Saturday, April 30, 2011

Faith and Fiction Round Table (2)


 
Today is this years second discussion from the Faith n' Fiction Round Table hosted by My Friend Amy, a group of bloggers dedicated to read books relating to faith. We have discussions via email and then post our thoughts on our personal blogs. This month the book of choice was Philip Yancey's What Good is God.

 
What Good is God by Philip Yancey
October 2010 by Faith Words
Hardcover, 304 Pages
Library Copy
 
Religion author Philip Yancey described his approach to his books this way: "I'm not a professor or academic or ordained pastor. I'm an ordinary pilgrim. When I tackle a project, I try to represent my readers." In What Good Is God?, he sets out on a spiritual pilgrimage that takes him to scenes of trauma and healing at several far-flung locales. His search for answers about the value of belief leads him to crowded Mumbai, India streets that were rocked by terrorist attacks; to the backstreet motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated; to the Virginia Tech campus still recovering from a student massacre; to an AA convention and to a conference for women attempting to survive in prostitution. A journey where every stop brings new answers.
 
 
Thoughts
 
This book seemed to spark almost the same reaction across the board- great thoughts but overall not presented well. Basically the novel reads like a series of speeches (ones that Yancey has personally used) so most of the novel was recycled material that he placed in one big book. While I found what he was doing and the conversations he was having with particular people who have suffered tragedy, hopelessness, prostitution, poverty and so on interesting I didn't find his book actually addressing the question. The writing itself was to choppy to connect to and unfortunately the reading felt like a chore rather than enjoyment or even enlightenment. I think the biggest factor that I can take away from this novel is my own freedom as an American to worship the God I believe in. Im amazed at the lengths people will go to in order to believe in God when they are a part of a country that doesn't allow freedom in religion. All in all while I wouldn't recommend this novel due to format issues, I would suggest trying Yancey's earlier works like The Jesus I Never Knew or Whats So Amazing About Grace.
 
Check out the rest of the Round Tables thoughts-
 
My Friend Amy, Book Addiction, Book Hooked Blog, Books and Movies, Crazy for Books, Ignorant Historian, Linus's Blanket, My Random Thoughts, One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, Roving Reads, Semicolon, The 3R's Blog, Victorious Cafe, Word Lily
 
 

Friday, April 29, 2011

A Cowboys Touch by Denise Hunter

A Cowboys Touch by Denise Hunter
March 29, 2011 by Thomas Nelson
Paperback, 320 Pages
Review Copy


Wade's ranch home needs a woman's touch. Abigail's life needs a cowboy's touch.

Four years ago, rodeo celebrity Wade Ryan gave up his identity to protect his daughter. Now, settled on a ranch in Big Sky Country, he lives in obscurity, his heart guarded by a high, thick fence. Abigail Jones isn't sure how she went from big-city columnist to small-town nanny, but her new charge is growing on her, to say nothing of her ruggedly handsome boss. Love blossoms between Abigail and Wade--despite her better judgment. Will the secrets she brought with her to Moose Creek, Montana separate her from the cowboy who finally captured her heart?


Review

Abigail loves her job! She loves being a reporter and finding the truth in current and relevant stories in her town. However Abigail is also suffering from high blood pressure which is compounded by the fact that she is a workaholic. Abigail’s mother (and boss) decides a break is in order for Abigail and suggests (ahem-forces) her to take a vacation. Reluctantly, Abigail agrees and heads out to her Aunt Lucy’s Montana home. As luck would have it when she gets to Montana circumstances lead her to a nanny position taking care of a little girl named Maddy.

Maddy’s father is hot….smoking hot and he’s a cowboy (aka rodeo star cowboy Wade Ryan) who quickly disappeared off the scene after his wife's mysterious death. Abigail of course is intrigued, not able to let her investigative streak sleep, begins to look into Wades past and the mystery surrounding his wife. As the days of nanny car go by the chemistry continues to build around their relationship, but guilt and shameful pasts both inhibit them to not take the next step, slowly though the two begin healing and the future hasn't looked sweeter. After much investigating and research, Abigail learns the truth and the story is explosive, one that could launch her mothers magazine into super stardom, but at the same time could seriously hurt Wade….what’s a girl to do? Well if it were me Id take the hot ranch man and make a run for it….but characters have a mind of their own and the answer may surprise you as our main character seriously struggles over the dilemma she’s facing.

This was my first Denise Hunter book and I'm so excited to have found this fun and talented author. Im eagerly anticipating meeting more of her characters as I devour her books. Hunters writing is wholesome yet full of enough reality and moral dilemma to relate it to real life. Don't mistake this for a cheesy western cowboy meets city girl. Its actually a very tender and warm hearted love story.

Rating

A Cowboys Touch is recommended to readers who love wholesome romance and uplifting stories. Clean cut for all readers including mature teens and adults alike. Contains: Romance, farm life and moral dilemmas.

4/5- Inspy Romance
Thanks to Publisher and Audra Jennings for review copy.



The Goodbye Quilt by Susan Wiggs


The Goodbye Quilt by Susan Wiggs
March 29, 2011 by Mira
Hardcover, 400 Pages
Review Copy

Linda Davis’ local fabric shop is a place where women gather to share their creations: quilts commemorating important events in their lives. Wedding quilts, baby quilts, memorial quilts each is bound tight with dreams, hopes and yearnings.

 Now, as her only child readies for college, Linda is torn between excitement for Molly, and heartache for herself. Who will she be when she is no longer needed in her role as mom? What will become of her days? Of her marriage?


