Whatever character Corinne Demas creates is surely one you will fall instantly in love with. With Toby, in ALWAYS IN TROUBLE, it is easier than usual as he is a pound type pup of the “generic” breed that is white and tan and just adorable. HOWEVER, can one still love Toby when he exhibits such wayward, undisciplined behavior? To put it simply, Toby is ALWAYS IN TROUBLE, but he is also always loved!
Young readers will easily learn the days of the week through the repetition as they read about Toby’s mishaps each day. They will love the book and want it read to them, or read it themselves, over and over and the recurrence of the days along with the engaging illustrations by Noah Z. Jones will have everyone enchanted by this disobedient dog! Each day of the week, Toby is into a different kind of naughtiness. One day he is eating the homemade bread and soon after it is the buttons on a coat. Toby gets into the garbage as much as he gets into trouble until finally Emma, his owner, decides it is time for Toby to go to dog obedience school to learn right from wrong, and how to follow simple orders. His first attempt at an education results in an F on his doggie report card. He is then taken back for another stay in an obedience school where he will reside while he learns right from wrong.
Will Emma pick up her pup with an Outstanding on his report card this time, or will he just be out standing and running around when she arrives? To Emma’s surprise, she finds a new and improved Toby! Toby returns home and not only helps with chores like folding laundry, but also bakes the bread instead of eating it. Can it be? Has Toby changed that much? IS he the same pup who left home and now has come back like a different doggie? You will have to read the book to see and find out how you feel about the surprising ending of the story. I was charmed by it and the way it was illustrated was clever and made the words come to life so well.
Strongly recommend this to little ones as they love puppies and repetition like this.
Submitted Originally to Curled Up With a Good Kid's Book (www.curledupkids.com) by K.H. (Bingo)
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IN THE TOWN ALL YEAR 'ROUND by Rotraut Susanne Berner
This large, vivid, joyful book is perfect for infants and toddlers all the way through children in preschool and lower grades. It is a hard cover book filled with fantastic pictures of the daily adventures that take place in a certain small town throughout the year. Little ones will delight in seeing the change of seasons take place and the scenery change along with it. Filled with colorful illustrations and very little text, the book is more like an I SPY Or WHERE’S WALDO book, but for little people. Children will spend hours hunting for items and their parents will most probably be right there with them having fun!
The characters in the book are delightful and lively, drawn by the author. Most characters can be seen throughout the book as the city goes through a year of seasons with its hysterical and sometimes frantic occupants! Daily adventures are plainly drawn so youngsters will want to follow “the story” and retell it and relive it time and time again. Finding certain favorite characters will be especially enjoyable to the older children while younger ones will creatively discover the repetition with great delight. This is a wonderful book not only for children to enjoy on their own and with their parents, but also as it will build vocabulary and observation skills.
Ages: pre-school to 6
Submitted by K. H. (Bingo) originally to Curled Up with A Good Kid's Book (www.curledupkids.com)
Thank you to Miriam at Hachette Publishing for supplying the copy of GALWAY BAY for my winner in the Giveaway. AND, the Winner of GALWAY BAY by Mary Pat Kelly is... nfmgirl (who was # 1 on the list of entries) An email has been sent and the winner has 48 hours to reply with an address or another winner will be chosen...congratulations!
CONTEST HAS ENDED-WATCH FOR WINNERS
PLEASE NOTE: NUMBER OF
GIVEAWAY PRIZES
INCREASED THANKS TO LAURA GRIFFIN! LAURA GRIFFIN'S NEW NOVEL :
AN INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY & REVIEW!
Laura Griffin, author of THREAD OF FEAR, has satisfied all those fans waiting for another Glass sisters story. And believe me, once you read WHISPER OF WARNING, you will be satisfied! Griffin has done a phenomenal job. Before I tell you about the Giveaway and post my Review of WHISPER OF WARNING, I am pleased and honored to have interviewed Laura Griffin and here is what she said. Enjoy!
Laura: Thanks so much for inviting me for an interview, Karen! It’s been so busy lately with the upcoming book launch and a new book in the works, so I’m happy to take a breather.
Bingo: I AM THE ONE who is so happy to have you agree to this interview. So let’s start with what is your next or current book you are working on?
Laura: At the moment, I’m working on a romantic thriller called UNTRACEABLE. This is Alex and Nathan’s story… two of the characters who appear in my new release, WHISPER OF WARNING. Alex’s book is the first in my new Tracers Trilogy, which kicks off at the end of 2009.
Bingo: If you have time to read, can you share with us what have you just finished reading?
Laura: I’m part of a very fun and eclectic book club, and we read just about everything. Last month was Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and next month it’s Atonement by Ian McEwan. But we love to mix it up with lighter authors such as Jennifer Crusie, David Sedaris, Stephanie Meyer. Basically, our book club meetings are an excuse to get together and drink wine and catch up.
Bingo: That sounds like my book club meetings. What books would you say have made the biggest impression on you, especially starting out?
Laura: I’m sure I’m one of the many women who has been inspired by the books of Nora Roberts and Linda Howard. I started reading them right after my kids were born and I was feeling overwhelmed by new motherhood. Their stories were such a great escape and introduced me to the wonderful world of romance fiction.
Bingo: What gets you started on a new book? A character or story idea or...?
Laura: I almost always start with a character. For THREAD OF FEAR, which is about a forensic artist working on the case of a child abduction, the inspiration came from a news broadcast about the artist working on the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. I wanted to learn everything I could about these amazing artists (typically women) who sit down and interview traumatized people. Generally, if I can get a feel for a character, the storyline develops naturally.
Bingo: What is something about you that you would want people to know about you that we probably don't know?
Laura: I started out as a newspaper reporter, but my educational background isn’t in writing at all, but fine art. Maybe that’s the reason the character of Fiona Glass (the forensic artist in THREAD OF FEAR) came naturally to me.
Bingo: What is your best advice to anyone, including young people, who want to be writers?
Laura: Be tenacious. It’s a very tough business to break into, and you have to just keep trying and not get discouraged after one or two rejections.I’ve got some more in-depth writing tips on my web site at www.lauragriffin.com, and I’m always happy to answer questions from readers and aspiring writers.
It’s been great chatting with you, Karen! I hope you’ll enjoy WHISPER OF WARNING!
GIVEAWAY
DATES OF GIVEAWAY March 30--April 6 at 6 PM, EST!
GIVEAWAY: And thanks to Laura Griffin, I am pleased to announce a giveaway of her new book WHISPER OF WARNING.
-The First Place winner will receive an AUTOGRAPHED copy of WHISPER OF WARNING and a copy of THREAD OF FEAR!
-The Second Place winner will receive an AUTOGRAPHED copy of WHISPER OF WARNING and a copy of THREAD OF FEAR!
-The Third Place winner will receive an AUTOGRAPHED copy of WHISPER OF WARNING!
-The Fourth Place winner will receive an ARC of WHISPER OF WARNING! (my carefully read copy)
SO here is all you have to do to win as this is going to be VERY EASY!
ONE ENTRY: Just comment below and leave an email address or way to get hold of you if you are one of the lucky winners!
TWO ENTRIES: In your comment join to follow MY BLOG, or tell if you do!
FOR AN EXTRA ENTRY: BLOG ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK TO WHERE YOU BLOGGED!
US and Canada entries only, no PO Boxes, please DATES OF GIVEAWAY March 30--April 6 at 6 PM, EST!
BOOKIN' BINGO'S REVIEW OF
WHISPER OF WARNING BY LAURA GRIFFIN
Following the great success of THREAD OF FEAR, Laura Griffin stays with the Glass clan and this time highlights sister Courtney. As you remember in THREAD OF FEAR, Courtney was the sister who seemed to always attract trouble and this story is no exception. She is such a marvelously complex character, a genuinely unfortunate soul that you'll love from the very beginning of the story. Courtney tends to make mistakes and decisions that can force the reader to pull their hair out, but in the end, you're still anxiously rooting for her to make everything turn out right. Misfortune finds her wherever she goes, but she never gives up.
