Hollywoodland

"Stars Over Sunset Boulevard" by Susan Meissner is a must read.  I love her books.  I love how she incorporates the past with the present; how the past effects the future and everything matters somewhere to someone.  In "Stars," a 2012 woman who runs a vintage store comes across a hat that was not supposed to be donated.  And when she looked at the label in that hat, I knew this was going to be a good book.  And it is. 
Violet and Audrey are two single gals living in Hollywood during the late 1930's and as luck would have it, they are working as secretaries during the making of "Gone With the Wind".  The novel follows the girls through their lives following the sharp turn of events after they came into possession of the hat, later found at the vintage store.  The novel goes back and forth between the two time periods.  I love this book and you simply must read it.  I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review via Twitter. 

Gilded Age Tour

 

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Born to a society and a life of privilege, Bertha Honoré married Potter Palmer, a wealthy entrepreneur who called her Cissy. Neither dreamed the direction the other’s life would take. He built the Palmer House Hotel, still famed today, and become one of the major robber barons of the city, giving generously to causes of which he approved. She put philanthropy into deeds, going into shanty neighborhoods, inviting factory girls to her home, working at Jane Addams’ settlement Hull House, supporting women’s causes.
It was a time of tremendous change and conflict in Chicago as the city struggled to put its swamp-water beginnings behind it and become a leading urban center. A time of the Great Fire of 1871, the Haymarket Riots, and the triumph of the Columbian Exposition. Potter and Cissy handled these events in diverse ways. Fascinating characters people these pages along with Potter and Cissy—Carter Harrison, frequent mayor of the city; Harry Collins, determined to be a loser; Henry Honoré, torn between loyalties to the South and North; Daniel Burnham, architect of the new Chicago—and many others.
The Gilded Cage is a fictional exploration of the lives of these people and of the Gilded Age in Chicago history.

“The Gilded Cage is a wonderful recreation of early Chicago and the people who made it what it is. Central character Cissy Palmer is a three-dimensional, real, vibrant person. The Gilded Cage is fiction, but firmly based on fact—the Chicago Fire, the prisoners from the War Between the States interred in Chicago, the newcomer Potter Palmer, the explosive growth of wealth in a prairie town, deep poverty adjacent to great riches—the American experience laid bare. You don’t have to be a Chicagoan to love this book.” -Barbara D’Amato, author of Other Eyes

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About the Author

Judy Alter is the award winning author of fiction for adults and young adults. Other historical fiction includes Libbie, the story of Elizabeth Bacon (Mrs. George Armstrong) Custer; Jessie, the story of Jessie Benton Frémont and her explorer / miner / entrepreneur / soldier / politician husband; Cherokee Rose, a novel loosely based on the life of the first cowgirl roper to ride in Wild West shows; and Sundance, Butch and Me, the adventures of Etta Place and the Hole in the Wall Gang.
For more information visit Judy Alter’s website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 23
Excerpt & Giveaway A Holland Reads
Tuesday, May 24
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, May 25
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective
Friday, May 27
Review at In a Minute
Monday, May 30
Review at Book Nerd
Tuesday, May 31
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews
Wednesday, June 1
Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More
Thursday, June 2
Interview at Author Dianne Ascroft’s Blog
Guest Post & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Monday, June 6
Review at Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne
Tuesday, June 7
Guest Post at The True Book Addict
Wednesday, June 8
Spotlight & Giveaway at It’s a Mad Mad World
Thursday, June 9
Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway at The Book Junkie Reads
Monday, June 13
Review at Reading Is My SuperPower
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation
Wednesday, June 15
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story
Thursday, June 16
Review at The Lit Bitch
Friday, June 17
Review at New Horizon Reviews
Review at Jorie Loves a Story

The After Party review

"The After Party" by Anton DiSciafani is the captivating novel about 1950's Houston, the Haves, if you will.  Cece and Joan are the best of friends all through their childhood until Joan changes without warning.  Cece is more than just friends with Joan; she is obsessed to the point where she is asked repeatedly if she is in love with Joan.  But she is more than that; worships would be a better word.  Joan is a life long obsession that Cece can not stop worshiping. 
The book is indeed captivating and well written, however, there seems to be little plot other than the obsession of Cece with Joan.  About half way through it I wondered if this would be it.  Eventually the novel takes a sharp turn and reveals the tragedy behind Joan's erratic alcoholic behavior.  I received this book in exchange for a review from www.firsttoread.com. 

the atonement review

"The Atonement" by Beverly Lewis is a stand alone novel about an Amish woman who has yet to forgive herself for her past.  Lucy devotes large amounts of time to several different charities and even takes on some of the charitable personally.  She has ceased to attend church activities and dating of any kind.  Though Tobe, her admirer, hasn't completely abandoned the idea of courting her and Dale, a non-Amish man who is in her grief group, has taken a liking to her as well, she is keeping both of them at arms length convinced that she is no good for either of them.
This is a good book.  The characters are well written and the plot is good.  Lewis doesn't do anything spectacular or different here than in any of her others.  If you liked them, you'll like this one just as well.  I received this book in exchange for a review from Bethany House Publishers. 

Drew Farthering Review

"Dressed for Death" by Julianna Deering is the fourth book in the Drew Farthering Mystery series.  In this novel Drew and Madeline have been invited to a Regency party at the Cummings'.  The Regency party is where the 1930's upper crust crowd spend a week dressing, dancing and playing as if they were in Austen era 1830s.  When the party begins to wind down and the final ball is being had, Tal Cummings fiancé overdoses on cocaine.  Swearing that she would never take it herself and that she must have been murdered, Tal asks Drew, a known amateur sleuth to take on the case and find the real killer.  Soon the murder is tied to a major cocaine smuggling ring and the bodies keep adding up. 

Since I don't normally read books of this style it usually takes me a little while to get used to the mannerisms of the characters.  But once I do, the story keeps my interest.  It has a quick pace and the characters are well developed.  The only fault I had was that I solved the mystery before Drew.  I received this book for free from the publishers, Bethany House.

feathered bone review

"The Feathered Bone" by Julie Cantrell is the telling of one tragedy after another.  Amanda and her daughter Ellie, are on a field trip with the 6th grade class when one of the girls, Sarah, is kidnapped.  The novel then follows Amanda through the years following "the day".  Sarah is taken into sex trafficking while Amanda and Ellie are left to deal with the guilt.  Amanda also has an abusive, cheating husband to deal with.  This book keeps the tragedies happening.  From kidnapping, rape, abuse, divorce, suicide, Hurricane Katrina, etc., if you aren't clinically depressed by the end of this book you have a heart of stone.  Though all of the tragedies are well told, the suicide especially, putting them all in one book was a little much.  However, reading the suicide in a public place, as I did, is highly not recommended.  It was written beautifully.  I received this e-book in exchange for an honest review from www.booklookbloggers.com.   

Clean, blech

"31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha Home the Mary Way" by Sarah Mae is a daily devotional about getting the house in order.  Each day is given a quote, a devotional story, a scripture, and a Mary Challenge and Martha Challenge.  The author is a self described non-housecleaner.  The ideas she comes up with for cleaning are not the scrub and dust type, but the getting things in order, taking out the chaos.  She also incorporates the children.  They made the mess; why shouldn't they be helping clean it up.  I did the days in order.  Some of the days I didn't want to do the challenge and so I didn't.  Some days I was like "you know, I do need to clean the bathroom cabinet."  I liked the book.  I received a copy of this paperback from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for an honest review.