Last Chance to Win at Cheryl's Book Nook

Cheryl is hosting a fabulous giveaway...but you must act fast.
Check out the detail here. Cheryl's Book Nook.

Here is a list of the books you could win!!!

1. The American Journey of Barack Obama By The Editors of Life Magazine ISBN: 0316045608
2. Fledgling By Octavia Butler ISBN: 0446696161
3. Stand the Storm By Breena Clarke ISBN: 0316007056
4. Red River By Lalita Tademy ISBN: 0446696994
5. Keep the Faith: A Memoir By Faith Evans ISBN: 0446199508
6. Say You're One of ThemBy Uwem Akpan ISBN: 0316113786
7. The Shack By William Young ISBN: 0964729237
8. The Bishop's Daughter By Tiffany Warren ISBN: 0446195146

Review-Crown in Candlelight

CROWN IN CANDLELIGHT, Rosemary Hawley Jarman, Trafalgar Square Publishing, 2008, $12.95/C$13.95/ £6.99, pb, 414pp,








Originally published in 1978, Crown in Candlelight covers a tumultuous period of English and French history from 1405 to 1461. This is the story of Katherine of Valois, the strikingly beautiful, yet demure daughter of King Charles VI, told through her eyes. Parented by a father who was mentally unstable, The Mad King, and a mother, Queen Isabeau, who was more interested in her own concupiscent behavior then attending a sick child.
When the ambitious and handsome, King Henry V conquers France, he later strengthens the joining of the countries by making Katherine his wife and Queen. King Henry adores his sweet Katherine, but tragically their life together is short lived when Henry dies of sickness, not before giving life to an heir. This leaves Katherine alone, in a hostile and dangerous court where deceptive trust and treachery is teeming at every turn.
When Owen Tudor returns two of Katherine’s repaired harps, their eyes meet. With that fleeting moment Katherine feels lonely no longer. Feeling “re-baptized” she meets him clandestinely. They agree to meet in one week, leaving each of them feeling a mutual sensual sensitivity of unbearable anticipation.
Jarman has compiled extensive research to write this expertly detailed novel. I felt her strength was in the development of her main characters and the descriptive setting and ambiance of the period. I really felt close to Katherine and could empathize with her plight. This is a richly complex historical novel with a profusion of characters making it difficult to follow at times. A romantic historical fiction tale to get caught up in. With elaborate details and plot entanglements, Jarman, a master of her craft, will command your focus.

Wisteria Leigh

I'm So Excited!!! A Surprise Award Arrived This Morning.

While I was sleeping, a little fairy graced me with this beautiful award. What an awesome way to start the day. Thank you so much to my new friend at The Book Resort!! Check out her page it is really amazing!!

Award description:This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award.

Here is my list....Congratulations to my friends and new friends!!


Lesa's Book Critiques
Musings by a Bookish Kitty
The Burton Review
At Home with Books
Small World Reads
Kittling: Books
The Bookworm

Mailbox Monday

This sketch is of a mail wagon from 1858. I received a lot of mail this week that would be easily carried in this coach. Some of these mail coaches were designed to carry up to 600 pounds of mail.

[The Butterfield Overland Mail transferred passengers and mail to light, durable vehicles for travel over rough roads.
From Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, October 23, 1858.]
From:http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25449

1) Tone Deaf in Bangkok, by Janet Brown ...all the way from Hong Kong!
2) Sally Hemings, by Barbara Chase-Riboud
3) The Calligrapher's Daughter, by Eugenia Kim
4) The Music Room, by Namita Devidayal
5) Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure, by Matthew Algeo
6) All Other Nights, by Dara Horn
7) Morning in a Different Place, by Mary Ann McGuigan
8) A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens
9) Born Among the Dolphins by Patrick Lagraw

Sunday Salon....Just a little late!

Well, it's been a rough week with grad school work. I had to read Uncle Tom's Cabin in a week and prepare for class. I finished three books and reviews that were due. Fortunately, it is Spring Break this week and no grad class. I still teach the kids and do my other reading, but it's nice to breath a little.

Random thoughts~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) The first day of Spring brought snow instead of sunshine. Darn that groundhog!!!
2) It takes a long time to get rid of smoke in your house after a fire. It lands everywhere!!
3) Do you read the Introduction in a book? I always do now. Years ago I didn't, but I find that most of the time I do, unless they are too wordy and I'm getting nothing out of it. What are your thoughts?
4) I like to smell the inside of new books, I bet you do too.
5) Pretty bookmarks are important to me, but if I have to I'll use a piece of paper or anything that won't break the binding.
6) I like talking to other reading/writing bloggers...we're special!!
7) Muffins and coffee with flavored cream on a Saturday morning reading a good book is heaven to me.



Have a great week.

Sweeping Up Glass, by Carolyn D. Wall

SWEEPING UP GLASS, Carolyn D. Wall, Poisened Pen Press, 2008, $24.95 US/C, £15.95 UK, hb, 278pp, 978-1-59058-512-2


After reading Sweeping Up Glass, by debut author Carolyn D. Wall I could not move. This book is terrifyingly real and haunting of racial bias imagery of the past.


It is 1938, some say the coldest winter ever in Kentucky. Olivia Harker and her grandson Will’m discover that someone is killing silver faced wolves on their property. Olivia has an idea who is responsible, but doesn’t know why they are targeting them.
Olivia and Will'm live behind Harker’s Grocery, yet her ma’am Ida, lives in a tar paper shack out back. Olivia had her husband Saul settle her there many years ago unable to forgive her for the years of neglect and physical abuse while growing up. On the other hand she is very close to her pap, Tate Harker, a self made veterinarian.
One day with Olivia is driving with her father when they have a horrible accident. This becomes life altering for Olivia. After a long recovery she learns her pap is buried in an unmarked grave next to the outhouse, but she always yearns to move him someday.
During a time of shameless segregation, Olivia befriends Junk, Love Alice and other members of the black community. One night, Olivia stumbles upon a covert gathering of white men. Hidden from view, she listens to the conversations from community leaders who emote racial hatred and bigotry. The disappearance of young black men in the community has raised fear and an acute awareness of racial boundaries.
This significant historical mystery offers a twisted tale with a shocking secret, betrayal and mistrust with a bit of romance. Ms. Wall has a talent for shaping distinctively original southern characters with unique personality traits, some quirky, some hated, some loved, but all memorable. I guarantee they all will stand the test of time.

Wisteria Leigh

Big Boy Rules, by Steve Fainaru

From Internet Review of Books:

Commuting to war

BIG BOY RULES:
America’s Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq
By Steve Fainaru
288 pp. Da Capo Press $26.00

Reviewed by Wisteria Leigh

The cover of Big Boy Rules displays a bald, brawny soldier, biceps bulging, wrapped in a belt of bullets clutching his weapon while standing lookout through the sunroof of an SUV. Not exactly a picture to bring tears to anyone’s eyes. When you read Big Boy Rules, keep that vision in mind, but remember, I foretold your tears.

Steve Fainaru makes clear his position that the United States government’s use of private companies to replace and support US military is “an ugly business ... perhaps the ugliest business ...” Of the mercenaries, he says, “You didn’t have to draft them, or count them, or run them through Congress. You didn’t even have to know they were there.” Read more.....

Not just another war book-far from it! Discover what you don't know about mercenaries in the Iraq War. Steve Fainaru is a courageous reporter who investigated the War in Iraq from the inside. His Pulitzer Prize winning writing shouldn't be missed.

The Secret Keeper, by Paul Harris

The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris
Penguin Group
ISBN 978-0-525-95102-5
$24.95 ($27.CAN)336pp

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. This novel is alive, fast paced and will move refusing to let you catch a breath. A tension thriller throughout with intricate plot twists and intrigue, you will feel greedy for more. Here is my review:

The Secret Keeper


Harris doesn’t waste any time shocking you into a compelling need to continue as the opening chapter captivates your attention to read on. The Secret Keeper is a Transcontinental consummate adventure thriller traversing between London and Sierra Leone. In London, Danny Kellerman receives a cryptic letter of desperation from his ex-lover Maria. He is a journalist who four years earlier reported on the political upheaval in Sierra Leone where he met Maria. The postmark is three weeks earlier and all sense of reality disappears when he discovers that he is too late and Maria is dead, a victim of a robbery and murder while driving in the country.
He manages to convince his boss their is a story lurking behind the letter he received and he is soon on board a plane to Freetown. As his plane takes off his thoughts are on everything but his current relationship with Rachel. Kellerman finds a vastly changed Sierra Leone, peace has won over the war torn countryside, but in its place a sea of secrets, corruption, collusion, mistrust and an endless struggle for power by a host of candidates emerges. Further, Danny uncovers distressing information that indicates Maria was keeping secrets. Faced with a soul searching decision in the first chapter, Harris revisits the scene in the end where Danny is held captive. He is forced to decide whether revealing the truth, printing the truth-is worth the potential wretched ramifications of his obdurate actions.
Harris’s poetic prose style lends itself to a one night read. You will see as I did putting this book down for even a moment is quite difficult. His prolific use of carefully placed similes, paints a vibrant palette of imagery bringing the reader into the story.
A debut novel, will cause a few white knuckle moments, you won’t want to miss it. Paul Harris is a novelist to watch and anxiously await his next book.

Wisteria Leigh

Mailbox Monday

Before March comes to a close I wanted to draw attention to the celebration taking place during this month on Women's History. The photo is a stamp that commemorated the 1848 Seneca Falls Woman's Rights Convention which essentially began the women's rights social fight in the United States.

I just love stamps because they hold so much history on such a small piece of glued paper. I'm not a collector, but I do love to look at some of the history through the ages.

This week in my mailbox I received:
A series of Chris Knopf books, thanks to The Permanent Press
The Last Refuge
Two Time
Hard Stop
Head Wounds
The Obama Revolution by Alan Kennedy-Shaffer
The Dakota Cipher by William Dietrich
Fifty is Not a Four Letter Word, by Linda Kelsey
Beyond the Revolution by William H. Goetzmann
Uncle Tom's Cabin for American History Class

I hope everyone is anxiously getting ready for the spring equinox. Yippee!!!!
My bulbs are coming up and I planted over one hundred in the fall, possibly more.
Have a great week everyone.

Congratulations Winner of History of Now

Congratulations to Naida for winning the copy of The History of Now. Thank you all for entering the contest. I hope to have another giveaway in the next couple of weeks. So stay tuned. Naida, would you email your address to me? Happy Reading! Wisteria

Sunday Salon Taking a Break

Wisteria is taking a break this week, so we are taking over for her. I'm Mystery, the leader of Wisteria's pack. I have three brothers, Lion, Webster and Wizard. I'm the cute greyhound on the right next to my brother Lion in the picture above. He's a little older, and I'm the cute Alpha Princess.

You know it is hard to type with paws? It's those darn nails, they get me every time. We really hate to have our nails done, you know sometimes she gets a little too close. It's okay though because she'll give us cookies and hug us a lot to make us feel better. It gets her every time. WOL (Woofing out loud).



Anyway, we thought we would take this time to show you how we spend our retirement now that we don't race each other at the track. It is so much better than those wire kennels we used to stay in 24/7. Couches are so comfy when you have more bone than fat. I guess that's why Wisteria is always calling us her 45mph couch potatoes. It doesn't get much better than this.




It's hard keeping Wisteria off this laptop. We did manage to needle nose her out the front door to do some gardening today. After a while we started whining though....it was time for dinner. She said to say hi, and she'll be back in a few days. I hope you like our pictures.



PS....Don't forget to leave a comment for the "History of Now" book giveaway.

Teaser Tuesday

Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.




He nodded, his black, brilliantined hair flashing in the light, and walked away.
Kate waited until he was out of hearing,. "You see," she said, "I'm all yours."(Paul Griner, pg122)

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