For those of you who want to reconsider what a "summer read" really is, and what it might also be or become in our changing times, check out this great LitHub article by my friend and client Jasmin Iolani Hakes, author of the debut novel Hula. You know from my last post here that I am a big fan of Hula; I highly recommend the article, which really resonated with me.
For those of you who just want me to recommend a fun, light, catty summer book for reading by the pool or ocean (or lounging by the fire, if you're in New Zealand or Australia), you are in luck, since the debut novel by Kara Alloway, Most Hated will fit the bill perfectly. Alloway, the self proclaimed "villain protagonist of the Real Housewives of Toronto" is also a former fashion and beauty editor, television and radio host, and most important in the context of Most Hated, a reality TV show producer.
Clearly, the woman knows her stuff. The book has all the drama—and melodrama—of a reality TV show, but with plenty of insight into what makes someone choose to air their dirty laundry (and clean lingerie!) on air for the whole world to dissect their actions and reactions. So, if you like your beach books to be full of intrigue, and to keep you guessing until the last few pages, pre-order Most Hated right now; it hits the streets May 30.
I have to add that this fast and funny read is as timely and perfect for the zeitgeist as some much more serious (and truly boring) books out there. The moment we are in might just be the perfect time to examine our society's obsession with not just reality TV and influencers, but the pursuit of perfection in our bodies and in life, as it is viewed/judged by an audience. And the price we all risk paying, as far as our mental and physical health.
In case you wonder what else I've been up to, when I am not reading books for review, it is quite a lot, which is why you didn't see a post in April (was there an April this year?). This soon-to-be published author has been hard at work with Deanna, my editor—who I thankfully respect and admire—doing the final content edits and rewrites to my memoir, currently titled Honeymoon at Sea: How I Found Myself on a Small Sailboat (get the double entendre?).
The manuscript is going off to the copyeditor this week to correct all the little errors my final content corrections have no doubt introduced, and also has been sent to my first pre-production reviewers. Now I wait...for the next pass, for some feedback, and hopefully for some positive blurbs for the book cover. Waiting is something I am very good at. NOT!
Stay tuned for more on my book's progress, and perhaps next time a blurb or two. And then there's the fun of seeing the book cover. Needless to say, I'm very proud and excited, and I hope you'll be here with me for all of it.
Hasta pronto!
In the interests of full disclosure, Most Hated is the next book coming out from my fabulous publisher re:books, a woman-owned small press based in Toronto, Canada. Re:books is the brain child of Rebecca Eckler, a prolific author who has a great sense of humor, which is one of my prerequisites for any team I join, in any pursuit. She's also a dynamic book coach, so for those of you who need an extra push to help you get that darn book out there, check the link on the re:books home page.