Stray Affections

I just finished reading Stray Affections by Charlene Ann Baumbich. I discovered this book as a giveaway on a blog. A really funny thing happened. The page was taking a bit of time to load but the cover of the book was up. I glanced at the cover and did a double take. There was a most interesting snowglobe on the cover. I collected snowglobes once years ago and while I still like looking at them, I doubt I would ever collect them again. But I just couldn't seem to take my eyes off this snowglobe. So when the page fully loaded and I started reading the description of the book there was a line about Cassandra (the main character) being mesmerized by this same snowglobe at a Collector's Convention. Wow! It seemed meant to be. lol. And then when I won the book I knew it was meant to be.

That said, I have mixed emotions about the book. I had a hard time putting it down and read it in two days. The characters are wonderfully written. It takes place in a small town - having grown up in a small town I love reading books that take me back to that time. There are friendships that have lasted a lifetime - along with a number of misunderstandings that have lasted a lifetime.

We get to know a lot about Cassandra - a married mother of four boys who runs a daycare out of her home. She has a life many women would love to have - a loving husband, four young boys, a very close best friend. But she also has some regrets, a mother who she never really got a long with, a childhood wish that never came true and deep, deep hurts.

There are a few things in the book that I felt were going to be major plot points that just never went anywhere. Somethings were not explained that I thought would be and I felt that left a hole in the ending of the book.

However, the main point of the story - the chance to right past wrongs, redemption and the possibility of change were spot on. The characters seemed true to life - not too good to be true. Most of the things that happened could happen in any life in any town. The cast of characters formed a beautifully extended family with very believable ties to each other.

This is the first of three books in the Snowglobes Connections series - and I'm sure I'll be looking for the next two when they come out.

And this is the first book off my Fall Into Reading list. One down - eleven more to go.

Jody

Fall Into Reading 2009

Well the opening day of Fall Into Reading is finally here.

This is the list of books I'd like to finish reading during this challenge:

* One Imperfect Christmas by Myra Johnson
* Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
* A Quilter's Holiday by Jennifer Chiaverini
* Stray Affections by Charlene Ann Baumbich
* Extraordinary by John Bevere
* Kiss Me Again by Barbara Wilson
* Limelight by Melody Carlson
* What Matters Most by Melody Carlson
* Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh
* Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall
* Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs
* White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner

A few years back I was in a couple of reading circles. Reading circles are great on a number of levels, depending on how they are run. One I participated in the books were circulated - so you purchased one book but got to read nine. But I think the best thing is the opportunity to read a book that you may otherwise have never picked up off the shelf. One book I got on my first time through a reading circle was Left Behind. Just from the cover of the book I'm not so sure I would have even picked it up to read the back. But I so enjoyed that series.

Most of the books on my reading list this time are books I will be reviewing for publishers. And some of them are books I might not have chosen were I not given a copy and requested to read them. And I have a few non-fiction books in there as well. I definitely prefer fiction to non-fiction but I'm trying to use this challenge to expand my "shelves" a bit.

And as an added bonus, a number of the books I will be reviewing I have been given a second copy to give away. So be sure to not only check on my progress at reading through my list and read my review but to have a chance to win a free copy of a book.

If you haven't joined this challenge but would like to you can click on the link on my sidebar.

Let the reading begin!

Jody

The Wednesday Sisters

I just finished The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton. This book was recommended by a dear friend and makes me grateful for dear friends. I had never heard of this one before she mentioned it and I would have hated to miss it.

Set in the 1960s we follow a group of five wonderfully different but alike women. Frankie, Kath, Linda, Brett and Ally are from different backgrounds, have had different experiences and different dreams. But they form a friendship to be envied.

They meet in a park by chance and then begin meeting once a week. They are strong women who have real life struggles and joys. Ms. Clayton serves us the good and the bad without attempting to make anything better than it really is. There are wonderful highs and devastating lows - but through it all they stick together.

And like real women with real friendship they don't always agree with each other and there are squabbles. There's even some tough love. But true friends can do that. They encourage each other and even push each other to follow their dreams and do things they didn't think they ever could.

As this was set in a time I have no experience in it was interesting to see how the women interacted with their husbands. And the husbands, while not exactly main characters were real too. They had failings and strengths, supported their wives and sometimes didn't.

But the main thing was they loved each other. When one suffered they all suffered. They offered unconditional support for each other and were the kind of friends any woman would want.

Read this - you won't be sorry.

Jody

Raising Jake

I have to admit that one of the reasons I started my latest book, Raising Jake by Charlie Carillo, was that it was a freebie. But the synopsis sounded good so I figured what did I have to lose?

I had nothing to lose - and a lot to gain. The book is about a father and son who don't really know each other but spend a weekend together trying to change that. Sammy is a 50ish tabloid newspaper reporter, divorced from his 17 year old son Jake's mother.

