SHS Book Club: The Violets of March

Holy cow, I am so behind on posting book reviews. Bear with me the next few days because I'm going to try to catch up. If you're like me, you're super excited that red cups are back at Starbucks. I love to "waste" an hour or so getting my chai tea at the Starbucks in our Barnes and Noble and roam the aisles making a note of all the books to put on my Goodreads list! I found quite a few the other day!

I saw an eye doctor recently about the bright light I keep on seeing in my peripheral vision when I read at night. He thinks I've strained my eyes and he gave me all the biological details behind what's going on in my eyes but basically what it comes down to is I'm old and need reading glasses. I found a cute pair at Target that was on clearance and the light has surprisingly not come back! I feel like such an old lady--especially when I knit. I have to push them down so I can see the tv when I look up. UGH! I don't like aging.

So...onto The Violets of March by Sarah Jio. I loved her other book, Blackberry Winter so I thought I'd give this one a try. This one didn't disappoint and let me just say that this book started me on my obsession about Bainbridge Island. The majority of the story takes place on Bainbridge. Jio's descriptions of the island make the island serve as another character in the book--so much description! [I fell in love with Seattle and Sammamish when I visited Washington state so I can only imagine how Bainbridge Island compares.] I keep telling Brian that I want to leave Colorado and live on Bainbridge Island. I may also have even looked up homes in the area....just in case.

I remember that I read this book rather quickly because it is just one of those books you don't want to put down. The main character, Emily, retreats to the island to recover from a divorce. I'm not a romance-novel lover at all. I could do without the romance in this and any book but aside from that, the book is layered with a very good mystery within. Emily lives with her aunt while on Bainbridge Island. She discovers a diary in the desk drawer of the room she is staying in. As she reads the diary, she also uncovers some mysteries within her own life.

The book is very captivating and a quick read. I love the setting and although there are too many characters whose names start with "E," they are all likeable. I would definitely read another Sarah Jio book.

The book I chose to read after this is a book that goes all the way back to my childhood. I recall seeing this book on the shelves but the cover never interested me. The old' "don't judge a book by its cover" thing never worked on me. I always do/did. I'm glad that I waited to read it though. As an adult I am better able to see the big picture with this book. The next book I'll review is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.