Southern Lit

Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

SOMEONE-ELSES-LOVE-STORY

Photo Credit: Goodreads

What’s that sound you hear? Yep, it’s people rejoicing over the fact that Joshilyn Jackson has released a new book! I’ll admit that I’m a late-comer to the Joshilyn Jackson- love fest (I’m nothing if not honest!) For me, ole JJ had not even been on my radar till Deep South Magazine put A Grown Up Kind of Pretty on their Reading List back in winter 2011. The cover just called out to me (can you tell me the cover wouldn’t call out to you?!) and lucky for me, I found out she was going to be at TurnRow & I could get my book signed. So I did (here is where I met the incredible JJ)

But enough about a Joshilyn Jackson love fest- the point of today’s post is the review of Someone Else’s Love Story!

Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

Shandi is 21. Shandi is not like most 21 year old girls, though- yes, she goes to college, yes, she is finding herself. But Shandi has a child- and she’s making her life better for him- while also learning some hard lessons of growing up. Life has taken a funny twist for Shandi- a twist that was not spelled out for some pages- kind of danced around. However, this twist gave Shandi (and the readers Natty) and it gave Shandi a reason to face reality. To face life and truth. Life is not quite finished with Shandi, though.

One day, as Shandi, Natty and Walcott are heading to the big city of Atlanta- they stop at a gas station. Just an ordinary, average, run of the mill gas station. After Shandi and Natty are inside and Shandi is eyeing this man- this man of Greek god proportions- another man walks in. A man that most would not pay a lick of attention. Except.. This man is holding a gun. What happens next in the Circle K twists and turns Shandi’s life- and unites William (the man of Greek god proportions) and Shandi in ways that are life-altering.

William Ashe, besides being of Greek god proportions, besides being a genius- is also autistic. High-functioning- but certain circumstances throw him. He also has a different way of looking at life- partly because of his autism, partly because of past circumstances.

William and Shandi’s time in the Circle K may not have been long- but that day- events were set in motion. Seeds were planted. And because of that, because of a day of fear- previous happenings in life start to take on a crystal clear glow. What William and Shandi do next, do with the knowledge that is afforded them- is part of their true destiny. Someone Else’s Love Story tells the story- with charm, with laughter, with tears and understanding.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Someone Else’s Love Story– is it a love story? An examination of faith and science- how they exist separately & yet co-exist together? A story of righting past wrongs and moving to a new understanding? Truth is……It’s all that. And so much more. Joshilyn Jackson takes 2 characters, characters that had nothing in common except being at Circle K at the same time- and writes a story that is thought proving, heartwarming and intensely filled with love- love for all her characters.

Recommended.

 

 

*This book was provided by William Morrow to members of She Reads Blog Network in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman

looking for meLooking for Me by Beth Hoffman is a sweet book that combines family, antiques, love of rural land and the charming town of Charleston.

Teddi Overman is a girl that likes garage sales, estate sales, and finding broken pieces and making them beautiful again. Teddi, while living in Kentucky with her family, dreams of a life elsewhere- a life where she can restore antiques and sell them. Teddi’s brother, Josh, wants a life where he is at one with nature- that is his place, where he is truly happy. Teddi always figures that Josh will become a park ranger- a job where he could help animals, keep the wildlife safe and have a hand in keeping the evils of modern life from the sanctuary of nature. Then Josh disappears- and people begin to fear the worst.

Teddi is living her life in Charleston, owns her own antique store, and has friends and generous people in her life.  Josh’s disappearance is still a hole in her life- a hole that she hopes to be able to fill one day by finding out once and for all what happened to Josh. Even though common sense dictates that Josh met an untimely death- Teddi’s heart will not let go of the thought that he is alive somewhere.

When Teddi finds herself back in Kentucky, dealing with unexpected issues- she begins to look at her family’s belongings- and in the process of deciding what to keep and toss- Teddi finds things that show different sides to the family she thought she knew everything about. Learning new things puts her relationships in different lights- and let’s Teddi know that even if love is not expressed in the ways one would want, it is there. Once she arrives back in Charleston- Teddi knows that it is time to live life- to not hold back. With that idea- she finds life in Charleston becomes a richer, more fulfilling experience, and one she was more than ready for.

Beth Hoffman, writing about love, loss, finding yourself, and letting go, creates a story that is a reader’s dream. It has something for everyone, is well-written and very enjoyable. Grab a copy of Looking for Me, sit down and read Teddi’s story. You can thank me later.

Literary Friday ya’ll….

Friday- it’s a beautiful day and I  have a glass of lemonade- it almost does not get more #southernlit than this.

Deep South Magazine has their Literary Friday up and running- with news of Huckleberry Finn and ABC, James Franco, various festivals and book signings, and writing tips from Mark Twain.

Also, if you’re a fan of Erin Z. Bass- creator of Deep South Magazine (and if you’re not- you need to be; this girl is fantastic, funny, and fabulous!) Erin was a guest on Melinda McGuire’s Southern Creatives blog this week- so click HERE for that!

And  not to toot Deep South Mag’s horn too much- but they are tasting and discovering new Southern Food products and want to know other people’s favorites and must-haves! Click HERE for that article. Personally I feel that Blues Hog BBQ Sauce needs to be on the list- it’s got a sweet, but somewhat tangy flavor, and makes a pork tenderloin great! My next addition to the list, for when a person gets thirsty, would be Fat Mama’s Knock You Naked Margarita Mix from Natchez, MS (but can be found in many stores and even Amazon- if Natchez is too far away!)

Friday Reads- Currently reading Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks and A Teeny Bit of Trouble by Michael Lee West. Both books are good- if you read Gone With A Handsomer Man and loved Teeny- rest assured, she’s back and better than ever.

In addition to Friday Reads- let’s discuss authors- new and old! Any favorite authors coming out with new books that are eagerly anticipated?  See a book by an author that you’ve never read before but are drawn to? Chime in! And do tell- I’m all ears 🙂

If you do the Twitter thing- check out #SRblognetwork- a great group of bloggers that are reviewing books that She Reads Book Club has picked.

Listening to a discussion the other night, and a woman was talking about how she dislikes “chick-lit” and called a couple of books that are really more “Southern-lit” the term “chick lit”. Is there a difference between Southern-lit and chick-lit (I think there is, but do others think that?) Is any book that is written by a female considered “chick lit”? Is “chick lit” dead, evolving, or staying strong in terms of readership?

And finally to end Literary Friday on the cutest note possible- my dog, my wonderful Zeke, pictured earlier on my blog “reading” Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich- the other day, while I was reading the book, sat beside me and kept looking at the book. I imagined him saying “Hey! I wasn’t finished with the book!”

Happy Reading!

 

Guest Blogging for Melinda McGuire (melindamcguirewrites)

If you’ve read my blog the past few weeks, I’ve been mentioning Melinda McGuire and her great idea for Southern posts (#STHRN for Twitter people!). I’ve really enjoyed reading some of the other guest bloggers posts, and having recently had the opportunity to go to a uniquely Southern place- I sent Melinda an email, pitched her my idea, and she graciously accepted it.

Here’s my post on Rowan Oak, Oxford, and a taste of the Southern Life. Thanks Melinda for letting me have the opportunity to write of a great experience and to share with people all over. Check out Melinda McGuire’s blog melindamcguirewrites– great articles, guest posts, and more!

 

Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teaser Tuesday is from The River Witch by Kimberly Brock (page 104)

The best part, the only part worth anything, I’d left in another box, buried in Dalton.

I couldn’t keep this up, and neither could she, but I had no idea how to keep her safe inside.