books | Stories Unfolded

I’m Back!

My Life Update April 16, 2019 Leave a comment

Hello My Fellow Book Lovers!

It’s been a long time (longer than I want to admit). I took a few years off to do some other things that were really important to me.

I started a non-profit called the Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund. It’s a fund started in honor of my mother and provides scholarships to students who have lost a parent to substance abuse. It’s been a great rewarding experience to provide these scholarships every year.

I also had been promoted at work and took on a very demanding role. It was a lot of work, but I learned so much in the process. Now I’ve found a new job (same company) as an entertainment underwriter. I essentially get to insure commercials, music videos, documentaries, films, and so much more in film/video production. I love my new job and it has much better work life balance.

I also gained two beautiful nieces and became godmother to both of them. They are beautiful, smart, and fun little girls, so I was spending a lot of time with them. Now they have moved to Idaho and I find myself with a lot more time on my hands.

Now that I’ve gained back some free time, I realized how much I missed my book blog and the book lover community. I may not post as much as I did, but I do want to get back to sharing my thoughts on books, sharing new books I’ve found, and find some new ones in the great community of readers.

Looking forward to being back!

WWW Wednesday | December 16

WWW Wednesday December 16, 2015 Comments: 2

It’s that time of the week again when I participate in WWW Wednesdays hosted by Sam from Taking on a World of Words. Feel free to leave a link to your WWW Wednesday post in the comments.

To participate in WWW Wednesday, you need to answer three questions.

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

CURRENTLY READING

TITLE: The Race for Paris

AUTHOR: Meg Waite Clayton

PUBLISHER: Harpor Collins

RELEASE DATE: August 11, 2015

GENRE: Fiction, Historical Fiction

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | B&N | iBOOKS | INDIEBOUND | HARPORCOLLINS

What was it like to be a driven and talented woman journalist in a world restricted by military regulations and gender barriers? Bestselling author Meg Waite Clayton delivers answers in her highly and widely anticipated new novel, The Race for Paris. Opening in Normandy on June 29, 1944, the novel follows two tenacious American female war correspondents on their quest to document—and make—history by covering the liberation of Paris from the center of the action. Inspired by real women like Martha Gellhorn, Margaret Bourke-White, Dot Avery, and Lee Miller, who took bold, grave risks to prove that they could report from the front lines of WWII just as powerfully as men, The Race for Paris firmly reflects historical facts and details, while pulsing with immediate drama—and a chilling, timely sense of wartime danger.

Told from the perspective of Jane Tyler, a young, single, adventure-seeking reporter for the Nashville Banner and the only daughter of an ostracized unwed mother, The Race for Paris is also the story of Olivia “Liv” Harper, an Associated Press photographer with a supportive husband who is the editor-in-chief of the New York Daily Press. While Jane is resigned to making the most of her assignment covering a field hospital, Liv is set on capturing the war—and the jubilant liberation of Paris from Nazi occupation—from the front lines. After failing to win over her CO, Liv goes AWOL. Seizing her shot to make a name for herself, Jane joins her. Enlisting the help of a tentative ally, British military reporter Fletcher Roebuck, the two intrepid women set off across the perilous French countryside on a race to reach Paris and out-scoop formidable male competitors. Along their journey, Jane, Liv, and Fletcher continually confront obstacles, and cross paths with gunfire, carnage, and death. Their mission is further complicated by emotional bonds, romantic tensions, and one woman’s secret—a secret with the power to end her career and, perhaps, her life.

Reflecting the extraordinary courage and determination of pioneering women in journalism—women who paved the way for respected war correspondents such as Christiane Amanpour, Oriana Fallaci, and Lynsey Addario—The Race for Paris is a gripping novel celebrating the power of women, then and now. (Description found on Meg’s Website)

RECENTLY FINISHED READING

TITLE: Strawberry and Sage

AUTHOR: Amanda Gale

PUBLISHER: Brenda & Cobena Books

RELEASE DATE: July 15, 2015

GENRE: Women’s Fiction, Romance

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | B&N

A historical romance novella for readers of the Meredith series and new readers alike.

Set in 1967 in the lush mountains of Vermont, Strawberry and Sage is a tale of friendship, love, and the perfect strawberry pie.

Gabriel Kelly is a hard-working young carpenter carrying the weight of responsibility on his back. With his father injured on the job and his brother fighting in Vietnam, Gabriel struggles to stay positive. And with the possibility of being drafted looming over him, he can focus only on things that matter, like visiting the mountain, where he regains clarity, and cherishing his time with Abigail, the childhood friend with whom he’s always been in love.

Abigail Wheeler is a bright, ambitious college student who just knows she can change the world. Determined to make good use of opportunities her mother never had, she spends her time campaigning for women’s rights and planning for her future. Her own experiences have taught her that the world is full of promise. So when Gabriel confesses his heart, she is torn, unsure whether they’d be compatible even though she secretly loves him too.

