Memoir Monday... Jenny Lawson back with some more of her on point humor

     

How To Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay by Jenny Lawson... Warm, insightful, and witty, the first book of advice from New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson—aka the Bloggess

Jenny Lawson is full of contradictions. She’s a celebrated author but battles self-doubt, paralysis, and anxiety. She’s an award-winning humorist but struggles with treatment-resistant depression. The questions people most often ask her are, “How do you do it? How do you keep going even when it feels impossible? How do you keep creating?” This book is her answer.

In How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay, Jenny shares more than one hundred humorous, heartfelt, and genuine tools and tricks that she relies on to keep her going even when her brain isn’t working properly due to depression, anxiety, and ADHD. She also offers tips to stay passionate and focused on creative endeavors, especially when everything around you is saying to give up.

Jenny Lawson suffers from severe anxiety and humanizes what she goes thru. She has a large following on different social media platforms and I think that is because of her self deprecating sense of humor, honesty and empathy towards others who also suffer with these issues. Nice to see Jenny Lawson back with another book to bring awareness and help. Her other books were great and I look forward to reading more from her! How To Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay will be published by Penguin Life and out on March 31st! 

#TBT, What was I reading in... 2009

 It's fun to look back and see what books you've read a long time ago. Almost like reading a book you loved for the first time again, reflecting back to a book read a long time ago also sends us back to another time in our lives. What was going on in our lives when we were reading that book? 

Let's go back to the very first review I ever did on Chick with Books... the year is 2009

*******************

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Welcome to my blog about books and the things we love about them! We'll start simple here- have you read??

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett ? Well if you haven't that is my first recommendation! A wonderful story with all the elements! Adventure, treachery, art, love, sex and superstition. What starts as a story of Tom Builder and his love of family & craft, grows into the tale of the assasination and sainthood of Thomas Becket. The characters are so real they almost walk out of the pages! So, get ready to experience the building of a magnificent cathedral, the world of 12th-century England and a cast of characters you simply will not forget. You will not be able to put this book down once you open it. You'll wish there were 900 more pages! Enjoy

This book is still one of my favorite reads. I never hesitate to recommend it anytime someone is looking for a good book. Funny thing about the date of this review... 4 years later, I'll marry my hubby, Jim. 

What were YOU reading in 2009?

The Sunday Salon... Meow!

 Welcome to The Sunday Salon! What is The Sunday Salon? Let me tell you... 

"Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake.... 

That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book."

It's been a long time since my first Sunday Salon Post. Actually my first Sunday Salon was August 2, 2009. Twelve years and a little bit, I'm still here posting on Sundays and joining a group of bloggers that ebbs and flows as life moves us in different directions.

Life has taken me in a different direction again... Oh, I'm still reading and talking books, but now life includes a little stray kitty we named Jazzy. About a month ago as my husband and I were sitting on the back porch, a little fur ball came walking up urgently meowing. She was so small and skinny, and pretty demanding. We had been feeding the feral kitties the last few months, so we had cat food and filled a dish with food, another with water and watched as she ate like there was no tomorrow. She then jumped up on my husbands lap and went to sleep. OMG, what a little cutie. She obviously wasn't feral, but she probably was dumped, which is an unfortunate thing that happens in the boonies where we live.

Jazzy was here the next day too... I saw her sleeping in one of the porch chairs that night... We bought some can food for her... And after a few days she walked into the house to check it all out... Then the temps were going to be pretty cold, really cold for South Carolina, so in she came. We slept on the couch in the living room with her. Our dog Pepper didn't know what a cat was...  The next morning, off she went into the woods in back... but back at night... we started calling her Jazzy, a kind of short version of Jezibel because we thought she may be pregnant... Then I asked my husband if we were going to have her as part of the family... he said she's already part of the family... Now she has food, water, a bed, a cat tree, a leather couch and 2 humans wrapped around her paw. She's had her first vet visit and checked out as pretty healthy and what caused her stomach to look like she was pregnant they think is worms, so add deworming meds on top of everything else. She is an inside/outside cat for now. I think she is slowly acclimating to life inside, but she does love having adventures outside. When she does venture out in the morning she comes when I call her to come back in... just like a dog. lol

All of this cat rearing has me doing lots of research to make sure I am being a good fur mommy and of course that means advice books... in walks Jackson Galaxy... not physically, although I would welcome him with open arms if he happened to show up. His book Total Cat Mojo is exactly what I need! 

Total Cat Mojo: The Ultimate Guide to Life with Your Cat by Jackson Galaxy... This comprehensive cat care guide from the star of the hit Animal Planet show "My Cat from Hell," Jackson Galaxy, shows us how to eliminate feline behavioral problems by understanding cats' instinctive behavior.

Cat Mojo is the confidence that cats exhibit when they are at ease in their environment and in touch with their natural instincts—to hunt, catch, kill, eat, groom, and sleep. Problems such as litter box avoidance and aggression arise when cats lack this confidence. Jackson Galaxy's number one piece of advice to his clients is to help their cats harness their mojo. 

