The Sunday Salon: Review & Giveaway Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

About Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman (from Simon and Schuster/Touchstone):

Spanning three generations and half the world, WILDFLOWER HILL: A Novel (Touchstone Books/A Simon & Schuster Trade Paperback; August 23, 2011) by Kimberley Freeman is a sweeping story of two women who share a legacy of secrets, heartbreak, courage, and love.  In present day, Emma, a prima ballerina in London suffering from a broken heart and a career-ending injury, is at a crossroads both personally and professionally. Returning home to Australia, she learns that she has inherited a sheep station in isolated Tasmania from her grandmother, Beattie. Certain she has been saddled with an irritating burden, Emma leaves for Wildflower Hill to sell the estate. At Wildflower Hill, the two women’s stories become intertwined as Emma gradually uncovers the secrets of her grandmother’s history. In the 1930s, Beattie also found herself at a crossroads as a young woman - unwed and pregnant by a married man. 

My Thoughts:

I love immersing myself into a good family saga and Wildflower Hill fits the bill perfectly adding a historical perspective. Wildflower Hill was an engrossing novel that intertwines the stories of two women, a grandmother and granddaughter who are linked through a family bond as well as life events. The story unfolds beautifully, spanning three generations and in three countries that are worlds apart - Scotland, England and Australia. 

The story is told as a double narrative, through the perspective of two women, Beattie the grandmother and Emma the granddaughter. Beattie, who grew up in Scotland, tells her story starting in the 1920's when she is 18 years old and discovers she is pregnant with her married lovers child. She is disowned by her parents and she travels to Australia with her boyfriend to start a new life. Things don't turn out as Beattie dreamed although she is a strong woman who finds a way to survive. Emma tells her story in modern  day, after an injury changes her life as a world famous ballerina. She discovers that she has inherited her grandmother Beattie's sheep farm, Wildflower Hill, which is in Tasmania, Australia. Emma discovers  secrets held by her grandmother's past as she cleans out her grandmothers house. Secrets that unfold that force Emma to reevaluate her own life and what is important to her and her own future. 

Wildflower Hill is a family saga that is beautifully written, revealing family secrets that lead to an amazing journey of self discovery and a testament to the power of love. I enjoyed the differences between the two characters and  by separating the different eras and experiences between them helped to highlight their deep connection. The characters were well developed and easy to engage with as a reader. I enjoyed reading about the backdrop of Tasmania, Australia and  many scenes were so descriptive that I could imagine them in my mind. This was a book that was enjoyable to read and one that I couldn't wait to get back to when I was forced to put it down. The last chapter left things a bit undone and left me with the thought that there may be a sequel although after reading the conversation with the author at the end of the book, it sounds unlikely. The author did share a funny story about a reader who was upset that the author didn't tell exact details of what happens in the epilogue.  We don't always get the perfect wrap up in a book and this one leaves some things to your imagination. I highly recommend this thoughtful and enjoyable novel. 

Check out Kimberley Freeman's Website, HERE.


You can read the first chapter of Wildflower Hill,  HERE.

Find a Reading Group Guide  for Wildflower Hill, HERE. This includes a conversation with the author.

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*

  

I have TWO copies of Wildflower Hill (compliments of Simon & Schuster) to give away to two lucky readers

For 1 Entry: All you have to do is leave a comment here and what you found interesting about Wildflower Hill. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry)

For a 2nd Entry (Separate Comment):  Follow my blog, you can follow through Google Friend Connect to the left in my side column. If you already do, thank you, and please  make sure to let me know in your comment so I can pass the entry on to you as well. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry).

For a 3rd Entry (Separate Comment): Spread the word about this giveaway and Retweet, retweet button below my name at the end of this post. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry).

*Open to US & Canada only.

