'Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter' by Tom Franklin (TLC Tour Book)

  "The Rutherford Girl had been missing for eight days when Larry Ott returned home and found a monster waiting in his house."
[p. 1]








Teaser Synopsis: 
In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck

My Thoughts:

• great story building..the author did a fantastic job of creating his characters and showing their growth throughout the story.
• This book has that "atmosphere" of the time and place. I could almost literally feel that hot, wet, humidity of Mississippi. His descriptive writing really shaped the visual in my mind of what the characters looked like, the small town, and the rural background. 
• The creepy factor- this book has it. I was never really sure if I should go with my gut feeling in regards to a few characters or if I should go off in the direction that I felt the author was trying to take me. 
• little bit of a mystery written cleverly between the pages and was the thread that ran throughout the story. I did figure it out pretty early on but it in no way interfered with my enjoyment of reading. Heck, I think it added to it because I couldn't wait to see what the response would be when a couple of characters have to confront a cold hard truth.
• The slang of the deep south- reading it at first felt a bit stilted, but after saying a few sentences out loud to myself to get the feel of the cadence, I started to get into the rhythm and those pages just started flying!

Recommend? Absolutely...this book takes the reader deep into the heart of the south and exposes you to human frailties, race relations, and how one misjudgment can affect a person's life in such a terrible and sad manner.  Silas and Larry's story comes full circle in the end and brings them closer than they ever imagined.

P.S. I will now be using the word "MASH" instead of push. I like it...so mash those buttons and leave me a comment!! (mash is the word used in the south in place of push. Like mash the doorbell...crazy huh? I love it!

Rating: 8/10

Published: 2011

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Pages: 272

Genre: Southern Fiction on the dark side

ISBN:  9780060594671

 

Disclaimer:Thank you to TLC Book Tours for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday Edition of Mailbox Monday!

Mailbox Monday

is a gathering place for readers to

share the books that came into their house last week 

and explore great book blogs. 

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Hosted this month by
MariReads 

  
 Northwest Corner by John Burnham Schwartz- review book for TLC
Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy - review copy from HarperCollins
Demon's are a Girl's Best Friend by Linda Wisdom- won copy from Jen@ Jenny Loves to Read- THANKS!!
Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda- review copy from William Morrow

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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.

 

Read and reviewed last week:

The Truth about Mr. Darcy- disappointing P&P variation

The Midwife's Confession- absorbing read..couldn't put it down.

Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman- loved it..this is a great P&P variation!!!!

Wickedly Charming- was wickedly fun!

Reviews this week:

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter- TLC tour stop on Wednesday

Love on Assignment- Thurs or Friday

 

 

On my nightstand:
A million different choices!!! One that I will be reading for sure is this one-

Six Sentence Saturday

Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday.

Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.
At the end of each review I will post a
rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.
Rating scale will be as follows:

5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!
4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.
3 of Hearts- Happy that I read it...a good read.
2 of Hearts- Just O.K but nothing to write home about.
Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)

Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman by Maria Hamilton (click on title for synopsis)
Source: review copy from Sourcebooks
Genre: P&P Variation- at it's finest!
Pages: 464
Published: May 1, 2011 Sourcebooks
ISBN: 9781402244186*Uncorrected ARC



My Thoughts: This is what I look for when I want a stellar P&P variation. The story was tender, sweet, funny, original and also had that vibe of Jane Austen running within the pages. To me it is vital that the characters ring true as Austen wrote them...and this author did a fabulous job. I loved all of the roadblocks that Darcy encountered as he tried to make Elizabeth view him in a better light. I thought the author did a great job of bringing in minor characters from the original story and giving them more stage time, which to me really enhanced the story. If you're one of those people (like me) who are always looking for a great story that continues to keep Darcy and Elizabeth alive and vibrant, then you need to add this to your list of books!!!
My Rating:

Wickedly Charming by Kristine Grayson
Source: review copy from Sourcebooks
Genre: Original and fun Romance
Pages: 352
Published: May 1, 2011 Sourcebooks
ISBN: 9781402248481(click on title for synopsis)
*Uncorrected ARC







My Thoughts: This book was WICKEDLY charming and oh so original! I hate that cover because it's so stinkin' misleading....there's such a great story behind this cover!! I loved the whole concept of a wronged wicked step-mother wanting to tell the world that the Grimm Brothers and Disney got the whole story messed up!! I absolutely fell in love with Charming...he's a book nerd and doesn't want anything to do with being  a Prince! I had a fun time reading this story and the author kept my attention the entire time. There wasn't a cheesy or eye-rolling moment in this book. I want to read more by this author!! If you're looking for a book to just kick back, lose yourself and escape from reality for a few hours...this one could be it!

