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The Art of Crash Landing
The Art of Crash Landing: A Novel | Melissa DeCarlo
26 posts | 33 read | 93 to read
From a bright new talent comes this debut novel about a young woman who travels for the first time to her mothers hometown, and gets sucked into the mystery that changed her family forever Mattie Wallace has really screwed up this time. Broke and knocked up, shes got all her worldly possessions crammed into six giant trash bags, and nowhere to go. Try as she might, Mattie can no longer deny that she really is turning into her mother, a broken alcoholic who never met a bad choice she didnt make. When Mattie gets news of a possible inheritance left by a grandmother shes never met, she jumps at this one last chance to turn things around. Leaving the Florida Panhandle, she drives eight hundred miles to her mothers birthplacethe tiny town of Gandy, Oklahoma. There, she soon learns that her mother remains a local mysterya happy, talented teenager who inexplicably skipped town thirty-five years ago with nothing but the clothes on her back. But the girl they describe bears little resemblance to the damaged woman Mattie knew, and before long it becomes clear that something terrible happened to her mother, and it happened here. The harder Mattie digs for answers, the more obstacles she encounters. Giving up, however, isnt an option. Uncovering what started her mothers downward spiral might be the only way to stop her own. Hilarious, gripping, and unexpectedly wise, The Art of Crash Landing is a poignant novel from an assured new voice.
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Nikki_E
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Pickpick

Every once in awhile you stumble upon a book that you have never heard of but turns out to be one of those near perfect reads. I ended up reading through Thanksgiving dinner, then stayed up until 4am to finish.

44 likes2 stack adds
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Nikki_E
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Nikki_E
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Happy Thanksgiving! I ham most thankful for this angel.

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Nikki_E
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This is a promising start to a novel.

eeclayton Wow. Powerful! 4y
51 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Clwojick
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Mehso-so

It took me a while to get into this this one, but I managed to finish it today. It was good enough, but I had a hard time relating to or caring about the main character. Glad to have it off my shelf now though😉

#BookSpinbonanza #Book6 @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 5y
68 likes1 comment
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Clwojick
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TheAromaofBooks Another fabulous cover! 5y
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Jenken1998
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Pickpick

This weeks audio. I love a unreliable snarky narrator who learns life lessons as the story rolls along. This book is funny and wise. Beautifully written. Mattie is barely hanging onto life when she gets an invite to return to the hometown of her Mother. The place her deceased Mom grew up but kept hidden in the past all these years. Once there Mattie attempts to discover who her mom really was and what made her leave her home and never return.

Tex2Flo That cover is genius! Along with your recommendation, it's now on my list of TBR.
5y
46 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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BookishGamer87
Pickpick

So, I picked this book up spur of the moment at my local Dollar General because I was just drawn to the cover. Contemporaries aren't usually my thing, but I gave it a go and I quite enjoyed it! The main character and I have quite a lot in common (sadly) and it was even creepy at times. But a good one nonetheless.

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TLVZ721
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5. I definitely enjoyed this book. Immensely, actually. It was, at times, messy, vulgar, chaotic, and the reader finds themselves wanting to yell at people for their poor choices...or at themselves for the same. In a few words? It‘s life. It‘s understanding. It‘s unearthing secrets. It‘s regret. It‘s closure. It‘s pain. It‘s beautiful. Mattie is a character who will stay with me for a long time to come. And I‘m grateful for that.

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TLVZ721
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At the halfway point, after starting two days ago. (Hey, a girl‘s gotta [begrudgingly] work!) This has been a fresh breath of air, as the main character is rough around the edges, snarky with an obvious chip on her shoulder, and wounded by the raising that made her that way. I‘m excited to see where this adventure leads her.

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LibrarianRenee
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I don‘t know. I really disliked the main character. Her obnoxious behavior and quips made her unlikeable not cute and sarcastic.

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Airykah13

I'm enjoying this book even though the main character is kind of a selfish jerk. She's working on herself but geez!

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Airykah13
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If I didn't have to work I'd be celebrating all day 😆📚 #booklovers #reading

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Airykah13
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Next title from my book jar. I'm slowly making my way through ARCs I've had for a long time 😆.

