In a way, reading a Katherine Center novel is a lot like drinking an iced blended mocha from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. 

Let me explain:

I know exactly what I’m getting with each of them. (A romantic comedy featuring characters who get knocked down, get back up, and also fall in love. A tasty, cold, chocolatey beverage.)

I know there’s a recipe that will be followed. (I don’t have to worry about the ending. I can read 300 pages and know the main characters will wind up together. I can order my blended and know that it will always taste the same, regardless of who makes my drink.)

I know I’ll feel “better” at the end. (And in this case, better could be satisfied, fuller, happier, more joyful. And that’s for both the novel and the beverage.)

I just finished reading Ms. Center’s recently published novel, The Shippers. Definitely an enjoyable read, and maybe it’s just me, but this colorful cover made me think of orange creamsicles. 

First, let me just highlight the wonderful dedication at the front of the book:

“This book is for anyone who could really use a hug right now.” 

The book began with an Author’s Note — Ms. Center’s thoughts on love stories, why we need them, and why they’re good for us. She wrote:

“So for me, as a reader, getting the ‘spoiler’ that the main characters in a love story will end up together just makes me want to read the story more.
“Maybe it’s the opposite of a spoiler.
“What would that even be called?
“An enhancer, maybe?”

Here are some of the passages that stood out to me:

“I mostly became an art teacher because I felt like the world vastly underappreciated the awe-inspiring beauty of mathematics. And I wanted to get that fixed. One middle schooler at a time.”

I had a hard time deciding on my favorite lines from the scene where Cooper gives JoJo a hickey, so here’s just one bit that stood out to me:
“The first thing I realized was that Cooper hadn’t had time to shave this morning — as we scrambled out, late, to breakfast. The minute he made contact, I felt his stubble scratching and prickling my skin like the most erotic sandpaper in the world.
“Instant, full-immersion chills — just rolling up and down that whole side of my body.”

Other passages that stood out to me include the following:

“But as Finn’s face came at me like a fish-eye lens, his lips already puckered in a way that seemed premature, I realized something: I didn’t really want that kiss.
“I was curious about it. I still thought it might turn out to be the closure I needed to fix my whole life. I was still determined to do it…
“But those were all head decisions.
“My heart? Wasn’t interested.
“I didn’t stop him. I watched his face come in for a landing, and then I felt those puckered lips collide with mine. And then I stood very still and endured it. 
“I can’t say he was a bad kisser. I was the bad kisser.
“But as he mopped my face with his mouth, slurping me like I was a plate of spaghetti, all I could do was wait for it to be over.” 

“‘I’ve built my whole life around her. She’s the reason I do everything. She’s the reason I get up in the morning. She’s the reason I go to work. I don’t know who I am without your mom — or why I am. But there’s no way to explain that to her. There aren’t words in the world that can capture it.’” 

“‘Odysseus’s whole purpose in life is to get home to Penelope,’ my dad said. ‘That’s your mom for me.’
“Okay, that was actually unbelievably sweet. 
“Was I going to have to rethink all my theories about my dad? Or worse — go read Homer?”

“’That whole three-minute segment of my life is indelibly tattooed on my brain. I remember the exact weight of his hands on my shoulders. The precise rhythm of his breathing. The scent of his grape-flavored bubble gum. Not to mention the tragic spasms of joy that my heart lapsed into as soon as he got close. I could pick that kiss out of a lineup. I’d know that kiss anywhere.’”

“My dad sighed. ‘I don’t know. When your mom first fell for me, I was younger and better looking. Not sure why she’d want to hang on to this craggy old face now.’
“‘You don’t have to make her fall in love with you,’ I said. ‘You just have to remind her that she already did.’
“My dad considered that.
“‘Once you love somebody,’ I said, ‘once you’ve decided to let yourself love somebody … it’s hard to turn that off.’”

“Words are more powerful than they seem. Right?
“They don’t have any weight or mass or heft. They’re just sounds in the air.
“And yet.
“The sound of those words stopped me short.”

“Cooper squared his shoulders and went on. ‘I’m telling you you’re my favorite person on this overcrowded earth. I’m telling you that I’ve loved you my whole life long.’” 

“And so he took the seaglass ring he’d once given me off my hand. And then we put new rings on each other. And then we got engaged — and started dating.” 

Friends, any other Katherine Center fans out there? Did you read The Shippers? What did you think of it?

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.