In a tumultuous time when change is the only constant, Gabriel and Abigail long to find meaning and to find themselves. As their friendship is tested by wars both inside and out, they discover that the differences that had kept them apart are actually why they need each other most. (Description found on Amazon)

WHAT I MIGHT READ NEXT

TITLE: Decanting a Murder, A Sommelier Mystery #1

AUTHOR: Nadine Nettmann

PUBLISHER: Midnight Ink

RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2016

GENRE: Mystery & Thrillers

Katie Stillwell focuses on two things in her life: work and practicing for her Sommelier Certification with her blind tasting group. The exam was supposed to be the hardest part of her week, but that was before a body was found at an exclusive Napa Valley winery party.

When all the evidence points to Katie’s best friend, the outspoken and independent Tessa, Katie drops everything to clear Tessa’s name. Using her deductive wine skills, she tries to track down the real killer. But when repeated attempts are made on her life, Katie discovers that everyone’s secrets must be uncorked—including her own. (Found on Nadine’s Website)

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Teaser Tuesdays | The Race for Paris by Meg Waite Clayton

Teaser Tuesdays December 15, 2015 Leave a comment

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn of A Daily Rhythm. It’s easy to participate. 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!

ABOUT CURRENT READ

TITLE: The Race for Paris

AUTHOR: Meg Waite Clayton

PUBLISHER: Harpor Collins

RELEASE DATE: August 11, 2015

GENRE: Fiction, Historical Fiction

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | B&N | iBOOKS | INDIEBOUND | HARPORCOLLINS

What was it like to be a driven and talented woman journalist in a world restricted by military regulations and gender barriers? Bestselling author Meg Waite Clayton delivers answers in her highly and widely anticipated new novel, The Race for Paris. Opening in Normandy on June 29, 1944, the novel follows two tenacious American female war correspondents on their quest to document—and make—history by covering the liberation of Paris from the center of the action. Inspired by real women like Martha Gellhorn, Margaret Bourke-White, Dot Avery, and Lee Miller, who took bold, grave risks to prove that they could report from the front lines of WWII just as powerfully as men, The Race for Paris firmly reflects historical facts and details, while pulsing with immediate drama—and a chilling, timely sense of wartime danger.

Told from the perspective of Jane Tyler, a young, single, adventure-seeking reporter for the Nashville Banner and the only daughter of an ostracized unwed mother, The Race for Paris is also the story of Olivia “Liv” Harper, an Associated Press photographer with a supportive husband who is the editor-in-chief of the New York Daily Press. While Jane is resigned to making the most of her assignment covering a field hospital, Liv is set on capturing the war—and the jubilant liberation of Paris from Nazi occupation—from the front lines. After failing to win over her CO, Liv goes AWOL. Seizing her shot to make a name for herself, Jane joins her. Enlisting the help of a tentative ally, British military reporter Fletcher Roebuck, the two intrepid women set off across the perilous French countryside on a race to reach Paris and out-scoop formidable male competitors. Along their journey, Jane, Liv, and Fletcher continually confront obstacles, and cross paths with gunfire, carnage, and death. Their mission is further complicated by emotional bonds, romantic tensions, and one woman’s secret—a secret with the power to end her career and, perhaps, her life.

Reflecting the extraordinary courage and determination of pioneering women in journalism—women who paved the way for respected war correspondents such as Christiane Amanpour, Oriana Fallaci, and Lynsey Addario—The Race for Paris is a gripping novel celebrating the power of women, then and now. (Description found on Meg’s Website)

TEASER SENTENCES

“Liv and I ducked into the nearest building, an empty school-house, and sank into little chairs in the first room we came into. The seats were hard, the smell of eraser dust stifling. The room had been used as some type of command post: There were lists written in German on the chalkboard. Maps and elevations taped to the walls marked the locations of troops, planned lines of attack, points of the earth seeded with mines. I went outside again, but that was worse: the bright sunlight, the dark curls blowing across the square.” (pg. 126)

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Top 5 Favorite Nicholas Sparks Books

Authors October 28, 2015 Leave a comment

You might have already figured out that my favorite author of all time is Nicholas Sparks. I’ve read every single one of his books (some more than once) and can’t get enough of the stories he creates. So, today I want to share my top five favorite Nicholas Sparks Books.

#1 THE LAST SONG

Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina.

Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him.

Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms – first love, the love between parents and children – that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts… and heal them. (Description from Goodreads)

#2 THE LONGEST RIDE

Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together – how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can’t possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage.

A few miles away, at a local rodeo, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward — even life and death – loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans — a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he’s keeping doesn’t destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart. (Description from Goodreads)

#3 THE NOTEBOOK

Set amid the austere beauty of the North Carolina coast, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner recently returned form the Second World War. Noah is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories…until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.

Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. It is a story of miracles and emotions that will stay with you forever. (Description from Goodreads)

#4 NIGHTS IN RODANTHE

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks comes a tender story of hope and joy; of sacrifice and forgiveness — a moving reminder that love is possible at any age, at any time, and often comes when we least expect it. At forty-five, Adrienne Willis must rethink her entire life when her husband abandons her for a younger woman.

Reeling with heartache and in search of a respite, she flees to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina to tend to a friend’s inn for the weekend. But when a major storm starts moving in, it appears that Adrienne’s perfect getaway will be ruined — until a guest named Paul Flanner arrives. At fifty-four, Paul has just sold his medical practice and come to Rodanthe to escape his own shattered past. Now, with the storm closing in, two wounded people will turn to each other for comfort — and in one weekend set in motion feelings that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives. (Description from Goodreads)

#5 THE CHOICE

Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life — boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies — he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door.

Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him…and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn’t help. Despite himself, Travis can’t stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen.

Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive? (Description from Goodreads)

What are you favorite Nicholas Sparks books?

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October New Releases

New Releases October 1, 2015 Leave a comment

OCTOBER NEW RELEASES

Here are the upcoming October releases I’m excited about and have added to my TBR list.

TITLE: See Me

AUTHOR: Nicholas Sparks

PUBLISHER: Grand Central Publishing

RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2015

GENRE: Romance, Women’s Fiction, Fiction

Colin Hancock is giving his second chance his best shot. With a history of violence and bad decisions behind him and the threat of prison dogging his every step, he’s determined to walk a straight line. To Colin, that means applying himself single-mindedly toward his teaching degree and avoiding everything that proved destructive in his earlier life. Reminding himself daily of his hard-earned lessons, the last thing he is looking for is a serious relationship.

Maria Sanchez, the hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants, is the picture of conventional success: with a degree from Duke Law School and a job at a prestigious firm in Wilmington, she is a dark-haired beauty with a seemingly flawless professional track record. And yet Maria has a traumatic history of her own, one that compelled her to return to her home town and left her questioning so much of what she once believed.

A chance encounter on a rainswept road will alter the course of both Colin and Maria’s lives, challenging deeply held assumptions about each other and ultimately, themselves. As love unexpectedly takes hold between them, they dare to envision what a future together could possibly look like . . . until menacing reminders of events in Maria’s past begin to surface.

As a series of threatening incidents wreaks chaos in Maria’s life, Maria and Colin will be tested in increasingly terrifying ways. Will demons from their past destroy the tenuous relationship they’ve begun to build, or will their love protect them, even in the darkest hour?

Rich in emotion and fueled with suspense, See Me reminds us that love is sometimes forged in the crises that threaten to shatter us . . . and that those who see us for who we truly are may not always be the ones easiest to recognize. (Description and photo from NicholasSparks.com)

TITLE: Chasing Ghosts

AUTHOR: Louise DeSalvo

PUBLISHER: Fordham University Press

RELEASE DATE: October 12, 2015

GENRE: Biographies & Memoirs

PRE-ORDER LINKS: FORDHAM UNIVERSITY PRESS

When literary biographer and memoirist Louise DeSalvo embarked upon a journey to learn why her father came home from World War II a changed man, she didn’t realize her quest would take ten years or that it would yield more revelations about the man–and herself–and the effect of his military service upon their family than she’d ever imagined. During his last years, as he told her about his life, DeSalvo began to understand that her obsession with war novels and military history wasn’t merely academic but rooted in her desire to understand this complex father whom she both adored and reviled because of his mistreatment of her. Although she at first believes she wants to uncover his story, the story of a man who was no hero and who was adversely affected by his military service, she learns that what she really wants is to recover the man he was before he went away.

As DeSalvo and her father uncover his past piece by piece, bit by bit, she learns about the dreams of a working-class man who entered the military in the late 1930s during peacetime to better himself, a man who wanted to become a pilot. She learns about what it was like for him to participate in war games in the Pacific prior to the war, and the war’s devastating toll. She learns about what it was like for her parents to fall in love, set up house, marry, and have children during this cataclysmic time. And as the pieces of her father’s life fall into place as DeSalvo works to piece together the puzzle of everything she’s learned about this time, she finds herself finally able to understand him. (Description and photo from NetGalley.com)

TITLE: Things Unsaid

AUTHOR: Diana Y. Paul

PUBLISHER: She Writes Press

RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2015

GENRE: Fiction

PRE-ORDER LINKS: AMAZON | B&N | INDIEBOUND

Jules, her sister Joanne, and her brother Andrew all grew up in the same household—but their varying views of and reactions to their experiences growing up have made them all very different people. Now, as adults with children of their own, they are all faced with the question of what to do to help their parents, who insist on maintaining the upscale lifestyle they’re accustomed to despite their mounting debts. A deft exploration of the ever-shifting covenants between parents and children, Things Unsaid is a ferocious tale of family love, dysfunction, and sense of duty over forty years. (Description and photo from NetGalley.com)

TITLE: We Were Brothers

AUTHOR: Barry Moser

PUBLISHER: Algonquin Books

RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2015

GENRE: Memoir

PRE-ORDER LINKS: AMAZON | B&N | INDIEBOUND | POWELL’S

Preeminent illustrator Barry Moser and his brother, Tommy, were born of the same parents, were raised in the same small Tennessee community, and were poisoned by their family’s deep racism and anti-Semitism. But as they grew older, their perspectives and their paths grew further and further apart. From attitudes about race, to food, politics, and money, the brothers began to think so differently that they could no longer find common ground, no longer knew how to talk to each other, and for years there was more strife between them than affection.

When Barry was in his late fifties and Tommy in his early sixties, their fragile brotherhood reached a tipping point and blew apart. From that day forward they did not speak. But fortunately, their story does not end there. With the raw emotions that so often surface when we talk of our siblings, Barry recalls why and how they were finally able to traverse that great divide and reconcile their kinship before it was too late.

Including fifteen of Moser’s stunning drawings, this powerful true story captures the essence of sibling relationships–their complexities, contradictions, and mixed blessings. (Description and photo from NetGalley.com)

What new releases are you excited about this month?

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September New Releases

New Releases September 10, 2015 Leave a comment

SEPTEMBER NEW RELEASES

Here are the upcoming September releases I’m excited about and have added to my TBR list.

TITLE: The Sea Keeper’s Daughter

AUTHOR: Lisa Wingate

PUBLISHER: Tyndale House Publishers

RELEASE DATE: September 8, 2015

GENRE: Women’s Fiction

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | B&N | BAM!

From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny.

Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs. But things at the Excelsior are more complicated than they seem. Whitney’s estranged stepfather is entrenched on the third floor, and the downstairs tenants are determined to save the historic building. Searching through years of stored family heirlooms may be Whitney’s only hope of quick cash, but will the discovery of an old necklace and a Depression-era love story change everything. (Description from NetGalley.com)

TITLE: Reading the Sweet Oak

AUTHOR: Jan Stites

PUBLISHER: Lake Union Publishing

RELEASE DATE: September 29, 2015

GENRE: Women’s Fiction

PRE-ORDER LINKS: AMAZON

Along the banks of the Sweet Oak River, deep in the heart of the Ozarks, a romance novel book club takes five women on stunning journeys of self-discovery.

After losing first her husband, then her daughter, seventy-eight-year-old grandmother Ruby wants to teach her risk-averse granddaughter, Tulsa, that some leaps are worth taking, no matter how high the potential fall. Tulsa loves her grandmother dearly, but she has a business to run and no time for romance—not even the paperback version. But when Ruby ropes her into a book club, Tulsa can’t bring herself to disappoint the woman who raised her.

Together with Ruby’s best friend, Pearl, as well as family friends BJ and Jen, the women embark on an exploration of modern-day love guided by written tales of romance. What they discover is a beautiful story that examines the bonds of friendship and the highs and lows of love in all its forms. (Description and photo from Netgalley.com)

TITLE: Last Night in the OR

AUTHOR: Bud Shaw, MD

PUBLISHER: Penguin Group Blue Rider Press

RELEASE DATE: September 29, 2015

GENRE: Memoir

The 1980s marked a revolution in the field of organ transplants, and Bud Shaw, M.D., who studied under Tom Starzl in Pittsburgh, was on the front lines. Now retired from active practice, Dr. Shaw relays gripping moments of anguish and elation, frustration and reward, despair and hope in his struggle to save patients. He reveals harshly intimate moments of his medical career: telling a patient’s husband that his wife has died during surgery; struggling to complete a twenty-hour operation as mental and physical exhaustion inch closer and closer; and flying to retrieve a donor organ while the patient waits in the operating room. Within these more emotionally charged vignettes are quieter ones, too, like growing up in rural Ohio, and being awakened late at night by footsteps in the hall as his father, also a surgeon, slipped out of the house to attend to a patient in the ER.

In the tradition of Mary Roach, Jerome Groopman, Eric Topol, and Atul Gawande, Last Night in the OR is an exhilarating, fast-paced, and beautifully written memoir, one that will captivate readers with its courage, intimacy, and honesty. (Description and photo from NetGalley.com)

What new releases are you excited about this month?

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WWW Wednesday | September 9

WWW Wednesday September 9, 2015 Comments: 4

It’s that time of the week again when I participate in WWW Wednesdays hosted by Sam from Taking on a World of Words. Feel free to leave a link to your WWW Wednesday post in the comments.

To participate in WWW Wednesday, you need to answer three questions.

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?