<span class="screen-reader-text">Category: </span>Book Related

Cover Reveal: Slightly South of Simple 1

ondbookshelfAugust 5, 2016August 4, 20161 Comment

Today I have the honor of revealing the cover to my author friend Kristy Woodson Harvey's new book! This is a big deal for me since the initial reason I connected with Kristy (for her debut novel) was because I thought the cover was so stunning that I had to know more! Unfortunately you're going to have to wait until April 25, 2017 for this gem to hit shelves, but in the meantime, Kristy has a contest going on over at her page. You can win a $100 amazon gift card and some book bundles, so head on over to enter:

http://kristywoodsonharvey.com/blog

Here is a little bit about the book:

SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF SIMPLE:

From the next “major voice in Southern fiction” (New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand) comes the first in an all-new series chronicling the journeys of three sisters and their mother—and a secret from their past that has the potential to tear them apart and reshape their very definition of what it means to be a family.

Caroline Murphy swore she’d never set foot back in the small Southern town of Peachtree Bluff; she was a New York girl born and bred and the worst day of her life was when, in the wake of her father’s death, her mother selfishly forced her to move—during her senior year of high school, no less—back to that hick-infested rat trap where she'd spent her childhood summers. But now that her marriage to a New York high society heir has fallen apart in a very public, very embarrassing fashion, a pregnant Caroline decides to escape the gossipmongers with her nine-year-old daughter and head home to her mother, Ansley.

Ansley has always put her three daughters first, especially when she found out that her late husband, despite what he had always promised, left her with next to nothing. Now the proud owner of a charming waterfront design business and finally standing on her own two feet, Ansley welcomes Caroline and her brood back with open arms. But when her second daughter Sloane, whose military husband is overseas, and youngest daughter and successful actress Emerson join the fray, Ansley begins to feel like the piece of herself she had finally found might be slipping from her grasp. Even more discomfiting, when someone from her past reappears in Ansley's life, the secret she’s harbored from her daughters their entire lives might finally be forced into the open.

Exploring the powerful bonds between sisters and mothers and daughters, this engaging novel is filled with Southern charm, emotional drama, and plenty of heart.

And the cover (I love that it's a beach scene again....yay!):

Be sure to check out Kristy's previous novels (if you have not already done so) while you await this new series (yes, it's a series!). Click the links for my reviews:

Dear Carolina

Lies and Other Acts of Love

Also follow Kristy on social media to keep updated on book news and tour stops!

Twitter
Facebook
Website

Boston Book Festival 2015

ondbookshelfOctober 27, 2015Leave a comment

This past Saturday (October 24), I had the pleasure of attending the Boston book festival on my way back from a trip to visit family in Vermont. The festival takes place over one day in and around the Copley Square section of Boston. Lots of authors and author panels taking place at a variety of venues (most of mine were in beautiful local churches). It was a wonderful day with many great authors! Here are a few pictures chronicling the events.

The sign located on the Boston public library building (many, many children's author events were at this venue, sadly I did not have time to attend any of them).

Panel from left to right Elena Delbanco (The Silver Swan), Peter Davis (Girl of My Dreams), Courtney Maum (I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You), and B.A. Shapiro (The Art Forger and The Muralist).

Next stop: Emily St. John Mandel (Station Eleven) and Sandra Newman (The Country of Ice Cream Star).

Next up was a keynote address from James Wood. I did not get a picture because I was way in the back. This was the only disappointing choice of the day (how I wish I had opted for the Jennifer McMahon panel). He spoke like he was giving a lecture to a high level college literature course, way over the head of the average reader.

On to Colum McCann (Thirteen Ways of Looking), interviewed by Claire Messud (The Woman Upstairs).

Last (but certainly not least) was Bill Clegg. I was fairly far back for this one also, but he was sweet to take a photo in the signing line 🙂

A great day for book lovers, I wish I had the chance to see the panel with Meg Mitchell Moore (The Admissions), but it conflicted with another panel. Hopefully I'll run into her at another event.

Cover Reveal: Lies and Other Acts of Love + Giveaway! 4

ondbookshelfSeptember 16, 2015December 30, 20214 Comments

Today I have the great pleasure of introducing the cover of my author friend Kristy Woodson Harvey's new book Lies and Other Acts of Love. I loved Kristy's debut novel Dear Carolina (review here), and cannot wait for the release of Lies and Other Acts of Love next April. Please join me, and my fellow bloggers, in learning a bit about this book. Then scroll down for the cover reveal, as well as a fantastic giveaway!

Participating Bloggers:

Be sure and show them some love by visiting their blogs!
Traveling With T
Karen’s Korner
Always With a Book
Laurie Here
Whiskey Tales
On D Bookshelf
Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Book Mama
Great Thoughts
The Turning Pages
My Novel Opinion
Chick Lit Central Facebook
Shelf Pleasure Facebook
Kristy Woodson Harvey
Design Chic

A short story before the reveal. I was cruising around some bookish site last fall when I stumbled upon the cover of Dear Carolina. I absolutely fell in love with it, and started to do some research about this gorgeous book. Much to my delight, it not only sounded like a great book, but the author lives in my state! I started following her blog, and we've ended up meeting and hanging out at both her book signing and BEA. So how could I not be anticipating the cover of her next book? Let me say, I am not disappointed, it's just as beautiful as her first cover! So without further ado, I present Lies and Other Acts of Love:

BACK COVER COPY
Dear Carolina was praised as “Southern fiction at its best.”* Now author Kristy Woodson Harvey presents a new novel about what it really means to tell the truth . . .

After sixty years of marriage and five daughters, Lynn “Lovey” White knows that all of us, from time to time, need to use our little white lies.

Her granddaughter, Annabelle, on the other hand, is as truthful as they come. She always does the right thing—that is, until she dumps her hedge fund manager fiancé and marries a musician she has known for three days. After all, her grandparents, who fell in love at first sight, have shared a lifetime of happiness, even through her grandfather’s declining health.

But when Annabelle’s world starts to collapse around her, she discovers that nothing about her picture-perfect family is as it seems. And Lovey has to decide whether one more lie will make or break the ones she loves . . .

Blurbs:

“We loved everything about LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE. From the strong plot about the many facets of love told from the alternating points of view of Annabelle and her grandmother, Lovey, to the equally strong cast of richly drawn southern characters, Kristy Woodson Harvey crafted a story so perfectly detailed that we could imagine ourselves on a wrap around porch in the south with a tall glass of sweet tea. LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE will grab you by the heart strings and pull hard. A perfect story about the lies we tell and the secrets we keep-- all in the name of love.” – Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, authors of The Status of All Things and Your Perfect Life

“LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE by Kristy Woodson Harvey is a richly detailed, intergenerational tale of love, loss and loyalty. Harvey pulls the reader into the hearts and souls of her characters.” -- Heather Gudenkauf ~ New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence

Links to pre-order:

LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE releases 4.5.16 from Berkley/Penguin Random House. Currently available for pre-order at your local bookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

GIVEAWAY INFO

To celebrate the LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE cover reveal, we are giving away three wonderful bundles of books penned by Tall Poppy Writers! Enter below to win!

Book Bundle 1: MY VERY BEST FRIEND, Cathy Lamb; THE DOG YEAR, Ann Wertz Garvin; CONFESSIONS OF A PARIS PARTY GIRL, Vicki Lesage; VINTAGE, Susan Gloss; DEAR CAROLINA, Kristy Woodson Harvey; FUGITIVE COLORS, Lisa Barr

Book Bundle 2: THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE, Amy Guertin Reichert; CLOSE TO DESTINY, Adria Cimino; LEMONGRASS HOPE, Amy Impellizzeri; KEEP THE ENDS LOOSE, Molly Duncan Campbell; ROME IN LOVE, Anita Hughes; LITTLE BLACK LIES, Sandra Block