I found some of the language, and a bit of the story itself, a bit crude (maybe that's because I'm a middle aged Christian woman). I have never met a male 50ish tabloid newspaper reporter but I think if I did meet one, he would probably be a lot like Sammy and since this is written in his voice I think I can understand why the author chose the language he chose.

A good bit of the story deals with Sammy's childhood. He has never revealed much of his childhood to Jake. We are introduced to people from Sammy's past - his parents, employer and friends. The story is set in NY city and having lived in that area the characters ring true.

There are truly tender moments, funny anecdotes and revelations I never saw coming.

If you have an Amazon Kindle you can get this book for free. If you don't it is well worth the purchase price - or at the least, a trip to the library.

Until next time, Jody

92 Pacific Boulevard

92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber is my latest read.

This is the 9th book in the Cedar Cove series. As this is a series the books build on each other so you would want to start with the first book and read forward.

You can follow this link to Debbie's website and see all the Cedar Cove books in the order they were written:

http://www.debbiemacomber.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=books&pageID=4

So on to the book. Troy Davis, Cedar Cove's Sheriff, is the "main" character in this book. Each book sort of focuses on one character but also includes the characters from the prior books. We get to hear from Olivia, Grace, Teri and Bobby, Christie, Rachel, Jolene and Bruce, Mac, Mary Jo, Charlotte and all the other great characters.

Troy is trying to straighten out some misunderstandings with Faith and move forward with their lives. But someone has seemingly targeted Faith and as Sheriff, and the man in love with her, it's up to Troy to figure out what's going on. And all the other characters have side stories that will keep you up to date with what's going on in their lives - and drop hints for the next books too. :0)

As in all the other books you feel like these are your friends and neighbors. Debbie makes the small town of Cedar Cove seem like home. And of course you're always left wanting more - at least I am.

This was an excellent read - as evidenced by the fact that it was just released Tuesday and I'm finished with it already. And I can't wait for the next book. I already know who will be the main characters in that one but you can read 92 Pacific Boulevard and figure it out for yourself.

Jody

Death Of A Witch

I just finished reading Death Of A Witch by MC Beaton. This is the 25th book in the Hamish Macbeth series. I absolutely love this series and have read most of the books more than two or three times. It's like visiting an old friend.

Hamish is a constable in the remote village of Lochdubh in northern Scotland. He's sort of like Andy Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show). He solves his cases with a combination of intuition, kindness, common sense and a little bit of luck. The familiar cast of characters return - the Currie Sisters, Angela Brodie, Angus the Seer, Mrs. Wellington, Elspeth Grant, Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, Willie Lamont, Jimmy Anderson, Peter Daviot and of course Chief Inspector Blair. And not to be forgotten - Lugs and Sonsie.

The first victim is a woman the villagers claim is a witch. And Hamish had been heard to threaten her. There are plenty of twists and turns - including more murders, extra crime on the side and romance.

As always Hamish hopes against hope that the murderer is not one of his beloved villagers. Will he get his wish this time?

If you have not read this series before each story stands alone although there are references made to cases in the past - as well as the past romances. But it's much better to read number 25 than to feel like you have to start with number one and work your way up. Although I warn you that if you read any of the books you will be looking for the rest.

Now I wait, rather impatiently, for January 2010 when Death Of A Valentine will be released.

Ms. Beaton also has a wonderful series revolving around Agatha Raisin. And she has written a great series called the Edwardian Murder Mystery under the psuedonym Marion Chesney. I have yet to read anything she has written that I didn't thoroughly enjoy.

Jody

The Forgotten Garden

My latest read is The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Ms. Morton is quickly becoming a favorite author. She's only published two books and I have devoured them both and loved them immensely.

The Forgotten Garden is the story of Nell, a four year old girl found on the docks of Australia in 1913. All she had with her was a small white suitcase with a couple of dresses and a book of fairy tales.

Not far into the story Nell's grand-daughter Cassandra picks up the search for Nell's true identity.

Told in the same fashion as Ms. Morton's first novel The House At Riverton (reviewed below) this story changes time frames and personal perspectives with each chapter.

In the present we follow Cassandra from Australia to England in the quest to discover who Nell really is. Nell's (adoptive) father tells her the truth of how she became his daughter on her 21st birthday. Nell passes away (as a quite old woman) not far into the story and leaves Cassandra some clues and a gift labeled "for Cassandra, who will know why" that send Cassandra off to England in search of answers.

The characters are richly draw and the chapters form a sort of puzzle waiting to be put together to reveal the picture of Nell's parentage.

I think one of the things I really like about Ms. Morton's writings is that I can't figure them out. So many books I read I figure out the end before the book gets to it. But not with these. Each time I thought I knew - I really didn't.

If you haven't read a Kate Morton book I highly recommend that you do.

This is definitely a DEAR book. (For those of you without kids in the public school system that means Drop Everything And Read).

Jody