From the beginning of the story, it starts. Courtney’s married former boyfriend David has contacted her repeatedly wanting to see her, and so she finally agrees to meet him to get him to stop bothering her. While Courtney waits for David who is late for their meeting that gets her off to a bad start when he wanted the meeting in the first place! Upon his arrival, he gets into her car and is acting as if she is the one harassing him! Courtney is shocked by this but not as shocked as when suddenly a gunman wearing a mask jumps into the backseat of the car. The intruder takes their cell phones and then he grabs Courtney’s hand and forces her to hold the gun he has while he pulls the trigger and shoots David. Courtney has little recourse but she does manage to use her mace on him in his mouth and while he sputters, she leaves the car. The story heats up as Courtney races away and from that point on, the race never ends as the nonstop action begins!
Courtney must then prove her innocence while this dangerous killer is after her to keep her from ever being believed. Detective Will Hodges is put on Courtney’s case along with his partner Nathan Devereaux. However, since Nathan already has an association with the Glass family, he must step down leaving only Will to work on solving Courtney’s case. He listens but just doesn’t understand or fully believe Courtney. There just is too much that doesn’t seem to make sense, he thinks. She seems to be covering up something. Given all that however, after a while, for some reason, Will does believe that Courtney is innocent. It is here that we discover the right kind of man for Courtney. Will is the perfect match to play the hero and to offset Courtney’s bad decisions. It does, however, take Courtney and Will a little longer to come to this realization and the sexual tension and chemistry between them builds slowly. Meanwhile, Will works hard on solving the case but not hard enough to please everyone. For one, they realize that the killer is probably looking for Courtney.
Secondly, David’s now wealthy widow is pushing for an arrest and if Will can’t solve this case, it will be all she wrote for this Glass sister. Try as he might, Will just can’t stop thinking about Courtney and admits to himself finally that there is something going on between the two of them. This chemistry is the explosive kind and both of them know its danger. Courtney finally realizes that the killer will not stop until he gets her because she holds an important piece of information and he wants it. What is she to do? Finally, she decides she can trust Will enough to share this information with him. She is left with no alternative. This information, along with Will’s feelings for Courtney, could either solve the case, or put an end to his career forever—and an end to any hope of being with Courtney! BUT, can Will find the killer before the killer finds Courtney? Can Will and Courtney heed the WHISPER OF WARNING and work together to solve the mystery?
The recommendation I give this book is a good one for several reasons. It can be read as a stand alone novel but you will probably want to start with THREAD OF FEAR so you can then follow the Glass sisters from here on out. One is that I couldn’t put it down. Another is that I like that there seems to be a series going on with the Glass sisters so there will be more from Laura Griffin to enjoy. Also, best of all, I love the fact that I didn’t guess who the killer was so it was a real ah-ha moment!I wouldn’t be surprised if many readers felt the same way as they read WHISPER OF WARNING by Laura Griffin.
LAURA GRIFFIN Spins A Mysterious Web
with THREAD OF FEAR
Fiona Glass is the best forensic artist around as evidenced by her unmatched skill at unraveling and interpreting people’s thoughts and memories in order to draw and build faces of criminals who are suspects in normally violent crimes. With this glowing description, one would imagine that Fiona Glass can write her own ticket and call all the shots. However, Fiona wants only one thing and that is to quit. The stress of listening over and over to all the victim’s stories have made her decide she has had enough. From now on, she wants to concentrate her artistic skills on just plain art, not of the forensic kind! She wants to create still lives not recreate dead ones. She is emotionally finished and wants out so she can center her life on being a normal commercial artist who specializes mostly in nature scenes.
However, with the Graingerville Police Chief, dashing Jack Bowman, doing a handsome job of persuading Fiona that she is the only one to help solve his newest case, it is going to be hard to quit. This new and tragic case involves a serial killer that has a history going back more than 10 years and Jack has a personal stake in it. Fiona finds it very hard to say no to Jack Bowman who is really quite a threat to Fiona as he is the one kind of man she would find it hard to say no to and so, alas, she stays on to help. What neither Fiona nor Jack counted on, however, was that she would become so caught up in this case that Fiona finds herself a target of the killer before long. Although Jack knew Fiona was the best chance he had of ever finding this maniacal and callous killer, he didn’t realize she would be in danger every minute he is on the loose. Fiona’s best chance now to stay safe is to stay with Jack and solve this heinous crime. The secrets in this case are indeed like “threads of fear” as every clue unravels like a worn out knit cap, exposing one more shocking piece of the puzzle that will lead them to their target each time.
As young innocent teenage girls are the prime objective of the killer, Jack and Fiona get more caught up in the puzzle of this crime as well as the mystery of their relationship. Jack realizes that Fiona has to be watched over because now that she is so immersed in solving this crime, she is getting careless about her own safety.
Laura Griffin has given us a “can’t stop reading”, thriller intertwined with a growing love story. Just when readers think they have things figured out, Griffin turns the page and adds another twist or surprise. I doubt many, if indeed any, will know the ending before the conclusion of this story as a surprise revelation will give all readers a chance for a big GASP!...and then comes the wait!..... for the second in this series, WHISPER OF WARNING! HIGHLY RECOMMEND this one!
I won a contest that was on BOOK CLUB GIRL'S BLOG!!
Book Club Girl's contest was promoting the PBS showing onMarch 15th ofDAVID COPPERFIELD that starred a young, ten-year-old, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) in his first role and Sir Ian McKellen. So I won a copy of the PBS DVD of DAVID COPPERFIELD and the book, DAVID COPPERFIELD by Charles Dickens from Penguin Classics.I LOVE Charles Dickens!!!!
BOOK CLUB GIRL (Jennifer) emailed me that I had won and I was thrilled. I think I was also thrilled that my little BOOKIN' WITH BINGO was mentioned on her blog when she announced the winner. When I first began writing reviews and then looking at blogs (before I even knew really what I was looking at) I read hers. So, BOOK CLUB GIRL is the kind of blog I can only dream of having someday. So thank you to BOOK CLUB GIRL and all concerned for the great gifts. If you want to see her post about my win (meaning you have nothing better to do) you might click here!
SPECIALSHARE THE GIVEAWAYGIVEAWAY: In that I have won all these awards, DVDs, and Books this week, I want to share my good fortune.
SO! I want to give away a special gift (a grab bag of books from Bingo's Book Bin which will include my copies of SUBURBAN WEIRD and AFTERNOON TEA, gently read, and TWO MYSTERY SURPRISE titles NOT READ, NEW, as well, for a total of 4 books!) to the person who helps my "FOLLOW ME" post on the right hit the 100 member mark!
Only those who followon my blog,in the list to the right, will be eligible (even though some of you may follow one of the other ways, for this, it will be who puts me on or over the top on the right). When that happens, I will put ALL THE FOLLOWERS' NAMES FROM THE RIGHT FOLLOWERS' GROUP into the "Special Giveaway Giveaway" number generator and choose a winner. Why you could be my first follower over there, or the last to sign up, or someone in between!
You don't have to do anything to enter here, just sign up as a follower on the right if you haven't yet. So, that's it...now enjoy some of the DAVID COPPERFIELD DVD I won by listening to Daniel Radcliffe talk about the experience making the movie.
Here is the You Tube clip that was on BOOK CLUB GIRL'S post.
IF MY FOLLOWERS DO NOT REACH 100, THE GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY WILL BE CANCELED AND NO WINNER CHOSEN...SORRY, HOPE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN!
1) Add the logo of the award to your blog 2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you 3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs 4) Add links to those blogs on your blog 5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!
I'm passing this on to seven super bloggers whose blogs I know MANY people love and I have been going to them a lot lately and I love them too!
I was awarded this ZOMBIE CHICKEN AWARD from Cheryl at Cheryl's Book Nook
Thank you, Cheryl! What a cute award!
The Award comes with the following description:
"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all..." Rather than risk the wrath, plus I love to give awards, I am giving the ZOMBIE CHICKEN AWARD to these fabulous five bloggers BECAUSE these bloggers have been an inspiration, support, help, and friend to me as a new blogger getting started back in January AND because it just may be one of the only awards they don't have yet--if I get it to them fast enough! Thank you, Ladies!
This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award.
Drey from Drey's Library honored me by presenting me with this award. Thank you, Drey!
It is my pleasure to pass on this wonderful award to these eight deserving, clever, kind and friendly bloggers some of which I am just getting to know:
Welcome J. R. LaGreca!Here is some information for Bingo readers about this up and coming author who if you haven't read her books before, or heard her name, YOU WILL!
J. R. LaGreca is the author of two books, Afternoon Tea, a historical fiction, and Suburban Weird, a modern fiction that I am currently doing a giveaway for. She has a BA in Writing/English, and graduated Phi Theta Kappa Magna Cum Laude in Fashion Apparel Design. She is an award-winning poet, internationally published in magazines and anthologies, and a former designer and manufacturer of couture, evening attire. Her designs have been in magazines, on the covers of trade journals, and sold nationwide. Jody R. LaGreca has been selected as a VIP member of Madison Who’s Who for 2008-2009. She was born in Sea Gate, Brooklyn, and currently lives with her husband and daughter in New York.
What is the next or current book you are working on?
My next books are titled The Gloaming, Fleshpot, Seduction and The Good Daughter. I have been working diligently for many years, and everything has come together at once. They are all completed and will be released in 2009.
WOW! That is quite ambitious! With all that, do you have time to read for yourself and if so what have you just finished reading?
I have just finished reading Evergreen by Belva Plain, who was born in 1919. Her novel is historical through the passage of time. I was actually recommended to read it from two friends who said my style of writing reminded them of her. Considering this is now one of my favorite books I am quite flattered by the comparison.
What books would you say have made the biggest impression on you, especially starting out?
I am partial to ethereal books with a beautiful, mysterious setting, and a larger than life story that transcends the imagination. To me the books that fall into this category are Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, the New England winter setting of this book takes me away, and The Assistant by Bernard Malamud.
What gets you started on a new book? A character or story idea or….?
A story just pops into my head when I least expect it, and a force inside me compels me to write it down. From there a whole book emerges with a life of its own. My inspiration comes from my emotions, and perhaps images of past inspirations stored in my subconscious. I have an overwhelming desire to express these feelings through my characters, and zero in on what makes them tick. As a poet with a slant toward visionary images, my readers have told me my books transport them and make them feel like they are right in the story. As these picturesque images emerge during the writing process they create a picture in my mind as well. So to this extent I am the writer and also the reader, and this aspect makes writing pleasurable to me.
What is something about you that you would want people to know about you that we probably don’t know?
I am a natural born writer. My first poem came to me at seven years old and since then I was always writing. As a teenager I would go to the beach with a notebook with the wind in my hair and the sound of the crashing waves in the background and write. Writing for personal satisfaction is different than writing professionally. When I decided to cross that line there was no turning back. I spend most of my time in front of the computer writing, and perfecting my books. I won’t stop until I am a hundred percent pleased.
What is your best advice to anyone, including young people, who want to be writers?
My best advice would be to keep writing; this keeps you in good condition and is equivalent to exercise of the mind for tiptop performance. I recommend READPLEASE or a similar program where it reads what you have written back to you. This tool is the best weapon for hearing how your writing sounds. Lastly, keep persevering and never give up.
The adorable Thesaurus Rex is sure to catch the attention of dinosaur-loving little ones in this bright and bubbly book filled with great descriptive language.
Thesaurus Rex spends his time exploring, exercising, even getting into mischief sometimes. At the end of his busy day, he eats a good dinner and has his bath. His day ends with his mommy tucking him into bed. This is an ideal story of what every little T. Rex with a loving mom should do each day.
However, what makes Thesaurus Rexreally special is that while the children will enjoy the story, they will also be learning synonyms. They narrative rhymes and has great movement that soon has your child reading along and reciting with you as you read. In each of Thesaurus Rex’s daily activities, you find synonyms all illustrated in bright, bold colors by Debbie Harter.
Author Laya Steinberg has written a lively story that children will learn from as well as enjoy. The repetition of the words, along with alliteration and rhyme, add the element of strengthening good listening communication skills. If for no other reason, this is just a very happy, fun book for ages 4-8.
In the town of Neatasapin (where everything is as the name suggests) lives Emmaline, a very lonely little girl. When she sees pictures of a bunny, she wishes she could have the cuddly critter; it looks like an animal that would make a good friend. She knows a bunny likes to hop and dig and cuddle, which would be wonderful for her.
Mayor Orson Oliphant doesn’t like anything having to do with a mess including animals - so that means bunnies, too. The mayor’s rules ban trees and bushes and digging in the dirt. He wants everything covered with concrete. Emmaline knows her parents will never let her have a bunny because of the mayor’s laws.
Emmaline realizes that since bunnies like to hop around things like trees and bushes, to dig in the dirt and cuddle, she really needs to go somewhere where she can find all these things and love a bunny legally. She decides to follow the wild animals to a place called Untidy, and there she finds “her” bunny. They frolic and play, but when the time comes for Emmaline to go home, she’s sad because she knows her bunny can’t come with her.
The story’s ending has to do with Emmaline’s parents and what they decide about the bunny. They notice a change in their daughter and decide to help her invite the animals back no matter what the mayor says. Will Mayor Oliphant let Emmaline keep the bunny? Will Emmaline’s parents change their mind and obey Mayor Oliphant? Will the lovely story full of great gifts coming in many different ways turn out to make Emmaline happy?
A lesson in how the environment changes all that exists, caring for a pet, and some great rhyming words make this a charming and enjoyable book for children. It’s especially conducive to being read aloud, stopping and discussing the problems Emmaline faces. Alliteration and imaginative wording helps make Emmaline and the Bunny a good choice for children to read and enjoy, and the soft watercolor illustrations add to its charm.
Originally submitted to Curled Up With a Good Book for Kids, by K.H. (Bingo)
Please visit my first Monday blog post here before this one as it is my new giveaway and review for TWO books by J. R. LaGreca!
Debbie at Wrighty's Reads was kind enough to give me the Sisterhood Award! This is very special because it acknowledges the kindness and spirit of blogging. Now I get to pass this on to others who show great attitude and gratitude!Now here are the details for passing on this honor.
Put the logo on your blog or on a post.
Nominate up to 10 other bloggers which show great attitude and or gratitude.
Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.
And I am passing this SISTERHOOD AWARD on to people whose blogs I love and their writers are kind, and helpful to everyone, especially me!
I apologize if this is a duplicate to any of you but your blogs are examples to everyone and especially me so I guess it is only that you are twice as nice!
J. R. LaCreca is a new author to me although not to many of you, I know. I have recently been in touch with her about two of her books, AFTERNOON TEA and SUBURBAN WEIRD. She has graciously offered to do an interview and a giveaway of both these books! I am so excited. I will be giving away a copy of each book to one lucky winner. The giveaway will run from today, March 23, through 6 PM, EST, March 30. (This is the same end date for GALWAY BAY, so it will be a busy day!)
U.S. and Canada entries only No P.O. Boxes
Entries MUST have email in comment or attached by clicking on name, etc.EVERY entry MUST be a separate post, please this time!
Up to 3 ways to enter!
1-Post comment with which book you think interests you more
2-In a separate entry, Follow ON MY BLOG
3-In another separate entry, Post about giveaway and leave link
Read my review of AFTERNOON TEA below, and the Barnes&Noble synopsis of SUBURBAN WEIRD (that I am currently reading). Watch for my interview with J. R. LaGreca on Wednesday's post!Thanks for visiting! Good Luck!
My Review of AFTERNOON TEA
by J. R. LaGreca
AFTERNOON TEA by J. R. LaGreca is set in New England in the late 1800s. The details for the setting add much to the flavor of the story as it winds around the quaint villages of that area, many of which can still be visited today. AFTERNOON TEA is a romantic tale of class struggle in that era between the upper and lower class citizens.
As the story opens, 83-year-old Lawrence Gray is spied on by Meg Bailey from her kitchen window as he visits his wife’s grave every day. His wife who had died about 40 years earlier is buried within Meg’s view and she becomes quite fascinated by the love and attention Gray still has for his wife after all these years. Would someone love Meg enough to bring her roses every day?
