I’ll be posting about our August Free Books on August 3.  We have a couple of great books lined up to give away.  Be sure to post so your name is in the drawing at the end of the month! 

Blessings!  Sue

WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS by Christa Allan

                                          and

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. 

Cover blurbs:

WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS:  Leah Thornton’s life, like her Southern Living home, has great curb appeal.  But a paralyzing encounter with a can of frozen apple juice in the supermarket shatters the facade, forcing her to admit that all is not as it appears.  When her best friend gets in Leah’s face about her refusal to deal with her life, Lean is forced to make a decision.  Can this brand-conscious socialite walk away from the country club into 28 days of rehab?  Can she leave what she has now to gain back what she needs?

Sue’s Take:  This beautifully lyrical book exudes a rare combination of humor, angst, and tough love.  The true-to-life characters will totally steal your heart.  (New, trade paperback format)

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY:  January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject.  Who could image that she would find it in a letter from a man she’d never met, a native of Guernsey, a British island once occupied by the Nazis.

Sue’s Take:  You will fall in love with Juliet and with the very special people of Guernsey who survived great loss during the Nazi occupation.  Written as a series of letters, this novel is also highly lyrical.  (New, hardcover bookclub edition) 

To qualify for the July 28th drawing please tell us your favorite summer veggie or fruit.  For me, it’s raspberries just picked and still warm from the sun!

When you post, your name will be entered in our drawing.  If your name is drawn first, you will have your choice of the books.  The second name drawn will receive the other book.  So tell us, what’s your favorite summer fruit or vegetable?

Blessings!  Sue

Now we are home again and having a very different kind of family gathering.  One of my Harrison sisters-in-law just lost her sister, and we are celebrating Linda’s life, loving her husband, children and grandchildren as best we know how, with faith and flowers, words and ceremonies.  

As I write this, I am watching three families of geese on our beach with their goslings.  Moms and dads are teaching babies how to live and swim and someday fly away.  My house is full of teenagers – nieces and nephews here with moms and dads who are teaching them how to live and swim and someday fly away.  And together we will celebrate Linda, who has flown away to the best home of all. 

Blessings, Sue

Blessings to you both! Sue

Okay, free books!  This month I thought it might be appropriate to tie our drawing into vacation dreams.  Please note, these are ONLY dreams.  I’m NOT giving away a free vacation.  (I wish I could!)

If you had the choice among these three vacations (All expenses paid), which would you choose?

1) A 7-day cruise to Alaska: glaciers, whale watching, spa package, stops to shop at wonderful little seaside villages with stores full of Native crafts -  AND a large veranda suite.

2) A week in the Big Apple: a deluxe hotel suite, three Broadway musicals, a carriage ride around Central Park, shopping, museums, sightseeing tours, lunch at Bubba Gumps on Broadway…

3) Six nights, seven days in England: a 5-star Hotel Suite in London, sightseeing, shopping, changing of the guard, quaint little pubs, bookstores, antique stores (sigh!).   

Our pretend vacations include all meals, First Class Air and $1000 spending money.  (We’re dreaming, right?  Dream big!)

Now, in the spirit of Emily Dickinson’s famous quote, “There is no frigate like a book,”  here’s a little bit about the journeys you MAY make – all expenses paid – via the words of two great books. 

CRUEL AS THE GRAVE is a Sharon Kay Penman mystery set in 12th-century London.  Solve a murder with Sharon’s super-sleuth Justin de Quincy.  NEW YORK is a novel by Edward Rutherfurd.  You will visit the changing vistas of New York City as Rutherfurd skillfully guides your journey from 1664 through 2009.  Both books are brand new.  NEW YORK is a hardcover book club edition.  CRUEL AS THE GRAVE is a hardcover publisher’s edition.

Post your choice of vacation and maybe you’ll win a journey via the magic of words to New York or London!  The drawing will be held on Monday, June 28.  I will notify the winners with a Post on this Blog and also by email.  I will send the books to the winners via USPS Book Rate.

Blessings! Sue

Now that I have read it, I can give you my opinion:  5 huge stars!

It’s wonderful.  

TALLGRASS takes place in the little Colorado town of Ellis during World War II.  The main character, Rennie Stroud, is 13 years old.  Her family has been impacted by the war in many ways – her brother is a soldier – but Rennie’s life changes completely when the federal government opens a Japanese internment camp less than a mile from the Stroud farm.  After one of Rennie’s friends is murdered, the citizens of Ellis convince themselves that the murderer has to be one of the Japanese.   Rennie has a different idea… 

Author Sandra Dallas has a gift of seeing deep into human hearts, spinning suspense and weaving a touching story into a very satisfying conclusion.  

The back cover says it better than I can: “Part thriller, part historical novel, TALLGRASS is a riveting exploration of the darkest – and best – parts of the human heart.”

Blessings, Sue

This month’s books include LINE OF DUTY by Terri Blackstock.  LINE OF DUTY is an inspirational thriller.  Here’s a quote from the back cover:

“Attorney Jill Nichols was on the top floor, taking a deposition from CEO Donald Merritt for a case of corporate stock fraud.  Directly below them on the twenty-ninth floor, Merritt’s assistant was about to discover the explosive device in time to alert the building – but not to empty it.”

I think you’ll enjoy this rollercoaster ride of a novel from author Terri Blackstock.  Blackstock was chosen the number one bestselling Christian suspense author in 2002.  This book is from my library, is a gently used trade paperback and in like-new condition.

May’s other book is DEWEY by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter.  This is a memoir of “the small-town library cat who touched the world.”  From the jacket flap: “How much of an impact can an animal have?  How many lives can one cat touch?  How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library, save a classic American town, and eventually become famous around the world?  You can’t even begin to answer those questions until you hear the charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa.

This book is also from my library, is a gently used hardcover edition in like-new condition

Both books are great reads!  Good luck! 

Blessings!  Sue

Post by telling me your favorite kind of flower or flowering shrub/tree! Mine is the lilac.

Blessings! Sue

I went expecting to do most of the talking and all the question-asking, but they chipped in, had very erudite answers and questions.  These are smart, personable kids.  I felt very honored to be invited and to participate.  We also had some extra joys in that several moms were there, and that one of them prepared a scumptious Finnish pancake treat!  How great is that!  A local children’s book author came with her kids.  I’m looking forward to reading her book, WHAT I SAW ON MACKINAC by Jennifer Powell. 

The St. Ignace Library Kids’ Book Club is reading AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS by Gennifer Choldenko for their next selection.  The title alone makes me want to read that book!

So, a big THANK YOU to the St. Ignace Library and the Kids’ Book Club for a great, great time, and two new books on my “gotta get” list.

Blessings!  Sue