Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye.
The Shore by Sara Taylor
Why I have it: Mentioned on A Life in Books and confirmed when I saw the seashell cover.
Summary: Linked stories about generations of women who live on small islands off the coast of Virginia. Not chick-lit – it’s gritty stuff.
I’m thinking: Yes. There’s a bit of an Olive feel to it.
American Housewife by Helen Ellis
Why I have it: Seems to be on everyone’s reading list at the moment.
Summary: Stories set in the ‘dark’ world of domesticity – ladies who lunch, celebrity treasure hunters, and the best bra fitter south of the Mason Dixon line.
I’m thinking: Yes. I know this collection has been labelled ‘patchy’ but I loved the first story and and it’s grim one-liners –
“I weep because I am lucky enough to have a drawer just for glitter.”
Single, Carefree, Mellow by Katherine Heiny
Why I have it: Kept popping up on ‘Titles to look forward to in 2016’ lists.
Summary: Stories about teen girls and young women – they make poor choices in men and children’s magicians and wise choices in what to wear to meet their lovers’ wives.
I’m thinking: Maybe. I liked the first story but based on it, compared to the similar American Housewife, I’d go Housewife.
Have you read any of these? Yay or nay?
I really enjoyed The Shore and it’s true that it’s definitely not chick lit! Love the cover of American Housewife too.
Excellent! I made a point of mentioning that it’s not chick-lit because when it came around on NetGalley (ages ago), I overlooked it because the blurb suggested “…generations of women…blah, blah, blah…” and it sounded very much “women’s fiction” – shows the power of a blurb!
Thanks so much for the link. Hard to beat that gorgeous cover! American Housewife is much talked about in my neck of the Twitter woods but it’s nice to have some independent corroboration.
I much prefer the cover with the shells to the one I originally saw on NetGalley (a house on stilts??).
Oh, I see what you mean. I think it’s a porch. A tad dull in comparison!
The Shore is amazing – I highly recommend it! It’s most definitely gritty, nowhere near chick-lit.
A thousand times yes to The Shore!
Based purely on the covers I would go for The Shore
I’d go The Shore…American Housewife has had mixed reviews from what I’ve seen, but some of the one liners are classic.
The Shore! It’s one of my recent favorites!