by Jason Joyner | Feb 7, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reviews, scrapbooking
This book was right up my wife’s alley, as she loves to scrapbook. (I say she loves to buy scrapbooking stuff and look at it without using it, but this usually gets me in some sort of trouble…) Anyway, here is my special guest review from my beautiful bride Beccy!
Sisters, Ink is the start of a series about 4 adopted daughters who still get together to scrapbook as a way to connect their busy lives. This is the first in the series, and it follows Tandy, living a busy high-placed life of an attorney in a big city, while her family lives in a small town in Tennessee. Her life consists of a dog and many hours of work.
She hasn’t been “home” for 3 years. When she arrives it brings back the joy of being home again: scrapbooking with her sisters, being with her dad, and reacquainting herself with her high school boyfriend.
As her two week visit changes life, she has to decide whether to go back to the big city or find her niche in a sleepy town.
This book had strong characters. The four sisters are distinct, and it was great to see the way this worked out. Even though they were all different, they still bonded as a family. The plot had a great romantic story along with the various family dynamics. I enjoyed the book from the viewpoint of a scrapbook fan, and I understood the lingo and the desire to get together socially and scrap. A weakness of the book was the beginning – it was very flowery with its description and ended up being distracting with its wordiness. Still, I enjoyed the book a lot, and would recommend it to my friends whether they scrapbook or not.
by Jason Joyner | Jan 29, 2008 | Blog, books, fiction, miscellaneous, work
Wow! How often do we get snow days anymore? Growing up, it was always the best day when we had a snow out, keeping us from class. I grew up in a rural community, so there were always kids who would get snowed into a farm or ranch even if we had school. I, on the other hand, had no excuse.
I lived a block from school.
I thought about trying to call in saying I was stuck, but they’d probably say something like, “I’m looking out the window and I can see your driveway. Nice try.”
Today had a bit of a black cloud in the otherwise bonus day off: I have to travel an hour into the high mountain desert on a bus, catching it at 5:30 am. So first, they didn’t cancel right away, so I had to get up early and trudge (more like skate) to the bus stop. Then, they sent us home at 10 am, but we sat at the bus depot for an hour before heading out so they could be sure they got everyone. Ah well. I still got six hours at home I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Well spent paying bills and playing G.I. Joes with my 3 boys. Yo Joe!
This gave me plenty of time to dive into the latest book I chose for the CFBA blog tour: My Name is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder. So far it is an interesting read, and I’ll have more in a couple of weeks. However, I just had to share this quote from it today. The main character is a hypochondriac, and is getting a mole biopsied by his doctor. Of course, he is sure it is cancer, so he is a bit nervous doing the procedure:
I begin to speak but have to stop and clear my throat. “Please tell me you’ve done this before, Doc. That you’re not reading the instructions as you go.”
“Actually, I’m using this paint-by-numbers kit that came with my mail-order medical license.”
The wit of Mike Snyder, ladies and gentlemen.
by Jason Joyner | Jan 29, 2008 | Blog, books, fiction, miscellaneous, work
Wow! How often do we get snow days anymore? Growing up, it was always the best day when we had a snow out, keeping us from class. I grew up in a rural community, so there were always kids who would get snowed into a farm or ranch even if we had school. I, on the other hand, had no excuse.
I lived a block from school.
I thought about trying to call in saying I was stuck, but they’d probably say something like, “I’m looking out the window and I can see your driveway. Nice try.”
Today had a bit of a black cloud in the otherwise bonus day off: I have to travel an hour into the high mountain desert on a bus, catching it at 5:30 am. So first, they didn’t cancel right away, so I had to get up early and trudge (more like skate) to the bus stop. Then, they sent us home at 10 am, but we sat at the bus depot for an hour before heading out so they could be sure they got everyone. Ah well. I still got six hours at home I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Well spent paying bills and playing G.I. Joes with my 3 boys. Yo Joe!
This gave me plenty of time to dive into the latest book I chose for the CFBA blog tour: My Name is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder. So far it is an interesting read, and I’ll have more in a couple of weeks. However, I just had to share this quote from it today. The main character is a hypochondriac, and is getting a mole biopsied by his doctor. Of course, he is sure it is cancer, so he is a bit nervous doing the procedure:
I begin to speak but have to stop and clear my throat. “Please tell me you’ve done this before, Doc. That you’re not reading the instructions as you go.”
“Actually, I’m using this paint-by-numbers kit that came with my mail-order medical license.”
The wit of Mike Snyder, ladies and gentlemen.
by Jason Joyner | Dec 31, 2007 | Blog, books, fantasy, favorites, fiction, reading
Ah, the time of year where we are all allowed to climb up on our individual pedestals and pontificate on our favorite movies/books/albums/etc. for the year.
OK, so I’m a little cynical about this. But – not cynical enough to avoid participating in such an event. Heh.
Without further ado, I give you my favorite books for 2007:
5. Wedgewood Grey by John Aubrey Anderson. Book 2 of the Black or White Chronicles continues an amazing tale of spiritual warfare from Mississippi. He continues a great beginning with a strong second effort.
4. Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead. Another second in a series. I enjoyed the start of the King Raven trilogy with Hood, but the voice for Scarlet was just perfect. No one does historical fiction quite like Lawhead.
3. Fearless by Robin Parrish. Hmm. As I write this post, I see I had a weakness for sequels this year. Anyway, I gushed plenty about the amazing suspense in Fearless. I’m still waiting for a copy of the next book to proofread for Mr. Parrish, so I don’t have to wait until July ’08. Still waiting… (Oh, and this book inspired this essay by me – shameless self-promotion)
2. Try Dying by James Scott Bell. Ha! It isn’t a sequel. Mr. Bell is a prolific writer, but I had only read a How-to book on fiction by him. Well, this taut legal thriller caught my interest in both his writing and the legal thriller genre in general. I definitely will check out more of his work.
1. Abiding Darkness by John Aubrey Anderson. I read this book early in 2007, and it stayed my favorite book throughout the whole year. This was a book that had me crying at one point, and a couple chapters later I was laughing out loud. The description, the characterization, the setting, and the plot all caught me in a strong way. It was an amazing first book for Mr. Anderson, and it started the Black or White Chronicles off on very firm footing. If you haven’t read it yet, you are certainly missing out. Just a note: I received an email from the author recently asking for prayer, as his latest book is being considered by a publisher. I hope it is the fourth book of B or W, as it was intended as a 6 book arc.
A few honorable mentions:
Snitch by Rene Gutteridge – still the best comedic writer I’ve come across. Fun characters with whimsy and a catchy read.
The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock – a bold start for the very enjoyable Legend of the Guardian King fantasy series. This Christy award winner is a must read for fantasy fans.
In High Places by Tom Morrisey – a touching book from a man who knows his adventure.
To Dance in the Desert by Kathleen Popa – a literary women’s fiction book that drew in this action and mayhem man. Great first book!
—
Anyone else have a great read this year they’d like to mention? I’m always up for hearing about books (affording to buy them is a different story…)
Oh, and Happy New Year everyone!
by Jason Joyner | Dec 31, 2007 | Blog, books, fantasy, favorites, fiction, reading
Ah, the time of year where we are all allowed to climb up on our individual pedestals and pontificate on our favorite movies/books/albums/etc. for the year.
OK, so I’m a little cynical about this. But – not cynical enough to avoid participating in such an event. Heh.
Without further ado, I give you my favorite books for 2007:
5. Wedgewood Grey by John Aubrey Anderson. Book 2 of the Black or White Chronicles continues an amazing tale of spiritual warfare from Mississippi. He continues a great beginning with a strong second effort.
4. Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead. Another second in a series. I enjoyed the start of the King Raven trilogy with Hood, but the voice for Scarlet was just perfect. No one does historical fiction quite like Lawhead.
3. Fearless by Robin Parrish. Hmm. As I write this post, I see I had a weakness for sequels this year. Anyway, I gushed plenty about the amazing suspense in Fearless. I’m still waiting for a copy of the next book to proofread for Mr. Parrish, so I don’t have to wait until July ’08. Still waiting… (Oh, and this book inspired this essay by me – shameless self-promotion)
2. Try Dying by James Scott Bell. Ha! It isn’t a sequel. Mr. Bell is a prolific writer, but I had only read a How-to book on fiction by him. Well, this taut legal thriller caught my interest in both his writing and the legal thriller genre in general. I definitely will check out more of his work.
1. Abiding Darkness by John Aubrey Anderson. I read this book early in 2007, and it stayed my favorite book throughout the whole year. This was a book that had me crying at one point, and a couple chapters later I was laughing out loud. The description, the characterization, the setting, and the plot all caught me in a strong way. It was an amazing first book for Mr. Anderson, and it started the Black or White Chronicles off on very firm footing. If you haven’t read it yet, you are certainly missing out. Just a note: I received an email from the author recently asking for prayer, as his latest book is being considered by a publisher. I hope it is the fourth book of B or W, as it was intended as a 6 book arc.
A few honorable mentions:
Snitch by Rene Gutteridge – still the best comedic writer I’ve come across. Fun characters with whimsy and a catchy read.
The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock – a bold start for the very enjoyable Legend of the Guardian King fantasy series. This Christy award winner is a must read for fantasy fans.
In High Places by Tom Morrisey – a touching book from a man who knows his adventure.
To Dance in the Desert by Kathleen Popa – a literary women’s fiction book that drew in this action and mayhem man. Great first book!
—
Anyone else have a great read this year they’d like to mention? I’m always up for hearing about books (affording to buy them is a different story…)
Oh, and Happy New Year everyone!
by Jason Joyner | Dec 3, 2007 | Blog, fiction, reading
I’m taking a little break from reviewing books for blog tours. The biggest thing was that the books for December and January weren’t ones I was interested in reading or reviewing. However, I have been in a mode of continually having reading obligations. I enjoy the reading of a variety of things, and it is great to participate and get books. I found that I wasn’t able to read other books that may interest me due to my commitments.
I’ll keep highlighting books for the CFBA and CSFF tours here through those months, so I can add to the internet buzz. I’ll continue to post relating fiction. I just want to branch my reading out a little bit.
There’s several books I already know I want to read. I have Gilead, always touted as a must read. I would like to start Rene Gutteridge’s Boo series. I have an adventure by Tom Morrisey. I need to get into Fugitives of Chaos by John C. Wright. To borrow a quote from a friend, “my to-be-read pile threatens low-flying aircraft.”
I’m also looking to read some other books outside of areas I’m not usually reading. Can you believe I’ve never read Dean Koontz? I’d like to check out one of his. Anyone have any recommendations regarding him? I’d prefer more on the suspense side than horror. I’ve had one person recommend Odd Thomas. Any other suggestions for Koontz? How about general fiction overall? I’m actually trying to stay away from CBA books for a month, to see what else is going on in publishing.
What say you people? Can you help me out?
