Serena by Ron Rash

From Goodreads: The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains—but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her husband's life in the wilderness. Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives, and when Serena suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons' intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves toward its shocking reckoning.

Serena was my local book club's pick for April. I loved it but not every one did. Of the eleven of us, three didn't finish it because they did not like it but everyone else enjoyed it. I guess that makes it one of those books that you either jump into and love or you can't get into at all. I thought it was like rolling down a hill - a jarring start with a murder within the first few pages and then it gains momentum and you just get into a whirlwind that at the end leaves you shaking your head thinking, "Wow, how did that happen!" and trying to decide if it was fun or not.

The tug of war between environmentalists trying to preserve the land through the creation of a national park and the developers wanting to make use of the resources in a way that brings in business and industry was fascinating. It's a conflict still unfolding worldwide but for me very close to home here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. I may not know the perfect balance but I could envision the wilderness Ron Rash described being felled by clear cutting for timber and knew that wasn't it! He created more than one villain in this book and it made for interesting layers to be discussed.

Ron Rash has a new book out - that will go on my mental wish list. He's doing an author event in South Carolina but it's all the way across the state almost as far away from where I am as you can get! So I will have to live vicariously through my upstate friend, Kathy over at Bermudaonion's Weblog.


I am trying to reach 100 books this year - I've never done it before although I have come very close, click on the logo to see how I am doing for this year!

The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew

From Goodreads: In this beautifully written debut, Anna Jean Mayhew offers a riveting depiction of Southern life in the throes of segregation, what it will mean for a young girl on her way to adulthood--and for the woman who means the world to her. . .
On a scorching day in August 1954, thirteen-year-old Jubie Watts leaves Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family for a Florida vacation. Crammed into the Packard along with Jubie are her three siblings, her mother, and the family's black maid, Mary Luther. For as long as Jubie can remember, Mary has been there--cooking, cleaning, compensating for her father's rages and her mother's benign neglect, and loving Jubie unconditionally. Bright and curious, Jubie takes note of the anti-integration signs they pass, and of the racial tension that builds as they journey further south. But she could never have predicted the shocking turn their trip will take.

This audiobook was a win from Kathy at Bermudaonion's Weblog and, boy, was that a lucky win - I LOVED it! I didn't love it in a perky "OMG it was so cute" way more like it was cathartic because it just left me feeling wrung out. The time period is so tension filled as racial segregation is creeping through the South and the family is a bundle of nerves tiptoieng around their dysfunction. The soft spot for Jubie to land is in Mary's arms, their "girl", their black maid who functions as Jubie's anchor. Reading the dscription, I knew there was tragedy ahead and the suspense just kept me on edge. When the moment finally came, I just wanted to scream at all of them to run and then scream again to berate them for their naivete - how could they not see it coming when my stomach had been in knots for hours? What a good book! Kudos to Anna Jean Mayhew for a wondeeful debu tnovel and thank you's to Kathy for hosting the giveaway!

The audiobook challenge is hosted by Teresa at Teresa's Reading Corner, click on the logo to see my progress.










I am trying to reach 100 books this year - I've never done it before although I have come very close, click on the logo to see how I am doing for this year!

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

From Goodreads:Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry the ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her 'happy ever after' begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring but in the panic that followed, she has now lost her phone. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect! Well, perfect except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton doesn't agree. He wants his phone back and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other's lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents... she soon realises that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

This one was cute! It felt very modern because so much of it had to do with texting and e-mails and such. It also felt very predictable because, well, you know, I've read Sophie Kinsella before! But that didn't make me enjoy it any less. If you like her style, you will like this one.


I am trying to reach 100 books this year - I've never done it before although I have come very close, click on the logo to see how I am doing for this year!

Food Rules by Michael Pollan

From Goodreads: Michael Pollan, our nation's most trusted resource for food-related issues, offers this indispensible guide for anyone concerned about health and food. Simple, sensible, and easy to use, Food Rules is a set of memorable rules for eating wisely, many drawn from a variety of ethnic or cultural traditions. Whether at the supermarket or an all-you-can-eat-buffet, this handy, pocket-size resource is the perfect guide for anyone who would like to become more mindful of the food we eat. This was a "read in a hour" little book that held more than an hour's worth of wisdom. If only it also came with some willpower! I don't know that I learned anything new but it is all stuff that I need reinforcment with. Some snippets were mini-lessons on foods and science and others were just humorous reminders like this one: "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't." I am very reliant on both fast food and prepared foods but go through spurts of trying to do better. When I need a push to do better, this book will be a good inspiration - it's a keeper! This works for the following challenges -


I am trying to reach 100 books this year - I've never done it before although I have come very close, click on the logo to see how I am doing for this year!





Click on the logo to see my progress towards the 2012 A to Z Reading Challenge hosted by Strawberry Splash Reviews.

Mailbox Monday - my book club's picks

Mailbox Monday started by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). This month Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Cindy at Cindy's Love of Books. Stop by there to check out everyone else's mailboxes.

My mailbox all came from an Amazon order I placed for my local book club's next few months of picks. I'm excited about all of them, I think these are good picks! Here's what we're reading....

For April....
From Goodreads: The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains—but she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving her husband's life in the wilderness. Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives, and when Serena suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons' intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves toward its shocking reckoning.


For May.....
From Goodreads: Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Moving from Addis Ababa to New York City and back again, Cutting for Stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, medicine and ordinary miracles—and two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined.

For June......
From Goodreads: This first novel in a new trilogy from bestselling author Trigiani offers a heartwarming and hilarious story of Valentine Roncalli and the decades-old family business she struggles to save, finding love and the life she wants along the way.