Tag: Book Tour

On June 21, 2008 lighting struck a very drought-dry California and ignited over two thousand wild fires in what became the lightening siege.  One of the blazes turned towards Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.  The monks within this area prepared for the fire to arrive, though told to leave the area, a small group of five would not consider leaving.

If you lived on the west coast, you knew of the fires.  If you lived in California, you smelled the smoke.   What was happening was news worthy, and the news was focused on Tassajara.

The center was famous for its hot springs, food, and peaceful environment.  What would happen to this place?  Could it be saved by a few?  And what if those few were merely monks, who practiced sitting cross-legged and staring at a wall – what were they really trained to do?

I am not a history buff.  Almost embarrassingly so.  I do not follow the news, and due to this, there are things in this world I think I should know about… but sadly – do not.

Unless of course, I find my way to a book, as I did in this case… a book about the fires of summer 2008.  From Minnesota, I am sure I heard about the fires, but did not follow the story.  I did not smell the smoke.  After reading this book I can no longer say that I have not heard the story.  I am not even sure if I can say that during this read, I did not smell the smoke.  As one can read about blueberry pie and their mouth begins to water vividly knowing the flavor, the same can be said for reading about a fire. 

I went into this read knowing nothing of the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center.  I learned it was not only know for the practice of meditation, but also for bread baking and vegetarian dishes (see?  another word association to the taste buds – bread baking!  Mmmmm!)  I also learned that there is one road into Tassajara, a 14 mile unpaved one. 

The book itself moves at a zen like pace.  You spend the first 150+ pages learning the background of Tassajara, when it was purchased in the 1960’s, what it was, what it became and how.  You also are following the people and the decisions made prior to the fire.  All fascinating really, but a book about a massive fire… I wanted to see smoke. 

And then we get there, where is evacuation… and fire… and it is exciting.  I read these pages quickly wanting to know after all this build up how it was all going to go. And as I write this I think – this is where the book really comes alive.  People fighting for what they believe in – against all odds…  Now that I know the story, I will not forget it.  I would recommend this book to others who enjoy amazing non fiction.

Reading this book reminded me of the devastating fire on the Gunflint Trail in Grand Marias Minnesota.  The Gunflint Trail is a fascinating road that goes up up up and is famous with history and books written about it.   It is known for moose sighting, bear, and other wild life.  We have friends from Brainerd who run a camp on the Gunflint every summer.  In May of 2007 the fire that they believe started from a campsite quickly found its way to an area of downed trees from an earlier storm and took off and our of control.  It consumed 40 buildings including a large camping resort, causing evacuation of many of the homes and businesses along the trail as the fire made its may closer.  Our friends camp was not harmed, the fire finally under control just a mere 13 miles away from it. 

In early June I went to visit our friends and we drove the Gunflint looking at the damage.  It was heart breaking to see the normally lush and full forests gone – replaced only with black soot.  The only soothing to my soul were the green buds peeking out here and there reminding me that nature will conquer and replace in time. 

I read this book as part of a TLC book tour

When Madeline Stone walks away from Chicago and moves five hundred miles north to the coast of Lake Superior, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she isn’t prepared for how much her life will change.

Charged with caring for an aging family friend, Madeline finds herself in the middle of beautiful nowhere with Gladys and Arbutus, two octogenarian sisters-one sharp and stubborn, the other sweeter than sunshine. As Madeline begins to experience the ways of the small, tight-knit town, she is drawn into the lives and dramas of its residents. It’s a place where times are tough and debts run deep, but friendship, community, and compassion run deeper. As the story hurdles along-featuring a lost child, a dashed love, a car accident, a wedding, a fire, and a romantic reunion-Gladys, Arbutus, and the rest of the town teach Madeline more about life, love, and goodwill than she’s learned in a lifetime.

Living in an area of Minnesota where Lake Superior is a regular sight when we travel north to our cabin, the title of this book caught my attention. 

I have always liked the story line of a person being uprooted from their “comfort zone” and placed into a new life.  This is the story of Madeline and her return to where she was born that leads to life lessons that she never could have anticipated.

Madeline’s new life is not without difficulties and I enjoyed her trying to find her niche while she still struggled with the lifestyle she came from and where she now was.  While it takes awhile for her to literally WARM UP to her surroundings, the town needs to warm up to her too.  (I was picking up a bit of a Renee Zellweger vibe from the movie “New In Town“. 