Meg becomes quite inquisitive about why Gray does this and so she pays a visit to Fanny Brund. Fanny is the keeper of the town’s secrets, the town historian one might call her. When Meg inquires, Brund invites her over for a cup of tea and so that afternoon, Meg learns of the wonderful love that Lawrence Gray and Emily Reed had for each other. Fanny takes Meg back to the time of Emily’s death and hints at what might have been a somewhat suspicious death.
Meg decides that she must discover what the secret is that has lain dormant all these years and so searches for answers to her questions. Little does Meg know that what she finds out may change her own life forever.
As Meg “goes back in time” she finds that it was still a time when medicine and medical care were very archaic and strange potions were thought to cure things almost by magic. LaGreca shows a great deal of research in this part of the story including how things looked such as every young woman’s special time when she would come out at a debutante ball.The description of the traditional and conservative wedding of that time is written with such wonderful detail that readers will feel like they are at the affair.
The clothing, customs, and manners of that time period come to life with LaGreca’s words and whether the rich or the poor are being described, one still can tell what it was like and thus gets a very real pictorial comparison of class struggle during that era.
What the reader finds out is that this was not just the simple time it might appear to be. A passionate 3 way love affair takes place that will surprise you as we would not think something like that would take place back in those days. Meg discovers that Lawrence’s precious Emily is set up by her father, Philip Reed, in a not unusual for the time arranged marriage…but not to Lawrence but rather to a promising young man by the name of Sir Dexter Lund. Lund is a lawyer with a good career ahead of him unlike poor Lawrence who has no education and therefore, no way to care for Reed’s daughter, Emily. At least in his eyes, not the way she would be cared for.
Unexpectedly, Lawrence is able to follow Emily to the home where she is now staying with her betrothed’s family. And so, to be near her, Lawrence is forced to become the beau of Lund’s sister, Mallory. In your imagination, you can think of many possibilities of where this would all lead, but which one is correct? How, if at all, does Meg fit into any of this? How did Lawrence finally wind up married to his beloved Emily whose grave he visits daily? What part did the medical care of that time have to play in all this? How this story ends and why it is such a satisfying read are what keep you turning the pages until the very last one. Is the ending what you think it will be or is there a twist and surprise you never see coming? This is what you will find out when you read and enjoy as I did, AFTERNOON TEA by J. R. LaGreca.
SYNOPSIS OF SUBURBAN WEIRD
from BARNES&NOBLE.COM
Suburban Weird is a riveting saga of lies, lust, love and betrayal. Courtney appears to have it all - a loving lawyer for a husband, her mother-in-law's extraordinary estate for them to live in while saving for a house. Her bliss becomes overshadowed when her husband's older brother lures her into a whirlwind of desire and deception. Witness the haunting tale of how one woman becomes a pawn in a game of seduction.
Set in scenic Bay Shore, Long Island, Suburban Weird follows the exploits of Courtney Gold, a forty-year-old beauty. Courtney becomes apprehensive when her future mother-in-law, Edith Stein, turns out to be the eccentric woman her Aunt Bessie warned her about in the past.
In spite of this troubling connection, Courtney marries her fiancé, criminal attorney, Seth, only to become dangerously drawn to his adopted brother, fertility specialist, Dr. Aaron Stein. Aaron flirts mercilessly with Courtney, while constantly belittling Seth, the black sheep and baby of the family.
Things become precarious when Courtney and Seth, move into Edith's nine-bedroom mansion, and Aaron and his Russian mail-order bride, Natasha Krilova, twenty-seven years his junior, move in as well. The gorgeous, teenage virgin adds spice to this bizarre blend. The situation escalates when Aaron treats Courtney for her difficulty in conceiving.
Is Aaron a complete professional like Seth vows him to be? How does Courtney handle her improper desires? Is Edith as insidious as her Aunt Bessie suspected? Will this madness come to an end? Read the book to find out Courtney's destiny.
UPDATE: Bingo is doing better and wanted to take a minute to wish you all safe holidays. With all that is going on in our country now, we hope you all are safe and healthy. Enjoy your books and KEEP READING!
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