Sincere thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada who sent me a copy of Things to Do When It Is Raining for an honest review.

This book arrived at the perfect moment, just before March Break and our trip to Myrtle Beach!  It was a tale of family secrets which was difficult to put down and kept me reading late into the night, after everyone else was sound asleep.

After her fiancé mysteriously disappeared, Mae returned to the Summers’ Inn looking for solace in the arms of the grandparents who had raised after the untimely death of her mother.  Things at the Inn are not as comfortable as she expected and she learns that her grandparents are going through their own set of  challenges.

Mae is not the only person to return to the area.  It just so happens, that the love of her young life, Gabe, is also back.  The pair had been inseparable as children when Mae’s grandparents rescued him from his own unfortunate circumstances and became his caregivers.  Their friendship blossomed into young love until Gabe abruptly left her broken hearted.  Catching a glimpse of Gabe leads to reminiscing as Mae slowly learns more about the secrets of her past.

The themes of love, resilience, tragedy keep the reader engaged as as Mae uncovers secrets and tries to put her life back together.  It was a great book to take on vacation and a palate cleanser in the midst of the serious topics of Canada Reads.

What is next?  I have a  few author visits to catch up on as well as a post describing The Power of Moments (non-fiction),  American War (my final Canada Reads book) and  Every Note Played (a terrific story of the impact of ALS on patients and their families by Lisa Genova).  Did I mention that I was lucky to receive an advance reader copy of this book from Simon & Schuster?  Or that I am very excited to meet her next week at the Waterloo library???

The blog will be busy over the next week.  Watch for a post about my experience as a panelist at Canada Reads:  Brantford Public Library edition and multiple posts about Canada Reads which starts on Monday at the CBC.  I am luck to have tickets to be in the audience for the Monday’s first debate and for Thursday’s finale and will share my experiences with all of you!