I’ve had an “easy” reading week. Nothing major to think about with these books. They’re just enjoyable stories. I read two books by the same author, Nora Roberts. They’re the kind of stories I love: big families, some romance, and the family business. Also — each book contained a mystery at the heart of the story. Let me tell you a bit about them:
Come Sundown is author Nora Roberts’ latest book (May 30). The story is set in 
western Montana on an enormous ranch and resort owned and operated by the Longbow family. Daughter Bodine Longbow oersees the operation of the business although there are lots of people hired to help out in addition to the rest of the family. One of the newest staff members is Callen Skinner who has come home after years working on Hollywood movies managing the horses and other animals. Bodine had a crush on Cullen when she was in high school and she doesn’t seem to have lost her interest. There are some additional aspects to this story: Someone in the area has killed two women and there is a parallel story about a young woman who was captured and held against her will for many years.
The running of the ranch an resort, a couple of romances, and the mystery of the women make this a very compelling story. As is usual from Nora Roberts, the reader also gets to know the people involved as well.
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The other Nora Roberts book I read is The Villa (2002). In this story we have two 
families, the Giambellis and the MacMillans. They have merged their two Napa Valley wineries to create a masterful business. This is a three-generational business, run by the grandparents who married after the deaths of their spouses. As the story opens, the grandparents are about to announce a change in the management of the business. They are paving the way for their future retirement and preparing their two grandchildren to take over. The two grandchildren are already involved in the business: Tyler MacMillan is an accomplished vintner and Sophia Giambelli handles the marketing and public relations. Neither one really wants to do more than they are currently doing, but the grandparents present a compelling case. As Ty and Sophia work closely together to run the business and accomplish the merger, their personal lives begin to merge. Things are smooth however as someone is trying to sabotage the business. It’s not petty sabotage, as the murder of two people will show.
The Villa is my favorite of these two novels. It was just a bit more exciting than Come Sundown, especially the mystery part. I did not see the “whodunit” nor anticipate the ending. All very satisfying.
What We Did For Fun:
My husband, Jay, and I attended a great fund-raiser for the library this week. The organizers secured a theater and a big-screen version of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Do you remember this 1981 Steven Spielberg clasic?
We choose seats down front in the center of the third row. It was amazing to be right there in the middle of all that action and super close to handsome Harrison Ford! (No, it didn’t hurt my neck.)
I don’t know the exact figures of how much money was raised, but I do know the theater was sold out, which at $25 per person was a good amount. They also sold a ton of raffle tickets for all sorts of donated gift baskets. Also donated was the bag of popcorn and bags of chocolates (the really good stuff) every attendee received. There were lots of happy people that night, including Jay and me. What kind of fund-raisers does your library have?
That’s it for me this week. I hope your week ahead is filled with fun. Happy Reading.