Review: Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a warm and charming novel that will steal your heart. It is chock full of quirky and zany characters as well as strong and heartfelt ones and all are women. Cee Cee is a twelve year old girl struggling to care for her mentally ill mother in Ohio in the late 1960's. She has an absent father who travels with his job but just can't deal with the situation at home and barely knows what is going on. Cee Cee's mother continues to get worse and her behavior is humiliating and mortifying to Cee Cee. Cee Cee has no friends and is teased over her mothers antics. The only true friend Cee Cee has is an elderly neighbor who looks out for her and takes care of her.

Sadly, there is a tragic accident and Cee Cee loses her mother.  Cee Cee Cee is saved by her great aunt Tootie whom she has never met and takes her to live with her in Savannah, Georgia. Aunt Tootie truly is the epitome of a southern woman and lovingly immerses Cee Cee into the world of the south and  southern women. CeeCee is taken under the wing of Aunt Tooties wonderful cook and friend Oletta and learns to love and trust again. One of many favorite quotes of mine is when Oletta gives Cee Cee some wise advice:

"People is wise 'cause they get out in the world and live. Wisdom comes from experience-from knowin' each day is a gift and accepting it with gladness. You read a whole lot of books, and readin' sure has made you smart, but ain't no book in the world gonna make you wise."

(Quote from page 290, Advanced Reading Copy, this may be different in the final copy)

I absolutely loved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and I believe it will be one of my favorite books of the year. It is full to the brim with southern charm, strong and independent women, humor and heartwarming strength. I loved the sweetness and goodness in Cee Cee and she learned to protect that in herself. The women are of different races and backgrounds and so many of them were wise and outright funny. She learns from the strong women that surround her that she may have lost her mother but she has gained many more to guide her along the path of life.  I found the wisdom and quotes shared very true to life and made me want to stop and write down quite a few to remember. This novel focuses on the power of love and acceptance and how important it is to let go of the past and soar towards the future. Learning to love ourselves, believe in ourselves and trusting others can happen more easily when we let go of the things that can haunt us.

I believe that Saving CeeCee Honeycutt will be a winner this year and is a book to watch. I can't recommend it highly enough. Make sure to grab a copy as it will be out today, January 12th in bookstores. It is already garnering great raves and reviews as a debut novel by Beth Hoffman. It was chosen as the first pick for Sam's Club brand new book club. That is quite an honor and one that is well deserved.

Beth Hoffman is from northern Ohio, near where I currently live, so there is a connection to where Cee Cee comes from in Ohio. She actually refers to real names of a city and streets in the area. I was thrilled to find out that one of the first stops along her book tour will be in my area. She will be at the Hudson Library sponsored by The Learned Owl Book Shop tomorrow, Wednesday January 13th at 7pm.  If you're near the area, what a wonderful opportunity we have to meet Beth Hoffman. I had to make a decision as it is the same night as my book club and I've decided that I have to go to see Beth Hoffman. I'm so excited! I'm also hoping to finally meet a fellow blogger in the area, Stacy who blogs at Stacy's Books.

This would be an excellent book to discuss with a book club and I will be recommending it to my book club. I host in a few months and it will definitely be on my recommended list of books. There is a reading guide and interview with Beth Hoffman, here.

Make sure to check out Beth Hoffman's website, here for more information.

FTC Disclosure: Thanks to Beth Hoffman for sending me an ARC copy of the book. I am an Amazon associate.

Mailbox Monday: January 11, 2010

~Mailbox Monday~

Mailbox Monday is a fun meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share books that came into our house by mail.

Here is what arrived in my mailbox last week:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben (Harper Collins)

Spinning Forward by Terri Dulong (won from Goodreads)

Fireworks over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff (St. Martin's Press )

Sunday Salon: Snowy January

It's definitely been a snowy January here in Ohio. We've gotten at least 3 feet of snow and my son had two snow days this past week. He was thrilled of course and had fun playing in the snow but it was too cold to stay out very long. We spent a lot of time indoors but I wasn't able to get as much reading time in as I wanted to. I have to admit that I started watching the Gilmore Girls season one on DVD and I've become a bit obsessed! I read about the Gilmore Girls challenge hosted by Lisa at Lit and Life, when Molly wrote a post at My Cozy Book Nook. It sparked my interest as I missed watching this show and didn't realize that it had a bookish focus and it's funny and very well written. I started watching the first season of Gilmore Girls and I'm hooked. The challenge has started already and I just may join in.

I am reading Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman and am loving it! I have found that I enjoy reading southern fiction. They have such richness and a down to earth sense of reality to the books and are very well written. I adore this book, Cee Cee is a character that I will not forget. Beth Hoffman will be in town this week for a book signing and I have such a dilemna...my book club meets the same night. We are discussing The Help  and I want to be at both events. I have to see what I can do and make a decision. Beth kindly sent me an ARC of her book and I would love to meet her.

FTC Disclosure: ARC copy provided by author. I am an Amazon Associate.

