Mailbox Monday August 29

It's Monday again! Time for another Mailbox Monday post. Mailbox Monday is the creation of Marcia from A Girl and Her Books. The meme is on tour and this month's host is Staci at Life in the Thumb. Visit Staci's blog and check it out.

We are in the home stretch of summer vacation here. School starts the end of this week. This is the last year that I will have a child in school. Where does the time go. It just seems like yesterday I was putting three school-aged kids on school buses. We are trying to enjoy the last few days of summer and get organized again. I seem to let things get terribly unorganized during the summer months. It's time to get back to having a normal schedule. I did have one book in my mailbox last week that was a win from Karen at Bookin' With Bingo. Thank you so much Karen! The book is fabulous! I am looking forward to trying out the recipes in it. We are very into the cupcake craze that seems to be sweeping the country. How can you not smile when you see or eat a cupcake?

Presented by Southern Living Big Book of Cupcakes: 150 Brilliantly Delicious Dreamcakes

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Oxmoor House (April 12, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0848734378
ISBN-13: 978-0848734374

It's official: The cupcake craze has taken the world by storm. No longer are cupcakes solely for children-these handheld treats nowmust pass musterwith taste-discriminatingadults equally ravenous for the little frosted jewels. Big Book of Cupcakes sets a new standard with recipes for cupcakes that actually taste as great as they look. In addition to the traditional favorite flavors everyone craves, such as red velvet and carrot cake, this book offers fun, new flavor twists like Maple Bacon and Caramel Sea Salt Mocha, as well as easy decorating and serving ideas, from classic to creative. In this book, which is organized by season and the events readers want to celebrate with home-baked cupcakes-from New Years to Christmas, birthdays to "just-craving" days-author and cupcake-bakery owner Jan Moon shares her secrets and most requested recipes. Whether you're making the perfect batch of cupcakes for a child's birthday party or satisfying a very adult comfort-food craving, the nostalgic treats that fill this book are sure to delight and surprise. Plus, Jan's creative tips on how to serve and display cupcakes for parties are sure to be crowd-pleasers.

With more than 10 years of experience honing her craft in the Test Kitchens of Southern Living magazine, Jan Moon has embarked on a venture of her own and opened a bakery in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition to wedding cakes and custommade treats, Dreamcakes Bakery specializes in delectable cupcakes, and Jan's unique creations keep her loyal customers coming back for more.

Thank you so much Karen!

I also picked this up at Target after reading about Plannergate on Book, Line and Sinker. Natalie posted the perfect planner! When I saw that some of the Blue Sky items were at Target, I ran right over to see what I could find to help me with my organization. Of course the Suzy Jack line was well picked over at our Target but I did find this set by Blue Sky which I think will fit my needs beautifully. Thank you to Natalie for posting her search for the perfect planner. The Blue Sky line is great and I would have probably missed it if it weren't for Natalie's post. For many years, I used a refillable planner that I dearly loved but sadly the refills were discontinued and I was never able to find one that I truly loved. I am really excited to start using this new set. It is not refillable but it costs much less than my refillable one. The calender will be used at my desk and the planner is small enough to be used at the desk and go with me in my bag. I'm looking forward to being organized once again!


So what fun books made their way into your home?

The Art Of Forgetting

The Art Of Forgetting by Camille Noe Pagan

Summary

A moving and insightful debut novel of great friendship interrupted. Can the relationship survive when the memories are gone?

Marissa Rogers never wanted to be an alpha; beta suited her just fine. Taking charge without taking credit had always paid off: vaulting her to senior editor at a glossy magazine; keeping the peace with her critical, weight-obsessed mother; and enjoying the benefits of being best friends with gorgeous, charismatic, absolutely alpha Julia Ferrar.

And then Julia gets hit by a cab. She survives with minor obvious injuries, but brain damage steals her memory and alters her personality, possibly forever. Suddenly, Marissa is thrown into the role of alpha friend. As Julia struggles to regain her memory- dredging up issues Marissa would rather forget, including the fact that Julia asked her to abandon the love of her life ten years ago- Marissa's own equilibrium is shaken.

With the help of a dozen girls, she reluctantly agrees to coach in an after-school running program. There, Marissa uncovers her inner confidence and finds the courage to reexamine her past and take control of her future.

The Art of Forgetting is a story about the power of friendship, the memories and myths that hold us back, and the delicate balance between forgiving and forgetting.

My Thoughts

How far would you go for your best friend? In The Art Of Forgetting Julia and Marissa are best friends and have been since high school. Julia has always been the one who seems to be in control of the friendship while Marissa is the loyal friend who follows behind. When Julia is involved in an accident, she sustains a brain injury which changes her. Will their friendship be able to survive the trauma that changes the balance of their relationship?

I must admit that I thought this book would be more about Julia and her recovery and the role her injury would play in the friendship between Julia and Marissa. The story was more about Marissa, who seems to have always played second fiddle to Julia. With Julia's injury, Marissa has to be the friend who is alpha. Marissa is not so sure she likes the new role as she has always been the follower.

I admired Marissa in this book for not only stepping up to the plate when she needed to but for also forgiving and knowing when it is time to move on and when to stay. I was not a huge fan of Julia before or after her brain injury. To tell you the truth, she kind of got on my nerves. I thought she was a bit self centered, both before and after the accident.

This is a great book about friends, relationships, family, forgiveness and moving forward. I highly recommend it. It would also make a good book for group discussion.

This is a debut book for Camille Noe Pagan and it does not disappoint. The story is as graceful and beautiful as it's cover!

I read this book for The Just For Fun Challenge. The book was borrowed from my local library.