Mother and daughter decide to share one last adventure together a cross-country road trip to move Molly into her dorm. As they wend their way through the heart of the country, Linda pieces together the scraps that make up Molly’s young life. And in the stitching of each bit of fabric the hem of a christening gown, a snippet from a Halloween costume Linda discovers that the memories of a shared journey can come together in a way that will keep them both warm in the years to come…

Review

Motherhood: For many women this word means one thing but encapsulates many emotions, for many of us it means holding back things for ourselves and putting a child’s needs in front of our own, including even our own dreams. For some though, our dreams were always of being a mom and for Linda Davis her entire life since the birth of her daughter Molly has been just that. Her focus, her love and her life have been driven by being the best mom to her daughter. After 18 happy years, with its occasional adolescent ups and downs, Linda must see her daughter off to college. Letting go though is proving to be the hardest thing she’s ever faced, even harder than thinking about her own future, what meaning is left in her life or the stand still marriage waiting at home.

Over the process of the road trip with Molly, Linda is determined to face things head on, to trust that letting go of her daughter will open a new chapter to her life and for therapeutic reasons is making Molly a goodbye quilt. Each piece of fabric has a healing property one for memories, one for dreams, even ones for hope and sadness. The quilt while significant for Molly and holds her memories as well, is more for Linda as she pieces together the uncertainty of her life.

I really enjoyed this cute and sentimental novel that pulled at my heartstrings and reminded me of how precious the time is with my own children. While I really enjoyed reflecting back with Linda and seeing her work through her self-doubt and lack of hope, I felt that the relationships took a strong backseat on this road trip, making this story cute but really not deep or thought provoking. I would have loved to have seen Mollys POV in the novel, I think that would have added some more flair to the book, however after reading Wiggs writing journey with this particular book (posted below) I understand why the focus was on Linda. I would surly recommend this to anyone who likes tender hearted stories with an uplifting message or for anyone looking for a light read on a beach day. It’s simple, has a very sweet end and was written with good feely goodness.


...the journey to college is a rite of passage we mark as a joyous occasion, one we celebrate by buying luggage and books on how to find a fulfilling life. But really, if you ask any mother, shell tell you that deep down, we want to mark it as a loss, a funeral of sorts. We never show our sorrow though. Our sadness stays in the shadows like something slightly shameful......pg. 22

Rating

The Goodbye Quilt is a fun and clean read, recommended to mature teens and adults alike. Contains: Mother/daughter relationships, teen romance, life dreams and hopes.

3/5- Contemporary Fiction
Thanks to Mira and Eric Glover for review copy.


Guest Post with Author Susan Wiggs

Guest Post with Author Susan Wiggs


Today Im happy to have Susan Wiggs on the blog as she talks about the steps in writing her lovely novel, The Goodbye Quilt. Be sure to check out the blog later this after noon and read the review!!

Gestation by Susan Wiggs

Some novels have a long "gestation period." The Goodbye Quilt is one of those novels. From the time I conceived of the idea until the book was actually published, several years had passed. That’s not to say I was working on the book the whole time. I had other deadline and obligations to take care of. I had to keep my Lakeshore Chronicles on track and write other novels that had been nagging at me.

But all along, the notion of a mother driving her only child to college for the first time was a project on the back burner, never really out of my radar range. It was like one of those unfinished home craft projects–a sweater that turned out to be too ambitious to knit. A scrapbook that overwhelms you with its abundance. A garden that looked a lot prettier in your mind than it did in the real world. You tend to set it aside, thinking you’ll come back to it one day but secretly wondering if you really will.

The hold-up, in the case of THE GOODBYE QUILT, was not just the time factor. The book also lacked a narrative voice, a unifying theme, a title and an ending. Any ninth-grade English student will tell you that without those things, you don’t actually have a book.

I found the narrative voice by experimenting. First, I told the story in the third person, past tense. ("Linda was worried about what would become of her once Molly left the nest...") It didn’t feel immediate enough to me. Then I tried rewriting it in the first person, past tense. (I remember how much I worried about Molly leaving the nest...") But my readers are savvy, and they would figure out the ending too quickly that way. Finally, I tried the first person, present tense, to show the story unfolding through Linda’s eyes as it happened. This was the choice that felt right, and so I went with it. Boom, done.

Next I needed a theme. In the early drafts, Linda was not a quilter. She was a bit of a homebody but I had to work on her for a while before realizing she had a consuming passion for fiber crafts and quilting. I fell in love with this beautiful art form, even though I don’t practice it myself. Linda was very, very good at it, maybe as good as my friend Joan, who created the original quilt pattern at the end of the book.

The book was called, on its computer file the College Road Trip Book. Not a very apt title, so I started calling it The Last Carpool. I loved that one, but let it go when it was pointed out to me that "carpool" implies a group of people traveling together, not just a mother and daughter. Now that I had turned Linda into a quilter, I could name the book after her pet project–The Goodbye Quilt. Boom, again.

Finally, and most importantly, the book needed an ending. I wanted it to feel right and true for the characters, and also in the reader’s heart and mind. I came up with what I thought was the ideal, bittersweet conclusion to the journey–only to realize later it didn’t work. It was only when I realized the true meaning of Linda’s oeuvre–the quilt itself–was I able to come up with the right ending.

I’d love to hear what readers took away from the story of Linda and Molly, talking and arguing and adventuring their way across the country.

Happy reading,
Susan Wiggs

**Thanks Susan for stopping by and best of luck to you and your novel The Goodbye Quilt!! To learn more about Susan, check out her website at Susanwiggs.com. 



Thursday, April 28, 2011

Shelf Cravings (15)


Welcome to Shelf Cravings a weekly feature hosted by me and is all about books- new releases, coming soon and cant wait to read. This week Im excited for....


~Coming Soon~



Dry as Rain by Gina Holmes
September 2011 by Tyndale House

From the bestselling author of Crossing Oceans comes a powerfully moving story that tests the limits of love’s forgiveness. Like many marriages, Eric and Kyra Yoshida’s has fallen apart slowly, one lost dream and misunderstanding at a time, until the ultimate betrayal finally pushes them beyond reconciliation. Just when it looks like forgive and forget is no longer an option, a car accident gives Eric the second chance of a lifetime. A concussion causes his wife to forget details of her life, including the chasm between them. No one knows when—or if—Kyra’s memory will return, but Eric seizes the opportunity to win back the woman he’s never stopped loving.






Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee
September 2011 by Center Street


1200 years ago, during the Age of Chaos, life as people knew it was nearly annihilated by hatred, ambition, zealotry and war. From the aftermath of near destruction rose a message of hope through the establishment of a new order-one which elevated knowledge and control above the volatility of emotion and expression. No more would the world suffer the effects of malice, greed or passion. Strong, mitigating emotion exists only in historical memory...
After happening upon an ancient journal through strange circumstance, Rom's world is shattered. He learns that humanity long ago ceased to feel any emotion besides pain, that it exists today in a living death. In a terrible risk, Rom exposes himself to the vial of blood folded into the old leather of the journal. His change is fearful and fraught with mind-bending emotion. A once-pious observer of the Order's passionless statues, he is filled with uncontrollable impulses. He is filled with love. He is undone, terrified, and alone in the dead world.





Illuminated by Erica Orloff
December 2011 by Speak

Some loves are not made to last . . . Like Romeo and Juliet, Heloise and Abelard were doomed from the start, and their romance was destined to pass into history. Yet when sixteen-year-old Callie Martin discovers a diary hidden within an antique book, their story and her stakes on another life. For the diary leads Callie to the brilliant and handsome August, who is just as mysterious as the secret the diary hides. Their attraction is undeniable. As the two hunt down the truth behind the diary and that of Heloise and Abelard’s ancient romance their romance becomes all-consuming. But Callie knows it can’t last . . . love never does. Will their love that burns as bright as a shooting star flame out, or will these star-crossed lovers be able to defy history.





Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier 
May 2011 by Henry Holt Co.

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon, the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.




The Muir House by Mary Demuth
June 2011 by Zondervan
(thanks for the heads up Relz)

You'll find home one day. Sure as sweet tea on a hot afternoon. Words from Willa Muir's sketchy childhood haunt her dreams and color her days with longing, regret, and fear. What do the words mean? Willa is far from sure. 



When Hale Landon places a ring on her finger, Willa panics, feeling she can't possibly say yes when so much in her past is a mystery. Bent on sorting out her history, Willa returns to Rockwall, Texas, to the Muir House Bed and Breakfast, a former funeral home. But the old place holds her empty memory close to itself. Willa's mother utters unintelligible clues from her deathbed, and the caretaker of the house keeps coveted answers carefully protected. Throw in an old flame, and Willa careens farther away from ever knowing the truth. Set in a growing suburb of Texas, The Muir House explores trauma, healing, love new and old, and the life-changing choices people make to keep their reputations intact.


~Cant Wait to Read~





Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne
December 2011 by Simon Pulse

Hannah and Colin seem to have the perfect relationship, but as her second-to-last year of school draws to a close and Colin prepares to head off to college, Hannah feels he might be slipping away. She knows they need some real quality time alone if she’s going to hold on to him. So when she finds pictures of his old family lake house, she secretly schemes to get him there. But when they arrive, he’s not thrilled. Actually, he’s totally freaked out. And though she gets him to relax, his behavior become stranger by the day: he disappears for long stretches of the night, has a bizarre breakdown in a nearby diner, and when the car stops running, he seems completely unconcerned about fixing it. The lake house holds secrets, and what Hannah doesn’t know and Colin can’t remember just might kill them both...



Ecckk!! Im so crazy excited to get my hands on all of these books, I just pre-ordered a few of these and Im over the moon to get Gina Holmes new novel, her debut book Crossing Oceans was phenomenal!!




And.......This trailer gave me chill bumps.....cant wait to read THIS!!






Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

The Violets of March by Sarah Jio
April 26th 2011 by Plume
Paperback, 304 Pages
Review Copy

In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.

Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.

Review

Emily’s life is in shambles, her writing career has dried up and her husband (well almost x-husband) has decided he loves Stephanie and wants a divorce. Feeling overwhelmed, numb and a little lost Emily decides with the encouragement of a friend to get away for awhile and sort through her life. There’s really only one place that seems to be calling for her and that is Bainbridge Island, a place where her Aunt Bee lives and a place that holds sacred childhood memories. So she decides to journey there from New York and stay a month. For Emily this month will change her life, her heart, her soul and her writing career.

