Monday Lunchtime Giveaway!

Many of you know I’ve been spending most of my days lately at the hospital with my mother, who took a bad fall over three weeks ago. I’m happy to say she has returned to her own room at the nursing home where she lives and has so many friends. She is stable, and I am able to start catching up with my blogs once again, though it might take a while. I’m way, way behind. But I wanted to get back on track with my Monday Lunchtime Giveaways, so here is today’s offer:

2 Free Downloads of Sarah Addison Allen’s Garden Spells. This is one of my favorite books. The writing is lyrical and the story line, pure magic. If you’d like to have a free download, just email me via the Contact Me button at the top of the page. The first two responders will be gifted a copy of the book.

5 Free Downloads of my novel, Wake-Robin Ridge. If  romantic suspense with a spooky twist, set in the Blue Ridge mountains sounds interesting to you, you might want to give this a try. Email me, and I’ll gift you a copy.

5 Free Downloads of Summer Magic, my chapbook of poems about Life and Love, and featuring several poems about MacKenzie Cole (the main male character in Wake-Robin Ridge) as a ten-year old boy. 

I will let this offer run an extra day because I’m getting it posted late, but if you want to try any of these books, let me know quickly, to be sure you don’t miss out.

Hope you are all having a wonderful Moon’s Day! It feels great to be back!!

The Firefly Dance Anthology

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Finally managed to get a book read this past week, in between everything else that’s going on in my life right now. The Firefly Dance is an anthology, featuring four character-driven, coming-of-age novellas that I thoroughly enjoyed. I have seen some lackluster reviews of the book, and I think this could be a result of readers who are much more attuned to high-concept novels, filled with lots of action, and very little introspection. Nothing wrong with that, but I happen to be lucky enough to enjoy both. These poignant stories each had a vintage feel to them, both in style, and in some cases, the eras in which they were set. I loved that, where others might not find it their cup of tea.

Sarah Addison Allen is one of my favorite writers, so I was drawn to the book due to her story. However, I thought all of the entries were pretty strong, and I’m looking forward to reading  more written by the three other authors: Kathryn Magendie, Augusta Trobaugh, and Phyllis Schieber.  I was particularly drawn to Magendie’s story, “Petey,” because it was set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are near and dear to my heart. The feeling this one evoked was perfect for the era, and for the beautifully described connection to the mountains.

If you like anthologies, especially with a gentle, old-fashioned feel to them, check this little book out. It’s worth it!

The Firefly Dance

If you decide to place an order with amazon, clicking through from my links will give me credit. If you are enjoying my reviews on Bookin’ It, it’s a great way to let me know! Thanks!

Passages #1 – Garden Spells

Passage From Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

I thought it might be fun to post some of my favorite passages from various books.  The beginning of Sarah Addison Allen’s magical Garden Spells is one I really love. Enjoy! (And read the book, if you haven’t already.  It’s lovely!)

“Every smiley moon, without fail, Claire dreamed of her childhood. She always tried to stay awake those nights when the stars winked and the moon was just a cresting sliver smiling provocatively down at the world, the way pretty women on vintage billboards used to smile as they sold cigarettes and limeade. On those nights in the summer, Claire would garden by the light of the solar-powered footpath lamps, weeding and trimming the night bloomers–the moon vine and the angel’s trumpet, the night jasmine and the flowering tobacco. These weren’t a part of the Waverly legacy of edible flowers, but sleepless as she often was, Claire had added flowers to the garden to give her something to do at night when she was so wound up that frustration singed the edge of her nightgown and she set tiny fires with her fingertips.”

Garden Spells

If you decide to place an order with amazon, clicking through from my links will give me credit.  If you are enjoying  my reviews on Bookin’ It, it’s a great way to let me know!  Thanks!

The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

My Rating:  5 of 5 Stars

Of the four wonderful books that Sarah Allen Addison has written, The Girl Who Chased The Moon is so utterly beautiful, it made my heart sing as I read it.  I love this book almost as much as Allen’s first, Garden Spells.  The story is positively

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

MY RATING:  5 of 5 Stars

Hmmm.   Musing, here.  Where should I shelve this beautiful book?  A tricky question.   It’s a love story without being a Romance.  It’s poetry without the rhymes.  It’s a fantasy without a single vampire, werewolf, faery, or dragon.  I guess I should just shelve it under “Books I Will Treasure Forever.”  The writing is

Quote #7 – Sarah Addison Allen

“Claire had added flowers to the garden to give her something to do at night when she was so wound up that frustration singed the edge of her nightgown and she set tiny fires with her fingertips.”

   –Sarah Addison Allen,  Garden Spells