Tree Swing Reading

One of my favorite things about fall...

is raking a big pile of leaves and seeing my girls have fun jumping in the pile!

New winner of Liparulo books

Since I never heard back from the orignal winner of the Dreamhouse Kings series (in spite of numerous attempts to reach him), I redrew a winner. 

Congrats Kerrie!  Your name was drawn for these books!

Review of "Bon Appetit" by Sandra Byrd

You can still sign up to win a copy of this book until Oct. 25. Enter here. 

Book: Bon Appetit

Author: Sandra Byrd

Summary: In this second book in the French Twist series, readers join Lexi Stuart in a crème de la crème adventure!

            Deciding to leave her familiar home in Seattle and her could-be boyfriend Dan, Lexi moves to a quaint village in France to pursue her dream of becoming a pastry chef.  Life among the French initially proves to be less than easy as Lexi is challenged by her coworkers, missing her friends, and failing to master the perfect baguette.

            Determined to find her place, Lexi settles into the culture and life becomes la perfection. She finds a church, meets a new friend, and makes the acquaintance of a child named Celine—as well as Celine’s attractive, widowed father, Philippe. Even Patricia, the gruff pastry cook, shows a softer side as she mentors Lexi in the art of baking.

            Fast, fun, and packed with French culture, foodie appeal, and unique recipes readers will love accompanying Lexi on her journey in Bon Appetit as she tries to choose between two countries, two men and the faith to lean on God while savoring the surprises life brings!

  Author Bio: Best-selling author Sandra Byrd enjoys a successful career writing adult, teen, and children’s books, including the Friends for a Season, Secret Sisters series and the French Twist series, including the first Lexi Stuart novel, Let them Eat Cake. She is also a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines. Sandra lives in

Washington

state with her husband and two children.

 My Review:

How perfect that this book talked so much about great french pastries and desserts, because that what this book was like: like a wonderful dessert--eagerly consumed, sweet and fun, and gone too soon.

I enjoyed this journey to France very much. Again, I appreciate that Lexi is a character with depth. She balances her responsibilities to school and work, her shopping, her family and friends, and her devotional time. I like that she never gets too far away from her faith, even while being far away from home and that when she is feeling lost, she recognizes the need to ground herself again in her faith.

I have to admit that I felt very French and very cultured after I finished reading this book.  It is filled with descriptions of wonderful French bakery items and makes me feel very hungry for a good french dessert with the real ingredients they are known for.

Now I can't wait to see what happens next.  Which guy will she choose? How will her career journey continue?

This was an enjoyable read.  Beware though, after you finish reading it you may find youself driving around looking for the nearest french bakery.

 

To Twitter or not to Twitter

How many of you twitter? I did for a week or so and then I didn't and now, well, I caved and have an account again.  If you have a twitter account and want to find me, I'm twitter.com/tamireads and it has my little logo from this blog on it.  Why did I quit for a while?  Well, there were three main reasons.

1. I was a little addicted. I kept checking it way too often.  Kind of like my husband on Facebook. (I have one of those too but had a short list of friends. kind of sad I know)

2. I started to feel sad when I would post something and no one would respond.  It felt like junior high again and I was the unpopular girl all over again!  But I'm feeling a little more secure about it now I hope.  At least Deborah missed me when I quit! :)

3. The main reason was because I was getting unsavory "followers" who wanted me to come on over to their website to see their videos...if you get what I mean.  I didn't know how to get rid of them and I got 10 of them in the span of an hour.  I at least know how to block/report them now.

So that's my twitter story.  I think it is totally fun, but it's like so many things in life, you can have too much of a good thing--except good books of course, you can never have too many of those!

If you want to "tweet" with me, come find me on Twitter. 

Review of "Let Them Eat Cake" by Sandra Byrd

Description:

Lexi Stuart earned a master's degree in French Studies---but can't find employment. So she moves back in with her parents, takes a job at a Seattle cafe, and becomes attracted to the owner, Luc---until disaster strikes! Will Lexi let God replace her dreams with the plans he has for her?

My Review:

Warning: reading this book will make you hungry for french baked goods!  Yum!

This was a fun and pleasant book in the typical "chicklit" style.  I enjoyed reading about Lexi and the ups and downs of her career and dating life. I like that she is kind and thoughtful to her friends and family and not too self-absorbed.  I also loved that she found a place to pursue her passion for baking and for french and that she recognized God's working in her life.

An enjoyable read that will bring to mind warm thoughts of family, friends, and spending time together over good coffee and food. 

Review of "Try Darkenss" by James Scott Bell

  Description:

Description:

Recovering from the death of his fiancee and a false accusation of murder, Ty Buchanan now prefers offering leagal services to the poor from his "office" at local coffee bar The Freudian Sip. A mysterious woman with a six-year-old daughter comes to him for help and all hell breaks loose.

In the second fast-paced novel featuring trial lawyer Ty Buchanan, the murder of a client will force Ty into the underbelly of LA to protect the child she left behind.

