Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT topic is authors I wish were still writing. This could include those who have sadly passed away, those who for a variety of reasons are not writing, those who write in different genres now, or (I added this one) those who are writing, but haven’t published anything new in a while. This is a bittersweet post. My list does include two cozy mystery writers who have passed away. And I don’t know if or when any of the others will release in my preferred genre in the future. But . . . that’s what re-reading is for! I hope you find a book to love. And, if you have different info than me, please let me know!
Happy Tuesday! Today is a Freebie day on TTT — anything our heart desires! Today I am featuring book titles containing times of day, some of which are more poetic than actual positions on a clock. I hope you find one you want to read no matter what time it is!
Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT is April Showers — interpreted as bloggers please. I have done this topic a few times, so I am going to be all over the place today! I hope you find a book from my list to pique your interest! There are a lot of genres to choose from.
I absolutely loved The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox. I think it’s my favorite of all her books, and that’s saying a lot! If you haven’t read it, put it on the top of your TBR. If you have read it and liked it as much as I did, or you enjoy character-driven novels and/or books with a strong sense of place, check out a few more book recommendations.
The Light on Horn Island by Valerie Fraser Luesse
Just when her life comes crumbling down, she discovers secrets that could shape her future–and heal her past.
When Edie Gardner’s life in New York falls apart, her grandmother Adele “Punk” Cheramie coaxes her back to tiny Bayou du Chêne, Mississippi. Edie spent many happy summers there, a stone’s throw from untamed Horn Island, where she once found love. Can she now demystify the island’s strange new light?
Punk and her colorful friends introduce Edie to the Trove, a fascinating gallery and antique shop. Like Horn Island’s light, The Trove has appeared out of nowhere. Its proprietor, with a gift for discerning his customers’ needs, gives Edie a Victorian parlor game that asks players a series of personal questions, which is harmless fun at first. But Edie and her grandmother’s circle find that the game has a way of uncovering secrets, including a heartbreak that has haunted one of the women for decades. Banding together, this Southern sisterhood is determined to find answers that will bring healing, hope, and happiness–and maybe explain the transcendent illumination of a wild and windswept barrier island.
A Place to Land by Lauren K. Denton
Violet Figg and her sister Trudy have lived a quiet life in Sugar Bend, Alabama, since a night forty years ago that stole Trudy’s voice and cemented Violet’s role as her sister’s fierce and loyal protector. Now Trudy spends her days making sculptures from found objects and speaking through notes written on scraps of paper, while Violet runs their art shop, monitors bird activity up and down the water, and tries not to think of the one great love she gave up to keep her sister safe.
Eighteen-year-old Maya knows where everyone else belongs, but she’s been searching for her own place since her grandmother died seven years ago. Moving in and out of strangers’ houses has left her exhausted. After seeing a flyer on a gas station window for a place called Sugar Bend, Maya chooses to follow the strange pull she feels and finds herself on the doorstep of an art shop called Two Sisters.
When a boat rises to the surface of Little River in the middle of the night, the present and no-longer-buried past collide, and the future becomes uncertain for Maya, Violet, and Trudy. As history creeps continuously closer to the present and old secrets come to light, the sisters must decide to face the truth of what happened that night forty years ago, or risk losing each other and those they’ve come to love.
The Stories We Carry by Robin W. Pearson
A small-town bookstore owner finds herself at odds with a newcomer bent on disrupting her quiet life in this Southern women’s fiction novel by award-winning author Robin W. Pearson.
Glory Pryor has carved out a life for herself in Gilmore, North Carolina, cultivating a community around her bookstore, By the Book. While her business is a success, she carries the weight of stories of her own she’s never told anyone. She holds out hope that one day her estranged brother will turn up on her doorstep so she can finally learn where he’s been all these years. Glory’s husband Eli thinks she has her arms wrapped too tightly around the could-have-beens, and that it’s time for them to let go of the store as they head into their retirement years. Glory has different opinions on that—she’s not ready to give up the dream she’s built just yet. Then Adelle Simonette shows up with her young son, Bennett, and Glory’s carefully controlled life begins to crumble.
Newly widowed Adelle Simonette is a single mother trying to find her footing and navigate parenting her young son. Lost in her grief, one thing she’s certain of is that she needs to confront Glory Pryor and everybody who knows her because the woman’s been living a lie. Adelle thinks it’s high time Glory made things right. But Adelle’s finding it hard to tell the truth . . . and there will be no going back once she does.
In the wake of deeply personal grief and loss, two women reckon with a lifetime of silence and secrets to find a path forward toward healing, hope, and restoration.
Happy Tuesday! TTT‘s topic today is bookish quotes. I regularly participate in First Line Friday hosted by Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower. What a great way to introduce new books to readers! So today, I am including some of the best first lines from the past few months. I hope you find a book to pique your interest.
I deeply regret to confirm that your son Lance Corporal Mark James Taylor died in Vietnam 1 November 1968.
All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee
Viola Chambers had always wondered at what point in the dying process a person understood they weren’t long for this world, and now she’d give anything to unlearn it.
The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox
“The sea never gives back what it claims . . .”
Deadly Currents by Elizabeth Goddard
A shrill sound pierced the night, sweeping through the house like the unearthly wail of a banshee.
Dragonfly Ashes by C. C. Warrens
Lizbeth Bennet clutched the handle of the wicker basket with hope.
The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt
No one knew that Carol Langstrom hated Christmas.
Once Upon a Christmas Carol by Melody Carlson
Natasha shifted uncomfortably on the rock floor of the icy cave, shoving her gloved hands under her armpits to keep warm.
Queen of Hearts by Heather Day Gilbert
Death had always been fashionable.
Specters in The Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright
Pandemonium has broken out in the streets of New York City.
Under The Tulip Tree by Michelle Shocklee
When I was eight, I watched my mother disappear in fading pixels.
I have loved every book I have read by Amanda Cox, so it’s hard to choose a favorite. But I believe that my most recent read, TheBitter End Birding Society, is now my favorite. I loved everything about it! It’s my book club’s February selection — can’t wait to discuss it.
Hometown hero Ana Leigh Watkins ventures to Bitter End, Tennessee, to help her great-aunt get her house ready to sell. Bitter End seems an ironic place for Ana to refresh her weary spirit, but she’s desperate for respite from her community’s attention and unwarranted admiration. While on a hike in Roan Mountain, a ragtag group of amateur bird watchers take her under their wing—a little against her will. However, she quickly warms to these genuine souls seeking solace in the great outdoors.
But when Ana’s adventures in Bitter End lead her to a severed branch of her family tree—one that involves the forbidden love between a moonshiner’s daughter and a preacher’s son—what began as a quest to study Appalachian birds becomes a transformative journey that binds together two women who, though they live on the same street, have been estranged for sixty years.
Immerse yourself in the lyrical prose and layered plotting of award-winning novelist Amanda Cox as she offers up an engaging story of finding belonging, reconciliation, and new beginnings in the most unexpected places.
Before becoming a stay-at-home parent, Amanda Cox spent her time counseling children, families, and individuals through life’s challenging moments. Now she uses those same skills to develop layered characters and stories, bringing them on a journey of hope and healing. A journey she hopes her readers experience in their own lives as they read.
A few of her favorite things are the sanctuary of the great outdoors, the feeling of pen on paper, the sound of her children’s laughter, and exploring new places with her husband of 18 years. (Oh, let’s not forget good fiction and good coffee. She’s addicted to both.) You can stay connected with her latest writing updates at http://www.amandacoxwrites.com. You can find her on social media by searching Amanda Cox Writes.
My Impressions:
My book club loves a story with well-developed characters whose struggles are true-to-life. Amanda Cox is one of our favorite authors because she consistently introduces us to relatable characters that we grow attached to. You know the ones — characters that become friends. TheBitter End Birding Society has several that captured my heart. The novel takes place in the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee. The story is told from a present day perspective that has been influenced by the 66 year old tragedy told through flashbacks. Ana has come to Bitter End to escape her present life as much as to discover her family history. There are others in Bitter End who want to escape the pain of their past as well. But ignoring the past does not make it go away. The characters in the book struggle with identity, guilt, and a sense of helplessness that their past experiences engendered. As they join together to form the loosely organized birding society, they find the answers they search for and the peace that comes from reconciling the hard things of life with the hope for a different future. I liked that not everything is tied up with a neat bow — life is still uncertain, yet it is secure. The author draws more than a few analogies from nature, especially the various birds the group encounters. I love that there is emphasis on the care and provision of God in all aspects of life. The spiritual thread is very strong, but naturally woven throughout the narrative. This book is never preachy.
The Bitter End Birding Society is a book that stayed with me long after the last page was read. It was a quiet yet powerful story that I won’t soon forget. I can’t wait to talk about it with my book club.
Highly Recommended.
Great for Book Clubs.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT topic is books for the armchair traveler. Isn’t it great that a book can transport you to another place and time? I love it when a book makes me feel I am really there. I also love to add places to my travel bucket list after reading a book. I have had great experiences visiting places I first traveled to while reading — Alaska, the Shetland Islands in Scotland, Yellowstone, Zion National Park. Today I am listing a few books that make me want to get up out of my armchair and really experience in person their settings. Will I be able to go everywhere on my list? Probably not, but these books really make me want to! (I have 3 books set in Washington State — looks like I should really plan a visit.)
Happy Friday! Today I am featuring my book club’s February selection, The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox. We are big fans of Amanda’s stories and are excited to discuss this book. Have you read it yet? We would love to know your thoughts.
Here’s the first line:
Viola Chambers had always wondered at what point in the dying process a person understood they weren’t long for this world, and now she’d give anything to unlearn it.
Hometown hero Ana Leigh Watkins ventures to Bitter End, Tennessee, to help her great-aunt get her house ready to sell. Bitter End seems an ironic place for Ana to refresh her weary spirit, but she’s desperate for respite from her community’s attention and unwarranted admiration. While on a hike in Roan Mountain, a ragtag group of amateur bird watchers take her under their wing—a little against her will. However, she quickly warms to these genuine souls seeking solace in the great outdoors.
But when Ana’s adventures in Bitter End lead her to a severed branch of her family tree—one that involves the forbidden love between a moonshiner’s daughter and a preacher’s son—what began as a quest to study Appalachian birds becomes a transformative journey that binds together two women who, though they live on the same street, have been estranged for sixty years.
Immerse yourself in the lyrical prose and layered plotting of award-winning novelist Amanda Cox as she offers up an engaging story of finding belonging, reconciliation, and new beginnings in the most unexpected places.
Before becoming a stay-at-home parent, Amanda Cox spent her time counseling children, families, and individuals through life’s challenging moments. Now she uses those same skills to develop layered characters and stories, bringing them on a journey of hope and healing. A journey she hopes her readers experience in their own lives as they read.
A few of her favorite things are the sanctuary of the great outdoors, the feeling of pen on paper, the sound of her children’s laughter, and exploring new places with her husband of 18 years. (Oh, let’s not forget good fiction and good coffee. She’s addicted to both.) You can stay connected with her latest writing updates athttp://www.amandacoxwrites.com. You can find her on social media by searching Amanda Cox Writes.
Is it really February already?! Life has really gotten away from me this year. I am hoping (as always) things settle down after this month. February 22 is my goal for a return to a normal routine. Probably not going to happen 😉 , but a girl can dream. Why February 22 you ask? That’s because the Read, White, And Blue Book Festival held in my hometown is scheduled for February 21. If you are anywhere near middle Georgia, you need to make plans to attend. Here’s the link to the website — perrypageturners.com. A whole lot of your favorite CF authors will be there,, including lunch speaker Becky Wade! Check it out!
Now for this month’s book club pick, The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox. Amanda will be back in Perry too! Another reason to attend the festival.
Hometown hero Ana Leigh Watkins ventures to Bitter End, Tennessee, to help her great-aunt get her house ready to sell. Bitter End seems an ironic place for Ana to refresh her weary spirit, but she’s desperate for respite from her community’s attention and unwarranted admiration. While on a hike in Roan Mountain, a ragtag group of amateur bird watchers take her under their wing—a little against her will. However, she quickly warms to these genuine souls seeking solace in the great outdoors.
But when Ana’s adventures in Bitter End lead her to a severed branch of her family tree—one that involves the forbidden love between a moonshiner’s daughter and a preacher’s son—what began as a quest to study Appalachian birds becomes a transformative journey that binds together two women who, though they live on the same street, have been estranged for sixty years.
Immerse yourself in the lyrical prose and layered plotting of award-winning novelist Amanda Cox as she offers up an engaging story of finding belonging, reconciliation, and new beginnings in the most unexpected places.
Before becoming a stay-at-home parent, Amanda Cox spent her time counseling children, families, and individuals through life’s challenging moments. Now she uses those same skills to develop layered characters and stories, bringing them on a journey of hope and healing. A journey she hopes her readers experience in their own lives as they read.
A few of her favorite things are the sanctuary of the great outdoors, the feeling of pen on paper, the sound of her children’s laughter, and exploring new places with her husband of 18 years. (Oh, let’s not forget good fiction and good coffee. She’s addicted to both.) You can stay connected with her latest writing updates at http://www.amandacoxwrites.com. You can find her on social media by searching Amanda Cox Writes
My book club absolutely loved AllWe Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee. Although it wasn’t what I would call an easy read it was full of heart and emotion. It also brought to light new details of 2 eras we thought we knew. This Christy Award Book of The Year is a definite must-read. If you liked it too, here are a few more books to read. Enjoy!
All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner (available on Kindle Unlimited)
When Annie Jacobson’s brother Mike enlists as a medic in the Army in 1967, he hands her a piece of paper with the address of their long-estranged father. If anything should happen to him in Vietnam, Mike says, Annie must let their father know.
In Mike’s absence, their father returns to face tragedy at home, adding an extra measure of complication to an already tense time. As they work toward healing and pray fervently for Mike’s safety overseas, letter by letter the Jacobsons must find a way to pull together as a family, regardless of past hurts. In the tumult of this time, Annie and her family grapple with the tension of holding both hope and grief in the same hand, even as they learn to turn to the One who binds the wounds of the brokenhearted.
Author Susie Finkbeiner invites you into the Jacobson family’s home and hearts during a time in which the chaos of the outside world touched their small community in ways they never imagined.
The Last Year of The War by Susan Meissner
In 1943, Elise Sontag is a typical American teenager from Iowa—aware of the war but distanced from its reach. Then her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly two decades, is suddenly arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. The family is sent to an internment camp in Texas, where, behind the armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels stripped of everything beloved and familiar, including her own identity.
The only thing that makes the camp bearable is meeting fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles, whose friendship empowers Elise to believe the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Together in the desert wilderness, Elise and Mariko hold tight the dream of being young American women with a future beyond the fences.
But when the Sontag family is exchanged for American prisoners behind enemy lines in Germany, Elise will face head-on the person the war desires to make of her. In that devastating crucible she must discover if she has the will to rise above prejudice and hatred and re-claim her own destiny, or disappear into the image others have cast upon her.
The Last Year of the War tells a little-known story of World War II with great resonance for our own times and challenges the very notion of who we are when who we’ve always been is called into question.
The One True Love of Alice-Ann by Eva Marie Everson
Living in rural Georgia in 1941, sixteen-year-old Alice-Ann has her heart set on her brother’s friend Mack; despite their five-year age gap, Alice-Ann knows she can make Mack see her for the woman she’ll become. But when they receive news of the attack on Pearl Harbor and Mack decides to enlist, Alice-Ann realizes she must declare her love before he leaves.
Though promising to write, Mack leaves without confirmation that her love is returned. But Alice-Ann is determined to wear the wedding dress her maiden aunt never had a chance to wear—having lost her fiancé in the Great War. As their correspondence continues over the next three years, Mack and Alice-Ann are drawn closer together. But then Mack’s letters cease altogether, leaving Alice-Ann to fear history repeating itself.
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