Tag Archives: Beth Pattillo

Top 10 Tuesday — Unique Book Titles

24 Oct

Besides the cover art, the title of a book is one of the most important means for getting a reader to pick it up. Sometimes the title is inspired by a quote within the book, other times it is a play on words featuring the subject. Whatever, the source, I admire the authors/editors/publishers’ creativity in coming up with the title. This week the folks at The Broke And The Bookish are challenging bloggers to share Unique Book Titles. Where do I start! This truly is a tough topic. I decided to go with book titles inspired by Art/Music/Literature. Some I have read; others are languishing on my shelves. All are worthy of a look!

 

Top Unique Book Titles from Art, Music, and Literature

 

Art

A Fool And His Monet by Sandra Orchard

Another Day, Another Dali by Sandra Orchard

Over Maya Dead Body by Sandra Orchard

Music

Cold As Ice by M. K. Gilroy

Cuts Like A Knife by M. K. Gilroy

Every Breath You Take by M. K. Gilroy

How Sweet The Sound by Amy Sorrells

It Had To Be You by Susan May Warren

Murder Mezzo Forte by Donn Taylor

Rhapsody in Red by Donn Taylor

You’re The One That I Want by Susan May Warren

 

Literature

Annabel Lee by Mike Nappa

The Dashwood Sisters Tell All by Beth Patillo

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo

Lizzie And Jane by Katherine Reay

The Raven by Mike Nappa

 

What Are Some Unique Book Titles You Love?

Summer Giveaway Hop

31 Jul

Here in my home county, school starts today (August 1st)!  So it is the end of summer for both students and teachers.  It’s awfully early isn’t it?  So to counteract those end of summer blues, I am participating in the Summer Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Bookhounds.  There are hundreds of blogs hosting giveaways, so take some time and find those goodies!  You can find the official Summer Giveaway Hop site by clicking HERE.  

For my giveaway, I am offering 3 end of the summer books.  So 3 books — 3 winners.  I will draw the winners using a random number generator and will assign the books randomly as well!  So if you win, you’ll have a small surprise!

Shadows on The Sand by Gayle Roper — 

Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals … although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.

When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, leaving only cryptic clues in her Sudoku book, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But when Carrie’s own painful past becomes all too present, her carefully constructed world begins to sink.

Will the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry?

Watercolor Summer by Nan Corbitt Allen — 

Just thirteen, Kathleen feels isolated and alienated by her family. A victim of her parents’ lack of connection to each other and to her, she is dragged by her mother to another artist colony for the summer. There she meets the annoying Malcolm, a sixteen-year-old, mentally-challenged boy living with his caregiver Jeanette. Malcolm tries to befriend Kat, but his very presence annoys her to her core. Kat overhears Jeanette recounting the circumstances surrounding Malcolm’s arrival and abandonment at the colony, and Kat lets the coolness inside her melt just a little. As her heart figuratively begins to melt, Malcolm’s real congenital heart problems become a concern and finally lead to tragedy.

In Watercolor Summer, Nan Allen tells the story of the difficult summer when Kathleen learned how Malcolm and his colorful guardian were the examples of true and selfless love. She paints a story on the canvas of Kathleen’s life which was transformed by the Master Artist-a life once stained by pain and trial, that became a thing of beauty.

A beach-loving child of the 60’s, Nan Corbitt Allen has written Watercolor Summer for people of all ages, but especially those who were children, teenagers, or young adults during that great decade. The reader will almost be able to smell the salt air, feel sand between his toes, and hear the sounds of Sly and the Family Stone playing in the background as the flashback story unfolds.

The Dashwood Sisters Tell All by Beth Pattillo — 

Ellen and Mimi Dodge have never been close, but their mother’s dying wish sends them on a walking tour of Hampshire, England, that follows in the footsteps of Jane Austen. Their mother also left them something else: a diary that belonged to Jane’s sister Cassandra. These pages shed light on the secrets that nearly tore the Austen sisters apart and inspired one of the greatest love stories of all time. They also bring Jane to life in a way that no one has ever seen before: through the eyes of her sister. As the Dodge sisters embark on their walking tour, they too are drawn together in ways they never expected. They also discover that Cassandra’s diary holds secrets, and someone doesn’t want Ellen and Mimi to discover the truth. As they stumble on their way toward love, the women learn how Jane and Cassandra Austen inspired the original Marianne and Elinor Dashwood and come to realize that despite their very different personalities, they are a vital part of each other’s happy endings.

To enter my giveaway, just leave a comment on this post.  The comment must include your email address. 

The contest is now closed.  Winners will be announced shortly.

!

Book Review: The Dashwood Sisters Tell All

26 Jul
Ellen and Mimi Dodge have never been close, but their mother’s dying wish sends them on a walking tour of Hampshire, England, that follows in the footsteps of Jane Austen. Their mother also left them something else: a diary that belonged to Jane’s sister Cassandra. These pages shed light on the secrets that nearly tore the Austen sisters apart and inspired one of the greatest love stories of all time. They also bring Jane to life in a way that no one has ever seen before: through the eyes of her sister. As the Dodge sisters embark on their walking tour, they too are drawn together in ways they never expected. They also discover that Cassandra’s diary holds secrets, and someone doesn’t want Ellen and Mimi to discover the truth. As they stumble on their way toward love, the women learn how Jane and Cassandra Austen inspired the original Marianne and Elinor Dashwood and come to realize that despite their very different personalities, they are a vital part of each other’s happy endings.

About The Author:

Beth Patillo — I am a born and bred Texan, but I haven’t lived in Texas since my college days at Trinity University in San Antonio. Oh, San Antonio, how I love your delicious Mexican food and rich culture.

Where was I? Oh, yes. After college, I moved to Nashville where I earned a Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University and met my wonderful husband. Our careers took us to Jackson, Tennessee, and then to Kansas City, Missouri, where my son was born. I started my first novel while in KC but didn’t sell a book until after we moved back to Nashville and had a second child, my darling daughter.

Now, I wear a lot of hats — mom, wife, writer, daughter, friend — just like so many other women. I’m lucky that I love being all of these things. The challenge is keeping up with all the demands!

I’ve had the opportunity to write historical romance, chick lit, mystery, and women’s fiction. All my books do have two things in common — heroines and humor! I love a strong female character and lots of laughter.

My Impressions:

The Dashwood Sisters Tell All is the third book from Beth Pattillo billed as a modern day novel of Jane Austen.  All three books are stand alones, although The Formidables, a secret society charged with protecting Jane Austen’s privacy make an appearance in all three books.  This novel draws from  Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, both for the two main characters Mimi and Ellen and for the plot involving Cassandra Austen’s lost diary.

Mimi and Ellen Dodge find themselves on a walking tour of Austen’s Hampshire following the death of their mother.  Charged with finding a resting place for their mother’s ashes, the two sisters are drawn into old roles from childhood.  Mimi is the romantic flirt and Ellen is the sensible one.  Their mother has also given them an Austen heirloom to dispose of as well — Cassandra Austen’s diary.

Loosely following the plot of Sense and Sensibility, The Dashwood Sisters Tell All is more about finding yourself than finding Mr. Right.  There is a good bit of mystery surrounding the diary, which at one point is stolen.  This book is a satisfying read for Austen enthusiasts and a good chick lit book for those not familiar with Austen’s novels.

Recommended.

(I received an ARC of The Dashwood Sisters Tell All from the Christian Review of Books in return for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.)