Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT challenge is May Flowers. Since I’ve read only one book featuring Pilgrims 😉 , I decided to list books with titles that included things you could find in a southern garden, including things that have to be beaten back! I hope you find a book to catch your interest.
Happy Friday! Today I am pleased to feature Della’s Song by Donna Jo Stone, part of the Apron Strings Tea Tales series. A standalone, this 1930s-era novel gets its inspiration from the fairytale The Six Swans. How fun is that! I’ll be reviewing Della’s Song in a few weeks, but in the meantime, here’s the first line:
Traces of green and yellow bruises marred her father’s face, and black railroad stitches tracked along his hairline, curving down toward his left ear.
A tragic loss, a silenced song, and a scattered family … one North Louisiana tea room offers an unlikely reunion.
In the wake of a devastating train accident, Della Swan’s world is shattered. Her father and brother are forever changed, and the Swan Family Gospel Singers have no choice but to depend on the charity of formidable Aunt Leticia, proprietor of the Hotel Fairwood.
Of Della’s six brothers, only two remain with her at the hotel: Quiet Max, the youngest, and Frank, the pianist who lost his arm—and his heart for music. The rest are sent away to school or work. Aunt Leticia believes the children must learn to make their way in the world, effectively banishing them.
During Father’s recovery, the repercussions of his head injury make one thing clear. Life as the Swans knew it, traveling the south and sharing music, may never return. Yet Della clings to the belief that God isn’t finished with her family or their calling and sets a plan in motion to bring them together again.
When she develops an unexpected bond with Clayton Miller, the hotel’s reserved, long-time employee, his steady presence reminds her there is often more to people—and situations—than meets the eye.
The Swan Family Gospel Singers are separated by tragedy, Della’s brothers scattered to the wind. With needle and thread, faith, and a song, she finds a way to stitch them together again.
A touch of fairy tale, a spoonful of history, and a teacup of hope.
Della’s Song is a stand-alone novel in the Apron Strings Tea Tales multi-author series, and a 1930s historical with romance retelling of “The Six Swans.”
Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning author of historical, contemporary, and young adult fiction.
Life is messy and beautiful. In everyone’s story, there is truth and hope. Donna Jo’s novels are about common struggles and finding the faith to carry on through those battles.
When she’s not writing, she loves to read and talk about books, poke around in old bookshops and museums, and spend time with her family.
Spring has been around for weeks in my area of the country, but it has been erratic! We’ve had record high temps, severe weather threats, and even a bit of snow! So crazy! But the flowers are blooming, the trees are budding, and my husband is mowing the grass! LOL! Today’s TTT topic is Spring TBR Lists. I am embarking on a novel approach to my reading life — choosing to read what I want, when I want. Even the few review titles are those I really, really want to read. It’s been a while, folks! I am having a blast! I had to really think about today’s post because past seasonal TBRs have been filled with required reading (books for review.) Today’s list features book club picks and mood reads, which are hard to plan for. But I think I have a great list planned. Let me know what you are reading this season.
Happy Tuesday! Today we are talking about bookish discoveries (new authors, new genres, new bookstores, etc.). My lists consists of new-to-me-authors and the first book (but not the last) I read in 2025. I had a great reading year, and these authors added greatly to the fun. I hope you discover a new author too!
When The Wildflowers Bloom Again by Donna Jo Stone is an award winner! Honored with a Carol Award (ACFW) for outstanding Contemporary Fiction, this novel explores trauma and the resulting grace and mercy of a loving God. I highly recommend it, but have lots of tissues available!
Babies are a gift of God, a fact Marigold Parker knows full well.
Fourteen-year-old Marigold (Mary) Parker spends the summer of ’78 with her cousin and best friend, Sharon, biking the roads of their rural neighborhood in Pleasant Waters, North Louisiana. The girls while away the days at the local pond, listening to the BeeGees and talking about boys. Caring for her emotionally fragile mother is Mary’s only worry, until Sharon’s older half-brother finds Mary alone at the pond one day.
She can’t speak of what happened in the woods. The truth will destroy her family and cost her the relationships she holds most precious.
But secrets have a way of making themselves known, and when Mary finds herself pregnant, she’s forced to grapple with hard decisions. Babies are a gift from God. Mary knows this full well, but she doesn’t know how to deal with a pregnancy, or who to turn to for help.
Trials seem to multiply as Mary struggles to keep faith in the God her parents have taught her to trust.
Richly detailed and evocative, When the Wildflowers Bloom Again captures the emotions and the heart, vividly detailing the struggle of facing impossible choices, the true test of family ties, and of the hope found in new beginnings. Infused with both sorrow and faith, Marigold Parker’s tale is a story you won’t soon forget.
Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning author of historical, contemporary, and young adult fiction.
Life is messy and beautiful. In everyone’s story, there is truth and hope. Donna Jo’s novels are about common struggles and finding the faith to carry on through those battles.
When she’s not writing, she loves to read and talk about books, poke around in old bookshops and museums, and spend time with her family.
My Impressions:
It’s been a while since a book has moved me to tears. And that is saying something because I am not a reader of exclusively fun or happy books. I like real life stories filled with real emotions and experiences. But Donna Jo Stone did just that in her coming-of-age novel When The Wildflowers Bloom Again. The book, set in a small Louisiana community in the 1970s, is told in the first person voice of Mary Parker. At fourteen years old, Mary is filled with excitement for the future, with a bit of curious rebellion built in. Her family would say she’s a handful, but really she is a a typical young teenager. That is until her life is shattered by an unspeakable trauma and a life-altering grief. The era portrayed is spot-on. I know, because I grew up during the same time period. And the circumstances Mary faces are also true to life. Mary is left desolate and alone — fearful to reveal her trauma to her grieving and fragile mother. But God’s grace shows through in her Aunt Sister, her mother, and others who choose to stand with Mary. Church and family are portrayed realistically as well. Some are judgmental, while others exhibit the love of Christ. I think that’s pretty accurate. No community or congregation is perfect, only Jesus is. While the book is pretty hard to read — I put it down numerous times to settle my emotions — it is at the end hope-filled.
When The Wildflowers Bloom Again won the 2025 Carol Award (ACFW) for outstanding contemporary fiction. It is well-deserved. Grab some friends to read this one together. You are going to want to talk about it.
Highly recommended.
Audience: older teens and adults.
Great for book clubs.
(I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Happy Friday! I am happy to share the first line of a 2025 Carol Award Finalist — When The Wildflowers Bloom Again by Donna Jo Stone. As one endorsement says: this coming of age story contains a heartbreaking topic that Stone handles with grace and love (Danielle Grandinetti). I’m looking forward to reading this book. Look for my review in the coming months.
But for now, here’s the first line:
Sometimes I wished my momma understood me more, but sometimes I was glad she didn’t.
Babies are a gift of God, a fact Marigold Parker knows full well.
Fourteen-year-old Marigold (Mary) Parker spends the summer of ’78 with her cousin and best friend, Sharon, biking the roads of their rural neighborhood in Pleasant Waters, North Louisiana. The girls while away the days at the local pond, listening to the BeeGees and talking about boys. Caring for her emotionally fragile mother is Mary’s only worry, until Sharon’s older half-brother finds Mary alone at the pond one day.
She can’t speak of what happened in the woods. The truth will destroy her family and cost her the relationships she holds most precious.
But secrets have a way of making themselves known, and when Mary finds herself pregnant, she’s forced to grapple with hard decisions. Babies are a gift from God. Mary knows this full well, but she doesn’t know how to deal with a pregnancy, or who to turn to for help.
Trials seem to multiply as Mary struggles to keep faith in the God her parents have taught her to trust.
Richly detailed and evocative, When the Wildflowers Bloom Again captures the emotions and the heart, vividly detailing the struggle of facing impossible choices, the true test of family ties, and of the hope found in new beginnings. Infused with both sorrow and faith, Marigold Parker’s tale is a story you won’t soon forget.
Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning author of historical, contemporary, and young adult fiction.
Life is messy and beautiful. In everyone’s story, there is truth and hope. Donna Jo’s novels are about common struggles and finding the faith to carry on through those battles.
When she’s not writing, she loves to read and talk about books, poke around in old bookshops and museums, and spend time with her family.
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