A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

What should you buy in April 2012 (from www.talesandales.com of course)?  What should be your summer book club pick?  What book is going to be the first Tales Book Club read?
This novel! 

What's it about?  Jess and Stump; Ben and Julie; Chambliss (I wrinkle my nose as I type his name); Adelaide and Clem.  Their lives, their pasts and their now as it takes place in the mountains of Western North Carolina.  Of spying when you should be playing (but boys are boys); of healing when you should be loving (we easily see what we want to); and of the reprecussions of our actions and inactions. 

A story that spans years in a week.  A story that heals without you realizing it.  A story so full of hunger and longing, you want to grab Jess and Stump and Joe Bill and tell them how much they are loved.  A story of beauty - mountains and rivers; snow and thunder; faith and healing.  I walked away sad but not depressed and more filled up with faith (and questions) than I have been for a long time.  This the kind of story that you find yourself talking about the characters as if they are real, that it really happened.  (And you want to know what kind of man Jess will become.)


Published by William Morrow (division of HarperCollins); Available April 2012; Received at Winter Institute 7 (thanks!)
This is Wiley Cash's debut novel.  Check out his website at http://www.wileycash.com/.

What have I been reading?

I have all of these wonderful friends and family reading and reviewing books for me, I guess I should share some of the pages I've been turning.

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson - Strong females, laughter and secrets!  It's Joshilyn Jackson, you have to read it!!!

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey - The cold and unforgiving wilderness of 1920s Alaska - a middle-aged childless couple - a snow child - love and hope.  Just released by Hachette!  It's already a hit.  Read it for your book club, share with your mom or sister!

The Perfect Gentleman by Imran Ahmad - "A Boy Meets the West" - The personal and hilarious and eye-opening journey of a Pakistani bonny baby through his years growing up in England.  I actually learned what it is to think like a man (scary).  Author is doing a 50-city driving tour - he's driving himself - May - June 2012.  Release date of April 2012 by Hachette.

SHINE SHINE SHINE by Lydia Netzer

Reviewed by Billie Jo E.
Published by Macmillan (St. Martin's Press)
Release date July 2012

5 *****
Wanted to keep reading to see what would be revealed next!  Well-written flashback scenes (which can be confusing sometimes but not in this case).  Kept me interested all the way to the end!

(Sexual content but limited and written well.)

Carry the One by Carol Anshaw

Guest Review by Helen D. (thanks!)
Published by Simon & Schuster Adult
Available March 2012

Carry the One is the story of a shared tragedy between a group of friends and
how each one of them deals with it.  Carol Anshaw does a masterful job of
portraying the dance of the friends away from and back again toward one another. 
This is a story of struggle to make life meaningful, to make love attainable, to
make pain go away.  There are moments of discovery and insight, always
overshadowed by a life that 'could have been.'

Good book.  Well written.  I look forward to reading some of Anshaw's other
works.

Guest Review - The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

published by HarperCollins Children's Books

Review by Judy:

Ivan’s story is captivating and imaginative, a real page-turner. The format of short chapters with pithy titles is refreshing.  Ivan, Stella and the other animals hold a mirror up for humans to see themselves in a new light. It would be a wonderful read-aloud story.

I would give it a 5 (out of 5).

Guest Reviews

I received and am very thankful for many books at Winter Institute 7 in New Orleans.  The books were provided by numerous publishers and many were signed by the authors at the wonderful author reception.  I could and would read them all (approx. 40) if I was able to ignore my hubby, family and friends with a guilt free conscience.  Instead, I've divvied them up among several friends and family to read and review. Thank you all!!  (I plan on reading them too but in increments.)

 

Here is the first review back from my youngest reader, Sarah, and her mom's perspective of the workbook:

 

I give the book Summer Fit: Exercises for the Brain and Body While Away From School** five stars !  I really like it because it has interesting stories and fun things to do like math problems and counting by fives, tens, twos, and ones and games with compound words.  Love, Sarah

As a parent, I like the book because it seems like something fun to do rather than work, and it is a good way for a child to keep up with their skills during the summer break.

 

**Summer Fit is an activity/workbook series for pre-K through 5th grade and is is published by Midpoint Trade Books.