Rebecca Wells’ Ya-Yas in Bloom was the perfect audio book. Until it wasn’t. Just into the second CD I realized that this was an abridged version of the book: “select chapters.”
But like a gift from the book angels, I happened upon a hard copy version at my hometown library’s book sale, and so was able to fill in the missing chapters. But let me tell you, the voice in my head was not nearly as entertaining as the voice of Judith Ivey, who was able to beautifully re-create the French-Cajun …

I love when a book surprises you. Such was the case for me and A. Manette Ansay’s Blue Water. I picked it up on a $1 rack at my local book store. I had read Ansay’s Vinegar Hill and really enjoyed it. So I thought, “What the heck?” Not knowing a thing about it, I bought it.
Blue Water is much the same premise as a read from earlier this year The Weight of Heaven. Parents lose a young child to tragic circumstances and embark on a new journey to …

For those who have not read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Half Broke Horses (called a true-life novel) is a good read about a true pioneer woman who survived a tough life in the American desert west.
For those who have read The Glass Castle, this second novel, a biography of Walls’ grandmother, the spunky Lily Casey Smith, explains the frustrating character of Jeannette’s mother from her debut. I happen to be in this latter camp.
I loved The Glass Castle, but when I finished, I was angry at Jeannette’s mother, Rose …

Some of you are familiar with the name Cindi Hall – she’s the co-writer for many of my friend Derek’s songs, including Your First, the song that made it to the top 10 of the CMT Listener Choice Awards. Well, her CD is now out & she has graciously provided a copy for me to host as a giveaway!
I have to tell you, I’m no music reviewer, but this is a great CD. For anyone who listened to Your First while the competition was going, you’ll be pleased to …

Abraham Vergehese’s Cutting for Stone is an early contender for my best read of 2010.
The story spans more than 50 years and is told in first person by Marion Stone, eldest of Siamese twins, cut apart during their birth at a mission hospital in Ethiopia. Their mother, a Catholic nurse / nun, dies during the birth. Their father, a surgeon, takes off, shocked and surprised by his assistant’s labor. Their birth is then conducted by Hema, female OB/Gyn specialist, and Ghosh, a physician now turned surgeon due to Stone’s absence.
Hema …

 The first name drawn & therefore the winner of the signed copy of Fireworks over Toccoa is
Time4Mommy

The second two names drawn and the winners of copies provided from St. Martin’s Press are:
Shannon  Bunny!(Shannon already has a copy!)
Francine

Thanks to all who entered. I’m thrilled at what an awesome response I had to my first book giveaway. And, of course I am very grateful to Jeffrey Stepakoff and Sarah at St. Martin’s Press for their support in providing the books.

So, I had a great weekend. While I didn’t get as much reading as I would have liked, it was still nice. What I did accomplish:

Caught up on my reading through the Bible which meant 27 OT chapters, 10 NT chapter & 15 Psalms. Now I just need to stay on top of it & not get so behind again.
Almost finished Cutting for Stone… I’m about 20 pages from the end. I loved this book – look for a review soon.
Since I didn’t finish my current read, that means no …

First, I am delighted to be featured today on Becky’s blog, Page Turners, in “Lights, Camera, Blog Action!” It is a weekly highlight of bloggers from around the globe. Becky is from Australia and is an amazingly prolific reader and blogger. Thank you, Becky, for offering the opportunity to be a part of your feature!
Next, don’t forget that the giveaway for Fireworks over Toccoa ends on Tuesday, so if you have signed up, cruise over to that entry and sign up. As I mentioned before, because of how many folks …

For me Deborah Noyes’ Captivity was one of those books that as soon as I heard about it, I had to read it. Ghosts, sisters, religion, a young female locked away in her room – it had to be great, right? I was not disappointed.
Captivity tells two stories. One is the account of the real life Fox sisters who helped give birth to a religious movement of the 1800’s, Spiritualism, based on their “rappings” – communication with the dead. Their story focuses mainly on young Maggie, as she was …

I don’t think I’ve ever had such wide mood swings with a novel. When I first started listening to Kristin Hannah’s Firefly Lane I didn’t think I was going to make it. There are certain books that I choose specifically as audio versions because there are other books that I know I want to experience on the printed page. However, early in Firefly Lane, it seemed it was going to be too fluffy, too sentimental for even an audio experience.
Firefly Lane is the story of two girls – Kate …