Life's a Beach

April 30, 2007
Must Love Dogs author Cook returns with Ginger Walsh, 41, who has ditched her job in sales and moved above her parent’s garage with a cat she calls Boyfriend— despite (or because of) her casual relationship with alluring glassblower Noah. As big sister Geri gets anxious about her impending 50th, their parents decide to sell the house, and Geri’s second-grader Riley lands a small role in a horror movie being filmed in their quaint New England town. Ginger babysits Riley on the set and meets a gaffer who may be charming enough to make her forget all about Noah. Cook’s wit and unflagging heart save this moderately paced beach read from its anticlimactic ending.

May 1, 2007
At age 41, Ginger Walsh is unemployed and still living in an apartment above her parents' garage. She dabbles in making jewelry but realizes that her cat has more artistic ability when it accidentally creates a sculpture out of her beach glass materials. When a movie crew comes to her small Massachusetts coastal town, Ginger and her precocious nephew audition to be extras. The director loves the kid, and Ginger jumps at the chance to act as his on-set guardian. After all, she can't wait to get away from her boyfriend, who is so noncommittal he doesn't even know her phone number; her sister, who is having a mid-life crisis; and her parents, who are arguing about whether or not to sell the family homeand Ginger's apartmentout from underneath her. In this lighthearted, breezy read, Cook ("Must Love Dogs") displays a wry sense of humor and knows how to write realistic characters. Suitable for all public libraries, particularly where women's fiction is popular.Rebecca Vnuk, Glenside P.L. Dist., Glendale Heights, IL

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