Library Loot: January 7th

This is my first time participating in Library Loot which is Hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.

We share what we each picked up at the library during the week.

I've read all of the books in Sue Grafton's Alphabet Series and now I have in my hands, U is for Undertow . I can't wait to read this, I really enjoy this series. It's fun, quirky, entertaining and comfort zone reading for me. I look forward to each book in the series to see what happens to Kinsey Millhone next.

I've decided to challenge myself to expand my reading genres and go beyond my comfort zone of reading this year. I picked up Uglies by Scott Westerfeld after reading many reviews and I wanted to read what is being referred to as dystopian fiction.

I picked up Heartsick by Chelsea Cain which goes along with my challenge to expand my reading genres and go beyond my comfort zone of reading this year. This is a mystery thriller and pretty creepy from what I've read and heard from friends. They all highly recommend it. I must be needing some escape reading this year but I'm going to have to read this one during the day so that I don't get nightmares!

My goal this year is to read 100 books and to read more books from my own bookshelves and from the library. My son loves to go to the library and we try to visit once a week or sometimes more and we go to several different county libraries. My plan is to post a regular library loot feature this year.

Giveaway: When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge

I'm thrilled to tell you that Jennie Shortridge has offered to send a SIGNED copy of her newest book When She Flew to one lucky reader, US only . I just reviewed this as part of the TLC Book Tour and loved it. Please read my review, here. When She Flew is full of action from the start and the strength of the plot is truly original and heartwarming.

~GIVEAWAY DETAILS~

1. Read my review, (click here) and leave a comment HERE and PLEASE, make sure to leave an email address so that I can contact you. I will have to draw another winner if I have no way to contact you. ~1 entry

2. Blog about this giveaway (Posting the giveaway on your sidebar is acceptable). Leave a separate comment with a link to your post. ~1 entry

3. Follow me with Google Friend Connect, it's on the left in my sidebar under the subscribe buttons. I've just added this feature and you'll get an extra entry for following me. If you are already a follower that applies as well, just let me know. Leave a separate comment for this. ~1 entry

4. Subscribe to my rss feed or subscribe via email (If you are already a subscriber that applies as well, just let me know). Leave a separate comment for this. ~1 entry

5. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter to spread the word, adding hashtag #bonnieredlady. Leave me a separate comment with your twitter user name and link.~1 entry

Please remember to leave an email address so that I can contact you if you are a winner. Also, there are many ways to get extra entries, LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT for each one or they will not count. I will be using random.org to pick the winners.

This giveaway is open to U.S. only. The deadline to enter is January 19th, 2010 at Midnight, EST.

Review: When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge

When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge is the type of novel that engulfs you as you read the story. I felt immersed in the story of Jess, a single mother and a policewoman whose lifelong dream was to be on the police force. Her father was a policeman and it was all she ever dreamed of for her future. That future included marrying young and having a daughter, Nina, who she ended up putting second to her career without quite realizing it. Jess is divorced, estranged from her daughter and grandson and lonely. She is the type of police officer that always plays by the book and follows the rules. Until she is involved in the search for a young girl in the Oregon Woods. Jess and other officers find the girl living in the woods with her father, an Iraq War Vet. Lindy, the young girl and her father have created a safe haven for themselves in the woods.

This is not the way a "normal" family lives in our society. The book challenges you as a reader to think abut what is "normal" when you're dealing with post traumatic stress from being in the Iraq War and finding the need to protect your own child from the world. The laws and social rules of how a family with a child should live forces the Sergeant in charge to make decisions that would separate Lindy from her father. Jess connects to Lindy as a mother would and understands the pain and damage of being separated from a child you love. In an instant, Jess makes a choice that she has never done, she's gone against the rules and she believes that she is doing the right thing. What follows is the aftermath of that decision and how it affects both Lindy and her father and Jess and her own daughter Nina.

When She Flew is full of action from the start and the strength of the plot is truly original and heartwarming. The story is told in alternating viewpoints between Jess and Lindy who is 13 years old and steals your heart with her innocence and wisdom. Lindy loves nature as she lives in the woods and is fascinated by the birds that surround her. The birds are a metaphor to Lindy and to the readers, one that you will learn as you read this book. The title and quote at the beginning of the story shed light to its meaning. She is devoted to her father who she adores and loves and who has her best interests at heart, although they may be different than the norm.

Jennie Shortridge has shared (on her website and in the conversation guide at the back of the book)that When She Flew was inspired by true events that occurred in 2004, when a Vietnam War Vet was found living in an Oregon forest with his young daughter. I found that Ms. Shortridge did an amazing job with this idea and turned it into a fictionalized way to explore issues in our society and families. It made me think as a reader, about those living outside traditional norms and how hard that must be for them. Those who are homeless and want to keep their families together and must live in shelters, the streets or even in the woods. It's not easy either way as there are many issues that they must face. What is best for the family or for society? It's not an easy choice to make. I love reading a book and being challenged to think about these types of issues that are outside of my everyday world. I found When She Flew to challenge me, entertain me and I didn't want to put the book down. I liked that the ending was not what was expected or predictable. I found myself closing the book, still thinking about this beautiful story and the strong characters it enveloped. The story continues to linger in my mind in a soft and subtle way.

This would make an excellent book to discuss with a book club and one that I will be recommending to my own book club. There are so many themes to discuss such as family, social relationships,parent child relationships, homelessness, war veterans, raising a child, and so much more. There is a Reading Group Guide which includes a conversation with Jennie at the back of the book and on Jennie's website, here.

This is the first book that I've read by Jennie Shortridge and I have two others (Eating Heaven and Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe) lined up on my bookshelf to read next. I look forward to the adventure.

*Ms. Shortridge has graciously offered to send one lucky reader a SIGNED, copy of When She Flew. I will have a seperate post to sign up for this giveaway, CLICK HERE FOR GIVEAWAY DETAILS TO ENTER.

• To read more about Jennie Shortridge and her books, check out her website, here.
• For a Reading Group Guide and interview, go here.
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• To read an excerpt, or listen to Jennie read the prologue go here.
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Disclosure: Thanks to TLC Book Tours and Jennie Shortridge for providing me with a signed copy of this book for review. I am an Amazon Associate.

Cookbook Giveaway: Spice Up Your Life by Bindu Grandhu

I am excited to be hosting a giveaway for a copy of Spice Up Your Life: The Flexitarian Way by Bindu Grandhu. This is a cookbook that promotes a flexitarian diet which Ms. Grandhu describes as "primarily of vegetables, legumes, whole grains, spices, fruits and nuts with an occasional serving of chicken and fish". As it is the start of a new year and everyone is looking to shed a few pounds and eat healthier this is a wonderful cookbook that will provide you with a variety of healthy and tasty recipes. You can read my review of Spice Up Your Life, here.

Ms. Grandhu has offered to send a finished copy of Spice Up Your Life: The Flexitarian Way to one lucky reader of my blog. You are in for a treat!

Giveaway Details:

1. Leave a comment and PLEASE, make sure to leave an email address so that I can contact you. I will have to draw another winner if I have no way to contact you. ~1 entry

2. Blog about this giveaway (Posting the giveaway on your sidebar is acceptable). Leave a separate comment with a link to your post. ~1 entry

3. Follow me with Google Friend Connect, it's on the left in my sidebar under the subscribe buttons. I've just added this feature and you'll get an extra entry for following me. If you are already a follower that applies as well, just let me know. Leave a separate comment for this. ~1 entry

4. Subscribe to my rss feed or subscribe via email (If you are already a subscriber that applies as well, just let me know). Leave a separate comment for this. ~1 entry

5. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter to spread the word, adding hashtag #bonnieredlady. Leave me a separate comment with your twitter user name and link.~1 entry

Please remember to leave an email address so that I can contact you if you are a winner. Also, there are many ways to get extra entries, LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT for each one or they will not count. I will be using random.org to pick the winners.

This giveaway is open to U.S. only. The deadline to enter is January 17th, 2010 at Midnight, EST.

Mailbox Monday: January 4, 2010

~Mailbox Monday~

It's been several months since I participated in Mailbox Monday and I've missed it. I hope to be more active this year. Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page:

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Since I haven't posted a Mailbox Monday for awhile, I was unaware of Marcia's support of the Book Wish Foundation’s holiday campaign. For every link to a Mailbox Monday post left at The Printed Page from now through the end of the January, she will contribute .50¢ to Book Wish Foundation’s holiday campaign. This is definitely a worthy cause and I encourage you to check it out and consider supporting Marcia's campaign.

Here are a few of the things that have arrived in my mailbox in the past few weeks:

• One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni from Hyperion Voice



• Letter to My Daughter by George Bishop from Random House



• Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs from Paperbackswap


• The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil Mcneil from Paperbackswap

An added bonus was receiving a $50 Gift Card from Omaha Steaks in the mail that I won from Booking Mama. My husband and I love their Filet Mignon steaks and it's been a few years since we've splurged and treated ourselves. We are looking forward to enjoying them!

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate.

Sunday Salon: Review on a Winter Day of Spice Up Your Life by Bindu Grandhi

(This was taken from my backyard earlier today)

It's a cold and blustery day here in Ohio and we've gotten close to a foot of snow in the past few days. Winter is greeting us with a big hello this new year in 2010. Since we're snowbound, I took the opportunity to make a few recipes from a cookbook that I've been wanting to review for quite awhile now.

