Chasing Lilacs - A Review and a Giveaway

**UPDATE BELOW**

I read the book Chasing Lilacs last week in a frenzy of reading, something I rarely get to do anymore. The last two books I checked out at the library were sent back, one partially read, the other not even cracked open. Even though it's summer, I just don't seem to have time to read, but I'm so glad I took the time to slow down and enjoy this one. My sweet friend, Jeane Wynn, was so excited to share it with me and the excitement rubbed off on me as well!

Chasing Lilacs is the first book by Carla Stewart and she started out with a bang. I cannot wait to see what else she shares with us in the future! I was drawn into the story from the very beginning and was sad to see it end.

Sammie Tucker is nearly 13 and the year is 1958, a time when depression isn't spoken of other than in hushed tones, the Edsel is the height of automotive fashion and life in a small town isn't always easy. She's caught in that sweet, mystical age between being a girl and becoming a woman when her life is turned upside down by her mother's suicide attempt. But when her mama comes home from the hospital she is vigilant and determined that things stay normal and that Mama gets better. As the summer progresses life doesn't get easier and Sammie wonders if her mama ever loved her at all.

Not only is the main story engaging and enveloping, there are other subplots throughout the book that draw you in as well. From Sammie's best friend Tuwana's quest to become a cheerleader, Mrs. Johnson's new furniture and Mr. Johnson's new Edsel to the mysterious, somewhat dangerous, Cly who moved to Sammie's hometown from California, Goldie's birds and Sammie's Juicy Fruit-smacking Aunt Vadine there is no shortage of mystery, drama, humor and even sadness among the citizens of Graham Camp.

I found myself laughing and crying throughout the book. While I grew up a few years past the late 1950's, I still remember being nearly 13 and how friendships, relationships with family, school and even your own faith can be tumultuous and unpredictable. Sammie is a girl much like most of us who have at some point in our life been on the verge of putting away our dolls and putting on lip gloss. Every character in the book has a story and they all come together in such a way the whole thing will stay on your mind even after you read the last page.

------------------

And here's the best part of this whole entire blog post - I have a copy of the book to give away signed by Carla Stewart herself! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post to earn an entry. If you mention the giveaway on your own blog, tweet about it or post about it on Facebook you earn extra entries (You can post as often as you like, but only one entry is entered per day). Just send the links to any posts, updates or tweets to theredneckdiva@gmail.com and I'll take care of the rest. The drawing will be held on August 1st and the winner will be announced that evening.

-------------------------

**UPDATE** Okay, it's very apparent to those of you who have entered the giveaway (all three of you, God bless you) that I haven't drawn yet. I'm going to blame illness, stress, the end-of-summer frenzy when I realized "OH MY GOSH THE SUMMER IS OVER AND I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING IN MY HOUSE I WANTED TO".... among other things. So the drawing is now going to be on Thursday, August 12th and to make up for the delay I am adding another book to the giveaway - Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio by Annalisa Daughety. And those of you who have entered already, you're getting TWO extra entries as thanks for being patient. Thank you!

Lakeshore Christmas

I don't get to read as much as I used to. Before I had kids it was nothing for me to read several books in a week, but as my kids were born and I became a stay-at-home mom I found my reading time limited to Dr. Seuss books and Goodnight Moon. Now that my kids are older I have more time to read again (Oh, basketball practice, how I love thee!), but I'm having to develop the habit all over again. I'd never signed up for a book tour from MotherTalk before and thought that the book, Lakeshore Christmas, sounded like as good a place as any to start.

Now, normally I shy away from romance stories because they tend to frustrate me and make me wish my life was as romantic and ooey-gooey as the characters' in the story, but since this story was a Christmas romance I deemed it worthy of my hardened heart. The story takes place in Avalon, aka Smalltown, America, and centers around the librarian, Maureen Davenport, a staunch supporter and lover of all things Christmas and her task of producing the town's annual Christmas play. She's the quintessential librarian, complete with two cats and her hair in a tight bun, and likes her life to be uncomplicated and simple. Enter former child star Eddie Haven who turns her world upside down as he helps her with the play - and in the process helps her find her heart. Sprinkle into the story a crisis that could leave the town without a library, a couple of side stories about other citizens of Avalon and a mysterious boy named Jabez and you really have yourself a wonderful holiday read by the fire.

While the story was a little hard to get into for me, as it wound on I became more involved in the characters I was so caught up in the town's people and their lives and their dramas I found the book hard to put down. My husband has a new work schedule on the weekends so one weekend after I got him off to work at 4am I managed to get so caught up in the story before I knew it the sun was up and so were my kids!

I didn't realize until after I finished it that this book is part of the Lakeshore Chronicles series, but I had no problem getting involved with the characters, so it's evident that the story can also be read as a stand-alone novel. I have every intention of looking into more books by the author, Susan Wiggs, and reading the rest of the Lakeshore Chronicles.

Next time there's a forecast of snow, go check out this book (or better yet buy it!), pour yourself a cup of hot chocolate, grab your favorite blanket, curl up in the window seat and enjoy Lakeshore Christmas.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by MotherTalk on behalf of Lakeshore Christmas and received a copy of the book to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Plum Crazy

The other day as my aunt and cousin were getting ready to leave my house my aunt asked if I had ever read a Janet Evanovich book. As she held Foul Play out to me I said, "Oh that reminds me - the other day I got an email from Janet Evanovich's 'blog monkey' declaring me to be one of their favorite blogs." It was at that point my Aunt Janet's jaw hit the ground and my Cousin Courtney jumped from her car. Aunt Janet nearly screamed, "YOU GOT AN EMAIL FROM JANET EVANOVICH???" I clarified: "No. Her blog monkey."

I hear blog monkeys can be very flattering - this one had me at "one of our favorites."

After much fast talking from them both I took the book so I could partake of the reading wonderful-ness they were both gushing about rather excitedly in my front yard. I'm halfway through Twilight right now, but with all the snow days we're forecasted to get this week I figure I'll start Foul Play tonight. And no, up to this point in my life, I have never read a Janet Evanovich book, even though my friend Trishia has been trying to get me to for years. I know. I should probably be flogged or something.

The newest book in the Stephanie Plum series coming out January 6th is Plum Spooky. While you wait for January 6th, have a gander at this Preview of a New and Exciting Book/Holiday Greeting YouTube from Ms. Evanovich herself. (Or maybe her blog monkey. Or blog rhinocerous since the blog monkey takes care of emailing. Just a thought.)