Monday, October 14, 2013

Mailbox Monday October 14


Happy Monday! I haven't posted a Mailbox Monday post since July so my pile may seem large but these books came over a few months. This month Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Gina of Book Dragon's Lair.


A Man of His Own by Susan Wilson (courtesy of Macmillan Audio)

Someone by Alice McDermott (courtesy of Macmillan Audio)

Morning Glory by Sarah Jio
(courtesy of Librarything Early Reviewers)

How To Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman (courtesy of St. Martin's Press)

Tilted World by Tom Franklin & Beth Ann Fennelly
(courtesy of William Morrow)

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
(courtesy of Simon & Schuster)

The Wednesday Daughters by Meg Waite Clayton
(courtesy of Librarything Early Reviewers)

Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen
(courtesy of Random House)

The Wedding Gift by Marlen Suyapa Bodden
(courtesy of St. Martin's Press)

What wonderful reads made their way into your home?

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman



Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman


Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books; First Edition edition (May 28, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670025836
ISBN-13: 978-0670025831

Synopsis

A Southern novel of family and antiques from the bestselling author of the beloved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Beth Hoffman’s bestselling debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, won admirers and acclaim with its heartwarming story and cast of unforgettable characters. Now her unique flair for evocative settings and richly drawn Southern personalities shines in her compelling new novel, Looking for Me.

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop. Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky. It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last. But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

Looking for Me brilliantly melds together themes of family, hope, loss, and a mature once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. The result is a tremendously moving story that is destined to make bestselling author Beth Hoffman a novelist to whom readers will return again and again as they have with Adriana Trigiani, Fannie Flagg, and Joshilyn Jackson.

My Thoughts

When Beth Hoffman's first book, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt started showing up around the blogosphere, I knew I had to read it. The synopsis spoke to me. I read it and fell in love with the characters. Beth Hoffman is not only an excellent author but she is a wonderful person as well. She is so supportive to us bloggers and she is as down to earth as he characters she writes about.

I was so excited when I saw Beth had a new book coming out. It was released in May. I apologize profusely for taking so long to write this review but life has been so crazy for me this year. Let me tell you though, Looking For Me is just as fantastic as Saving CeeCee Honeycutt!

The storyline in Looking For Me has many layers and a bit of mystery. Teddi Overman follows her dreams from Kentucky to Charleston where she opens an antique shop. Teddi is a bit of a magician. She takes peoples trash and magically transforms it into treasures. She is successful but yet she is missing something in her life. Her brother, Josh mysteriously disappeared and his disappearance has remained unsolved. Josh is a very natural person who is very into birds and nature. He brings a bit of Native American beliefs to the story. I am not going to reveal too much about the storyline as this is a story to be experienced and savored.

Teddi's life is told both in the present and in flashbacks. The two time periods flow smoothly which is a testament to Beth's wonderful storytelling ability. The characters that the reader meets along the way are rich and memorable. The Southern charm shines through in the story and makes the reader feel right at home.

This book is just as wonderful as Saving CeeCee Honeycutt but is a very different read. I loved the element of mystery along with the Native American beliefs that were presented in the story. The characters were just as I hoped they would be. They felt like old friends and just like a visit with old friends, I was sad to see them go when I finished the book. These friends had me laughing and in tears throughout their visit.

Pick up Looking For Me. You won't be disappointed. It is one of my favorite reads of the year! Definitely a 5 star read for me!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon Update


I will keep posting updates on this post as to not drive my followers crazy.

12:18


How many pages read since last update: 313

How many pages read total: 551 pages

Number of books read since you started: 2

Amount of time spent reading since last update: ? I didn't keep track of my minutes. I found myself getting up and doing other things.

Running total of time spent reading since you started: ?

I am about done for the night. I feel good as I have read two books that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I also peeked at some blogs and had a nice relaxing day.



6:30
We are halfway there! I started late so I am not feeling too bad. I am a second shifter so my second wind will kick in after a bit. Dinner is finishing up in the crockpot- Chicken and dumplings. Reading all day is a luxury for me nowadays so I am in heaven!

Mid-Event Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired? The eyes are a bit tired but I am very captivated by the book I am reading which is I'll Be Seeing You by Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan

2) What have you finished reading? I finished Sarah's Key

3) What is your favorite read so far? It's a toss up between both of the books I have been reading.

4) What about your favorite snacks? Cheesy, garlic grits...I could live on them!

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love! I have found many new ones! It would be impossible to list them all!

3:30

I finished Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay. I plowed through this book today. It is very good and I highly recommend it!

How many pages read since last update: 238 pages
How many pages read total: 238 pages
Number of books read since you started: 1
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 172 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 172 minutes

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Food and beverages consumed since last update: Breakfast- cheesy, garlic grits and two eggs with pumpkin spice coffee, snack- honeycrisp apple, lunch- tomato soup with goldfish, spinach, goat cheese flatbread pizza, iced green tea.

Dewey's Readathon Intro meme


I am getting a late start on the readathon. I am a second shifter so my internal clock doesn't let me get up too early. I am here and ready to read! Check out my intro meme!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I am in the beautiful Midawestern US. Southeastern Wisconsin to be exact!

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I don't have a stack yet. Just flying by the seat of my pants. I am looking forward to finishing Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay which is my current read. I highly recommend this book!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I am hoping to make Vanilla Coconut Muddy Buddies.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I am the mother of three young adults and one dog and one cat. I was a stay at home mom but now that my kids are grown I have entered the working world again. I work at a cancer hospital which I find very rewarding. I love to read and it is one of the things I miss most since going back to work.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? I did not participate in the last readathon as I was working. I am taking a very relaxed approach to the readathon today. My plan is to read and have fun!

I am off to read now.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Dewey's Read-a-thon October 12, 2013!


As I was reading and catching up on blogs today, I noticed tomorrow is Dewey's Read-a-thon. This is one of my very favorite read-a-thons. I highly recommend it! Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit rainy and cool here. What better way to spend my day than to participate in the read-a-thon. I am sure I won't read 24 hours. I will probably not make the 24 hours but plan on reading when I can. You have no idea how excited I am! I am off to plan my snack and reading list! Are you participating?

Fall Update


It has been far too long since I have posted on this poor, neglected blog. I really didn't mean to take a long break. It just happened.

My mom is still in remission. Every day is a gift. I try to spend as much free time with her as possible. She is back home but not driving so we have to make sure she gets where she needs to be and that she has everything she needs. All this while we hold down full time jobs takes a toll but I would never change a thing. I feel very blessed to have my mom. We have our morning coffee together every day on the phone.

Work has been crazy. We are short help at work and have been all summer. It puts more responsibilities on those of us left behind. At the end of the night we are all exhausted. Hopefully, things will look up soon.

I have been reading a bit. I do have some book reviews I need to get at. I am on vacation this weekend and I hope to do more catching up here and to catch up on my blog reading.

I have missed everyone and look forward to getting back into the swing of things. It has been far too long!