Sandra Nachlinger's Blog, page 24

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion - Teaser Tuesday and First Chapter / First Paragraph

     At age 59, Sookie Poole learns that she was adopted and everything she believes to be true about her ancestry is a lie. This book is about how Sookie deals with that information. Does she track down her birth mother? Does she confess her knowledge to the demanding woman who raised her? What does she tell her kids? With her trademark humor and insight, Fannie Flagg weaves Sookie's story with that of her birth mother, an aviatrix who served in the WASP's in World War II.
    I'll admit up front: I'm a fan of Fannie Flagg's writing. I like her Southern voice, her quirky characters, and her down-to-earth stories. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion didn't disappoint. While being entertained by this delightful story, I also learned a little about the Women Airforce Service Pilots and their role in World War II and gained insight into the ways the folks "back home" supported the war effort.

Genre: Women's Fiction / Historical / Humor
Book Length: 347 Pages (hardback)
Amazon Link: The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion
Author Website: Fannie Flagg Books

First Chapter / First Paragraph: There's a brief prologue, but I'm taking my excerpt from the opening of Chapter One:

A Most Unusual Week
Point Clear, Alabama
Monday, June 6, 2005
76° and Sunny

     Mrs. Earle Poole, Jr., better known to friends and family as Sookie, was driving home from the Birds-R-Us store out on Highway 98 with one ten-pound bag of sunflower seeds and one ten-pound bag of wild bird seed and not her usual weekly purchase for the past fifteen years of one twenty-pound bag of Pretty Boy Wild Bird Seed and Sunflower Mix. As she had explained to Mr. Nadleshaft, she was worried that the smaller birds were still not getting enough to eat. Every morning lately, the minute she filled her feeders, the larger, more aggressive blue jays would swoop in and scare the little birds all away.

Teaser (from Page 211):
     Fritzi desperately wanted to pass this inspection, but something snapped. She gunned the engines and as soon as she got her altitude, she suddenly flipped the plane over and flew upside down while Miller, who was now suspended in midair and hanging on to his shoulder straps, screamed for dear life, "Turn over! Turn over! Goddamn it!" When she did, Fritzi did a barrel roll, shot straight up, and then did her famous death drop into fifteen spins straight down.

Synopsis:
     Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother’s past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.
     Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940s, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family’s filling station. Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station. Then, Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure. As Sookie learns about the adventures of the girls at the All-Girl Filling Station, she finds herself with new inspiration for her own life.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Jenn of Books and A Beat. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please!Link at  Books and A Beat
First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you're reading or thinking about reading soon.Link at  BibliophileByTheSea



Twitter: @SandyNachlingerFacebook: sandy.nachlinger

Little Library - Saturday Snapshots

Have you heard of Little Free Libraries? I have but I hadn't seen one until we took a drive to Woodinville, Washington. This one was located on the side of the road on the way to the Columbia and Chateau Ste Michele wineries.

If you're curious about the Little Free Library organization or would like to start one of your own, here's a link that will tell you more. It even includes a map of locations and instructions for building a little library of your own.

Little Free Library

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.To enjoy a variety of beautiful pictures from around the world, click HERE or on the box below.  
To participate in Saturday Snapshots: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky on the host blogsite. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate 
for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. 

Watercolors in the Rain - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

     An established artist meets and falls in love with a talented novice, but the timing is all wrong. Can soulmates reunite or will they have to be satisfied with memories?
     Author Kay Springsteen has created an engrossing tale of two artists in Watercolors in the Rain. Her artistic "word pictures" are detailed and fascinating and add color and depth to this romantic story. The author must be an artist herself! I'm including one example of her descriptive writing in today's Friday 56. 

Book Beginning:
"Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination." - Voltaire
Chapter One
     Heaving a dramatic sigh her mother would be proud of, Eve stood at the base of the concrete steps and studied the ancient building currently known as Sinclair Galleries. Gargoyles stared back at her from the roof. She squinted up at the closest one, an ugly sucker with a downturned mouth and jagged teeth - had the serpent caught in its talons just writhed?

The Friday 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):
     Focusing on his painting, he picked up his palette and brush and began touchups on the lilacs at the edge of the canvas. He dragged the brush through the umber, loading one side of the bristles, and then added a stem. Twirling the brush across the canvas so umber blended seamlessly into forest green, he added a leaf.

Genre: Contemporary Romance (Adult content)
Book Length: 411 Pages
Amazon Link: Watercolors in the Rain
Author Website: Kay Springsteen - The Romance of Your Life
FYI: I have previously featured The 13 of Hearts by this same author HERE

Synopsis:
     When graphic designer Eve St. Aubin walks into an art exhibit and finds herself in a heated kiss with world renowned artist Kyle Sebastian, her memories whisk her back to the summer they’d shared five years earlier. He’d been her mentor in more ways than one… until he left without a word. Now she has nothing to say to him… or at least that’s what she keeps telling herself. 
     When he met Eve, Kyle’s career had been in the tank. Lighting the fuse on her talent had rekindled his own artistic ability. Loving her, watching her blossom as a woman had inspired him to new heights. He'd had to let her go back then, but he always knew he'd see her again. Now that he has, he's not prepared for the edgy woman she’s become, nor did he expect he'd still be in love with her. 
     When explanations aren’t that simple, and no common ground seems to be had, how will they overcome their past to create a future? Or can they?

                


Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reads) 
Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)


Twitter: @SandyNachlingerFacebook: sandy.nachlinger

Round the Bend (Oregon Historicals Book 1) - Teaser Tuesday and First Chapter / First Paragraph

     Rain Trueax is a terrific storyteller. In Round the Bend she takes her readers on a journey from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon's Willamette Valley via the Oregon Trail. Along the way the wagon train experiences runaway horses, treacherous river crossings, and violent storms, and as well as human adversaries and conflicts. 
     The author's attention to detail adds realism and depth to the story. She vividly portrays the challenges for women in caring for their families while crossing the plains, the dangers to children, the camaraderie and conflicts among the pioneers, the wagon master's absolute authority over his charges, and so much more. We get to know the book's characters well and come to understand their motivations and fears. Rain Trueax's research must have been extensive. 
     Round the Bend is the first of four books in the Oregon Historical series, and it stands alone. I'm looking forward to reading them all.
FYI: I've featured excerpts from Rose's Gift (here), by this same author, on my blog earlier.

First Paragraph:
Independence, Missouri - Spring 1851
     "You don't seem at all excited that finally we're on our way!"
     "You think that, do you?"
     "Matt, don't you feel it? Like we're geese and heading north or the first who came to this land. Finally it's us heading for adventure and excitement." Amy tugged on the rough cotton of his rolled up sleeve, demanding his attention, which seemed to be wandering to a robin calling from a nearby oak.

Teaser (from 39% on my Kindle):
First had been the darkening sky, then lightning striking on all sides of the column, forcing women and children to ride in the wagons. Canvas covers were no protection as the bolts slashed down - multiple prongs slamming into the earth and leaving behind burnt sage or blackened earth - visible reminders of nature's arbitrary and deadly force.

Genre: Historical Romance
Book Length: 308 Pages
Amazon Link: Round the Bend
More Info: Rain Trueax's Blog

Rather than post a synopsis, here's Rain Trueax talking about Round the Bend:




    This is the first of four books, which follow the Stevens family through four romances as it tells some of the story of the founding of Oregon. Each of the romances stands alone, no cliff hangers. Heat level, with 1 least and 5 highest, is ♥♥♥♥. Some strong language and mild profanity.


Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please!Link at  ADailyRhythm.com



First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you're reading or thinking about reading soon.Link at  BibliophileByTheSea





Twitter: @SandyNachlingerFacebook: sandy.nachlinger

Where Did You Get That Idea?

I'm over at Smart Girls Read Romance today, blogging about where the idea came from for I.O.U. SEX. Stop by and say "hi."

Here's the link: Smart Girls Read Romance

The Hurricane Sisters - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

Dorothea Benton Frank has become one of my favorite authors. Like other books of hers that I've read, The Hurricane Sisters takes place in the Low Country of South Carolina. This story focuses not only on the relationship between three generations of women but also on abuse of women and date rape. 
The author portrays the older characters as vibrant individuals with full and interesting lives, which I always appreciate. The Hurricane Sisters is a worthwhile read and an entertaining story.
FYI: The story is told in alternating points of view in first person.

First Chapter / First Paragraph:
(Prologue)
     My husband, Clayton, and I were at the police station getting my mother, Maisie, out of jail for brushing up against the wrong side of the law. Her actual charges were still unclear. She claims it is not against any law in the state of South Carolina to take a llama for a walk on the open road. He was, after all, on a leash. The local police beg to differ, saying this is a case of animal cruelty, endangerment, and reckless behavior. Legal or not, it wasn't normal. I was glad they brought her in to the police station until I could get there because her behavior surely demonstrates a lack of sound judgment. Or not. Maisie was crazy like a fox and we all knew it. So I sat and waited while Clayton made things right between the Town of Mount Pleasant and Maisie by writing a check.

Teaser (from Page 223 in my trade paperback edition):
Martha Lou's was one of those places you'd only know about if you were from Charleston or if a local took you there. The location was in, how do we say this diplomatically, a reemerging neighborhood, the building was as pink as a bottle of Pepto-Bismol featuring a sort of fabulous fish mural on the exterior wall, and the interior decor was a little to the left of chic.

Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction
Length of Book: 393 Pages (trade paperback)
Amazon Link: The Hurricane Sisters
Author Website: Dorothea Benton Frank

Synopsis:
(Partial blurb from Goodreads)
     Once again Dorothea Benton Frank takes us deep into the heart of her magical South Carolina Lowcountry on a tumultuous journey filled with longings, disappointments, and, finally, a road toward happiness that is hard earned. There we meet three generations of women buried in secrets. The determined matriarch, Maisie Pringle, at eighty, is a force to be reckoned with because she will have the final word on everything, especially when she's dead wrong. Her daughter, Liz, is caught up in the classic maelstrom of being middle-age and in an emotionally demanding career that will eventually open all their eyes to a terrible truth. And Liz's beautiful twenty-something daughter, Ashley, whose dreamy ambitions of her unlikely future keeps them all at odds.


Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please!Link at  ADailyRhythm.com



First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you're reading or thinking about reading soon.Link at  BibliophileByTheSea





Twitter: @SandyNachlingerFacebook: sandy.nachlinger

The Giver - Teaser Tuesday and First Chapter / First Paragraph

I don't often read science fiction or young adult novels, but after seeing the opening paragraph and synopsis of The Giver on someone's blog, I decided to give this book a try. I was blown away by this story! No wonder the book has won all kinds of awards. I highly recommend The Giver for readers of all ages. It is Book 1 in the Giver Quartet, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest ASAP.
FYI: I understand this book was made into a movie but when I watched the trailer, it seemed to encompass more than the story told in this book. Perhaps it is based on all the books in the series.

First Paragraph:
     It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane.

Teaser (from 51% on my Kindle):
"Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences."

Genre: Young Adult / Science FictionBook Length: 204 PagesAmazon Link: The GiverMore Books by This Author: Amazon Author Page
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
The haunting story centers on Jonas who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Lois Lowry has written three companion novels to The Giver, including Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.

Read a National Public Radio (NPR) interview with the author here: Lois Lowry Interview. There's also an audio interview included here.
Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please!Link at  ADailyRhythm.com



First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you're reading or thinking about reading soon.Link at  BibliophileByTheSea



Twitter: @SandyNachlingerFacebook: sandy.nachlinger

Road Signs - Saturday Snapshots

In an era of GPS and driverless cars, I think it's fun to think about how motorists navigated in the past. Here's a Texas roadway sign from the late 1940s or early 1950s. That's my grandmother, standing at the intersection of Highway 67 and 220. Perhaps my Papaw had a road map in the glove compartment of his car (my Mamaw never learned to drive), or maybe someone told him to take the Highway 220 cutoff to get to wherever he was going. I wonder why they stopped at this particular spot.

Cool photo, isn't it?

Girl in Hyacinth Blue - Teaser Tuesday and First Chapter / First Paragraph

Have you ever read a book that goes backward in time instead of forward? That's the structure of Girl in Hyacinth Blue. In this story, the ownership of a painting is traced back through history, with each chapter revealing the effect the painting has on its owner, until the final chapter reveals the artist.