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Bibliojunkies
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"There's comfort to be found in the familiar, even when the familiar isn't all that great."

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Flingogal
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When you're moving your library at work and the shelves keep falling down #moversfail with @thegirlwiththelibrarybag

cozypunk Ok, ya got me laughing out loud! 5y
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Pickpick

THIS was made of beauty, sadness and harsh realities. Read it!
You might cry a little, but it's ok!

(I originally borrowed this from the library but I saw it cheap and had to bring it home)

LauraBeth 📚 8y
55 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
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Part book mail, part stall in the middle of the shopping centre...

2 more for my December TBR 🎅

TheLondonBookworm Looking very festive :) 8y
Lizpixie I love Mary Janice Davidsons Fred the mermaid series! 8y
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Lizpixie, I haven't read any of hers for ages! Couldn't pass this up (it's book 3 tho - hopefully the others are still in print) I saw that the last of the Undead books has come out - I loved that series (although I got a bit freaked out when it was revealed whose skin that creepy book was made out of and stopped reading) 8y
51 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Stevo068

Reading it, loving it.

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DebinHawaii
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Pickpick

For #recommendsday If you are looking for a not-too-heavy summer book w/ snarky humor but w/ some truly poignant moments, this is an enjoyable read. I did want to shake Mattie frequently throughout the book but by the end, I also wanted to give her a hug. The quirky residents of Grandy, OK & the two Winstons (smelly, French bulldog twins) are standouts. Paired w/ Greek-ish Pearl Couscous Salad for my blog review/recipe-link to post in comments 👍

Bookzombie That salad looks delicious! 8y
seatea Yum 😍 8y
Gleefulreader That salad looks utterly divine! 8y
DebinHawaii @Bookzombie @seatea @Gleefulreader Mahalo! It was a pretty yummy salad. 😀 8y
49 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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Jeszimsmi
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Pickpick

Growing up when you are already an adult, understanding your mom when she is no longer there to help you understand and finding a way to be a better person when all you do is fail. I loved the humor mixed with serious themes.

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Ehbooklover
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Pickpick

The quirky, dysfunctional characters, the setting, and the author's writing style all combined to make this title a page turner of a read. It also managed to be both humourous and heartbreaking at the same time. I absolutely loved this book!

Well-ReadNeck Great title!! 8y
Bakingbookworm I've seen this on the shelves at work. I'll have to add it to my pile. :) 8y
10 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Avalea
Pickpick

There are twists and turns that I didn't expect. Love it when that happens!

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Ehbooklover
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It's only page one and I'm already loving Mattie and her witty repartee. Bonus points: she swears like a sailor just like me!

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Bethanychaseauthor
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Pickpick

My favorite book of 2016 so far. DeCarlo has humor, wit, pathos, wonderfully distinct characters, and voice for miles. I got so obsessed with this I tried to read it on my lunch break... sincerely cannot remember the last time I did that!

Bethanychaseauthor @Haratsay I am OBSESSED with this book. 9y
Haratsay I will definitely read this! I'm headed to Greece at the end of this month and will need plenty of recommendations for that! I just finished The Hiding Place and Dark Places both very good books but completely different and I'm reading Me Before You right now which I'm enjoying as well. 9y
Bethanychaseauthor @Haratsay OOOH where in Greece? I went to Santorini & Paros on my honeymoon. 9y
Haratsay Athens and Santorini! Santorini is so amazing! We've decided we are coming back next year!! I loved the book! Please give me more suggestions on what to read! I just finished it and didn't want it to end. About to go down to the sea for a bit. Thanks for the suggestion again! 8y
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HarperPerennial
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Pickpick

I love this book so much that I found tattlys to match. Mattie's wit and hard-won wisdom are 👌🏼, plus the mystery kept my mind spinning right up to the reveal.

Bethanychaseauthor I LOVED this book. Favorite I've read in a long time. 9y
WilliamMorrowBooks This is one of my faves! 8y
68 likes54 stack adds2 comments