Summer's List by Anita Higman

Three separate stories and each interwoven in the life of a young woman. Love of family is and was paramount to Summer Snow, the lead character in this sweet book. In fact, her grandmother saw it all and created a bucket list for her beloved granddaughter who cared for both of her parents until they passed. Then she purchased the bookstore from her grandmother because she thought it was what her grandmother wanted. Through it all Summer was happy but it may not have been as full or complete as it could have been or could be.

The first thing listed is for Summer to reconnect with her best friend Martin who had moved away in Summer’s youth.  He had been adopted but certainly not loved by the two biological brothers and the parents had left them to their own devices while living abroad with minimal contact.  Were it not for the sporadic contact from the mother or father, I would have thought that the unexplained, hasty departure was tied to the witness protection program. Alas, it was tied to a betrayal and still more untruths.  

The bucket list and the loss of her precious grandmother did allow for truth to be acknowledged and others truths to be discovered during the journey.

I would be remiss not to include some of my favorite lines.  There are many but I will include my top four favorites, with my favorite being the one on page 205:

Page 56   “Sometimes I think curiosity comes first. Then purpose might show up later.”

Page 173   “…it is better to err on the side of humility and be chastised for it than to be stingy with one’s confessions and risk wounding someone.”

Page 199   “Apparently there’s pain in the healing process.”

Page 205   “Summer gazed down at her grandmother’s frail hand.  …the veins were marks of wisdom and her hands, instruments of love.”

Thank you Anita Higman for another enjoyable read and please continue.  It seemed real and I could share in the lives of most of the characters. Even the brothers redeemed themselves.