Monthly Archives: July 2012

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield

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The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield
Publisher:  Random House
Pages: 352
Format:   ARC

Goodreads:  Every first Sunday in June, members of the Moses clan gather for an annual reunion at “the old home place,” a sprawling hundred-acre farm in Arkansas. And every year, Samuel Lake, a vibrant and committed young preacher, brings his beloved wife, Willadee Moses, and their three children back for the festivities. The children embrace the reunion as a welcome escape from the prying eyes of their father’s congregation; for Willadee it’s a precious opportunity to spend time with her mother and father, Calla and John. But just as the reunion is getting under way, tragedy strikes, jolting the family to their core: John’s untimely death and, soon after, the loss of Samuel’s parish, which set the stage for a summer of crisis and profound change.
In the midst of it all, Samuel and Willadee’s outspoken eleven-year-old daughter, Swan, is a bright light. Her high spirits and fearlessness have alternately seduced and bedeviled three generations of the family. But it is Blade Ballenger, a traumatized eight-year-old neighbor, who soon captures Swan’s undivided attention. Full of righteous anger, and innocent of the peril facing her and those she loves, Swan makes it her mission to keep the boy safe from his terrifying father.

With characters who spring to life as vividly as if they were members of one’s own family, and with the clear-eyed wisdom that illuminates the most tragic—and triumphant—aspects of human nature, Jenny Wingfield emerges as one of the most vital, engaging storytellers writing today. InThe Homecoming of Samuel Lake she has created a memorable and lasting work of fiction.

Ope’s Opinion: I received this book at BEA. This book was hard for me to review.  This is not my usual genre.  Jenny Wingfield set the book in the 1950’s.  There was a lot of abuse that was difficult to read and think about.  The story had a fast pace to it.  It showed a family who truly loved and took care each other.  Each person in the book had flaws, so it made you feel they were real.  The violence in this book really bothered me.  This book isn’t for everyone.




Rating:  3 Chairs – I like this book enough to suggest it to a friend or two, who might also share it.
FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BEA.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Library Sale

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Loudoun Library Sale

This became a family event.  Both my daughters, Kristin of Kritters Ramblings and Jennifer of The Underestimated Mom  went to the book sale with me.  It was so much fun!  This event is held in an elementary school.  There were books for everyone.  We made a whole day out of it, lunch, buy books and read, read, read!!
These are just a few of the titles I brought home:  Margaret Maron’s Ritual of the Season,  Lisa Scottoline’s Lady Killer,  Sarah Strohmeyer’s The Penny Pinchers Club and  Susan Wiggs Table for Five.  I am excited about all of them. 
 I was able to pick up  a couple of books for a friend and introduce her to authors she has never read before.   What a fun place to find older books by authors I know I enjoy reading and exploring new authors.  We will definitely make this an event we schedule  each year.  Soon my granddaughter will join us on us on this excision!! 
                                                      What fun! 
                                                      

Where We Belong

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Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 384
Format: First-Reads book
Goodreads: The author of five blockbuster novels, Emily Giffin, delivers an unforgettable story of two women, the families that make them who they are, and    the longing, loyalty and love that binds them together

 
 
Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.
 
For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.




Ope’s Opinion:  This book was sent to me from Goodreads as a First-reads book.  I have to be honest, I am a Emily Giffin fan.  I have enjoyed her other books.  She did it again!  She wrote a hard to handle subject with honesty and sensitivity.  Giffin wrote this adoption story from the birth mother and the daughter’s points of view.  It helped to hear both voices.  Giffins writing flows in this story.


Giffin brought these characters alive for me.  I rooted for the people in this book to find each other, get to know each other and form a bigger family.  I am ready for a sequel.  I want more of these characters.  Where are they now??

All I can say is READ this book!!!   You won’t be disappointed.

There is also an audiobook from Macmillan Audio.  Here is a clip from Where We Belong.

 http://media.us.macmillan.com/video/olmk/macmillanaudio/WhereWeBelong.mp3







Rating: Five Chairs –  This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on…..












FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Good Reads First-Reads.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.







We’ll Always Have Summer ( summer #3 )

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We’ll Always Have Summer ( summer #3 ) by Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 291
Format: Book
Goodreads:  It’s been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college– only, their relationship hasn’t exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It’s time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book had a lot of unexpected twists and turns.  It really kept my attention throughout the whole book.  I enjoyed seeing the characters become adults and take responsibility for their actions.  Thanks for another great read Jenny Han.


Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

PD Fundraiser

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Parkinson’s Disease Fundraiser
One More Page book store in Arlington, VA held a fundraiser for Parkinson’s Disease.  A portion of the sales went to Team Cul de Sac, which is a part of the  Michael J. Fox Foundation.  I was honored to be there and have some of the cartoonist sign the book.  This was very near to my heart.  Less then a year ago we lost my mother to PD. It was a long, slow process for her.  She was an avid reader and passed that love along to me and my siblings.  So having a book as a fundraiser was appropriate  for us to buy.  Now when there is a chance to support the PD community, it draws me in.  
Goodreads: Artists from around the world are passionate about Richard Thompson’s work. His cartoon, Cul de Sac, has been endorsed by Calvin and Hobbescreator Bill Watterson–high praise indeed. In 2009, Thompson announced his diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s. The Team Cul de Sacbook serves as a showcase of original artwork donated to benefit Team Fox, the fundraising arm of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, founded in 2000 to help speed the development of better treatments for Parkinson’s patients and, ultimately, cure the disease.


Ope’s Opinion:  This is an awesome book with a lot of heart put into it.