During her first few days there, Emily discovers a journal in her bedside stand and at first is hesitant to read it fearing it might be her aunts, but is fascinated to discover the life of woman named Esther who lived on island in 1943. Emily becomes enraptured reading through Esther’s story as it reveals a passionate love between her and man named Elliot and the dynamics of her marriage, adultery, betrayals and a mystery so thick it would captivate anyone who read it. Before long and to Emily’s amazement, she begins to see links into her own family and her own childhood that never made sense to her then, but become clear after reading Esther’s story and knowing this information, putting the pieces together and in the meantime finding the love of her life sends things spinning out of control for her and for all those keeping dark secrets on the island.

I cant say this enough….I LOVED this novel. I loved the story, the characters and especially Esther’s story from 1943. Jio with sheer perfection took a modern day setting and weaved it with characters and the world of the 1940’s. The writing was gorgeous and I felt swept away by the island, the descriptions, the love and the passion surrounding the characters. It was truly exciting trying to figure out the mystery that had me turning page after page to see what happened to the love between Esther and Elliot, to see all the pieces come together and finally when the revelation came I was gasping, crying and stunned by the turn of events. Do not miss this amazingly great story from a talented new voice in literature, I’m almost doing back flips at how much I adored this novel, my favorite this year so far!


Rating

The Violets of March is recommended to adult reader and for fans of romance, contemporary fiction, cozy mysteries and time pieces. Contains: Romance, mild sexuality, adultery, friendship, divorce, family drama and mild violence.

5/5- Romance- Contemporary
Thanks to Sarah Jio for the chance to review and to Plume for Giveaway copy

The Violets of March released today...HURRY go buy your copy now!!!!!





Monday, April 25, 2011

Author Guest Post with Holly Schindler



So today I'm super excited to have author Holly Schindler on the blog as she talks about her writing experience with her two very popular YA novels A Blue so Dark and Playing Hurt!



Write, And Rewrite, And Rewrite, And...
by Holly Schindler

My second novel, PLAYING HURT, was initially drafted before my debut, A BLUE SO DARK—in about ’04 or ’05!  When you sit down to write a novel, you don’t think it’ll be six years before it hits the shelves…But in many ways, I’m glad it took so long.

I rewrote the book several times, peeling back the layers of my characters with each rewrite.  

Each time I completed the book, I felt good about it—felt it was a solid story about a girl who went on a family vacation and found herself falling for one of the resort guides in a way that she had never fallen for her boyfriend at home…She learned the difference, over her vacation, between loving someone (the way she felt for her boyfriend) and really being passionately IN love with someone (the way she felt about the guide).  I called the original book SUMMER FLING, because it was a story about how one girl’s summer fling hadn’t really JUST been a fling after all—it had been one of the more meaningful events of her life.

In ’09, after selling BLUE, I re-read the book, and I had this “something’s missing” pang—I suddenly realized my characters needed backstory.  In reading my book, I was suddenly struck by how athletic Chelsea seemed.  I began to rewrite, giving her a sports history…after a few chapters, I realized Clint needed backstory, too.  So I began to write chapters from his POV.  

The love / in love storyline does still exist…It’s not the ONLY storyline now.  But that’s the beauty of not giving up on a book that hasn’t sold…every book becomes richer and more complex with each rewrite…so take advantage of every rejection.  Use it as an excuse to infuse your novel with another level of depth!


PLAYING HURT Jacket Copy:

Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration in her hometown.  But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort.  There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past.  As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home.  Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?


A BLUE SO DARK Jacket Copy:

Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.


Find out more about Holly at her website Hollyschindler.com or follow her twitter page @holly_schnidler




Thanks Holly for stopping by today! Wishing you all the best in your YA writing career! I know Im off to pick up my copy of A Blue so Dark!!



Saturday, April 23, 2011

Saturday Spotlight - Sarah Jio and Giveaway


Welcome to the Saturday Spotlight, a weekly feature hosted at Tinasbookreviews and highlights indie, unknown, up and rising and debut authors. Basically its all about authors and the great books they write. This week I have the pleasure introducing readers to...

~SARAH JIO~

Today Sarah will be sharing some thoughts on music and how its influenced her writing!


The Waters of March 
by Sarah Jio

Few people know that when I sat down to write The Violets of March, I started with a song called “The Waters of March” by the late Susannah McCorkle (originally the early title for my book, before it was changed to “The Violets of March”). It’s a beautiful song that I think everyone should go download on iTunes and listen to. I challenged myself to imagine a story based on this song, a story that would match the beauty of the music. The story came to me quickly, and I got a first draft written in the period of a few months, often listening to “The Waters of March” on repeat as I wrote.  


I don’t think writers should underestimate the power of music in their work. After all, psychologists have dubbed music as a “mood-altering substance.” Music can help a writer craft her story with deeper emotions and greater meaning. That’s why I put an entire playlist together while writing the book, and listened to songs that fit each scene. For instance, in the parts of the book that took place in the 1940s, I listened to some classic music that sparked the feelings and motivations of my characters. To see a playlist of the music I listened to while writing my novel, click here. [LINK: http://www.sarahjio.com/?p=957]

I recently sold my second novel, The Bungalow, to Penguin (it’s out in April 2012) and music was an important part of that writing experience as well. And, my third novel, in progress right now (can’t wait to share more about it!) was completely inspired by a song I heard on the Siriously Sinatra Satellite Radio Channel. The morale of the story: Music may be trying to tell you something. Are you listening?  

Thank you for having me Tina!

