The Buenos Aires Broken Hearts Club is a cute novel by Jessica Morrison. Cassie loses her job, fiance, and apartment, all in one afternoon. In a drunken evening online, she books herself a six-month stay in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

What's an obsessive-compulsive girl to do? Well, make friends, take Spanish classes, and fall in lust with gorgeous Argentine men! Oh, and fend off "hurry home" phone calls from her mom. And write a blog!

Part chick lit, part adventure tale, and part search of self, this novel is a great end-of-summer read. I enjoyed it!

The Sugar Queen is the second novel by Sarah Addison Allen. It's a completely different story from her first one, which for a sophomore novel is quite a feat, I believe.

What I loved was the delicious phrasing. The beauty of the language, the sadness and sweetness of the story, the characters who are so delightful and whom I'd love to meet. The laughable joy of Chloe and her books, of Josey and her hidden sugar stash, and the men, oh the fallible yet loveable men.

I think the saddest thing is that I can't read the book for the first time, again.

here's the summary from Amazon:

In this irresistible follow-up to her New York Times bestselling debut, Garden Spells, author Sarah Addison Allen tells the tale of a young woman whose family secrets—and secret passions—are about to change her life forever.

Twenty-seven-year-old Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter in her North Carolina hometown is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her hidden closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night…. Until she finds it harboring none other than local waitress Della Lee Baker, a tough-talking, tenderhearted woman who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother…

Fleeing a life of bad luck and big mistakes, Della Lee has decided Josey’s clandestine closet is the safest place to crash. In return she’s going to change Josey’s life—because, clearly, it is not the closet of a happy woman. With Della Lee’s tough love, Josey is soon forgoing pecan rolls and caramels, tapping into her startlingly keen feminine instincts, and finding her narrow existence quickly expanding.

Before long, Josey bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who makes the best sandwiches in town, is hounded by books that inexplicably appear whenever she needs them, and—most amazing of all—has a close connection to Josey’s longtime crush.

As little by little Josey dares to step outside herself, she discovers a world where the color red has astonishing power, passion can make eggs fry in their cartons, and romance can blossom at any time—even for her. It seems that Della Lee’s work is done, and it’s time for her to move on. But the truth about where she’s going, why she showed up in the first place—and what Chloe has to do with it all—is about to add one more unexpected chapter to Josey’s fast-changing life.

Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love—and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.

My friend recommended this book to me, and when the library had it on the shelf, I went ahead and checked it out while the recommendation was fresh. What a delightful read! I was captivated by the characters, both Claire the steadfast older sibling, and Sydney the prodigal sister who returns home.

It's just a great story. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.

From Publishers Weekly (amazon.com):
Two gifted sisters draw on their talents to belatedly forge a bond and find their ways in life in Allen's easygoing debut novel. Thirty-four-year-old Claire Waverley manifests her talent in cooking; using edible flowers, Claire creates dishes that affect the eater in curious ways. But not all Waverley women embrace their gifts; some, including Claire's mother, escape the family's eccentric reputation by running away. She abandoned Claire and her sister when they were young. Consequently, Claire has remained close to home, unwilling to open up to new people or experiences. Claire's younger sister, Sydney, however, followed in their mother's footsteps 10 years ago and left for New York, and after a string of abusive, roustabout boyfriends, returns to Bascom, N.C., with her five-year-old daughter, Bay. As Sydney reacquaints herself with old friends and rivals, she discovers her own Waverley magic. Claire, in turn, begins to open up to her sister and in the process learns how to welcome other possibilities. Though Allen's prose can lean toward the pedestrian and the romance subplots feel perfunctory, the blending of horticultural folklore, the supernatural and a big dollop of Southern flavor should find favor with a wide swath of readers. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition

Wendy Werris's autobiography was a delightful accidental find at the library. It is a fascinating look into the world of book and publisher representation and sales.

What I liked about it was Werris's artful interweaving of business and life, without it descending into some weird sort of voyeurism.

If you are interested in not only books, but also how they get to the shelf in the bookstore, this is a fun way to learn how from 1970 to now.

Where has our summer GONE? Gone, gone, gone (whoa, whoa, whoa).

I am currently reading Elizabeth Gilbert's acclaimed travel and spiritual memoir, Eat, Pray, Love. It's really great so far. I'll do a big review when I'm finished.

I've been reading a lot of Christian fiction for several publishers as a book reviewer/influencer, and I have a couple of books I've been sent for this blog as well, but they've gotten shuffled to the middle of the pile. I'll be more focused now that school is about to begin in our part of the country.