This was a strange, weirdly fascinating read. I'm still not sure how much I liked it, but I'm definitely glad I read it.

Wimbledon Green is one of a passel of classic comic book collectors in a cut-throat and sometimes violent world of comic book collectors. As they compete with one another for the dwindling supply of old Mint quality comics they also face the biggest question - who exactly IS Wimbledon Green? Where did he come from? And how did he amass his massive collection?

Not being a heavy collector, I think there are some bits of this that just don't resonate with me the way they will with some people. But the disconnected way the story was told - through interviews with fellow collectors, sellers, comic shop owners and others, along with regular narrative comics - made the story more of a puzzle to piece together than one to just read, and I really appreciated that. It was a great meditation on why people collect things, what they're looking for in their collection, and how impassioned they can get about something that's ultimately not that important. But it's important to THEM, for various reasons.

While the art isn't great and the lettering was a little hard for me to read at times, it was a quick, fascinating read and I may have to seek out more by this creator.

I hope everyone in the Northern Hemisphere is settling into a lovely summer. 

If you haven't been able to take a vacation yet, here are some Summertime Contemporary Romances that will let you get away a bit.  

1. The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller 

2. The Chocolate Rose by Laura Florand  Free Right Now!

3. Bad Boys of Summer by Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy and Amy Garvey 

4. The Theory of Attraction by Delphine Dryden 

5. Summer Nights by Susan Mallery

6. One Reckless Summer by Toni Blake 

7. Pitch Perfect  by Sierra Dean 

8. Slow Summer Burn by Elisabeth Barrett

9. After Wimbledon  by Jennifer Gilby Roberts 

10. The Summer Cottage by Lily Everett 

Let me know if you have a favorite Contemporary Romance that takes place during the Summer. 

To vote for the best of the best, go to the Goodreads list: Best Contermpary Romances Set in Summer. 

To really get away, visit my Pinterest Board: Summer Reads: Romances Books Set in the Summer. 

Reading Updates:

Right now I am slowly re-reading Gone With the Wind (I say slowly because I have a ton of books in my tbr pile that need to be read this month and I keep adding to that list). I am on page 323 and remembering exactly why I first fell in love with GWTW.

Today I plan on starting Killer Image by Wendy Tyson. I was approved for the second book in the Allison Campbell Mysteries series (Deadly Assets) so I went and bought the first one (Killer Image) to catch up.

Life Updates:

WIMBLEDON STARTED TODAY!! I love watching Wimbledon and it is on my bucket list to someday go there and watch in person. Back in my senior year of high school I had this plan that I would go to Wimbledon and Rafael Nadal would spot me in the stands and fall madly in love with me. While I now don't think that will happen, I can still dream and possibly even write a short story about it. I'll be obviously rooting for Nadal to win and also cheering for Andy Murray.

I’m obsessed with chick lit. No matter what I do, no matter how many serious novels I’m reading (right now, I’m working my way through the 900 pages of Vanity Fair), a chick lit book always feels like coming home.

So when I found After Wimbledon by Jennifer Gilby Roberts, I was just dying to read it. And thank God I did.

Lucy Bennett, how is very much like Becky Bloomwood, is a tennis-pro who is prepping for Wimbledon, but really considering retirement. However, her one-night-stand-turned-boyfriend Joe does not want her to retire and most definitely does not want any of her post-retirement plans (house, marriage, babies,…). And then there’s Sam, one of the best tennis players in the world, the rival of Lucy’s boyfriend and the only person who thinks Lucy is not an idiot for wanting to retire.

So who does Lucy trust? And is retirement really a good option when she’s only 28? These are the main themes in the book, though there are a few small curveballs in the plot.

Lucy is funny and endearing and as a reader, you really want her to be happy. Joe is the perfect asshole boyfriend you want her to leave and Sam is a modern day Prince Charming.

It’s a chick lit, so the plot can be expected, but that’s what makes this book so good. There are no really unexpected turns (except maybe one towards the end), no big character developments, everything happens exactly as the reader wants it to happen.

However, unlike the many chick lits that have given me a headache, this book is actually written well. Jennifer clearly knows how to make the reader connect with Lucy and how to portray Lucy’s humor on page (and not just with saying “oh Lucy, you are so funny”). But don’t take my word for it, read a little passage from the beginning of the book – so completely spoiler free: “This isn’t the type of thing we normally talk about. Joe and I have what I think of as an emotionally open relationship. In a traditional open relationship (oxymoron?), you are emotionally intimate only with each other and sleep with anyone you want. In our case, we are sexually exclusive but have your deep and meaningful conversations with other people. That is, assuming Joe has any at all.”

That last sentence? That’s the kind of sentence that makes me laugh out loud in bed.

I was a bit worried that After Wimbledon would be too much about tennis for me, because I hate tennis and can’t stand watching it or hearing about it. But, even though tennis is a huge part of the plot, no knowledge of tennis is required nor are there any long reports about tennis matches. It’s about Lucy and her career and men – not the technicality of tennis.

After Wimbledon is not groundbreaking chick lit, such as a Bridget Jones’ Diary was, but it’s a fun read and I think it’s perfect for the summer that’s coming. Grab a drink, sit outside (preferably on a beach) and this book is your perfect companion.

Lady Em's Indiscretion

After Wimbledon

Primal Obsession

Just After Midnight