Ann Shorey's Blog, page 12
March 28, 2011
BATHSHEBA, by Jill Eileen Smith
Take a lonely woman and a wealthy man with too much time on his hands and you have the makings of one of today's television dramas. When the woman's name is Bathsheba, today's story goes back a couple of thousand years. Smith has written an engrossing tale of King David and his most famous--or infamous--wife, Bathsheba. To students of the Bible, the tale is a familiar one--at least on the
March 20, 2011
LEFT NEGLECTED, by Lisa Genova
Sarah Nickerson is an over-achieving career woman with a husband and children. Told in first person, Left Neglected begins with Sarah juggling her myriad responsibilities in a way that will make many women nod ruefully and think, "Yes, this is what my life is like." I chuckled in self-recognition as Sarah flies through her over-scheduled days. Then one morning while driving to work
February 28, 2011
ANGEL SISTER, by Ann H. Gabhart
Angel Sister is set in 1936 in the little town of Rosey Corner, Kentucky, where Kate Merritt is the middle child in a family of three daughters. Gabhart's skillful writing puts the reader in the midst of this community and its characters--we know the people, and we feel the heat of a Kentucky summer. Kate is the responsible sister who feels it's up to her to keep her family together. The task
February 22, 2011
ANOTHER DAWN, by Kathryn Cushman
Grace Graham has spent years running from tough situations--until the day her sister calls with a plea for help with their widowed father. Given no choice, Grace and her four-year-old son leave their California home for Shoal Creek. Tennessee. Grace plans to do the minimum asked of her, then leave as quickly as possible. But she didn't anticipate the events that would conspire to hold her in
February 15, 2011
COURTING MORROW LITTLE, by Laura Frantz
Frantz has crafted another winner in Courting Morrow Little. Her first novel, The Frontiersman's Daughter, captivated me throughout, and Courting Morrow Little did the same. The story is set in1778 Kentucky (Kentucke, as it was spelled then). Morrow Little is a young woman with heartbreak in her past. When she returns from Philadelphia after being under her aunt's care for two years, she finds
January 31, 2011
ANNOUNCING A "NAME THAT DOGGIE" CONTEST
One of the characters in the novel I'm writing for my next series adopts a stray collie-type dog. Please help me name him--the dog, not the character! The time frame of the story is 1866, in Missouri, so the name should fit the era. The winner of the contest will receive:1. A signed copy of Book 1 in the At Home in Beldon Grove series;2. An extra entry in the SPECTACULAR contest I'll be
January 13, 2011
THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett
Reading The Help is like a personal tour behind the headlines of 1962 Mississippi. Told from three points of view: Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter's, this story is in turn humorous, heartwarming, and incredibly sad. Skeeter comes home after graduating from Ole Miss and finds she's begun to view the status quo in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, through the eyes of an outsider. The petty
January 3, 2011
THE FRONTIERSMAN'S DAUGHTER, by Laura Frantz
The Frontiersman's Daughter is set in Kentucky in 1777. Drawing upon historical events, Frantz has woven a fascinating tale of Lael Click, who is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. The Frontiersman's Daughter is historical writing at its best. The details of backwoods life fill the story with authenticity. The characters are created with originality--there are no stereotypes in this
December 21, 2010
Cream cheese fudge
The Christmas season brings to mind all the special goodies we enjoy preparing. Have you ever eaten cream cheese fudge? Here's a recipe my sister and I used to enjoy making when we were teens. It's quick and yummy and doesn't require cooking (except for melting the chocolate in the microwave). 1 -3 oz. pkg. regular cream cheese, softened at room temperature2 C. sifted powdered sugar1 -1 oz.
December 15, 2010
LESS THAN DEAD, by Tim Downs
Imagine a suspense novel featuring a forensic entomologist--a "bug man." Then imagine a suspense novel that keeps you chuckling--when you're not holding your breath wondering what will happen next. If you've got that picture in your mind, you're ready to dive into Downs' Less Than Dead. A portion of Virginia countryside is being cleared in preparation for the building of a regional shopping