The book is pretty paced, not too slow but not a fast page turner either.   I enjoyed the book as a lite summer read that was enjoyed from my lawn chair on the back deck with a never-ending pitcher of iced tea.

This book was part of a TLC Book Tour

Bolanle Alao is about to cause an uproar.  She has just become the youngest wife, the fourth wife , of Baba Sigi.  Bolanle is smart, educated, and beautiful – but naive when it comes to the relationship dynamics among the other three wives. 

Baba Segi is an overweight businessman who welcomed Bolanle into his home, no questions asked.  Bolanle whose mild manner and sweet looks quickly becomes Baba Segi’s most valued possession.  Baba’s other wives, particularity Iya Segi and Iya Femi, come up with a plan to make sweet Bolanle leave, only to be met with disaster when a secret is uncovered that the three other wives have long guarded and now this secret will change everything…

I didn’t just happen upon this room.  I dreamed of the pale green walls before I arrived.  Now the built in wardrobe was mine and so is the ceiling fan.  ~  Opening lines to The Secret Lives Of The Four Wives

I am sitting here this morning posed over my laptop trying desperately to think how to put my feelings about this book into words.  Everything I type, I delete as I do not think it does this book justification. 

Raw with emotion, packed with powerfully written words, I think I melted into this read from the very start…. it just… became a part of me.

It’s not often where I find a multi character book that develops each of the characters to the point that I feel I knew them all.  This was the case in The Secret Lives Of The Four Wives.   I felt as though I would recognize them on the street, Iya Femi with her love of money and what it can do, Iya Tope, kind but shy and always afraid, Iya Segi – the one to watch out for as she shows  no mercy to those she feels have crossed her, and of course the lovely Bolanle, intelligent and beautiful and therefore a threat to the other three.

A polygamous marriage was not the plan for any of these women, but occasionally – you have to deal the hand you got. There were times I had to laugh at the results of these four women wanting the attentions of one man, and at other times I had to think what a different life style this would be to the point I felt a little sorry for each of them.  There are a few hard topic lines as well including:  rape, and while sex is part of the book, it is detailed out to the point of TMI, but as a natural part of the story being told.

The setting of this tale is in Nigeria and is beautifully detailed with the words that carried me from page to page to page….

A breathtaking read.

This book was sent to me as part of the TLC Book Tour

1974.  After a scandal that disgraced her family, Charulata Apte, almost twenty-one, travels to Miss Timmins’ School For Girls in Panchgani.  While teaching Shakespeare to the privileged Indian girls, where she is drawn to the charismatic fellow teacher Moira who teaches her what freedom really can be like.

When one night a body is found near the school, fingers are pointing at Charu.  Three of the students take on the task of trying to solve the murder to show the true innocence of their teacher.

There is a setting here that appealed to me….  a remote area of India (one honestly, I had never heard of before), a young teacher trying to start over and make meaning of her life, and a murder that sets the stage for something more.

What I appreciated about the book was how author Nayana Currimbhoy brought to me a main character in Charu who did not like herself much.  She has a past she has tried to leave behind.  Her shyness and low self-esteem are heart breaking, yet enter Moira, who breathes life into this painful shell of a girl. 

It is after the murder that you really start to see Charu come into herself. 

The murder wasnt the attention grabber of the book I was thinking it would be.  If you read this for yourself you will find it to be more of a “plot builder.”  While I like the big “Holy cow!  What just happened???”. moments in books… this fit with the flow of the book.

I have said before that I struggle with books with loads of characters and this book does have many.  I personally prefer books where I get to know a handful of characters well, then many characters sort of, and I tend to spend time thinking of who they are, and backtracking in the book to see if they are they the one that _____________. 

In the end, while an interesting read, it was over stuffed with information that made me wonder if it would not have been better served as a two or three book series to give the reader a chance to really ease into a book that has great potential of hitting a home run.

I received this book as part of a TLC Book Tour

 

Esther Kaminsky is a young Orthodox Jewish girl around the age of 12 who lives in the holy city of Jerusalem.  In this time, a woman is expected to marry and produce many sons to hasten the arrival of the Messiah.  While Esther understands this role she is to play, she has trouble accepting it.  Secretly she desires to draw and wonders about exploring beyond her religion to possibly study in Paris.  When her teacher catches her extraordinary talent for drawing, he gets her colored pencils and art lessons.  Again Esther wonders if perhaps God has chosen her to be an artist and now a mother.

