New Releases - June 1 - 6

Dear Readers,

I love that the summer reading season has gotten off to such a wonderful start.  The great titles continue to roll in and it looks like there is no end in sight.

Happy Reading,

Water from my Heart - Charles Martin - Charlie Finn has made a place for himself on the fringe of privileged society.  Providing something that "if he didn't do it someone else would."  But when tragedy strikes his partner and friends family, Charlie begins to rethink his life.

Centralia - Mike Dellosso - Peter Ryan wakes up to an empty house.  He doesn't remember the car crash that kills his wife and daughter, but when he finds a note from his daughter he begins to question what is real and what isn't.  Soon he is on the run trying to discover what to believe.

Drawing Fire - Janice Cantore - #1 Cold Case Justice - The only lead Abby Hart has on a possible serial killer is a very irritating private investigator.  Will she be able to figure out who is murdering elderly women and why before Luke drives her crazy or before something else develops?

Five Brides - Eva Marie Everson - 5 independent women who live together are out shopping in downtown 1950 Chicago.  They spy a wedding dress and decide to pool their money and buy it, even though none have a steady boyfriend.  What will their future hold and who will get to wear the dress?

 

Justified - Varina Denman - alcoholic #2 Mended Hearts - Fawn feels the judgment of others because of her unplanned pregnancy.  It is a judgment that she herself has passed on others over the years.  What her heart longs for is forgiveness, hope and love.

The  Case of the Sin City Sister - Lynne Hinton - #2 A Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery - Sister Eve is unsure if her newly found gift is actually a gift or just a temptation.  She takes a leave of absence from the convent to figure it out.  When her sister goes missing Eve sets out to find her and may end up finding the answers she seeks.

A bookstore in Venice

Dear Readers,

On our trip a couple weeks ago my husband and I visited Venice Italy for the first time.  What a wonderful, beautiful, unique city.  Because of what it is, a city built on the sea, the pace slows down because there is no motor vehicles allow.  Also because of the canals and bridges, there is not even bikes.  Walking is required no matter where you are going.  Or of course boats, but that is a different story and also so much fun.

On one of our walking journeys around Venice we did exactly what all those who had been suggesting doing, we got lost.  It is difficult to get completely lost because you are always between the Grand Canal and the ocean, but it felt like lost because we didn't know quite where we were in relationship to our hotel. 

Because of our wanderings we stumbled on a tiny little bookstore.  A bookstore that was packed to the ceiling with books.  You could tell right away that the owner of the bookstore did not run his story because he loved to sell books, he ran it because he loved books.  Period. 

He knew his store well, when someone asked about something he could find it, but who wanted to be helped right away.  Personally I wanted to wander amongst the  aisle for hours and just breathe deeply of that wonderful book smell. 

All the titles were in Italian and so I didn't buy anything, but I did recognize some of the covers.  Which made a connection across language barriers, I speak no Italian and the owner spoke some English, but I told him I work in a bookstore in America and he loved that I still shopped in a bookstore across the world.  "You must be a lover of books to shop at a bookstore on you holiday." 

It is amazing how quickly that connection was made.  Us booklovers are everywhere and sometimes even a language barrier is not enough to keep us apart.  We can point and smile and somehow the understanding is there. 

I couldn't find that bookstore back on a bet, but it really was one of the highlights of my trip.  A chance to meet a fellow booklover and find an instant friend.

Happy Reading,

Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson

Dear Readers,

One of the challenges of the reading challenge for this year was to read a 500 page book.  I really thought it would be one of the more difficult ones to do.  There are a couple of other ones that will be hard to do, but a book over 500 pages is quite a time commitment and what if the book is not good?  Then you have to decide if you want to keep going or not.  Well, I found A Map of Heaven by Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson while researching another book and it sounded kind of interesting.  I thought I would like to see if I can carry it here at the store so I ordered it.

When it arrived I found out it was 692 pages long and I thought I would never be able to read it.  Well, I started it after I landed in Italy a couple of weeks ago and it captured my attention right away.  You meet Elizabeth whose quiet safe life is about to be interrupted by a diagnosis of a terminal brain tumor.  Suddenly her nice safe life seems like a waste.  She wants answers to her question of “where is Heaven?” and "what is it like?"  She has been asking those questions ever since losing her father at the age of 11. 

We go on the journey with Elizabeth to find answers to these age old questions.  People have asked those questions since the fall and each of us have to find the answers for ourselves, but God is willing to help us along the way. 

This was more than just an interesting fiction story, it is also the journey that Suzanne herself took after her diagnosis of breast cancer.  It is a book that would be a wonderful read for a study group as I think it would lead to incredible discussions of what is talked about in the book.  I think one of the most interesting aspects of this book is how much it lines up with what the Bible says about Heaven and also God.  Not everyone is going to agree with what is said and used to point Elizabeth towards the correct answers, but ultimately this book is the story of God’s pursuit of us and his love for all mankind.

I recommend that you take the time to read this 700 page book.  It is very thought provoking and didn’t always leave me comfortable with the answers that I found.  But I did enjoy it and I finished it long before my 2 week vacation ended. 

Happy Reading

 

New Release - To Win Her Favor - Tamera Alexander

Dear Reader,

Tamera Alexander quickly became a fan favorite when her historical novels started hitting the market a few short years ago.  They not only include a lovely romance, they are set is beautiful historical settings that make you want to go back in time and be part of the story.