My Review:

I really like the character Ty Buchanan that Bell has created!  He is irrevrent and sarcastic and refuses to be impressed by the things that normally impress people. But he is also loving and loyal to the people in his life who are real and genuine. Ty lives his life without pretense, having been stripped of so much in the first book when he loses his fiance and gets charged with murder. In the face of losing his freedom, he has come to look at life completely differently and has come to see the value in people who speak the truth and don't get lost in fake images and can't be bought with money. So he finds himself living in a trailer near nuns and his new mentor, a priest.  He begins taking on cases that appeal to him and finds himself fighting for the rights of a young girl whose mother has been murdered. Little does he know that he's opening a whole can of worms that have much greater implications and threaten to blow up in his face.

Great book! I can't get enough of Ty and his spunk.  I hope there will be more in this series.  Ty has more growing to do and I can't wait to see his journey toward faith.

Review of "The Shape of Mercy" by Susan Meissner

Book: The Shape of Mercy

Summary: Lauren Durough is a college student longing to break free of family expectations when she stumbles into a project for eighty year old Abigail Boyles—transcribing the journals of Mercy Hayworth, a seventeenth-century victim of the

Massachusetts

witch trials. Almost immediately, Lauren finds herself drawn to this girl who lived and died four centuries ago. The strength of her affinity with Mercy forces Lauren to take a startling new look at her own life, including her relationships with the mysterious Abigail, her college roommate, and a young man named Raul.  But on the way to discovering the candid truth, Lauren must earnestly ask if she is playing the role of helpless defendant or the misguided judge?  Can she break free from her own perceptions and recognize who she really is?

            In our high-pressure, success-oriented culture, readers will identify with Lauren’s struggle to forge her own identity separate from the plan her family designed for her. Offering intrigue, romance, and heartbreaking drama, this contemporary novel with a historical twist conveys the intense beauty that emerges when we see how our stories affect the lives of others.

Author Bio:

From early school-day projects to becoming editor of a local newspaper in Minnesota, Susan Meissner’s love for writing has been apparent her entire life.  The Shape of Mercy is her latest novel in a string of books that delve into the deeper issues of life. She is the author of nine novels and lives with her family in

San Diego

,

California

.  Find out more about her at www.susanmeissner.com.

My Review:

This is truly a beautiful book! I was mesmerized by the back and forth accounts between the diary of Mercy and Lauren's life as she worked on transcribing the diary.  I knew that the diary would end up being profound for her and I was not disappointed.  And, while the accounts of Mercy were fascinating, it was the growth of Lauren's character that truly spoke to my heart.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when Lauren's friend Raul takes her flying.  As they fly higher and higher, all Lauren can see is how small she is in comparison, but Raul makes a powerful statement, "It's not always about you."  Lauren had been focussing so much on her own thoughts, her own mistakes, her own determination to be "different" than her parents, that she lost the real perspective.  As Lauren's awareness of her self-absorbtion sinks in and she begins to feel upset with herself, Raul makes my favorite comment of the book, "You're not the person you think you are Lauren."  This is beautiful because it is showing mercy to Lauren and allowing her to let go of berating herself.

Abigail, the elderly woman who hires Lauren to transcribe Mercy's diary, is in need of mercy too.  She has clung to Mercy's diary because Mercy was able to love selflessly in a way that Abigail had not been able to.  Now Abigail is filled with regret.  She longs for forgiveness for her mistakes.  It begins to fall on Lauren to help her find it.

A beautiful book, reminding us to see with more than our eyes and love without fear. It reminds me to let go of grudges and seek forgiveness. It challenges me to lighten my own load and ease up the self-loathing and not be haunted by the expectations of others--especially those that may be imagined.

Buy your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400074568

Missing winner

I had drawn the name "Mike" for the Liparulo Dreamhouse King series.  I've emailed him twice.  If you're the Mike who entered my drawing, please email me.  If I don't hear from him by Friday, I'll redraw.

Thanks!

Review of "Sisters of the Quilt" series by Cindy Woodsmall

Want these books?  You can still sign up to win them until Oct. 25. Go here.

Description:

Raised in an Old Order Amish family, 17-year-old Hannah Lapp wants nothing more than to break with custom and experience the outside world---so when her longtime Mennonite boyfriend proposes, she joyfully accepts! But will her choice damage her family forever? And when tragedy jeopardizes her upcoming marriage, can she cope without her community?

Book 2: When the Morning Comes

Description:

Her relationship with fiance Paul Waddell in tatters, Hannah Lapp has fled her secluded Old Order Amish community in hopes of finding a new home in Ohio with her shunned aunt. Hampered by limited education and hiding her true identity, Hannah struggles to navigate the confusing world of the Englischers.

Am waiting for my copy of book 3.

My Review:

Well, I have to confess something here.  I set myself up not to like these books because, well, to be honest, I sometimes feel like there are too many Amish Christian fiction books out there and "they've been done."  Boy was I WRONG!  These books are fantastic, fresh, alive, and fascinating!  I can't believe it took me so long to read them.  I am sorry that I let my pre-conceived ideas get in the way of enjoying these books sooner.  My apologies. 

