Review and Giveaway of Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal

The 1960's, New Orleans, a matriarch, a girl without a daddy, housekeepers, families, and secrets.

Ibby was moved to her grandmother's home after her father passed away so her mother could have some time to herself.  Ibby had never seen her grandmother before nor had she known about her until a week before this move.  Ibby was frightened especially since she heard stories about her strict grandmother from her mother.

Ibby met Queenie and Doll before meeting her grandmother. Queenie and Doll are the staff in Grandmother Fannie's house.  They are very loving and caring and huddle around Ibby and take good care of her when Fannie can’t. 

The characters in DOLLBABY were ones I fell in love with along with Ibby, whose real name was Liberty Bell.  Ibby was an understandably sad young lady for a twelve-year old with a heartbreaking story.

Queenie and Doll were warmhearted, Fannie was rough on the outside but loving on the inside with a past that was kept secret as well as a few other secrets that made the ending superb.   Birdelia was sweet even though she was kept out of sight most of the time and had a story of her own. Well…just about every character had a story that was kept under wraps.

If you love Southern fiction with a Gone-With-The-Wind feeling, you will love DOLLBABY.  We the reader follow Fannie, Ibby, Queenie, Doll, and Birdelia in their day-to-day activities during the time of The Civil Rights Movement.

DOLLBABY is an engaging, beautiful debut novel with amazing description, terrific, authentic characters, and a true-to-life storyline.  The cover itself will pull you in and will keep you reading. 

Historical fiction fans and fans of family sagas will not want to put DOLLBABY down and will miss the characters when the book ends.  The ending was filled with revelations and proves family is everything even though they might have secrets.

Add DOLLBABY to your reading list this summer.  I know you will love it too.  It is going to be a favorite read for this year. The characters are what made DOLLBABY special.

I truly enjoyed this book.  I hope you can read it too.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

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Contest has ended, and the winner is:

Jennifer - #33

CONGRATS!!
Thanks to all who entered. 

Enter here for the giveaway.

USA ONLY

June 24 - July 1

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Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams

Secrets.  We all have them, don’t we?  But some secrets are a bit larger than others.

Tiny had a secret from her past that she definitely didn't want to be revealed especially since her husband was running for the Senate. But what ​is she going to be do with the photographs that keep appearing in her mailbox along with the blackmail notes.

Then when the ​person she thinks sent the photographs appears at a family gathering, things start to get sticky.

TINY LITTLE THING is a book that has characters that are high brow and not trustworthy.  Tiny married Frank because her mother wanted her to marry him not because she loved Frank.  Frank married Tiny just because of her family status.  Caspian, the cousin, was at the center of it all, and the secrets Tiny held revolved around Caspian.  Frank's secrets were secrets every wife dreads are true.

TINY LITTLE THING takes the reader back and forth through the years with background information that connects all the dots and keeps the reader interested simply because you want to see how these folks live in high society and when and if the secrets will be revealed.

TINY LITTLE THING has the Schu​yl​er sisters as two of the main characters, but it is not necessary to have read Ms. Williams' previous books to be able to follow the storyline.​ Tiny's sister, Pepper, brings a bit of disruption to the family and especially to Tiny, but she was always like that.​

TINY LITTLE THING is for those readers who love family secrets and family dynamics.  ​I enjoyed TINY LITTLE THING simply because Ms. Williams knows how to tell an intriguing story with drama as well as facts.  Her writing just pulls you  in.

​TINY LITTLE THING is a great summer read with an ending that is oh so good.  

Don't forget to pack TINY LITTLE THING in your beach bag.  4/5

​This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.​

Top Book Club Picks in May

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Found this list in Shelf Awareness Pro's Monday, June 15, E-mail Newsletter and wanted to share.

I have read only a few of the books.  There are some I definitely want to read and know I am missing out on.

I have read:

Orphan Train
The Husband's Secret
Ordinary Grace

How about you?   What have you read?

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Top Book Club Picks in May

The following were the most popular book club books during May based on votes from more than 120,000 book club readers from more than 39,000 book clubs registered at Bookmovement.com:

1. The Girl on the Train: A Novel by Paula Hawkins
2. All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel by Anthony Doerr
3. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel by Gabrielle Zevin
4. The Rosie Project: A Novel by Graeme Simison
5. Orphan Train: A Novel by Christina Baker Kline
6. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
7. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
8. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
9. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
10. Ordinary Grace: A Novel by William Kent Krueger

Rising Stars:

At the Water's Edge: A Novel by Sara Gruen
Go Set a Watchman: A Novel by Harper Lee

*Image courtesy of:

http://www.bellcountynewcomers.com/bookclubs.html

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

This book looks very good.  I picked it up at the BEA, and I am looking forward to reading it.

