Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
The Ballantine Publishing Group
2001
Format: Paperback, 269 pages

First Line: This will be a good weekend for reading.

From the back cover: Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the tiny town of Big Stone Gap is home to some of the most charming eccentrics in the state. Ave Maria Mulligan is the town’s self-proclaimed spinster, a thirty-five-year-old pharmacist with a “mountain girl’s body and a flat behind.” She lives an amiable life with good friends and lots of hobbies until the fateful day in 1978 when she suddenly discovers that she’s not who she always thought she was. Before she can blink, Ave’s fielding marriage proposals, fighting off greedy family members, organizing a celebration for visiting celebrities, and planning the trip of a lifetime- a trip that could change her view of the world and her own place in it forever. Brimming with humor and wise notions of small-town life, Big Stone Gap is a gem of a book with a giant heart.

My Thoughts: Big Stone Gap is the first book in the Big Stone Gap Series. I have come to love Trigiani’s books because they are so warm and inviting. This book was no exception. It was a bit slow at first, but towards the middle I found that I couldn’t put it down. I loved Ave Maria (the main character) with her stubborn, ‘independent woman’ mentality, and all of the quirky townsfolk. The characters really make this book.

Ave Maria takes us on her journey through the passing of her mother, finding love, and finding her long lost family. On this journey she learns more about herself and her Italian heritage while defining who she is as a person. She discovers that she is no longer alone and is worthy of love and a happy ending.

Overall, this book is a light and enjoyable read. I definitely look forward to reading the other books in the series. I gave this book 4 stars.

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This is truly the most wonderful time of the year. I love everything about the Holiday season- the snow (in some places), sweaters, scarves, boots, lights, trees, decor, giving gifts, finding ways to serve and seeing other people serving, but most of all I love that we get to celebrate JESUS CHRIST. He is, after all, the reason for the season! 🙂 So it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Cantrell house, and (ba da ba ba ba) I’m lovin’ it!

Our “fun” tree

Candy jar

The wreath I made last year.

“It’s Monday! What are you reading?” is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Post the books you finished reading last week, the books you are currently reading, and the books you plan to read this week.


Book(s) Read: Burning Bright by Tracy Cevalier


Currently Reading: Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani


What I plan to read next: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

What are you reading this week?




*I am putting together my Holiday Giveaway. If you are interested in participating, please let me know by emailing me at loganab8(at)gmail(dot)com. Also “like” my new Facebook page!


*60% OFF ALL ads right now!* Use promo code MERRYCHRISTMAS.

Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier
Dutton
March, 2007
Format: Hardback, 308 pages

First Line: There was something humiliating about waiting in a cart on a busy London street with all your possessions stacked around you, on show to the curious public.

From the inside cover: No. 13 Hercules Buildings, Lambeth, 1792. Poet, artist, and printer William Blake – local eccentric and political radical – works anonymously amidst the raucous din of a teeming, jittery London. Across the Channel, revolution is imploding in France. Nearby, the renowned Astley’s Circus is rehearsing its upcoming show, and next door the Kellaway family, recently arrived from the countryside, is moving in. Maggie Butterfield, the streetwise daughter of a local rogue, is looking for trouble – or at least a friend. When she and young Jem Kellaway are drawn into Blake’s spell, the chance meeting of three unusual souls sets the stage for an impassioned journey. Jem and Maggie spark the imagination of the poet, influencing one of the greatest and most mystical works in English literature, Songs of the Innocence and of Experience. 


Burning Bright evokes the full pageantry of Georgian London: its circus spectacles  mustard factories, pubs and bawdy songs, the grandeur of Westminster Abbey and the secrets of Cut-Throat Lane. Behind these lie the greater movements of an era: the influence of a nearby revolution, the mustering of forces loyal to the Crown, and the agonies of being an independent thinker in an age suspicious of dissent.

As she did in the bestselling Girl Wit a Pearl Earring, Chevalier brilliantly captures an era and a sense of place, at the same time deftly evoking an artist’s vision. Overflowing with energy, enterprise, and the power of creation, Burning Bright brings us a vivid story of the unpredictable, exhilarating passage toward adulthood.

My Thoughts: I found this book in the clearance section, and bought it because it sounded interesting. I typically like historical fiction and I’m a sucker for a book that takes place in London, but I was really disappointed in this one.

It was my first time to read Chevalier, and I’m not sure if I’ll read anything by her again. It wasn’t that it was a bad book, it was just boring. I couldn’t get into it and because of this, it took me a long time to get through it. I give this book 2 stars. If you’ve read Burning Bright, let me know what you thought of it.

It’s Sunday, which means I’m linking up with Neely at A Complete Waste of Makeup for the Sunday Social!

This week the theme is 4’s:

Via

2) I’m a big movie buff so I’m going to narrow it down to top 4 Christmas movies: 

1) Elf 

2) Christmas Vacation

3) Grinch

4) A Christmas Story

Via

3) I’ve only lived two places: Montgomery, Alabama and Auburn, Alabama.

Hello ladies! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were as blessed as I was to share it with family and friends. Here is my Thanksgiving in pictures:

Our little family.

Some of the girls!

My cousins- Carrie-Grace and Lilly.

My sweet nephew Tanner.

God blessed us with this beautiful view of the sunset.

As for today, it is officially “Rival Saturday.” I will be avoiding Facebook because I have been known to delete annoying (Alabama) fans so it is easier to stay away. I am a Florida fan and Ryan is a big Auburn fan, so we will be yelling “Go Gators” and “War Eagle” all day.

Via

Via

I am putting together my Holiday Giveaway. If you are interested in participating, please let me know by emailing me at loganab8(@)gmail(.)com. Also “like” my new Facebook page!

*60% OFF ALL ads right now!* Use promo code MERRYCHRISTMAS.

Happy Game day!