Southern Belle Challenge

I know I need to join another challenge like I need a hole in my head but I couldn't resist this one! I adore Southern fiction. Some of my very favorite reads are set in the South, so I am looking forward to participating in this challenge. Be sure to check out the sign up post. It is being posted by Brenda Gail at Curling Up With A Good Book.

Mailbox Monday August 22

It's Monday again! Time for another Mailbox Monday post. Mailbox Monday is the creation of Marcia from A Girl and Her Books. The meme is on tour and this month's host is Staci at Life in the Thumb. Visit Staci's blog and check it out.

Good gosh it has taken me forever to load this weeks mailbox picture. It seems the new Firefox browser is not compatible with what I am using to download pictures from my computer. Oh the fun of it all.

I got a lovely prize in the mail this week. Earlier in the summer I entered the Girls Gone Audio sweepstakes on the Macmillan Audio website. I was shocked to see I was a winner! And what a lovely prize it is! I am finally getting the hang of the audiobook listening. The right narrator sure helps. With school starting next week I will be spending more time in the van so the audiobooks will be put to good use. The tote will be handy for runs to the library. I love totes! I have quite a few but my bookish ones are my favorites!

(Excuse my horrible picture. It took several tries to even get this one. The plastic covering on the audiobooks and the lighting caused quite the glare. I finally had to have my daughter take the picture. Hers was much better than mine.)

Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

Second Grave From The Left by Darynda Jones

Always Something There to Remind Me by Beth Harbison

American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

And of course the lovely red tote bag!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio!

What lovelies made their way into your home?

WINNERS

My first giveaway is officially over! Winners were drawn using Random Org and have been notified. Thank you all for making my first giveaway a success! I wish I could have sent you each a copy of the book!

Winners

4 Jenny Q
9 Stacybuckeye
2 Vicki

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer


MY THOUGHTS

I have never read a book written by Jeffrey Archer before. After reading this book I will be looking out for more of his books. What an amazing storyteller!

Only Time Will Tell tells the story of two families, the Barringtons, a well to do family and the Cliftons, a struggling family. The Barringtons are shipping magnates while the Cliftons are hard working people. Young Harry Clifton's mother, Maisie is a waitress while his uncle is a dock worker as was his father. Young Harry believes his father died in the war. Maisie will do what she needs to do to get her son the type of education he needs to break the cycle. Harry has a phenomenal voice which just may be his ticket to a good school. When Harry goes off to school he meets Giles Barrington and the two become fast friends. The two boys become connected without realizing they may have always been connected. As Harry learns the truth about his father, the world is getting closer to being at war and decisions are made which will affect them all.

Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of another character. I found this extremely interesting even though some of the same storyline was retold. It gave me a different look at the situation as it happened. Seeing the same situation through the eyes of another can be quite eye-opening.

The characters are well developed. I felt I knew each character very well. The author does a fantastic job creating each character's personality. Each character seems to be harboring some sort of secret by the time this book ends. Some of the characters are not very likeable but make for great reading. Every saga needs a good villain or two. Other characters such as Maisie and Harry will capture your heart. You can't help but feel for Harry and Maisie. I kept hoping life would get easier for them.

The book ends with a huge cliffhanger that has me dying to get my hands on the next installment of this series. I find myself wondering what will happen to each of the characters in the book. This book ends with many unanswered questions but I knew going into this book it was a series spanning many years and many generations. I adore a good family saga and this one does not disappoint! I loved all the unexpected twists. I can't wait to see where Mr. Archer plans on taking this storyline next! He has made me a big fan! I just hope we don't have to wait too long for the next book! I know I'll be reading all installments of The Clifton Chronicles. You don't want to miss this series!

I received this book for my honest review courtesy of St. Martins Press.

If you think you would like to read this book be sure to enter my giveaway! Three copies are being given away. Click here to enter. Giveaway ends tomorrow!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

From the internationally bestselling author of Kane and Abel and A Prisoner of Birth comes Only Time Will Tell, the first in an ambitious new series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph.

The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he’s left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys’ school, and his life will never be the same again.

As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?

This introductory novel in Archer’s ambitious series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitler’s Germany. From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only Time Will Tell takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeffrey Archer was educated at Oxford University. He has served five years in Britain’s House of Commons and fourteen years in the House of Lords. All of his novels and short story collections--including And Thereby Hangs a Tale, Kane and Abel, Paths of Glory and False Impression--have been international bestselling books. Archer is married with two sons and lives in London and Cambridge.

Mailbox Monday August 15

It's Monday again! Time for another Mailbox Monday post. Mailbox Monday is the creation of Marcia from A Girl and Her Books. The meme is on tour and this month's host is Staci at Life in the Thumb. Visit Staci's blog and check it out.

Not much reading done here again last week. This week will be different! I received some books that I purchased and I also received two audiobooks, one is the book I am currently reading which is wonderful! I will be listening today while I catch up on housework. I have always had problems listening to audiobooks but this one has really captured my attention. I guess I just needed a good narrator!

Be sure to check out my giveaway here. It ends Friday August 19!


First up are the two audiobooks I received, one was a surprise.

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
I received this courtesy of Macmillan Audio

Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
I received this as a surprise courtesy of Macmillan Audio

These books I purchased.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I owned this and have read it but I loaned my copy out years ago and it is still being passed around. I love this book and can't wait to see the movie! If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it!

What Can I Bring Cookbook? by Anne Byrn

I recently read about this cookbook while visiting Sheila's blog, Book Journey. If you have never visited Sheila's blog, go visit her! You'll love her and her blog!

Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan

I had checked this out from our library and did not get the chance to finish it. This is a book I know my mom would love to read so I went ahead and purchased it so I could share it with her.

I hope to catch up with everyone's blogs today. I am so far behind in just about everything in my life. I am determined to catch up on everything this week! Have a great reading week!