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Review: Two Years, No Rain


Two Years, No Rain is Shawn Klopareens’ second novel and our third selection for the Summer Reading Series (with Lisa from Books on the Brain).

Klopareens was born squarely in the palm of Michigan in the winter of 1970, and grew up between there and Central Ohio. After studying English and Geological Sciences in the beautiful foothills of Appalachia at Ohio University, then to Jackson, Wyoming for what he thought would be a one year break from graduate work, and has been here ever since. (source: authors website)

This book is about Andy, a weatherman in a funk. His wife has left him, his career is going no where and he’s not sure what’s next. As I read this book I kept thinking, this is guy-lit. It was interesting reading this story from the perspective of a man rather than a woman.

Andy interviews for a voiceover job with a children’s show and is hired to host the show and quickly moves from coasting through life to being in the spotlight. Children love him, Mom’s love him. To add to the confusion, Andy has had a crush on Hillary for years. What will he do?

I enjoyed the writing style, an entertaining read from a different perspective. I did struggle with the main character at times, wanting to shake him and say “take control of your life”.

If you are reading with us, Lisa is hosting an online book discussion on August 18th. Lisa’s June book club was the most interactive online discussion I have participated in. I can’t wait to discuss this book, there’s a lot to discuss.
Type: Fiction, 384 pages, Trade paperback

Synopsis:
An earnest journey from heartache to heartthrob and all the emotions along the way; at once an old-fashioned love story and a cautionary tale of self-reinvention.

In San Diego County, it hasn’t rained in 580 days. But for weatherman Andy Dunne, everything else is changing fast…Only a few weeks ago, he was a newly divorced, slightly overweight meteorologist for an obscure satellite radio station, hiding his secret love for a colleague, the beautiful—and very much married—Hillary Hsing. But nearly overnight, Andy has landed a new gig, flying a magic carpet in a bizarre live-action children’s TV show. So what is affable, basically decent Andy Dunne going to do now that he can do practically anything he wants? With a parade of hot moms begging for his autograph and a family that needs his help more than ever, Andy has a lot of choices. First, though, there’s this thing with Hillary, their heated text messages, a long-awaited forecast for rain – and a few other surprises he never saw coming…

Reviews:
“Compelling characters…Klomparens is frequently a funny and stylish writer.” — Publishers Weekly

“Klomparens is…a genuinely original new voice in fiction” — Omnivoracious