Book Review: The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand Blog Tour

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand is a great summer read brimming with drama! It's an emotional novel about what happens when good friends are lost and secrets and betrayals are lurking in the background. My, my, what it can do to a group of friends is tear them up inside and leave them questioning their every move and wondering how to move on from the devastation.

The Castaways is about a group of eight individuals, four couples. There is Ed and Andrea, Jeffrey and Delilah, Addison and Phoebe and Greg and Tess. Theirs are all complicated relationships in many ways. Some have dated before, some are having affairs and some are contemplating them. There is definitely a lot of drama within this close knit group of friends who have dubbed themselves the Castaways.

The trouble starts when Greg and Tess who have had more than their fair share of marital problems due to some carousing on Greg's part decide to go out sailing for their anniversary. Mysteriously their boat capsizes and they both drown leaving two small children and a group of friends who are emotionally devastated and at a loss as to how to deal with the aftermath of what has happened. These four couples lived and breathed each other in a sense. They went on vacations together, spent holidays together and just spent day to day life with each other in their lives all the time. Now a huge piece is missing.

Andrea, being Tess' cousin feels she is the most bereft. She has been taking care of Tess their whole lives. She and her husband Ed take the young children but truthfully Andrea is such a mess that she can't possibly care for kids. Phoebe, since her brother died in The World Trade Centre, has been a mess. She's on some serious meds and most of the time hasn't got a clue. Delilah is different from the rest. I think she is so conflicted with who she is and what she wants. She's married with children yet still wants to stay out and party every night after work. Yet at the same time she's kind of the life of the group, she keeps them together in a sense with her home parties where she makes fantastic food and drink.

Ed, Andrea's hubby is the town Sherrif and seems a pretty serious and upstanding guy who would pretty much do anything for his friends. Jeffrey, ironically, used to date and live with Andrea. He was so busy making sure his farm thrived that he began to lose sight of his relationship and Andrea found Ed instead. Addison is the rich boy of the group. He is quite the talker. On the whole it seems that these people may not have a lot in common yet they have formed an incredibly strong bond with each other.

After the accident everyone falls apart. Secrets being carried by some are eating away at them and many feel to blame for what has happened to Greg and Tess for various reasons. Eventually they all need to come together and discuss what has happened in order to heal and move on. This novel is a passionate story of friendship and forgiveness. Can the bonds of friendship and marriage be strong enough to withstand the secrets and betrayals that have happened? Can people learn to forgive and move on to build even stronger friendships and marriages? Ultimately though, they can never forget the love for the couple lost but they can do their best by the children left.

The Castaways is more than your average beach read or chick-lit. There is a strong story within the pages and taking place on the island of Nantucket adds such a wonderful element. As a note there is some bad language and hanky panky but nothing overwhelming at all. For me, it was a really good read and I enjoyed it. I read The Castaways for the July Blog Tour with Miriam from Hachette and I think it was a wonderful pick for the month! Check out other tour stops here and make sure and check out Elin Hilderbrand's wonderful website here. Castaways releases July 7, 2009 and you buy it here in the US and here in Canada.

Happy Birthday to Me!!! & Happy 4th to all my US Friends!!!

Yes it's my birthday right along with your celebration for the 4th of July. I'm not going to disclose how old I am - lol - but I'm truckin' through those 40's at an amazing rate of speed. lol.

The day has started well except for the rain (but we need that so I guess it's ok). I got lots of morning kisses from Buddy and lots of Birthday wishes so far. I even got a very special Happy Birthday from my friend Diane over at The Book Resort. Go and take a peek at it here. Again, thank you Diane, you really brought a smile to my face this morning.

Plans for the day are to go shopping this afternoon with my mom. She's going to buy me a few summer dresses. Yaaaaaaaaaay, it's always fun to shop with someone else's money. lol. Then it's dinner with my parents and an old and dear friend so I can't wait.

So, remember me as you're celebrating the 4th and have an extra treat for me!

Friday Finds (July 3)

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading and it asks us 'what great books did you hear about/discover this past week?

Here is my find for the week...


A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka is to be released on August 1, 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Co. It sounds like a good story and one I would like. Here's a bit about it from Fantastic Fiction...

The novel opens on the eve of World War II. In the mountain village of Half-Village, a young man nicknamed the Pigeon, under the approving eyes of the entire village, courts the beautiful Anielica Hetmanska. But the war's arrival wreaks havoc in all their lives and delays their marriage for six long years.

Nearly fifty years later, their granddaughter, Beata, leaves Half-Village for Krakow, the place where her grandparents lived as newlyweds after the war and the setting of her grandmother's most magical stories. Beata yearns to find her own place in this new city, one that is very different from her imagination and the past. Her first person insight into a country on the cusp of change--and the human toll of Poland's rapid-fire embrace of capitalism--transports readers to another world. When two unexpected events occur, one undeniably tragic, and the other a kind of miracle, Beata is given a fresh glimpse at her family's and her country's, history and a vision of her own essential role in the New Poland.

With the effortless, accomplished grace of a gifted storyteller, Pasulka weaves together the two strands of her story, re-imagining half a century of Polish history through the legacy of one profound love affair--that of the Pigeon and Anielica--which readers won't soon forget.

Doesn't that sound good? What about you, what did you find for this first Friday in July---wow, can you believe its July already? Let me know in the comments or leave me a link to your post.

Book Review: You Make me Feel Like Dancing by Allison Bottke

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing by Allison Bottke was such a delightful read. I enjoyed this book so much! This is Christian Fiction at its best. This novel is warm, funny at times and emotional at others. Above all it touched my heart and left me feeling good and I love that in a book.

