Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliot

Overview Ann dreams of a marriage proposal from her poetic suitor, Eli-until Will Hanby shows her that nobility is more than fine words.


On a small farm in 19th-century Ohio, young Ann Miller is pursued by the gallant Eli Bowen, son of a prominent family. Eli is the suitor of Ann's dreams. Like her, he enjoys poetry and beautiful things and soon, he will move to the city to become a doctor.

Ann travels to Pittsburgh, accompanying her father on business. There she meets Will Hanby, a saddle-maker's apprentice. Will has spent years eking out an existence under a cruel master and his spirit is nearly broken. But Ann's compassion lights a long-dark part of his soul. Through his encounters with Ann's father, a master saddler, Will discovers new hope and courage in the midst of tremendous adversity.

When the Millers must return to Ohio and their ministry there, Will resolves to find them, at any cost. If Will can make it back to Ann, will she be waiting?

Read an excerpt here: http://www.rosslynelliott.com/books.php

My thoughts: 
I read this book as a participant in a Litfuse blog tour.  Lately I have not been requesting or participating in very many tours or solicited reviews, but this was one I really wanted to read.  I liked how Eliot used the names and history of real people and then fleshed them out with her own ideas and creations.  She really made history come alive on the pages of her novel and made each of the characters seem like they could really be living breathing people.

Things are so different now with what is and is not proper, that it was interesting watching and reading about how women and men had to act and how people coming from different social stations interacted.  This is the first time I really feel like I have had a glimpse inside a Poor House or at life as an apprentice.  Imagining how orphans or children whose parents were unable to care for them were forced to make their way without much help from government or society was eye opening.

Also very relevant and insightful were the glimpses of the underground railroad and how slaves found their way north and the very real dangers that they encountered in their quest to be free.  I was struck by the similarity of the runaway slaves and the apprentice, how someone who owned them or had their indenture could inflict whatever type of treatment he or she desired and the court and government would look the other way because of a piece of paper or because they were owned.

This book gave a very real feeling and once I started reading it I had a hard time putting it down.


About Rosslyn:

Rosslyn Elliott grew up in a military family and relocated so often that she attended nine schools before her high school graduation. With the help of excellent teachers, she qualified to attend Yale University, where she earned a BA in English and Theater. She worked in business and as a schoolteacher before returning to study at Emory University, where she earned a Ph.D. in English in 2006. Her study of American literature and history inspired her to pursue her lifelong dream of writing fiction. She lives in the Southwest, where she homeschools her daughter and teaches in children's ministry.

For more about Rosslyn, visit her website: http://rosslynelliott.com

Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Fairer-Morning-Saddlers-Legacy-Novel/dp/1595547851/ref=sprightly-20




Blog tour schedule:  http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13424909


Details
•Pub. Date: May 2011
•Publisher: Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
•Format: Paperback , 400pp
•Series: A Saddler's Legacy Novel Series
•ISBN-13: 9781595547859
•ISBN: 1595547851

 

Blood Work by Kim Harrison

Overview from Barnes and Noble:
When Ivy met Rachel, the result wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Sparks flew as the living vampire and the stubborn witch learned what it meant to be partners. Now Kim Harrison, the acclaimed author of Pale Demon and Black Magic Sanction, turns back the clock to tell the tale—in an original full-color graphic novel.


Hot-as-hell, tough-as-nails detective Ivy Tamwood has been demoted from homicide down to lowly street-crime detail. As if rousting trolls and policing pixies instead of catching killers wasn’t bad enough, she’s also been saddled with a newbie partner who’s an earth witch. It’s enough to make any living vampire bare her fangs. But when a coven of murderous witches begins preying on werewolves, Rachel Morgan quickly proves she’s a good witch who knows how to be a badass.

Together, Ivy and Rachel hit the mean streets to deal swift justice to the evil element among Cincinnati’s supernatural set. But there’s more to their partnership than they realize—and more blood and black magic in their future than they bargained for.

My thoughts:
This was actually my original splurge book for my vacation, but the hardcover graphic novel was just too pretty to take on the beach with me so it had to wait until I returned for its chance to be read.  I discovered the Rachel Morgan series a few years ago and read through all the ones available in a pretty short period of time.  I have to admit, as I've said in reviews of two or three of the other books, when one of the main characters was killed off I almost stopped reading the series.  I recall I was pregnant at the time and was shocked that he was really dead.  Plenty of characters die, but it was so unexpected to me that I was shocked.  In this book, a prequel to the series, he is still alive and has yet to even meet Rachel, so it was nice to see him but I miss their dynamic.

I saw some complaints about this book online.  Readers who didn't like the graphic novel nature, who felt it didn't really tell a fleshed out story and that it was just an excuse to make more money.  I disagree, I liked that Harrison was telling a brand new story with the same characters instead of retelling or reinacting a current story as a graphic novel.  I am fine with books like that as well, I enjoyed Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter manga books or Diana Gabaldon's Exile, but it was a nice change for the whole story to be new.  I also liked how Ivy got a bigger build up of her character, we get to see just how much her association with Piscary has warped and made her who she is and how much she is unhappy with the way she is.  Ivy is always present in the other stories, but I feel like we as readers got to gain a better understanding of her from this.

Another neat feature was how the sketches Harrison got from the artists were shown along with her comments of approval or of changes that need to make.  I imagine it is hard to get the vision from the author to the illustrator and took a lot of work and perserverence on both sides.  I will be looking forward to the second graphic novel that is in the works.

Details
•Pub. Date: July 2011
•Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
•Format: Hardcover , 176pp
•Series: Rachel Morgan Series
•ISBN-13: 9780345521019
•ISBN: 0345521013

Biography from Barnes and Noble:

Bestselling paranormal fantasy author Kim Harrison went all the way through school with nary a thought of becoming a writer. A biology major in college, she took only the required English courses needed to graduate. So when the writing bug hit her later in life, she found herself at a real disadvantage with grammar, spelling, and other basic weapons in the scribbler's arsenal. However, her love of books was her saving grace. Always a voracious reader, Harrison instinctively recognized the role of plot, pacing, and character development in good storytelling. She set about writing with great enthusiasm and plugged away for the better part of decade, until she was able to bring her skills up to par.

Harrison's debut novel grew out of frustration with a growing pile of rejection notices. In an attempt to get publishers' attention, she set out to craft something deliberately weird and edgy. She conceived a motley cast of vampires, werewolves, pixies, and witches, including a sexy bounty hunter named Rachel Morgan, and threw them together in a short story. Then, her agent introduced her to editor Diana Gill, and together they refined and expanded Harrison's idea into a full length novel.

Published in 2004, Dead Witch Walking became a bestseller, launched a blockbuster series, and catapulted Harrison into a pantheon of paranormal superstars that includes Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Christine Feehan, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. As if to validate her inclusion in these ranks, Harrison's stories have also been included in several bestselling paranormal collections.

Dragon Warrior by Janet Chapman .

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

The steamy second book in Janet Chapman’s dazzling Midnight Bay series seduces readers with an enticing tale of a fiery independent woman and an irresistible immortal warrior with a dragon’s courageous heart.

Maddy Kimble has no time for a suitor—not with caring for her spunky nursing home patients, her shy nine-year-old daughter, her widowed mother, and her rebellious teenage brother. William Kilkenny’s stunning lack of modern dating protocol doesn’t help. The man is uncouth and outrageous—a towering, drop-dead, breathtakingly hot warrior. Who refuses to give up.

William is secretly a ninth-century Irish nobleman formerly trapped in a dragon’s body. All Maddy knows is that lately, she can hardly resist the urge to lose herself in his powerful arms. But as their uncontrollable passion grows, eerie occurrences in her small coastal Maine town begin to rouse Maddy’s suspicions about her lover. He begs her to trust him, but how can she surrender—body and soul—when she fears the danger he poses to her yearning heart?

My thoughts:

This was another beach read this year.  I loved that my children were so happy on the beach this year.  In past years we would go to the beach for a few hours and then go back to the condo for lunch, naps and downtime.  Each afternoon I would wish we could go back out to the beach, but they didn't seem to have the energy for it.  This year they did so we spent hours sitting on the beach, walking, playing in the water and sand and just enjoying it.  I love reading on the beach.  This was the first book I finished.

I discovered Janet Chapman a few years ago with her highlander series which I loved.  I read book two first and then went back and did the rest in order.  The MacKeage family were all larger than life and so much fun to read about.  I think since then I've read just about all the books Chapman has published.  They are such a fun escape from day to day life.

I only have a dim recall of the first book in the Midnight Bay trilogy.  It took Kenzie, who is the brother of Matt who married one of the MacKeage daughters in the other series, from his panther form to human again and brought him to a new place in Maine.  Kenzie of course found love and happiness.  He is forced to rebuild the house that was destroyed due to supernatural forces.  One of the supernatural things going on is a dragon from the ninth century who is really a man in need of help.  William Kilkenny has to both help Kenzie with the continued supernatural events and work on wooing a modern woman who thinks he looks like a caveman with his beard and crazy hair. 

Maddy had her life thrown off course early on by an unexpected pregnancy and then a marriage that didn't work.  She has been working hard to provide for her daughter, help her brother and mother and get by and has put her heart in a closet to keep it safe.  William threatens that protection, but offers a lot more.

Magic is throughout this book.  Along with men who can become animals there is a mermaid, a druid, supernatural storms and more.  I can't wait to read book three.  I have it on my wish list on Paperbackswap and the estimate is that a copy will be available to me within a week or so!

Details

•Pub. Date: January 2011

•Publisher: Pocket Star

•Format: Mass Market Paperback , 368pp

•Series: Midnight Bay Series

•ISBN-13: 9781439159897

•ISBN: 1439159890

Meet The Author

A native of rural central Maine, Janet Chapman lives there in a cozy log cabin on a lake with her husband. Three cats and a stray young bull moose keep them company. The author of the hugely popular Highlander time-travel series, she also writes contemporary romances.

People Magazine: September 5, 2011 Issue

I used to read a ton of magazines, but lately that hasn't been the case.  My guilty pleasure is usually reading People once a week, but I have totally fallen behind on my issues.  Books, the pool, the beach, TV series have all gotten in the way.  I decided if I posted about the issues it would give me an excuse to read through them.  Think of all the celebrity news I have been missing for the past month or so!  Here is what I learned or thought about as I read this issue:

1.  The boy who wrote the picture book about the seizure sniffing dog to raise money to get a dog ($13,000) and then also shared money with other families is inspiring.

2.  Kim Kardasian had a beautiful wedding that will be a TV show, but I think she could learn something from the boy raising money for an actual need.  Who needs three dresses to wear at their wedding?  Gorgeous, over the top, probably will be well viewed on TV, but seems too much so.

3.  Carrie Fisher is doing great with her weight loss.

4.  Did not know that Elizabeth Banks had a baby five months ago.

5.  Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are having baby number three,

6.  Rose McGowen's family belonged to the same cult that River Phoenix and his family were once a part of.

7.  I don't listen to the radio nearly often enough as so many groups are unfamiliar to me.

8.  The book on Jane Fonda is going on my TBR list.

9.  The picture book about the little girl going on a diet might have better been titled something along the lines of getting healthy and then there would have been less fuss.

10.  All those people who worked to make school happen in Joplin, Miss. are heroes.

I'm sure I missed a bunch, but it was uplifting to read about people making a difference in the lives of others because they wnated to and not becuase they were getting anything out of it.

Boom! by Mark Haddon .

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

An explosive, highly charged, and hilarious middle-grade adventure from Mark Haddon, acclaimed author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

From the moment that Jim and his best friend, Charlie, bug the staff room and overhear two of their teachers speaking to each other in a secret language, they know there's an adventure on its way.

But what does "spudvetch" actually mean, and why do Mr. Kidd's eyes flicker with fluorescent blue light when Charlie says it to him? Perhaps Kidd and Pearce are bank robbers talking in code. Perhaps they're spies. Perhaps they are aliens. Whatever it is, Jimbo and Charlie are determined to find out.

There really is an adventure on its way. A nuclear-powered, one-hundred-ton adventure with reclining seats and a buffet car. And as it gathers speed and begins to spin out of control, it can only end one way . . . with a BOOM!

My thoughts:

My daughter picked this audio book out for our family vacation to the beach.  We listened to it on the way to the coast as well as for a day or two after we got there as we hadn't quite finished it.  I read the synopsis and thought it might actually be one my husband would enjoy too.  Not the he doesn't like audio books, but most of them I listen to with the kids while he isn't with us.  We've had a few that he has enjoyed so I tried for one that could grab everyones attention.

I have to admit, even though it said the students were going to think the teachers were aliens, I thought there was going to be a rational explanation.  I thought Jim and Charlie were just going to have overactive imaginations, but they did not.  This isn't a spoiler because it becomes clear quickly that something more is going on with these two teachers.

This story reminded me a bit of Harry Potter.  I'm not sure if it was the narrators accent, the use of words we do not usually use such as loo, car park, and more or even the insults that were used.  perhaps the idea of magic and aliens seemed similar, although it is easier for me to wrap my mind around magic than aliens.  The whole idea of aliens and other planets is something I am not overly interested in.  I know tons of people want to find aliens and meet them, but I am totally happy not.

This story kept us listening.  My husband and I were even tempted to listen to the end of it without the kids when we went out to dinner alone one night.  It is a story that worked for the whole family.  It appeals enough to adults to be enjoyable even if you don't have kids!

Details

•Pub. Date: May 2010

•Publisher: Random House Children's Books

•Format: Hardcover , 208pp

•Age Range: 10 to 12

•ISBN-13: 9780385751872

•ISBN: 0385751877

Meet The Author

MARK HADDON is an author, illustrator, and screenwriter who has written 15 books for children and won two BAFTAs. His bestselling novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time was published simultaneously by Jonathan Cape and David Fickling in 2003 in the U.K. It won 17 literary prizes, including the Whitbread Award, and is an international bestseller. Mark Haddon lives in Oxford, England.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

When Chelsea Handler needs to get a few things off her chest, she appeals to a higher power -- vodka. You would too if you found out that your boyfriend was having an affair with a Peekapoo or if you had to pretend to be honeymooning with your father in order to upgrade to first class. Welcome to Chelsea's world -- a place where absurdity reigns supreme and a quick wit is the best line of defense.

In this hilarious, deliciously skewed collection, Chelsea mines her past for stories about her family, relationships, and career that are at once singular and ridiculous. Whether she's convincing her third-grade class that she has been tapped to play Goldie Hawn's daughter in the sequel to Private Benjamin, deciding to be more egalitarian by dating a redhead, or looking out for a foulmouthed, rum-swilling little person who looks just like her...only smaller, Chelsea has a knack for getting herself into the most outrageous situations. Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea showcases the candor and irresistible turns of phrase that have made her one of the freshest voices in comedy today.

 

My thoughts:

I arrived at the beach with books packed but without having splurged on my yearly beach read book.  There is a fun used bookstore by the boardwalk that has a few shelves of used books.  This book was more than I usually pay for a used book, but it really jumped out at me so it became this years book.  Before I start with my thoughts I must admit that I have never watched Chelsea's show.  I've seen her in a movie or two and in the pages of magazines like People, but not watched her comedy act.  I think I had just read good reviews of this and that is what brought it onto my radar.

 

This book is laugh out loud funny.  I laughed so hard in bed one night that I felt like I was choking and then on the beach I laughed when no one else was.  My kids kept asking me what was so funny and none of the funny parts were appropriate to share with them.  I don't know how many times I had to say it was just a funny book!

 

I don't know how Chelsea is in person or on TV, but on paper she comes across as very amusing.  Talking about her family, how she dated some guy just because she had never been with a redhead before, going to jail briefly for having used her sister's ID to get into a bar and more turned hilarious at her retelling.  At one point my husband asked me what was so funny so I handed the book to him and pointed out the passage I was on.  He didn't even crack a smile so I think it was one of those had to be there or had to have read it moments.  This was the perfect beach read!

 

Details

•Pub. Date: December 2009

•Publisher: Gallery Books

•Format: Paperback , 264pp

•ISBN-13: 9781416596363

•ISBN: 1416596364

Meet The Author

Chelsea Handler is an accomplished stand-up comic and actress, as well as the bestselling author of My Horizontal Life. She is the star of her own late-night show on E!, Chelsea Lately; was one of the stars of Girls Behaving Badly; has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with David Letterman; and has starred in her own half-hour Comedy Central special. Chelsea makes regular appearances in comedy clubs across America and lives in Los Angeles.

Table Of Contents

CHAPTER ONE: Blacklisted

CHAPTER TWO: Chelsea in Charge

CHAPTER THREE: Prison Break

CHAPTER FOUR: Bladder Stones

CHAPTER FIVE: Big Red

CHAPTER SIX: Dining in the Dark

CHAPTER SEVEN: Dim Sum and Then Some

CHAPTER EIGHT: Barking up the Wrong Tree

CHAPTER NINE: Re-Gift

CHAPTER TEN: Jumped

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Mini-Me

CHAPTER TWELVE: Costa Rica

Saturday Snapshot- September 3, 2011- Beach Time

I've never done a Saturday Snapshot, unless you count last weekend, but I didn't call it that then.  We spent almost a week at the beach and came back late last night.  This is my four kiddos on our first night there.  It was late by the time we got into town due to Hurricane Irene and evacuations and such, but we made it last Sunday.  We picked up our keys, unloaded the car and headed to the boardwalk.  A lot of places were still boarded up and closed, but it was nice to be there.

Due to the Hurricane there were tons of shells.  This is the biggest shell we've ever found on the beach.  It still had a creature in residence so we made the kids throw it back, but it was an awesome find.  We were so proud that they didn't fuss at all about having to let it go.

The littlest monkeys got new shirts.  I thought about getting these last year, but didn't.  So this year we splurged!  Now to have them wear them enough to make up for the cost.  They weren't super expensive, just more than I usually spend for a kids tee since they ruin them so often.

We got in five full days at the beach and spent more time in the sand and surf than we ever had before.  I am loving that the kids are getting older and getting more out of the experience!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books.