My Rating:

Disclaimer:Thank you to  Danielle and Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.
 © 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

'The Midwife's Confession' by Diane Chamberlain

Author: Diane Chamberlain

Published: April 26, 2011

Publisher: Mira

Pages: 432 Kindle Edition

Genre: Women's Fiction

ISBN:  9780778329862

Synopsis:
'I don't know how to tell you what I did.' The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind Noelle's suicide. Everything they knew about Noelle - her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her family - described a woman who embraced life. But they didn't know everything. Because the unaddressed letter reveals a terrible secret...and a legacy of guilt that changes everything they thought they knew about the woman who delivered their children. A legacy that will irrevocably change their own lives - and the life of a desperate stranger - forever.


My thoughts:
I had read so many great reviews of this title that I just had to get my hands on a copy. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I finally realized that I was approved to download a copy of this to my Kindle months ago from NetGalley....I just was too lazy to figure out how to do it. Well, thanks to my fellow book lovers and their awesome reviews, I was motivated to learn how to get that ebook on my lovely Kindle. And I'm so happy that I did because this was a fantastic read!! I was drawn in from the very first paragraph and couldn't get enough of the story. I love the way Chamberlain writes and she didn't disappoint me in any fashion with this book. The characters were fully fleshed out and the story was riveting.

Recommend? Absolutely!! This book has it all: love, secrets, betrayal, mystery, friendships rocked by deceit and moving family dynamics. If you've never read a book by Chamberlain, I highly recommend picking this one up.

Rating: 9/10

Disclaimer:Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA Books for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

WoW Pick: The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event,

hosted at Breaking the Spine,

that spotlights upcoming releases

that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

When Eva’s filmstar sister Katrina dies, she leaves California and returns to Trelowarth, Cornwall , where they spent their childhood summers, to scatter Katrina’s ashes and in doing so return her to the place where she belongs.

But Eva must also confront the ghosts from her own past, as well as those from a time long before her own. For the house where she so often stayed as a child is home not only to her old friends the Halletts, but also to the people who had lived there in the eighteenth century. When Eva finally accepts that she is able to slip between centuries and see and talk to the inhabitants from hundreds of years ago, she soon finds herself falling for Daniel Butler, a man who lived – and died – long before she herself was born.

Eva begins to question her place in the present, and in laying her sister to rest, comes to realise that she too must decide where she really belongs, choosing between the life she knows and the past she feels so drawn towards.

Release date: Fall

Publisher: Sourcebooks

ME: very very very excited!!!!!

'The Truth about Mr. Darcy' by Susan Adriani

About the Book: (from Goodreads)
In this hot tale, Mr. Darcy confesses the truth about George Wickham right from the start, warning Elizabeth and the rest of Meryton about Wickham's despicable character. Will his honesty change the way Elizabeth feels about him and his previous poor behavior? Will he still have to transform himself to win her love? And what will happen when scandal erupts?

  

The Cover:

Not the greatest...I have yet to figure out what the woman on the cover is up to...looks like she's delivering lunch to Mr. Darcy maybe???
 

My First Reaction When I Finished:  

My mother told me that if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all.

My Review:

• No real story...I kept waiting for something, anything really, but the story fell flat for me and just didn't hold my interest.
• I honestly felt that there was too much sex...and it was bow-chicka-wow-wow sex! Now, let me say that I'm not a prude in the least, but when the sex seems to be the main thread that runs throughout the story with the story being a filler I tune out. I didn't buy into the story at all.

Do I recommend?
Sorry, but I can't....unless of course you are a die-hard variation fan and must read them no matter what.

Rating: 5/10

Reviewers who had a different opinion than mine:
Angela Renee@ Royal Reviews:
"This is the Pride & Prejudice book that I have been craving! Every aspect of this book worked without feeling forced or out of place and for me that was a major plus. "


 Anna@Diary of an Eccentric:
"The book was a tad long and could have done with fewer sex scenes, but overall, I found it hard to put down.  The Truth About Mr. Darcy is a worthwhile addition to the shelves of readers like me who can’t get enough of the Austen variations, especially if they don’t mind when things really heat up between Darcy and Elizabeth."

Author: Susan Adriani

Published: May 1, 2011

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pages: 512

Genre: Pride and Prejudice Variation

ISBN: 9781402246135

*Uncorrected Advance Copy 

 

Disclaimer:Thank you to Danielle @ Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel

 

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday....What are you reading?

Mailbox Monday

is a gathering place for readers to

share the books that came into their house last week 

and explore great book blogs. 

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Hosted this month by
MariReads 

Wish You Were Here by Phillipa Ashley: review copy from Sourcebooks
The Silver Boat by Luanne Rice: review copy from Viking
Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli: review copy from Amazon Vine Voice
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo: review copy from Amazon Vine Voice
These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf: won from Teddyree@The Eclectic Reader
Graveminder by Melissa Marr: copy from Shelf Awareness

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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and reviewed last week:

The Last Letter by Kathleen Shoop- riveting historical fiction! 9/10

The Judgment by Beverly Lewis- another great Amish book 8/10

Falling Home by Karen White- great southern fiction 9/10

Reviews for this week:

The Truth about Mr. Darcy by Susan Adriani

The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain

Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman by Maria Hamilton

On my nightstand:

same ones from last week with one new one added!