Saturday Snapshot- my future daughter-in-law

Saturday Snapshot 

is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. 

It’s easy to participate – just post a picture

that was taken by you, a friend, or a family member and add your link on Alyce’s site.

Amber cutting her bridal shower cake!

'The Homecoming of Samuel Lake' by Jenny Wingfield (TLC Tour book)

Short synopsis:
Samuel soon learns that he has lost his parish back in Louisiana, so he and his family take up temporary residence on the farm. Everyone is drawn to Samuel’s eleven-year-old daughter, Swan, with her outspoken questions and mischievous spirit. Swan, in turn, is fascinated by her powerful, secretive Uncle Toy, a war veteran, and his sultry wife, Bernice, an old girlfriend of Samuel’s whose desire to win back her old beau is a bit too obvious. But when Blade Ballenger, an eight-year-old neighbor, comes into Swan’s life, she focuses all her fierce energy on keeping him safe from his terrifying father, never realizing the possible dangers to herself and to those she loves.

First thoughts when I read the last sentence: "Oh no....I can't believe this is over. I love these people."

Writing that brought me to tears:
  "I was picking them (flowers) for that man," he said softly, nodding toward the house. "That uncle."
  Calla tipped back her head and sucked air in through her nose, the way a person does when a feeling gets to be too much to handle. When was the last time anyone did anything special for Toy? That's the thought that took her breath away. When was the last time anyone did something desperate and beautiful to please him? 
(from The Homecoming of Samuel Lake page 205 in the ARC; finished version may be different)


From the very first page I was absolutely immersed in this story of the Lake and Moses' families. The characters felt like people I would want to know in real life and I found myself unable to break away from the spell that they cast on me. At times I would laugh out loud, then cry, and other times I found myself holding my breath because I couldn't believe the twist that the story took.  I truly loved Swan...she was a real firecracker! Her self-confidence and personality just spoke to my heart. Each and every character was really fleshed out and felt larger than life to me. I wouldn't have been surprised to see them just walk right off the pages if they wanted to.That's how real they were...I knew them, could picture their faces, hear their laughter, and feel their grief. I would love to go on about this book and I'm sure others will, but I honestly wouldn't want to spoil one minute of your reading pleasure by saying too much. This is a book that is BEGGING to be read! The author has penned herself a winner. I believe this is a book that will be garnering a lot of talk and honestly I would love to see it brought to the big screen. This story has heart and soul.....and it totally captured my love.

Recommend? An EMPHATIC yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was a home run read for me and one that lingers in my mind still. One of the best reads for 2011.

Rating: 10/10

Published: July 12, 2011

Publisher: Random House

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pages: 328

ISBN:9780385344081

*uncorrected ARC

Jenny Wingfield lives in Texas with her rescued dogs, cats, and horses. Her screenplay credits include The Man in the Moon andThe Outsider. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake is her first novel.

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 MYexperience 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.

Waiting on Wednesday Pick!

"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:

Release date: November 14, 2011

The President's son and daughter are abducted, and Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene. But someone very high-up is using the FBI, Secret Service, and CIA to keep him off the case and in the dark.

A deadly contagion in the water supply cripples half of the capital, and Alex discovers that someone may be about to unleash the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced.

As his window for solving both crimes narrows, Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes—one that may alter the fate of the entire country. KILL ALEX CROSS is faster, more exciting, and more tightly wound than any Alex Cross thriller James Patterson has ever written!

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros

Every Tuesday, Diane from Bibliophile by the Sea, posts the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book that she has chose to read based on the opening paragraph (s). I thought I would play along this week!

 This week's opening paragraph (s) is from a book that was released on August 1, by Sourcebooks. 

Salem, Massachusetts, December, 1995

So this was Salem. Kate Sutherland looked up at the leaden sky. It was late afternoon, and the air was sharp and heavy with the promise of snow. She breathed in deeply, smelling salt and fish and the gray, cold scent of the sea. Shivering, she pulled her glove off with her teeth and dug into her coat pocket for the address she had stuffed into it earlier. Smoothing out the crumpled paper, she glanced at the bold writing and looked up, checking the numbers on the small building before her.

What do you think about that intro? Would you keep reading?

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday....What Are You Reading?

photo courtesy

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.

I'm so so excited to be hosting Mailbox Monday for the month of August! Thanks to Marcia for creating one of my favorite memes ever and for trusting fellow bloggers like myself to host it every month. I look forward to visiting each and every blogger that stops by on Mondays. I love peeking into your world and seeing what lovely books showed up for you to read. I will be running a giveaway for each week where I will enter the numbers from Mr. Linky into random.org and whatever number comes up I will notifiy that reader and they can then choose from my grab bag of books that I currently have accumulated!! I will be adding to the choices as August winds down. Let's have some fun!!!!!

All review books from Sourcebooks....love this company!

Utterly Charming by Kristine Grayson - great romance author

To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell- can't go wrong with great Brit Chick Lit

Never Been Bit by Lydia Dare- book 3 of Regency Vampyre Trilogy (so can't wait to read!)

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

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 two weeks:

The Book of Lies- not a bad read, did like getting to know more about Guernsey

Whispers in the Sand-great escapism historical fiction

Secret Daughter- good read about India and what happens if you're born a girl there.

Close Your Eyes- great characters and family dysfunction

Remember Me- okay read about estranged friends

The Last Letter From Your Lover- spotlight and giveaway

Slow Dancing on Price's Pier- good beach read

Reviews for this week:

The Landlord's Black Eyed Daughter- Friday

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake- Thursday (TLC Tour Book)

On my nightstand:

I've been playing this by how I'm feeling that particular day and what strikes my fancy!

Six Sentence Saturday- perfect beach read

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?)

Slow Dancing on Price's Pierby Lisa Dale (click on title for longer synopsis)
Source: Berkley/Penguin Group
Genre: Romance/Family Fiction
Pages: 356
Published: April 5, 2011
ISBN: 9780425239957




My Thoughts:
This is the perfect book to take to the beach and just escape into the pages. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters. I truly loved reading the intro pages for each chapter as they were based around coffee and interesting tid-bits that foreshadowed what was going to unfold next. Even though nothing earth-shattering occurred and I pretty much figured out how the story would end, I still enjoyed my time spent in Newport, Rhode Island. If you're looking for a great family drama with a bit of romance thrown in, this book may be for you! I would totally recommend that you enjoy a nice iced coffee while reading this one!!!
Rating:

Disclaimer:Thank you to  Erin Galloway and Penguin Group 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 MYexperience 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 Last Letter From Your Lover- Book spotlight and giveaway

It is 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply "B", asking her to leave her husband. 

Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper's archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too. Ellie's search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance. 

A spellbinding, intoxicating love story with a knockout ending, The Last Letter from Your Lover will appeal to the readers who have made One Day and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Societybestsellers.

Doesn't this one sound awesome???!! I wanted to spotlight it today to give others a chance to read about and to have the opportunity to win a copy for themselves!!! Thanks to Viking/Penguin I am happy to run a giveaway of this title until the end of the month. Please click here to get to the form.

Thanks for stopping by and GOOD LUCK!