Book Bundle 3: THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE, Sonja Yoerg; WAKING UP JOY, Tina Ann Forkner; WHILE YOU WERE GONE, Kate Moretti; THE BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS, Nicole Baart; ENTANGLEMENT, Katie Rose; DEAR CAROLINA, Kristy Woodson Harvey

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Be sure to get yourself a copy of Dear Carolina if you have not read it yet. And because I can't resist, let's add the cover here also:

A Whirlwind of Author Events 8

ondbookshelfFebruary 12, 2015February 12, 20158 Comments

I've recently attended four author events in eight days!! I feel so lucky to live in an area that has some wonderful Indie bookstores that schedule great authors to come talk about their books! I love being able to listen to these authors talk about how these books came to be, and to get a feel for the authors themselves. It is interesting how much their personalities sometimes spill over into their writing. This was quite a diverse group, two debut authors, one relative newbie, and one with over 20 books to her name. Here is the lineup:

Monday February 2, 2015

Natalie Baszile with her debut novel Queen Sugar.

Natalie spoke to us on the night that it was revealed that her book was being picked up by Oprah to become a series on OWN TV! Needless to say she was pretty excited, as were we!

Friday February 6, 2015

Kristin Hannah with her 23rd book The Nightingale.

Wonderful presentation about her research and reason for writing this book. Great Q&A session with insight into lots of her previous books as well as this one. So personable and friendly!

Saturday February 7, 2015

Kim Wright with her 2nd book The Unexpected Waltz.

This event was at a new to me bookstore about 40 minutes from my house. Can we talk about how beautiful this place is? That fireplace in the "signing room" was so lovely! Even though it was a bit of a drive, I would go back to future events for certain. Kim's book is one that I am in a discussion group on Goodreads for. During the course of the discussion I found out that she would be close enough to me to go and hear her talk. Great lady who writes about middle aged women (yay). Very funny story about how her next book The Canterbury Sisters came to be!

Tuesday February 10, 2015

Charles Belfoure with his debut novel The Paris Architect.

New author of a book that sounds fascinating. This author is an architect (still) who decided to start a second career in writing fiction. He's looking forward to his writing career taking off so he can quit his stressful day job! He talked about the idea for this book, and gave us lots of info about his second novel (due out in the fall) which sounds equally as interesting as the first.

Whew! I think I'm done with events for a while, now I need to sit back and read all these, and the dozens of other books on my shelves 🙂

You Can’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover? 2

ondbookshelfDecember 6, 2014December 6, 20142 Comments

BUT I CAN, AND I DO!

Welcome to my new series about my visual issues with books. From time to time, I'll be delving into the fact that book covers really are the first thing to draw me in. Will I read books with what (to me) is a so-so or ugly cover? Of course I will, but only if it's been recommended, or it's an author I already know I have liked in the past. When I walk into a bookstore, I'm going to be drawn to certain book covers, and will then pick up the book to see what it is about. I don't have time to read every synopsis on every book, so if you are a new (to me) author, I'm probably going to pass you by with a boring/ugly cover. Honestly, I might even buy a pretty book for my shelf that I don't even end up reading, because it's just SO appealing! Somehow I bet I'm not the only one who feels this way (although maybe not to my degree of craziness!).

Today's post is about the new Sophie Kinsella book Shopaholic to the Stars. I am a fan of this series, and have most of the others on my shelf, so I was excited to pick this one up.

Until I saw it..............

Yuck! First of all, it doesn't even come close to matching any of the other books. It's just plain boring, and I hate yellow! Why did I not know before it's release that this was the cover? I happen to follow Sophie on twitter, and this was not the cover she had been showing. Where was that cover? Once I did a bit of research (see, I told you I was a bit obsessed with covers), I realized that she lives in the UK.

THIS is the UK cover:

There was just no way I was going to have this cover out there, and have to settle for the ugly yellow one on my shelf! I bought the UK version from a seller on amazon (paid as much for the paperback as I would have for the US hardcover), had to wait several weeks for it to get here, but it was worth it........this one is so cute 🙂

Stay tuned in the coming weeks, I will be featuring other books that I have been drawn to because of their covers! Anyone else have a love affair with book covers?