Enter by September 24 , 2011

Sunday Salon: Back to School

Things have been quiet here on the blog as it's Back to School week for my son and I. My son started 7th grade and sadly, he thought it wasn't too cool for mom to take a first day of school picture. I disagree and fortunately, we took family pictures last week so I have a good picture of him around this time of year. The school district I work for starts next week and I am starting the scheduling, planning and organizing process with changes ahead for the school year. I'll be working with 5th through 12th graders so it will definitely be an interesting year.  I'm fortunate to work part time and I have great team members to work with.  

I've finished reading a few books and have reviews to work on for:

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy (Audio book)

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (Kindle)



I am currently reading:


The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War by Michael Shaara (For September book club)


The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (Audio book)


The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (Audio book on ipod)

Sunday Salon: Summer Reading & Blog Changes

It's been awhile since I've written a Sunday Salon post and it's so nice to finally have some time off. I started a new job last fall, working in the schools part-time. I'm an Occupational Therapist and this was the first time I had worked in the schools as my work experience had been with adults primarily and I had taken many years off to stay at home raising my son. I had a lot to learn but I loved the work and I worked  in  a great school sysem with wonderful teachers and students. Part of my job was writing reports and evaluations which were done online, usually at home which was great to work from home. This amount of writing took away from my blogging and book review writing here on my blog. As many of my readers may have noticed, I haven't been writing as much these past months but that will change this summer. I am fortunate to have the summer off and I have more time to read and blog. I also have catching up to do on books that I've read and not written reviews for. Even my book club friends have noticed that I haven't been writing many book reviews here about our monthly discussions. I will do my best to catch up on our book club picks and discussions, we've read some great books and have had some interesting discussions. I also have stacks of books to read and books on my Kindle to indulge in. There is no shortage of reading material in our home.

There have been a lot of issues with Blogger these past few months and I've considered moving to Wordpress but don't know if I want to learn a whole new system. I've set up a site there for my blog and have been testing it but it's not as user friendly as Blogger is. I would love a new look but don't have the know how and skills to do it myself. So, my husband came up with a great idea to use the drawing that Rachel Renee Russell (Author of the Dork Diary series) created for my blog as my header picture. He created this mirror picture using the original drawing and I love how it looks. I had originally had a picture of a beautiful window and flower box that I took in Montmartre in Paris, France as my header picture here. You can see the picture to the left in my sidebar and click on the picture to read the background story. Rachel added Nikki Maxwell, the character in Dork Diaries to a drawing based on this photograph including the window and flower box. What do you think of the new look?

Sunday Salon: I'm ready for Spring!

It's nice to see daffodil's blooming and some color here in Ohio. It's been a gloomy winter and now we're getting some warmer weather but with lots of rain. It's been a bit quiet here on my blog as I've had a lot going on in my personal life. I was in a car accident several weeks ago and have a cervical neck injury which has limited my activity level. It's limited my reading and blogging as well as I have to be careful with how I position myself when reading and using the computer. I've started Physical Therapy and am on a reduced work schedule with restrictions. Fortunately, I work in the schools so I'll have the summer off.

I have several book reviews to catch up on including books read with my book club. I've gotten behind on posting my reviews as well as visiting and commenting on other blogs. I'll be having more book reviews and giveaways coming up so please check back and visit my blog. 

Wishing everyone who celebrates a Happy Easter and Happy Passover!

Sunday Salon & Weekend Cooking: February Book Club Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Work, Health & Cooking:

Life has been busy and my blog has been a bit quiet lately. Work has been busy as those who work in the schools  know, IEP's (Individualized Education Program) are completed annually on all students who qualify. As I am an  Occupational Therapist working in the schools, the IEP's are coming due fast and furious. Therefore, much of my time has been spent writing up reports at home which takes away from my free time, which includes blogging and reading. I am trying to keep a balance and I have some great reviews and  giveaways coming up. I am doing well on my lifestyle change towards improved health and healthier eating. I've lost 10.5 lbs in 6 weeks following the Weight Watchers Points Plus program online. It's working well for me. This week was a challenge as I hosted book club and there is always wine and appetizers as well as dessert. I planned to make a flourless chocolate cake that I got a recipe from the Sunday Parade magazine a few weeks ago. It was a flop! Oh well, it was supposed to be a souffle like cake but I don't think that the temperature or time were correct in the recipe and it was raw, even after cooking it extra time. I had to go out and buy a prepared chocolate chip coffee cake which I served with raspberries and whipped cream which worked out fine. I did try a new recipe that a friend on the Weight Watchers board shared and it was excellent, it looked similar to this picture:

