“With steaming rivalry, simmering passion and secrets set to bubble over, this festive cook off has all the ingredients a fab Christmas book needs.” Author, Jan Brigden.
It’s the festive showdown to end all festive showdowns …
“Queen of Chocolate” Beatrice Wodehouse, known for her decadent desserts, is ready to go head to head with her social media nemesis, clean lean baking machine Charlie Simmonds, in the Great Christmas Cook Off TV show.
Beatrice is fed up of Charlie’s sanctimonious attitude and is ready to show him that food is there to be enjoyed. Surely she’ll blow his keto, low sugar, low-carb mince pies out of the water with her chocolatey creations?
Except filming for the Cook-Off turns out to be anything but sugar, spice, and all things nice when the contestants realize there’s a festive saboteur in their midst – leading to melted ice cream, trifle mishaps, and private stories leaked to the press. As the countdown to the final commences, suspicions run high and sparks are bound to fly – and not just from the flaming Christmas puddings!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
(In her own words) Ever since I was little I wanted to be a writer, to turn daydreams into books. I’m fascinated by fame, in love with Happy Ever Afters, and enthralled by slow-burn romances. I squeeze in time to write around looking after my two sons. Find out more about me on my website http://www.buckleybooks.org
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post
Not much going on personally except the chilly Fall temperatures are here. I find if my feet are warm, I’m generally warm, so it’s time to get out the warm, fuzzy socks.
Planning to make roast duck for the first time next week. That should be an adventure. Anyone with experience roasting duck please feel free to give me some tips in the comments below.
I haven’t decided on dessert yet. What are y’all having?
On Monday I plan to review the audiobook of The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.
On Tuesday I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits.
On Wednesday and Friday I will post Black Friday sales spotlights, so if you are putting your book on sale, let me know at bonniereadsandwrites@gmail.com.
On Friday I will participate in Book Blogger Hop if time permits.
The rest of the week I will post some reviews, in between cooking and reading!
BOOK HAUL
A haunting, epic novel about betrayal, revenge, and redemption that follows three generations of Russian women, from the 1917 revolution to the last days of the Soviet Union, and the enduring love story at the center.
In a faraway kingdom, in a long-ago land…
…a young girl lived happily in Moscow with her family: a sister, a father, and an eccentric mother who liked to tell fairy tales and collect porcelain dolls.
One summer night, everything changed, and all that remained of that family were the girl and her mother.
Now, a decade later and studying at Oxford University, Rosie has an English name, a loving fiancé, and a promising future, but all she wants is to understand–and bury–the past. After her mother dies, Rosie returns to Russia, armed with little more than her mother’s strange folklore–and a single key.
What she uncovers is a devastating family history that spans the 1917 Revolution, the siege of Leningrad, Stalin’s purges, and beyond.
–I received both an ebook and an absolutely stunning print copy of this book. I don’t keep all the print copies but I’m keeping this one. Gorgeous cover.
Audiobook:
Ever since business mogul Clive Reynolds disappeared twenty years ago, the name “Reynolds” has become synonymous with “murder” and “mystery.” And now, lured by a cryptic note, down-on-her-luck photographer Morgan Mori returns home to Black Harbor and into the web of their family secrets and double lives. The same night she photographs the Reynolds holiday get-together, Morgan becomes witness to a homicide of a cop that triggers the discovery of a long-buried clue.
This could finally be the thing to crack open the chilling cold case, and Investigator Ryan Hudson has a chance to prove himself as lead detective. If only he could stop letting his need to solve his partner’s recent murder distract him. But as Morgan exposes her own dark demons, could her sordid history be the key to unlocking more than one mystery?
Audiobook:
On the surface, Emerson, Massachusetts, is just like any other affluent New England suburb. But when a young woman is found dead in the nicest part of town, the powerful neighbors close ranks to keep their families safe. In this searing novel, Eden Perry’s death kicks off an investigation into the three teenagers who were partying with her that night, each a suspect. Hannah, a sweet girl with an unstable history. Jack, the popular kid with a mean streak. Christopher, an outsider desperate to fit in. Their parents, each with motivations of their own, only complicate the picture: they will do anything to protect their children, even at the others’ expense.
With a brilliantly woven, intricately crafted plot that gathers momentum on every page, this is superb storytelling told in terse prose—a dynamic read that is both intensely gripping and deeply affecting.
Below is a review of The Wife’s Promise, Book 1 of The Goswell Quartet by Kate Hewitt. I have also included Spotlights for books 2, 3, and 4. All four books are currently available on Kindle Unlimited.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Alice looked at the young girl standing alone on the platform, sensing the same vulnerability she’d once felt entering the village she now called home. Then, as the child gripped her hand, the pain and sorrow Alice had held in her heart for so long softened… And in that moment, she vowed she’d always protect her – whatever the cost…
England, 1939: When Alice marries twinkly-eyed, kind-hearted vicar David, it means leaving everything from her old life behind and moving into the draughty vicarage in the beautiful but remote village of Goswell, Cumbria. Though homesick, Alice is determined to make a new life there for herself and her husband.
But soon tragedy strikes, and she is devastated when war breaks out and David chooses to sign up to fight. But everything changes when Alice is asked to take in a child evacuee, and she makes a promise to protect this girl, no matter what it costs her…
Now: When Jane and her family move to the small coastal village of Goswell where her husband grew up, she’s afraid she might have made a huge mistake. Their new home – in what had once been the vicarage – feels a million miles from their previous fast-paced life in New York City, and Jane struggles with her empty days that seem lonely and purposeless.
But then she finds a small note, forgotten behind a shelf in the pantry. A note written in the Second World War. By a woman named Alice, whose incredible story has the power to change everything…
Two wives’ stories – told over 70 years apart – about courage, finding a home, and how the unexpected arrival of someone else’s story in your life can change your own. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley and Barbara O’Neal.
This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone.
BOOK REVIEW
This is a dual timeline novel set in a vicarage in Goswell, Cumbria. In 1939, Alice agrees to marry David and leaves everything behind to move to a large and drafty vicarage in Goswell. But then David decides to enlist and fight in World War II. In present day, Jane has agreed to leave her beloved New York and move with her husband and children to his hometown of Goswell, Cumbria. They buy and begin to restore a drafty old vicarage. When Jane finds a shopping list left behind by Alice, she begins to look into Alice’s life.
The theme of leaving home and starting over permeates both timelines. Both women try to fit into the life and customs of a tiny, remote village, and both are concerned for daughters in their own way. Both feel like fish out of water and struggle to find acceptance in Goswell. Although Alice and Jane are dealing with very different problems, family, homesickness, and the journey to a new beginning are part of both of their struggles. This is a lovely and heartfelt story of two women who have lived in the same house at different times, but share much more in common than that. The most important message I took from this book is that women can impact each other’s lives, even long after they are gone.
My rating is 4.3 stars. I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
*Please see spotlights of the three subsequent books in the Goswell Quartet below.
BOOK DESCRIPTION (BOOK 2)
“I had to free it,” Eleanor said, and stretched her hand out to the blue butterfly that seemed almost to hover in the air. “I had to let something find what happiness it could, since we cannot.”
England, 1918: As war ends, across the world, people are trying to heal and recover. But Eleanor still feels broken. The loss of her beloved brother, killed just days before the Armistice was signed, feels impossibly unjust. Spending her time in the neglected garden behind their house, she fears her heart will never recover.
Then her father hires a man to help restore the garden to its former glory. Gruff, handsome Yorkshireman Jack comes from a totally different world to Eleanor, but he understands the nature of her grief more than anyone else seems to. And as they spend time together, even though she knows her family will never accept someone of Jack’s class, Eleanor starts to wonder if – like the butterflies around them – there is any way for her to learn to soar again…
Now: Nearly one hundred years later, Marin is not prepared for finding herself the guardian of her fifteen-year-old half-sister Rebecca, after her father and his second wife are killed in a tragic accident. The sisters are practically strangers, and Rebecca’s grief makes her seem even more distant. Marin too is in need of a fresh start, so when Rebecca begs her to let them move to the picturesque village of Goswell on the Cumbrian coast, Marin impulsively agrees.
But it is only when they find a locked door to a secret garden, and a photograph of a girl with a butterfly landing on her hand, that the sisters start to realize they have a mystery to solve, one about war, about secrets, and about a love that could never be. A mystery that might just bring them together…
She clutched the piece of paper close to her chest, tears welling in her eyes, hardly believing what she had read. Silently thanking Sarah for all she sacrificed, she took the death certificate and slipped it under a loose floorboard – no one must ever find out what she’d done…
England, 1868: Orphaned and penniless, 18-year-old Sarah is left the sole guardian of her beloved little sister Lucy – who she’s vowed to protect at all costs. With nowhere left to turn, she is forced to accept mysterious widower James Mills’ proposal of marriage.
She believes being his bride can’t possibly be as bad as the threat of the workhouse. But nothing prepares her for the darkness of her marriage, the shocking secrets of her new family and the lengths she will have to go to, to keep her sister safe…
Now: Living in the beautiful village of Goswell, Ellen believes her family life to be idyllic… until her estranged seventeen-year-old stepdaughter Annabelle moves in and shatters the peace. Ellen fears they will never bond, until she finds a death certificate – for a woman named Sarah, from over a century earlier – hidden under the floorboards of their house, and Annabelle starts to help her unravel the mystery.
Yet as Ellen and Annabelle dig deeper into Sarah’s life and death, shocking truths, both past and present, come to light which change everything Ellen thought she knew about Sarah’s family – and the new addition to her own…
The Bride’s Sister is a powerful and moving story about what it means to be a family, second chances, and the lengths we go to for those we love. Fans of Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal and Fiona Valpy will absolutely love this gripping and emotional read.
This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Previously published as The Second Bride by Katharine Swartz.
She looked down at the sweet little girl and knew she wouldn’t listen to what anyone else said. She had to do what was right. Even if it meant going against everything she was taught to believe and keeping a secret from the person closest to her…
England, 1766: Abigail is happily married to James, a tobacco trader turned sea captain, and is looking forward to starting a family and settling down in Whitehaven, deep in the Lake District. But after a series of devastating losses, she finds herself in turmoil, with her future suddenly seeming unknown…
When James announces that he will captain a ship to Africa and then the Americas for a year, it sparks a series of surprising and heartbreaking events – involving some of the darkest evils in humanity’s history, and a tiny, terrified slave girl who’s brought back to England. This helpless child forces Abigail to reconsider everything she thought she knew – and will change her life forever…
Now: When a shipwreck is discovered off the coast of Cumbria, local expert Rachel is brought in to investigate. Her first thought is that this will be a perfect distraction from her troubled marriage and the memories of her past that she is desperate not to think about. But then it becomes clear the wreck is a slaving ship from the 1700s – one that was recorded as sinking in the Caribbean – and Rachel begins to wonder if there’s more to this terrible mystery than meets the eye.
Faced with uncertainty about both the past and present, can Rachel learn from Abigail’s extraordinary story and take the first step towards a brighter future of her own?
The Widow’s Secret is a completely heart-wrenching and powerful story of courage, redemption, and compassion. Fans of Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal and Fiona Valpy will be absolutely captivated by this unforgettable read.
Indie Weekend is my effort to support Indie and Self-Published authors, who have a lot on their plate. You can support them too by sharing this post with your social media followers. This is also a book I read for the November issue of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society. It is a murder mystery set in 1826 Pennsylvania with flashbacks to 1793.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
During a blizzard in the cold winter of 1826, the quiet Western Pennsylvania town of Indiana is shocked by the gruesome murders of two runaway slaves. When the county sheriff shows no interest in the dead men, newspaperman James Moorhead and his friend, Dr. Robert Mitchell, vow to investigate.
In the summer of 1793, a yellow fever epidemic decimates Philadelphia, the nation’s capital. Thousands die while those who can flee to the country. A nine-year-old orphan struggling to survive on his own in the deserted city descends into a world of deprivation and inhumanity when he is locked away in Philadelphia’s infamous poorhouse. The bloodshed triggered by these seemingly unrelated events threatens the lives of James Moorhead and Dr. Mitchell as they fight to expose the twisted link between the murders and an insane act of revenge reaching back thirty years.
The formation of the Underground Railroad, the horrors of the Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic, and the life of the author’s great-great-great-great-grandfather, one of Pennsylvania’s most famous abolitionists, are woven into a thrilling story of ambition and revenge.
BOOK REVIEW
Indiana, Pennsylvania, 1826. When two escaped, formerly enslaved men are found brutally murdered in a barn, the county sheriff shows no interest in investigating. Newspaperman James Moorhead and his friend, Dr. Robert Mitchell, both abolitionists who support the Underground Railroad, are outraged and begin an investigation of their own. In the summer of 1793, a yellow fever epidemic decimates Philadelphia. A nine-year-old boy who is left orphaned during this tragedy is abandoned in the city’s poorhouse. These events begin a chilling link between the 1826 murders and an act of revenge that reaches back thirty years.
Craig Pennington’s saga of the Moorhead family continues, this time focusing on the author’s great-great-great-great grandfather, James Moorhead, and adding a murder mystery. The mystery is fascinating, as the reader is given the killer’s identity early, and then follows James and Robert as they try to figure out who is committing these gruesome and bloody crimes. Pennington expertly weaves fiction and history together to portray events during this terrible time in U.S. history. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 meant that “slave catchers” could enter northern states and retrieve the escaped freedom seekers. For James, this meant that his actions to support the Underground Railroad were constantly resisted by pro-slavery persons and organizations.
In addition to providing a compelling mystery, this book answers the question: was the northern U.S. really free at that time? Not completely. An epilogue includes the real-life case of 12-year-old Anthony Hollingsworth, who was recaptured in 1845 and then freed by a Pennsylvania judge. James Moorhead was involved in this case.
This is so much more than a mystery. It is a look back at a struggle between good and evil in the United States. The author does not back away from horrifying moments in history, and rightly so.
I received a free copy of this book via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
I am so pleased to have the review of my latest book included on Bonnie Reads and Writes. In 1901, my great-great Grandfather AT Moorhead wrote a small book about the Moorhead Family, and I have relied on it for all three of the Moorhead novels. However, information about other people involved in the Underground Railroad and the Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic is the result of a great deal of research. Below is more information about this mystery thriller’s real-life characters.
My 4X Great Grandfather, James Moorhead (1780 – 1857), was publishing editor of one of the first newspapers in Indiana, PA. Originally he adhered to his conservative Scots-Irish upbringing, believing that you should change the laws, not break them. Eventually, however, he became one of Pennsylvania’s most outspoken abolitionists, Underground Railroad conductors, and Anti-Mason crusaders. (The Masons in that area were pro-slavery, although that varied with Mason groups throughout the country. ) Although fictitious, the events in this novel attempt to explain how and why James Moorhead’s transformation occurred. In 1843, he published The Clarion of Freedom and The Independent, another paper dedicated to eradicating slavery. His son, grandson, and great-grandson were all newspapermen.
Moorhead’s best friend, Dr. Robert Mitchell (1786 – 1863), was the second physician to settle in Indiana, PA, and one of the first conductors and station masters of the fledgling Underground Railroad. He was instrumental in defending Anthony Hollingsworth and eventually paid a large fine for hiding other freedom seekers. In later years, Mitchell became a State Representative and Associate Judge.
Bishop Richard Allen (1760 – 1831), was a formerly enslaved man who helped mobilize the free black citizens during the 1793 Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic. These brave people cared for the sick and buried the dead while most of the wealthy citizens abandoned the city. In 1794, he and Absalom Jones founded the Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Philadelphia, the first Black denomination in America. Later, Allen and his wife, Sarah Bass, were active participants in the Underground Railroad.
Debated as either saint or devil for his medical practices, Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745 – 1813) was one of the country’s most highly regarded physicians and social reformers. He was a signer of the Declaration, opposed slavery, advocated free public schools, and sought educational opportunities for women. Although he is acknowledged as the Father of American Psychiatry, his obsession with bleeding and purging undoubtedly led to many unnecessary deaths. Ironically, Rush died from a series of bleedings attempting to cure his case of typhus.
The court case of the 14-year-old freedom seeker Anthony Hollingsworth is well documented. When he was captured and held in the Indiana Hotel, a mob threatened to burn the hotel down to free him. The case came before a judge who just happened to be a member of the Underground Railroad Committee. While Garrett Van Metre, the man claiming to own Anthony, argued that the law gave him the right to take Anthony out of Pennsylvania (which it did), the judge demanded that Van Metre prove that slavery was legal in Virginia. He gave Van Metre until one o’clock that afternoon to produce a copy of the Virginia Constitution. When Van Metre failed to present the document, Anthony was set free. Van Metre was literally railroaded by the court.
What I find most exciting about historical fiction is placing real people in real events while presenting interesting and informative historical details in a fictional work. My previous novel about the Moorheads, The Heart of the Run, won the Gold Medal for Best Historical Fiction in the Florida Writer’s Association 2022 Royal Palm Literary Competition. My books are all available at Amazon on Kindle and in Paperback.
*If you buy the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
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If any authors on here are planning to put some of their books on sale for Black Friday, I’ll be happy to do a spotlight with cover art, book blurb, sales information, and links to buy. Just let me know when on my email at Bonniereadsandwrites@gmail.com.
The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book-related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blog.
My review writing changed somewhat in late 2019 or early 2020. Back then I was only reviewing on Goodreads and Amazon, but I joined the Historical Novel Society and contacted them about doing reviews for their magazine. They looked at some of my Goodreads reviews and accepted me, but it was then that I learned that print magazines only have so much space, and I would have to limit all of my reviews to 300 words, and some of them to 200 or 250. After a couple of years of doing that, I almost always write in the style they require, which is a short synopsis of the book followed by an honest and interesting review. The whole finished product can be no more than 300 words. I’m quite comfortable with that style now. So I would say my reviews are on the shorter side compared with some other bloggers out there.
This is another book I read in September for the November issue of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society.
Edinburgh, 1826. Lady Samantha Penwith, who runs a school and orphanage, is determined to find out who assaulted and murdered her husband. While out investigating, she rescues the victim of another assault and then slips away. Braden Kendrick is the sensible member of Clan Kendrick, a noted doctor. But when an unknown rescuer saves his life, he is determined to find out their identity. As Christmas approaches, Samantha and Braden find themselves fighting to uncover the truth and endangering their lives in the process.
This is a murder mystery with a touch of action/thriller and romance. The cover and title do not closely match the story because this is a well-crafted mystery as opposed to a light holiday romance. It did not quite transport me to the Christmas season, but the characters are well-rounded and I easily connected with them. The whole Clan Kendrick is an interesting family that readers will enjoy knowing. Samantha is a strong woman, and the mystery is completely intriguing and compelling. The book is a bit of a slow burn in the first half, leading up to an exciting second half. Recommended to anyone who enjoys Regency-style murder mysteries with strong female characters.
I received a free copy of this book from Zebra books via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vanessa Kelly is the award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of The Improper Princesses series, the Clan Kendrick, The Renegade Royals and The Stanton Family series, in addition to other historical romances. Named by Booklist as one of the “Stars of Historical Romance,” her books have been translated into nine languages and published internationally. In graduate school, Vanessa specialized in the study of eighteenth-century British fiction and is known for developing vibrant Regency settings, appealing characters, and witty storylines that captivate readers. She lives with her husband in Ottawa. Visit her at VanessaKellyAuthor.com or join the Clan Kendrick Facebook Group at Facebook.com/groups/ClanKendrick.
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Paul Swingle will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
On the night of a blue moon, while walking his dog, middle-aged widower Jim sees Gladys on the roof of a neighboring apartment building and is inspired to speak with her. There’s just one problem: she can’t hear him.
Indeed, Jim isn’t even sure that Gladys truly exists—that she isn’t just a rooftop patio umbrella silhouetted against the moon. Hampered by debilitating social anxiety, he cannot work up the courage to even wave.
Yet Jim returns to the same spot night after night, and Gladys—who is indeed real—sees him and becomes equally interested. She even contributes to their “conversation,” though he cannot hear her either. And while Gladys struggles with her own demons—self-loathing and depression—she is lifted by Jim’s attention, even as she describes how difficult her life has been.
Two characters, driven by sadness and a longing to connect. Will they?
Read an Excerpt
Sometimes I’m able to ponder these imponderables in a positive way, awed by the mysterious incomprehensibility of it all. At those times I think about astronomers with envy—about how they explore the magnificence of the universe, the origins of life, and other heady stuff. But today I was just hit with a profound feeling of pointlessness. You are born, you live, and you die. And who gives a damn? The vastness of the thing is enough to make you feel insignificant. Yet my funk reminded me of a joke I heard from one of the guys at work. A rabbi was standing in front of the “Ark,” I think he called it—the box containing the Torah. Overwhelmed with piety, he fell to his knees and beat his chest, shouting, “I’m nothing, I’m nothing!” The cantor, seeing this, also dropped to his knees, and likewise shouted, “I’m nothing, I’m nothing!”
About the Author:
Dr. Paul G. Swingle can be considered one of the founding fathers of Clinical Psychoneurophysiology, one of a select few, directly responsible for bringing Neurotherapy out of university labs and clinics to the general populace in the 1980’s.
His academic positions include, Professor of Psychology at the University of Ottawa from 1972 to 1997, Lecturer in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School from 1991 to 1998, Associate Attending Psychologist at McLean Hospital (Boston), Head of the Clinical Psychophysiology Service McLean Hospital (Boston). Professor Swingle was also Clinical Supervisor at the University of Ottawa from 1987 to 1997 and Chairman of the Faculty of Child Psychology from 1972 to 1977. Dr. Swingle is a Registered Psychologist in British Columbia and is Board Certified in Biofeedback and Neurotherapy. He is actively involved in research and practice. His numerous publications include nine books and numerous peer reviewed journal publications.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each week a new theme is suggested for bloggers to participate in. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to The Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
This week’s topic is: Top Ten Favorite “Awwe” Moments In Books (Share those sweet/cute moments in books that give you warm fuzzies.) I’m changing it up a bit to just reflect some of my favorite moments in books.Not all of them are happy moments, but they are all memorable.
There will be spoilers, but all these books are over six months old, so I’m including them.
Book 1 of the Chronicles of St. Mary’s series has a moment when Max, having been sacked and thrown out of St. Mary’s by Isabella Barclay for trying to save her coworkers, who Barclay swore were dead, marches back in, rescued coworkers in tow, to throw Barclay out.
Book 8 of The Chronicles of St. Mary’s has many painful moments. In fact, many call it “The Book That Should Not Be Named.” My favorite character was killed off, for one thing. But a very memorable moment came for me when Max was reunited with Matthew. It is not a sweet moment, but one to remember.
My favorite moment is when Harry finds out he is a wizard and can get some escape from the awful Dursleys.
One of my favorite moments in this book is when Hermione tells Ron that if he doesn’t like her going with Krum to the ball, then next time he should ask her before someone else does. I just thought it was a cute reaction by Ron, who still didn’t get it.
Two moments from this book stood out for me: The first is when Aravis gets clawed by a lion, and Aslan tells her it was stripe for stripe the wounds that were received by the servant girl she left behind when she escaped, and who faced a lashing because of it. She asked if the girl was going to be okay, and Aslan said that was not her story to know. I always found that pretty powerful.
My second favorite moment was when Shasta found out who he truly was.
There are so many great moments in this book it’s hard to pick a favorite, but one that really made me laugh is this one: After Elner Shimfissle falls out of her fig tree and has a near-death experience, she meets her dead sister Ida. Ida apparently is still quite miffed that Elner let Tot Wooten do her hair after she died. The whole scene is hilarious.
I’ve mentioned this before, but this is my “snowstorm” read when I’m snowed in or on a snow day. My favorite moments are when Pa finds Alamanzo’s secret wheat storage spot, and all the ways Caroline finds to keep them fed and alive when food is scarce. When the trains finally get through, Pa’s very short prayer before eating a late Christmas dinner (in the Spring) is sweet too.
Andy Weir is a genius because he managed to use math and physics in a work of fiction and still keep me not just interested, but riveted. My favorite moments are in the beginning when Ryland Grace slowly figures out who he is, where he is, and why he’s on a spaceship millions of miles from home. Weir slowly peels the onion to bring Ryland back to awareness, and it is brilliant.
My favorite moment is when Neville stands up to Voldemort, breaks free of his curse, and kills Nagini. I like the scene in the book much better than the one in the movie.
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post
Last Sunday I was sitting at the Bengals game in Cincinnati watching Joe Mixon score FIVE touchdowns, so I didn’t have time to write my Sunday Post. The past week was spent catching up on work, and this weekend I’m relaxing in Bryson City with Doug, Hermann, Holly, and Harold. Tomorrow it’s back to work.
Yesterday I took some of the MANY free books I’ve gotten from being a blogger and I donated them to the Friends of the Marianna Black Library bookstore in Bryson City. This bookstore is nonprofit and helps fund the library. I have accumulated way more books than I can possibly keep, so I figured I’d give them to a good cause. There are also at least two free library boxes in Bryson City, one at the Swain County Heritage Museum and one at Buttermilk Farms Antiques, so I put some books in those boxes as well. Anyone who wants to can take a book and leave a book. I would like to encourage other bloggers to do the same in your area if you get a lot of free print copies and no place to put them.
Since I was downtown, I did the tourist thing and went to all the shops near the Smoky Mountain Railroad. I also went inside the Swain County Heritage Museum, which is all decorated for Christmas. The museum is free and they have a gift shop to raise funds. The museum is a look back at how residents of Bryson City lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and before.
Friends of the Marianna Black Library Used Bookstore
Here’s a Bryson City sunrise pic from yesterday.
Here’s a frosty sunrise picture from this morning:
If you zoom in you can see the frost on the mountaintops.
LAST WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES
Work and travel kept me pretty busy, so it was a quiet week on the blog early in the week.
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