Along the Way

Feb 9, 2010

Sugar by Bernice L. McFadden

"Bernice L. McFadden's first novel begins with the brief, poetic description of a crime so startling that the reader is helplessly drawn in, as if a bright red door stood ajar on a bleak and forbidding house. Pearl Taylor's daughter, Jude, has been found murdered and mutilated near a field at the edge of town. "The murder had white man written all over it," writes McFadden. "But no one would say it above a whisper. It was 1940. It was Bigelow, Arkansas. It was a black child. Need any more be said?" In the years that follow, Pearl catches sight of Jude in so many strangers that when Sugar Lacey comes to town and sets up her unwholesome "business" in the house next door, she doesn't know whether to believe what she sees in Sugar's face: a striking similarity to Jude, dead 15 years. In her sedate but supple prose--rising at times to a light, unforced lyricism in the description of landscape or character--the author perfectly renders the closed and protective society of a small Southern town, the superstitions, gossip, and prying. Although the men of Bigelow are happy enough to have Sugar around, the women do their best to drive her off. Only Pearl is drawn to Sugar, managing to look beyond the rumors surrounding her new neighbor, whose dismal life, she tells Pearl, "had no crossroads." Eventually Pearl shows Sugar the ballerina-topped jewelry box in which she keeps snapshots of her dead daughter."

In honor of Black History Month, Sugar's 10th Anniversary and Non-African-American Book Reviewers reading works by people of Color - Bernice McFadden, the author of this book will be giving away copies of SUGAR to Book Review Bloggers who are NOT of African descent.

Go to the Naki website for a chance to win a copy of this book.

Publisher: Plume; Reissue edition (Jan 4 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0452282209
ISBN-13: 978-0452282209

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

MY TEASER:

"Their songs permeated everything they did: cooking, working, playing. The melodies and beats echoed the rhythm of their hips, three-dimensional, undulating with power and passion. She had never heard anything like this raw African music before."

From Desert Fire by Shannon Van Roekel, page 63

Feb 7, 2010

Review and Giveaway: Simon's Cat (by Simon Tofield)

What a great book, and a super way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

This book had me in stitches from beginning to end.

Watch this video to get a glimpse of what this book is about, and I guarantee that you will be laughing, even if you don't like cats!

MY RATING - 5 out of 5 stars

I won a copy of this book at She Reads and Reads and received it from Hachette Books

# Paperback: 240 pages
# Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (September 24, 2009)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0446560065
# ISBN-13: 978-0446560061
# Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches

THE GIVEAWAY:

I loved this book ... and I want to share the laughs with you. If you would like my "gently read" copy of Simon's Cat, please leave a comment here.

Rules are simple:

You must be a follower of this blog.
You must be a Canadian resident. (Sorry, but my wallet is happier if I mail things only to Canadian addresses)
Leave a comment (with your email address, please) so I can contact you if you win.

Contest closes February 12.

Good luck to everyone!

Feb 6, 2010

Giveaway: At Home with Laurie Ann: A Decorator's Guide (by Laurie Ann McMillin Ray)

These days few can afford to hire an interior decorator.

No need. A copy of At Home With Laurie Ann and an open mind are the only requirements to give your home the professional, yet melt-into-a-sofa look and feel you’ve always wanted.

Starting with the basics, At Home With Laurie Ann cracks the code to creating the home of your dreams on the budget you have. The instructions are simple and straightforward, and the look is cozy and comfortable. It’s practical because Laurie starts with what you already have, moves a piece of furniture here, makes a substitution there, adds unexpected color and tops it off with inexpensive (but expensive-looking) purchases. The result is a thrifty transformation!

Written in a non-intimidating, down-home style to appeal and inspire many to redecorate, this book is ideal for everyone from the first-time buyer or third-time home owner to the perennial renter, newly married to the long-time bachelor and lively family to the single sophisticate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray began by decorating model homes for her father, well-known builder Corky McMillin. His philosophy was simple – everyone deserves to own a house.