**Sarah Jio is a veteran magazine writer and the health and fitness blogger for Glamour magazine, a role she’s had for nearly three years. In addition, she is a women’s health contributor to Womansday.com, the web site of Woman’s Day magazine. She has written hundreds of articles for national magazines and top newspapers including Redbook, O, The Oprah Magazine, Cooking Light, Glamour, SELF, Real Simple, Fitness, Marie Claire, Hallmark magazine, Seventeen, The Nest, Health, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, The Seattle Times, Parents, Parenting, and Kiwi. In addition, Sarah is a monthly columnist for American Baby

Sarah has a degree in journalism and writes about topics that include food, nutrition, health, entertaining, travel, diet/weight loss, beauty, fitness, shopping, psychology, parenting and beyond. She frequently tests and develops recipes for major magazines. Sarah lives in Seattle with her husband, Jason, and young sons Carson, Russell and Colby. Find out more about Sarah at www.sarahjio.com 

~Thank you Sarah for stopping by, best of luck to your new novel (I know I absolutely adored it!!) and I cant wait to read your second novel The Bungalow~


GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Sarah I have one lovely new paperback copy of The Violets of March to giveaway. This is open to to everyone. Just leave a comment and a winner will be drawn April 29, 2011.




The Violets of March

A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author. In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after. 

Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life. 

A mesmerizing debut with an idyllic setting and intriguing dual story line, The Violets of March announces Sarah Jio as a writer to watch.



Friday, April 22, 2011

Book Spotlight- An Eye for Glory by Karl Bacon

Book Spotlight- An Eye For Glory

 



An Eye For Glory by Karl Bacon
February, 2011 by Zondervan

Michael Palmer is a good man, a family man. But honor and duty push him to leave his comfortable life and answer the call from Abraham Lincoln to fight for his country. This 'citizen soldier' learns quickly that war is more than the battle on the field. Long marches under extreme conditions, illness, and disillusionment challenge at every turn. Faith seems lost in a blur of smoke and blood...and death.

Michael's only desire is to kill as many Confederate soldiers as he can so he can go home. He coldly counts off the rebels that fall to his bullets. Until he is brought up short by a dying man holding up his Bible. It's in the heat of battle at Gettysburg and the solemn aftermath that Michael begins to understand the grave cost of the war upon his soul. Here the journey really begins as he searches for the man he was and the faith he once held so dearly. With the help of his beloved wife, Jesse Ann, he takes the final steps towards redemption and reconciliation.

Using first-hand accounts of the 14th Connecticut Infantry, Karl Bacon has crafted a detailed, genuine and compelling novel on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Intensely personal and accurate to the times, culture, and tragedy of the Civil War, An Eye for Glory may change you in ways you could have never imagined as well.

If you would like to read the first chapter of An Eye For Glory, go HERE.



Watch book video trailer:






**Review to come soon after arrival of review copy**



The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen

The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen
April 12th 2011 by Crown
Hardcover, 304 Pages
Review Copy

When a bird flies into a window in Spring Green, Wisconsin, sisters Milly and Twiss get a visit. Twiss listens to the birds' heartbeats, assessing what she can fix and what she can't, while Milly listens to the heartaches of the people who've brought them. These spinster sisters have spent their lives nursing people and birds back to health.
But back in the summer of 1947, Milly and Twiss knew nothing about trying to mend what had been accidentally broken. Milly was known as a great beauty with emerald eyes and Twiss was a brazen wild child who never wore a dress or did what she was told. That was the summer their golf pro father got into an accident that cost him both his swing and his charm, and their mother, the daughter of a wealthy jeweler, finally admitted their hardscrabble lives wouldn't change. It was the summer their priest, Father Rice, announced that God didn't exist and ran off to Mexico, and a boy named Asa finally caught Milly's eye. And, most unforgettably, it was the summer their cousin Bett came down from a town called Deadwater and changed the course of their lives forever.


Review

The Bird Sisters are two elderly woman who heal broken and sick birds and also tend to the broken hearts of their small town. While the women are called spinsters and some would say have no tact in the airing of their words nonetheless, Milly and Twiss have built a reputation that draws people to the unique lives and talent each possess. Metaphorically the women have remarkable parallels to the birds they mend and heal. 

As the story unfolds we travel back in time to the summer of 1947, Twiss and Milly are both on cusp of that inevitable journey from childhood to adulthood and nether one is aware of how life changing the summer is going to be. Their father, recovering from a terrible car accident has lost his ability to play golf (the mans only saving grace) and basically calls it quits on being a husband, father and a man. Shacked up in the barn and relaying messages back and forth between their daughters, the marriage is pretty much over. On top of losing their father the girls priest, one the congregation looked up to, decides that there is no God and leaves with a woman to Mexico. Everything is so turned upside down and for the girls it’s a summer of women and female relationships, from their mother to cousin Bett who will shape the outcome of the girls futures. 

I cant really share anymore of whats in the book without ruining your own journey with Twiss and Milly. That’s what makes The Bird Sisters such an adventure is slowly being shown the details of what happened leading up to the women's spinsterhood. Its climbing the trees with Twiss and running naked with her on a dare, its falling in love along side Milly for the first time with a boy named Asa, its battling the sickness that’s in Bett and its overcoming the heartache of being poor and having a husband living in a barn. Its also looking hard at the loss of childhood and bonds and decisions that shape our lives.

Here, wait while I catch my breath......

