Welcome to Chick with Books — a space for readers who love getting lost in a great story and talking about it long after the final page. This is your go-to spot for buzz-worthy new releases, hidden gems, and honest reviews you can trust. I’m drawn to unforgettable stories—especially historical and literary fiction, thrillers, and my latest obsession: romantasy. Looking for your next great read? You’re in the right place.
... The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
We will be reading The Lincoln Highway next month as a reading group pick. We had read Amor Towles wildly popular previous book, A Gentleman in Moscow and everyone had enjoyed the story and the writing, so we have high hopes for this book. Published last October by Viking (a division of PenguinRandomhouse), this book has garnered a lot of praise and starred reviews. Click on the link to read an excerpt of The Lincoln Highway.
Summer is typically referred to as The “Dog Days” of Summer because it’s so hot that it’s not fit for a dog. But where did the phrase really comes from? Well, the Dog Days refers to the period of July 3 through Aug. 11 when the Dog Star, Sirius, rises with the Sun. As a result, the ancients felt that the combination of the brightest luminary of the day (the Sun) and the brightest star of night (Sirius) was responsible for the extreme heat that is experienced during the middle of summer.... So technically it is the end of "The Dog Days of Summer", but is sure is still HOT and Dogs are on my mind. (And that cute guy reading the eBook in the photo is my one and only, BJ, who loved to read with me). For "The Dog Days" and everyone who enjoys great reading with a dog... or about a dog, I'm taking this Sunday to share some great new books that revolve around dogs...
Lily and The Octopus by Steve Rowley... From Kirkus Reviews: A lonely writer and his aging dachshund confront a mythic enemy. If it wasn’t for one thing, Rowley’s debut novel might be viewed as a lightly fictionalized, heart-wrenching account of the author’s last six months with his adored 12-year-old dog, Lily, who succumbed to a brain tumor. That one thing, however, is pretty big. It’s the “octopus” of the title. “It’s Thursday the first time I see it. I know that it’s Thursday because Thursday nights are the nights my dog, Lily, and I set aside to talk about boys we think are cute.…We get into long debates over the Ryans. I’m a Gosling man, whereas she’s a Reynolds gal.” The thing Ted notices that fateful Thursday is an octopus. It “has a good grip and clings tightly over her eye.” For almost all of this novel that thing over Lily’s eye remains an “octopus,” an evil eight-legged sea creature that snarks and schemes and wages battle. Even Ted’s best friend and therapist give in and call it an octopus, and a good deal of plot is built around pretending that it is, in an elaborately developed, magical realist way. This is not the best thing about the book. In fact, it becomes a little much. But more than balancing it are the portrait of Lily in all her bedclothes-burrowing, ice cream–eating, stubborn dachshund glory and the intensity of this particular interspecies bond. The octopus talks to Ted, but Lily does too, for example when she’s licking tears off his face: “THIS! EYE! RAIN! YOU! MAKE! IS! FANTASTIC! I! LOVE! THE! SALTY! TASTE! YOU! SHOULD! MAKE! THIS! EVERY! DAY!” As anyone who has a dachshund knows, this is exactly how they talk. If you have an older dog, or any dog, he or she is going to be licking plenty of eye rain off your face through the final chapters of this book. In his funny, ardent, and staunchly kooky way, Rowley expresses exactly what it’s like to love a dog.
Jonathan Unleashed by Meg Rosoff... Jonathan Trefoil’s boss is unhinged, his relationship baffling, and his apartment just the wrong side of legal. His girlfriend wants to marry someone just like him—only richer and with a different sense of humor. He doesn’t remember life being this confusing, back before everyone expected him to act like a grown-up.
Free Days With George by Colin Campbell... After Colin Campbell went on a short business trip abroad, he returned home to discover his wife of many years had moved out. No explanations. No second chances. She was gone and wasn’t coming back. Shocked and heartbroken, Colin fell into a spiral of depression and loneliness. Soon after, a friend told Colin about a dog in need of rescue—a neglected 140-pound Newfoundland Landseer, a breed renowned for its friendly nature and remarkable swimming abilities. Colin adopted the traumatized dog, brought him home and named him George. 
Other great oldies but goodies...
The new expatriates arrive practically on the hour, every day of the week. They get off Cathay Pacific flights from New York, BA from London, Garuda from Jakarta, ANA from Tokyo, carrying briefcases, carrying Louis Vuitton handbags, carrying babies and bottles, carrying exhaustion and excitement and frustration. They have mostly been cramped in coach, a precious few have drunk champagne in first, others have watched two movies in business class, eating a ham and brie sandwich. They are thrilled, they are homesick, they are scared, they are relieved to have arrived in Hong Kong—their new home for six months, a year, three-year contract max, forever, nobody knows. They are fresh-faced, they are mid-career, hoping for that crucial boost up the ladder, they are here for their last job, the final rung before they’re put out to pasture. They work at banks, they work at law firms, they make buttons, clothing, hard drives, toys, they run restaurants, they are bartenders, they are yoga teachers, they are designers, they are architects. They don’t work. They are hoping to work. They are done, done, done with work.