The main character Susan is in her fifties and has always had a passion for anything disco. She owns a fantastic hair salon in Las Vegas called Disco Diva which has gotten itself a very good reputation over the years not only for the talented stylists but also for the heart felt advice that Susan manages to slip in here and there. The salon is decorated with disco memorabilia and more often than not you can hear a good old disco tune playing on the speakers.

Back in her younger days Susan was one of the beautiful people in New York. She loved to dance and had tried dancing although she never made it. She ended up meeting a man who was rich and loved to lavish her with gifts which is how she acquired her collection. Things didn't go according to plan though and Susan is left wondering how to pick up the pieces of her life. She moves to Vegas, meets her now husband Michael and starts a new life, but never ever forgets her old one.

Susan is so easy to like. She's one of those warm and caring people you just love to know. She has a huge heart and is always willing to step up and help someone in need. However things aren't all rosy at home and she and her husband are struggling. They have their faith though and they have their love; hopefully that is enough to pull them through the tough times to come. And there will most definitely be events to come that will try their faith in each other. Susan's past comes roaring up to hit her head on and thankfully with the love of a good man and wonderful friends, she pulls herself up and above to find an even more fulfilling life.

This novel is full of wonderful characters. Susan's husband Michael seems a good man although at the beginning I was irritated with him. She has her online friends - the Boomer Babes and, although they've not met, they are all ready and willing to help out in the face of trouble. They really reminded me of my online group of lady friends, the Page Turners. We've all known each other six years I think it is now and they have become family to me. The Boomer Babes are like that. In addition, there is a wonderful cast of characters surrounding Susan, my favorite being Lily. Lily is an older woman who has more money than she knows what to do with but not a pretentious bone in her body. Just her comments and her ways with people are amusing and you can't help but love her. There are other supporting characters like Loretta, Ryan and Tina who are just awesome too!

While this is Christian Fiction, it is not preachy at all. The Christian element is very subtle and if anything it shows us how God works in our lives if that is what we believe. How everything that happens, happens for a reason. We may not know why at the time or be confused by why something happens, but sometimes down the road the reason becomes so clear to us. I enjoy Christian Fiction so this was such a heart warming book for me. I also really enjoyed the Boomer-Lit aspect of this novel. It's so refreshing to read a book geared toward women in their 40's and up.

This is a wonderful read and I would recommend it to those who like chick-lit with that added element that makes it so much more. This novel will touch your heart. You will laugh, you will cry but I don't think you will come away from reading this book untouched. It shows us the power of love and friendship; for ourselves, for those around us and for God. The greatest thing is that this is the first in a series apparantly and I simply can't wait to read the next one that Allison Bottke has in store for us.

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing was released by David C. Cook on June 1, 2009. You can buy this novel here in the US and here in Canada. Make sure to check out Allison Bottke's website here as well. Many thanks to Audra for sending me this wonderful book!

I'm going to leave you with the book trailer...Enjoy...

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, by Allison Bottke from David C. Cook on Vimeo.

Winners---Lots of Them!

I've got winners of 3 giveaways to post here so I'm only going to do one post. Names were all drawn courtesy of random.org and here goes...

A SUMMER AFFAIR
Jo-Jo of Jo-Jo Loves to Read
Crystal of My Reading Room
Scottsgal
Valorie of Morbid Romantic
Monica

STAND THE STORM
Lisa of Books and Cooks
Jill of Fizzy Thoughts
Amber
Kristi of Books and Needlepoint
blueviolet of A Nut in a Nutshell

SECRETS TO HAPPINESS
Mary of Bookfan-Mary
nfmgirlof Cerebral Girl in a Redneck World
Sherrie

Wow! Congrats to you all. I will be sending out emails in a bit. The books will be coming to you all from the publisher. Again, congrats!

Be sure to check out my other giveaways on my sidebars!

Cover Attraction (July 1)

Cover Attraction is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. This is what she has to say, 'I’m a very visual person and love beautiful, or interesting, cover art. It entices, and invites, me to stop and take a peek instead of walking right on by.'

Me too! This week's cover attraction is by an author I've not read before. The book is called Nothing Lasts Forever by Maureen Lee. I'm not sure who is releasing the book as I can't find it on Amazon yet but her past ones have been by Orion Publishing Group. Anyhow, this one will be released on September 1, 2009 according to Fantastic Fiction. Also from Fantastic Fiction a bit about the book...

Brodie Logan's idyllic life with her once-loving husband, Colin, seems to have come to an end. So when she lets out the big house in Liverpool with its enchanting garden where she grew up, she decides to leave Colin and share the house with the other women who have come to live there. First, there is twenty-five year old Diana, so innocent and childlike, yet terribly practical having raised her three younger brothers to be fine young men. But Diana suddenly finds there is no place for her in the only home she has ever known. Then there is Vanessa, once a successful career woman, now miserable and overweight, who still can't get over the shock of an unexpected rejection. And finally, Rachel, barely fifteen, with her baby daughter, Poppy, who some people seem determined to take away from her. As they while away the brilliant summer under the trees in the lovely garden of the big house, friendships form that will last a lifetime. But it isn't all a bed of roses; bad things happen too - after all, nothing lasts forever. This enchanting, contemporary novel's warmth and quiet mystery shows once again that Maureen Lee is quite the exceptional storyteller.

I like the cover because it's so pretty and I'm always attracted to pretty covers. It looks like some place I'd like to be. The story sounds wonderful too. It seems to be a novel about the friendships between women and you all know how I like those.

So, what covers have caught your attention this week? Let me know in the comments or leave me a link to your post.

Waiting on Wednesday (July 1)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. I really enjoy her books so I'm looking forward to what this one will be. Unfortunately there is no info out on it yet other than it will be released by Hachette on September 22, 2009.

How about you? What are you waiting for? Let me know in the comments or leave me your link.