This book is his most comprehensive guide yet to cat behavior and basic cat care, rooted in understanding cats better. From getting kittens off to the right start socially, to taking care of cats in their senior years, and everything in between, this book addresses the head-to-toe physical and emotional needs of cats—whether related to grooming, nutrition, play, or stress-free trips to the vet. 

Published by TarcherPerigee, a division of Penguin Books, in 2017, it's gotten a lot of praise and I am enjoying it! Lots of good advice and love the way he writes! If you have a cat, do yourself a favor and read this book! A full review coming soon.

So, Welcome to The Sunday Salon today and Meow, today is all about Jazzy and how I'm learning Cat.

Happy reading... Suzanne

P.S. Jazzy has her own Instagram Account now, you can follow her at Jazzygirl.Meow .

Memoir Monday...

To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins... On the eve of turning thirty, terrified of being funneled into a life he didn’t choose, Jedidiah Jenkins quit his dream job and spent sixteen months cycling from Oregon to Patagonia. He chronicled the trip on Instagram, where his photos and reflections drew hundreds of thousands of followers, all gathered around the question: What makes a life worth living? 

In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Jed narrates his adventure—the people and places he encountered on his way to the bottom of the world—as well as the internal journey that started it all. As he traverses cities, mountains, and inner boundaries, Jenkins grapples with the question of what it means to be an adult, his struggle to reconcile his sexual identity with his conservative Christian upbringing, and his belief in travel as a way to wake us up to life back home.



This has gotten great reviews and in particular a nice blurb by Cheryl Strayed, who wrote another book binge worthy book, Wild. Need a little adventure in your life? Want to delve into the adventure without leaving home? I picked up this book after reading some of the first chapter and was immediately taken by Jedidiah's writing. Published by Penguin RandomHouse in December. Read an Excerpt. On my nightstand...

First Lines...

Memory is a cruel thing. It lingers in dark trenches, whispering or withholding, waiting to creep into the no-man's-land of our dreams. It knows what we long to remember, and what we hope to forget. And it knows Hearsay and Imagination will cover any gaps. But I only knew what I had been told...

                ... The Echo of Twilight by Judith Kinghorn

WWI, Two women become unlikely confidants, a Secret... Historical fiction on my wishlist, published by Berkley Penguin and released Jan. 3rd, 2017!

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty... A Review

A smart, addictive treat! It's not just "The Husband's Secret" we are pining for, it's all the secret's Liane Moriarty dangles in front of us that we want to discover! And it's the fabulous way Liane brings what seems to be three separate stories to a crashing halt together! 

One of my reading group members chose this book for us to read this month. I assumed that it was going to be a chick lit book, and that the premise of Cecelia Fitzpatrick finding a letter addressed to her, written by her husband and to be read upon his death sounded interesting... especially since her husband was "very much alive" when she found it. It seemed that the story would revolve around the question of whether Cecelia should "open the letter or not" now that she's found it and the results of that decision. Ah, yes, the letter... What deep dark secrets does that hold? But that "secret" is just the beginning! Yes, there is the letter and the "moral" decision, and that delicious dark secret, but the story takes such a turn from there that I absolutely could not put this book down. I was sucked into this story from say page 20 on... EVERYone has secrets! There is a murder, a mystery, jealousy, infidelity, and secrets, secrets, secrets!

I don't want to spoil all the fun, so let me just give you a little bit of the layout of the story... There are three "stories" here. First, Cecelia Fitzpatrick, the "perfect" wife, right down to her arrangement of Tupperware in the pantry, who married the wonderful John-Paul, from one of the wealthiest families in town and they have 3 wonderful children. Second, there is Tess, Will and Felicity. Tess and Will are married with a little boy and Felicity is Tess's cousin and closet friend. And lastly, there's Rachel, Grandmother of Jacob, and the mother of Rob who is married to Lauren. All three families have ties to the same town, all three families have an interesting story, and all three of these families are going to experience life altering changes because of one another. And just when you think that the story has reached its' climax, you'll be saying to yourself, "OMG!"

Liane Moriarty's writing is kind of light and airy, like you'd find in a good "Chick Lit" book. (I haven't really heard much about 'Chick lit' these days either, does it still exist?!). BUT, just when you think that the story will be a "light" read, the story teasing you along to a place you THINK it's going, Liane pulls the rug right from under you, and she doesn't stop there. This "light" read turns into such a great read with twists and turns that you wouldn't expect. A story much more complex then you'd think at its humble beginning. Definitely a book I would recommend to almost anyone who enjoys their fiction with a mystery and a bit of Tupperware mixed in! I will now be reading more of Liane Moriarty! This book was her debut novel, which became a #1 hit in the UK back in 2013. She now has 6 more books under her belt, one of which, Truly Madly Guilty, was published this year. Just make sure you put The Husband's Secret on your TBR list!!! 5 stars from this Chick!

*P.S. Something to keep in mind when reading The Husband's Secret... there are a lot of characters that Liane throws at you right from the start. With out any "formal" introductions, early chapters seem to jump right into the middle of a story that you don't know anything about, or the people that are involved. At first, I found it confusing and was trying to sort out who these people were. Eventually you'll see that there are three separate families and it will not seem confusing any longer. You'll be able to follow these "separate" stories seamlessly. Keep a list of characters if you need to at first, but don't let this "complication" deter you from the story. READ IT!

SaveSave

First Lines Friday...

"Lisandra came into the room, her eyes red, puffy with tears. She walked unsteadily, and all she said was, 'He doesn’t love me anymore.' She said it over and over, relentlessly, as if her brain had stopped working, as if her mouth could not utter anything else—'He doesn’t love me anymore.'"                      
                                                   ... The Case of Lisandra P. by Helene Gremillon


Don't you want to know who doesn't love Lisandra anymore!? Would you keep reading or put it down?

        

The Sunday Salon and 3 Of the Most Anticipated Time Traveling YA Books of 2016

Welcome to The Sunday Salon, where bloggers from all over the world talk about all things bookish is a virtual library! And The Sunday Post, which is a weekly meme hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, in which more bloggers share their bookish news!! Sunday is the day of the week we sit back, relax and talk books! Here in Connecticut, we are still recovering from 5 inches of unexpected snow from friday, and it isn't as unusually warm as it has been lately, so staying inside and reading seems a great idea! I just finished Lisa Gardner's Find Her, and loved it!(Here's a link to my review) and though I have a few books in the wings to start (My reading group selection this month is Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger) and one library book to finish (Concussion by Jeanne Marie Laskas) I am always on the lookout for fresh reading. There has been a lot of buzz about some great YA books to come out the last month (and one coming out next week) that I thought I would share with you. These books piqued my interest, not only because the plots sound interesting, but because they all involve time traveling, and I just LOVE time travel books! The Time Travelers Wife and Outlander are two of my favorites.


Let's Look at 3 of the most anticipated Time Traveling YA books...
The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry... Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken.

Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start…until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.

That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

I've heard so many great things said about this debut from Emily Henry that it is definitely on my TBR list! This came out January 26, 2016 from Razorbill an imprint from Penguin.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken  ...Violin prodigy Etta Spencer had big plans for her future, but a tragedy has put her once-bright career at risk. Closely tied to her musical skill, however, is a mysterious power she doesn't even know she has. When her two talents collide during a stressful performance, Etta is drawn back hundreds of years through time. 

Etta wakes, confused and terrified, in 1776, in the midst a fierce sea battle. Nicholas Carter, the handsome young prize master of a privateering ship, has been hired to retrieve Etta and deliver her unharmed to the Ironwoods, a powerful family in the Colonies--the very same one that orchestrated her jump back, and one Nicholas himself has ties to. But discovering she can time travel is nothing compared to the shock of discovering the true reason the Ironwoods have ensnared her in their web. 

Another traveler has stolen an object of untold value from them, and, if Etta can find it, they will return her to her own time. Out of options, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the mysterious traveler. But as they draw closer to each other and the end of their search, the true nature of the object, and the dangerous game the Ironwoods are playing, comes to light--threatening to separate her not only from Nicholas, but her path home... forever.

Yes! This sounds fabulous, doesn't it! A true adventure and a bit of romance thrown in. On my TBR list too! This came out January 5, 2016 from Disney Hyperion.

The Girl From Everywhere Heidi Heilig... Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times - although a map will only take you somewhere once. And Nix's father is only interested in one time, and one place: Honolulu 1868. A time before Nix was born, and her mother was alive. Something that puts Nix's existence rather dangerously in question...

Nix has grown used to her father's obsession, but only because she's convinced it can't work. But then a map falls into her father's lap that changes everything. And when Nix refuses to help, her father threatens to maroon Kashmir, her only friend (and perhaps, only love) in a time where Nix will never be able to find him. And if Nix has learned one thing, it's that losing the person you love is a torment that no one can withstand. Nix must work out what she wants, who she is, and where she really belongs before time runs out on her forever.

Another fun looking time travel adventure! This is coming out February 26, 2016 from Greenwillow Books an imprint of HarperCollins.

*****************************

What do you think about time travel in books?! Time travel can be confusing, and I have heard readers not liking The Time Travelers Wife because they were pretty confused at the start of that book.  But if handled well, I think time travel can be so much fun!

Weekly Update... Here's what went on last week on the blog:

Monday, Feb. 1st...
Memoir Monday with Concussion by Jeannie Marie Laskas and Mailbox Monday featuring the two great eGalleys in my mail.

Friday, Feb. 5th... 
First Lines Friday with The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel and My Review of American Housewife by Helen Ellis

Saturday, Feb. 6th...  My Review of Find Her by Lisa Gardner (BTW, I gave it 5 stars!)
                               
Next week I'll be finishing up Concussion by Jeannie Marie Laskas (hopefully) and start The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee. There are two more YA books on my nightstand that are trying to lure me their way, but they are going to have to wait... (maybe!)

               

                                               Pax by Sara Pennypacker           Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Hope you found something interesting to read here today! And please, share what you're reading this week and what good books you've found! 

Happy Reading... Suzanne

*P.S. Don't forget next Sunday is VALENTINE'S DAY! We'll have something sexy for The Sunday Salon!

Hey, Did Ya Hear About the NEW Beatrix Potter book?!

Hey, did ya hear? Beatrix Potter is coming out with a NEW children's book! Editor Jo Hanks discovered references to the unfinished manuscript while doing some research and a trip to the Warne Archives at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London "revealed three manuscripts, two handwritten in childrens’ school notebooks and one typeset and laid out in a dummy book; one rough colour sketch of Kitty-in-Boots and a pencil rough of our favourite arch-villain, Mr Tod."

Beatrix Potter, who we all love for her creation of Peter Rabbit and the stories of Peter and his friends, will celebrate her 150th birthday with the publication of The Tale of Kitty in Boots this fall, which in 1914 in a letter to her publisher is described as, "a well-behaved prime black Kitty cat, who leads rather a double life".

She only made one drawing of Kitty in Boots, so the task of illustrating the book will go to well known children's book illustrator, Quentin Blake. How exciting to have a new book by Ms. Potter! Who is still one of the all time best selling children's book authors.

Want to read an excerpt of The Tale of Kitty in Boots?! Here's link to the Penguin Books site where they have a small excerpt!

Want to learn more about Beatrix Potter, but can't get to the Victoria & Albert Museum?! Here's a link to The V & A, where Beatrix Potter is treated like royalty, and there is so much wonderful information on her and her books!

Banned Books Week and Memoir Monday

A Young Woman's Coming of Age Story...

During the Turbulent Political Backdrop of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran

Young Marjane Satrapi came from a well off, loving, modern family. She went to a non-religious french school. Her father drove a cadillac and her family had a maid. All that changed in 1980, when Marjane turned 10 years old... because Marjane lived in Tehran... During the cultural revolution... and 'the veil'.

The book opens with Marjane showing us how a 10 year old perceives the sudden requirement to wear the veil... The little girls didn't understand the need to wear one. One day you don't have to, and the next day you do? Her bilingual school was closed down because it was a symbol of capitalism and decadence... And soon Marjane was being indoctrinated into the political fray. First she is taught that the Shah was chosen by God, then when he is overthrown she is taught to tear his pictures out of all the school books. People were being persecuted, executed, tortured. And Marjane's parents did not protect her from the truth because it seemed the only way to save her from becoming one of the persecutors...

Her parents protested, there were raids & bombs, and patrols... Relatives are murdered, friends of the family disappear, a friend dies is a bombing. How is a 1o year old suppose to deal with all this? Honestly... Unfortunately her honesty was perceived as blasphemy... Marjane called her teacher a liar when she taught that there were no more political prisoners and recited the facts, she wore a simple bracelet under her garment and was expelled... It was then decided that a little girl with a penchant for rebellion and a sharp tongue would be safer growing up away from Iran... So, Marjane next goes to Austria to live with a friend of her mother's... and as if things couldn't get worse, they do.

What is so interesting and compelling in this story is that Marjane is the same as all young girls- she likes music, and posters, jewelry and wearing jeans. But because of where she is born she is forced to grow up faster and learn to survive. Her "slips" are mostly from her acting like a 10 year old. How she deals with all this conflict, even the conflict within herself as she grapples with what is going on around her and what is in her heart, is written and drawn wonderfully.

This coming of age story, The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, is a tender, heartfelt story of a girl growing up in a world of conflict. The relationship she has with her mother and grandmother are loving and volatile. But what she takes from each of them and tucks away into her soul shows us glimpses of a girl growing up. How she deals with the war & revolution are important, but how she deals with the injustices imposed on her just because she is a female is even more important. The wearing of the veil, the cut of her clothes, the wearing of make-up, a strand of hair out of place, moral etiquette, dating, divorce... these are all things we learn how a young Iranian girl deals with. All of this is why I thought this book would easily fit into the Women Unbound Reading Challenge... This book shows how this young woman deals with the social and political issues present as she grows up in Iran. Marjane is candid, honest, funny and angry. The book will tug at your heart at moments and infuriate you other times. The book spans 14 years, and it is well worth your time cracking the spin!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The Black & White drawings were so expressive and the story flowed easily from the page. I read it in one sitting because I became absorbed in the Marjane's story. If you're not exactly a graphic novel reader, I hope you'll open this book anyway, it is a wonderful read and would be a great start to reading graphic novels!

Have you Heard?!… Scout grows up!

It's the talk of the town... and every literary circle around the world… a lost manuscript for "the sequel" to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has been rescued from obscurity!

Go Set a Watchman, is scheduled to be published by Harper Collins in July. It is essentially the follow-up to To Kill a Mockingbird, about Scout, 20 years later, going back home..

" When Scout travels to her small Southern town of Maycomb, from New York City, to visit her father, Atticus, she is, Harper explained, "forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand both her father’s attitude toward society, and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood."… A. P. Report

Though "the sequel" is really what the original book was going to be, Harper Lee's publisher liked the parts of the story where Scout was reflecting on her days of growing up, and the publisher asked Lee to work on this aspect of the story, so she did.

Even though there is much excitement about the prospect of a new book written by one of America's most reclusive writer's, there is also controversy… 2 months after Harper Lee's sister Alice passed away, the one person in Harper Lee's life that protected her ferociously from the outside world, we have Harper Lee agreeing to be thrown back in the spotlight after 50 plus years with an unedited first attempt at a novel that she agreed to have published as is. In declining health, living in an assisted living facility near her home in Monroeville, AL, already "possibly" forgetting some of the things she agreed to such as her blessing on the Marja Mills novel, The Mockingbird Next Door, or having to sue to retain her copyright for To Kill a Mockingbird, which she signed over to her publisher (would she knowingly do that?!), and even suing the town museum that honors her book, it has been asked, is anyone taking advantage of Miss Nelle? It certainly would be a goldmine to publish anything written by Harper Lee. The world has waited over 50 years for another novel.

Oh, how I hope this book is being published with Harper Lee's blessing! I was enjoying The Mockingbird Next Door by Marja Mills, the book about Harper Lee and her sister that Marja wrote while living next door to Harper Lee in Monroeville, until I read that Harper Lee said the book was "unauthorized". But then Penguin produced a letter signed by Harper Lee saying she did give her blessing. With her affairs essentially being handled by attorneys now, since neither Lee sister had children, we may never know the true sentiments of Harper Lee. But in any case, I look forward to peeking between the pages of a new Harper Lee novel that I hope she would want the world to enjoy.

Read more from…

The BBC, The Vulture, and Publishers Weekly

National Reading Day or National Readathon… Your Choice!

Today is National Reading Day! A day designed to promote the love of reading to Pre-K through Third graders. All across america there will be schools, libraries and parents participating in a variety of activities to encourage children to read. Who exactly organized this annual event? I have no idea! But it seems a worthy cause to me and here is the LINK if you'd like to learn a little more and need some suggestions on what you can do.

Along those same lines is National Readathon Day! Now, National Readathon Day is tomorrow, January 24th. National Readathon Day is sponsored by Penguin, The National Book Foundation, Mashable and GoodReads. Its a marathon of reading to be done between the hours of 12 noon and 4pm. Along with encouraging a marathon of reading, it's also a fund raising event for The National Book Foundation. You can read all about it on THE PENGUIN SITE. Riverhead books, Goodreads and Books on the Nightstand are leading the fundraising efforts of teams. I'm a bit shy when it comes to soliciting donations, (ok, begging for money even for a good cause), but donating is also acceptable. You can follow THIS LINK to read about who has a team or individuals that you can donate to if you would like.

And don't forget… There's also Drop Everything And Read Day on April 12th, and World Book Night on April 23rd!

What's your fancy?! Are you going to participate for a reading day?!

Guest Post with Kim Boykin... The Story Behind Palmetto Moon

Kim Boykin is an accomplished writer with 4 published novels under her belt. She has always received great reviews, written about strong Southern women,  and according to RT Book Reviews, 'her stories' feel like they’re being told across a kitchen table. Chick with Books is thrilled to have Kim Boykin stop by today to share a bit of herself and insight into her writing her novel, Palmetto Moon! Join me in a warm welcome to Kim!

The Story Behind Palmetto Moon

If I could wish ANYTHING for you, other than unlimited good health and happiness, it would be to experience that ethereal place I write from. It’s a place I learned to trust implicitly a long time ago.

With Palmetto Moon, I wrote about Round O, South Carolina as if I knew it like the back of my hand. I’d never been there before and had only driven through Walterboro, another town in the book, on the way to Edisto Island over thirty years ago. So, before I turned the Palmetto Moon manuscript into my editor, last summer, I decided I should visit to make sure I got the places right.

I was pleasantly surprised and then shocked at one of those ethereal moments. Dana and Bonita Cheney, the nice couple from the Colleton County Historical Society who showed me around Walterboro, offered to show me Round O. To be honest, with the majority of the story taking place there, and having never been there, I was more than a little nervous.

I’d sent Dana and Bonita a synopsis of Palmetto Moon, that mentioned Miss Mamie’s Boarding House. When we got to Round O, which really is a crossroads community (for those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a crossroads with a few houses, maybe a church, a little store,) Dana asked me if I’d like to see Miss Mamie’s Boarding House.

There on the corner was a dilapidated two-story clapboard home that very well could have been Vada’s home in 1947. I was amazed. Then he asked me if I wanted to see what it looked like in 1947. He eased down the road about 100 feet and there was the EXACT house I’d pictured when I was writing the book. I know this picture is a little cockeyed but I was completely stunned.

A few weeks later, I approached Dick Elliott, the owner of Maverick Southern Kitchens, and nationally renowned SNOB in Charleston about contributing recipes for the book. I wanted to use them in lieu of Reader Questions. Turns out the executive chef’s name at SNOB is Frank Lee, and my hero’s name is Frank Darling. Coincidence? Maybe, but I’m tagging it as a gift from the ether.

Thank you, Kim for sharing the story behind your newest book, Palmetto Moon! And thanks for the great post!

A Little About Kim... 
Kim Boykin was raised in her South Carolina home with two girly sisters and great parents. She had a happy, boring childhood, which sucks if you’re a writer because you have to create your own crazy. PLUS after you’re published and you’re being interviewed, it’s very appealing when the author actually lived in Crazy Town or somewhere in the general vicinity.

Almost everything she learned about writing, she learned from her grandpa, an oral storyteller, who was a master teacher of pacing and sensory detail. He held court under an old mimosa tree on the family farm, and people used to come from all around to hear him tell stories about growing up in rural Georgia and share his unique take on the world.

As a stay-at-home mom, Kim started writing, grabbing snip-its of time in the car rider line or on the bleachers at swim practice. After her kids left the nest, she started submitting her work, sold her first novel at 53, and has been writing like crazy ever since.

Thanks to the lessons she learned under that mimosa tree, her books are well reviewed and, according to RT Book Reviews, feel like they’re being told across a kitchen table. She is the author of The Wisdom of Hair from Berkley, Steal Me, Cowboy and Sweet Home Carolina from Tule, and Palmetto Moon, also from Berkley 8/5/14. While her heart is always in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, she lives in Charlotte and has a heart for hairstylist, librarians, and book junkies like herself.
                                                               *****************
Kim Boykin stopped by Chick with Books today as part of her Virtual Book Tour hosted by Pump Up Your Book. You can learn more about Kim at her website, KimBoykin.com, and you can also read an excerpt of the first chapter to Palmetto Moon HERE!

Memoir Monday and Happy Columbus Day... Or Indigenous People's Day!

Happy Columbus Day... or Indigenous People's Day! What?! People in Seattle and Minneapolis have decided to celebrate the people one the "other side" of that famous 1492 encounter. They will celebrate the people that were indigenous to the "new world" and their culture. When I was a child, we learned that Columbus discovered America in 1492... but then that wasn't exactly the case and the Indians that Columbus encountered didn't fare very well in the end.  But, whichever Holiday you celebrate, and 16 states don't celebrate Columbus Day at all, and South Dakota has celebrated Native American Day since 1990, Christopher Columbus is a man of legend. What do we really know about him? Laurence Bergreen wrote a biography, Columbus: The Four Voyages (I know, not a memoir) to enlighten us a bit on what really happened on that fateful voyage, and some of his other expeditions, to make his mark on history...

Columbus: The Four Voyages by Laurence Bergreen... Christopher Columbus’s 1492 voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a trading route to China, and his unexpected landfall in the Americas, is a watershed event in world history. Yet Columbus made three more voyages within the span of only a decade, each designed to demonstrate that he could sail to China within a matter of weeks and convert those he found there to Christianity. These later voyages were even more adventurous, violent, and ambiguous, but they revealed Columbus’s uncanny sense of the sea, his mingled brilliance and delusion, and his superb navigational skills. In all these exploits he almost never lost a sailor. By their conclusion, however, Columbus was broken in body and spirit. If the first voyage illustrates the rewards of exploration, the latter voyages illustrate the tragic costs—political, moral, and economic. In rich detail Laurence Bergreen re-creates each of these adventures as well as the historical background of Columbus’s celebrated, controversial career. Written from the participants’ vivid perspectives, this breathtakingly dramatic account will be embraced by readers of Bergreen’s previous biographies of Marco Polo and Magellan and by fans of Nathaniel Philbrick, Simon Winchester, and Tony Horwitz.

Memoir Monday and The Mockingbird Next Door by Marja Mills

About the Book, from the author's website… To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the best loved novels of the twentieth century. But for the last fifty years, the novel’s celebrated author, Harper Lee, has said almost nothing on the record. Journalists have trekked to her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, where Harper Lee, known to her friends as Nelle, has lived with her sister, Alice, for decades, trying and failing to get an interview with the author. But in 2001, the Lee sisters opened their door to Chicago Tribune journalist Marja Mills. It was the beginning of a long conversation—and a great friendship.

In 2004, with the Lees’ blessing, Mills moved into the house next door to the sisters. She spent the next eighteen months there, sharing coffee at McDonalds and trips to the Laundromat with Nelle, feeding the ducks and going out for catfish supper with the sisters, and exploring all over lower Alabama with the Lees’ inner circle of friends.

Nelle shared her love of history, literature, and the Southern way of life with Mills, as well as her keen sense of how journalism should be practiced. As the sisters decided to let Mills tell their story, Nelle helped make sure she was getting the story—and the South—right. Alice, the keeper of the Lee family history, shared the stories of their family.

The Mockingbird Next Door is the story of Mills’s friendship with the Lee sisters. It is a testament to the great intelligence, sharp wit, and tremendous storytelling power of these two women, especially that of Nelle.

Mills was given a rare opportunity to know Nelle Harper Lee, to be part of the Lees’ life in Alabama, and to hear them reflect on their upbringing, their corner of the Deep South, how To Kill a Mockingbird affected their lives, and why Nelle Harper Lee chose to never write another novel. 

Here's another wonderful example of a recluse author opening up for us all to enjoy. The reviews of this book point out that there is nothing earth shattering revealed here, but a wonderful testament to Southern hospitality and a wonderful way of life. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite books, and I look forward to The Mockingbird Next Door! On my TBR list!

Como Te Llamas?… Carlos Ruiz Zafon! ***Author Highlight***

What is it about Spanish authors? Their language is foreign to me, but their writing has such a beautiful rhythm & flow. It is as though I am reading their native language somehow, when I open one of their books and begin reading. The way the words are painted on the page seems so different. That is how I feel when reading Carlos Ruiz Zafon. From the first book I read of Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Shadow of the Wind, I was hooked on his writing, so today I thought I would share his "adult" books so you too could be swept away with his words…

Shadow of the Wind… Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'cemetery of lost books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out LA SOMBRA DEL VIENTO by Julian Carax. 

But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from LA SOMBRA DEL VIENTO, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind. A page-turning exploration of obsession in literature and love, and the places that obsession can lead.

*The book that started it all, Shadow in the Wind, and my favorite. Complex, mysterious, with stories within stories, it is a wonderful read, and the writing is beautiful.

The Angel's Game… 'The whole of Barcelona stretched out at my feet and I wanted to believe that, when I opened those windows, its streets would whisper stories to me, secrets I could capture on paper and narrate to whoever cared to listen.' 

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David MartÌn, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books, and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner. 

Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Close to despair, David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike anything that has existed - a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home. 

Set in the turbulent 1920s, THE ANGEL'S GAME takes us back to the gothic universe of the Cemetery of the Forgotten Books, the Sempere & Son bookshop, and the winding streets of Barcelona's old quarter, in a masterful tale about the magic of books and the darkest corners of the human soul. 

*Not my favorite book in the series. Sophomore curse? You know, how the second book is not up to the first for whatever reason, but a good read.

The Prisoner of Heaven… Barcelona, 1957. It the is week before Christmas in the Sempere & Sons bookshop. Daniel Sempere has married the love of his life Bea and they have had a son whilst their partner in crime, Fermín, is busy preparing for his wedding to Bernarda in the New Year. Just when it seems as if luck is finally smiling on them, a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters the shop. He insists on buying the most expensive volume on display - a beautiful illustrated edition of The Count of Monte Cristo - and then proceeds to inscribe the book with the words 'To Fermín Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. 


Who is this man and what does he want of Fermín? The answer lies in a terrible secret that has lain hidden for two decades, an epic tale of imprisonment, betrayal, murder and love that leads back into the very heart of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

*Back to what I expect from the author's writing! And I can't wait for the next book! 

Shadow of the Wind was the start of a wonderful series. Set in Barcelona after the Spanish War, 1945, the story transports you to the dark hidden streets of Spain, with a story within a story. Though I think that the first book is the best, it is a gift to be able to read more from characters and places that you enjoyed and Carlos Ruiz Zafon gives us rich complex stories, layered with mystery and intrigue. Someday there will be a fourth and final book in the series, but until then…

Before his "adult" books, the author wrote YA novels. The Prince of Mist, The Midnight Palace and The Watcher in the Shadow were his first 3. I excitedly bought The Prince of Mist when it became available here (Zafon's novels usually take a year to make it to the States), but be it the timing, or the genre ( I never read YA back then), I just couldn't get into it. Maybe I was expecting more from it than I should have. I'm not giving up, I just put it aside for another time. But I am again excited that we are expecting another novel from Carlos Ruiz Zafon! Yes, it is another YA novel, but it sounds so good (and I do enjoy YA now)! It's also the last novel he wrote before Shadow in the Wind, and I'm hoping that translates into something different in his YA writing. This was also his last YA novel, and of that he writes:

"By then I had already published three novels for young adults but soon after embarking on Marina I knew that this would be the last I'd write in the genre. As the writing advanced, everything in the story began to acquire a shade of farewell, and by the time I'd finished it, I sensed that something inside me, something that even today I cannot explain, but that I still miss every single day, was forever left among its pages."

Here's the scoop on Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon…

Marina… 'Fifteen years on, the remembrance of that day has returned to me. I have seen that boy wandering through the mist of the railway station, and the name of Marina has flared up again like a fresh wound. We all have a secret buried under lock and key in the attic of our soul. This is mine...' 

In May 1980, 15-year-old Oscar Drai suddenly vanishes from his boarding school in the old quarter of Barcelona. For seven days and nights no one knows his whereabouts... 

His story begins in the heart of old Barcelona, when he meets Marina and her father German Blau, a portrait painter. Marina takes Oscar to a cemetery to watch a macabre ritual that occurs on the fourth Sunday of each month. At 10 a.m. precisely a coach pulled by black horses appears. From it descends a woman dressed in black, her face shrouded, wearing gloves, holding a single rose. She walks over to a gravestone that bears no name, only the mysterious emblem of a black butterfly with open wings. 

When Oscar and Marina decide to follow her they begin a journey that will take them to the heights of a forgotten, post-war Barcelona, a world of aristocrats and actresses, inventors and tycoons; and a dark secret that lies waiting in the mysterious labyrinth beneath the city streets.

Intrigued by Carlos Ruiz Zafon? Have you read any of his books? If so, what did you think? Marina was published Dec. 2013 in the UK. It's not available here yet, but if you're as interested as I am, you can order it through The Book Depository (amazon's UK rival), where shipping is free worldwide and the prices are usually discounted a bit.

Happy reading… Suzanne

The Sunday Salon and Can you Overfeed Your eReader?

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's that one day of the week we give ourselves permission to sit back, relax and talk books virtually with all of our friends! It's been a beautiful week here in Connecticut, with the temperatures rising and the sun showing its lovely face all week long! It's put me in quite a reading mood!

My question today is, can you overfeed your eReader? One of the motivations of getting an eReader, for me, was to free up some space in the ever crowded house. My new husband realized quite soon after we were married that books were part of the decor… in EVERY room. But just like the piles of books we have on the table (in the corner, on the shelves, next to the bed…) we sure can fit a lot of eBooks in our readers! Though I still like reading physical books, especially when I am reviewing for a publisher, eBooks can be easier to store and carry around. What do you think?

Recently I've loaded my eReader with some great books and I thought I would share some of the eBooks I just couldn't resist feeding my eReader with! A thank you to the publishers for the courtesy eGalley's of these books too!

The Major's Daughter by J.P. Francis… WWII, a "forbidden" love story, secrets & lies. The writing is so good and the premise is just compelling. This has book club favorite written all over it! In a few words by the publisher: Like Snow Falling on Cedars, a stirring tale of wartime love. 

April, 1944. The quiet rural village of Stark, New Hampshire is irrevocably changed by the arrival of 150 German prisoners of war. And one family, unexpectedly divided, must choose between love and country. Camp Stark is under the command of Major John Brennan, whose beautiful daughter, Collie, will serve as translator. Educated at Smith and devoted to her widowed father, Collie is immediately drawn to Private August Wahrlich, a peaceful poet jaded by war. As international conflict looms on the home front, their passion blinds them to the inevitable dangers ahead. Inspired by the little-known existence of a real World War II POW camp.

The Major’s Daughter is a fresh take on the timeless theme of forbidden love. Published by Plume ( An imprint of Penguin), it's coming July 29th to your local bookstore!

Sweet As Cane, Salty As Tears by Ken Wheaton… Ken Wheaton is a fun writer. He writes great stories that will make you smile because he has a great sense of humor. His first book I read for a book club, I had never heard of him and I was weary that I would even like it ( The First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festival), but I LOVED it! It was a great story, light and fun. This newest book offers the same and I can't wait to start reading! In a few words, the publisher writes: A freak accident forces a New Yorker to return to Louisiana and confront her Cajun past. The freak accident is a Rhinoceros that happens to escape his zoo and runs rampant in Cajun countryside. The rest of the story is about family and coming home to a place you never thought you'd set foot in again. This has fun written all over it! Published by Open Road Media, it's coming to a bookstore near you on July 1st!

Ruth's Journey by Donald McCaig… If you just love Gone With the Wind, this book should call your name like it called mine. I just love the setting and the story is that of the Mammy from Gone with The Wind. Her name was Ruth, she hails from Saint Domingue, and her life was rich with love and family prior to being the caretaker at Tara. Here's part of the description from the publisher:

“Her story began with a miracle.” On the Caribbean island of Saint Domingue, an island consumed by the flames of revolution, a senseless attack leaves only one survivor—an infant girl. She falls into the hands of two French émigrés, Henri and Solange Fournier, who take the beautiful child they call Ruth to the bustling American city of Savannah.

How can you resist after reading that!? The setting of this book is the South from the 1820's until the Civil War. AND, this book is actually authorized by the Margaret Mitchell estate, which should say something right there. The writing I've sampled is wonderful! It reminds me of the kind of book to start reading on a lazy day, sitting on the porch with a glass of fresh sweet tea! Published by Atria Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster, this will be hitting the shelves Oct. 14, 2014! Save the date!

Some other great eGalleys that fed my eReader this week are, The Good Girl by Mary Kyrychenko (June 25), The City by Dean Koontz (July 31), The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber (Oct. 2014), All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner (Aug. 28), and Take Me Home by Dorothy Garlock (June 24). All of these eGalleys are hints of great reads coming our way to a bookstore this summer (Except for Michael Faber's book, coming out in Oct.)

Weekly Recap… 
Memoir Monday showcased So Long, Marianne by Kari Hesthamar. The love story of Marianne Ihlen and Leonard Cohen.

Tuesday, I reviewed A Sudden Light by Garth Stein! Ghost story, great story, coming-of-age story, dysfunctional, quirky great characters, and as always great storytelling from Garth!

Saturday, I reviewed a absolutely wonderful graphic novel, This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki. Coming-of-age, summer BFF's, great story, beautiful artwork. If you enjoy graphic novels, you HAVE to read this one, and if you're new to the genre, this is a great intro for us girls!

What are you feeding your eReader with lately?! What new books from your favorite authors can you recommend!? What graphic novels are you reading!? Share your great reads here, I'd love to hear about them!

Next week, Memoir Monday will highlight a memoir about a reclusive author and the relationship that would become a surprise. Come back to discover what memoir that is!

Happy reading… Suzanne