The Book Bag

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Book Spotlight Giveaway! The Beekeeper's Ball by Susan Wiggs

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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The book I have today is book #2 is this great series. I listened to book #1 and then my book group decided to read this one. One of the book club members is the office manager at a local honey bee farm here in South Dakota so she enjoyed this book immensely. It is a great series and I hope the author writes more. I would love to go back there.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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The Beekeeper's Ball

The Beekeeper's Ball by Susan Wiggs
Series: Bella Vista Chronicles #2
Paperback, 400 pages
Published May 31st 2016 by Mira

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs returns to sun-drenched Bella Vista, where the land's bounty yields a rich harvest…and family secrets that have long been buried

Isabel Johansen, a celebrated chef who grew up in the enchanting Sonoma town of Archangel, is transforming her childhood home into a destination cooking school—a unique place for other dreamers to come and learn the culinary arts. Bella Vista's rambling mission-style hacienda, with its working apple orchards, bountiful gardens and beehives, is the idyllic venue for Isabel's project…and the perfect place for her to forget the past.

But Isabel's carefully ordered plans begin to go awry when swaggering, war-torn journalist Cormac O'Neill arrives to dig up old history. He's always been better at exposing the lives of others than showing his own closely guarded heart, but the pleasures of small-town life and the searing sensuality of Isabel's kitchen coax him into revealing a few truths of his own.

About the author

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field's End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world's top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.

Connect with Susan

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Friday, February 17, 2017

I See You by Clare Mackintosh ~ My Thoughts

I See You

I See You by Clare Mackintosh
Kindle Edition, 372 pages
Expected publication: April 4th 2017 by Sphere

You do the same thing every day.

You know exactly where you're going.

You're not alone.

When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it's there. There's no explanation: just a website, a grainy image and a phone number. She takes it home to her family, who are convinced it's just someone who looks like Zoe. But the next day the advert shows a photo of a different woman, and another the day after that.

Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make . . .

I See You is an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning psychological thriller from one of the most exciting and successful British debut talents of 2015.

My thoughts about I See You ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"The man behind me is standing close enough to moisten the skin on my neck with his breathe. I move my feet forward an inch and press myself into a gray overcoat that smells of wet dog."

Clare Mackintosh has written another great thriller, an edge-of-your-seat kind of story with twists and turns that I never saw coming. And doesn't this title, I See You, just kind of put you on edge too? Creepy!

There are all sorts of suspects and bad people that you think are the good ones. Zoe isn't sure who she can trust. I felt pretty stressed out right along with her, someone may be trying to hurt her, but who could it be?

And wow, what an ending! It's that 'didn't see that twist coming' kind of ending. I've read two of this author's stories now and she is on my must-read list. Love her stories!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

About the author

Clare Mackintosh spent twelve years in the police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander. She left the police in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant and is the founder of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival. She now writes full time and lives in the Cotswolds with her husband and their three children.

Clare’s debut novel, I Let You Go, is a Sunday Times bestseller and was the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It was selected for both the Richard and Judy Book Club, and was the winning title of the readers' vote for the summer 2015 selection, and ITV’s Loose Women’s Loose Books. Her second novel, I See You, is a number 1 Sunday Times bestseller. Clare's books are translated into more than 30 languages.

Clare is the patron of the Silver Star Society, an Oxford-based charity which supports the work carried out in the John Radcliffe Hospital's Silver Star unit, providing special care for mothers with medical complications during pregnancy.

Connect with Clare

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

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Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Book Blast: Sketchy Tacos by Meg D. Gonzalez, an Excerpt and a Giveaway!

Sketchy Tacos

by Meg D. Gonzalez

Teenage artist Mila Gulick travels to Mexico to get away from warring influences and find herself. But life in the land of tacos is a far cry from her sheltered life back home. Mila must find the courage to step out from behind her sketchbook and get to know the people and culture around her. While her host family and the two boys vying for her interest are nothing but smiles, all may not be as it seems.

Soon Mila is questioning her choices and the beliefs she’s held dear. Her heart, her art, and even her safety are at risk as she struggles to find a balance between cultural differences, old assumptions, and strange romance. Will her trip end in disaster or will she find the strength for which she’s been searching?

Praise for the Book

"This modern coming-of-age story has it all - humor, heart, genuine characters, and spiritual depth. I highly recommend it to teen readers.” - Krista McGee, Inspy Award winning author of First Date and Starring Me

"Meg D. Gonzalez gives us a vivid look at life for an American teenager in Mexico and an even clearer picture of what happens when you decide to embrace who God made you to be. No matter what. Great first novel. Great read." - Nancy Rue, Christy Award winning author of the Real Life series.

Excerpt

Cheery bells push at the fog of my sleep. I must still be dreaming. For seventeen years, no bells have chimed outside my window. It faces a cornfield.

With a slow roll to my side, I nuzzle my pillows and will myself to return to the dream world in which such music plays. Light dances across my eyelids and nudges me to wake, but it’s summer. I refuse to get up before Mom makes me. The chimes fade, and my hand searches the cotton covers for Shelby, my supersized puppy, who inhabits one side of my bed. Her lazy kisses usually help me fall right back to—

I bolt upright in bed, adrenaline pounding through my system.

A grin splits my face. The bells. I know why there are bells.

I’m in Mexico.

About the author

Meg D. Gonzalez is a tea-sipping, adventure-seeking, pug-loving kind of girl. She’s crazy for God and wants to share His love with awesome young women around the globe.

She started her first novel at the age of fourteen (it will never see the light of day and that’s best for everyone), but her writing really came alive two years ago after she moved to Mexico. The crazy, wonderful people and culture she encountered inspired the story of Sketchy Tacos.

When she’s not writing, she’s learning to play video games with her husband (she’s horrible), taking hikes in beautiful parks with her pug Pascal, crocheting, and watching way too much TV.

Connect with Meg

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/5/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Release Day! Abby's Journey by Steena Holmes

Happy Release Day!

Abby's Journey

Abby's Journey by Steena Holmes
Abby Series #2
Print and ebook, 238 pages
Published February 14th 2017 by Lake Union Publishing

Twenty-year-old Abigail Turner has only known her mother, Claire—who died shortly after she was born—through letters, videos, postcards, and journals. Abby’s father, Josh, has raised his precious daughter himself, but his overprotectiveness has become stifling. Abby longs to forge out on her own and see the world after a childhood trapped indoors: she suffers from bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which means a case of the sniffles can rapidly escalate into life-threatening pneumonia.

But when Abby’s doctor declares her healthy—for now—her grandmother Millie whisks her away to Europe to visit the Christmas markets that her mother cherished and chronicled in her travel journals. Despite her father’s objections, Abby and Millie embark on a journey of discovery in which Abby will learn secrets that force her to reevaluate her image of her mother and come to a more mature understanding of a parent-child bond that transcends death.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Steena Holmes offers a tender and heartfelt exploration of parental love and a daughter’s longing for connection in the poignant next chapter following Saving Abby.

Abby Series #1

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Monday, February 13, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? February 13, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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Not much happened out of the ordinary in my world this past week, just lots of awesome books on my TBR list. I wish I could just read all the time, darn day job! 😏 When there's nothing much to talk about, we talk about the weather, right? It got up in the 50s last Friday and it'll be in the 40s-50s this upcoming week. This is unseasonably warm for our area, this time of year. Hubby is bummed because that probably means the end of ice fishing for this year. I am excited cause I love it when the weather gets warm enough so I can sit on our patio with a good book. Where is your favorite place to read?

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a great week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading/listening to

I See You
by Clare Mackintosh