Chunky Avocado and Feta Cheese Guacamole:

3-4 medium avocados, cut up - NOT mashed!
3-5 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup of red onion, chopped 

2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp oregano
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled into little pieces

Combine it all. If you make it ahead, add the avocado
as late as possible so it doesn't turn brown. Add some
lime juice if you aren't serving it right away.

Serve with baked tostito scoops (or any tortilla chip) . 

Book Club & Review:

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

This is a charming, delightful story that is entertaining and filled with deeper themes than I expected. I love a good British novel set in a village with great characters, the setting was superb. Ms. Simonson created a loveable and endearing character in Major Pettigrew and I adored him. The Major is a widow and lives alone in the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary in the English countryside. He has a grown son who lives in London but is on the path of materialism and wealth that is quite different than the values of the Major. He lost his wife a few years prior to the opening of the  novel in which he just heard the news of the sudden death of his brother. He befriends a local shop owner, Jasmina Ali who is also a widow and their friendship develops over cups of tea and conversations about literary books they've read.  Mrs. Ali is Pakistani although born and bred in England. The Major and Jasmina develop a relationship that is not accepted as the couple are of different races. There are many themes throughout this novel that are worthy of great discussion; racial differences and acceptance, parents and their adult children, community and what it means to be a neighbor, social status, honor and loyalty, religion and the value of money and materialism. My book club had a great discussion of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, most of the group liked the book and there were a few that did not care for the book. They felt that the Major was a bit annoying and that the novel was not well layered. We had a great time discussing their views and other perspectives.  I think that having different opinions about a book makes for a more interesting book club discussion. For me, I highly recommend Major Pettigrew's Last Stand as it took me into a village in England full of fascinating characters and a story that had layers and themes that develop into an endearing story. I've heard that the audio book version is also great with an excellent narrator. 

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, go to Beth Fish Reads.

Sunday Salon- Health & Nutrition -Weekend Cooking

We've been fortunate to avoid the big snowstorms so far this month here in Ohio. Although, there is one predicted for this week, we're waiting to hear if the winds will shift and it will head in a different direction. I've had a busy month at work, working part-time feels a lot like full-time as there is just as much to do at home in addition to working.  I work in the schools and fortunately, I can work at home some days when I am writing reports which is a nice benefit. My son had the dreaded URI (Upper respiratory Infection) this week and missed three days of school. He's in middle school so he's going to have a lot of work to catch up on next week. Fortunately, it bypassed my husband and I and we're thankful for that. I was sick enough last fall and I hope that I stay healthy this winter.

I recently had some blood work done and found out that I'm severely Vitamin D deficient(like most of us in the Northeast) , hypothyroid and I have to start on thyroid medication. I also have high cholesterol and my inflammatory markers were high so I've taken on some healthier changes. I've joined Weight Watchers Online (I've already lost 6.5 lbs in 3 weeks!) and I have decided to limit red meat to lean meats occasionally. I'm also taking a prescription mega dose of Vitamin D, multi-vitamin, fish oil to get my Omega 3's and calcium/magnesium supplement. 

I have been researching and reading about healthy eating and have several books on my shelf that I plan to read and adapt changes to my lifestyle. These are a few and I would love to hear from anyone else if they have any other suggestions. 

~Nutritional Books~

• Eat to Live by Joel Furhman
• The China Study  by T. Colin Campbell, Thomas M. Campbell 
• Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch 
• Superfoods Healthstyle by Steven  Pratt
• In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

~Cookbooks~

I have a lot of cookbooks but with the exception  of a few Weight Watcher cookbooks, I don't have anything that focuses on health and nutrition. I'd like to find some good cookbooks that support healthy eating, so please share any suggestions or recommendations.

~Healthy Food Finds~

I have found some wonderful healthy foods that I wanted to share. Blue Diamond Almond Breeze, unsweetened. I use it to make oatmeal, add it to my cereal and to make a fruit smoothie: whirl a cup of almond milk, frozen berries and a banana in a blender~delicious! Please share any healthy food finds or ideas, I would love to hear them.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

The Sunday Salon: Winter Update & What about that Kindle?

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. 

~Anne Bradstreet~

It's been quiet around here this month and I have to say it's definitely winter in Ohio! It's been cold and snowy here and I'm ready for Spring.  If I wasn't working as much, I could hunker down in front of the fire and read. I have been very busy at work which has limited my free time on the computer and for reading. I have to write up evaluations/reports as part of my job and when the reports stack up, I get a bit tired of writing and need to take a break. I have several reviews to write up on the books that I've read. I did post one today and hope that you check it out,  The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton, my review is here. I read it last month and it was the perfect book to read during my time off around the holidays. It was slow paced, a beautiful novel. I have a few more books to review including my January book club post to write up about our great discussion this month on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. I will have a light week at work this week and will have more time to catch up with my blog as well as visiting other blogs. I've missed out on what is happening with other book bloggers.

My BIG news is that I took the plunge and decided to purchase a Kindle! For those who follow my blog and know me, it's been something that I've wanted for quite awhile. It arrived just a few days ago and I am just learning how it works and I have already downloaded several books. I love it already! I purchased the Kindle lighted cover that several friends had recommended and I'm so glad that I did. It has an amazing light that I can use at night to read and not keep my husband awake!

For those of you who do own the Kindle, I'd love to hear about your favorite books, any deals on books (I appreciate those low cost and freebie books), any blogs or websites that you recommend and overall, any thoughts or suggestions!

Sunday Salon: November Book Club The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Things have been a bit quiet here at Redlady's Reading Room but I have plans to change that. Life has been busy these past few months with many changes and I've had to blog less. I'm adjusting to my new job and am actually working less hours now which will be wonderful all around. I'll be able to manage working, my home life and reading more. I do enjoy my job, working with kids in the schools is challenging but rewarding as well. My son turned 12 this month and we can't believe that we'll have a teenager in the house next year!

I've missed visiting other blogs and feel out of the loop in the blogging world and among my blogger friends. I plan to stop and visit other blogs more. I've noticed that Blogger continues to make changes and it seems that it's become even less user friendly and I'm seriously considering moving over to Wordpress. 

My book club met this month and we discussed The  Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Shadow of the Wind is set in Barcelona, Spain the native country of Ruiz Zafón and is a translation which was beautifully done. The book opens in 1945 when Daniel, a 10 year son of a bookseller is taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books by his father where he discovers The Shadow of the Wind, by Julián Carax. The novel weaves a fascinating tale that takes Daniel on a search to find out more about the mysterious author Julián Carax. The story takes the reader back in time to pre- World War II Barcelona and into the lives of interesting and unusual characters. The story moves along as Daniel continues to get older and uncover more about Julián Carax. The book is part mystery, romance, Gothic and coming of age story. The writing was beautiful and the story was richly layered and kept my interest throughout the book. I loved the Gothic mystery and darkness that shadowed the story and the richness of the characters. This is definitely a book that one who loves books and literature will enjoy.

My book club unanimously liked the book and we had a great discussion about the book and author. My friend who hosted the book club found the author  Carlos Ruiz Zafón website which features a music soundtrack that the author composed for The Shadow of the Wind that is produced, composed and performed by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. You can download the files to listen to at the website, here. We listened to this music during our book club discussion which was very enjoyable to listen to.