Apr 30, 2022

Sunday Salon: Romantic Comedies, a Memoir, and a Funny Thriller

 Currently reading


I'm into rom coms these days, in between reading psych thrillers for a break. See my review of The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa, author of other romances such as The Worst Best Man and Son of a Beach. 




My next read will be another rom com, Without a Hitch by Mary Holly Huddleston  and Asher Fogle Paul, Women in their 20s with a popular romantic theme - weddings. A wedding planner may eventually plan her own. 



Another library book is set in the Florida Keys, the 25th in the hilarious crime series by Tim Dorsey - Mermaid Confidential. Serge and his sidekick Coleman decide to try condo living but come across smugglers and gangs in this mystery/thriller. 


Finished reading: 


The Puma Years: A Memoir by Laura Coleman, June 1, 2021 publication
Source: World Book Day 2022 ebook

My goodreads review:
Laura Coleman and the puma Wayra are the main characters in this memoir of a friendship developed in a Bolivian wildlife sanctuary near the Amazon. Laura is one of many international volunteers at the sanctuary and her assignment is to handle and care for the puma. This involves sometimes terrifying regular walks in the jungle with the wild cat tethered on a long rope handled by Laura. The development of trust between the two over the years and Laura's subsequent dedication to wildlife conservation and writing is the heart of the memoir.

Life in the jungle sanctuary, though harsh, full of deprivation and lack of basic comforts, is embraced by many of the volunteers whose relationships with individual animals in their care keep them going on, some of them returning again and again to volunteer at the sanctuary. The interactions and affection that develop between the wild animals and humans is astounding.

I loved learning about these sanctuaries that care for wild animals rescued from abuse as tourist attractions. There are also environmental problems for the wildlife from the destruction of habitat by new roads, buildings, business developments, logging, and more. 

This informative book is written in a poetic style at times, while describing the jungle, the animals, and Laura's reaction to them. I thought the book could have been shorter as it was repetitive toward the end, with the same animal-human interactions described in detail. The poetry did not always ring true to me. 

The unusual relationship that the volunteers developed with the cats - puma, jaguar - remain with me as a wonderful and amazing part of this book.


Also read and reviewed: 

Genre: women's fiction, contemporary fiction, multicultural interest 



Medical students unsure about their careers would get a lot from reading this book.

The grueling schedules of interns and residents are what stood out the most for me in this book, about Norah, a first year intern dealing with many sleepless hours and nights on call in the hospital. She also had to be constantly aware of hospital protocol and the code of medical ethics, and dealing with uppity residents, nurses, and attending physicians.

The challenges that Nora faces from her coworkers and from patients are daunting, yet she persists, wanting to honor her deceased father, a well known physician himself.

Medical mistakes, scandals, lawsuits, are all part what Norah sees as she struggles to decide if being a doctor is really what she wants to handle for the rest of her life.

An excellent story about a woman on the way to finding her way to a fulfilling and well-rounded life, well told, and seemingly very authentic

What are you reading this week? 

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated BookreviewerAlso,  It's Monday: What Are You Readingand Sunday SalonStacking the ShelvesMailbox Monday

26 comments:

  1. Happy Saturday, I hope you enjoy all of these! Have a great weekend!

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  2. You had a great week. A couple of these are on my TRB.

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  3. I have The Puma Years and have wanted to start the Serge Storms series for a very long time but am daunted by the amount of books in the series. The others look good too!

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  4. I really enjoyed The Wedding Crasher! Hope you do too.

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  5. There are times you need romcoms. I know I do. Enjoy your thriller break. I can definitely understand how you would get worn out on those.

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  6. I don't think I've ever read as many rom-coms as I have during the pandemic. Much of what I usually read did not work for me.

    I have been curious about The Puma Years. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about it. I think I thought it was fiction; apparently I didn't read the full title!

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    1. A memoir about an unusual volunteer opportunity!

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  7. I read Women's Fiction in between my more serious and intense suspense reads. I should try a few rom-coms too. Which is making me think of You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Don't know why that just popped into my head except that's what it is. I wonder if it was based on a book.
    The Puma Years is something I would love to read and will look for it. Have a good week!

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    1. The rom coms I really liked are At Least You Have Your Health, Bookish People, and Lucy Checks In.

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  8. Your books look good! Enjoy the upcoming week, and thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  9. The Puma Years is on my wish list... sounds good!

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    1. It was free last week for World Book Day, but cutoff date was April 27 for download.

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  10. The White Coat Diaries looks good; that medical world is always so interesting to read about. And Without a Hitch looks like a lot of fun. Happy reading!

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  11. Enjoy your new reads! Happy May Day!

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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  12. I'm currently in-between books. I finished reading a book late last night. I should start reading Carve the Mark, The Summer Tree, and The Darkest Park of the Forest. I'm excited. I hope you have a good week.

    My Sunday Post

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  13. I'd always been into thrillers until recently. I now love a rom com whereas before I would never even consider them!

    Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
    https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2022/05/01/sunday-salon-2/

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