Don't Go

This was a quick read for the plane ride back to Maine for the summer. It made the flight zip by!

Mike Scanlon is a doctor serving in Afghanistan when he gets news that his wife has died from an accidental fall in the kitchen. He returns home to try to make sense of his life. He has an eight-month old daughter to care for and questions about his wife's death and life.

I found the picture on the cover to be a bit misleading since his daughter is just an infant and she hates him because she was only one month old when he got deployed.

But, I still enjoyed the book and was happy to have it to keep me company on the plane ride.

Beautiful Ruins

I was attracted to this novel because of the cover. I recognized the picture right away. It's part of the Le Cinque Terre coastline. The day we visited that area in Italy last summer was my favorite day. It's absolutely gorgeous!












And, the novel was not a disappointment. It's quirky and romantic, and wonderfully written with surprises all the way through.

It's 1962. Pasquale Tursi runs a small hotel in Porto Vergonga. One day a beautiful American actress, Dee Moray, arrives. She's dying and is here to meet her lover. Pasquale falls head long for her. How she affects his life makes for a wonderful story.

It jumps around from the past to the present. Some of it is told through others' eyes, a play, chapters in books, and a movie pitch. It's never boring and the characters, especially Pasquale and Dee, are human and lovable.

Now, I want to read his other books!