Absolutely exquisite storytelling and writing that brought me to a place in 1947 were I literally felt like I was a part of that time. It was almost achingly beautiful the way the land, the farm and the town were described around them, becoming almost the main character itself. Its magic when an author can create one main character in a novel and have the reader feel everything they are going through, but its sheer talent when you can connect the reader to three and bring them into the thick of three separate lives within the same circumstance. The lives of Twiss, Milly and Bett encapsulated me into a world of grace, love, quirkiness, loss and the powerful bond of sisters, I think Ive always been fascinated at the world of sisterhood due to not having any biological sisters, I loved being a part of Twiss and Milly and I will not soon forget their story.

Rating

The Bird Sisters is recommended to adult readers (can be enjoyed by mature teen readers, looking for a meaty read) and contains: Friendship, sisterhood, mild violence, romance, snarky backtalk and death.

5/5- Contemporary Fiction
Thanks to Crown for Review Copy

Giveaway News: Winners of The Bird Sisters have been notified by email, thanks to everyone who entered!!




Thursday, April 21, 2011

Shelf Cravings (14)


 
Welcome to Shelf Cravings, a weekly feature hosted by me and features books coming soon, new releases, books Ive discovered and cant wait to read. This week Im excited for......

 
~Coming Soon~

 
Juliet Immortal by Stacy Jay
September 13th 2011 by Delacorte Books

 
"These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume."
—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.

 

 
The Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell
November 8th 2011 by Delacorte Books

 
Sandinista Jones is a high school senior with a punk rock name and a broken heart. The death of her single mother has left Sandinista alone in the world, subject to the random vulnerability of everyday life. When the school system lets her down, her grief and instability intensify, and she ponders a violent act of revenge.

Still, in the midst of her crisis, she gets a job at The Pale Circus, a funky vintage clothing shop, and finds friendship and camaraderie with her coworker, a boy struggling with his own secrets.
Even as Sandinista sees the failures of those with power and authority, she's offered the chance to survive through the redemptive power of friendship. Now she must choose between faith and forgiveness or violence and vengeance.
 

 

 
Hello Hollywood by Janice Thompson
September 1st 2011 by Revell

 
Athena Pappas is the head writer on one of the most popular sitcoms in television history. But when Vegas comedian Stephen Cosse is brought in to beef up the show's suddenly sagging ratings, she starts to worry about her job. Sparks fly as the competition--and attraction--between the two writers heats up. Athena has never had a problem scripting the romances of her characters. So why is her own love life so hard to script?

With humor and a Hollywood-insider viewpoint, Hello, Hollywood! delivers lots of laughs as the characters discover that not being in control of the plot of their lives might just be the best thing that ever happened to them.
 
 
 


Cascade by Lisa T. Bergen
(Book 2 in River of Time Series)
June 1st 2011 by David C. Cook




Mom touched my underdress—a gown made six hundred years before—and her eyes widened as she rubbed the raw silk between thumb and forefinger. She turned and touched Lia’s gown. “Where did you get these clothes?”  Gabi knows she’s left her heart in the fourteenth century and she persuades Lia to help her to return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, weeks have passed and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence—while the Florentines will go to great lengths to see them dead. But Marcello patiently awaits, and Gabi must decide if she’s willing to leave her family behind for good in order to give her heart to him forever.
 
 
~Just Discovered~
 
 
 
The Will of Wisteria by Denise Hildreth
October 9th 2007 by Thomas Nelson
 
Four headstrong siblings must satisfy their father's dying demands--or risk losing his fortune. Let the clash of wills begin.

Charleston blue blood Clayton Wilcott "got religion" late in life; so late, it turns out his kids never took to it. So he's left a provisional will delivered in a highly unorthodox way.

Now they're going to have to honor Daddy's commandments from beyond the grave--for a full year--or be cut off from their substantial inheritances. The scent of wisteria lingers in the air as the four spoiled Wilcotts battle for their birthright. Told in Denise Hildreth's trademark blend of humor and heart, this Southern tale is about learning to love, learning to live, and learning to bend.

 
~Cant Wait to Read~
 
 
 
My One and Only by Kristan Higgins
March 29th 2011 by HQN Books
 

 

Divorce attorney Harper James can't catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister's destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she's being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic. Harper can't help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick's eyes, Harper's always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting -- just around the bend.


 
 
 
 
Seriously, where do all these authors come from? So many wonderful books coming our way!! Anything about time travel, Im there! Anything about Romeo and Juliet..oh yes Im there too. And that cover for Cascade....gorgeous!



                                                          

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Priests Graveyard by Ted Dekker




The Priests Graveyard by Ted Dekker
April 19th 2011 by Center Street 
Hardcover, 416 Pages
Review Copy


The last thing Renee Gilmore remembers is being rescued by a pair of unknown arms after her drug-dealer boyfriend attempts to murder her. She wakes up in a beautiful glass house surrounded by doctors and the man that saved her life, Lamont Myers. Lamont offers her protection, if she abides by his rules. Among these; she must not leave the house, making her the bird in his gilded cage.
Danny Hansen is a Bosnian immigrant who came to America to escape the bloodshed of his country and the memories of his own involvement. Danny is a priest who lives by a strict moral code, one which values the loving of others above all else. It is those that pretend to abide by religious and legal law but intentionally harm others that insence Danny. And he believes it is duty to show them the error of their ways. Those few that admit and renounce their behavior are forgiven and set free, but never without a severe reminder of their wrongdoings. Those that refuse to admit to their behavior are killed. A year after Renee is rescued by Lamont he is murdered and she vows to seek revenge. At the same time, Danny has continued to carve a swath of judgement and punishment. In their individual pursuits, Danny and Renee's paths become entangled and before long it is clear that neither of them may make it out of this hunt alive.

Review

One minute your a young girl traveling across the country to make a better life, the next your a strung out heroin addict dying in an alley, the next your being saved by a man who you think is an angel but actually is a demon who punishes you with his sick tricks and then your working with a vigilante priest who kills the scum of the earth. It could only be in a Ted Dekker novel that we find the lives of Renee and Danny. A woman dragged through every possible horror you can imagine and a man who has witnessed enough heartache to become a callused being who takes on the role of God. When these two meet they discover they have one very important thing in common: killing a man named Jonathan, which is only the beginning for these ill-fated characters. Renee and Danny share a story of shifting perspectives so the reader gets the full effect of the downward spiral each character is facing. Once they team up and begin their killing spree, secrets, twists and even romance play a part in bringing about events that will change them forever.

For me, reading this brought a twist of emotions, I was fascinated, grossed out and angry all at the same time. I loved the characters and I hated them. I hated what they were doing, but I hated who they were killing, it was such a rollercoaster. Renee the victim turned warrior although important to the plot line seemed more created to be very bendable and able to transition a little too easy with the flow of the story. I found her almost divided into two characters, the first being the naive street girl who traded one addiction for the other, clad in her pink pj’s and then the tough- no ones gonna get me woman. It was easier for me to see her as the business suit wearing woman on the prowl to avenge her lover, rather than the latter, I mean obviously who wants to see a woman portrayed as a weak pj wearing sex slave?

I wondered many times as her character developed where her bravery came from and how she broke out of the naive shell she had been trapped in for months...years...weeks?? Her codependency was so relevant in the first part, even with Danny once they met, so the immediate shift to psycho killer was abrupt for me as the reader. Renee seems to find this inner strength to move on and repress all her bad memories of the things Lamont did to her, even though the readers are not shown all the gruesome details, we know Renee is carrying some major baggage. Shes obsessed with cleanliness, organization, not eating meat and she cleanses herself multiple times a day, in the way that Lamont taught her.

(I couldn’t help but think of that freaky guy from Silence of Lambs yelling “It Puts the Lotion on the Skin”) whenever she would start talking about the daily one, two, three cleanse. When I finally found out what it was I was surprised, I really didn't see that line of thought.

I think that was the most intriguing aspect of the book, the game of show and tell and some of the scenes are pretty nasty, but a lot the reader conjures up in their own minds. We don’t see actual rape scenes but we know rape is happening, we don’t see Lamont abusing Renee (besides the whole prisoner thing) but we know he's doing something to her behind closed doors, the severity of it isn’t reveled until later but even then we are left with enough information to put the pieces together. Danny was much more readable to me as a character, he came off with an almost Dexter like feel and I understood his anger coming from such a horrid background and while I knew what he was doing was wrong I couldn’t help but sympathize with his motivations. Despite the sympathy though, Danny and Renee had as much a right to take justice into their own hands as the person they were killing had the right to (insert atrocity here) and at first I wasn't happy with the characters outcomes, it was like after reading this I had become the vigilante reader, however pondering over what happened, I think the message I can pull out of this darkness and death is that grace can cover a multitude of sin and that even after forgiveness there is still consequences.

I’m not surprised by the content in The Priests Graveyard, Dekker has always been one to stretch the limits in acceptable inspirational fiction. While in an interview he stated that being “pigeon holed” as a Christian author was never what he wanted, the fact is most of his fans associate him as a Christian author, that being said  while many Christian readers will hate and love this, I wouldn't classify this novel as a Christian book, far from it for that matter. I think this has definite appeal to the general market which will most likely embrace this dark, twisted tale and bring about a whole slew of new fans for the very talented author. 

Rating

The Priests Graveyard is recommended to adult readers and for fans of suspense and thrillers. Contains: Graphic violence- including murder, torture and blood and guts, sexuality (nothing graphic), rape, drug use, domestic abuse, child abuse, alcohol use and religious wars.

4.5/5- Suspense/Thriller
Thanks to Center Street for review Copy

Monday, April 18, 2011

Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth


 
 
 

Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth
February 1st 2011 by Berkley Publishing
Paperback, 450 Pages
Review Copy
It is 1497. The news of the survival of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, has set royal houses ablaze with intrigue and rocked the fledgling Tudor dynasty. With the support of Scotland's King James IV, Richard-known to most of England as Perkin Warbeck-has come to reclaim his rightful crown from Henry Tudor. Stepping finally onto English soil, Lady Catherine Gordon has no doubt that her husband will succeed in his quest. 
But rather than assuming the throne, Catherine would soon be prisoner of King Henry VII, and her beloved husband would be stamped as an impostor. With Richard facing execution for treason, Catherine, alone in the glittering but deadly Tudor Court, must find the courage to spurn a cruel monarch, shape her own destiny, and win the admiration of a nation.
Review

Pale Rose of England surrounds the rumors, legends and facts of the Tower of London and the life of Richard Plantagenet (Perkin Warbeck) and his wife Catherine Gordon, a Scottish princess. Richard’s claim to be the lost prince of England in 1495 caused a huge stir within the royal family and remains today a big controversy that seems to be unable to prove or disprove. Although Worth’s claims in the novel make it very easy to see the links that would actually prove Richard to be Perkin.

The novel takes off with Richard and a pregnant Catherine returning to England to reclaim his crown from Henry Tudor, with the support of his family Richard is hopeful that the people will empower him and help his cause. Catherine rallies with her husband but has no idea that pursing this will destroy everything about her life and bring horrid consequences. The people seeing Richard as inexperienced and kind of wimpy like, are not eager to help and find the situation lobbying against Henry Tudor to freighting. Eventually the couple are captured by Tudors men and held prisoner. Henry with the reputation he had of course subjects the two to humiliation, torture and heartbreak. I was devastated for Catherine and truly felt swept up by emotion when I read what they went through. Catherine fairs much better than Richard and gets taken into Queen Elizabeth’s home, but then has to fight off the advances of Henry Tudor, who has become taken with her.

After the devastation at Court, the latter part of the book reflects on Catherine’s life and here the reader gets some quiet time to reflect and get away from the politics of the book, she spends time in the country and while her heart is broken with the loss of her husband and son, Catherine has incredible strength to move on and move forward.

I love historical fiction (mostly American) and the Tudors have always fascinated me, but Ive always been intimidated to read a historical fiction novel based on that era. I dove into Worth’s novel not knowing what to expect and what I found was brilliant. Worth’s writing and presentation were superb and I truly loved getting to know and experience Catherine. I’m a very fast reader so usually a day is all I need to finish a book, it took me a week to get through Pale Rose of England, just because of the sheer amount of information and details going on. It was almost like an adventure for me and I greatly enjoyed, cried, gasped and marveled at the lives of Catherine and Richard.

Rating

Pale Rose of England is recommended to adult readers and for fans of historical fiction, Contains: Violence, death, murder, sexuality, language, torture, politics, romance and childbirth in the 1400's.

4/5- Historical Fiction
Thanks to Publisher and HFHistoricalbooktours





Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Saturday Spotlight- Scott Nicholson and Giveaway!


Welcome to the Saturday Spotlight, a weekly feature hosted here at Tinasbookreviews and focuses on getting the word out for authors and the great books they write. This week I have the pleasure introducing readers to:


SCOTT NICHOLSON

Many of you guys know Scott, he has a great rep among us bloggers and is a fun author to work with! Today Scott's sharing some thoughts on ebook publishing.


“The 200”
By Scott Nicholson
(Scott Nicholson’s suspense thriller Liquid Fear—available for 99 cents at Amazon, BN.com, and Smashwords—just hit #1 in Romantic Suspense in the Kindle store.)

For National Library Week, I was invited to a writing panel at our local branch. I’ve done a number of presentations and workshops there over the years, and as a reporter, I used to write about the library events all the time. This was my first such event since I became a full-time writer, and it was the one where I felt the least comfortable.

Part of it was I somehow felt a little less like a writer because I am doing e-books, and the audience was a paper book crowd for the most part. In a way, I felt I was in a totally different field of artistic endeavor. Maybe it’s just because I’m fairly reclusive and mostly stay out on the farm now, but I also think there’s a perception that e-book self-publishing is still this weird and subversive fringe endeavor.

In other words, because I’ve been doing it so long, I forget that it’s still “new” to a lot of people, and I don’t think many understand what is happening for writers who do it.

My friend Sharyn McCrumb was on the panel with me, and she said only 200 people were making a living as novelists. She said she became one of them on her third book, and was “already doing it before I could learn it was impossible.”

In the 1980’s, that was doubtless true, but I think that has changed a lot in the last couple of years. I personally know about 10 writers hardly anybody has ever heard of who are now making a living with e-books. Some of them are making big money, and others have recently quit their jobs, like me. Our biggest worry is getting a good accountant. I’d guess the number of novelists making a living has easily tripled in the last two years—and, sadly, that’s come via job losses for people in bookstores and publishing.

The crowd at the panel also still thought of me as the “horror writer” because I’d had those six paperbacks out. I never got a chance to explain just how incredibly diverse my writing is now—thrillers, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, comic books, children’s books, and screenplays. I could never have done that while developing a distinct brand for a corporate publisher (and I well understand why they need a specific writer doing one specific kind of book—it’s how they can function best, even if it’s not always great for the writer).

I work hard and pray to defeat my ego junk, and maybe I am less of a writer than before, but I am really grateful to be one of “The 600.” By next year, I’ll bet it will be “The 1,000.” And who knows after that?

------------
Scott Nicholson is author of 20 books, including Disintegration, The Skull Ring, Speed Dating with the Dead, and The Red Church. He’s also written the children’s books If I Were Your Monster and Duncan the Punkin. Visit him at Haunted Computer.

*Thanks Scott for sharing and best of luck in the Kindle/Ebook publishing endeavors.

GIVEAWAY

Scott is giving away a Kindle of his children's book Duncan the Punkin, to enter please just leave a comment. Winner will be chosen April 23, 2011. Thanks and goodluck.

A magical bedtime story for all ages.

Halloween is coming, and Duncan the Punkin's mom teaches him to hide in the pumpkin patch so he doesn't get turned into a jack-o-lantern. Being good is boring, and Duncan's not afraid of any old farmer. But someone else has been keeping an eye on the pumpkin patch. Skeerdy-Cat-Crow has been hanging on a pole all summer, and now he's hungry. He's heard nice little pumpkins are just right. But Mom knows a trick that will teach both Skeerdy-Cat-Crow and Duncan something new.

Features 30 color pages (will appear in black-and-white on Kindles) of rhyming fun, magic, and Halloween mystery.  Learn more at www.hauntedcomputer.com.







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