When tragedy strikes her family, Esther puts aside her dreams and instead follows the path that was chosen for her and becomes an obedient “Jerusalem Maiden”.  Yet its hard to smother a strong desire and that desire still burns within Esther.  When an opportunity arises Esther has a clash of faith and passion… and forces her to confront the most difficult question of all… “to who must she be true?”

In a word: passionate. 

Talia Carner had me from the first pages of this well written, well thought out book.  Even as I type now I find myself taking a deep breath as I recall turning the pages, at once fascinated and curious with where I would be taken on this particular book journey.

Divided into 4 important parts of Esther’s life:  Maiden, Marriage, Motherhood, and Artist, each opening into pages of deliciously detailed descriptions of life, and family, and dreams.  Historically beautiful…. seriously here – I am looking for the words to let you know this book amazed me

It made me think about passions and talents in general and how our lives are shaped, much like Esther’s by choices and life happenings beyond our control.  It made me think about how does one choose between right and right?

A page turner for sure, but know that while this book speaks of faith, it is not (not exactly anyway) Christian Fiction, nor is it marketed that way.  There are a few parts in the book that will make that quite clear to you as there  are a couple of sex scenes and a few situations that I found fitting to the nature of the book.

Overall, if you enjoy Historical Fiction this is a wonderful read.  I was delighted to not find it to be a heavy read, but instead it was like taking a journey with Esther walking together through Jerusalem and through her life. 

Side note:  I had the opportunity to meet the lovely and talented Talia Carner at the Harper Collins Book Blogger Reception a few weeks ago when I was in New York for BEA.  She was wonderful to talk to and I find myself now curious about her other books, China Doll and Puppet Child.

Thank you to TLC book tours for a chance to read this book

Thank you to Harper Collins Book Blogger Reception for the chance to meet Talia Carner.

 

When she was young, Steffie Wyler always knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life: 1. Make ice cream. 2. Marry the coolest boy in town. 3. Live happily ever after. These days, Steffie is the proud owner of One Scoop or Two, a wildly popular ice cream parlor. But the cool guy left town right after high school, before they could scratch the surface of their mutual attraction to see what, if anything, lay beneath. Steffie’s made a great life for herself in St. Dennis, but true love has never come knocking.

Wade MacGregor left for college in Texas and remained there to start a successful business with his best friend, Robin Kennedy, but he’s always felt something was missing. Then life throws him a curveball: A third partner has robbed the company blind, and Robin has died—but not before entrusting Wade with a precious secret. Now back in St. Dennis, Wade’s determined to do whatever it takes to protect his friend’s legacy—and to figure out, once and for all, if the sparks that fly whenever he’s with Steffie are just temporary fireworks or the lights in the window leading him home.

 

Here is why occasionally it is a good idea to try stepping out of your genre.   You will not find many romance novels here.  I just don’t read them.  Yet here I am.  Admitting I read this book… and I enjoyed it.  

Was the draw the ice cream parlor?  Certainly…. that is interesting, who wouldn’t want to own an ice cream parlor? And I liked Steffie, making it on her own and doing fine, but of course…. she misses Wade who moved away some time ago.  Upon his return to town, Steffie is turned upside down trying to decide what to do…. and while the romance part is ok, I prefer the mystery and suspense in the story that kept me interested in knowing more.  There are plenty of twists and turns along the way that kept me engaged.

Almost Home is actually the third book in the Chesapeake Diary Series.  The first two being Coming Home and Home Again.  While the other two books build on this one, it is not necessary to read them before Almost Home. 

I think the moral of my review is that when we know what we like to read and stick to only that we are doing ourselves a disservice.  Occasionally we as readers need to read out of the normal habits.  Not only should we not judge a book by its cover, we also should not judge a book by its genre.

Mariah Stewart was a wonderful author to take that genre leap with. 

 

 

 

About Mariah Stewart

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine novels of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband and their dogs amid the rolling hills and Amish farms of southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she gardens, reads, and listens to the voices in her head. She is currently working on the next book in her bestselling Chesapeake Diaries series.

Connect with Mariah:
On her website
On Facebook

 

There are a few more stops on this tour:

Thursday, June 2nd:  A Cozy Reader’s Corner

Monday, June 6th:  Colloquium

Wednesday, June 8th:  A Chick Who Reads

I read this book as part of a TLC Book Tour

It’s Mississippi in the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas “32” Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck: Larry took a girl on a date to a drive-in movie, and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county—and perhaps Silas most of all. His friendship with Larry was broken, and then Silas left town. More than twenty years have passed. Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has returned as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. And now the two men who once called each other friend are forced to confront the past they’ve buried and ignored for decades.

I grew up in Minnesota where the Mississippi River flows.  I remember spelling Mississippi in grade school,

“M – I – Crooked letter – Crooked Letter – I – Crooked Letter – Crooked Letter – I – P – P – I.

It’s just the way we rolled back then.  😀

Crooked Letter Crooked Letter was everything I had anticipated it to be.  It was a mystery… but not an over the top creep me out mystery, but a good solid mystery surrounding a small town… a missing girl… and a quiet book-worm of a man who the town has their eye on as he seems a bit… odd. 

Let me say that not every author call pull off a smooth read that pops  from the present to the past, but Tom Franklin does so beautifully.  It was a pleasure to read this in so many ways – not only the story itself, but really there is something to say for a book written well and Tom Franklin hit home with this one. 

I love fully developed characters and books that make it hard for me to put down and that is what I found here.  If you are looking for a wonderfully written mystery this year, I would highly suggest you grab a copy of Crooked Letter Crooked Letter.

When a person dressed up in a rabbit costume coaxed a little girl out of her car and into his, the lone witness, Rhonda, who is on her way to a job interview,  is too stunned to act. As the small rural town mobilizes a search for the missing child, Rhonda, reeling with guilt from her inaction, is reminded of another girl who went missing—her closest friend from childhood, Lizzy. Joyful memories of their youth spent putting on plays and exploring the woods alternate with darker moments: losing the love of her life, Lizzy’s brother, Peter, and the year an increasingly disheveled and moody Lizzy stopped talking to her or anyone else. Past and present merge as Rhonda closes in on the costumed abductor and also on the dark family secrets that tore their perfect childhood apart.

Last week I reviewed Promise Not To Tell, also by this author.  I found The Island Of Lost Girls to have many similarities, both books are around a childhood crime and flashbacks to that time  of childhood – to the present situation. 

Jennifer Mcmahon builds a strong story that much like Promise Not To Tell… kept me guessing.  I found the story line good and the whole dude in a rabbit costume creepy.  There are a few times that the rabbit speaks his thoughts and that was chilling…. I think that really held me as I wanted to know who the rabbit was…. really bad. 

I liked Rhonda, she was a well-developed character and I liked that she helped the investigation after being the sole witness to the crime.  I also enjoyed the unveiling of the two crimes.

All said and done, it was a delicious (if not a wee bit creepy) mystery which really, between the two books in a week, fed that mystery craving I have been having lately. 

Love a good mystery?  Jennifer Mcmahon is an author to watch. 

I received this book for review from TLC Book Tours

In the fall of 2002, 41-year-old Kate Cypher, a divorced Seattle school nurse, returns to New Hope, the decaying Vermont hippie commune where she grew up, to visit her elderly mother, Jean, who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s. Kate has avoided New Hope since the grizzly, unsolved murder of her fifth-grade friend, Del Griswold, 31 years earlier. Kate fears she betrayed Del, a free-spirited farm girl. Did her betrayal cause Del’s death? Who killed Del? Another local girl is murdered in a similar manner at the time of Kate’s return. Could the killer be loose again? Meanwhile, Jean appears to be possessed with Del’s spirit and may have the answers to these questions. As Kate investigates, she learns stunning truths about many events and people from her youth.

What’s the worst thing you have ever done?

I was drawn to this book for a few reasons.  One….  The obvious one.  The cover.  Look at that.  Who is she?  What has she done?  Is she survivor or victim?  Two… the synopsis about a girl who was called “Potato Girl”, uggghhh…. name calling that rile me up…. this falls into my category of “words are powerful, they can hurt and knock you down just as well as they can lift you up.  Three… The author Jennifer McMahon, I had heard the buzz about her style and her writing and I wanted to give her a try.

While this a good ghost story and mystery wrapped into one, I found it to be more than that.  This book is about a friendship.  A heartbreaking and tragic friendship that caused me pause to read and be reminded once again how our words do affect others.

The beauty of this book was that I thought I knew who did it and I was wrong.  And then I had a back up idea of who did it and well… that wasnt exactly right either…. however….

OOPS!  😉  That’s all you get. 

I enjoyed my first read with Jennifer McMahon and next week I will have the opportunity to explore her again when I read The Island Of Lost Girls for another tour. 

I received this book for review from TLC Book Tours