I would say that Bound South is a group of connected short stories. There’s not really one plot that connects the chapters. Instead, I would say that the author uses these stories, told from the points of view of three different Southern ladies, to explore issues they each face and how hard it can be Continue Reading…
Fireworks over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff: Book Review
Lily Davis was only 17 when she married a boy she had known for a short time. He was shipping out to WWII soon as a supply man for Coca-Cola and it seemed like the thing to do before he went away. Three years later, her hometown of Toccoa, Georgia has scheduled a big homecoming Continue Reading…
Dear Jane Austen by Patrice Hannon: Book Review
Imagine, if you will, that Jane Austen can somehow receive letters from her modern-day readers, asking for her sage advice in love and marriage. That’s the premise for this charming little book. Part “autobiography”, part self-help book, and part critical analysis, Dear Jane Austen is full of practical advice for all women, no matter what Continue Reading…
Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund: Book Review
Synopsis from the book cover: From the opening line–“Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last”–you will know that you are in the hands of a master storyteller and in the company of a fascinating woman hero. Inspired by a brief passage in Moby-Dick, Sena Jeter Naslund has created an enthralling and compellingly Continue Reading…
Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson: Book Review
Nonny Frett is caught between. She was born into the Crabtree family and secretly adopted into the Frett family, two groups that have been fighting since time immemorial. She wants to divorce her husband but she’s caught between lust and lassitude. She’s frequently caught between what she wants to do and what she feels like Continue Reading…
Truly, Madly by Heather Webber: Book Review
Lucy Valentine has lost the family ability to match people based on their auras, and can now only find lost objects. After some negative publicity, Lucy finds herself in charge of the family matchmaking business for a few weeks. Not realizing what she’s getting herself into, she offers to try to find a new client’s Continue Reading…
Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani: Book Review
Valentine Roncalli is turning 34 years old, she lives and works with her grandmother, and she’s single. She’s pretty happy though, until the day her grandmother tells her that the family’s custom shoe shop is in financial trouble. Now she finds herself trying to find a way to save the business she loves as she Continue Reading…
Black Mountain Breakdown by Lee Smith: Book Review
We first meet Crystal Spangler when she’s a dreamy twelve-year-old Virginia mountain girl, in the summer before she begins high school. We follow her as her dreaminess leads her to look for meaning, or for herself, in all the wrong places. I adore Lee Smith’s work. She writes about the mountains of Virginia. I’m in Continue Reading…
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig: Book Review
3.5 Stars. Charlotte just isn’t quite Henrietta, Letty, or even Mary. She spent much of the book just fantasizing about Robert. While interesting enough, I kept waiting for the comedy of misunderstandings and the adventure of French spies pitted against our faithful British crew to get started. About halfway through, things […]