Now Read This: 'One Plus One' by Jojo Moyes

By the time you read this, summer will be officially over. One of the things I love about summer is having extra time to sit and read. Although I didn't get to the beach this summer, my favorite "beach read" was Jojo Moyes' "One Plus One." It has all those things I love about a light read: unique, lovable characters and a happy ending.

In this novel, single mom Jess struggles to provide for, and raise, her daughter, Tanzie, and her stepson, Nicky. Nicky is a tortured goth teen and his little stepsister, Tanzie, is a math genius. Tanzie's one big chance to enroll in a prestigious private school all rests on her winning a scholarship at a math "Olympiad." Their problem is how to get from the English shore where they live to Aberdeen, Scotland, in time for the contest.

Enter Ed Nicholls, a technology millionaire who has been accused of insider trading, and who, through a set of circumstances, offers to drive them. As one of the reviewers of this novel said, "Without fail, everything goes wrong. But in the end, this amazing novel is about more than a road trip; it is about trust, dignity, desperation and, ultimately, love."

You may already be familiar with Jojo Moyes, who also wrote "Me Before You." It's a New York Times best-selling novel about a young caregiver who falls in love with her quadriplegic client. It's another well-written story, but without the happy ending.

The library has a regular print and a large-print copy of both of the above titles. In all, the library owns 11 of Moyes' books, six of which are in large-print format.

Large-print copies have come a long way from when they were first published as a larger and heavier version of the original book. They are now the same size of an average book, only with more pages -- and, if your eyesight isn't too bad, you can read them without your glasses! Keep that in mind if you want a book and discover that only the large-print edition is available.

And, on a completely different topic, I want to make you aware of the library's newest service: 18 magazine subscriptions available in e-format. There's a link to the service on the library's homepage. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Happy readings!

Betty Martin

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About Betty

Betty Martin is director of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.