Lucy Come Home (A Yada Yada Journey of Hope) by Dave & Neta Jackson

Summary:

Lucy Tucker has been on the streets of Chicago for 50 years. Why won't she come home?

Fifteen-year-old Cindy worked long days beside her migrant worker family in Michigan's sugar beet fields in the early 1940s - the "war years" - until she met a dashing young man from a traveling carnival, bringing some joy and fun into her hard-scrabble life. But a tragic twist of fate - and a dead field boss - sent the two young people on the run, leaving behind family and everything she'd ever known.

Lucy Tucker, the crotchety old bag lady from the popular Yada Yada House of Hope series, is a veteran of the Chicago streets and not about to give up her independence, even as she approaches her 80th birthday. Until, that is, a young displaced woman with her gentle ageing mother and a dog named Dandy seem to need her - unsettling the secretive Lucy, who doesn't let anyone get too close. But just when it seems her past is catching up with her to bring her in out of the cold...Lucy disappears again.

How these two tales intersect and intertwine between past and present gradually shines light into the dark corners of Lucy's murky past. But...why won't Lucy come home?

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 414 pages (paperback)

Source: Blog Tour Company

Publication Date: June 6th 2012 by Castle Rock Creative         

What a gem this book turned out to be, let me say it's been a while since I had the privlege to review such a thought provoking work of fiction that was such a touching read. I warn you if you're the type that cries over an emotional read you may want to have a box of tissues beside you just in case.

I was very impressed with the way that the husband ad wife author team laid out their story. It was seemlessly written and I felt as though I was actually in the story watching it all play out. I really loved how they wrote about Lucy and touched on one of the topics that is plaguing North America. In such a modern time in such modern countries the idea that there are still homeless people baffles me.

This was such a touching story I couldn't help but love Cindy Tucker who as the story went on became Lucy Tucker. There was just something about her that I loved. Perhaps it's because of her story or may it's just how they created her there was just an inherient goodness about her that I was drawn to.

All in all I thought this was a great read for those who are fans of Christian fiction or those just looking for a heart warming tale that tugs at your heart strings. I would have absolutely no problem recommending this one to anyone really and I think it would make a lovely gift for people who enjoy this type of novel.

* I recieved a FREE copy of this book in exchange for my FREE and HONEST review.

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Really Liked it!
★ ★ ★ ★

Waiting On Wednesday #17

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine and is where we can talk about books we are looking forward to being released!

Here are my picks for the week:

Summary:

A sweeping Gothic thriller based on the spine-chilling "Bluebeard" fairytale.

17-year-old Sophia Petheram has been sheltered by her doting family all her life, until the day her father dies. It's 1855, and with no money and few options, she goes to live with her guardian, the mysterious Bernard de Cressac, at the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey in Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it's as if thread by thread, a silken net is woven around her. And when she begins glimpsing the ghosts of his former wives (all with hair as red as her own) in the forgotten corners and dark hallways of the Abbey, Sophie knows she's in de Cressac's trap.

With enchanting romance, chilling suspense, and dashes of the supernatural, Strands of Bronze and Gold is a compulsively-readable debut.

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 352 pages

Expected Publication Date: March 12th 2013 by Alfred A. Knopf       

Why I'm Waiting

I love historical fiction and this one looks like a great YA historical fiction novel with some thrilling aspects. Plus I think the cover is awesome and I love the title.

Summary:

An artist in the 1930s finds herself caught between duty and her unorthodox desires.

Cascade, Massachusetts, 1935. Desdemona Hart Spaulding, a talented young artist who studied in Paris, has sacrificed her dreams of working in New York City to put a roof over her newly bankrupt and ailing father’s head. Two months later he has died and Dez is bound by the promises she has made to her father, her husband, and her town. Stifled by her marriage to kind but conservative Asa, who is impatient to start a family, her ambitions are fading. Dez also stands to lose her father’s legacy, the Cascade Shakespeare Theatre, as Massachusetts decides whether to flood Cascade to create a new reservoir for Boston.

Amid this turmoil arrives Jacob Solomon, a fellow artist and kindred spirit for whom Dez feels an immediate and strong attraction. As their relationship reaches a pivotal moment, a man is found dead and the town points its collective finger at Jacob, a Jewish outsider. When unexpected acclaim and a chance to recapture her lost dreams of life in New York City arise, Dez must make an impossible choice.

CASCADE interweaves a town's impending destruction and America's struggles during the Depression with small-town anti-Semitism and the bohemian art world of Greenwich Village.
Summary taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 368 pages
Expected Publication Date: August 16th 2012 by Viking Adult         


Why I'm Waiting

The cover is friggen' GORGEOUS! I'm telling you it's one of my favourites this year, and I really can't wait to read this one it sounds awesome!

Summary:

For fans of The Paris Wife, a sparkling glimpse into the life of Edith Wharton and the scandalous love affair that threatened her closest friendship.

They say behind every great man is a woman. Behind Edith Wharton, there was Anna Bahlmann—her governess turned literary secretary, and her mothering, nurturing friend.

When at the age of forty-five, Edith falls passionately in love with a dashing younger journalist, Morton Fullerton, and is at last opened to the world of the sensual, it threatens everything certain in her life but especially her abiding friendship with Anna. As Edith’s marriage crumbles and Anna’s disapproval threatens to shatter their lifelong bond, the women must face the fragility at the heart of all friendships.

Told through the points of view of both women, The Age of Desire takes us on a vivid journey through Wharton’s early Gilded Age world: Paris with its glamorous literary salons and dark secret cafés, the Whartons’ elegant house in Lenox, Massachusetts, and Henry James’s manse in Rye, England.

Edith’s real letters and intimate diary entries are woven throughout the book. The Age of Desire brings to life one of literature’s most beloved writers, whose own story was as complex and nuanced as that of any of the heroines she created.
Summary taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 368 pages
Expected Publication Date: August 2nd 2012 by Pamela Dorman Books


Why I'm Waiting:

The summary is what really caught me, since I don't really know much about Edith Wharton I think I'll really enoy reading this book, even if it is fictional.

Now, what are YOU waiting for this Wednesday?

The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long, Jim Demonakos, Nate Powell (Illustrator)

Summary:
As the civil rights struggle heats up in Texas, two families—one white, one black—find common ground. This semi-autobiographical tale is set in 1967 Texas, against the backdrop of the fight for civil rights. A white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the suburbs and a black family from its poorest ward cross Houston’s color line, overcoming humiliation, degradation, and violence to win the freedom of five black college students unjustly charged with the murder of a policeman.
The Silence of Our Friends follows events through the point of view of young Mark Long, whose father is a reporter covering the story. Semi-fictionalized, this story has its roots solidly in very real events. With art from the brilliant Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole) bringing the tale to heart-wrenching life, The Silence of Our Friends is a new and important entry in the body of civil rights literature.
Summary taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 208 pages
Source: Toronto Public Library
Publication Date: January 17th 2012 by First Second         


When I found this one in the library I was really excited to read it, because  I'm always very interested in the civil rights struggle and I had seen some pretty decent reviews of this one floating around the internet so I thought why not? Let's give it a go.

Now while I understand that the author used some of his own experiences in writing the graphic novel I thought that the story line was flat. The graphic novel started out on a high note, but it quickly went down hill because the story was so fragmented in my opinion it was hard to know what was going on because it jumped so wildly from page to page in terms of the story line.

I will say thought that the author did give a good portrayal of the south during this period and that came through in the illustrations which I thought were really good, I thought the style of the artwork suited the time period in which the grqaphic novel was set and for me the artwork was the only thing that I enjoyed about the graphic novel.

I probably wouldn't recommend this graphic novel to anyone just because of how I felt about it though don't let that stop you because I seem to be in the minority for this one.  If you are going to try it be warned there are some racial slurs in it as well as a few F-Bombs as well.

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

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Not for me!
★

It's Monday! What are you reading? #19

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey and is a great way for others to find out what you are planning to read this week and, best of all, see what others are reading.

Last week I read and finished:

The Dragon's Harp by Rachael Pruitt

Speculation by Edmund Jorgensen Reviewed Here

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #13) by Alexander McCall Smith

This Week I Plan to Read:

 

   

1. Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, #2) by Diana Gabaldon (still)

2.  The Wild Princess: A Novel of Queen Victoria's Daughters by Mary Hart Perry

3.Dinosaur Jazz (The Jurassic Club #1) by Michael Panush

4. Lucy Come Home (A Yada Yada Journey of Hope) by Dave and Neta Jackson

What are YOU reading this week?

What do you think about what I'm

reading?

The Sunday Post 5th Edition

The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and talk about what is coming up for the week on our blog. Link up each week. My post goes live every Sunday at 12:00am (CST) and the link will remain open all week, so you can post your edition of the Sunday Post any day you like.

 

 

 

 

Morning Peeps!

Today has been an exciting week for me! I finally got some quality reading time in and let me tell you it has made me a much happier person. Just ask Mr. Turning The Pages :) He'll tell you I'm much easier to deal with.

Anywho I ended up posting 2 reviews this past week, one of which was for a blog tour plus I posted a bunch of memes so I'd like to say that the week was a pretty good one especially since I bought a bunch of books and got some for review from NetGalley.

As for next week I have a few reviews to post and I'm hosting another blog tour stop so I should be keeping busy, plus I think I'm having an author guest post on my blog as well if she has time!

Here's the E-books that I bought this week:

   

What I got for review from NetGalley:

  

I hope everyone has a great week of reading and blogging!

IMM #12

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme from The Story Siren where you can share your new acquisitions. They can come from anywhere: through the mail, via the library, purchased from a store, or downloaded as ebooks.

 

 

E-books I bought this past week:

 

What I got for review from NetGalley:

 

 

What did YOU get in YOUR mailbox?

Speculation by Edmund Jorgenson *Review & Giveaway*

Summary:

Andrew Wrangles has a decision to make. His best friend Sothum, a philosophical and financial genius, has just died and left him a choice in his will: ten million dollars or a sealed envelope.

Andrew's wife Cheryl doesn't see this as much of a choice. She wants Andrew to take the money, and what little patience she has for his speculating about what could be worth more than ten million dollars is wearing thin very quickly.

But as Andrew digs deeper into the secret life that Sothum lived, he finds more questions than answers. Does the envelope contain the fate of a vanished mutual friend? The answer to a terrible cosmic riddle? The confession to a crime? Is Sothum just playing a final private joke? Or has Andrew become a pawn in a game--a game that Sothum died playing against a bigger opponent than Andrew can imagine?

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 270 pages (paperback)

Source: ARC provided by author/Tour company

Publication Date: October 15th 2011 by Inkwell & Often

Now that was by far the most interesting mystery novel I've ever read. It's just so completely different from anything I've ever read before I'm still reeling from it. I really enjoyed getting to know this author's writing and I'm glad that I signed up for the book's blog tour when I did because after reading it, I know I would have missed out on something special.

What I loved most about this book was how it was written. It is not your traditional mystery and it isn't one that I advise turning to when you're in need for a quick read for the simple fact that you'll have to have your wits about you while you're reading this one since it's very philosophical

For me there were several times where I had to stop reading and go back and read a paragraph or a page just to make sure I was nabbing all the details because believe me you do not want to miss anything in this novel as everything in it fits together to reveal the whole picture.

The way the author used philosophy was ingenious and I loved it, I think he has developed his own unique writing style and while it is different from anything I've read before it works very well and I hope that he continues in his writing career because he is a very talented writer.

I would recommend this mystery novel to anyone because I think that even though it's not a light cozy mystery it is one that could offer something to any and all readers. However, take what I said about it being one that you need to actively think about while you're reading into consideration. In my opinion this is the perfect book to snuggle up with in the evening to read, or to read outside in the garden.

Really Liked it!
★ ★ ★ ★

Wanna win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of Speculation? Well, there are two ways to enter...

1. Leave a comment on my blog. One random commenter during this tour will win a $50 gift card. For the full list of participating blogs, visit the official Speculation tour page.
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest! I've posted the contest form below, or you can enter on the tour page linked above.

About the author: Edmund Jorgensen was born in Chicago. He studied classical languages and has maintained a love for all things Greek and Roman. He fell in love with his wife in Mexico; they now reside, happily but considerably more chilly, in Watertown, Massachusetts. Edmund is currently hard at work on his second book, a set of interconnected short stories. Connect with Edmund on his website, Facebook, Twitter or GoodReads.

Get Speculation on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crank (Crank #1) by Ellen Hopkins

Summary:

Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is the exact opposite of Kristina -- she's fearless. Through a boy, Bree meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul -- her life.

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 537 pages (Hardcover edition)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Publication Date: October 5th 2004 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

In April one of my favourite Goodreads friends started reading this book and when she finished she was so impressed that she recommend that I read it for a second time, even though she knew I read it already and was not impressed. Her hopes were to convert me into loving this author but alas, her hopes were in vain.

You see when the book was first published back when I was a teenager struggling with my own issues I read this one. Even back then though I knew the book was not for me. Fast forward 8 years to where I'm now in my early 20's and my opinion of the book and the author hasn't changed all that much.

True my views on the world have changed, and I'm no longer a confused and angry teen but even now I could not enjoy the author's writing style and believe me this time around I really wanted to like it since it came so highly reccomended to me but for me this book was not.

Kristina/Bree was an annoying little twit before and after she discovered crank and lost herself to the drug. I know that the book is loosley based on the life of the author's daughter who had substance abuse problems as a teen so I mean no disrespect but honestly I just found Kristina/Bree to be such a whiney little cow. I really did but maybe it's because I disliked the writing style so much.

I don't know about you but I really don't enjoy novels written in the form of poetic verse like this one was written. I don't like how the books like these are written because for my brain (which happens to enjoy books being written in the traditional way) hates how these novels come off fragmented but I can't help it. It took all of my concentration on the night that I read this book to keep reading just to see if the book would get better or at the very least finish it because a friend recommend it so highly to me but this one unfortunately was not one for me to enjoy 8 years ago and not one that I enjoy today.

In my opinion and I know I'm in the minority on this one, this book was poorly written and there were several times in the book while I was reading that I had to pause and re-read something time and again. So I think it's safe to say that this book and this author are not for me.

I do recommend it to people who like YA fiction written like poetry or fans of the author's other books but I doubt that I could recommend it to anyone else. For me this author is going on my "never again" shelf.

Have you read this book or others by this author? What did you think? *No Spoilers*

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To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

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To purchase the book via The Book Depository CLICK HERE

Not for me!
★

Dirty Little Secret #11

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by at Under the Covers. Every Thursday they ask a question hoping to reveal other bloggers "dirty little secrets"

This week's question is:

 

What book would you recommend to to heat up your summer?

 

 

It was way to hard for me to think of just one book to recommend I thought I would recommend a whole series so newbies to the series and old fans who have yet to read the rest of the series.

I myself am reading Lover Unleashed and I have high hopes for this one! I love the entire series and if you want something to read to heat up your summer these are perfect!

 

What would you recommend as a hot summer read?

 

 

Waiting On Wednesday #16

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine and is where we can talk about books we are looking forward to being released!

Here are my picks for the week:

 

 

Summary:

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war. In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable--they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash's long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they're caught, they'll be executed--but their feelings are too strong. When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 373 pages

Expected Publication Date: November 13th 2012 by G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR         

 

Why I'm Waiting:

 

Now this one has been on my radar for a couple of months but I always forget to include it in my WoW list. I really like how this one sounds!

 

Summary:

A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly

When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it’s exhilarating—Vee and Ian’s fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they’re directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they’re playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 304 pages

Expected Publication Date: September 13th 2012 by Dial Books (Penguin)      

 

Why I'm Waiting: 

 

This one is a little different from my usual read which is what I like about it. I just hope this one is as good as it sounds.

 

 

Summary:   

In a city of daimons, the Carnival of Souls hosts a deadly competition. Once in a generation, every citizen can fight to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures—if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

In our own world, Mallory knows that her father—and every other witch—fled the daimons’ city long ago. She trains to be lethal because it’s only a matter of time until the daimons catch up with them.

While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans there for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence that is the Carnival of Souls.

From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series, comes a brand-new tale of secrets, love, and the struggle to forge one’s own destiny.

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 320 pages

Expected Publication Date: September 4th 2012 by HarperCollins

 

Why I'm Waiting:

 

I LOVE Melissa Marr's books! Though I still have to read a couple of her previous ones I'm really looking forward to this one. Plus the cover and summary are awesome!

 

 

 

Now, what are YOU waiting for this Wednesday?