A Book Case Quilt

I attended the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in Maryland this past weekend.

Look what I found in the quilt competition.  Isn't it wonderful?

This quilt won a Blue Ribbon.

I know nothing about quilting and asked if the quilter designed or embroidered the books, and the answer was the books were material added to the quilt.

I thought everyone would enjoy seeing this.

GIVEAWAY of: A Window Opens: A Novel by Elisabeth Egan

“Egan’s delightful debut is a fresh, funny take on the age-old struggle to have it all.” —People

Fans of I Don’t Know How She Does It and Where’d You Go, Bernadette? will cheer at this “fresh, funny take on the age-old struggle to have it all” (People) about what happens when a wife and mother of three leaps at the chance to fulfill her professional destiny—only to learn every opportunity comes at a price.

In A Window Opens, beloved books editor at Glamour magazine Elisabeth Egan brings us Alice Pearse, a compulsively honest, longing-to-have-it-all, sandwich generation heroine for our social-media-obsessed, lean in (or opt out) age. 

Like her fictional forebears Kate Reddy and Bridget Jones, Alice plays many roles (which she never refers to as “wearing many hats” and wishes you wouldn’t, either). 

She is a mostly-happily married mother of three, an attentive daughter, an ambivalent dog-owner, a part-time editor, a loyal neighbor and a Zen commuter. 

She is not: a cook, a craftswoman, a decorator, an active PTA member, a natural caretaker or the breadwinner. But when her husband makes a radical career change, Alice is ready to lean in—and she knows exactly how lucky she is to land a job at Scroll, a hip young start-up which promises to be the future of reading, with its chain of chic literary lounges and dedication to beloved classics. 

The Holy Grail of working mothers―an intellectually satisfying job and a happy personal life―seems suddenly within reach.

Despite the disapproval of her best friend, who owns the local bookstore, Alice is proud of her new “balancing act” (which is more like a three-ring circus) until her dad gets sick, her marriage flounders, her babysitter gets fed up, her kids start to grow up and her work takes an unexpected turn. 

Readers will cheer as Alice realizes the question is not whether it’s possible to have it all, but what does she―Alice Pearse―really want?

See more at:  

http://books.simonandschuster.com/A-Window-Opens/Elisabeth-Egan/9781501105432#sthash.Br59dWTF.dpuf

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A Winner Has Been Chosen
Cindy - #28
CONGRATS!!

Thanks to everyone who entered.
 

Giveaway

August 11 to  August 18

USA ONLY

Enter HERE

ONE ENTRY PER PERSON

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Heart Land by Caroline Miller

Nostalgia at its best.

Ms. Miller pulls you in with wonderful characters and the life folks lead in a cozy, Ohio pre-war town.  From the depression and pre-World War II eras, the characters are true to life and have antics that you can just see happening in a used-to-be safe environment.

Folks didn't lock their doors, folks helped each other when times were tough, and children were still mischievous but innocent.

The characters were all loveable.  You would want to be in the kitchens of the characters so you could enjoy the wonderful homemade dishes and share the family times.

​Oliver and Herman were the main characters, and they were filled with mischief.

Ms. Miller excels in writing and storytelling.  ENJOY this book when you read it.  And....do NOT miss reading her other two books.   

Tromp L'oeil and Gothic Spring  

They both are quite different from HEART LAND, but oh so EXCELLENT. 

I normally do not like memoirs, but this was more of a looking back and feeling at home in the era and wishing our lives could still be this cozy.  But then again..could we be without a phone in every home and no Internet? :)

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

The Promise Of Home by Darcie Chan

Letters from the past that reveal hidden secrets and untold tales, a mansion being restored, and all the wonderful characters from Ms. Chan's previous novels.

Mill River is a town I would want to live in.  It has its problems, but the characters are just so homey and wonderful.

THE PROMISE OF HOME moves from the 1930's to present-day Mill River.  Ms. Chan skillfully takes us from one time period to the other letting us in on the daily activities of all of Mill River's current residents and Father O'Brien's life as he grew up.

Father O'Brien definitely had an interesting past.  

Emily is still the same Emily...still hurt from an incident from long ago.  

Her sister, Rose, has mellowed, which is good. 

Ruth has a great bookstore and bakery and owns the mansion Emily is restoring.  

Aunt Ivy is the sweetest thing. 

Josie is still a successful real estate agent and still juggling her life between family and work.

​The reader finds out more about the familiar characters that add to the appeal of this book.

THE PROMISE OF HOME has just enough drama, enough suspense, enough secrets, enough romance, and unfortunately just enough heartache to keep you glued to the pages.

THE PROMISE OF HOME is another charming, cozy read by Ms. Chan.

You do not have to read Ms. Chan's books in order, but I would recommend that you do that so you can get the full beauty of the characters who reside in the quaint town of Mill River.  5/5​

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

In The Dark Places by Peter Robinson

A stolen tractor, blood in an abandoned hanger, and now dead bodies and missing suspects.

Th​is particular investigation went from looking for a stolen tractor to murder and covert activities. 

IN THE DARK PLACES was quite a good mystery with terrific characters. ​ I enjoyed the camaraderie among the investigators. The victims and their families were likable​, and the storyline made me not want to put the book down.

The tangled series of events made for ​an excellent, gripping read with clues that turned the investigation into other directions and into more than what the investigators first started out with.

IN THE DARK PLACES kept me guessing until the end.   Mr. Robinson knows how to create drama that takes the reader to a different level and then wraps it all up with an ah ha at the end.

This is my first book by Mr. Robinson, and I thoroughly enjoyed IN THE DARK PLACES. 

I would recommend IN THE DARK PLACES to any reader who likes to figure out the mystery but rarely does.  :)  4/5

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

The Last Summer At Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff

Adelia Monteforte was put on a boat alone to America in 1941 as WWII was underway.  Her mother forced her into leaving Italy and living with her aunt and uncle that she had never met.

Adelia was grateful for her aunt and uncle's love, but ​she ​felt out of place with them and with her accent.  When she met the Connallys, things changed.  There were children her own age, children to play with​, a family she felt very comfortable with, and their son she fell in love with.

Her aunt and uncle seemed distant but very kind to Adelia.  Mrs. Connally was more of a mother to Adelia than her aunt, but I think Adelia made that happen as she chose to be closer to a stranger than her own relatives.  She did upset me how she was closer to the family that lived next door at the beach than her blood relatives.

We follow ​Adelia who is a very strong-willed character and who makes decisions on her own even though she is quite young.  I was surprised at her quick, poorly thought-out decisions.  Some were decisions I definitely would not have made.​ 

Adelia had become unsettled in her town after a while and also with the Connallys and left for Washington, D.C. to escape Charlie Connally.  She then moved on to London when Washington, D.C. wasn't far enough away for her.

London wasn't what she expected, but Adelia was able to make new friends and continue to work at the same newspaper she worked for in the USA.  Adelia never thought London would be a​s​ war torn as it was​, but no matter what the circumstances or how far she went, she never could get Charlie out of her mind.

THE LAST SUMMER AT CHELSEA BEACH is filled with loss, growing up, learning about life, and a love story.

THE LAST SUMMER AT CHELSEA BEACH  had a lesson about the importance of family and the importance of following your heart.

As always, Ms. Jenoff's books are well researched and very well written.  You become part of her books and want to be one of the characters simply because of the marvelous way Ms. Jenoff tells a story.

If you haven’t read THE LAST SUMMER AT CHELSEA BEACH or any of Ms. Jenoff’s books, what are you waiting for?   :)  

You won't go wrong with any of her books.  ENJOY....I know you will.  5/5

Review and Giveaway of The Summer of Good Intentions by Wendy Francis

Ahhhhh Summer!!

Every July since they were babies, the Herington Clan gathered at their beach house.  These summers were always memorable and something everyone looked forward to, but this year's family get together was turning out to not be the best. 

The Herington's parents were divorced, Maggie was stressed just because she always had to be in control and organized, Jess and her husband were having trouble, and Virgie, the single sister, who had a stressful job had some bad news that was difficult to accept.

All of the characters were likeable and made you want to share the month with them even though they were not having the best summer this particular year.  I liked Arthur, their father, the best.  He seemed like such a terrific person.

As July drew to a close, a secret the Herington girls could never have imagined surfaced as well as a loss that was the last straw for their summer.

Despite the heartaches, THE SUMMER OF GOOD INTENTIONS is a nice, breezy read when you are in the mood for family drama, family bonding,  and of course a well-written story.

Ms. Francis has a way of emotionally drawing you into the story, and her writing style keeps you interested.  And speaking of emotions, you will need some tissues as you read the ending pages.

I truly enjoyed THE SUMMER OF GOOD INTENTIONS because it brought out family-related topics that we all can learn from.  I would also call THE SUMMER OF GOOD INTENTIONS an uplifting read. 

I loved Ms. Francis' comments about the bond of sisters and her tribute to her mother in the acknowledgements.

I now want to read her first book, THREE GOOD THINGS.

ENJOY when you read THE SUMMER OF GOOD INTENTIONS.  Thanks, Ms. Francis. 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
Our winner is Helen #43
CONGRATS!!
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GIVEAWAY

USA ONLY

July 28 - August 4

Enter HERE

Best of Luck
One Entry Per Reader Please

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