First Paragraph:
Love Enough
     Cornelius Engelbrecht invented himself. Let me emphasize, straight away, that he isn't what I would call a friend, but I know him enough to say that he did purposely design himself: single, modest dresser in receding colors, mathematics teacher, sponsor of the chess club, mild mannered acquaintance to all rather than a friend to any, a person anxious to become invisible. However, that exterior blandness masked a burning center, and for some reason that became clear to me only later, Cornelius Engelbrecht revealed to me the secret obsession that lay beneath his orderly, controlled design. 

Teaser (from Page 83, trade paperback edition):
And her headdress! She thought it clever to suggest her family's contributions to Dutch naval history by building a ship, a man-of-war I think it was, atop horizontal rows of cadogan curls - no one wore cadogan curls anymore - as if the vessel were bravely battling those ferocious blond waves. On its stern she flew a tiny flag. 
(In case you're curious, I did a Google search for "cadogan curls" and found this: "...the ladies adopted the "cadogan," an English style, similar to the wigs worn by the men. The hair was still powdered, but it was bunched out at the side and braided or curled, and looped up at the back.")  

Genre: Literature / Historical
Book Length: 196 Pages
Amazon Link: Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Author Website: Susan Vreeland

Synopsis:
This luminous story begins in the present day, when a professor invites a colleague to his home to see a painting that he has kept secret for decades. The professor swears it is a Vermeer—but why has he hidden this important work for so long? The reasons unfold in a series of events that trace the ownership of the painting back to World War II and Amsterdam, and still further back to the moment of the work's inspiration. As the painting moves through each owner's hands, what was long hidden quietly surfaces, illuminating poignant moments in multiple lives. Susan Vreeland's characters remind us, through their love of this mysterious painting, how beauty transforms and why we reach for it, what lasts and what in our lives is singular and unforgettable.


Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please!Link at  ADailyRhythm.com



First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you're reading or thinking about reading soon.Link at  BibliophileByTheSea




Twitter: @SandyNachlingerFacebook: sandy.nachlinger

The Light of Hidden Flowers - The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings on Friday

     The Light of Hidden Flowers by Jennifer Handford is the story of an introvert whose life is overshadowed by her larger-than-life father. Her life changes dramatically when he becomes ill and eventually dies. But things get really complicated when she reconnects with her first love - a veteran from the war in Afghanistan who's going through a divorce. When she travels to Italy and then India, will she find her true calling?
     I enjoyed this story a lot - maybe because I'm not the most outgoing person myself! I also like second-chance love stories. The author did a good job of showing the main character's struggles, and I came to care about her.

Book Beginning:
I didn't usually mock my life. Really - my disposition was quite agreeable most of the time. In fact, people regarded me exactly that way: Missy Fletcher, a real sweetheart. The same way people described kindergarten teachers and puppies. And usually, I really did have an "attitude of gratitude," as my father had always taught me. Count your blessings, daughter, he was fond of saying. We have it so good. But today I felt a gremlin on my shoulder, egging me on.

The Friday 56 (from Page 256 in my hardback copy):
We bumped across town in his slightly off-odored town car. Was it traces of alcohol, vomit? The driver watched me from the rearview mirror.

Genre: Literary Fiction / Women's Fiction
Book Length: 358 Pages (hardback)
Amazon Link: The Light of Hidden Flowers
Author Website: Jennifer Handford
FYI: I won this book in a giveaway!

Synopsis:
     Book-smart Melissa Fletcher lives a predictable life in her hometown, working behind the scenes for her charismatic father in a financial career that makes perfect sense. But when her dad is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Missy is forced to step up and take over as his primary caregiver and the principal of the firm.
     After her father’s death, Missy finds a letter from him in which he praises her for being a dutiful daughter but admonishes her for not taking any risks in life.
     Devastated, Missy packs her suitcase and heads for Italy. There she meets a new friend who proposes a radical idea. Soon, Missy finds herself in impoverished India, signing away her inheritance and betting on a risky plan while rekindling a lost love.
     The Light of Hidden Flowers is a deeply felt story of accepting who we are while pushing our boundaries to see how much more we can become. It’s a reminder that it’s never too late to pursue our dreams.
                

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
Click HERE to connect to other Book Beginnings posts (sponsored by Rose City Reads) 
Click HERE to join other Friday 56 bloggers (sponsored by Freda's Voice)


Twitter: @SandyNachlingerFacebook: sandy.nachlinger