Mailbox Monday 6

(This is actually for 2 weeks' worth, since last week I was crazy busy!)

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Marcia @ The Printed Page.

Something I have realized...

I tend to blame my reading habit on the weather. Thoughts that frequently go through my mind:

"It's so cold outside this afternoon, I should go cuddle up and read."

"It's such a dreary and rainy afternoon, it's the perfect time to read."

"The sun is so bright! Sitting by the light in the window with a book would be divine."

And specifically, for today: "It's snowy and cold and maybe even icy out there, so I shouldn't leave the house today anyway. I think I'll just read!"

No matter the weather, it's always a good time to read!

Review: Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest

Published: 2003
Pages: 285
Setting: Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida
Genre: Southern Gothic Fiction
Recommended for: Those who enjoy slightly dark, slightly suspenseful novels
Rating:

From the back cover: Although she was orphaned at birth, Eden Moore is never alone. Three dead women watch from the shadows, bound to protect her from harm. But outside her aunt's house a gunman waits, convinced that Eden is destined to follow her wicked great-grandfather, an African magician with the power to curse the living and raise the dead. Now Eden must decipher the ghostly trio's secret before a new enemy more dangerous than the fanatical assassin destroys what is left of her family. She will sift through lies in a Georgian antebellum mansion and climb through the haunted ruins of an abandoned hospital, desperately seeking the truth that will save her beloved aunt from the curse that threatens her life.

Eden and I share the same "stomping grounds" and we were born within a year of each other. That's pretty much where the similarities end. Knowing that part of the setting of this novel would be familiar to me is what made me pick up this book (she mentions Red Bank, Moccasin Bend, Signal Mountain, and other parts of Chattanooga). From the cover, I thought it would be a fairly spooky read. At the best, it was suspenseful at times. Suspenseful enough to make me want to keep turning the pages, but not really spooky at all. I kept catching myself in confusion regarding why certain things were happening, and parts of the novel felt disjointed. I must chalk that up to this simply not being my kind of book. As much as I'd love to say that I'm a fan of southern gothic fiction, I'm apparently just not. However, I do have a couple more books by this author on my shelves, and I will read them eventually because they are also set in local spots, and that is cool.

A few tidbits from the novel:

In a bigger city I might not have been so special, but the valley is a small pond and the fish are easily impressed.

"Why are we driving through Georgia?" I asked, though the obvious answer was "To get to Florida," because that's really the only reason anyone drives through south Georgia.

The wet swamp world was alive with green, damp motion, and it was hungry.

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Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Marcia @ The Printed Page.

Review: Keep Calm and Carry On

Published: 2009
Pages: 160
Genre: Reference
Recommended for: lovers of quotations
Rating:

Inspired by the motivational poster created by the British government in 1939 (which was never used, but was rediscovered in 2000 in a second-hand bookstore), Keep Calm and Carry On is a collection of smart and sensical quotes. Being a lover and collector of great quotations, I had to pick up this little book the last time I was at the bookstore. Sometimes, when I'm not in the mood for a full-fledged novel, things like this book of quotations really hits the spot.

Here are a few of the notable quotables from this collection:

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it.
~ W. C. Fields

Today, there are three kinds of people: The haves, the have-nots, and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-haves.
~ Earl Wilson

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be.
~ Anne Frank

Worry often gives small things a big shadow.
~ Swedish Proverb

It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the Committee of Sleep has worked on it.
~ John Steinbeck

If all misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart.
~ Socrates

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
~ Mark Twain

Reading romance

Over the last couple of years, I've come to realize that my taste in romance novels is pretty particular. What brought this up? While I was reading Love in Another Town and reading the phrase "matching his ardor" several times (and rolling my eyes each time, I must add), I put some thought into what I do enjoy reading in terms of romance.

Sweet is good, smut is not. Sexy is good, sugary is not. Classic is good, prim is not. Reality is good, impossibility is not.

It's got to be difficult to write anything steamy. As an author trying to portray a love scene, I would feel somewhat silly and definitely awkward.

What do you look for in romance novels? What aspects cause you to consider it to be a good read, or vice versa?

Review: Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff

Published: 2010
Pages: 260
Setting: Toccoa, Georgia
Genres: Romance, Southern Fiction
Recommended for: Fans of romantic novels set in the South
Rating:

Colleen, facing a pressing decision of her own, is the granddaughter of Lily, who once lived in a world guided by a set of rules, many of which she would've rather just ignored, a few of which she would have preferred to toss out altogether. But in Toccoa, Georgia in 1945, things were just done a certain way; plans and promises made were expected to be kept, societal norms were to be adhered to, no matter the cost. And Lily's strong-willed mother, Honey, wouldn't have it any other way.

During an emotional and jubilant time of historical proportions, Fireworks Over Toccoa is a novel about the heart of a woman and her struggles to stay within the confines of what it yearns for. Lily Davis Woodward meets Jake Russo just days before her husband is scheduled to return to the home they had only shared for two weeks before he went to serve in World War II. What ensues could be considered a predictable wild-oats-sowing whim, but I'm quite sure Lily didn't view it as such. Jake Russo exuded such passion and verve, Lily couldn't help but surrender and respond to his quiet, understated charm, not to mention her own emotions which had been building beneath the surface. She decides to share herself, her dreams and stories with Jake, and their time together becomes but a cherished moment to embrace forever.

My favorite part has to be when Jake cooks risotto for Lily out in the field over a campfire. I even looked up the song mentioned as playing over the radio (Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered by Helen Forrest).

The ending wraps up quite nicely and somewhat satisfactorily, despite the tragedy that felt sort of muted to me, because of Lily's actions and desires. However, throughout the book I couldn't help but be reminded of the movie Titanic. Several aspects were so similar it put me off a little bit, but not so much that I couldn't enjoy the beautiful writing, which was sometimes exquisite, sometimes educational. A few quotes I marked in particular:

After the War Between the States, when the only way to get salt was to boil the dirt from the floors of the ravaged smokehouses, pour off the water, and use the residue in the bottom of the pot, wasting salt was a sin in Georgia.

"I'll bring you a pie. A pecan pie. That's what we do in Toccoa. Baking. Lots of baking, usually with nuts."

When she had been dancing alone, this was who she was with.

Thank you very much to the Georgia Writers Association for sending me this book to read and review. I really appreciate it and I enjoyed the time I spent with this novel.

Mailbox Monday 4

I had a wonderful week in books! Special shout-out to Amanda for giving away her copy of The Red Leather Diary. I'm going to read it soon!

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Marcia @ The Printed Page.

The Slightest... Irritation?

I chide myself at times for being unwilling to put down a book, even if it is not quite grasping my attention. I am a big believer in second (and sometimes third, and fourth) chances. So I tend to stick with whatever I'm reading unless it is just very obviously not something to which I want to devote my precious spare time.

Well, I ran into one of those types of books recently.

Before I bought The Slightest Provocation (thankfully for only $4), I read the back blurb and thought, "ooh, a steamy historical novel, sounds good." Unfortunately, after I started reading it, only about 20 pages in, I could just tell it wasn't going to be my type of novel. I don't even have a good example to share as to why I chose to stop reading this one, I just did. I had a feeling it would turn out to be more smutty than romantic, and that's just not my cup of tea.

So, onto the PBS shelf it goes!

Review: Stowaway by Karen Hesse

Published: 2000
Pages: 315
Setting: The Oceans and Seaways of the World, 1768-1771
Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Recommended for: Anyone who enjoys a good sea story
Rating:

This afternoon, at last, we weighed anchor. Now there are new sounds to join with the others. The wind clapping the sails, the men singing out in the rigging, the water churned by Endeavour's prow. Fine sounds. Sailing sounds.

The first thing I did this year was travel around the globe. With the help, of course, of author Karen Hesse who penned this excellent and educational young adult novel about the expedition of Captain Cook and his crew between 1768-1771.

The novel is made up of faithful journal entries written by Nicholas Young. He recorded everything from his successful feat in getting on the ship unnoticed and winning over the crew so they would let him stay on, to his feelings about his sea mates and all the work they were required to do in order to assist Captain Cook on his exploratory journey to map "New Holland" (Australia) and circumnavigate the world. Nick, who apparently liked pork, also included notes about the foods they ate during their trip. At one point, after he had partaken a time or two of things like sharks and turtles, he remarked, "It's a wonder what the stomach will allow the mind to accept."

Being based in fact, the author artistically composed personalities for the crew of the Endeavour. I felt pride as Samuel Evans learned to read, I smiled as I watched friendships grow (and rivalries soften). I especially enjoyed knowing the stories behind the names Captain Cook gave to areas such as Cape Farewell and Poverty Bay. Young Nick's Head, an actual place in New Zealand, was named after the main character.

Another very important featured character was Dr. Joseph Banks, a naturalist and botanist who was charged with detailing and cataloging the many plants and animals found along their voyage. Dr. Banks took a special liking to young Nick (due to his great work ethic), and asked him to contact him again in the future. Indeed he did, for they traveled by ship again together to Iceland in 1772.

I also took note of this particular commentary, which I found rather interesting and analogous to certain current situations: "These natives don't need to work hard for anything, so the things they have don't hold much value to them. Perhaps that explains the natives' thievery. If nothing has much value, why should anyone be upset at its being taken?"

Not being familiar with sea and ship terminology, I learned a couple of new words as well: scuttlebutt - a cask on a shipboard with fresh drinking water; and fearnaught - a coat made from thick canvas.

The only thing that could have made this book better would have been a more detailed map (but this is my opinion only; the simple map provided probably works fine for the book's intended audience of ages 10-14). Overall, a really nice read.