Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Back to school reading

THE SWEETGUM LADIES KNIT FOR LOVE



The Sweetgum Ladies are back and this time, love is in the air. Beth Pattillo combines her love of knitting with some romance in this second installment of her latest series.


The small town of Sweetgum, Tennesee is buzzing about Eugenie’s marriage to the Reverend Paul Carson. Hazel Emerson, president of the ladies auxiliary at Sweetgum Christian Church seems the most “interested” and jumps at every chance she gets to harass and confront Eugenie.Meanwhile, Camille, the owner of Maxine’s Dress Shop, has her own nemesis who drops by just to spread the word that Camille’s old boyfriend Dante is back in town………for good. Maria, the newest member of the Knit Lit Society, is sorting through her feelings of grief over losing her father and trying to manage a business all alone.


Esther, newly widowed, finds herself left unexpectedly destitute and finds herself slipping from her accustomed social status. The ladies get together once a month, to discuss works like Romeo and Juliet,Wuthering Heights, and Pride and Prejudice – and each has her own idea about love. The ladies find themselves relying on each other as the town’s economy changes and they face personal changes as well – financial struggles, new babies, heartaches and new love. Unexpected life changes and challenges draw these ladies into a tight “knit” group, who learns that love is sometimes painful. A classic “feel good” story for those who love small towns, Southern roots and a good old fashioned love story!


RITA Award-winning Beth Patillo combines her love of knitting and books in her engaging Sweetgum series. Pattillo served churches in Missouri and Tennessee before founding Faith Leader, a spiritual leadership development program. Her Heavens to Betsy series is one of my favorites!


You can buy this book here.



THE CONFIDENTIAL LIFE OF EUGENIA COOPER

The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed to go back to New York and marry another man.

As Gennie adapts to the rough-and-tumble world of 1880s
Colorado, she must decide whether her future lies with the enigmatic Daniel Beck or back home with the life planned for her since birth.


The question is whether Daniel’s past–and disgruntled miners bent on revenge–will take that choice away from her.


Kathleen Y’Barbo is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than thirty novels, novellas, and young adult books, with more than a half-million in print. A graduate of Texas A&M University, she is currently a publicist with Books & Such literary agency.

Grab a copy of this one for yourself here.




ROSE HOUSE


A vivid story of a private grief, a secret painting, and one woman’s search for hope. Still mourning the loss of her family in a tragic accident, Lillian Diamon finds herself drawn back to the Rose House, a quiet cottage where four years earlier she had poured out her anguish among its fragrant blossoms.

She returns to the rolling hills and lush vineyards of the
Sonoma Valley in search of something she can’t quite name. But then Lillian stumbles onto an unexpected discovery: displayed in the La Rosaleda Gallery is a painting that captures every detail of her most private moment of misery, from the sorrow etched across her face to the sandals on her feet.

What kind of artist would dare to intrude on such a personal scene, and how did he happen to witness Lillian’s pain? As the mystery surrounding the portrait becomes entangled with the accident that claimed the lives of her husband and children, Lillian is forced to rethink her assumptions about what really happened that day.

A captivating novel rich with detail,
Rose House explores how the brushstrokes of pain can illuminate the true beauty of life.


Tina Ann Forkner is the author of Ruby Among Us. Originally from Oklahoma, she now lives with her husband and three children in Wyoming, where she serves on the Laramie County Library Foundation’s board of directors.

Buy this one here.




No comments: