Giveaway - The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells - 5 Winners - Ends 7/30/09

where? here. who's blog? sweeps4bloggers. why? 'cus she has some of the best giveaways going and because i want to win this book! if you don't want the book, look on the right hand side of her page. if you can't find something you want to enter, put on your glasses so you can see better!

Flory: A Miraculous Story of Survival By Flory A. Van Beek

Narrated by Kirsen Potter

Flory and her husband, Felix, endured the sinking of a ship bound for safety in the New World, the increasing danger of the occupation, and finally a life in hiding. There, cut off from the outside world and their families, they faced the hunger and stress of daily life in confined quarters along with the ever-present threat of discovery and certain death.

This inspiring account vividly captures the terror of the Holocaust while telling a poignant story of love and courage.

©1998 Flory Van Beek; (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What the Critics Say

"I have always believed in survivor's testimonies: they are unique. It is impossible to understand the Holocaust and its meaning without becoming acquainted with their experiences, which they alone can tell with true authority." (Elie Wiesel)

I have to agree with the critic. Hearing this read, I felt she was right here beside me. I started this book late at night when I could not go to sleep. I then found myself fighting sleep to hear her story. It is not just about what happened to her and her family but about the people around her, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Like my worn copy of Ann Frank, this will be a story I will want to hear again and again.

The human will is amazing

The Painted Veil By W. Somerset Maugham

Publisher's Summary

read by Kate Reading (Unabridged)

First published in 1925, The Painted Veil is an affirmation of the human capacity to grow, change, and forgive. Set in England and Hong Kong in the 1920s, it is the story of the beautiful but shallow young Kitty Fane. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to a remote region of China ravaged by a cholera epidemic.

Stripped of the British society of her youth and overwhelmed by the desolation around her, she is compelled by her awakening conscience to reassess her life. She takes up work with children at a convent, but when her husband dies, she is forced to return to England to her father, her one remaining relative, to raise her unborn child. Though too late for her marriage, she has learned humility, independence, and how to love.

My husband picked this one out. He is a great fan of Maugham's. I was only aware of him from old movies made from his books. I liked this pick. I found his characters real and relatable even from this time period. Kitty is very believable as are her situations. It's not a light read (or listen) but definitely well worth your time!

ps As a rule i only listen to unabridged books as i have found i don't like the way some things are cut in the abridged versions (plus i want all of the author's words...his/her voice)!

Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory

From Margaret’s website:

FEARLESS IN BATTLE

His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.

TENDER IN BED

Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she’s keeping secrets and dares not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.

Thanks to Anna at Hachette, i got to read Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory.

I liked the book, not just for the fun story, but also for the history lesson about a piece of time involving the English kings Henry IV and V. It is a time of war between the Welsh and the English. What? I've read lots of novels about the Scottish vs the English but the Welsh. So i had to go from the light reading for pleasure into some quick on line research into the two kings and the Welsh Tudors. Those side line bits made the reading even more fun for me.

If you are like a good love story with your bits of history (or you just like the trials a tribulations of a love story), go get Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory.

Next up Jennifer Haymore's A Hint of Wicked.