200 Followers Giveaway!!

 Let's Celebrate!!

I just recently jumped from 

80+ followers to 200+ followers!  

Yippee!!!!

A lot of those new followers are because of a 

giveaway hop that I participated in. 

Aren't giveaway hops wonderful?

So..... since I held my very first, little, tiny giveaway when I reached 50 followers, (that was so exciting!) 

I am going to give one book for every 

50 additional followers that I currently have. 

So, let's pause a moment to 'do the math'.

   50

+50

+50

+50

200

 

If you are catching my drift .... 

that will be 3 (three) books

I'm going to give away!!

I looked through my shelves and I am going to offer 

several, gently read books that the winners can pick from. 

Some are ARCs but, hey, that's okay, right?

So the first name drawn will have first pick from the choices. The second name will then pick from the rest of the choices and the third will pick ....... you get the idea.

And let's make this International!!

For all of you outside the U.S. ~ you can get any book of your choice up to $15 

from The Book Depository, if they ship to you.

 ~ So here are the books up for grabs ~

  More could be added to the list later, 

depending on my mood and what I get read.

~ and these are in alphabetical order, 

just because that is how we do it in the library world ~

The title links will lead you to my thoughts on the books. 

Chosen by Chandra Hoffman 

A Cure to Die For by Stephen G. Mitchell

Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank

Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi (ARC)

Spin by Catherine Mckenzie 

 

Year of the Chick by Romi Moondi

 

WWW Wednesdays January 11

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading 

To play along, just answer the following three questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next? 

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading 11/23/63 by Stephen King and Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum for my book club discussion.

What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank for TLC Book Tours. My stop on the tour was yesterday. You can read my thoughts here.

What do you think you will be reading next?

I will be reading Night Road by Kristin Hannah. My book group won copies from TLC Book Tours (whoo hooo!) and we will be discussing it later this month. I will also be reading Year of the Chick by Romi Moondi for it's ChickLitPlus Book Tour. Look for my thoughts on January 26th and an author guest post on January 27th.

 What's on your WWW Wednesday this week? 

 Happy reading everyone!
 

On Tour: Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank

Home is the place that knows us best. . . . 

A woman returns to the past to find her future in this enchanting new tale of loss, acceptance, family, and love. 

With its sandy beaches and bohemian charms, surfers and suits alike consider Folly Beach to be one of South Carolina's most historic and romantic spots. It is also the land of Cate Cooper's childhood, the place where all the ghosts of her past roam freely. Cate never thought she'd wind up in this tiny cottage named the Porgy House on this breathtakingly lovely strip of coast. But circumstances have changed, thanks to her newly dead husband whose financial—and emotional—bull and mendacity have left Cate homeless, broke, and unmoored. 

Yet Folly Beach holds more than just memories. Once upon a time another woman found unexpected bliss and comfort within its welcoming arms. An artist, writer, and colleague of the revered George Gershwin, Dorothy Heyward enjoyed the greatest moments of her life at Folly with her beloved husband, DuBose. And though the Heywards are long gone, their passion and spirit lingers in every mango sunset and gentle ocean breeze. 

And for Cate, Folly, too, holds the promise of unexpected fulfillment when she is forced to look at her life and the zany characters that are her family anew. To her surprise, she will discover that you can go home again. Folly Beach doesn't just hold the girl she once was . . . it also holds the promise of the woman she's always wanted—and is finally ready—to become. 

Folly Beach, filled with the irresistible charm, saucy wit, and lush atmosphere that have won her the devotion of fans and propelled her books to bestsellerdom, is vintage Dorothea Benton Frank. ~~synopsis from Goodreads

My thoughts on Folly Beach ~~ 

I thoroughly enjoyed my excursion/vacation to Folly Beach. Cate heads back home to Folly Beach after her husband commits suicide and she finds out the life she has been living with him is a lie. She goes home to regroup and to help her Aunt Daisy, who raised her and her sister Patti. I immediately found myself rooting for Cate to get past the awfulness in her life and to find some happiness.

The cottage where she lives is connected to Gershwin and the Heywards and their connection to Porgy and Bess. She ends up doing some research on them and as a result, finds some direction in her life. Learning all about that little piece of history was a lesson in itself. Isn't it amazing how much writers research in order to write their books?

Folly Beach is very well written and and a very enjoyable story to read. The author did stir up a few memories for me which made the book seem more personal. At one point, she talks about 'memory smells' (Chapter 14) ~~ I am a firm believer in them myself. One in particular for me is when she mentions 'the sweet rubber of your favorite toy'. That smell always takes me back to the year I got my favorite baby doll for Christmas. Ahhhh! Another comment that was personal for me was when she had Cate and Patti eating white cheddar Cheez-its ~ yummmm ~ one of my favs.

The setting of this book is the Lowcountry of South Carolina so if you like southern fiction, this would be the book for you. Also if you have an interest in the Gershwin era, this book will interest you too. Ms. Frank has written other books set in the Lowcountry which I discovered I enjoy reading so I will be adding them to my TBR list.

Let me leave you with this line from Folly Beach ~~

'But we should not have been surprised. After all, this was the Lowcountry, where impossible becomes possible every single day'. 

Love that line!

Author's website

Author on Facebook

I read and reviewed this book as part of the 
Folly Beach blog tour for TLC Book Tours. 

Other stops on the tour are listed here
 

I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion. 

WWW Wednesdays January 4

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading 

To play along, just answer the following three questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next? 

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading 11/23/63 by Stephen King (for fun) and Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank (for a book tour, which will be fun too!)

What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished Spin by Catherine McKenzie and Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. I loved both of these books and my thoughts will be posted soon.

What do you think you will be reading next?

I think I will be working on 11/22/63 for awhile since it is 850 pages (altho' I have heard that it's a quick read). So in addition to continuing on with that book, I will also next be reading Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. This is the January selection for one of the book clubs that I am in.

 What's on your WWW Wednesday this week? 

 Happy reading everyone!