I love Hannah and her determination.  I love the way the author captures the tug-of-war in her heart between the Amish ways and the Englischer ways.  The story line is passionate and lively and kept me reading page after page.  I can testify to the pain that Hannah feels when ones "traditions" and community begin to turn on you. This happened to my brother.  Not that I am Amish, but we did grow up in a tight religious community that had very set ways of how things "were done" and what "was NOT done."  As Hannah experiences, it can be chafing and comforting at the same time. 

But more than just the "new" vs. "old" way of doing things, the story was about hope for Hannah. It was about God using the bad things in her life to bring about His will. Like Joseph. That's the story that I am reminded of when I read about Hannah. 

I am checking my mailbox every day now waiting for book 3.  Can't wait!

FIRST Blog Tour of "Goodbye Hollywood Nobody"

It is October 11th, and FIRST is doing a special tour to 'Say Goodbye to Hollywood Nobody'.

Today's feature author is:

LISA SAMSON

and her book:

Goodbye Hollywood Nobody

NavPress Publishing Group (September 15, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Samson is the author of twenty books, including the Christy Award-winning Songbird. Apples of Gold was her first novel for teens These days, she's working on Quaker Summer, volunteering at Kentucky Refugee Ministries, raising children and trying to be supportive of a husband in seminary. (Trying . . . some days she's downright awful. It's a good thing he's such a fabulous cook!) She can tell you one thing, it's never dull around there. Other Novels by Lisa: Hollywood Nobody, Finding Hollywood Nobody, Romancing Hollywood Nobody, Straight Up, Club Sandwich, Songbird, Tiger Lillie, The Church Ladies, Women's Intuition: A Novel, Songbird, The Living End Visit her at her website. Product Details List Price: $12.99 Paperback: 192 pages Publisher: NavPress Publishing Group (September 15, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 1600062229 ISBN-13: 978-1600062223 AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Monday, July 11, 6:30 a.m. I awaken to a tap on my shoulder and open my eye. My right eye. See, these days it could be one of four people: Charley, Dad, Grampie, or Grammie. “’Morning, dear!” Grammie. Oh well, might as well go for broke. I open the other eye. “Did you sleep well?” I shake my head and reach for my cat glasses. “Nope. I kept dreaming about Charley in Scotland.” We sent her off with her new beau, the amazing Anthony Harris, two days ago. “I imagined a road full of sheep chasing her down.” “That would be silly. They would have to know she hates lamb chops.” Grammie sits on my bed. Yes, my bed. In their fabulous house. In my own wonderful room, complete with reproductions of the Barcelona chair and a platform bed of gleaming sanded mahogany. I burrow further into my white down comforter. I sweat like a pig at night, but I don’t care. A real bed, a bona fide comforter, and four pillows. Feather pillows deep enough to sink the Titanic in. She pats my shoulder, her bangled wrists emitting the music of wooden jewelry. “Up and at ’em, Scotty. Your dad wants to be on the road by seven thirty.” “I need a shower.” “Hop to it then.” Several minutes later, I revel in the glories of a real shower. Not the crazy little stall we have in the TrailMama, which Dad gassed up last night for our trip to Maine. Our trip to find Babette, my mother. Is she dead or alive? That’s what we’re going to find out. It’s complicated. The warm water slides over me from the top of my head on down, and I’ve found the coolest shampoo. It smells like limeade. I kid you not. It’s the greatest stuff ever. Over breakfast, Grampie sits down with us and goes over the map to make certain Dad knows the best route. My father sits patiently, nodding as words like turnpike, bypass, and scenic route roll like a convoy out of Grampie’s mouth. Poor Grampie. Dad is just the best at navigation and knows everything about getting from point A to point B, but I think Grampie wants to be a part of it. He hinted at us all going in the Beaver Marquis, their Luxury-with-a-capital-L RV, but Dad pretended not to get it. Later, Dad said to me, “It’s got to be just us, Scotty. I love my mother and father, but some things just aren’t complete-family affairs.” “I know. I think you’re right. And if it’s bad . . .” He nods. “I’d just as soon they not be there while we fall apart.” Right. So then, I hop up into our RV, affectionately known as the TrailMama, Dad’s black pickup already hitched behind. (Charley’s kitchen trailer is sitting on a lot in storage at a nearby RV dealership, and good riddance. I’m hoping Charley never needs to use that thing again.) “Want me to drive?” He laughs. Yep. I still don’t have my license. Man. But it’s been such a great month or so at the beach. So, okay, I don’t tan much really, but I do have a nice peachy glow. I’ll take it. And Grampie grilled a lot, and Grammie helped me sew a couple of vintage-looking skirts, and I’ve learned the basics of my harp. I jump into the passenger’s seat, buckle in, and look over at my dad. “You really ready for this?” My heart speeds up. This is the final leg of a very long journey, and what’s at the end of the path will determine the rest of our lives. He looks into my eyes. “Are you?” “I don’t know,” I whisper. “But we don’t really have a choice, do we?” “I can go alone.” I shake my head. “No, Dad. Whatever we do, whatever happens from here on out, we do it together.” “Deal.”

Man I  love this character!  I will miss her and her crazy adventures!  Wish I could have her as a guest blogger!