Everybody’s Talking About Sisterhood (and The Moon Sisters by Therese Walsh!)

Sisterhood. What does it mean? Do you have to be a sister to know what it means? Or is sisterhood more than just being related by blood- could sisterhood mean the women in your life that you meet along the way?

I think so.

Over the years, I’ve been able to be a part of many sisterhoods- friends, relatives, becoming an aunt recently. Each and every time I’m inducted into a new sisterhood, I’m profoundly grateful for the women I’ve met, the women I’ve known in my life.

This group of women have added joy and fun to life over the past few years- this  group completes me in different and wonderful ways.

Back in 2011, I decided to join in on a weekend of fun that I had been wanting to take part in for at least 5 years. The weekend of fun is The Sweet Potato Queens! So, in 2011- I drove down to Jackson, MS. Not really sure what to expect, but definitely there to have fun. I brought my wig and my sparkly dress and a boa and was ready to hang out all weekend.

What I found was women, from all walks of life, that set out to Jackson, MS the 3rd weekend in March, to take part in the power of play. To stop worrying about all the other hats they wear the rest of the year- to just spend that 1 weekend- meeting new friends, connecting with old ones, having fun and raising money for  Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital.

It’s an incredible weekend- the sisterhood spirit is strong. Some women are cancer survivors, some have lost children to illnesses, others are just there because it’s fun- and we are all brought together by Her Royal Highness, Jill Conner Browne and Jill’s belief in the power of play. After a weekend with these ladies, you come back stronger, feeling more confident and excited about all the fun you had!

These women, these fun-loving, tiara-wearing, false-eyelashes, sparkly outfits and big wigs- these women make me feel: Smart. Fun. The best version of myself.

And that’s the best thing about sisterhood- finding women who understand you. Who cheer you on. Who want you to be the best, brightest, most sparkly and glittery version of you and who inspire you to be that gal everyday.

 

Speaking of Sisterhood….. So THE MOON SISTERS by Therese Walsh is in stores today! I’ll pause for your applause while I gather up all my other good news!

The Moon Sisters

Photo Credit: Provided by Therese Walsh

Because WOW (Women on Writing) is pretty much ab-fab (absolutely fabulous!) each blog stop on this Sisterhood tour is getting to send 1 name of their followers who wish to win THE MOON SISTERS (and they will pick the winner from the names they receive!) Ok… So tiny sad face 😦 You know because Traveling With T is actually not giving away a copy. But happy face: You, yes you, can go visit all the blogs participating in this big fun event and comment on their blogs and double, triple, quadruple your chance of being a name sent to WOW to win THE MOON SISTERS. Here is where you need to go to check out the participating blogs!

What do I need you to do? If you would like to have your name to potentially be sent to WOW to be entered to win a copy of THE MOON SISTERS, just comment here. I’ll use random.org to select a name to send to the ab-fab people of WOW! And psst…. in unrelated news, check back at Traveling With T on March 11th (might be some VERY good news that day hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

The Moon Sisters

therese walsh pic

Photo Credit: Provided by Therese Walsh

 

In The Moon Sisters, her second novel, Therese Walsh wanted to write about one sister’s quest to find will-o’-the-wisp light, which was her mother’s unfulfilled dream. Also called “foolish fires”, these lights are sometimes seen over wetlands and are thought to lead those who follow them to treasure. Despite the promise, they are never captured and sometimes lead to injury or even death for adventurers who follow them. The metaphor of that fire – that some dreams and goals are impossible to reach, and that hope itself may not be innately good – eventually rooted its way into deeper meaning as the Moon sisters tried to come to terms with real-world dreams and hopes, and with each other, in their strange new world. Olivia and Jazz Moon are polar opposites: one a dreamy synesthete, able to see sounds and smell sights and the other controlling and reality driven. What will happen when they are plunged into 24/7 togetherness and control is not an option? Will they ever be able to see the world through the other’s eyes and confront the things they fear the most? Death. Suicide. The loss of faith and hope. Will they ultimately believe that life is worth living, despite the lack of promise? The writing of The Moon Sisters was a five year journey and at times author Therese Walsh felt like it was her own “foolish fire”. But remember, some fires are worth the chase!

 

So go visit Therese Walsh at her website, find out some of the fun info at her site about THE MOON SISTERS (psst.. Hey Book Clubs- Here is book club materials and info on getting Therese to visit your club virtually!)

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

T Traveling With T pic sign off

 

Scandalous Strawberry Cake plus A PLACE AT THE TABLE news!

Wow. So, it’s been almost, so darn close, I mean like *thisclose* to a year when I almost, almost, almost said no to reviewing A PLACE AT THE TABLE. What?! Let me set the scene: I had been reviewing books for a few months and my pile was getting… what’s the word? CRAZY. Yes, crazy. So, when the email came to me about this book, by this author I had never heard of- I was like all “Do I have time?” I hemmed and hawwed for about 30 minutes. And then I decided that there was NO WAY I could say “No” to a book with great looking of a cover. It was physically impossible!

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Photo Credit: Goodreads

I mean could you say no to THIS cover? Nope, didn’t think so. Anyway, the cover intrigued me, the cover made me say yes- but the writing- my gosh, the writing (excuse me while I fangirl!) The story was wonderful. Sweet, Southern food, finding yourself and your place at the table- there is social issues and trials and tribulations- but Susan does a great job of combining it all to make one memorable book (read my full review here). Continue reading

Just Can’t Get Enough Of: Weddings!

rev-03_March

Harlequin Books JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF March Feature is all about Weddings! Yep, Harlequin just can’t enough of WEDDINGS! Read on for the 3 books Harlequin is recommending for March and for a GIVEAWAY *sparkles & glitter floating in the air*  Continue reading

17 Books Is Too Long For A Love Triangle That Is Going Nowhere.

Blackberry Pie Murder

Photo Credit: Goodreads

 

This is it. The 17th book in this series has broken my will to read another book in this series. The love triangle that will never end has killed my book loving soul.

Cozy mysteries are some of my favs to read- they are light, fluffy, dashes of romance and small-towns with interesting characters. They are series, so you, the reader, gets plenty of time to know the characters. That’s the good thing about cozy mysteries.

Cozy mysteries deal with s-e-x & romance in variously different ways. Some (Lucy Burdette’s KEY WEST FOOD CRITIC, for example,) the main character is looking for love. Others (Kate Collins’s FLOWER SHOP mysteries- the main character has found love and is married). Different ones have different ways to acknowledge the relationship between a man and woman- some do it with a “wink and nudge”, others are a teensy bit more in your face about it (but never to the point of a 50 Shades situation). Joanne, though, chooses not to acknowledge. At all. Her earlier books had a couple of mentions of some romance- but the past few, she has stalled. The love triangle between Hannah, the main character, and her 2 suitors have cooled considerably. Now it’s like they are all good friends and Hannah occasionally wonders which one is right for her.

Lots of readers like the “clean” aspect of Joanne Fluke’s stories and I have to say that is fine with me. But, after 17 books, 17 books in which she is “dating” both the single male characters in this series- it is time. Time to make a choice. Time to pick someone. This carrot of who she will pick has been dangled 1 too many times- and it’s time for an end.

Why did I read this last book? I want to see a resolution. I want to feel that my time spent with Hannah was worth something and not fruitless.

I’ve been a Hannah fan for some time (but I’ve always given out tough love when it comes to Hannah- see: Joanne Fluke, Hannah Swensen and the “love triangle that needs to end“.

After this last book, BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER, I’m just at the end of the rope. I’m convinced that Joanne Fluke has no intentions of ending the triangle and will continue to write about Hannah, Mike and Norman “dating” for the rest of their lives.

 

Joanne, wherever you are, I hope sincerely that you are reading the reviews of the book, that you are reading the Amazon reviews- not to have your feelings hurt- but to see that there are people out there who really have enjoyed this series in the past and wish that there would be some changes, some fresh air breathed back in the series. Most of us like Hannah and wish to see her grow as a character.

 

How many books do you think is too long for a love triangle? Share your thoughts by commenting!

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

T Traveling With T pic sign off

 

Book Club Blues (am I the only one suffering from this?)

Book Club Blues Discussion and Thoughts

First, let me say all you people out there who rave about your book clubs and how great they are and how ya’ll just love each other- I kind of dislike you. No, actually, I’m envious. Pea green with envy. Because the book club I belong to, well… it does not inspire me to write a love poem about how great it is. It’s not terrible. But it could be a TON better. Hence, my book club blues. Continue reading

Giveaway: Close Pursuit by Cindy Dees

Close Pursuit by Cindy Dees giveaway

Photo Credit: Harlequin

Thanks to Harlequin Books, Traveling With T has another giveaway for you readers! This giveaway is for CLOSE PURSUIT by Cindy Dees and it’s for US/Canada only (sorry!) Scroll to the bottom of the page for the Rafflecopter link (but first check that synopsis out!) Continue reading

Author Interview: Margo Bond Collins, author of WAKING UP DEAD

author interviews

Today, I have Margo Bond Collins stopping by the blog to talk about WAKING UP DEAD! She’s also going to give a little teaser about her newly released book FAIRY,TEXAS. And be sure and check back on Thursday- we’ll be finding out about those #literaryconfessions that are so popular to talk about at Traveling With T! Continue reading

Spotlight: THE CHASE by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg (plus T-shirt giveaway!)

the chase by evanovich and goldberg

Photo Credit: Random House

Today, today, today- you readers of Traveling With T are super-lucky! Thanks to Random House, Traveling With T is one of the blogs selected in the spotlight and giveaway as part of the promotion of THE CHASE by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg! THE CHASE is the second book in the Fox and O’Hare series, where FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare is working with FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List Nick Fox to help bring down other bad guys.  Kate finds it hard to work with Nick because she wants to put him back in jail (even though she finds herself attracted to Nick!) If you are looking for a fun new series, filled with witty banter and good plot, give this series a try!  Continue reading