Tales from the Laundry Pile

Book review of “Tales from the Laundry Pile”

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“Tales from the Laundry Pile” by Kathleen Kole

Book Description:

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.

Tales from the Laundry Pile, an engaging, thoughtful story of motherhood, family tangles, new friendships and self-discovery.

The Boxwood Hills novels take place in the same picturesque mountain town, they have been written to stand alone; each story one in a set of many. That being said, don’t be surprised to see characters you recognize from other books within each other’s tale. They love to make cameos. Welcome to Boxwood Hills!

My Review:

Ever since I read “Favorable Conditions” (click HERE to read my review), I’ve been a huge fan of Kathleen Kole, so I was eager to read “Tales from the Laundry Pile”.

This book was easy to get into, as action started right away, thanks to Claire’s four-year-old twin boys who find trouble. It made me get a glimpse of what was to come, giving us a peek into her the overworked and tired mother’s life. At the beginning, Claire seemed like a good mother, I thought she was a little too lenient (I wouldn’t let my kids go outside in a new town without watching them), but as the book goes on, I wanted to tell her to chill and relax, and let her know that if one of her boys falls down, it’s going to be okay. I liked the scene near the end when she overhears her sons telling a friend how they consider her a “scared mommy.” That really hit home for her and I think she took it to heart. However, I found it a little unbelievable when she decided to change, a talk with a friend and a stop at the salon was going to change anything. While she might have loved her boys, she kept apologizing for them when they weren’t doing anything wrong, but I really think she was apologizing for her insecurities about being a perfect mother. One thing I wished we could’ve seen was Clair putting them to bed, showing us her maternal side.

I liked Claire’s husband, Jake, and thought he made for a good husband and father. I would’ve liked to have seen more into their marriage because it seems like they were roommates, not lovers.

As for Jessica, Claire’s friend, I really couldn’t read her. I was a little curious as to why she kept questioning Claire about Jake before meeting him. It kind of made me wonder if she and Jake were having an affair or had been lovers.

Overall, “Tales from the Laundry Pile” was a good and quick weekend read. I’m not a mother, so I can’t relate, but I would recommend this book for any mom who is stressed, overworked, and is constantly doing laundry. Though this book wasn’t my favorite from her, Kathleen Kole is a wonderful writer and gifted writer, and I look forward to reading more from her.

I give this book 3 stars.

**GUEST POST**

Writing… the back and forth, the to-and-fro, the roundabouts. My journey.

Writing isn’t a straight forward journey. Any writer will agree with that, I’m sure, and I can attest to the fact that my own experiences have been on a path that has meandered.

I began my journey in my early twenties commissioned straight out of College to, believe it or not, write a book! I was hired to write a book that would be a part of a larger series and the irony was, at that point, I wasn’t aspiring to be a novelist of any sort. Funny how life works.

Once I’d completed that job I moved on into the world of freelance writing; at that point, much more my speed. I wrote for numerous newspapers, chasing down stories, interviewing all sorts of people and generally have a grand old time developing my writing chops. Nothing will train you to meet a deadline like knowing a paper is going to print and you MUST have your story ready; nor teach you to write within the confines of a certain number of words because that’s the space you must fill. Never a dull moment, I loved every minute of it.

So, why didn’t I stay in that freelancing world? One word: Family. I met and married my amazing husband and a year and a half after that, our beautiful son was born. When he arrived in our lives, I felt I had a choice to make: Juggle writing and motherhood, or set my keyboard aside and give my focus to my growing family. I chose the latter. I allowed myself the time to fully embrace my young family without guilt or feeling pulled into too many directions and I am so thankful I did. I knew the time would fly by (it did, that “new baby” will turn sixteen years old this summer) and I didn’t want to miss it.

And that brings us speedily to the past two years! In that time, I have written and published four novels. Each one of my books has had the good fortune to be revealed to the reading public by going on tour with Samantha at Chick Lit Plus. (Shameless plug I know, but it truly warms my heart to have been working with Samantha during my entire publishing journey. She’s a fabulous person to have in your corner.)

This year has seen my books embraced by readers in the UK and my very first novel, Breaking Even, even went bestseller on UK Amazon for two months! Admittedly, I was gobsmacked and again I feel I must say, funny how life works. You never know what’s around the next corner.

And, finally, in the “around the next corner” mode, I am working speedily on my fifth novel (yes, new characters to meet in Boxwood Hills…) to be published in the fall. Story details and cover reveal to come. I just keep on rolling.

Alright, that’s enough about me!

I’d like to shift gears and extend a huge thank you to you, Isabella, for inviting me to share a piece of my history with you and your followers. And an extra thank you for being willing to be a part of the tour for Tales from the Laundry Pile.

Gotta go fold some sheets….

Hugs.

xxx

KathleenKolePic **About Kathleen: