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.
Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT topic is a Genre Freebie with a little something extra. Basically authors are choosing a genre which incorporates a specific element. I am going with Southern Fiction that has a coastal location. So if you love a southern novel and want a book with a beach-y vibe, I have you covered. I hope you find one to love!
Happy Tuesday! This week’s TTT topic is Cozy/Atmospheric reads. When I see those two descriptors I think of very different types of books. Cozy makes me think of small communities, quirky characters, and a feel-good plot, regardless of genre. Atmospheric reads, to me, are ones in which the setting plays a big part of the plot, often setting the stage for spooky goings-on. I am going to focus on cozy books this week, and for next week’s Halloween Freebie, atmospheric novels.
Valerie Fraser Luesse is a favorite of my book club. Her latest multi-generational women’s fiction, The Light on HornIsland, is so good! We all loved it. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend you do!
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.
Valerie Fraser Luesse is the author of novels set in the South. An award-winning magazine writer, Luesse is perhaps best known for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she wrote major pieces on the Mississippi Delta, Acadian Louisiana, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her editorial section on the recovering Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, photographed by Mark Sandlin, won the 2009 Travel Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society. Luesse earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Auburn University and Baylor University, respectively. Find her online at valeriefraserluesse.com; facebook.com/valeriefraserluessebooks; bakerpublishinggroup.com; bookbub.com/authors/valerie-fraser-luesse; and goodreads.com.
My Impressions:
Valerie Fraser Luesse does it again! Her latest novel, The Light on Horn Island, combines history, mystery, and multi-generational relationships to create a thought-provoking story with characters that will win your heart. Set amidst the backdrop of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the story centers on Edie Gardner, a young woman who has faced a profound loss that sends her back to the comfort of her grandmother’s house and her beloved Horn Island. Luesse captures the region perfectly with the sights and the flavors described. I am very familiar with the area (my husband is a south Mississippi boy) and I felt I was cruising the highway and visiting all the picturesque towns that make up the region. Mystery abounds, including a very mysterious shop owner, as Edie and the other women navigate loss, regret, guilt, and hope for the future. My husband was a child when Hurricane Camille hit Biloxi, and he has shared memories of the devastation. Luesse does a great job of sharing the personal stories of victims and survivors alike. My favorite part of the novel is the relationships the author creates between the women. Long time friendships are heralded and new paths forward are forged — it’s an homage to women of all generations building each other up and having each other’s backs.
I highly recommend The Light on Horn Island. This book can be savored anywhere and at all times, although it would be perfect read on a porch with an ice cold drink and a view of the water. 😉
Highly Recommended.
Great for Book Clubs.
Audience: Adults.
(I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Today’s TTT topic is beach reads. A beach read can mean different things — a romance with a tropical setting, an escape book, or an engaging whodunit. My list includes books all that plus they literally have beach settings! 😉 You’ll find a variety of genres — there’s something for everyone.
Happy Friday! If you are looking for a beach-y read, look no further than The Light on Horn Island by Valerie Fraser Luesse. Set in the early 2000s on the Mississippi coast, it also highlights devastating Hurricane Camille that hit that state in 1969. It is pure southern and pays homage to all that is great about the Mississippi gulf coast. I loved the multigenerational cast of characters and the magical element that Luesse introduces. Or is it supernatural? You decide!
Here’s the first line:
Good pimento cheese is a reason to live.
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.
Valerie Fraser Luesse is the author of novels set in the South. An award-winning magazine writer, Luesse is perhaps best known for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she wrote major pieces on the Mississippi Delta, Acadian Louisiana, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her editorial section on the recovering Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, photographed by Mark Sandlin, won the 2009 Travel Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society. Luesse earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Auburn University and Baylor University, respectively. Find her online at valeriefraserluesse.com; facebook.com/valeriefraserluessebooks; bakerpublishinggroup.com; bookbub.com/authors/valerie-fraser-luesse; and goodreads.com.
This month’s book club pick is from one of my group’s favorite authors — The Light on Horn Island by Valerie Fraser Luesse. This one looks like a perfect summer read. Find out all about it below.
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.
Valerie Fraser Luesse is the author of novels set in the South. An award-winning magazine writer, Luesse is perhaps best known for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she wrote major pieces on the Mississippi Delta, Acadian Louisiana, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her editorial section on the recovering Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, photographed by Mark Sandlin, won the 2009 Travel Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society. Luesse earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Auburn University and Baylor University, respectively. Find her online at valeriefraserluesse.com; facebook.com/valeriefraserluessebooks; bakerpublishinggroup.com; bookbub.com/authors/valerie-fraser-luesse; and goodreads.com
Happy Tuesday! Is it hot where you are? It is here in the sunny South, so that means it is officially Summer! of course, it is often hot here in the Spring and Autumn as well, but Summer is a special kind of hot. Some refer to it as Satan’s front porch. 😉 And let’s not even talk about the humidity! But the AC and ceiling fans that are obligatory here keep our reading environment cool and dry, so don’t feel too bad for us. Today bloggers are listing their Summer TBRs. I have a few projects that are keeping my pleasure reading at a minimum, but I do have a few books that will be well deserved breaks. I’ve only listed a few, but they are highly anticipated.
Happy Tuesday! Spring has definitely sprung around my house. The azaleas are in full bloom now and the dogwoods are showing off. Our blueberry bushes are full of blossoms and seem to have escaped any late frosts! Yay! Along with the beauty outside my windows, I’ve got some book beauties on the shelf. Today’s TTT topic is Spring-yBook Covers. The covers are lightening my mood and adding some really pretty granny squares to my 2025 book blanket project. Find new releases and oldies — I have a bountiful mix on my shelves — below.
Happy New Year! With a new year comes new books. Yay! Actually new books release all the time, but it’s still good to celebrate whenever they arrive. This week’s TTT is most anticipated books of the first half of 2025. It really was hard to whittle the list down, so I just went with the first 1/3 of the year instead of half. 😉
Do you have any books that you are REALLY looking forward to?
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