Keepsake by Kristina Riggle

 
Riggle’s fourth novel (after Things We Didn’t Say, 2011) is a sensitive portrayal of a dysfunctional family struggling to make peace with their pasts. Trish thinks of herself as just a distracted, messy housekeeper—but when her young son, Jack, suffers a broken collarbone after a pile of papers falls on him, Child Protective Services comes calling, forcing her to deal with the fact that she has inherited her mother’s hoarding habits. Trish’s estranged sister, Mary, is the complete opposite—when her white carpet gets a footprint on it, she spends an hour with a scrub brush trying to get it clean. Much to Trish’s chagrin, Mary comes to help her get her house (and life) in order so that Jack is not removed from the home. Meanwhile, Trish’s ex-husband and her older teenage son....
For the full review, please visit Booklist Online.


This review was originally published May 15, 2012 in Booklist.

In the Bag by Kate Klise

Professional chef Daisy is heading to Paris with her teenage daughter, Coco. On the same flight are Andrew and his son, Webb, en route to Madrid to oversee the installation of an art exhibit. When Andrew accidentally spills wine all over Daisy, he impulsively slips a flirtatious note in her bag, offering to pay for the cleaning and take her to dinner. When she finds it, she is not impressed and fires back a raging e-mail. Speaking of bags, Coco and Webb happen to be traveling with identical black duffels, which get switched at baggage claim. They find each other’s contact info in the bags and start an e-mail courtship, which leads to...

For the full review, please visit Booklist Online.

BOL Review: Keepsake by Kristina Riggle

Riggle’s fourth novel is a sensitive portrayal of a dysfunctional family struggling to make peace with their pasts. Trish thinks of herself as just a distracted, messy housekeeper—but when her young son, Jack, suffers a broken collarbone after a pile of papers falls on him, Child Protective Services comes calling, forcing her to deal with the fact that she has inherited her mother’s hoarding habits. Trish’s estranged sister, Mary, is the complete opposite—when her white carpet gets a footprint on it, she spends an hour with a scrub brush trying to get it clean. Much to Trish’s chagrin, Mary comes to help her get her house (and life) in order so that Jack is not removed from the home. Meanwhile, Trish’s ex-husband and her older teenage son are not sure... Read the full review at Booklist Online!

It's pretty embarassing that I haven't posted in months... so here's something for y'all.

Best Books 2011 - Women's Fiction

http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2011/11/best-of/best-genre/best-books-2011-womens-fiction/

In my defense, I've been busy... I'm finishing up the Women's Fiction guide in the Genreflecting Advisory Series, and I've taken on an AWESOME new full time position at Booklist.  Not sure yet what this means for the future of this blog, but we'll see. I may be too busy, or, I may decide to start blitzing out the posts once my new book is ready...stay tuned.

I'm still here...

Really, truly I am.  I've just been crazy busy, what with a new baby (well, he's not so new anymore, now, is he), more writing gigs (see my chapter in the upcoming edition of Genreflecting, I'm hard at work on the Women's Fiction entry into the Genreflecting Advisory Series, still blogging for ShelfRenewal...), and life in general.  But I have lots of blog posts for this baby on my to-do list... I swear.

Bear with me!