Back in January, Atria told us to mark our calendars for MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY. They loved the book and had a suspicion that everyone else would, too.

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They were right! Backman’s sophomore effort has been named a Library Reads Selection, an Indie Next Pick and the best of the month by Apple. As if that wasn’t enough, the critics have fallen in love. Take a look:

“A delectable homage to the power of stories to comfort and heal, Backman’s tender tale of the touching relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter is a tribute to the everlasting bonds of deep family ties.”

– Booklist (starred)

“Touching, sometimes funny, often wise…. Firmly in league with Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman.”

– Kirkus Reviews

“In his second offering, Backman (A Man Called Ove) continues to write with the same whimsical charm and warm heart as in his debut.”

– Publishers Weekly

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MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY begins with a letter.  Or, more precisely, a series of letters.

Elsa’s grandmother, like Elsa is different. When she’s not sneaking contraband into her hospital room, she’s sneaking out to take Elsa on adventures. She’s Elsa’s best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother’s stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

Elsa and her grandmother are knights of the Kingdom of Miamas, conquering dragons and finding treasures—small exploits, as it turns out. When Elsa’s grandmother dies, she leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged that Elsa must deliver, leading Elsa’s to greatest adventure ever.  The letters lead her to an apartment building full of all sorts of characters—and to the truth about fairytales and a grandmother like no other.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fredrik Backman is a Swedish blogger and columnist. A Man Called Ove, his first novel, has sold more than 500,000 copies in its native country and has been published in more than twenty-five languages all over the world. His second novel, My Grandmother Sent Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, is on sale today!

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We confess when we finished MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY we cried. Elsa’s voice was so moving and her story, about the right to be different, so poignant, that we couldn’t wait to tell you about it.

MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY is on sale today.

MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY by Fredrik Backman

Atria Books | 384 pages | ISBN 9781501115066, $25 | June 16, 2015

Death In Salem by Eleanor Kuhns

 

Traveling through Salem on his way home, ​Will ​Rees encounters an old friend and becomes involved in a murder investigation at the request of his friend, Twig.

Rees wonders how he became involved in this investigation when all he wanted was to go home and see his wife, Lydia.   Could he bring her here to help?

​I enjoyed the time period DEATH IN SALEM was set in but am glad I didn't live then.  Horse and buggies, no phones,​ women who had to stay home, women who were not allowed to be educated, some women who couldn't eve​n read​.  What a time to be a man, right?

Being a man meant being a sailor or a merchant in this town. And being a wealthy merchant in this case was bad for Jacob Boothe.  His wealth may have been what got him murdered.

But, who was the murderer of not one but now two people and then a third? Could Will figure it out or is his investigation putting him in danger.

It took a few pages to become part of the story, but I enjoyed DEATH IN SALEM.  I liked the characters and the storyline. The characters perfectly portrayed the era.  The storyline kept me guessing until the end. The wrap up and solving of the murder was unique.

The storyline definitely held my interest, and I am going try some of Ms Kuhn's other books.  Murder and mishaps prevailed along with authentic characters who got the job done.

DEATH IN SALEM is a book historical fiction and murder fans do not want to miss.   4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.

 

Finding Audrey and A Finding Audrey Coffee Sleeve Giveaway

Reviewers praise Finding Audrey:

“An outstanding tragicomedy that gently explores mental illness, the lasting effects of bullying, and the power of friends and loving family to help in the healing.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred

“Kinsella’s knack for humor and sensitivity shine in a story that should easily expand her already substantial fan base.” – Publishers Weekly

“With her trademark wit and sass, Kinsella sensitively broaches the complexities of young adult mental health.”—Booklist 

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Join in the fun and enter the giveaway for FINDING AUDREY and A FINDING AUDREY COFFEE SLEEVE.

USA ONLY

ENTER HERE

JUNE 15 - JUNE 22

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America's Most Well-Read Cities

I found this in Shelf Awareness Pro's Newsletter on June 3, 2016, and thought it would be interesting to share. My city didn't make the list.  Did yours? ************* Seattle, where Amazon's corporate headquarters is located, led the online retailer's fifth annual list of the "most well-read cities in the U.S."  The ranking was determined by compiling sales data for all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format from April 2014 to April 2015, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 500,000 residents.  This year's top 20: