A Wedding in Provence – Writer of Sweet Small Town Stories of Love and Family

Book Talk Tuesday: UNBROKEN

Published on January 13, 2015January 13, 2015 by Live Vi-Carrie-ous

I bought this book for Stud Muffin for Christmas a couple of years ago. He loved it and couldn’t put it down.

I put it on my TBR pile and then ignored it. I knew it would be one of those books that lives in the mind long after you turn the final page, but I needed a little space in my own brain just then.

When the movie adaptation was announced, I knew I had to read it.

I started it last spring. Then I set it aside.

It was too intense. I knew the story (a WWII soldier crashes, drifts in a life raft for 47 days, then is taken prisoner by the Japanese). I also knew once I got to the part of the story where he crashes, I wouldn’t be able to put down the book. So I set it down before I got to that part.

I’m back into it now though, so I can see the movie next week. I’m not quite finished with it, but I’m far enough that I’m past the most harrowing stories of brutality. Japan has just surrendered and the POWs are being rescued.

it’s an incredible story movingly told. Laura Hillenbrand is arguably the queen of creative non-fiction. She wrote the bestseller SEABISCUIT and UNBROKEN is her follow-up book. Louis Zamperini, the unbreakable subject, passed away last summer. What a blessing that he got to talk to Hillenbrand and was still alive to see the impact his story has had.

Even when I’m finished, this one will go on the keeper shelf.

Did you read it? What did you think?

Book Talk Tuesday: A Wedding in Provence by Ellen Sussman

Published on July 1, 2014June 23, 2014 by Live Vi-Carrie-ous

A Wedding in Provence is as charming and lazy as a weekend in the country. It’s part family saga, part summer beach read, and part lyrical commentary on marriage and commitment.

Olivia and Brody have chosen to start their newly joined lives at an inn on the Mediterranean owned and run by Olivia’s closest friend, an ex-pat, and her French husband.

As their family arrives for the wedding, more and more issues bubble to the surface. Brody’s mother comes but his father has stayed home. Olivia’s daughters arrive, one dragging along a man she met on the plane, the other sans her boyfriend. The inn’s owners’ own troubles must be faced.

Some of the twists are predictable, but the pacing is good and Olivia and Brody are drawn as real people with concerns about merging their lives when they’ve already built a perfectly fine life alone. How do you make a second marriage work when there are unshared memories and ghosts that insist on coming along?

I enjoyed this one very much. It’s perfect for reading on a cabin deck or on the beach or in the backyard hammock.

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I received a free download of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Book Talk Tuesday: A Preview

Published on June 17, 2014June 17, 2014 by Live Vi-Carrie-ous

I’m reading several books right now and have slowed down my pace a bit.

Here’s what I’m reading or about to read, both on my Kindle and from a print book.

Havah by Tosca Lee. A first person, fictional (obviously) narrative about Eve, the original “bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh.” I’m a bit over halfway and enjoying it very much. Tosca Lee is a lovely writer. I’d heard good things about this one and even though it’s not normally something I’d be drawn to, I picked it up on my Kindle. It started a bit slow for me and the prose took some getting used to, but now I’m into the story and looking forward to tonight when I’ll read some more. Even knowing how the story turns out doesn’t dampen my appreciation.

When Your World Falls Apart by Dr. David Jeremiah. Good and practical for how to journey through the seasons when God shakes up your life and your plans. I’ve loved the chapter on Psalm 121, one of my favorites and one I memorized several years ago. I lift my eyes to the heavens—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth.

Until We Touch, by Susan Mallery, will round out her summer Fool’s Gold releases. I’m expecting my advance copy of this one any time. It’s probably waiting for me in the mail box right now. I’m looking forward to some more Susan Mallery to read during the hottest summer days.

And finally, I’ve finished an advance copy of Ellen Sussman’s July release, A Wedding in Provence. It’s a lovely story and one I enjoyed. I’ll be sharing my review here very soon.

What are you reading? I’m always looking for new titles to add to my Mount To Be Read stack.