I am enjoying June for reading some of the best books! And for getting to use my creative juices in the world of art. At the end of the month I will do another Wine and canvas class. Hope I do well on my orchid. I can draw somewhat and I get the concept of shading, but if it requires a steady hand and an eye that doesn't sometimes reveal my insecurities...well, ya know? It's a bit sad and now I understand why my art teacher in 9th grade gave me a D. Much as I would love to be an artist, I don't quite make the grade. And if I don't jump into the fire soon, I will never write my own book.
It's funny how comfortable we get with our friends and loved ones sometimes and that is how I feel about the authors I read. I feel like Sarah Jio is a part of me. I am comfortable with her writing and she never ever disappoints. In my book she is a true gem. I have always loved her flower titled books and was a bit taken aback by this title, Goodnight June. But as I read, I became enamoured, invested and thrilled with the awesomeness of her story.
SYNOPSIS:
The New York Times bestselling author of Blackberry Winter imagines the inspiration for Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Moon is an adored childhood classic, but its real origins are lost to history. In Goodnight June, Sarah Jio offers a suspenseful and heartfelt take on how the "great green room" might have come to be.
June Andersen is professionally successful, but her personal life is marred by unhappiness. Unexpectedly, she is called to settle her great-aunt Ruby’s estate and determine the fate of Bluebird Books, the children’s bookstore Ruby founded in the 1940s. Amidst the store’s papers, June stumbles upon letters between her great-aunt and the late Margaret Wise Brown—and steps into the pages of American literature.
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE:
Sarah writes what I consider to be women's fiction, with an added flare of romance. Now I have a horrible confession to make, I am not familiar at all with Goodnight Moon, the children's story that inspired Sarah's wonderful story of how Good Night Moon came into being. You can bet the farm, I will get my hands on a copy for my grand-daughter!
In Jio's book, Goodnight June, the main character, June Anderson was a strong and successful banker who inherited her Aunt Ruby's children's book store, Bluebird Books.
The shop is in a mess without Ruby's tender care and she is in hopes that her niece will remember her love for the bookstore and be able to save it from the financial crisis at hand. Do physical books lose out to video games, television and the internet? Or is there a way to save the beloved book store.
The characters are so compelling in this read that it makes the journey through Jio's book, one of joy and a bit of angst. The world is not perfect and Jio's characters endure the love and loss as we all do. My favorite character was Gavin, June's love interest. He was a chef with wisdom beyond his years and I was so glad they found each other.
The story is told through letters written and received by Aunt Ruby and her friend, Margaret Wise Brown, a scavenger hunt, and the desire that estranged sisters reconcile. It was a very moving and heartfelt story that was hard to put down and even harder to not dwell upon it when you did put it down. There is always depth and layers with Sarah Jio's books and this one was perhaps one of her best. It was imaginative and very much filled with love.
I rated this read a 5 Wink Read. If you haven't read it yet and decide to, please let me know what your thoughts on it are. I read every comment and try to respond as quickly as possible. If you've already read it, what were your thoughts?
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