I love Melody Carlson’s books, so I was tickled pink when I received her newest book, A Mile In My Flip-Flops. the book’s main character, Gretchen Hanover, is a charming if somewhat lost thirty-something. She is recovering from a broken heart. Her fiance’ has run off with an old girlfriend leaving Gretchen with not only shattered dreams, but an apartment full of stuff - enough to fill the house they would have shared.
Gretchen has moping around for months and consuming more Ben & Jerry’s than she ever thought possible. Until one fine day when, while watching her beloved HGTV she has a “light bulb moment.” She decides that the way out from under her grief and despair is hard work … like flipping a house.
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Posted by jill, in Chick-lit, Chick-lit Authors, Melody Carlson
Finding Hollywood Nobody is a wild ride through the eyes of Scotty, a very unusual sixteen year old girl. Not every sixteen year old girl grows up around Hollywood stars. And not every one discovers that the woman she thought was her mother is actually…her grandmother? Charley is one of those people who makes food look pretty for the media. Her job is pretty flexible, which is good, because she’s busy dragging Scotty across the country to escape the clutches of Biker Guy. He’s been following them for years and the two women are afraid that he’s part of the mob sent to finish them off. All the while, Scotty keeps a tell-tale Hollywood blog updating celebrity watchers of the going-ons of her friends.
The book is an entertaining read and Lisa Samson keeps an energetic pace throughout the novel. Readers are brought through the Jungle Room in Graceland and down to a tiny town in Texas that is bursting with new life as a high-budget horror flick comes to town. Scotty also discovers something foreign to her: friends her own age. She also finds Jesus within the pages of the book—it’s a natural event and doesn’t sound forced or preachy.
If you are looking for a great series for a teenage girl you know, introduce her to Scotty. She’ll be begging you for more.
Review by Caitlin Muir
Posted by jill, in Chick-lit, Lisa Samson
The Big Picture, by Jenny B. Jones, revolves around teenager Katie Parker. When Katie’s mom arrives at her foster home out of the blue on the same night that Katie’s sort-of boyfriend, Charlie, tells her he’s hanging out with his ex again, Katie’s once perfectly ordered life goes down the drain. To make matters worse, the mayor is determined to close the town’s beloved drive-in theatre to put in a strip mall. As the day to move back in with her mom looms nearer, Katie is caught up in getting Charlie back, but when she finally does move, her problems only get worse.
In this third installment of the Katie Parker series, Jenny B. Jones incorporates a wide variety of trials for Katie. Toward the beginning of the novel, Katie’s obsession with some of her problems drags on; however, as the book progresses and Katie is put to the test in ever more serious or humorous ways, the story becomes vastly more interesting. Although it starts slow, The Big Picture makes a great comeback, leaving the reader delighted with the novel.
Review by Jane Muir
Posted by jill, in Chick-lit, Chick-lit Authors, Jenny B. Jones
It’s official. I want to be a SisterChick when I grow up. I hope I might be so lucky. Robin Jones Gunn’s SisterChick series is centered around the lives of two “midlife mamas”, Elizabeth (Liz) and Kellie. The two friends have been through ups and downs together and know each other almost well enough to read the other’s thoughts.
Sisterchicks Go Brit, the seventh book in the series, finds Liz and Kellie on their way to see Big Ben. How they end up traveling to the UK is a story in itself, but I’ll leave that a mystery because what’s best about the book is what’s in the middle - the trip itself. The gals visit all of the places I’d like to go if I were cross the pond - the old haunts of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, the sights and sounds of London, shopping at Portabella Road in Knotting Hill. Ahhh, I could envision myself alongside them as they bopped from place to place. (and bop they did)
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Posted by jill, in Chick-lit, Robin Jones Gunn
Joan. Boring name for a boring life. Or so Joan believes until she meets her new next door neighbor. The handsome doctor her age makes Joan realize that there may be more to life than settling for living at home, getting up every morning to go to an unfulfilling career and wishing she were living one of her sisters’ lives.
But Joan knows she can’t make a change because no one would be there to care for her aging grandmother - a job that she has taken upon herself, but truly enjoys. Not to mention, the doctor may be adorable, but he’s also a Christian. And Joan’s not so sure that’s what she needs right now. Her life is comfortable - why complicate it with thoughts of love and religion. Joan’s not sure her life can handle either.
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Posted by jill, in Chick-lit, Reviews, Virginia Smith
Quirky and hilarious – those are the words I’d use to describe Sharon Dunn’s newest release, Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear. The title alone made me chuckle and the book doesn’t disappoint.
The Bargain Hunter’s Network (BHN) is a group of women that shop together and, naturally, seek out sales and bargain prices. BHN consists of four women: cat loving Ginger, Kindra the college student, Suzanne the mother of four, and Arleta, the senior citizen of the group.
In Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear, the second book in the Bargain Hunters Mystery series, the group travels to Calamity, Nevada, the site of an invention convention in which Ginger’s husband wants to take part.
The group arrives in Calamity and from there things go steadily downhill. A mystery ensues and the HBN ends up right in the middle of the action. The result is a hilarious novel that, while at times silly, entertains and gives a nice break from reality which is something I can always use.
Review By:
Jill Hart
CWAHM
Posted by admin, in Chick-lit, Sharon Dunn
Melody Carlson, author of more than 200 books, returns with a new book, I Heart Bloomberg which will be released in April. Set in Portland, Oregon, the book is the first in the 86 Bloomberg Place series. Carlson takes a look into the lives and friendships of four new roommates. As you’ve probably guessed, the girls live at 86 Bloomberg Place.
Kendall, who received the house as a gift from her grandmother, has decided to take in renters in lieu of getting a job. Who wants to work when you can pay for your shopping sprees by collecting rent? She sets out to find three roommates, going so far as to ask for resumes in her newspaper ad.
After Kendall decides upon her new tenants, the fun really begins. Megan, Lelani and Anna each have their own reasons for moving in to Kendall’s house. And once they’ve moved in none of them is sure the arrangement is gong to work. Can they learn to live together or will Kendall’s big plans fall short?
I Heart Bloomberg is a fun read. It focuses on the friendships of the girls and not so much on any romance. I have a feeling the upcoming books will go more into each of the girls’ romantic relationships. Carlson gives a glimpse into each characters life by writing from one girl’s perspective for each chapter. I enjoyed getting the chance to read from each character’s point of view. It was interesting to see the dynamics develop and to see how things affected each girl’s life.
Review By:
Jill Hart
CWAHM
Posted by admin, in Chick-lit, Melody Carlson
I’ve been a fan of the Yada Yada books for quite awhile now. Each time a new one comes out I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I always think that a new one cant be better than the last one but Neta Jackson has a way of bringing something new, exciting and better than the previous one. So once again she has done it in her new book - Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out.
Come along with Jodi Baxter and the rest of the group as they are ready to celebrate the Holiday season. And celebrate is just what they did. The Manna House becomes a temporary shelter to some Hurricane Katrina refugees and the Yada Yada prayer group know that there is nothing better than helping those in need especially during the Holidays and that’s exactly what they do.
In an unexpected turn of events Jodi finds herself face to face with a former student that ends up being part of a crime that knocks her off her feet. She is faced with her son’s wedding that needs to be pulled off in a quicker time frame than she was prepared for and then there’s baby Gracie, the baby that changed the family forever. Jodi is reminded that it’s times like this that she truly needs the support of her Yada Yada sisters and that’s exactly what they give her.
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out is a perfect example that what we have in mind for the way to celebrate and what God has in store for us are two very different things. When things don’t go as we think they should, especially during the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, it’s easy to let ourselves get stressed out and maybe even upset but let yourself be reminded (from reading the book) that God’s plans are always for the best anyways!
Review By:
Tishia Lee
Tishia Saves Time
Posted by admin, in Lit, Neta Jackson
I first met Sharon Dunn about four years ago at a writers’ retreat. Sharon is the author of the award winning Ruby Taylor mysteries. Her books can be summed up as: A little mystery, a little romance, a whole lotta fun. The first book, Romance Rustlers and Thunderbird Thieves was a finalist in the Inspirational Novel of the Year and book two, Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante, won the Book of the Year award from American Christian Fiction Writers. Her newest release Death of a Garage Sale Newbie is the first in the Bargain Hunters mysteries. Sharon lives in Montana with her husband of 20 years, three children, three cats. When she isn’t writing, she is taking kids to activities, making pets out of the dust bunnies under her furniture, and working part time at a college.
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Posted by admin, in Articles, Nikki Arana, Sharon Dunn
