Marrying the Ketchups: A Novel | 
pickPrimarily focusing on three cousins dealing with changes in their lives and their family‘s Chicago restaurant that feels more like home than their actual homes often do after the sudden death of their grandfather. I love a good messy family story and this one was great. Less about overall family dysfunction (although there is certainly some of that) and more about the overlapping lives in a large, caring ,but changing, brood. Definitely recommend.
Cydney!!! What a wonderful surprise in my mailbox today! 💙💙💙
Thank you so much for thinking of me, and this book sounds right up my alley (and if you loved it, I‘m 100% sure I will too 😉). Also, the bookmark…🩷 And that BUNNY…adorable!
You‘re such a sweet, thoughtful friend. 🤗🤗🤗
pickLoved it, loved it, LOVED it. If you like a family drama - especially with (my favorite) dysfunction - this is the book for you. @AmyG have you read this? If not, I‘m sending to you along with another one I recently read that I think you‘ll love. #TBRtarot gifted by @BookBosomed1 (thank you, Lindsey ♥️)
so-soI really did not enjoy this like I thought I would...
I am loving the TV show The Bear. Can anyone recommend a good book about a family run restaurant please?? (I‘m more interested in the family run business drama side of things than the cooking side 😉)
pickI really enjoyed this story of family, relationships, restaurant ownership, and a world that can change faster than any of us are usually prepared for. Good characters and an author who embraces midwestern regionalism and her love of her hometown, Chicago.
BINGO! Woo-hoo! First time in a long time, it helps when #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin are in the same row.
pickIn this family saga, you get a glimpse of the messy, complicated lives of #three generations of the Sullivans as they run their restaurant in Chicago's suburbs. It was an enjoyable story. #Booked2023 @alisiakae @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage
pickI‘ve been sitting on this review for a bit. I love these types of stories: family sagas/dramas, often dysfunctional. Love books with lots of grown siblings where dynamics of childhood bleed into adulthood. This is that type and I had high hopes. Though I enjoyed this read, I‘ve seen it done better which I‘ll tag in the comments below. The family runs a restaurant in Chicago, which many pivotal moments take place in, which added to my enjoyment.
pick“Marrying the Ketchups” by Jennifer Close told a great story of the Sullivan family and all their drama. It checked all the boxes for me (based in Chicago, lots of Chicago Cub mentions, and family restaurant drama!) and really could be summed up with this quote: “They were a pressure cooker of drama, an Instant Pot of insanity. It was only a matter of time.” -Chef‘s kiss-
#bookmail
Thanks Cindy ♥️ another lovely parcel from you. Look forward to reading.
pickYou were right @MicheleinPhilly this book was delightful!! Meet the Sullivan‘s, a large Irish family who own a bar/ restaurant in Chicago. Sometimes families implode and the Sullivan‘s are about to burst 💥 My third book by author Jennifer Close and another heartfelt read. #BOTMbacklog My October #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks 🎃❣️🥳
Im LOVING my time with the Sullivan Family. They‘re messy, loud, meddling but mostly marvelous ♥️ My houseguests are visiting family today so im taking a mental break 😉 Still celebrating Sukkot 🍋#LifeIsGood 😎
Starting this #MessyFamilySaga while my IPad recharges 😊This is also my October #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks ♥️
Let‘s go October! Some carry over books I‘d really like to get to plus spooky books for the season. 🎃👻📚#BookSpinBingo
At #NatBookFest and just got out of this great panel with authors Jennifer Close and Eleanor Brown. I may have to check their books out now!
She made a wish because she was lucky enough to wish for things and think they might come true ✨
pickTold from multiple POV, this book enveloped me with its sometimes laugh out loud dialogue, the relatable angst that accompanies a close-knit family, and the vivid descriptions of its characters. By the end of the book, I felt a little saddened at the thought of having to leave JP Sullivans and all the characters that inhabit it. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58537243
Yesterday‘s Happy Hour Patio Read. Im enjoying this book about a family living in Chicago following Trump‘s presidential win and the Cubs win of the World Series. It‘s one big family drama mess told from multiple POVs, and I‘m here for it.
pickA novel full of whimsical,endearing,comical,at times frustrating characters,who love Chicago, the Cubs, & food.The restaurant of home cooked comfort food, JP Sullivans, is owned & operated & staffed largely with family. The book centers around the restaurant.The families lives are intertwined with its rhythms,food,& stature in the city.Coming from a large Irish,once Catholic family, I could relate to many parts of this novel.A fun read with depth.
When I was young, I did not understand this family narrative & would talk about that elephant. With looks, just plain avoidance of a topic & words, my parents made me feel I was totally wrong & imagining things. But deep down I knew I was right, & struggled to honor my perceptions. I could read feelings, emotional atmosphere in a room. Keeping a journal was a saving grace, as well as therapy later in life.
#weeklyforecast
Only started Ice Blue so far. Feel hot & frumpy today. Did get my early morning walk in though.
pickThis book pressed ALL my buttons. Big, messy, Irish family drama taking place largely in the family pub/restaurant in 2016-2017. It hit that humor/pathos sweet spot and I absolutely LOVED it.
pickThey had me at Oak Park & the Cubs! Sullivan‘s Pub is an institution,the family is shocked that Grandpa Bud dies before the Cubs win it all.As their world changes the cousins are questioning their futures.Jane observes her husband pulling away, Gretchen , chasing fame as a musician, wonders if it‘s time to give up & Teddy , suffering from a bad break up retreats to manage Sullivan‘s though his cooking goals are more gourmet.Enjoyed it very much !
pickThis comedy of manners was so fun. The Sullivan cousins are a bit nuts but would be great to have a beer with!🍻
Bud Sullivan, the owner of JP Sullivan‘s and patriarch of a large Chicago family, dies days before the Cubs win the pennant in 2016. With changes afoot in the family and the US, his three grandchildren end up back in the family business. They fight, laugh, and help each other in equal measure through 2017.
Calla lilies have popped!
#20in4 @Andrew65 #readathon this is what is on tap for a reading weekend . The Reef is a buddy read , so not set on finishing it.I have a Christie on the Kindle , Not sure if I will go to library or grab something from the home TBR , but it‘s already Az hot on this holiday weekend in U.S. reading inside in the hottest part of the day is the logical choice!
Didn‘t post my #BOTM selections earlier this week cuz I‘m so far behind , I‘m first!?!? 🤦♀️
My brain power is on low lately. I‘m hoping for sugary sweet books, can‘t wait to dig in to some enjoyable reading.
#ThisWeekinNewBooks #BOTM #ShelfSubscription #Independentbookstoreday
(Not pictured because it was cut off at the bottom: Breathless)
pickHey, Chicago what do you say! I couldn‘t read a bingo‘s worth of family sagas in a row, but I like placing them in the mix. I loved the Fall 2016 World Series Oak Park setting here and mapped its distance from both Lake Forest and Wrigley Field. It wasn‘t a super exiting book but the family dynamics of the extended Sullivan clan and their 3-gen restaurant was fun to read. Go Cubs Go! ↓
pickThis really is just a fun family read. I did not walk away with anything grand, but just enjoyed the time I got to spend with this family, where love is in abundance, but everyone has their own quirks.
Nice batch of books out this week! Cataloging them today, so they are ready for tomorrow's release day.
