2008 Southern Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

I want to thank Maggie for hosting the 2008 Southern Reading Challenge. I really enjoyed the three books I chose and will continue to look for books by Southern authors.

I began with The Blue Star by Tony Earley. It is the sequel to Jim the Boy – the story of a young boy growing up in the 30s/40s with his Mother and Uncles. Just a lovely book.

Next up was Garden Spells, the magical story of learning to forgive and trust again. I’ll be reading Sarah Addison Allen’s next book The Sugar Queen very soon.

I finished the Challenge with Carl Hiaasen’s The Downhill Lie. This is the first Hiaasen book I’ve read. He’s a very funny man. I need to read some of his fiction.

Thanks to all of the Challenge participants I now have a very long TBR list. Maggie, I’ll be watching for the 2009 Challenge!

Summer Blowout by Claire Cook

From the back of the book: Bella Shaughnessy is addicted to lipstick with names like My Chihuahua Bites and Kiss My Lips, an occupational hazard, since she works at Salon de Paolo, her family-run beauty salon, along with her four half-brothers and sisters. The owner is her father, Lucky Shaughnessy, a gregarious, three-times divorced charmer with Donald Trump hair who is obsessed with all things Italian. After Bella’s own marriage flames out spectacularly when her half-sister runs off with her husband, Bella decides she has seen enough of the damage love can do. She makes a vow: no more men.

Well, Bella didn’t plan on meeting a nice and handsome entrepreneur named Sean Ryan. Try as she might, she can’t keep him out of her life – especially since he has been instrumental in getting her exciting new project off the ground. This is a very light book filled to the brim with a loud, loving family and one very cute dog. Bella finds out that not all men are evil and some are even worthy of forgiveness. Add this to your list of books to read at the beach.