Review: The Friday Night Knitting Club

Surprise, tears, and the desire to share. After being an avid reader forever, I find that I usually see an ending coming. I’ve usually recognize the foreshadowing and even though I enjoy a book, it’s rare that a book actually totally surprises me at the end. It’s even rarer for it to surprise me with tears. The Friday Night Knitting Club did just that though. I had read good reviews for the book so I purchased it one day on a whim, and I’m so glad I did.

I’ll be honest and tell you that I started this book three times before I actually read it though. There was something about the beginning that seemed slow, and I had a hard time getting involved; however, after the first few chapters I was anxious to get to know the characters more. By the time I made it halfway through the book, I did not want to put it down. I was so anxious to continue the story. And then when the end took such a surprising twist. I was SHOCKED! Kate Jacobs truly did an amazing job of coming up with a real shocker.

The Friday Night Knitting Club is the story or Georgia Walker and her yarn shop, Walker and Daughter. Georgia is a single mom to a teenager in New York City. She’s raised her daughter on her own (maybe one of the reasons that this book appealed me as I’m doing the same?) – only having the help of store employees and customers who have become friends. The group of friends forms The Friday Night Knitting Club as a time to bond (and for some to knit). One amazing quality of the club is that they don’t even all knit well. It’s more of a social bond – a connection.

Of course, then things go crazy – each of the women seems to have some major issues in their personal lives – from an unexpected pregnancy, Georgia’s daughter trying to find herself, an ex love coming back into the picture, children who think they should make decisions for elderly parents, and a divorce – it’s a roller coaster of emotions. However, The Friday Night Knitting Club presents a place for each of the women to find an escape and ultimately because of the friendships formed a peace with their problems.

I enjoy most books I read.  I just have an appreciation for reading.  However rarely do I read a book that I start telling everyone I know that they need to read it too, but this is one of those books.  I’ve already passed it on to my grandmother who read it and enjoyed it because she said “it was so realistic.”  I’m passing it on to a coworker next and then another friend of mine that loves to read.

The book has a sequel, Knit Two, that I have already purchased and will be reading and reviewing soon.

Review: Halfway to Each Other

I tend to not like many nonfiction books. I like a story. I like fiction. In Halfway to Each Other, I didn’t get fiction, but I did get an amazing story. In fact, Susan Pohlman wrote it in a style that actually could have also been a first person fiction book. This made it a very enjoyable book for me.

Halfway to Each Other is the story of Susan and her husband (Tim)’s attempt to salvage their marriage. Some of us try sitting down and talking when we are at odds with our significant others. Some try marriage counseling. Susan and Tim had a completely different approach. They left everything they knew (their entire lives) behind and moved themselves and their children to Italy for a year – a place where they didn’t know the customs or the language – where they only had each other to turn to – where they were forced to communicate. Where they moved in Italy, technology was not anywhere like what they had here in America – not only did Tim and Susan begin turning to each other, but their two children stopped the constant arguing and also started playing and entertaining each other.

That kind of moved proved to be stressful – there were moments when I wasn’t sure if the move was going to save the family or tear them apart even more. However, they did make it. This “disconnection to reconnect” worked for them in amazing ways.

Divorce has become so common – the idea of working on a marriage foreign to so many that it was enlightening to read about a man and woman who would go to such extremes to save their marriage, and knowing this book was true made it that much more impressive.

About Susan Pohlman
Susan is an educator and freelance writer. She and her family now live in Scottsdale, Arizona. Halfway to Each Other is her first book.

Giveaway: Fairy Godmother Academy Party Pack

As I mentioned previously, there’s an exciting new book series and online world for little girls on the horizon – The Fairy Godmother Academy. My daughter loves to read. I would hate to calculate what we spend on books in the average year.

Our newest book arrived yesterday, and I’m happy to say it was free. Yesterday we received a Fairy Godmother’s Party Pack that included the first book in the series (Birdie’s Book), iron on transfers for the girls at the party to make their own Fairy Godmother’s shirts, a music CD, handouts for the girls to research their lineage (I’m thinking pre-party – maybe of sending these with the invitations), wisdom cards, stickers, and then a nice customizable book for recording everyone’s lineage.

As I stated, I just received this party pack yesterday. I’ve just started the book so I can’t tell you much about it yet, but will come back and post a more thorough review after I finish it. However, I have great news for you. The company has been generous enough to not only offer my daughter a party pack, but also a party pack for one lucky reader! This contest will be a live contest.

Here are pictures of our Party Pack:

Live Contest Rules

1. Comments will be opened  at 7:00 pm CST
2. The comment number of the winner will be announced prior to comments opening.
3. Topic will be announced at beginning of contest.  All posts must be relevant to conversation.
4. No duplicate comments.
5. You may comment as often as you like – as long as all comments are relevant.
6. No comments back to back.

See you Monday!!

Contest Time!

Topic: Conversation must begin about who you will throw this party for, ideas of how to use everything, and other activities you might include.

Conversation can evolve from this however comments should make sense with everyone’s current conversation or be on the original topic.  No off topic, no duplicate comments, spam, etc just get the comment numbers up. The same person CAN NOT post back to back.

One extra comment per person per day allowed for follwing me on Twitter and tweeting this live contest. Must post link to your tweet in contest. (this can be back to back with another of your comments)

One extra comment per person for blogging about this contest and posting the link. (this can be back to back with another of your comments)

Comment #123 will win.

I will go back through comments and delete off topic comments if necessary so final winner will not be announced until previous comments are reviewed.

Contest will continue until comment #123 or August 30th. If we do not have 123 comments by the end of the night, one comment will be randomly selected.

Support the TSC!!

Today I want to do a shout out and ask for everyone’s help in supporting the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex in Silver Springs, Maryland. I got this request from Carissa who has a little one with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. One charity will win up to $10,000 and how great it would be for us to support this charity. So I’m asking you to help me help Carissa and the TSC.

Head over and enter the I Love Christie Cookies contest and nominate the TSC.

Charity Name: Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

Charity City: Silver Springs

Charity State: Maryland

Charity Contact: Jenny Smiley

And spread the word and ask everyone you know to vote too!! And if you vote for the TSC, I’ll give you 10 entries into any contests for the entire month of August hosted here or at Southern Girl Reviews! Just be sure to put 10 comments on the contests after you vote!

The Fairy Godmother Academy

I just found out about a new book series that I’m sure Cameron is going to love and so I wanted to come by and share a preview of this series with you guys.  The series will be called The Fairy Godmother Academy.  The first book will be called Birdie’s Book will be released August 25th, and I’ve already added this to my calendar.  Cameron (well, our family) has had a love for Disney for so long that this transferred over to a love for anything princess or fairy involved.  After looking over the previews of The Fairy Godmother Academy at their developing online social community, I think this will be like the Precious Girls Club, we’ll be anxiously waiting each new book.

And the best news? I’ve just received an email stating that A Novel Mind will receive some giveaway copies for your young readers. How exciting is that?

Want to see more information? Check out this promotional video:

Nutcase

I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I sat and read a book cover to cover in one setting.  I’m still sort of in shock to be honest with you.  When we got home from going out to eat tonight, a storm was moving in – that much was obvious. Knowing that our television and Internet comes in via satellite, I thought there was no point in turning on the television or computer so I went over to the bookshelf to pick a book to read.  I tend to pick those sent to me to review first and save the ones I actually purchased for “later.” But something about this book caught my eye so I grabbed it and one I was sent to review and headed off to my room.  I looked at both and thought, what the heck.  It’s been forever since I read a book I personally picked out in the store.  I think I’ll read this one – Nutcase by Charlotte Hughes.

After just glancing at the cover, I remembered why I bought it – there’s a quote by Janet Evanovich (one of my TOP FAVORITE authors) on the front, and if she endorsed it, I had thought when I was in the bookstore, I need to read it. Of course then I came home, life happened and it ended up in the “to read” stack that never seems to grow any smaller.  In my typical fashion, after finishing the book, I realize this is a SERIES and it’s not BOOK 1!!!  As it turns out, that’s what happened to be when I became a Janet Evanovich fan – I picked up one of her Stephanie Plum books in a bargain bin on a school trip and started reading only to realize that it was a series.  Luckily for me this time (unlike with the Stephanie Plum series), I discovered that Nutcase is only book 2 (unlike that book 5 I ended up with by Evanovich).  But once again, I’m upset that I’ve started a series in the middle.

But back to the book. The focus is on the protagonist – Kate Holly, a psychologist who just might need her own psychologist (oh! wait…she actually goes to counseling in this book).  Like my favorite heroine, Stephanie Plum, everything in Kate Holly’s life is “crazy.” She seems to draw out the “crazies” just like Plum.  Wow!  That might explain this glowing review.  That’s not where the similiarties end – Kate has 2 men in her life – Jay, a husband/ex-husband and an Thad, ex-boyfriend hoping to rekindle their “love” with the husband is officially the ex-husband. Noticing a trend?  Then there’s the crazy family – Stephanie has Grandma, Kate has her mother and aunt (twins).  And don’t forget the sidekick – for Stephanie it’s Lula, for Kate it’s Mona.  Yep…..Charlotte Hughes is after my heart, and I can see why Janet Evanovich said this book was “Great fun!”

So what kind of mayhem does Kate find herself in? Kate runs her own office where she tends to have more nonpaying patients than paying ones, her marriage is on the rocks (even though she knows that Jay is the only man for her), her aunt decides to marry one of her patients, she’s been evicted from her office, she has an overbearing ex-boyfriend, oh! and her husband who is a firefighter is battling a very dangerous arsonist.   I won’t tell you how any of these things turn out, but I will assure you that you’ll love every twist and turn in this book…oh, and if you can’t tell there’s a few mysteries thrown in too – a mysterious patient who claims to be Marie Osmond and the arsonist.  Have I mentioned my two favorite genres? Chick Lit and Mysteries!  When you combine those two as the McDonald’s slogan goes, “I’m Loving It!”