Spice Up Your Life: The Flexitarian Way by Bindu Grandhu is a cookbook that promotes a flexitarian diet which Ms. Grandhu describes as "primarily of vegetables, legumes, whole grains, spices, fruits and nuts with an occasional serving of chicken and fish". As it is the start of a new year and everyone is looking to shed a few pounds and eat healthier this is a wonderful cookbook that will provide you with a variety of healthy recipes. There are healthy and tasty nutritional recipes to try with an Indian focus. The recipes allow you to add various spices or modify them to your taste. Healthy food doesn't have to be plain and boring when you can spice it up and it tastes delicious. The Spice Up Your Life cookbook shows you how to do this and the recipes are easy to follow. This is a wonderful cookbook to check out if you are looking to eat healthier, eat a more vegetarian diet or eat less meat. Spice Up Your Life has many recipes that include: Appetizers, Side Dishes, Breads, Vegetarian Dishes, Chicken Dishes, Seafood Dishes, Drinks and Desserts. You can even find free sample recipes from Spice Up Your Life on Ms. Grandhu's website The Flex Cook, here.

I made two recipes from the Spice Up Your Life cookbook this afternoon:

(Sweet Bread and Mint Chai Tea)

The Sweet Bread was made with crescent rolls and had a delicious filling of brown sugar and golden raisins. Saffron was optional, but I didn't have it in the pantry. I would like to try it with the saffron as I have cooked with it and I think that it would add a nice flavor to the bread. My son doesn't usually like raisins but he loved this Sweet Bread. The Mint Chai Tea was tasty but a bit rich. I modified the recipe to use a mint teabag instead of fresh mint leaves so that may have made it too strong. We used our French Moroccan glasses to drink the Mint Chai Tea. We use these glasses to drink Moroccan peppermint tea. The glasses and beautiful French Moroccan brass etched tray were gifts from my mother in law. It feels kind of fancy when we use them and our son got a kick out of drinking tea from a glass. He found the tea a bit strong and didn't care for the flavors. I will definitely make the Sweet Bread and Mint Chai Tea again. I have several recipes flagged to try and I plan to make them soon. My son has nut/peanut allergies among others so I have to be selective with some of the recipes that we make as several include nuts. My copy of the Spice Up Your Life cookbook was an Advanced Reader's Copy and did not include photos and the cover art was in black and white. I am not sure if the final copy includes photos but that would definitely be a nice addition to see pictures of these wonderful recipes.

Make sure to check out Bindu Grandhi's website at The Flex Cook, here.

You can enter to win a Free Autographed Copy of the Spice Up Your Life cookbook at The Flex Cook, here.

Free Sample Recipes are here at The Flex Cook.



Disclosure: Thank you to the author for sending me an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book for review. I am an Amazon Associate.

Review: The G-Free Diet by Elisabeth Hasselbeck

I have had The G-Free Diet: A Gluten Free Survival Guide by Elisabeth Hasselbeck on my bookshelf for several months and had to find the right time to read this book. Ms. Hasselbeck is well known as a co-host on The View and has been outspoken about her journey with celiac disease. Elisabeth found herself sick, starting in college and couldn't figure out what was the cause of her illness. She consulted numerous doctors and specialists but not one was able to help her determine the cause of her stomach problems and illness. She was a contestant on the TV show Survivor, with a very limited diet and was able to pinpoint her health problems to wheat and ultimately gluten. She had to be her own advocate and ended up diagnosing herself and finally found a specialist in Celiac Disease that did further testing to confirm the diagnosis.

In the G- Free Diet Hasselback shares how she learned to adjust her lifestyle to a gluten free life. She shares her experiences and suggestions throughout the book from what exactly gluten is to how to read food labels, finding gluten-free products, how to grocery shop effectively, adapt recipes, how to manage G-Free living with family and friends and more. This is a great book for the beginner and it includes extensive lists of products and restaurants that are G-Free.

The G- Free Diet focuses primarily on celiac disease but it also highlights other health conditions that may benefit from changing to a gluten free diet. Such conditions as arthritis, diabetes and even autism. There are many parents who have found significant improvement with their children with autism after changing their diets to a gluten and casein free diet. There is a chapter that discusses this in the book. I have several friends who have children with autism who follow this type of diet. They have found it has made a significant improvement in their children's lives.

I decided it was the perfect time to read this book as I am researching a gluten free diet for my son. I've mentioned here before that my son has major food allergies, with peanuts and tree nuts being the worst as they are life threatening. He also has many other food allergies and lactose intolerance. We are researching some changes in his diet as we believe he may be sensitive to gluten and feel that it may be beneficial to try a diet change. The G- Free Diet will be a good resource to use if we decide to go down this road of becoming gluten free. I found many suggestions that were familiar to me with already having a child with food allergies. I am constantly on alert and checking food labels, checking with manufacturers and careful about foods that my son eats at school and at restaurants.

The G- Free Diet would be a good resource to start with if you , your child or family member has been diagnosed with celiac disease or needs to follow a gluten free diet. Hasselback is a prime example to many that you often need to be your own advocate and research information yourself to get answers. This is not to say that anyone can self diagnose themselves accurately, you should always confirm this with a medical professional. I feel that the book is more geared toward the newly diagnosed and the person who has learned to live a G-free lifestyle may already be familiar with this information. I would have liked to have more information from a medical doctor added as an additional chapter or addendum to explain the medical issues. Also, the professional advice added from a nutritional point of view by a medical doctor and/or nutritionist would have been an added bonus.

For more information, check out the G-Free diet website . You can read an excerpt from the book, here.

Disclosure: Copy of book provided for review from Hachette. I am an Amazon associate.

"To sit alone in the lamplight with a book..." by Yoshida Kenkō

To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations-- such is a pleasure beyond compare.

~ Yoshida Kenkō ~

I found another wonderful quote about reading on facebook today posted by one of my favorite local indie bookstores, Joseph Beth Booksellers. Yoshida Kenkō was a Japanese poet and monk born in 1283. You can read more about him and read more of his quotes and poems here. I think Mr. Kenko had much wise wisdom to share and this quote is so very true. Is anyone familiar with the writings of this ancient Japanese Poet?

(Yosida Kenko)

From Wikipedia: Yoshida Kenkō (吉田兼好,c.1283?–1350?) was a Japanese author and Buddhist monk. This picture was drawn by Kikuchi Yosai（菊池容斎）who was a painter in Japan.

"The Greatest gift is the passion for reading..." by Elizabeth Hardwick

The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination.

~ Elizabeth Hardwick ~

I found this wonderful quote about reading on facebook yesterday. It was posted by one of my favorite local indie bookstores, Joseph Beth Booksellers. I wanted to share it with my bookish friends and readers who would appreciate it. I was not familiar with the writer, Elizabeth Hardwick, so I did some research via google. I found that she was a " ... critic, essayist, fiction writer and co-founder of The New York Review of Books." (Information from her obituary in the New York Times, she died in 2007 at the age of 91). You can read more about Elizabeth Hardwick and some of her essays, here at The New York Review of Books.

(Elizabeth Hardwick 1983)

Review: Cherries in Winter by Suzan Colón

Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times by Suzan Colón is part memoir and part cookbook and the perfect book to read in the winter...or anytime for that matter. This is a beautiful book written in a narrative style by Suzan that emphasizes a warmth and gentleness in tone. I found it very inviting and easy to read. Suzan found herself laid off from her magazine job during the economic changes of 2008. She had to make adjustments and to cut back on expenses including expensive haircuts and even the basic necessities including the food budget, for herself and her husband. She found her Nana's recipes in a folder in the basement along with scraps of paper and envelopes filled with her grandmother's wisdom and family history.

Suzan found stories of how her grandmother and great grandmother simplified menus and made do during the great depression. Suzan's mother also filled in some of the details along the way. Suzan shared some of these recipes that she modified to fit more modern times and the stories behind them, in the book. Recipes such as Beef Stew, Baked Pork Chops, Meatloaf and even desserts such as lemon meringue pie and butter cookies.

Suzan learns that she isn't the only one that has had to go through tough times and the three other strong women of her generation also had to do the same. She finds strength through the recipes and comfort food that she prepares for herself and her husband. She learns that there is wisdom to be learned from her family members that have faced similar challenges in their own past.

I found this book one that many women could relate to as we learn from our grandmothers and great grandmothers just how hard it was for them to survive during the depression and war times. I am very close to my paternal grandmother who is now 92 and in poor health. She was born and raised here in the USA and lived through the depression. I treasure the stories that she shared with me of how hard times were as her parents were immigrants and illiterate and her father was a junk man. He drove around a horse and buggy and sold rags and old things to make a dollar. They were a large family and she learned from her older brother how to line her shoes with cardboard when they had holes in them. He knew that their parents couldn't afford new shoes so he tried to help. My grandmother shared with me that there may not have been much money but there was a lot of love and that is what held them together. They learned to survive through hard times and that is a lesson that we can all benefit from. Suzan shares that lesson she learned from her family with us throughout Cherries in the Winter, and it is one we can all learn from.

I highly recommend this gem of a book that is inspiring, entertaining and will make you stop and think about the hardships in your own life and how to learn and treasure the wisdom from past generations. It makes me wonder about my own grandmothers recipes and where they ended up. I think that they may be in my aunts basement and I'm going to try and find them. This would make a great book to discuss with a book club and the recipes could be shared and served as there are a variety of recipes to choose from. There is also a readers guide for Cherries in the Winter that you can find here.

Here is a video that I found of Suzan making meatloaf with her mom and explaining the story behind the title of the book Cherries in Winter. I definitely want to make this meatloaf over the winter, it looks like a very hearty meal that my family would enjoy:

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Here is another video of Suzan making butter cookies, the recipe is in the book on page 95. They sound delicious and easy to make. I am going to make these cookies this week.

Check out Suzan Colón's website Cherries in Winter, here. You can find much more information about the book and Suzan as well as some old photos of the family members she discusses in the book.

Disclosure: Thanks to Doubleday who sent me this Bound Galley copy. I am an Amazon Associate.

Sunday Salon: After the Holidays

It's been a busy week as my son had to go to school until Wednesday as they had a later start to the school year due to construction. He also had an orchestra concert at school (he's in the 5th grade), he plays the bass and yes...it's taller than him, even though it's technically a junior bass! It's a heavy instrument and weighs close to 50 lbs. I dread carrying that thing as it is so heavy and awkward as it is so large. This is his second year playing the bass and we were all quite impressed at how much they've improved and have moved up to playing more serious music such as Russian Music Box and Bach. Last year, the highlight was jingle bells (which we were still very impressed with). We were very proud of him! He was also very happy as he had family (besides just his parents) at his concert for the first time. My brother and niece were here from Florida and my sister in law was able to make it. Here's a picture of the bass...the boy is not my son.

We had a nice and quiet Christmas but I didn't get any books under the tree. I did give my son the Guinness Book of World Records 2010 as he loves these kinds of books. To be honest, we are all trying to read through the books that we have so we cut back this year. My hubby did buy me a much needed Cuisinart coffee machine as my current coffee machine is not working very well. I can't wait to use it.

Books reviewed:

• Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs
• The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Currently reading:

Cherries in Winter:My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times by Suzan Colon

Giveaway:

My Off The Bookshelf Giveway ends on December 3oth. I am giving away 5 ARC copies and they include:

• The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
• Knit Two by Kate Jacobs
• Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz
• Permission Slips by Sherri Sheperd
• The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha

Go HERE, for details and to enter.

Review: The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

The Perfect Christmas was a quick , light read that I read in two hours. I am a fan of Debbie Macomber and this book was no exception. It was perfect to read around the holidays as it was not heavy or involved. Debbie's stories are focused on family, friendships and learning a lesson or two about life and love. That's what The Perfect Christmas shares in it's story.

Cassie, a single woman in her thirties is looking to find the perfect man, the perfect family and the perfect Christmas. Her coworker and friend suggests she make an appointment with Simon a professional matchmaker who is a psychologist and claims to be able to find your "most suitable partner" or his very expensive fee will be returned. Simon who is very business like and difficult asks Cassie to complete three tasks before she meets the man he believes is her perfect mate. She completes these Christmas related tasks with some funny encounters and learning experiences along the way. Cassie is finally ready to meet the man of her dreams and she is surprised whom her perfect man ends up to be in the end.

Disclosure: My reading copy was borrowed from the library.

Review: Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs

Knit the Season is the third book in the Friday Night Knitting Club series by Kate Jacobs. I've read and enjoyed the first two books in the series, Friday Night Knitting Club and Knit Two. This story begins a year after Knit Two and Dakota is struggling with figuring out what to do over the Christmas holidays. She is in culinary school to learn to be a pastry chef and has scored an interview for an internship over Christmas week. Her father, has secretly made plans to surprise her and planned a family trip to see Dakota's Gran in Scotland. Dakota is torn between this as well as other issues related to the knit shop Walker and Daughter. The story takes the reader through many holiday seasons including Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and finally to New years.

Most of Knit the Season was focused on Dakota and her life and decisions including learning more about her mother, Georgia who is a beloved character for most fans of the Friday Night Knitting Club series. I found the story focus on family bonds and friendships weak and not in character with the strength of the previous books. The storyline was disjointed and it just didn't flow smoothly for me. I wanted more focus on the secondary characters and I felt Anita was portrayed as a weak woman and not the strong character she has shown to be in previous books. I preferred the last half of the book when the family went to Scotland to visit Gran as her character is very endearing and wise and the storyline was stronger. I didn't care for the flashbacks of memories of Georgia and her life. I found it didn't flow or fit into the story and boring at times.

I did like to see the knitting patterns in the back of the book including one for a knitted bookmark I'd like to try knitting. There are also recipes that sound delicious, especially the recipe for shortbread.

This is a tough review to write as I am a fan of this series but Knit the Season just didn't stand out as strong book in the series for me. I will not be giving up on the Friday Night Knitting Club and hope that the next book has a stronger plot and storyline.

For reviews with a different perspective:

• Peeking Between the Pages
• Booking Mama
• S. Krishna's Books
• A Circle of Books

*My copy was an Advanced Reading Copy and it had a multitude of typos that I found very distracting. I hope that they were all corrected in the final copy.

Disclosure: I won this book from Peeking Between the Pages.

Sunday Salon~ Holiday Themed Books

We weren't hit by the major nor'easter that hit the east coast but we do have snow, cold and ice here in Ohio. I was out yesterday and there were many car accidents and cars that had slid off the road. I have learned as I get older and as a parent having a child in the car that it is not worth rushing in this kind of weather. I take my time and go easy and hope and pray I get to and from home safely. My brother and niece drove up from the south yesterday and got stuck for 7 hours on the turnpike. I can't imagine how hard that must have been, especially with a young child. Fortunately, they had enough gas, food and provisions and a portable DVD player so my niece could watch movies. We will be seeing them today and my son is very excited to see his cousin as it's been a few years.

~Holiday Themed Books~

I've been reading several holiday themed books in the past few weeks. They have been perfect for me to read with so much going in with family issues and my grandmothers declining health. I find that for the most part they are light, inspirational and meaningful. So far, I've read and enjoyed Christmas Cake by Lynne Hinton (You can read my review, here) and Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb (You can read my review, here). I am currently reading Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs which I was thrilled to win an advanced copy at Peeking Between the Pages. I am a fan of the series. I don't enjoy reading these type of holiday themed books at other times of the year...what about you? Which holiday themed books are you reading or are your favorites?

Book or DVD: Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell is a classic and a book that I have wanted to read but haven't had the opportunity to yet. I've heard rave reviews of the BBC drama series adapted from Elizabeth Gaskell's classic novels. I recently received an email from Masterpiece which is on PBS and they are having "a special encore presentation December 20, 27 and January 3. On January 10th, fall in love again with Return to Cranford, the all-new sequel." I am planning to watch or tape the series even though I haven't read the book.

Here is a summary of the book Cranford from Goodreads:

A gently comic picture of life in an English country town in the mid-nineteenth
century, Cranford describes the small adventures of Miss Matty and Miss Deborah,
two middle-aged spinster sisters striving to live with dignity in reduced circumstances. Rich with humor and filled with vividly memorable characters including the dignified Lady Glenmire and the duplicitous showman Signor Brunoni—Cranford is a portrait of kindness, compassion, and hope.

I usually like to read the book before seeing a movie version but I am planning to watch or tape the series even though I haven't read the book. It sounds like the perfect thing to watch around this time of year. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have read Cranford and/or have seen the series.

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate.

The Great Kindle Giveaway...Win a Free Kindle!

Do you want a chance to win a Free Kindle? I sure would...this contest ends very soon, tomorrow December 18th. Click on the banner above or click on this link to The Great Kindle Giveway here. Please use my links as it gives me an extra entry to the contest. Thanks and good luck!!

Review: Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb

Wishin' and Hopin' is a Christmas story that is heartwarming and funny. It's the story of Felix Funicello a 10 year old boy who is in the fifth grade in a Catholic elementary school in 1964. Felix narrates the story and is a boy who is innocent and a bit naive but he can also find himself in trouble by his own doing. His parents own a lunch counter at the bus station in Three Rivers, Connecticut and their cousin is the famous actress Annette Funicello. The fifth grade class has a substitute teacher for the first part of the year that is a layperson and not a nun. Madame Marguerite brings an interesting perspective with her focus on all things French. The class is full of interesting characters and antics that will make you chuckle at times and at others feel sympathy for those in many embarrassing situations.

The book ends with the hilarious school Christmas pageant where almost everything seems to go wrong. It is truly laugh out loud funny. There is a poignant end to the story for Felix's family that binds them together and is a highlight of their family memories. I especially enjoyed the epilogue at the end of the book where Wally Lamb lets us know what happens to the characters in the story. That was a nice touch as we don't often know what happens to the characters in a story and this was a fun way to end the book.

I'm a fan of Lamb's work and this was no exception. It was quite different than his previous novels but I enjoyed it immensely. If you are looking for a light and fun Christmas book to read or give as a gift, this is the perfect choice.

Disclosure: Thanks to Kyle from Harper Collins for sending me this copy to review. I am an Amazon Associate.

Review: The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel

For me, this is the perfect time of year to read books about women's friendships. I am a fan of these types of novels as well as the epistolary style novel of a story told through letters. I enjoyed reading The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel which fits both of my favorites as it is a story of women's friendship told through emails and letters and an added bonus is the focus on food with more than 80 recipes included. Food and friendships always seem to go hand in hand in most women's lives.

Lilly and Val are lifelong friends and the book opens after they reconnect through emails after a falling out 26 years earlier. As young girls, they write to each other as pen pals after one has moved farther away. They form a Recipe Club between them and share favorite recipes along with intimate letters in which they share their hopes, dreams and deepest secrets. The two girls continue to write letters and share recipes from their younger school years through to college. They are both very different, Lilly is dramatic, confident and quite the adventurer and risk taker. Her parents are both distant and are often fighting and she craves their attention. Val is plain, shy and idealistic. She struggles with the emotional baggage of a mother who is housebound and demanding and a father who is a dreamer.

Their lives take different paths and these differences and misunderstanding may often keep them apart. They always seem to reconnect along the way through their recipe club until one day when an act of concern is perceived as a betrayal. Decades later they try to reconnect and recapture that lost trust only to uncover a shocking secret.

I connected to this story in many ways as I am the same age as Lilly and Val and had a best friend who moved away and I wrote letters to. She returned in high school and we remained close friends. We didn't have a recipe club but she often sent me the poetry she was writing and we shared many secrets and dreams. We had a falling out as adults and I had to make the painful decision to disconnect from her. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done and I still miss her but know that the chaos in her life was just too much for me to manage anymore.

The recipes are a nice addition to this book and makes it a cookbook as well as a novel about friendship. It is printed beautifully with artwork and drawings that are a nice touch. The feel of the book is like a cookbook as well, nice and solid and thicker pages. I look forward to trying some of the recipes in the book.

This book would definitely make an excellent book to discuss with a book club. It would be great to pair food and drinks around recipes from the book at a book club meeting. You could even have a recipe swap or start a recipe club. My book club has our own cookbook where we share favorite recipes from our book club meetings and favorite family recipes. We have an organizer who compiles and prints out the recipes each December that we submit and she passes them out for us to add to our cookbooks. We all look forward to this every year so I would say we do have our own recipe book club.

Check out the authors website The Recipe Club, here.

FTC Disclosure: Thanks to Caitlin from FSB Media, for sending me a copy of this book. I am an Amazon Associate.

Review: Christmas Cake by Lynne Hinton

In Hope Springs, North Carolina there is a group of friends that have a deep and enduring friendship. Margaret, Jessie, Beatrice and Louise have been friends for years and they are all members of the Women's Guild of the Hope Springs Community Church. When they all find out that Margaret's cancer has returned, they will do anything to support her. Beatrice is the one who usually takes charge of the projects and fundraising activities and this time she has come up with the idea of a Christmas Cake cookbook and recipe contest in hopes of cheering up Margaret. Beatrice has promised a big prize but is having trouble with the final details.

Margaret realizes that her final wish is to visit her mother's hometown in Texas and visit her grave. Her friends rally around her and arrange to travel to Texas where their good friend and former Pastor Charlotte will join them. Charlotte left Hope Springs to run a battered women's shelter in New Mexico. They have some adventures along the way as they travel to Texas and when they get there they are in for more surprises and adventures. This journey teaches the women that no matter what happens in life their friendship is eternal and a foundation to rely on.

Christmas Cake is an endearing, light hearted and humorous story of women's friendship. It has it's sad moments where you may find yourself reaching for the tissue box but it also has moments where you will find yourself giggling over the antics the ladies get themselves into.

Christmas Cake is actually a sequel to Friendship Cake which I read several years ago. It was refreshing to revisit life with these wonderful ladies and to see that their friendship lives on stronger than ever. Christmas Cake can be read apart from Friendship cake as it reads as its own novel. There are also cake recipes at the beginning of each chapter and many of the cakes sound very tasty.

This would be a great book to discuss with a book club around Christmas time. There is a reading guide at the back of the book as well.

Lynne Hinton is the pastor of a church in New Mexico and she has written several books about Hope Springs. Book Club Girl will be having a discussion with Lynne Hinton about Christmas Cake on Blog Talk Radio Tuesday, December 15 at 7 PM EST.

FTC Disclosure: Review copy provided by Book Club Girl . I am an Amazon Associate.

December Book Club Meeting

My book club met for our December meeting a few nights ago. We discussed Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen (which I borrowed a copy from the library). I did not read the book which is a first for me for book club. Actually, I read about 25 pages and the book just didn't hold my interest. I've been focusing on my grandmother who is at the end stage of her life and my son has had some health issues so I've been distracted from reading. We did have an interesting discussion about the book and Anna Quindlen as an author.

We always have a Holiday book exchange in December and each of us brings a wrapped new or used book and draw numbers. It's always fun to see what each other gets and it also gives us new ideas for book club choices. I received a copy of Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and was thrilled as it is a book that I've been interested in reading and do not own a copy.

We will be reading and discussing The Help by Kathryn Stockett for January. I read and reviewed this book earlier in the year and loved it. It is one of my favorite books of 2009 and I'm so excited to discuss it with my book club. I'm going to try and reread it if I can. This is the perfect book to discuss at the start of a new year.

FTC Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate.

Sunday Salon: Catching up on a Monday...

It's been quiet around here and I wanted to post an update. I've been distracted from reading and blogging due to some family issues. My grandmother is very ill and it looks like she is at the end stage of her life. It's very sad, she just turned 92 and has had a full and wonderful life. She's very special to me and our family and she's given much love to us all. Family are in from out of town and we are all surrounding her with love.

I haven't been reading or visiting blogs much and I hope for that to change when things settle down here. I did finish The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel and I liked it a lot. I am a fan of epistolary style novels, books about friendships and foodie books so this book fit the bill for me. It even has recipes, ones that I'd like to try. I will post a review soon. Thanks to Caitlin at FSB for sending me a copy of this book.

My book club is meeting this week and I wasn't able to finish the December book. I read about 25 pages and it was either my mood and/or the superficiality of the book that I just couldn't take at the moment. This is the first book that I've ditched since I've been in my book club, which has been about 7 years. We are having a book swap at the book club and I have my book picked out and ready to be wrapped. I hope to be able to make it to the book club meeting.

I did send out my Book Blogger Holiday Swap package and hope that my secret santa enjoys the gifts that I sent.

I've had to add comment moderation here as I've been getting a ton of spam the past few weeks...what is up with that?! Is anyone else being bombarded with this...posts in foreign languages and ads for medicine and websites?