I'm so excited to be taking part in Kathleen Kole's blog tour for her newest book, Tales From the Laundry Pile, hosted by CLP Blog Tours!! I've had the pleasure of reading and really enjoying other books by Kathleen, so when the opportunity to take part in this tour came about I quickly jumped at it.
Today I have a review of this adorable book, plus a totally tempting excerpt that will have you begging to read more. :) Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy!
Author: Kathleen Kole
Published: April 7, 2013
Claire Jamieson has moved back home to Boxwood Hills... And, she's not alone. Trailing behind her overworked laundry basket is her husband and their energetic twin boys.
Claire had always thought that once she'd left the nest, she'd never return. Now that she has, she's wondering what type of bird that makes her... Cuckoo?
When she has a moment to pause and catch her breath, she'll let you know.
I've been a fan of Kathleen Kole's since I read Dollars to Donuts. Though I've seemed to drift from reading chick lit quite a bit, I still find myself enjoying it when I do pick up a cute story. It's nice to read an easy, sweet, carefree-type story every now and then. And that's exactly what Tales from the Laundry Pile was for me.
Oh, Claire. Though I wanted to smack her a few times, I couldn't resist the pull I felt towards her. I related more to her than I'd care to admit out loud. She had a less than ideal mother-in-law, who basically drove her crazy with insults, two four-year-old sons that kept her on her toes at all times, and a crazy obsession with being perfect. She pushed herself to the extreme, both with her parenting skills, as well as her own relationships with others. She had such a strong desire to be perfect that at times I just wanted to shake her around a bit. Then I would realize that I'm slightly similar to Claire, and I would find myself blushing. (There's nothing wrong with obsessing about everything being perfect... right?? :P )
The characters in this book are completely over-the-top, but in such a good way. I just love the imagination Kathleen uses in creating her cast. From Thomas, the kooky neighbor, to Jessica, the Barbie Doll friend, the tone was set for a silly and enjoyable story. With the personalities of these characters it's almost impossible not to laugh out loud at parts. What a group!
The one thing I wished was explored a bit more was the relationship between Claire and Jake. Their relationship wasn't addressed too often in a romantic sense. It was more as though they were friends, or even roommates, rather than husband and wife. I would have liked to see the romance a bit more. Jake definitely came off as an awesome husband. Seeing how he treated his wife and kids in more of an emotional way would have added to the story a bit.
Tales From the Laundry Pile was a sweet story that I enjoyed wholeheartedly. Kathleen Kole has yet to disappoint. Her writing style is comfortable, consistent and refreshing. I'm happy I was able to take part in her blog tour. If you're a chick lit fan, definitely give this, as well as Kathleen's other books, a try.
Claire pushed her sandy blonde bangs from her forehead and regarded the chaos masquerading as her kitchen. God, moving was a nightmare. Boxes everywhere, cupboard doors ajar, dusty tile floors and a pile of clothes growing at an alarming rate in the adjacent laundry room. How was it possible to have that many clothes already awaiting the washing machine, when she’d worked her tail off before they’d left the city making sure everything came to the new house clean and fresh? It was a mystery.
Claire lifted the damp hair sticking to the back of her neck. Man, it was hot. She’d forgotten just how steamy it could get in Boxwood Hills in the summertime. She stepped around a box labeled kitchen dishes and padded on bare feet toward the thermostat in the hallway, keen to fire up the air conditioning. Halfway there, she was stopped in her tracks by a loudly shouted, “Mommy!” from the backyard.
“Oh, Hell.” Claire spun on her heel and rapidly retraced her steps back to the kitchen. “What new emergency is this?”
She didn’t have long to find out. Before she’d taken her last step back onto the dusty kitchen tiles, Claire’s identical twin sons came charging through her wooden framed screen door, swinging it so hard she winced.
“Slow down!” she blurted in exasperation, hands clenched by her sides. They never seemed to do anything gently. They were like two reckless sheep, bouncing off of everything in their path. “We need to keep that door on it’s hinges, at least for the summer. Okay?”
“Look what we found!”
Claire’s voice clogged in her throat as she looked down at the delighted grin on her son’s round face. Noah’s hazel eyes sparkled as he clutched an armful of something grey and clearly living.
“It’s a cat!” His voice was even higher and squeakier than normal in his excitement.
Claire smoothed her hands down the front of her jean shorts and took a steadying breath. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another.
“Isn’t it cool?” Evan, his voice an echo of his brother’s, piped up.
“Now listen,” Claire began, preparing to inform them they’d probably cat-napped someone’s pet, when the animal turned its face toward her and fixed her with its large, orange eyes. “Holy Dina,” she exhaled, reflexively taking a step back.
“I don’t know, Mommy.” Noah’s dark brown eyebrows pulled together, his tone heavy with skepticism. “It doesn’t look like a Dina to me.”
Evan shook his head, his face equally serious. “No. Not Dina. More like an Elmo, or Arthur.”
Noah’s face lit up. “Arthur!”
Kathleen Kole is the author of Breaking Even, Dollars to Donuts, Favorable Conditions and her new release, Tales from the Laundry Pile.
Kathleen lives with her husband, son and dog in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada.
Kathleen's books are so great!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read anything by this author yet. This sounds like a fun book though. Thanks for the great review.
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