The Mermaid Collector by Erika Marks

Erika Marks second book, The Mermaid Collector is a must-read. Set in a coastal town in Maine, after reading this book- you may just believe in the magic of a mermaid’s tale.

Tess, the main character, is 35 years old- and walks a line between wanting the town of Cradle Harbor, Maine to accept her and wanting to tell the townspeople off. Stemming from having a mother who was free spirtited artist that the town never accepted, Tess is finally on the verge of being accepted since the town has aked her to create a mermaid scultpure for the festival.  Tess is a bit whimiscal, a believer in magical things, signs, and astrology.

Tom Grace, on the other hand, is new to town- and the town ladies are not too nice to him after leanring that he will be living in the lightkeeper’s light house and will not be allowing visitors (as they wanted for the historical factor). Tom is practical and steady.

When the two meet- will it be a case of opposites-attract? Will Tess have found her perfect match? Or will Tom be too practical for her?

Packed with subplots of the Tales of the Mermaids and stories of secrets in families- The Mermaid Collector weaves all the plots together in a convincing tale of love, trust, mistakes, forgiveness, and the power to believe in the magical aspects of the everyday life.

Books I read in September…

September was not a good month- book-wise. Between a wedding and a Carrie Underwood concert/fun girl weekend, the books did not get the attention they normally do.

Here’s the list:

1. Murder of the Cat’s Meow by Denise Swanson- cozy, light and fun reading. Skye has a wedding date set! If you’ve normally been enjoying Denise Swanson books- this is no exception. Although, she is using Skye to promote her “Dime Store” series a bit. And Trixie (Skye’s BFF) wants to write a book- she considered using an old title of Denise Swanson’s; but Skye let her know that a book was already out by that title. Cute-ish plugs for her series.

2. Death in Four Courses:A Key West Food Critic mystery by Lucy Burdette- second in the series. Haley finds herself in the middle of another troubling situation- except this time Eric, her friend and confindant, may be in more trouble than her. Fun reading, food descriptions, talk of Key West. Cozy-type book that you can curl up with.

3. The Glass Castle by Jeanneatte Walls- I cannot talk about this book anymore. Depressing. Read it for book club. Will not read again.

4. A Brew to a Kill by Cleo Coyle- Coffee, coffee, coffee- good mystery, and a development in the story of Mike and Claire.

5. The Rook by Daniel O’Malley- interesting. Sci-fi, with a mystery. Fans of things like X-Men will enjoy.

What did you read in September?

Today is the Day: The Mermaid Collector by Erika Marks is released!

It’s here! It’s finally arrived! Today, today, today- Erika Marks second book, The Mermaid Collector, is out. So go to your nearest book store (indie, Amazon, chain) and buy this book.

I have my copy, and have read a couple of pages. Too early to tell if I’ll enjoy it like Little Gale Gumbo, but I have high hopes.

If you decide to buy it, come back around and let me know thoughts on it. Love to hear what others think.

 

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

The Rook was recommended to me, and while I didn’t love it I thought I would- it did have some good parts. The story begins with Myfanwy Thomas, standing in the rain, with dead people around her wearing latex gloves. She has no memory of how she got here or why she has 2 black eyes.

Interesting teaser, right? Well then the story takes you on a ride of sci-fi type things- think X-Men, Ghostbusters, and others of that type- a long ride filled with some good plot, some bad plot, and some plot that needn’t have happened. The book for me was about a 100 pages too long. The ending seemed a bit anti-climatic- especially after all this big build-up to it.

Overall, I didn’t hate the book- but I wasn’t wowed by it either.

Image

My brother’s wedding…

Dr.Who Groom Cake

The day was a perfect day. Blue skies, nice temperature. Had been a 30% chance of rain (which was going to be a no-no for a beach wedding), but even that had decreased. The day my little brother became a married man was upon us, and the weather, the people, EVERYTHING was cooperating.

My brother and his beloved exchanged vows beginning at 5:30 pm on that September day. The crowd looked on as they gazed adoringly at each other. When the rings were to be given, the groomsmen looked a bit out of sorts- unbeknownst to the crowd- they had made a plan to do a little theatrical bit with the ring as they handed it from groomsmen to groomsmen- faces were made, “Tebowing” happened, someone pretended to throw it away- but finally, the ring made it to where it rightfully belonged. And seeing my brother and his groomsmen having a good time, that added something to the wedding. Because my brother, while he can be serious, does use humor a lot.

After the wedding, the reception was nice. The DJ played great music, and the bride and groom song was Eric Clapton’s “You Look Wonderful Tonight”. All in all, the wedding was quite a success. And I’m so pleased.

Image

Life is better when you’re laughing….

Life is Better When You’re Laughing
Photo Credit: Dogeared Jewelry Facebook page

Wise words, my friends. Wise Words. As much as I absolutely adore summer- the sun, swimming, beach, baseball games, tan lines, flip flops, and outdoor gatherings- I’ll admit that there is something about fall that I can appreciate. The pumpkins, the crispness in the air, cooler temperatures, tailgating, state fairs, World Series, new tv shows, curling up with a good book, blanket and a warm drink, the smells of autumn- definitely good things.

No matter the season, laugh as much as you can- laughing is good for the soul.

What are you most looking forward to for the fall season?

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Ok I’ll freely admit that non-fiction is usually not my cup of tea. Why? Because so many of those books are about sad times, sad childhoods, dysfunctional families, drug/alcohol use- I could go on and on. While I enjoy a dark and twisted novel (I’m looking at you Gillian Flynn) I enjoy them even more because while the story may have a “ripped from the headlines” feel- it’s generally a work of fiction.

However, I’m in a book club and this was the pick. And while I’d probably given up halfway through the lady who picked the book was a little upset that the books she’s picked previously (before I was in the club) were not enjoyed like other picks. So I gave it the ole college try and I read the book. And the book made me mad, frustrated me, made me want to throw my Kindle against the wall. This book is depressing. It’s just one bad thing after another after another. This family has went through terrible things. But even through it all, I think, Jeanette hoped that somehow her family would change.

The parents in the book make a good case for people who should never, ever have children. It wasn’t they didn’t love them, I think they did-in their own dysfunctional way. They were just so ill-equipped, so irresponsible, so unfit to be parents. Dad’s smart- but a drunk. Mom’s got talent as an artist- but probably suffers from some sort of depression (maybe even bipolar). Mom’s an adventure junkie, and Dad is too.

No matter how bad the Dad is-stealing money from them, drinking away to nothing- you SORT OF understand. He’s an alcoholic. However, the mom…. Selfishly eating a candy bar while hiding under the blanket and her kids sitting around starving. The kids find a diamond ring (a 2 carat diamond ring) and want to pawn it- she won’t let them because the Dad took away her wedding ring and she thinks that “having something pretty will boost her self-esteem”. Sure, I understand that having pretty things will boost your self-esteem- but that is beyond selfish. I could go on and on about the tales of those 2 characters.

In the end, for better or worse, and some with more emotional wear on them- the kids survive the childhood. And still manage to feel good emotions (for the most part) about their parents.

This book, while great for some people, was not for me.

Has anyone read this book? Thoughts? Comments?

 

A catch-up and preview of things to come…..

Sorry that my blogging has been so, what’s the word, oh yes…. spotty lately! Between a trip to Pensacola for my brother’s wedding AND the very next weekend a trip to Nashville (note to self: booking 2 weekend trips back to back is not advisable- I should have told my brother to move his wedding to a less busy time, right? 😉

So- today’s entry is going to be a mash-up, a catch-up, a running tally of things that I’ve been meaning to talk about but haven’t. Hold on to your hats, I’m getting on a roll!

1.  Deep South Magazine is giving away a copy of Erika Robuck’s book, Hemingway’s Girl, this Friday (Sept.28) AND is having a literary chat with Erika Robuck. If you haven’t heard of Hemingway’s Girl– it’s getting some good reviews from a few book-bloggers, so I anticipate the book being good. To enter the giveaway, click HERE. On Friday, September 28th, Deep South Magazine is hosting a Twitter chat with Erika Robuck- use Tweet Chat (it’s the best way to participate) and #southernlit. The chat will go on from 1-2pm CST.  To find out more about Erika Robuck before the chat- click HERE.

2. Speaking of Erika’s- my blog countdown clock reminds me that Erika Marks new book, The Mermaid Collector, will be released in 1 week. If you missed out on Little Gale Gumbo (Erika Marks first book) do yourself a favor and read that! I hope her second book is as good as the first one!

3. If you find yourself in Dickson, TN- there is a store called Reading Rock Books. Used and new books- I bought myself 2 used books for a fairly good deal. Nice little store- wished I had more time to spend in the place.

4. Speaking of used books- I was in Nashville this past weekend for a girl’s weekend AND the Carrie Underwood concert. We went to a place called McKay Used Books– huge warehouse-style place. Books and Movies- EVERYWHERE. I saw some paperbacks for as low as 5 cents. Definitely worth a look if you are near the area.

5. Melinda McGuire- you know who I’ve been raving about for a few weeks- 1. for her #STHRN project and 2. for her writing skills and because she’ll be at Grand Festival of Arts and Books in Fairhope, Al (October 5th and 6th!)…. BUT- here’s a whole other reason to rave about her: Melinda will have a new book released on September 28 (This Friday!). The book is called Rich Fabric– the tradition, symbolism and stories of quilting.  While the book sounds all neat and all- what makes this even more special is this: All profits from the book will be donated to Twilight Wish Foundation- a non-profit for elderly people who live below the poverty level. For more information about Rich Fabric– click HERE.

Psst- and in case you don’t get enough information from that link- Melinda McGuire will be guest-blogging here in the next few weeks. So keep checking back!

6. I’m reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls for book club. I don’t hate it, but man, it’s depressing. Disturbing, even. Anyone read it? Thoughts?

7. Has anyone read Dare Me by Megan Abbot? I’ve been hearing good things about the book, but haven’t read it.  It sounds good.

8. While it’s still a bit warm where I live- fall is approaching. And while I love reading, I love watching TV and movies, too. So any new shows out this season that are just GREAT? What about movies you anticipate seeing? My movie list is: Taken 2, Pitch Perfect, and Alex Cross. Tell me your list!

Happy Reading- and have a great week!

 

 

Image

This is so me…

A friend of mine sent me this- she knows me too well! I’m very guilty of this. I make lists, keep my calendar updated when new books are being released- I’m all about some books!

My “to read” list never really decreases because I always find more to read.

I do a happy dance when my favorite authors have new books coming out.
My feet really tap-dance when I find an author that has several books already out, and I discover that I enjoy the books. Which means I don’t have to wait a year or so for a new book!

 

 

Image

Elton John! Someone pinch me- I was in the audience!

Elton John

I never dreamed it possible that I would see Elton John in concert so near my hometown. I always felt that this would be a show that I’d have to go somewhere like Vegas to see. Needless to say, Elton John’s been on my “bucket list” for some time. And finally it happened. He performed the other night- played tons of my favorite songs.Watching him, listening to him play my favorite songs- songs that I still crank up at the house with a hairbrush in hand and dance around singing. It was great to see the concert and to check “Seeing Elton John live” off my bucket list!