of post-operative trauma, a dysfunctional family, and somewhat far-fetched boyfriend troubles are some thought-provoking, inspirational asides: “our thoughts create our emotions;” “I just wasn't going to let the things I was afraid of hold me back anymore;” and “isn't it lucky when we're drawn to people who can teach us things we need to learn?” HELLO STRANGER received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was chosen as a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection for July 2023.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

WHAT YOU WISH FOR by Katherine Center (How to Walk Away) is a light summer read which was selected as a LibraryReads choice for July. Set on the Texas Gulf Coast, a main character is Samantha (Sam), a librarian who has changed schools and re-imagined herself as a colorful, fun-loving, caring professional. She works at a private school whose new principal, coincidentally a former co-worker, is named Duncan and has evolved into a rule follower after a trauma in his life. Together, the two struggle to find a common ground that provides both safety and a free, innovative atmosphere (“never miss a chance to celebrate!”) which is so integral to the culture of the Kempner School.  There is an uplifting, feel good sense to this book: “‘Joy is an antidote to fear. To anger. To boredom. To sorrow.’ ‘But you can’t just decide to feel joyful.’ ‘True. But you can decide to do something joyful.’” Recommended for fans of JoJo Moyes, WHAT YOU WISH FOR received a starred review from Kirkus (“timely… filled with quirky characters and comforting warmth”).  

Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie

WORK IN PROGRESS by Kat Mackenzie is a very light, romance novel which features glimpses of a tour around the United Kingdom, complete with a reading list (see below) associated with each of the stops. That alone would be great fun, but readers observe the bickering turned attraction between a recently jilted young American woman named Alice Cooper (who loves lists) and the tour bus driver and organizer, Scotsman Robbie Brodie. Their adventures in castle ruins and local pubs are often funny and somewhat absurd, but that just adds to the escapist appeal of this debut travelogue rom-com. WORK IN PROGRESS received a starred review from Booklist (“Readers will enjoy the abundant gentle humor, intergenerational friendships, and armchair travel—as well as the slow burn of a tasteful romance.”) Suggested for fans of Katherine Center and Beth O’Leary.

Reading List: Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson; The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown; The Waverly Novels by Sir Walter Scott; Dracula by Bram Stoker; Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte; A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare; The Liar by Stephen Fry; The Adventures of the Second Stain by Arthur Conan Doyle; Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome; Persuasion by Jane Austen; Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books by Paul Collins; Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas; Selected Poems by Robert Burns; Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie; To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf; Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith; With numerous references to Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding; And a couple of bonus titles: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray and Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen.