The MGP Blog Giveaway ends
tonight @ midnight!
Go HERE to enter!
P.S. More books have been added
but I'm not telling which ones!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Last Call~
$20 PER GALLON
By Christopher Steiner, read by John Wolfe
By Christopher Steiner, read by John Wolfe
Imagine an everyday world in which the price of gasoline (and oil) continues to go up, and up, and up. Think about the immediate impact that would have on our lives. Steiner will probe how the liberation of technology and innovation, triggered by climbing gas prices, will change our lives. The book may start as an alarmist's exercise.... but don't be misled. The future will be exhilarating.
Ends tonight at midnight!
Go HERE to enter!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
I have FAILED...
I signed up to take part in the Southern Reading 2009 Challenge hosted by Maggie Reads.
It's ended and I did not read ONE book that was on my list! I so completely suck!
I won't give excuses, though I have a ton, but I will apologize for signing up for challenges and not even attempting to keep track of them! ARGHHH!!! Sorry! Now I have to go, I have to read all of the Sookie Stackhouse books and about 4 for the Books to Movie Challenge (and watch the movies)!
It's ended and I did not read ONE book that was on my list! I so completely suck!
I won't give excuses, though I have a ton, but I will apologize for signing up for challenges and not even attempting to keep track of them! ARGHHH!!! Sorry! Now I have to go, I have to read all of the Sookie Stackhouse books and about 4 for the Books to Movie Challenge (and watch the movies)!
AND THE WINNERS ARE...
for 'The Blue Star'
by Tony Earley are:
#5 DarcyO
#30 DG
#24 Lee P
#22 wade
#8 Misusedinnocence
for 'Daniel X'
by James Patterson
& Ned Rust (audiobook!)
#3 Sarbear
#17 Bingo
#12 Marjorie
I will be emailing you today!
Please respond with your address
within 72 hours!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
My CSN Stores Bookcase Came!
As everyone knows, I received an offer to review a bookcase for CSN Stores last week! I picked out the bookcase I thought would suit my needs, space, etc the best...
IT ARRIVED YESTERDAY! YAY!
IT ARRIVED YESTERDAY! YAY!
What I chose: 4D Concepts 143014 - 3 Tier Bookcase in Wicker and Metal
Add additional storage to any corner of your house with this bookcase from 4D Concepts. The unit is constructed of wicker shelves and a black metal frame. The three shelves are create for storing and displaying books, plants and much more.
Features:
Shipping: The order was placed late on Wednesday, so we will just say it was placed on Thursday. Friday I received an email saying that the bookcase had already shipped and the email had the Fed Ex tracking number I needed to see just where it was! A++ on shipping!
Packaging: I think if the bookcase had been 100% glass, it would have arrived safe & sound! Everything was wrapped up tight!
Assembly: Quick & easy! I had the bookcase together, with books & a cat on it within 15-20 minutes (that includes everything from carrying it into the house to books & a cat on it!). It was very easy to assemble, CSN Stores supplied everything I needed, plus extras!
Overall: Yes, it is a small bookcase, but perfect for the limited space I have available! Every step of the process has been a pleasure for me.
A big heart felt "Thank You" goes out to: J.Kaye for having a list of bloggers she recommends to anyone who asks! To Jason at CSN Stores for choosing my blog as a reviewer. And to the people that work in the shipping department (you guys are quick!) at CSN Stores and to Fed Ex for delivering my bookcase so gosh darn quickly!
Today on MGP... Author Clare Austin~ Guest Blogger!
This morning I would like to welcome Clare Austin, author of 'Butterfly' as a guest blogger.
I reviewed Butterfly yesterday, and I have to say again, just how much I enjoyed reading it!
Thank you for hosting me on your blog today.
After all the waiting, the time has arrived for the release of my novel Butterfly. I still feel unprepared. It’s a bit like being pregnant and waiting for the big event and then being completely overwhelmed when that child is, at last, in your arms.
I’ve always been a story teller, off on some flight of imagination. When I was eight years old I started writing my stories down and illustrating them. I even submitted one to a prestigious New York publishing house. With the rejection letter came encouragement to keep writing.
For years I wrote “in my head”…never on paper other than a few notes here and there that were lost in the piles of notes I wrote myself on a daily basis. I raised my children, had a career, did craft projects, read books and told myself someday I was going to write a novel.
I won’t tell you how many years went by because there were many. Four years ago I read a little book that had been in my husband’s library for quite a while. It is called No Plot…No Problem. I was completely intrigued. I bought a laptop. Now, you have to understand, I was an incompetent typist. I didn’t flunk typing in school only because I dropped out before they had a chance to tell me how much I sucked! I rarely used the internet. My biggest accomplishment on the home computer was solitaire. I deleted everything called “Hot mail” because I thought it was pornography. Okay, give me a break, I had teenage boys in the house!
One October day I started to write. It was a story that had been rattling around in my head for years. The characters talked to me as I drove, while I rode my horse, when I went to bed at
night.
In that month in 2005, I wrote a 100,000 word book. The eye strain was so bad I typed with my eyes closed and fixed the typos later. That book is called Land of Ahhs, and I seriously doubt you will ever see it in print. It has everything…jet fighters, small town intrigue, horses, love, sex and …oh…I forgot the rock ‘n roll, but you get the picture. I wrote three books that year, but they all fell short of being marketable. I basically knew nothing about putting together a romance novel that would sell.
Butterfly is the first book in The Fadá½¹ Trilogy. This contemporary series follows the lives and loves of a family of three siblings whose passion is Irish traditional music. Fadá½¹ is an Irish word meaning “once upon a time” and it is the name of their band. The heroine in Butterfly is the youngest of the group, Flannery, a fiddle player. She is twenty-three, fresh out of Dublin and joining her brother and sister in Boston somewhat against her will.
The idea for Butterfly came together from several directions for me. The serendipity was amazing.
Through Colorado Romance Writers, a local RWA group, I met “The Writing Babes.” This is a smart, funny and lovely group of women—some published, some not yet. It was suggested that I show up for my first critique with some writing. I had nothing I really wanted to share. So, I wrote a couple of chapters of a new story. The “exercise” in critique technique became Butterfly.
People often ask if the heroine in Butterfly is me. That is not a hard one to answer. No way! Sure I have red hair, green eyes, I’m almost all Irish and can play the fiddle, but the resemblance ends there. Flannery never wears a watch…I’m neurotically punctual. She is twenty-three…I’m much older. And, to my chagrin, Flannery Sloane is a better fiddler than I could ever dream to be. On the other hand, I would love to be her friend. She is a bohemian free spirit. She is the butterfly who can light gently on your heart and fly away with a piece of it before you know what’s happened. In a purely Irish expression…she can tell a man to go to hell and make him look forward to the trip. Writing her story was easy because I loved hanging out with her.
The interaction between Flannery and her siblings was the key theme of the book when I began. I love the film The Big Night. It explores the relationship between two brothers who have a restaurant…one is the chef, the perfectionist…the other is the businessman. They disagree at every turn, but they love one another without reserve. This was the feeling I wanted to capture with the Sloanes. To Flannery, music is her child, her anam chara and not for sale. To her sister, Kerry, the music business requires compromise or you will never play outside your own kitchen. Their brother, Tynan, is the peace maker between the two sisters.
I have four sons who are all involved in music to some extent. Only one is a professional musician. I couldn’t create Flannery without thinking of him. He once said his music was more important than anything or anyone in his life. Such bravado! That was all before he fell in love.
Love changes everything. After love, it is hard to remember life before. The path to this realization takes some interesting twists for Flannery and, hero Hunter Kincade.
I wanted to write a story that would make my readers laugh, cry and end up wanting more. I wrote Butterfly for you. I hope you enjoy it.
If you have questions or comments I would love to hear from you. My fan email address is authorclare@gmail.com and my web site is http://www.clareaustin.com/. Please stop by and leave a comment in my guest book.
Butterfly is available in paperback and e-book formats from http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ , Amazon.com and Barnes&Nobel.com as well as other online booksellers.
I reviewed Butterfly yesterday, and I have to say again, just how much I enjoyed reading it!
Thank you for hosting me on your blog today.
After all the waiting, the time has arrived for the release of my novel Butterfly. I still feel unprepared. It’s a bit like being pregnant and waiting for the big event and then being completely overwhelmed when that child is, at last, in your arms.
I’ve always been a story teller, off on some flight of imagination. When I was eight years old I started writing my stories down and illustrating them. I even submitted one to a prestigious New York publishing house. With the rejection letter came encouragement to keep writing.
For years I wrote “in my head”…never on paper other than a few notes here and there that were lost in the piles of notes I wrote myself on a daily basis. I raised my children, had a career, did craft projects, read books and told myself someday I was going to write a novel.
I won’t tell you how many years went by because there were many. Four years ago I read a little book that had been in my husband’s library for quite a while. It is called No Plot…No Problem. I was completely intrigued. I bought a laptop. Now, you have to understand, I was an incompetent typist. I didn’t flunk typing in school only because I dropped out before they had a chance to tell me how much I sucked! I rarely used the internet. My biggest accomplishment on the home computer was solitaire. I deleted everything called “Hot mail” because I thought it was pornography. Okay, give me a break, I had teenage boys in the house!
One October day I started to write. It was a story that had been rattling around in my head for years. The characters talked to me as I drove, while I rode my horse, when I went to bed at
night.In that month in 2005, I wrote a 100,000 word book. The eye strain was so bad I typed with my eyes closed and fixed the typos later. That book is called Land of Ahhs, and I seriously doubt you will ever see it in print. It has everything…jet fighters, small town intrigue, horses, love, sex and …oh…I forgot the rock ‘n roll, but you get the picture. I wrote three books that year, but they all fell short of being marketable. I basically knew nothing about putting together a romance novel that would sell.
Butterfly is the first book in The Fadá½¹ Trilogy. This contemporary series follows the lives and loves of a family of three siblings whose passion is Irish traditional music. Fadá½¹ is an Irish word meaning “once upon a time” and it is the name of their band. The heroine in Butterfly is the youngest of the group, Flannery, a fiddle player. She is twenty-three, fresh out of Dublin and joining her brother and sister in Boston somewhat against her will.
The idea for Butterfly came together from several directions for me. The serendipity was amazing.
Through Colorado Romance Writers, a local RWA group, I met “The Writing Babes.” This is a smart, funny and lovely group of women—some published, some not yet. It was suggested that I show up for my first critique with some writing. I had nothing I really wanted to share. So, I wrote a couple of chapters of a new story. The “exercise” in critique technique became Butterfly.
People often ask if the heroine in Butterfly is me. That is not a hard one to answer. No way! Sure I have red hair, green eyes, I’m almost all Irish and can play the fiddle, but the resemblance ends there. Flannery never wears a watch…I’m neurotically punctual. She is twenty-three…I’m much older. And, to my chagrin, Flannery Sloane is a better fiddler than I could ever dream to be. On the other hand, I would love to be her friend. She is a bohemian free spirit. She is the butterfly who can light gently on your heart and fly away with a piece of it before you know what’s happened. In a purely Irish expression…she can tell a man to go to hell and make him look forward to the trip. Writing her story was easy because I loved hanging out with her.
The interaction between Flannery and her siblings was the key theme of the book when I began. I love the film The Big Night. It explores the relationship between two brothers who have a restaurant…one is the chef, the perfectionist…the other is the businessman. They disagree at every turn, but they love one another without reserve. This was the feeling I wanted to capture with the Sloanes. To Flannery, music is her child, her anam chara and not for sale. To her sister, Kerry, the music business requires compromise or you will never play outside your own kitchen. Their brother, Tynan, is the peace maker between the two sisters.
I have four sons who are all involved in music to some extent. Only one is a professional musician. I couldn’t create Flannery without thinking of him. He once said his music was more important than anything or anyone in his life. Such bravado! That was all before he fell in love.
Love changes everything. After love, it is hard to remember life before. The path to this realization takes some interesting twists for Flannery and, hero Hunter Kincade.
I wanted to write a story that would make my readers laugh, cry and end up wanting more. I wrote Butterfly for you. I hope you enjoy it.
If you have questions or comments I would love to hear from you. My fan email address is authorclare@gmail.com and my web site is http://www.clareaustin.com/. Please stop by and leave a comment in my guest book.
Butterfly is available in paperback and e-book formats from http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ , Amazon.com and Barnes&Nobel.com as well as other online booksellers.
The Ocean Between by Lynda Coker
Financial executive, Victoria Ballard, is in the process of adopting four children when one of her father's business deals makes her a target of a terrorist group. As a result, her adoption plans are jeopardized, her career altered, and her life invaded by Prince Rashid Davar; a pig-headed, superior-minded despot, who just may be...the only man for her.about the author:
Lynda Coker lives in the rolling hills of Northeast Texas with her husband of 45 years. Together, they enjoy the simple pleasures of life, good friends, good food, and the wonders and beauty of the world around them.After retiring from her secular career in Photographic Art, Lynda decided to embark on a new adventure, one she’d been thinking about for many years. An avid reader, she’d often wondered if she could write stories that others would find pleasure in reading, stories that were her constant companions as they tickled her imagination. Five years later, she realized her goal with the publication of PAYBACK IN WAYBACK by The Wild Rose Press. http://www.thewildrosepress.com/, the Anthology, RETURN TO WAYBACK, and her newest release, THE OCEAN BETWEEN. Her favorite genres to write are Contemporary Romance and Sci-Fi with romantic elements. Along with her writing, she enjoys helping other authors expand their talent and promote their work through her social site, WRDF. http://romancewriterandreader.ning.com/
my thoughts:
As a little girl, you always hope that someday your prince will come. What you never think about is~ he might not be exactly who or what you thought he would be! That being said...
I loved this book! It made me really think how difficult life is for those that fall in love with someone with completely different cultures! I mean to learn to walk two steps behind someone, never look a man in the eye (when we are taught TO look someone in the eye) just to name the 2 major differences I would have a problem with.
This was a well written, thought provoking read. This book was easy to read from start to finish.
This is a book that will remain on my shelf to be re-read!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Last Call~
I've been sick and I haven't posted the winners
to a couple of giveaways yet. I'm still not feeling
up to snuff (whatever that means!)
so I'm going to extend the giveaways that
should've ended last Thursday/Friday.
The giveaway winners will be posted
08/26/09! TOMORROW!
That gives me another day to recoup.
Tour Stop~ Butterfly by Clare Austin
Flannery Sloane is a free spirit, her soul blessed by Irish musical tradition. She doesn't care where she's going or how she'll get there. Joy and passion are her only map. And, though she's not interested in falling in love, she wouldn't mind a little fun with a fine-looking man. Hunter Kincade could fill that bill and have a bit of change left over. Hunter thrives on punctuality. He is in the music business with his focus on the bottom line. The pretty fiddle player with the bright green eyes would make his next production worth the price of a CD. But Flannery never wears a watch. She's late for everything but the downbeat of a fiddle tune. Their only common ground is the belief that falling in love is a danger to health and sanity. They're all wrong for each other...and they are so right.from the authors website:
I have always been a dreamer. As a child I tripped the fine line between reality and fantasy with ease. Books were magical vehicles put together out of paper, ink, and paste with the sole purpose of transporting me to worlds afar. I became a frequent flyer.
I crept through haunted mansions and solved mysteries with Nancy Drew, lived in the Little House in the Big Woods with Laura Ingalls and galloped with the wind in my hair with Black Beauty. We had an old set of tomes called The Book of Knowledge in our house. I think there might have been twelve volumes. I read them all, over and over, gleaning details of the natural world, literature and history.
When I was eight years old, I submitted my first story to a well known New York Publishing house. How I wish I still had that rejection letter. Somehow, that did not discourage me at all. Half a lifetime later I would realize my dream.
When our sons were little, I learned the maternal art of multitasking. Baby at my breast, I could break up a dispute between toddler and pre-schooler, cook, bake bread, can tomatoes, knit a sock and read a novel with ease. If this screams “exaggeration,” well, I am a fiction author! All the time I told myself “I could write one of those novels.” All I needed to do is sit down and type out my stories. Then, reality would smack me in the head and I’d go change another diaper.
When I tell people that I am a writer and that I have written several full length novels, their response is often, “I’ve always wanted to do that.” Well, I did too. And what was holding me up? Not inspiration. Characters were knocking at the walls of my cranium day and night trying to get me to tell their stories. Not time. I’ve always found that the busier I am, the more productive I become. As most moments of realisation present themselves, mine was simple. I sat myself down at my new laptop and started to type. I wrote several hours a day…sometimes with such bad eye fatigue I had to write with my eyes closed and fix the errors later. I wrote my first 400 page novel in less than a month. It terrified me. Was this my only story? Would I be able to do it again? So as not to give myself a chance to worry over this possibility, I wrote three more books that year.
So, what does a writer do when she has stories to tell? She works toward getting those stories published. I wanted to write a story that would make my readers laugh, cry and end up wanting more. I wrote Butterfly for you. I hope you enjoy it.
I crept through haunted mansions and solved mysteries with Nancy Drew, lived in the Little House in the Big Woods with Laura Ingalls and galloped with the wind in my hair with Black Beauty. We had an old set of tomes called The Book of Knowledge in our house. I think there might have been twelve volumes. I read them all, over and over, gleaning details of the natural world, literature and history.
When I was eight years old, I submitted my first story to a well known New York Publishing house. How I wish I still had that rejection letter. Somehow, that did not discourage me at all. Half a lifetime later I would realize my dream.
When our sons were little, I learned the maternal art of multitasking. Baby at my breast, I could break up a dispute between toddler and pre-schooler, cook, bake bread, can tomatoes, knit a sock and read a novel with ease. If this screams “exaggeration,” well, I am a fiction author! All the time I told myself “I could write one of those novels.” All I needed to do is sit down and type out my stories. Then, reality would smack me in the head and I’d go change another diaper.
When I tell people that I am a writer and that I have written several full length novels, their response is often, “I’ve always wanted to do that.” Well, I did too. And what was holding me up? Not inspiration. Characters were knocking at the walls of my cranium day and night trying to get me to tell their stories. Not time. I’ve always found that the busier I am, the more productive I become. As most moments of realisation present themselves, mine was simple. I sat myself down at my new laptop and started to type. I wrote several hours a day…sometimes with such bad eye fatigue I had to write with my eyes closed and fix the errors later. I wrote my first 400 page novel in less than a month. It terrified me. Was this my only story? Would I be able to do it again? So as not to give myself a chance to worry over this possibility, I wrote three more books that year.
So, what does a writer do when she has stories to tell? She works toward getting those stories published. I wanted to write a story that would make my readers laugh, cry and end up wanting more. I wrote Butterfly for you. I hope you enjoy it.
my thoughts:
Butterfly is a great love story! The characters are authentic, conversations flow and the details are wonderful. It brought tears to my eyes and laughter to my soul! I’m so glad I read this book! I love, love, loved it and will definitely be re-reading it in the future!
Butterfly is a great love story! The characters are authentic, conversations flow and the details are wonderful. It brought tears to my eyes and laughter to my soul! I’m so glad I read this book! I love, love, loved it and will definitely be re-reading it in the future!
The ABC's Of Me!
Brittni, Jim, Me (with hair! it was growing backYay!) & Matt
This is one of my favorite places, Cataract Falls.
Age: I will soon be 40 and yes I think I will begin MY midlife crisis anyday now. I'm planning on getting my 1st tattoo, taking a ride in a bi-plane and I don't know what else I might do!
Bed Size: Queen, I wish my bedroom was big enough for a KING but it's not *sigh*
Chore You Hate: DISHES! I can't stand to do the dishes! UGH, it irrates me just thinking about it! LOL!
Dogs or Cats: BOTH! I love 'em all! I have 2 cats, Belle & Lulu and 2 dogs, Jack & Bea Bea. And several fish that I just call Sushi.
Essential Start Your Day Item: COFFEE! I can't get started without coffee.
Favorite Color: Red & yellow I can't pick just one!
Gold or Silver: Silver!
Height: 5'3 (whew! Glad it didn't ask for weight, I would have LIED like a dog!)
Instruments You've Played: Clarinet and I was actually ok with it. I didn't enjoy it enough to continue though.
Job Title: Customer Service, Order Entry ie: peon
Kid(s): I have an almost 18-year-old daughter, Brittni and a son who will be 17 in February, Matt. Britt was offered 8 semesters free to a local private college (yay Britt!) and Matt will be signing up for the Army reserves on his 17th birthday and will go active after he graduates ! I have great kids! :)
Age: I will soon be 40 and yes I think I will begin MY midlife crisis anyday now. I'm planning on getting my 1st tattoo, taking a ride in a bi-plane and I don't know what else I might do!
Bed Size: Queen, I wish my bedroom was big enough for a KING but it's not *sigh*
Chore You Hate: DISHES! I can't stand to do the dishes! UGH, it irrates me just thinking about it! LOL!
Dogs or Cats: BOTH! I love 'em all! I have 2 cats, Belle & Lulu and 2 dogs, Jack & Bea Bea. And several fish that I just call Sushi.
Essential Start Your Day Item: COFFEE! I can't get started without coffee.
Favorite Color: Red & yellow I can't pick just one!
Gold or Silver: Silver!
Height: 5'3 (whew! Glad it didn't ask for weight, I would have LIED like a dog!)
Instruments You've Played: Clarinet and I was actually ok with it. I didn't enjoy it enough to continue though.
Job Title: Customer Service, Order Entry ie: peon
Kid(s): I have an almost 18-year-old daughter, Brittni and a son who will be 17 in February, Matt. Britt was offered 8 semesters free to a local private college (yay Britt!) and Matt will be signing up for the Army reserves on his 17th birthday and will go active after he graduates ! I have great kids! :)
Matt, Me & Brittni
This was taken a few years ago.
Loud or Quiet: BOTH! I laugh LOUD (and I snort), I like my music loud but I love quiet first thing when I wake up.
Married? How long: HELL NO! I've been married twice and divorced twice and do not see marrying again anytime in the future.
Nicknames: Mom, Honey, Susie, hey you, I answer to almost anything!
Overnight Hospital Stay: A couple, when I had the kids and when I had sepsis and it almost freaking killed me!
Pet Peeve: Kids who spend so much time playing video games or texting that they can't seem to hold a regular conversation! I mean come on! YOURE the future how will you be able to interview for a freaking job??
Quote From A Movie: "I'd rather argue with you than make love with anyone else."
Right or Left Handed: Right
Siblings: On my mom's side, I have 2 older brother & 3 older sisters~ on my dad's side, I have 3 older brothers living, 1 older brother that passed when I was about 13/14.
Time You Wake Up: 6:30 am on weekdays. On the weekends, whenever.
Underwear: sometimes ;~P
Vegetable you Hate: Brussel Sprouts, those are the nastiest things ever!
Ways You Run Late: I don't run late, if I'm late, it's always someone elses fault, really. I hate to be kept waiting and hate to keep anyone else waiting!
X-Rays You've Had: Well the obvious ones, dental and a few when I was going through chemo & radiation.
Yummy Food You Make: I make an awesome apple pie from scratch and my potato salad kicks ass too!
Zoo Favorite: I love the farm animals: goats, pigs, donkey's. Boring I know, but those are my favorites!
Monday, August 24, 2009
A Better View Of Paradise by Randy Sue Coburn
A BETTER VIEW OF PARADISE explores the tender bond between fathers and daughters, ponders the delicate nature of healing, and celebrates the redemptive power of forgiveness and love. Thirty-six-year-old Stevie Pollack has earned fame and praise for her landscape architecture projects, though critics complain she's too formal, too rigid. When her lover abruptly drops her, and her Chicago lakefront development project is panned, Stevie seeks solace in her roots, among the calming waters, the vibrant flowers, and the comforting traditions of the islands. Still, in the back of her mind, Hawai`i holds troubling memories of a childhood with an emotionally distant father, Hank, and a reserved British mother. The trip home promises Stevie a welcome departure from mainland trials, despite her irascible father's presence. But the shocking news that Hank is dying forces the pair's reunion into high gear. As father and daughter look to rekindle their bond, Stevie discovers sides of Hank she never knew, including family secrets that shaped their lives. And what started as a holiday escape for the beleaguered artist becomes a chance for transformation. Along the way in this shared journey of contention and transcendence, Stevie's heart opens not only to her father, but to a man who challenges all her constricted notions of love and life's possibilities. about the author:
Randy Sue Coburn began her career as a journalist whose essays and articles appeared in numerous national magazines and major newspapers. Her screenplays include Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, the 1994 film about Dorothy Parker that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won Jennifer Jason Leigh the National Society of Film Critics Award for best actress. Film work and teaching at The University of Washington subsidized the writing of Remembering Jody, (1999, Carroll & Graf), and Randy Sue’s second novel, Owl Island, was published in June, 2006 by Ballantine, a division of Random House Publishing Group. A Better View of Paradise, also from Random House/Ballantine, is being published in July, 2009. Born in Chicago and raised in South Carolina, Randy Sue is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The University of Georgia. She lives along the waterfront in downtown Seattle and relishes morning strolls through the Pike Place Market with Binx, a floppy-eared terrier known by name to many more vendors in the Pike Place Market than his mistress.
my thoughts:
This was such a delight to read! It was full of hilarious & wonderful characters! This is the perfect book to read this summer while you’re longing on the beach, and if you’re landlocked (like me) you’ll feel as though you’re at the beach! I can’t wait to hit my local bookstore to pick up more of this authors books! Excellent reading!
The Unexpected Gift by Michelle Bulmer Atha & Meaghan Gonzales Wager
Drew Robbins Warren is a mother of two, whose husband has just left her for a younger woman. Leah Cline is a pregnant eighteen-year-old with no family, no friends, and no money. The only thing these women have in common is loneliness. Through their unlikely friendship, Drew and Leah learn to embrace life and everything that has been offered to them. But will either woman open her heart to love another man again?my thoughts:
The Unexpected Gift is a great quick but meaningful book. Only 150 pages long, the authors pack a lot of heart into it! This book shows the joy one person can find helping someone in need. The writing wasn't fantastic, I felt that there were bits of the story missing, but it made me feel for both Drew & Leigh. This book had a message to it (at least for me) that no matter how bad you think you have it, someone out there has it worse. Sometimes we forget that. We get so wrapped up in our troubles, that we forget others. Leigh helped Drew just as much as Drew helped Leigh. This is a story about giving and in return receiving an unexpected gift in return!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Help Teach A Child To Read
