Books
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1492: A Novel of Christopher Columbus
In recent times, Christopher Columbus’ success in discovering the New World has been repainted to reflect some of the horrors that he brought upon its inhabitants, in turn making some question whether he really should be given a national holiday here in the U.S. The child in me who grew up making collages and paintings of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria each October was definitely disillusioned. There is much more to Christopher Columbus, however, than the outcome of his journey to the Americas. In his book 1492: A Novel of Christopher Columbus, the Spanish Inquisition & a World at the Turning Point, Newton Frohlich paints a fascinating picture of Columbus in the…
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Three Amazing Things About You by Jill Mansell
There’s something about curling up with a Jill Mansell novel that makes me feel I’m back in the UK. If I can find a quiet chair, a cozy blanket and a hot cup of tea, I’m sorted for the afternoon (and evening, I confess.) And with Three Amazing Things About You in hand (along with a few chocolate biscuits to dip in said tea), I was not disappointed. Genre: Fiction Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Release Date: October 1, 2016 Pages: 448 Rating: 4/5 The Blurb International bestseller Jill Mansell breaks hearts and puts them back together in this sweet and poignant story about life’s choices. Three Amazing Things About You features a young woman with a secret.…
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The Wedding Shop – A Book Review
I confess: one of my favorite guilty pleasures is the TLC reality series “Say Yes To The Dress”. When a book set titled The Wedding Shop – one with dual timelines, 80 years apart – was offered up, I couldn’t resist. It went straight to the top of my reading pile. Only because of crazy technical stuff (which I still don’t understand) taking out my blog while I moved it to a new host could I not share it with you when intended – so, yay, lucky you, this book is available now. Come see why I enjoyed it so much! Series: The Hearts Bend Series Author: Rachel Hauck Genre: Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction Publisher: Zondervan/HarperCollins Release Date: August 16, 2016 Pages: 384 …
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Blog Tour Book Review: The Orphan Keeper
I’m excited to be part of the Summer 2016 blog tour for The Orphan Keeper. Many thanks to the author and Smith Publicity for letting me take part – this was a truly amazing story! Synopsis Seven-year-old Chellamuthu’s life is forever changed when he is kidnapped from his village in India, sold to a Christian orphanage, and then adopted by an unsuspecting couple in the United States. It takes months before the boy can speak enough English to tell his parents that he already has a family back in India. Horrified, they try their best to track down his Indian family, but all avenues lead to dead ends. Meanwhile, they…
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Oh, How The Years Fly By (A Whimsical Coloring Journey)
Oh, how the years fly by! A whimsical coloring journey. . . & A whimsical inspirational journey . . . by Annette Bridges Genre: Inspirational Adult Coloring & Quote Books Date of Publication: August 1, 2016 Publisher: Ranch House Press # of pages: 72 Scroll down for Giveaway! Oh, how the years fly by! A whimsical coloring journey is an adult coloring book that features thirty vibrant original illustrations and quotes that will take you on an enchanting voyage of reflection. Be reminded of the simple pleasures that make you feel happy. Find the encouragement you need to nourish your soul and refresh your spirit. Get out your…
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Favorite Book Picks for Fall Reading
Summer vacation is but a memory as kids are back to school, fall weather is looming and Christmas decorations are popping up in stores. (Believe it or not, my Kindle is quickly filling with Christmas-themed books for holiday season reviews – hard to get in the mood, too, when it’s 94 degrees and I’m sweating on my patio.) But I digress…as we get back into the swing of homework, sport practice, dance lessons and the like, you KNOW you are going to need some downtime, so when you can find it, I have the perfect reads for you. I’ve had my nose in a book all summer, so the following are (a…
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Book Review: Bury the Living
I’m drawn to historical fiction, and I’m a sucker for a bit of the paranormal or contemporary fantasy. I’m also a fan of Jodi McIsaac’s Thin Veil series and as well as her thriller “A Cure for Madness” (which I’m sure she wrote into a full novel after I insisted in my Amazon review that her original short story of should be so much more.) When an e-galley of her newest book Bury the Living came available on NetGalley, I pounced on it, and then brewed a cup of tea and settled in for a late night of reading. She didn’t disappoint. Bury the Living has a little bit of everything:…
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Tuesday’s Read: Seashell Season
What do you do when your one long-held hope is finally realized – and it’s nothing like you expected? What happens when you find out that most of your life has been a lie? Intrigued? Holly Chamberlain’s newest novel, Seashell Season, tackles this and more in a book that will tug on your heartstrings. When Verity Peterson’s baby was two months old, her estranged husband runs off with baby Gemma. For sixteen years, Verity has waited, and hoped, patiently, that she would be found and returned to her. And sixteen years after being abducted, she is. While Verity is overjoyed, Marni Armstrong – the name her father gave her –…
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8 Reasons You Need to Go To Hay Festival
Note: This post featured events from the 2016 program. To view/book events for the 2017 Festival running 25 May – 4 June, click here to for current offerings and up-to-date information.* It’s early morning and I woke to the crash of thunder and a crack of lightning. Perfect. The weather is spot on to match my mood, because my hopes to be at Hay Festival this week were dashed by airfare prices, and I love my firstborn just enough to not sell him for passage. (Damn you, British Airways and your blackout periods for using air miles.) The stereotypical wet Welsh weather is falling here while lovely Hay-on-Wye is experiencing lovely weather. It’s been three years since…
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Disney, Roald Dahl and the BFG (and a Movie Trailer)
I’ve always been an avid reader, and one of my favorite childhood authors was Roald Dahl. The BFG, The Magic Finger, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Danny the Champion of the World – all of them wonderful, comic (sometimes darkly so) stories where the children triumph over the wicked adult villains (usually with the help of one “good” adult”). The aspiring writer in me delighted over his made-up words (like “snozzcumber” and “whizzpopping”). As an adult, my time in Wales was particularly sentimental as we browsed through the used bookstores in my lovely Hay-on-Wye to find copies of his books for my own children to discover. The BFG tells the tale…
