The Cool Down

It's recommended that when a runner finishes a run, he or she should cool down afterward.

You can sprint or run a marathon, but you should always walk it out when you cross the finish line.

44 Charles Street by Danielle Steel is my equivalent to cooling down or walking it out.

After a really intense week devouring The Hunger Games trilogy, I've had about as much literary high speed action, adventure, and excitement as I can handle... for now. So, after taking a look at my long list of books to read, I settled on the latest release from Danielle Steel.

I've only ever read one other Steel selection: Star. Although I certainly enjoyed it, Nora Roberts has always been my go-to for a dose of literary romance and frivolity. (I do mean this in the best way possible of course. I can get just as involved in a Roberts novel as I can in almost anything else... sometimes more so).

I chose the Steel novel for 2 reasons:

1. I know Steel can deliver exactly what I'm looking for... a chance to read as I'd watch TV, without needing to overly think or dwell too long on the issues.

2. The story overview reveals a story that's more than "just another love story," and a wide mix of characters from different places with different stories to uncover. (I remember mentioning once that this is usually a good tactic to get me hooked on a book).

Here's a sample from the book jacket:

"The plumbing was prone to leaks, the furniture rescued from garage sales. And every square inch was being devotedly restored to its original splendor—even as a relationship fell to pieces. Now Francesca Thayer, newly separated from her lawyer boyfriend Todd, is desperate. The owner of a struggling art gallery, and suddenly the sole mortgage payer on her Greenwich Village townhouse, Francesca does the math and then the unimaginable. She puts out an advertisement for boarders. Soon her house becomes a whole new world.

First comes Eileen, a fresh, pretty L.A. transplant, now a New York City schoolteacher. Then there’s Chris, a young father struggling with a troubled ex-wife and the challenge of parenting a seven-year-old son who visits every other weekend. The final tenant is Marya, a celebrated cookbook author hoping to start a new chapter in her life after the death of her husband. As Francesca’s art gallery begins to find its footing and Todd moves on to another woman, she discovers that her accidental tenants have become the most important people in her life.

...Over the course of one amazing, unforgettable, ultimately life-changing year, the house at 44 Charles Street fills with laughter, heartbreak, and, always, hope. In the hands of master storyteller Danielle Steel, it’s a place those who visit will never want to leave."

I think I'll be the judge of that... But, I am very excited to read it and tell you all about it soon.

Happy Reading!