In fact, within 15 minutes of finishing Nutcase, I had scanned Charlotte’s website/blog and headed over to Borders.com to order the first book in this series, What Looks Like Crazy.  I’ll be reading it the day it comes in I’m sure!   The third book in this series will be titled Hanging By A Thread (Just read on Charlotte’s blog it will now be called High Anxiety), and I can’t wait to read it as there was a preview in the back of Nutcase of Kate subbing at an anger management meeting that of course goes “crazy.”

Along Came You

Along Came You written by Karona Drummond and Illustrated by Estelle Corke came in our mail recently to review.  From the time we opened it, Cameron was excited. The pretty pink and glittery cover had Cameron’s attention immediately.  The fact that the little girl on the cover was blonde made it even better.

Karona Drummond is a home-based teacher (with a degree in elementary education) and serves as an instructor for a home school enrichment program.  She writes not only children’s books, but also inspirational poetry for adults.  Another plus that made us excited to read the book? Finding on that Karona is a Texan.  She resides in Denton, Texas. That’s pretty close to my sister and her family.

Along Came You is the story of a mother and daughter. The mother is telling her daughter what life was like before she was born and how she makes it so much better.  Cameron would read a page or two and then ask me, is that true?  Was it like that for you?  She was intrigued.  I actually wanted to cry at moments at how true it was.  We also spent a while talking specifically about our life and how my life was made better.

If you have a small girl, I can’t even begin to tell you what a great book this would make for snuggle moments. It’s that special.

Not only is the story great, but the illustrations just add to it.  Along Came You was illustrated by Estelle Corke, from Bath England.  She’s been drawing since she was 8 years old and did a fabolus job with this book.

To conclude, I would like to share with you this quote from the Drummond, “Before becoming a parent, I wondered what it would be like. A few years into it, I looked back and pondered all the changes they brought to my life, such as a house filled with joyful noise, dancing in the rain and story books read again and again.”

Along Came You is bound to be one of the books that you and your daughter will enjoy reading again and again.

Enough Already!

I was recently sent a book to read and review that I have to admit to thinking “UGH!”  I really wasn’t looking forward to reading it.  The book? Enough Already by Peter Walsh, host of TLC’s Clean Sweep..  I didn’t even read the cover (beyond the title).  I just thought a book on getting organized? Great! Just what I need. Has he seen my small house? There’s no way to organize the clutter any other way.  However, I was bound and determined to be a good blogger and give it an honest read, and then I was surprised. It was nothing as I expected, and I actually enjoyed reading it.  Don’t you love when that happens?

Turns out the book isn’t even really about “decluttering” my house – it was about clearing my “mental clutter,” and yes, I know I have TONS of that.   I could fill up my own book just describing the clutter in my mind most of the time.  Peter divided the book into six main sections – Relationships, Work, Family, Money, Health, and Our Sense of Well Being.  In each section I found a little of me and really liked the way that Peter looked and it and the steps he recommended to clear the clutter. Another nice break from the reading (and a way to really apply the book to your life) is that there are activities and quizzes throughout the book for you to assist you in really applying the book to your life and finding ways to remove that clutter.

I admit to being a fiction fan.  My preference is always with my fiction books, but I do like to read a little outside my fiction world from time to time and this book is one I would recommend to others.  In fact, my mom and one of my best friends have both already read this book (since I passed it on with my recommendations). Thanks Office Max and Peter Walsh for the opportunity to read Enough Already and share it with my readers.

Other Organizational Books by Peter Walsh:

Pitch Bloggers

When I started blogging, it was just for me to record the happenings of my family’s day to day life.  Then I learned about people making money while blogging and looked into that for a while, but after finding the world of review bloggers, I knew I’d found something I’d really enjoy doing and thanks to Trisha and all the ladies at the MomDot forum, I slowly started making connections that had people sending me products to review instead of just picking up things around the house to review.

After that started taking off, this blog was born as I wanted a place to do only book reviews.  Thanks to Trisha, I am now looking at being able to make even more contacts and provide you with a wider variety of book reviews.  How?  Through a new company – Pitch Bloggers. Pitch Bloggers is a place for mom reviewers and PR reps to join together – to connect – to provide the blogosphere with more and better reviews.

To PR Reps, Pitch Bloggers says:

We are all about helping you cut through the clutter to find the right mix of mom bloggers and tools you need for a successful campaign. www.pitchbloggers.com can assist you by:

• Sharing best practices for blogger outreach in our Multimedia Mommies: a Marketing and Public Relations Guide
• Connecting you with the right mom bloggers for your campaign in real time
• Helping you devise creative, memorable social media campaigns
• Providing you with a one-stop location for articles, blogs, Web sites and other resources to keep you abreast of social media campaigns and advancements

To Bloggers, Pitch Bloggers is about joining together, giving you the connections to receive products, advice to make your blog more successful. Bloggers can join for free; however, it’s not an automatic membership.  You must first apply and sign an ethics agreement before having access to the vast majority of the helpful advice and connections available at Pitch Bloggers through the Pitch Bloggers forum.

PR Reps and Bloggers – anyone interested in Review Blogging – go check out Pitch Bloggers.  With the site just starting up, you’ll want to become a part of this from the beginning.