Thursday, May 31, 2018

Patty Pick for 5/31/18 is "Dreams of Falling" by Karen White

This is a picture of the night we opened the box to pass out our bound manuscripts of Karen White's new book, "Dreams of Falling"! My book club was excited to be able to read a new book before it was introduced to the public and we were going to Skype with the author, Karen White, during one of our future book club meetings! It just don't get any better than that! I have loved Karen White's writing since being introduced to her by the lovely ladies at Pelican's Bookstore in Ocean Isle Beach. One weekend I found myself in there trolling for new books and they recommended Karen White's "On Folly Beach." That was it, I was hooked and have been reading her books since. 

My book club read the book and we discussed how we loved the strong women characters in "Dreams of Falling" over a glass of water or wine. The book opens with Ivy falling through the old, rotten floorboards at Carrowmore plantation. But why was she there and what was she looking for? Ivy is trapped between her earthly body and what and who is waiting for her is she crosses over to the hereafter. Thus we go back to the beginning and meet the three friends, Margaret, CeeCee, & Bitty. They have set their paths together with wishes written on ribbons and placed in the old oak tree on Carrowmore's property.  Their lives change drastically after a graduation trip to Myrtle Beach, and we go along for the ride as their futures unfold in different ways than each one had planned or imagined. Their choices effect the daughters who come after. This book had wonderful themes of friendship, love, believing in yourself, and forgiveness. The friends were carrying around a secret that no one wanted to share as they were afraid it would hurt the others.

Ivy is Margaret's daughter, who CeeCee raises as her own after Margaret dies tragically in a fire at Carrowmore. Their mother-daughter relationship is complex, just like in real life and Karen captures it well. The effect of the events of that night push forward into the future of the friends, with Ivy and even effects Larkin, Ivy's daughter. Larkin ran away to New York City to work after college and has avoided coming home to Georgetown, South Carolina and face her old friends and neighbors. Working through some of the reasons she ate too much has made her healthier but she has not faced all of the reasons. I loved her free spirit and self-confidence during her high school years. The fearlessness she showed is what helped her find two life-long friends in Bennett and Mabry. She came home to see her Mom, Ivy, but during her visit works through some of her own issues that she had hidden away from herself in New York.

As the story travels between the past and the present, secrets are revealed. The past and present intertwine to bring our story to an end. I cried, I laughed, and I wished that I could have met them all, but I did in this book. Karen White has a special way of making the characters come alive for me as I read. Enjoy this new book to be published June 5th. And if you get a chance to meet Karen White, you will love her. No one is nicer or writes a better book! A solid 4.5 Star!!



Sunday, May 20, 2018

Patty Pick for 5/17/18 is “The Secret to Southern Charm” by Kristy Woodson Harvey



Kristy Woodson Harvey has another terrific book you don't want to miss called “The Secret to Southern Charm” in her Peachtree Bluff series! The family of women, Ansley, the mother and her daughters, Caroline, Sloane & Emerson have been through some tough times in their lives but, they have grown into strong adult women. They have a strong bond and use their individual strengths to help each other out and make unerring good choices to be there for each other when needed. 

The three daughters are now gathered for the summer at their mother’s house in the quaint town of Peachtree Bluff, Georgia. They have learned that Sloane’s husband, who is serving in the Army, is missing in action. They rally around her and her boys to help in any way possible, like warm up one of the 62 casseroles the neighbors brought over. The other sisters, Caroline & Emerson have their own problems to deal with and you will want to immerse yourself in their lives, too. Better yet, let’s just move there!


This family and the town of Peachtree Bluff will wiggle its way into your heart and you will find yourself invested into the day-to-day challenges each person faces. The story weaves around the lives of each daughter and Ansley and the choices they must face during the life of the novel. I laughed with their humor, I cried with their pain and loss, and I wanted to live for just a little while in Peachtree Bluff in this house with these women. 
Open the first page and experience the raw pain of an army wife not knowing if her husband will come home. This is a true American novel with strong Southern themes that I can relate to, and the family truths are relatable to us all. Don’t miss this lovely novel and by all means, sugar, read them both! 5 Stars and big hug!

Friday, May 4, 2018

Patty Pick for 5/3/18 is "Are You Sleeping?" by Kathleen Barber

"Are you sleeping" by Kathleen Barber is definitely a book you don't want to miss! The book centers around two twin sisters whose father's murder will change their every relationship. My book club had a lot of good discussion about this one! The book lays out the story via multiple points of view and from podcast texts. This makes the book very enjoyable to read. 

The book centers around the murder of the twins, Josie & Lanie's, father which took place in their teenage years and changed both of their lives forever. A young neighbor, Warren Cave, was convicted for the crime but everyone involved has a different memory of that night. After the murder, the once inseparable sisters grow apart. The effect of the murder reverberates through their lives. As the book starts, they are no longer best friends, they don't even talk to each other or know where they live.  

Their mother ran off shortly after the murder and joined a cult once the trial was over that convicted Warren Cave. Warren's mother is never convinced that her son committed the crime and has been trying all avenues to get the case reconsidered and her son set free. Thus enter the want-to-be-notorious Poppy Parnell, who will dig into the case on her podcast and stir everything up again for them all.

As Josie is deciding whether to tell her live-in boyfriend about her past, her mother dies and she is forced to return to her hometown to confront the murder, her sister, her lies about herself and her memories of that night. This psychological thriller explores the murder and what each twin remembers from that night. They must come to terms with what happened after the murder and the secrets each sister have from the other and from themselves.  

This book is unique in the format and told in a quick pace that kept me turning the pages with surprises happening frequently. You will be rooting for Josie to find her truth and hope she can figure out a way to tell Caleb about her real self and past. She and Lanie will find the truth and figure out what happened the night her father was murdered. A solid 4 stars!