Month: June 2020

Book Talk Tuesday: A LONG TIME COMIN’

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I love celebrating debut novels. When they’re good, I’m soooo happy. When they’re great, I’m ecstatic.

ALTC

A LONG TIME COMIN’ by Robin W. Pearson made me beyond giddy. It’s lovely, with a strong voice, memorable characters, and an engrossing story with repercussions that reach through the generations.

Evelyn Lester has a problem. Several of them. She visits her mother to sort them out and ends up spending a lot of time with her elderly grandmother. Granny B. has her own problems and secrets.

The two women must come to an understanding as they help each other navigate through uncharted territory of family and relationships.

I highly recommend it!

I got to meet Robin last year when we were both in Charleston, South Carolina. Our agents are at the same agency. She’s as lovely in person as her book is beautiful. I’m so excited to celebrate her debut novel with her and I can’t wait for y’all to read it!

I did not receive a free advance copy of A LONG TIME COMIN’. I bought it because I knew it would be great and I’m so happy I did. You will be too!

Media Monday: Sweet Magnolias

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A new-to-me Netflix series, Sweet Magnolias, was my weekend escape. I’m halfway through Season 1, and I understand it ends on a cliffhanger, so I’m trusting there will be a Season 2.

SMSweet Magnolias is set in Serenity, South Carolina and is about three women, friends since high school. Maddie, newly divorced, mom of three. Helen, single, attorney, accomplished. Dana Sue, longer divorced, mom of one, restaurateur. They go into business together, renovating a historic home and turning it into a spa. The series follows their lives, their romances, their families.

I haven’t read the books the series is based on, by Sherryl Woods. I’ve heard good things about them, but honestly, my To-Be-Read (TBR) mountain is teetering so high, I don’t dare add any more to it. At least until I get the current stack to a more manageable height. If you love small town Southern romances with strong female characters and deep friendships, I feel safe in saying you’d love the books.

The series is good, even if I can’t personally compare it to the books.

SH

I like the characters. I loved Brooke Elliott, who plays Dana Sue, as Jane Bingum in Drop Dead Diva back in 2009-2014. She was ditzy blonde model who was killed in an accident and sent back to life on Earth in a smart, brunette attorney’s curvy body. Ms Elliott was brilliant in that.

I’m enjoying this as a new find.

Anyone have something new to recommend?

My Netflix and Amazon Prime lists are not quite as bulging as my TBR stack.

Book Talk Tuesday: A COTTAGE WEDDING

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A Cottage Wedding is the perfect summer romance read. Two likable characters who are perfect for each other, though they have real issues to deal with that are keeping them apart. But you’re confident they’ll figure a way to make it work.

ACWTara Stewart is a lowly editorial assistant at a wedding magazine, yearning to prove herself a serious journalist. She gets her chance when her boss gives her an assignment: do an expose’ on Hearts Landing, the idyllic town that’s been the nation’s leading wedding destination for the last several years.

Unfortunately, Hearts Landing is just as perfect as it seems. More so, since Jason Heart is overseeing everything. Jason is the great-great-great-grandson of the town’s founder and the basis of many legends contributing to Hearts Landing’s reputation as a romantic destination.

As Tara and Jason grow closer, Tara has to make a choice: get that promotion and ruin Jason’s heritage and livelihood, or surrender her journalistic ethics and get fired.

Even though I saw the dilemma coming from the beginning, I thought the author handled it well and resolved it sensibly.

This is an excellent book with lots of fun wedding details and other characters worked into the story. Hearts Landing is as much a character as Tara and Jason.

Definitely recommended.
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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but it did not induce me to review it, either favorably or not.

Media Monday: The Office TV Show and The Office Ladies Podcast

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I didn’t watch The Office when it was on television. I wasn’t a fan of the mockumentary style. But it’s grown on me.

office

And people I respect love The Office so a couple of years ago, I made it my lunchtime Netflix show. And I really enjoyed it. Yes, it lost some of its charm when Steve Carrell left, but I watched it to the end.

There are very few shows I watch over and over again. Gilmore Girls … and … and that’s about it. If I’m channel surfing and Friends is on, I might stop there.

Then I found The Office Ladies podcast. Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, who played Pam and Angela on The Office, have a podcast where they dissect an episode a week. OLPThey started with the pilot and are going straight through. I’m only about mid-way through Season Two, and they’re near the beginning of Season Three.

The two women are best friends in real life and that shows. They’re having a blast remembering things that happened during filming. You can tell that the entire cast and crew had enormous respect for each other.

So now I’m rewatching The Office. I listen to an episode of the podcast, then rewatch the television episode they talked about. It’s fun to revisit favorite moments, to hear about who couldn’t get through the scene without breaking. Sometimes a costar or crew member or writer or production team member will call in or stop by to add their memories.

After I’ve finished this second go round with The Office, I’m going to watch the British version that was the original. The US version has 188 episodes. The British version: 14. It won’t be quite the time commitment. We can’t seem to know when is enough. But that’s a subject for another day.

Anyway, if you listen to podcasts and you liked The Office, check out The Office Ladies.

One caveat: there are lots of ads. I fast forward through them pretty easily, but their parent company offers a paid, ad-free subscription with extras. Just FYI.

Is there a television series you return to? A comfort watch, if you will?

I’m always looking for recommendations!

Happy viewing!

Book Talk Tuesday on a Thursday: A Highlander Comes to Town

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I’m sad to see this series come to an end. I’ve loved visiting Highland, Georgia and getting to know some Scots in the South.
HICTTA Highlander is Coming to Town is (finally) Holt Pierson’s story. We met Holt in Trentham’s previous two Highlander stories. Holt has made his peace with staying in Highland to run the family farm. Claire Smythe is on the run from something and takes refuge in Highland after the summer games. She’s taken a job as a caregiver for Holt’s neighbor and is spending the time trying to figure out what to do after her upcoming birthday. Because she has a big secret she can’t share with anyone. Although she’s clear upfront that she’ll soon be returning to Scotland right after Christmas.
Inevitably, the sparks between Holt and Claire combust. And as all secrets must, Claire’s come to light. And Claire and Holt’s simple fling is anything but.
I enjoy these books for their simplicity, their taste of Scotland, their humor. Sometimes I need an escape and these books supply that exactly.
A Highlander is Coming to Town is a Christmas story, complete with a winter storm, hot chocolate, and a heartwarming ending. The perfect holiday read. It will be released in late September, so mark your calendars for September 29, 2020.
I highly recommend it!
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I received an advance e-copy of this book via NetGalley, but it did not induce me to leave a review, complimentary or not.