TSS: FINDING ENJOYMENT IN THE MOMENTS — MAY 19

Gather around in our Sunday Salon and let’s chat about books, our lives, and whatever we’ve enjoyed this week.

I’ve had a bit of a busy week with other things….family stuff.  But I’ve still managed to do a little blogging and reading.

Over at Story Corner, I’m eagerly anticipating Some Kind of Cruel (which I’ll be getting this week from Vine!)

Thursday showed us how to enjoy old favorites in Comfort Foods for the Soul.

At Chocolate & Mimosas, I changed the look of my blog and raved about my Newest Guilty Pleasure:  Online Soap Viewing.

And my Sweet Saturday Sample brought the aftermath of a frightening event:  Now What?

Now for the reading! (Click Titles/Covers for Reviews)

The Bodyguard & the Show Dog, by Christy Tillery French

Walled-In, by J. Elke Ertle

Just Breathe, by Susan Wiggs (From Mt. TBR)

 

And…still reading, but almost finished with Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine, by Ann Hood.

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Now I’m going to enjoy breakfast in bed while watching movies.  Yesterday I picked some old favorites to enjoy, like The Jane Austen Book Club.

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HUMP DAY SERENDIPITY: WAITING FOR “NO CHILD OF MINE” — MAY 8

Welcome to another event that features books we are eagerly awaiting.  Visit Jill, at Breaking the Spine, to see what everyone is anticipating.

I just discovered a book that is my kind of read.  No Child of Mine, by Susan Lewis, is a glimpse into a devoted social worker’s world.  To be released on May 14, 2013.

 

 

Alex Lake’s day job is all about helping people, especially children. She cares about them passionately and does everything in her power to rescue them from those who mean them harm. It’s as frustrating a career as it can be rewarding, though all too often she is left wondering if she has done enough. When the case of three-year-old Ottilie Wade comes to her attention everything changes. She finds herself completely unable to detach from the child the way she should, and feels an overpowering need to make a real difference in little Ottilie’s life. To do this she needs the support of her superiors, but no one is prepared to believe that Ottilie is in danger. In the end, Alex follows the only course left to her, and takes law into her own hands.

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What book is calling to you today?  Come on by and share….

TSS: LOVELY WEATHER & GLORIOUS READS — APRIL 14

                                                                                                  Good morning!  Welcome to another Sunday Salon, where we will chat about books, life, etc.

 

Come by and chat!

 

My week brought lovely weather and some fabulous reads.  Not much blogging, however, except for my Saturday Snapshot post, and my Sweet Saturday Sample (an excerpt from Defining Moments).

I am looking forward to the five-year blogoversary for my very first blog, Story Corner.  Check in later next week (April 21 is the date of the event) for details about the giveaway.

When you have a lot of blogs, as I do (eleven!), you only celebrate a few of the blogoversaries.

So now, let’s talk about books!

Books Read (Click Titles/Covers for Reviews):

1.  The Summer of France, (e-book), by Paulita Kincer (Fellow blogger!)

 

2.  Me Before You, by JoJo Moyes

 

3.  The Banks of Certain Rivers (e-book), by Jon Harrison (Review Book)

 

4.  Glory in Death, by J. D. Robb (Sequel Challenge)

 

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Today I’m going to laze around watching movies and perhaps break the spine of Oodles of Poodles, by Linda O. Johnston.

 

Come on by and share your thoughts!

SERENDIPITOUS THURSDAYS — BOOKISH MOMENTS — APRIL 11

Welcome to Serendipitous Thursdays, and pull up a chair while we talk about bookish things in the Booking Through Thursday event.

Today’s Prompt:

What’s the last book that made you spring to your feet, eager to spread the word and tell everyone how much you enjoyed it?

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Funny you should ask, as I just finished a book that I thought would be lovely, but which turned into something so much more.  There were secrets, a bit of a mystery, and a suspenseful journey through Europe to right a wrong.

The Summer of France (click link for my review) was that book, by Paulita Kincer (Blogger at An Accidental Blog).

I could not put it down!  I got my copy as an e-book….and Sparky traveled with me everywhere until I turned the last page.  It was true serendipity!

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What was that book for you?

 

 

TSS: WRAPPING UP A WEEK & A MONTH — MARCH 3

Good morning!  Welcome to another Sunday Salon, a place where we gather to share our thoughts about our reading and blogging.

Last week took me to some interesting places in my bookish world.

But before we go there, here’s a peek at Noah, my grandson, who was here for a sleepover.

 

Bloggy Things:

Musing & Ranting About Guilty Pleasures, New Reading Habits, & Bookish Love

Author Interview with Alan S. Blood

Author Interview with Kimberly S. Young & Review of The Eighth Wonder

Hump Day Potpourri:  Collections & Bookish Anticipation

Wrapping up February:  Lots of Good Books!

Sweet Saturday Sample:  Mother/Daughter Conflicts

Reading-Click Titles/Covers for Reviews:

1.  The History of Us, by Leah Stewart

2.  Blast from the Past, by Lauren Carr (Sequel Challenge)

3.  Knit Two, by Kate Jacobs (Mt. TBR & Sequel Challenge)

And today, I will be finishing up Her:  A Memoir, by Christa Parravani

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Now I’m off to watch some movies and eat my breakfast….

What does your day look like?  Your upcoming week?

ONE WOMAN’S EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION — A REVIEW

From the beginning, their relationship had an imbalance built into it by the very double standard that often defined relationships in those times. It was the 1970s and they were in college when they began, and even though Alice was feeling the thrill of realizing her own dreams, the marriage between her and George was not to be an equal one.

He expected her to give up on her career aspirations, since he could provide financial support for them. None of her protests changed anything. She could have fought, you might say. Or demanded her due. But George was one of those men that women loved. Alice didn’t feel she could keep him unless she gave in.

Thus begins the tale of these two. Emancipating Alice takes the reader from these beginnings and the inequity of their relationship and leads us through the challenges of child rearing—mostly for Alice, since George’s presence was as the fun-loving dad—and into the later years when something from the past rises up and changes the dynamic between them.

In the first chapter, we see that George has died and that Alice, at the market, seems to have some kind of prescience about his demise. What we learn slowly and gradually is how the entrapment of one partner by the other can begin gradually until it is firmly entrenched, and that only a drastic action can sever the ropes that bind them together.

Why does George have numerous secret files? How is Alice able to finally take back her power? And what has eaten away at Alice’s relationship with her daughter Elaine until the two are like cold strangers? What will Alice do after the funeral to finally emancipate herself?

Divided into sections, we first see the story from Alice’s perspective, followed by George’s viewpoint. Otherwise, I might have simply detested George, whom we see in a somewhat distorted version in the beginning. But George’s point of view is also skewed, with the justifications for his behavior on full display.

Like most marriages, there are definitely two sides to the story…and sometimes more than two. The offspring of a couple add another dimension to the family dynamic and change how events will unfold.

A delightful and captivating read, this story was enjoyable. There were some punctuation and grammatical issues that distracted me at times, but the novel’s depth and layers, as well as my curiosity, kept me reading. Four stars.

SERENDIPITOUS WEDNESDAYS: WAITING ON “THE CAT” — FEB. 13

Good morning, Blog World!  Welcome to another Serendipitous Wednesday, in which we celebrate the books we are eagerly anticipating.  Join our host,  Jill, at Breaking the Spine.

Today I’m sharing about a book that grabbed my attention awhile ago.  The Cat, by Edeet Ravel, a story of loss and learning how to go on afterwards, will be released on March 26, 2013.

 

SINGLE MOTHER ELISE IS completely devoted to her eleven-year-old son; he is her whole world. But that world is destroyed in one terrifying moment when her son is killed in a car accident just outside their home. Suddenly alone, surrounded by memories, Elise faces a future that feels unspeakably bleak—and pointless.

Lost, angry, and desolate, Elise rejects everyone who tries to reach out to her. But as despair threatens to engulf her, she realizes, to her horror, that she cannot join her son: She must take care of his beloved cat. At first she attempts to carry out this task entirely by herself, shut away from a frightening new reality that seems surreal and incomprehensible. But isolation proves to be impossible, and before long others insinuate themselves into her life—friends, enemies, colleagues, neighbors, a former lover—bringing with them the fragile beginnings of survival.

Powerfully moving and deeply humane, The Cat is an unforgettable novel about the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.

***

What do you think?  I know I’m eager to read this, because I thoroughly connect to stories about resilience after tragedy. 

THE “POSITIVE STONES” OF SORROW — A REVIEW

The horrific and gruesome murder spree in August 1969, beginning with five people, including Sharon Tate, will forever taint a time—the sixties—and cast a legacy of loss and pain upon the generations that followed for the families affected: first the Tates, and then the LaBiancas, who were murdered the following day.

But Restless Souls: The Sharon Tate Family’s Account of Stardom, the Manson Murders, and a Crusade for Justice is primarily the story of one family, the Tates, and is told in the voices of Patti Tate, Sharon Tate’s sister; her mother Doris; and Patti’s daughter Brie. From their perspectives, we learn a bit about what life was like for them…after.

The manuscript, intended to be Patti’s autobiography, was finished after her death by Alisa Statman, her friend, along with Brie Tate. Statman also drew upon material from interviews, journals, and filled in the gaps with her personal interpretations.

I began this book believing that I would learn more about the Tate family and how they suffered afterwards. And I did learn that. But I was surprised by how much I also learned about the various aspects of the prison system in California during the time period following the murders, and how changes in the law forced the Tates—beginning with Doris, who was the strongest advocate—to actively petition and speak out against the potential release of these gruesome murderers to parole, after their death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

The toll taken on Doris and Patti in the aftermath must have greatly contributed to their untimely deaths. Definitely their experiences affected the family members for all time. But, as Brie has stated in the final chapter:

“Sorrow may seem a pitiful emotion, yet I am blessed by it. For it has left me a legacy of love, determination, and courage handed down by my mother and my grandparents before her. They taught me that we learn our greatest lessons through hardship. And through that hardship, they taught me not about fear and retribution, but about giving.”

To turn the pain and sorrow into “positive stones” to pay forward, Brie Tate’s legacy is thus not only about pain and loss but about the blessings that accrue from positive action.

 
The book was long and detailed, and at times, wore me down with all the information, some of it quite grisly, but in the end, I felt renewed and as if I could take away something worthwhile from the task. Four stars.

SERENDIPITOUS TUESDAYS: INTROS/TEASERS — RESTLESS SOULS — JAN. 29

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Should Be Reading.

Today I’ve decided to go back to the past to read about events that happened in August 1969.  It was a time I remember well.  I lived in a nice suburban house with my husband and two small children.  We were sitting on our lovely patio the night after we heard…horrified by the events of that time.

Restless Souls:  The Sharon Tate Family’s Account…, by Alisa Statman with Brie Tate, is the family’s story.

 

Intro/Beginning:  Patti – August 9, 1969

“My God, Sharon’s been murdered.”  Barely able to get the words out, my mother collapsed against the scarred door frame and then to her knees.  I looked up from my favorite cartoon in time to see the first tear spill from her eyes.

Paralyzed by her emotion but not understanding it, I could only stare at her while the seconds passed, waiting for an explanation.  Her lips fluttered, but there was no sound.  Leaning forward, I strained to hear.  Then, in a scarcely audible whisper, she said, “My baby’s dead.”

As if floating to me in delayed time and space, her words eventually reached my ears, forever altering the stability of my life.

***

Would you keep reading?  Even knowing most of what happened from the news and TV movies, I am eager to read the family’s perspective.

***

Teaser:  Patti:

The media swarmed the downtown courthouse like journalistic sharks drawn into the feeding frenzy by the Manson family.  Months before the trial started, reporters played a high-stakes, cutthroat game for exclusive interviews with the suspects.  (p. 119)

***

Amazon Description:  The gruesome murders of the beautiful and talented actress Sharon Tate, her unborn child and four others that same night at the hands of the notorious “Manson family” rocked the nation. As one of the most horrific crimes in modern history, these atrocities, the trial and the subsequent conviction of Charles Manson and his followers caused a media sensation, spawning movies, documentaries and bestselling books, including the classic Helter Skelter. A defining moment in an era otherwise associated with radical peace, love and understanding, this incident is one that still resonates with millions today.

Yet while this crime left an indelible mark on society’s consciousness, it was, first and foremost, a shattering personal tragedy for those closest to Sharon—the loving family left to cope with the emotional devastation of her loss. Now, after nearly forty years, their story is finally revealed.

Compiled by close family friend Alisa Statman and Sharon’s niece Brie Tate, Restless Souls draws on a wealth of material including interviews with the Tates, personal letters, tape recordings, home movies, public interviews, private journals, and official documents to provide a powerful, poignant, and affecting four-decade, three-generation memoir of crime and punishment, anguish and hope, rage and love, that is both a chronicle of death and a celebration of life.

Extending beyond all previous accounts, Restless Souls is the most revealing, riveting, and emotionally raw account not just of these heinous murders, the hunt and capture of the killers and the behind-the-scenes drama of their trials, but of the torment victims families’ endure for years in the wake of such senseless violence….

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Now I’m off to see what the rest of you are sharing….

SERENDIPITOUS RESOLUTIONS: BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY — JAN. 3

Welcome to our special Thursday event:  Booking Through Thursday, the place to go when you want to talk books.

Today’s Prompt:

Any reading resolutions for the new year? Reading more? (Reading less?) Reading better books? Bigger books? More series? More relaxing books?

And hey, feel free to talk about any other resolutions you might have, too … or why you choose NOT to have any.

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Speaking of reading plans, my New Year’s Resolutions this year are simple.

  I want more balance in my life, along with peace and harmony.

Vowing to make healthy choices tops the list, too.

Learning to say “no” to review books that don’t appeal to me.  I’ve been working on this one for awhile.  I hope to get better at it this year!

I want to read more books from my own stacks and pick books that I initially bought or accepted because I think I’ll enjoy them.

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My challenges for this year mesh nicely with these resolutions.  Like the Mt. TBR 2013.  In previous years, I’ve joined challenges like this one and whittled down those stacks.

Then there’s the Sequels Challenge, which will allow me to focus on the series books that I haven’t finished.

Some of the books I really enjoy are the Cozies, so Cruisin’ Through the Cozies was another choice for me.

Finally….the Women’s Murder Club Challenge will help me grab those James Patterson books that I enjoy.

I love a nice mix of books.  So between these challenges, and saying “no” to review books that don’t absolutely entice me should make for a great reading year.

What about you?  What will your 2013 look like?