Well this past week I took another walk down Blossom Street. This time I poked around in Anne Marie's Bookshop. This would surely be one of my favorite stores! I loved loved loved this book and the way it told of four lonely widows who formed a little group. They decided it was time for them to get over their mourning with each others help and starting make a wish list of things they hadn't done but wanted to. It was everything from elaborate to simple. Anne Marie has a hard time starting out, but then with the help of precious 8 year old who comes into her life it doesn't take long to work on getting those wishes filled!!! What I especially love about these Blossom Street books is that while one shop is featured and that owner may be the "main character" the other ladies and men also get a full nod too. Each widow had their own story and while they might not get as many details as Anne Marie did, you still got to see how their wishes worked out.
What do you want most in the world?
What
Anne Marie Roche wants is to find happiness again. At thirty-eight,
she's childless, a recent widow, alone. She owns a successful bookstore
on Seattle's Blossom Street, but despite her accomplishments, there's a
feeling of emptiness.
On Valentine's Day, Anne Marie and several
other widows get together to celebrate…hope. They each begin a list of
twenty wishes—things they always wanted to do but never did.
Anne
Marie's list includes learning to knit, falling in love again, doing
good for someone else. When she volunteers at a local school, an
eight-year-old girl named Ellen enters her life. It's a relationship
that becomes far more involving—and far more important—than Anne Marie
had ever imagined.
As Ellen helps Anne Marie complete her list of
twenty wishes, they both learn that wishes can come true…but not
necessarily in the way you expect. (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
Ok, we are a little behind on the whole Duck Dynasty thing, but we are trying to catch up fast. We have fallen in love with the Robertsons, even if the show is a little hokey at times. It bothered me a little at first, after getting burned with Jon & Kate, and I had to wonder how much was true and how much was made up because it makes a good story. But as I was discussing this with a friend of mine, she enlightened me in this way, "Who cares if it is real or not, it's hysterically funny and its clean family fun!" That freed me to sit back and enjoy the ride, wherever it may lead!!!
Faith. Family. Ducks—in that order.This book gives readers an
up-close and personal, behind-the-scenes look at the family in the
exploding A&E show—Duck Dynasty. This Louisiana bayou family
operates Duck Commander, a booming family business that has made them
millions. You’ll hear all about the Robertson clan from Willie and what
it was like growing up in the Robertson household. You’ll sample some of
Willie’s favorite family recipes from Phil, Kay, and even some of his
own concoctions; and you’ll get to know the beautiful Robertson women.
You’ll hear from Korie about the joys and hardships of raising a family,
running a business, and wrangling the Robertson men while staying
fashionable and beautiful inside and out. Discover more about the family
dynamics between brothers Willie, Jase, Jep, and parents Phil and Kay.
You’ll even meet a fourth brother who isn’t in the show. (picture and description from amazon.com)
Now, back to Blossom Street!!
O:)
Melissa
I am going to be SOOOOO very sorry in the morning (oh wait, I mean in 3 hours when my alarm goes off!) but this book was SOOOO good I couldn't put it down!! As you know, I got hooked on Blossom Street a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to read the series. Luckily since these books are older they are easy to find at the library. Amazingly, the first two I read were actually the first two in the series, so I just picked right up with the next one.
So apparently I hit a zombie mood tonight, which happens every few months, and could not put this down! I'm pretty sure I read half of this tonight, especially when you consider I just posted the last book I read on Monday. And that I have been very busy at home attempting to reclaim my house from the last few weeks of crazy. Again, I loved loved loved this book like the others, despite it not being a "Christian" book. There was just a little language and that whole wine drinking thing, but other than that if I put this up against some "Christian" books that aren't as well written and just throw the Jesus stuff in there here and there, I'd say this one would win hands down.
Now to find the next ones at the library!!
It was the year that changed everything…When
Susannah Nelson turned eighteen, she said goodbye to her boyfriend,
Jake—and never saw him again. She never saw her brother, Doug, again,
either. He died unexpectedly that same year. Now, at fifty,
Susannah finds herself regretting the paths not taken. Long married, a
mother and a teacher, she should be happy. But she feels there's
something missing in her life. Not only that, she's balancing the
demands of an aging mother and a temperamental twenty-year-old daughter. Her
mother, Vivian, a recent widow, is having difficulty coping and living
alone, so Susannah goes home to Colville, Washington. In returning to
her parents' house, her girlhood friends and the garden she's always
loved, she also returns to the past—and the choices she made back then.
What she discovers is that things are not always as they once seemed.
Some paths are dead ends. But some gardens remain beautiful…. (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
I must be a book reading machine these days!! While waiting to get the Blossom Street books from the library, I picked up this one from my bedside. It captivated me at first, (a couple picking up a baby in a China orphanage in the early 90s before the boom, since I could totally see it in my mind) then got a little weird, then I could not put it down!! It really just let me see another little crack into the world of Asian adoption, the families left behind, the adoptee himself/herself, the new family ..... and left me with many questions about the topic itself. Even though we have never adopted, I know many, many families that have and I always love a good (or bad) adoption story. Remember, I'm a storyteller. Love to hear them, love to tell them! I love to know the situation, how it came to be, if there were birth parents/grandparents, how much the adoptee knows/remembers from their past, if anything, how the birth children react (if there are any) ... things that probably aren't any of my business and not that I would retell, it just really interests me. I highly recommend this book, especially if you have been involved with Asian adoption, Asia in general, adoption in general .... and I'd love to hear your take on how real or unreal it is.
A Mother's Love. A Sister's Promise.
Will Two Women Find the Path to Save a Young Woman's Life?
When
an insidious genetic disease strikes her family, Harvard graduate Dr.
Kai Chang must alert Lily, the sister Kai left on orphanage steps years
earlier. Standing in her way are the Powells, Lily's adoptive parents.
Gloria Powell, a shy pastor's wife, distrusts Kai and thinks her
presence will send their troubled seventeen-year-old over the precipice
of teenaged angst. A Texas-sized tornado whirls when Kai summons the
Powells to a Fort Worth hotel. Tempers and cultures collide. Can Kai and
Gloria, separated by culture and faith but devoted to Lily, reconcile
their differences and trust their dreams to God? (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
Ok, I can't believe it, but I actually read another book this week!! It took me about 5 or 6 days. in the middle of piles of laundry, grocery shopping, clothes/shoe shopping, recovering from weeks on in and out vacations, getting ready for school, AND planning 2 birthday parties and a baby shower. But superwoman here somehow managed to sneak in a book too. (Secret ... about 4 hours sleep a night. I plan to crash tonight!!!)
Please, don't judge me, but I am usually not a fan of non-Christian books. Granted, I've heard Debbie is a Christian and I do love her writing, but as appealing as her covers are (yes, I'm still a sucker for judging books by their cover!) I've tried to steer away from them. The last few non-Christian books I've stuck with or quit reading seemed to be full of filthy language, immoral behavior, etc and I'd just rather not fill my mind with that. (although apparently I have no trouble watching it on TV or in the movies, but that's another story!). But this book had been on my bedside for quite a while and for some reason I decided to pick it up.
Yes, it still had some stuff I wasn't entirely comfortable with, but I must say her writing style is something I really, really love. Several years ago I read the first book, The Shop on Blossom Street. When I started this book, I was surprised at how many of the characters I remembered. It was fun to "pick up" and see what happened to them. There were several plots going as always, and in the end it all turned out good.
There's a new shop on Seattle's Blossom Street—a flower store called
Susannah's Garden, right next door to A Good Yarn. Susannah Nelson, the
owner, has just hired an assistant named Colette Blake, a young widow
who's obviously hiding a secret—or two.
When Susannah and Colette both
join Lydia Goetz's new knitting class, they discover that Lydia and her
sister, Margaret, have worries of their own. Margaret's daughter,
Julia, is the victim of a random carjacking, and the entire family is
thrown into emotional chaos.
Then there's Alix Townsend, whose
wedding is only months away. She's not sure she can go through with it,
though. A reception at the country club, with hundreds of guests she's
never met—it's just not Alix. But, like everyone else in Lydia's
knitting class, she knows there's a solution to every problem… and that
another woman can usually help you find it! (pic and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
Another awesome book I highly recommend. I read her Weddings by Bella series last year and absolutely LOVED it! I knew this book would not disappoint and indeed it did not. I had the opportunity to go to the beach this past week and I consumed this book in two days. Laughed my lovely off. You will too. Guaranteed!!
Feisty wedding photographer Hannah McDermott has dealt with her share of
difficult brides. But none can compare to the ultimate Bridezilla she's
dealing with now. Still, she's trying desperately to impress Bella
Neeley, Galveston Island's most sought-after wedding planner, so she can
take the top spot in Bella's list of recommended photographers--a spot
currently occupied by her arch-rival, Drew Kincaid. What she doesn't
count on, however, is falling head over heels for the competition.
With
her contagious humor and cast of quirky characters, Janice Thompson
gives readers more of the bridal business drama they want in a brand-new
series all about those long-suffering people who make beautiful
weddings happen. Readers are desperately waiting for more of Bella and
this new series brings her back in a big way, while introducing new
characters fans will love. Fans will laugh out loud as they experience
this breezy and entertaining novel from a great storyteller. (picture and description from amazon.com)
O:)
Melissa
