Bee Summers

The Book(from the back cover of the book):  The spring she is eleven years old, Melissa Singer's mother walks out of the house and never returns.  That summer, her father, a migratory beekeeper, takes her along with him as he delivers his hives.  The trip and the people she meets, change her life.  Over the years that follow, Melissa tries to unlock the mystery of her mother's disappearance and struggles to come to terms with her loss.  In Bee Summers, Melanie Dugan sensitively recreates the imposed innocence of childhood, tracking the precocio9us, resilient Lissy through abandonment and rejection into clear-eyed maturity.  This is a coming-of-age novel that buzzes with intelligence and a deep understanding of human n:ture.




About The Author:

Born in San Francisco, Dugan has lived in Boston, Toronto, and London, England, and has worked in almost every part of the book world: in libraries and bookstores, as a book reviewer; she was Associate Publisher at Quarry Press, where she also served as managing editor of Poetry Canada Review and Quarry Magazine. She has worked in journalism, as a freelancer, and as visual arts columnist. Dugan studied at the University of Toronto Writers Workshop and the Banff Centre for the Arts, and has a post-graduate degree in Creative Writing from Humber College. She has done numerous public readings.

Her short stories have been shortlisted for several awards. She lives in Kingston, Ontario with her partner and their two sons.

My Thoughts On The Book:  I cannot remember when a book affected me so much.  From the very beginning of the book  tears filled my eyes and they remained there until the last page. Dugan is quite the wordsmith and this story yanks at your heart strings.  As an adult who suffered a great loss when I was small this story served as a reminder that in life you never know just how good you have had it until it’s too late. Bee Summers is quite a thought-provoking story.  It is a must read and a book you will definitely want in your personal library.  When you finish it you will want to take a deep breath and just say, "WOW!"


Disclaimer:  I received this book free from TLC Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”  Thanks guys for allowing me this opportunity.

Return to the Beach House

About The Book(from the back cover):  Over the course of one year, in a charming cottage by the sea, eight people will discover love and remembrance, reconciliation and reunion, beginnings and endings in this unforgettable sequel to Georgia Bockoven's The Beach House and Another Summer.  Alison arrives at the beach house in June to spend a month with her restless grandson before he leaves for his first year of college.  More than a decade earlier, Alison lost her beloved husband, and has faced life alone ever since.  Now she discovers a new life and possible new. love.  August brings together four college friends facing a milestone.  During the summer's final days, they share laughter, tears, and love - revealing long-held secrets and creating new and even more powerful bonds.  World-class wildlife photographer Matthew and award-winning war photographer Lindsey arrive at the beach house in January, each harboring the very real fear that it will mark the end of their decade-long love affair.  Alone in the house's warm peach, they are forced to truly look at who they are and what they want, discovering surprising truths that will change their lives forever.

About The Author:  Georgia Bockoven is an award-winning author who began writing fiction after a successful career as a freelance journalist and photographer.  Her books have sold more than three million copies worldwide.  The mother of two, she resides in Northern California with her husband John.

My Thoughts On The Book:  I took this book to the beach with me last week because of the title. I thought it would be a good beach read that would last several days.  A little sunburn and a good restful day later the book was completed.  I could not put it down.  I even found myself searching for a Bach house where I was.  I imagined the houses we past as the house in the book.  It was a really good read for those who love stories in a beach setting. If you are a regular beach goer you can definitely relate to the power of the setting and the unfolding of the  characters lives as they gather at the Beach House to share their life situations. Each story has same themes threaded through them.   Any beach goer can see themselves at the Brach House.  I would love to find myself there too. 

Disclaimer:  I received this book free from TLC Blog Tours and William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers  in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”  Thanks guys for allowing me this opportunity.

Lemonade Revealed

 

About The Book: In his debut novel, Chluho spins a cerebral coming-of-age tale set on a faraway, fictional island in the Pacific.  A young boy washes ashore on the island of Ahio with no idea how he came to be there and no recollection of his name. The only thing he recalls is a now-missing bag with a few possessions in it. He is discovered by three men, the most powerful people on the island: Father Rene, the priest; Barnett, the sugar plantation owner; and Ahiga, the warrior. These three men become father figures to the amnesiac boy.  He is nicknamed "Lemonade" by the sugar plantation owners daughter, Chloe.  The three men don’t exactly see eye to eye, which causes some distress on the island since they are the ones who’ve been left to care for the island’s people after the king and all of his family are lost at sea. It is up to Lemonade to unearth the secrets of his past. 

About The Author: A spiritual romantic, of sorts, Will Chluho had lived 4 years in a Franciscan friary, majoring in philosophy and theology. An urban pragmatist, he'd served—as a creative director—several multinational brands in Southeast Asia, such as BlackBerry, Mercedes-Benz, and Singapore Airlines. "Lemonade Revealed," his debut title, had taken him two years to put together. He's 44, married, and advancing his philosophical studies with the University of London.   
My Thoughts About The Book:  I love odd books with odd stories and I really wanted to love this book, but to be honest it just left me feeling dry and empty.  I found the book extremely confusing with the switches from past to present.  I had a most difficult time getting past the first half of the book and getting into the story.  By the time the novel picked up in the second half of the book I had already lost interest in the strange little story. 

Disclaimer:  I received this book free from TLC Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”  Thanks guys for allowing me this opportunity.




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