In Tamera's newest series, A Belle Meade Plantation, she sets it at a plantation you can still visit today.  If you get a chance go on her website or facebook page and you can see the different times she has visited the plantation and all the fun things you can do while there.

In To Win Her Favor Tamera not only has the romantic setting the gorgeous Belle Meade she includes the Thoroughbred racing.  In 1869 Tennessee was the center of the racing world, not Kentucky as we think of it now and with the rich history behind the story, we are off on a wonderful adventure.

Cullen has sworn off racing after being forced to leave his home in England because of a scandal that nearly ruined him.  He comes to Nashville looking for a new life, one without horses.  But when horses is all you know it is hard to start over with something else and when he gets an offer that is hard to refuse...

Horses, hoop skirts and romance, the perfect book for passing the summer days.

Happy Reading,

New Release - Walking on Water - Richard Paul Evans

Dear Readers,

Having just gotten back from a vacation it seems a bit weird to be talking about taking another one.  But Richard Paul Evans series The Walk makes me want to walk around the U.S. and see the sights and meet the people that Alan met. 

Alan lost his wife and company and faced bankruptcy all with in a few short weeks of each other.  He walks away from it all, literally.  He decides to hike from his home in Seattle to Key West and hopefully find himself along the way.


In Walking on Water Alan is reaching the end of his journey.  He has learned things along the way that you can't learn while driving through the different areas of the country.  Alan faces one last crisis that might upend his travels and force him to stop, but a new friend and the return of an old friend should be the help he needs. 

I have loved the "behind the scenes" of America that Richard has brought us through out this series.  It is a wonderful look at what makes America great.  It isn't just our huge cities and beautiful landscape, it is those that live and work across America that make it the glorious country we know and love.

No time for a vacation this year?  Grab the Walk series and enjoy America in a way most of us will never experience.

Happy Reading,

New Releases - May 25 - 30

Dear Readers,

Today is my first day back in the store after a two week vacation in Italy and London.  Well that is if I decide to come back...  Just in case I decided to stay longer, here are a few more titles to get a head start on the summer reading season.

Happy Reading,

Now and Forever - Mary Connealy - #2 Wild at Heart - Shannon is swept over a cliff by Tucker.  When their adventure in the wilderness ends up with them getting hitched, life gets just a bit different for Tucker.  He is use to being alone and now he has a wife, one he finds himself falling in love with.

Hearts made Whole - Jody Hedlund - #2 Beacons of Hope - Caroline takes over the running on the Windmill Point lighthouse when her father dies.  She doesn't know how long it will last as a woman is not allowed to do that on her own.  So when Ryan arrives she believes her time is up, until Ryan's failings make it difficult for him to run the lighthouse by himself.

A Perfect Ambition - Dr. Kevin Leman/Jeff Nesbit - #1 The Worthington Destiny - William since an early age has been groomed for greatness.  When things shift he finds himself in the running for Capitol Hill.  Is he willing to give up the board room for the Senate or will family secrets destroy and chance he has?

Desperate Measures - Sandra Orchard - #3 Port Aster Secrets - Kate Adams has finally found the "miracle plant' that maybe the reason for her father's murder.  She is willing to risk anything to find those answers, even her relationship with Detective Tom Parker.

To Win Her Favor - Tamera Alexander - #2 Belle Meade Plantation novels - Maggie Linden is sure her mare is able to win the new Peyton Stakes.  Her father agrees to allow her to run if Maggie agrees to marry a man she has never met. 

Whenever You Come Around - Robin Lee Hatcher - #2 Kings Meadow Romance - Charity returns to Kings Meadow to make a book deadline, even though it was a place she vowed to never see again.  Her dog causes an accident that leaves tour guide Buck Malone laid up and Charity is left to help him recuperate.

An Empty Cup - Sarah Price - Rosanna is an empty cup.  For years she gave completely of herself to serve her abusive husband and the community.  After his death, Rosanna is given another chance to find herself back, but she has to learn that one empty cup can not fill another one.

The Proposal at Siesta Key - Shelley Shepard Gray - #2 Amish Brides of Pinecraft - Penny always obeys her parents, that is why when she sneaks out to see the Knoxx family speak.  Especially their son Michael.  Michael is ready to leave the celebrity life behind, but is he brave enough to face an unknown future?

Abraham Lincoln

“The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read.”

- Abraham Lincoln Dear Readers, What an interesting quote by Abraham Lincoln.  I wonder how often he switched best friends. :-) I could easily agree with him.  There is nothing like exchanging book reading ideas with someone for the first time.  It is a chance to get to know someone as they are at home.  It is a peek behind that mask we all wear in public.  Does that big mean boss like to read romance?  Who would ever have guessed.  That shy secretary - she reads fantasy and has grand adventures every night.  What about that older lady that sits next to you in church?  Well this one is a bit scary, but because she loves to read thrillers, she knows how to get rid of a body with ease.  See isn't fun to find out what others are reading?  "What do you like to read," is my favorite question to ask someone that has wandered into the fiction department, but it is also one of my favorites when I see someone reading a book.  Whether it is one I have read myself or one I have never heard of, I love to ask as sometimes what they are reading is not their favorite genre and the answer can be quite interesting. I have started the neatest conversations with that question.  I have found new books to read or authors to follow because of that question.  I have found people who I now consider my friends even when we don't see each other often because of time or distance. It is easy to fall back into the rhythms of friendship just by sharing a few minutes answering that question.  So I guess yes, some of my best friends are people who have given me books that I haven't read, just like Abraham Lincoln. Happy Reading,