Whistlin Dixie in a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton

Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (September 29, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312556608

Summary
Leelee Satterfield seemed to have it all: a gorgeous husband, two adorable daughters, and roots in the sunny city of Memphis, Tennessee. So when her husband gets the idea to uproot the family to run a quaint Vermont inn, Leelee is devastated…and her three best friends are outraged. But she’s loved Baker Satterfield since the tenth grade, how can she not indulge his dream? Plus, the glossy photos of bright autumn trees and smiling children in ski suits push her over the edge…after all, how much trouble can it really be?

But Leelee discovers pretty fast that there’s a truckload of things nobody tells you about Vermont until you live there: such as mud season, vampire flies, and the danger of ice sheets careening off roofs. Not to mention when her beloved Yorkie decides to pick New Year’s Eve to go to doggie heaven-she encounters one more New England oddity: frozen ground means you can’t bury your dead in the winter. And that Yankee idiosyncrasy just won’t do.

The inn they’ve bought also has its host of problems: an odor that no amount of potpourri can erase, tacky décor, and a staff of peculiar Vermonters whose personalities are as unique as the hippopotamus collection gracing the fireplace mantle. The whole operation is managed by Helga, a stern German woman who takes special delight in bullying Leelee for her southern gentility. Needless to say, it doesn’t take long for Leelee to start wondering when to drag out the moving boxes again.

But when an unexpected hardship takes Leelee by surprise, she finds herself left alone with an inn to run, a mortgage to pay, and two daughters to raise. But this Southern belle won’t be run out of town so easily. Drawing on the Southern grit and inner strength she didn’t know she had, Leelee decides to turn around the Inn, her attitude and her life. In doing so, she makes friends with her neighbors, finds a little romance, and realizes there’s a lot more in common with Vermont than she first thought.

In this moving and comedic debut, Lisa Patton paints a hilarious portrait of life in Vermont as seen through the eyes of a southern belle readers won’t soon forget. A charming fish-out-of-water tale of one woman who learns to stand up for herself-in sandals and snow boots-against the odds.

My Thoughts

I adored this book! Leelee Satterfield is a somewhat spoiled southern belle but she caught my heart right off the bat with her charm. She is quite the character. When she follows her husband to Vermont to open an inn, something neither of them knows anything about, the fun begins! Leelee is a fish out of water but she is determined to make those around her happy. The cultural differences between Leelee's southern roots and Vermont are very entertaining. It is like night and day! Leelee kept me laughing through the whole book.


This is a cute story that is entertaining and will keep you laughing. It is not a serious, intellectual read but a humorous look at the differences between Southerners and us Yankees. It is a light read that will leave you feeling good at the end. Just sit back and enjoy! I am looking forward to reading more of Leelee's antics!


This book was a win from Dewey's Read-a-thon (quite awhile ago)

Angel Song

Angel Song by Sheila Walsh & Kathryn Cushman
summary from the back of the book

Angels eagerly watch over Ann Fletcher’s every move. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Ann Fletcher has returned to Charleston to see her younger sister Sarah receive her master’s degree. But she soon finds herself riding in the back of an ambulance, watching helplessly as Sarah fights for her life. As they race to the hospital, Sarah talks to someone who is not there...and hums a melody Ann has never heard before.

That unfamiliar, unearthly beautiful melody keeps finding Ann--first in the hospital chapel, then in her dreams, and finally in Sarah’s empty house.

Two neighbors have a profound effect on Ann. Ethan McKinney lends her a shoulder to lean on. And as a carpenter, he volunteers to help Ann get the Fletcher family home into shape for selling. His strong presence is a pleasing distraction. Ann’s twelve-year-old neighbor, Keith, has Down Syndrome and the guile to believe he can actually see and hear angels. In fact, he insists they are looking out for her in ways she’s never imagined.

God begins to reveal himself to Ann--both in her newfound friends and through supernatural events. As she discovers the very real presence of angels around her, will she finally open her heart to receive God’s healing love?

My Thoughts

This story was both sad and heartwarming at the same time. After Ann Fletcher loses her sister, Sarah in an accident, she begins to be haunted by a tune that she hears. As Ann readies Sarah's home, the home they both grew up in, to be sold she meets a carpenter, and her neighbors, Tammy and her son, Keith who has Down Syndrome. Keith draws pictures of Ann with angels in them. This disturbs her at first but then she begins to look forward to the pictures. Do the tune and the pictures have something to do with each other? Will she listen to the angels and open her heart to God? This story is lovely but it is a bit predictable. I didn't find that to be a bad thing. This book did cause me to think about angels and the role they may play in our lives. If you are a fan of christian fiction I think you will enjoy this book.

This book was sent to me as part of the Booksneeze Program with Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest opinion.

Reading From My Shelves Challenge 2011

I participated in this challenge last year and didn't do so well. My goal this year is to clear some books out that I have been wanting to read but haven't gotten to yet so I am once again going to give this a try.

It is hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea

I am going to shoot for 20 books this year. I will list them as I read them because I hope to read more of what I feel like reading in the New Year.

Here are the details if you are interested:

* Challenge runs from January 1 - December 31, 2011.
* Read books from your own shelves, and then pass the books on to someone else: a friend, relative, the library, used book store, swap them, just as long as the book leaves your house once it has been read.
* Decide on your goal (12 is the minimum - no maximum). Cross over books are allowed.
* Grab the button and do a post about the challenge.
* Keep a running list of the books you've read and passed on.
* Leave a comment with a link to your post and you are entered (no Mr. Linky).
* Have Fun and GOOD LUCK!