Following cues from Corky, Laurie operates by a similar principle – everyone deserves to make a house his or her home, and she's dedicated her career to this goal. For more than 25 years Laurie has built a solid reputation in Southern California as an interior designer, and as the owner of several decorating stores. Visit www.laurieann.com.

Title: At Home With Laurie Ann: A Decorator’s Guide: Turn the Place You Live Into a Home You Love
ISBN: 978-0-9840748-0-8
Publication Date: February 2010
Pages: 224
Price: $29.95
Publisher: Laurie Ann Publishing, Inc.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

One reader of this blog will win a copy of the book, the candle and cross pictured here, and a package of mini candles. Isn't this awesome??

Entry is simple. Leave a comment with your email address. If you don't leave an email address, your entry will be immediately disqualified.

For a bonus entry, visit Laurie Ann's website. Find another product that you would love to have, and leave a comment about it here.

US and Canadian residents only. Contest ends at midnight on Friday, March 5.

Prizes will be sent out directly from the publisher.

Review: Family in the Attic (by Elizabeth R. Pettiford)

"Clara is an elderly widow, living alone, in the house she and her husband raised two children. She spends her days reminiscing, regretting lost chances, feeling the pain of missing her children who live too far away to visit often. As the days progress, her ability to discern between dream and reality gradually fades, and soon her confusion leads to strange behavior.

Her friend and neighbor, Mary, comes to the rescue, and the family is called in to determine Clara's future.

This poignant novel about aging, written by a geriatric nurse, raises many important points about taking care of our elderly population without simply storing them away in "homes." It will make you think about your own future, and how you would hope to be treated."

About the Author, Elizabeth Pettiford

"I am a registered nurse and a licensed massage therapist who has worked for thirty five years in a wide variety of health care settings, most of which have been with seniors, and/or their families. I was drawn to the elderly from my youngest days and began my work with them as a nurse’s aide in the mid 60’s when I felt called to work in health care. I loved the one on one contact this work allowed and regard nurses aides as saints to this day as their caring is sometimes nearly the only thing some people have in their lives."

To find out more about the author, visit her website at http://www.elizabethpettiford.com/.

My Review

The story of Clara is one that I can definitely relate to, in light of my own aging parents. I believe it brings to the forefront things that we can all watch for in the lives of the seniors that we care about.

I found the story moved very slowly, and at times it was difficult to keep on reading. But when thinking back on it now, maybe that was part of the intention of the author. The slow pace, yet not accomplishing anything, was a frustration for Clara too. Her memory was failing drastically, and the things that she thought she had already completed were still there for her to face. Housekeeping is a good example, and it seemed that she rarely completed her regular household chores. Yet there were often times that she felt that she had already done something, but it might have been days or weeks earlier. Clara was easily distracted by other things, like the dolls she discovered in the attic, and then she would wonder where the time went.

If you want an inside look at what getting old and living alone is all about, pick up this book. It will open your eyes to the plight of our lonely seniors and what their life is really like.

My rating - 3 out of 5 stars

This book was provided free of any obligation by Publishing Works, Inc. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

Publishing Works was launched in 2003 as an independent press specializing in regional titles. Since then, the company has grown dramatically to embody a list of titles that spans diverse genres, age levels, and subject matter. Please visit them at their website, www.publishingworks.com, or view their catalog for a complete list of titles.

To purchase this book or any other book published by Publishing Works, visit their online store here. At checkout, include the Coupon Code BLOG for a 20% DISCOUNT, courtesy of Publishing Works, Inc. and their continued support of book blogging! Happy reading!

# Publisher: PublishingWorks (July 27, 2009)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 1933002956
# ISBN-13: 978-1933002958

Quote it Saturday

"Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night." ~Author Unknown~

"Reach for the stars, even if you have to stand on a cactus." ~Susan Longacre~

"You must learn day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizon. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about, the more you have left when anything happens." ~Ethel Barrymore~

(Quote it Saturday is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice)