Review: Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman

I'll admit that I was ridiculously late in reading Beth's first book, SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT, but once I read, and fell in love with it, I vowed never to put off reading another of Beth Hoffman's books. So imagine how happy I was to be one of the lucky ones to receive an advance copy of LOOKING FOR ME. It was the highlight of my spring!

About the Book:
(No Spoilers Included)


LOOKING FOR ME is the story of a Kentucky family, told by Teddi Overman, the oldest daughter of two hardworking parents and sister to her younger brother, Josh. Teddi Overman knew what she wanted to do with her life as a young girl when she discovered her love of old furniture. She'd find old pieces from just about anywhere, take them home, fix them up and sell them on the side of the road. Much to her mother's dismay, Teddi packed up and moved to Charleston, South Carolina right after high school graduation to work at an antique shop where both her passion and talent grew larger and larger.

Through the years Teddi builds a good life for herself in Charleston and is quite successful but there is a sadness deep within Teddi that never goes away and that same sadness has taken hold of her parents as well. That sadness is the loss of Josh, her younger brother, who disappeared when he was seventeen, never to be heard from again. Though he is presumed dead, Teddi has a hard time accepting it and she can't help feel that her mother blames her for his disappearance. It has caused a deep sore spot between the two.  Teddi feels that if she could just get her mother to talk to her, it might make things better, but it's hard for her to even bring up Josh's name to her mother.

My Thoughts:

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you I fell in love with this book after reading the first chapter. Even the first page! What was glaringly obvious to me was how beautiful the writing was. Beth Hoffman swept me away with her lovely prose and I knew right away I was in for a real treat. When I read this book, I lost myself in it, completely tuning out everything that was going on around me.

Everything about this book was spot on, in my opinion. The storyline, the characters, and also the locations - both the family farm in Kentucky and Teddi's new hometown of Charleston only made this story richer. I know I'm gushing, but I can't help it. This is the type of book that I absolutely love. Learning about Josh and his love of wildlife, especially the birds, really touched me and left me with lumps in my throat. It was just a lovely, endearing book that I enjoyed immensely.  Not since Jayne Pupek's amazing TOMATO GIRL have I been so moved by a book. LOOKING FOR ME ranks right up there. This is the highest quality of Southern Fiction.  It was obvious to me that this story came from a deep place and I thought it was amazing. If you are in a book club, you definitely want to add this to your selections list! I can hardly wait to see what Ms. Beth Hoffman will give us in her next book. I'd like to thank Beth for providing me with my advanced copy. I will treasure it always!

 LOOKING FOR ME
Author: Beth Hoffman
Publisher: Pamela Dorman books
Published: May 28, 2013
Length: 368 pp
Source: Author provided review copy
Recommend? ABSOLUTELY!!!

Its Monday! What Are You Reading?

Happy Monday everyone! This weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books.  We discuss what books we've read and what we're planning to read during the week ahead.

Books I read and talked about last week:

Last Tuesday I celebrated the release of Julie Kibler's debut novel, CALLING ME HOME. Its a moving story and I recommend it highly.

I finished reading Sarah Jio's latest novel, BLACKBERRY WINTER. 

I posted my review of THE RIVER WITCH by Kimberly Brock. If you enjoy a little goth in your southern fiction, I'm positive you'd love this novel. You can read my review here.

Books I'll be focusing on this week:

I'll be reading, and hopefully finishing, THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW by Rita Leganski. I'd planned to make a big dent in it last week, but I couldn't keep my nose out of BLACKBERRY WINTER. Anyway, I've heard some really great things about this book and though I'm not far into the story, I am already in love with the locale and the premise. I'm excited to give it my undivided attention. 

In yesterday's mail I was thrilled to find Beth Hoffman's latest, LOOKING FOR ME. As a late-comer to SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT, I've vowed I won't make that mistake again. 

Reviews I'll be posting include THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky, which I am a week late in posting. I'll also have my review for BLACKBERRY WINTER. 

I'm really looking forward to a great week in books and I hope your week is filled with great books as well. Thanks for stopping by!

The Sunday Salon: Bookish Priorities

Happy Sunday everyone! I haven't posted a Sunday Salon post in so long and I thought it was time. Speaking of time, I just don't know it all goes! February is already bearing down on us, even though down here in Florida its been feeling more like Spring time. The weather has been crazy - highs in the 70's and 80's, then it will drop down into the 40's at night again. I'm so glad I got my flu shot a few months ago or I'd be in trouble. One day I'm in a t-shirt and flip-flops and then it goes back to jeans and sweater weather! My azalea bushes already bloomed at the end of January, which is just nuts! So when Spring actually gets here, I won't have any blooms at all because they're already gone!

On thereading front, I've read some really great books lately. In January I became a member of the She Reads Book Club and so far the book selections have been fantastic. I'm actually reading BLACKBERRY WINTER by Sarah Jio right now that was one of they're selections last year. I'm late to the party, but I'm really enjoying it. Our February selection is CALLING ME HOME by Julie Kibler. It was an emotional and heartbreaking story that really grabbed my attention right away. If you'd like to read my review, you can find it here. Our March selection is THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW by Rita Leganski. I plan to start it today and I'm very excited about it.

I've decided that this year I'm focusing more on books that I've had in my library that I've never gotten around to reading, more than accepting review copies. I'm not saying I won't do any ARC's but I have some really great books that need to be read. For example, I've had THE BOOK THIEF starring up at me from my coffee table for so long and I feel guilty every time I pass it up. I've also wanted to read SHADOW OF THE WIND for two years, when I got the book! The other day I finally started reading ANNA KARENINA. I'll be reading that in between other books, so that will be a slow mover.  I'm planning to read a chapter or two each night before bed, the way I did with JANE EYRE. There are others too, like THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN and THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE. These are all books that I OWN! No more excuses, I have to read these books!

All that being said, Beth Hoffman just emailed me and asked if I'd be interested in reading her new book coming out in May, LOOKING FOR ME!. And of course, I said YES!!! Thanks Beth, you just made my day! Now you see why some of the books on my shelves get pushed to the side! Let's face it, its a good problem to have!

Aside from reading, there are also my television shows I like that take up my time. All I can say is: Thank God For My DVR and OnDemand! Every year I say I'm not going to get involved in anymore series, but every year I do! A few of the new shows I like are NASHVILLE and CHICAGO FIRE. Then there are my older favorites: TOP CHEF, SUITS, DOWNTON ABBEY, THE GOOD WIFE and of course SURVIVOR, which starts up again this week! One new show that just started a few weeks ago is THE FOLLOWING with Kevin Bacon. That is one crazy, twisted show! And I LOVE it!! Wow, I never realized how much of a TV watcher I was until I started naming all of my shows! So you see, it's a miracle I get any reading done at all!

I've had to cut back on my audio books for now because my iPod is so old, many of the newer releases aren't compatible with it anymore. (Thanks to the iBook format). Or so I'm told.  I'm not the most tech savvy person when it comes to my iPod so I could be wrong about that, but I simply don't want to waste anymore time messing around with it. Hopefully a new iPod will cure the problem.

Well, that is what is going on with me. What books are you looking forward to in the months to come? And, does television get in your way too or are you able to walk away from it? I hope everyone has a great Sunday and to my friends up in the New England area: I'm thinking of you and praying that you all stay safe and warm! The weather up there looks absolutely frightening! I haven't lived up north for 30 years, but looking at the news reports brings it all back in a rush!

So, I'm haaving dinner at my friend, Brenda's house, so I need to get moving and get some things done first. Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you'll come back soon! Happy Reading!

Review: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

There should be a warning label on this book. It should read: 'the reader will develop deep feelings of protection and love' for the delightful Cecelia Rose Honeycutt, the young protagonist in this wonderfully written story'. Two of my favorite things in books are stories of strong Southern women and stories told from a child's perspective. In SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT by Beth Hoffman, I got that and so much more.

Twelve-year-old CeeCee hasn't had the normal childhood a kid her age in the 1960's should have. She lives an isolated life without the typical childhood friendships, games and sleepovers. Living in a small Ohio town with her frequently absent father and a mother who seems to forget she's the mother, CeeCee has had to grow up pretty quickly. When not in school, she spends most of her time looking after her mother, Camille, a former southern beauty queen who suffers from strange, and sometimes bizarre behavior, that commonly wasn't talked about.  There is one person in her life that CeeCee is close to and that is Mrs. Odell, the elderly widow who has lived next door ever since CeeCee was a baby. They have developed a close bond and CeeCee loves her like a grandmother.

After Camille unexpectedly dies, CeeCee is surprised when her father makes the decision for her to go live with her great aunt on her mother's side in Savannah, Georgia. Although this is the place her mother used to dream of going back to one day, CeeCee is devastated by this decision.  This is upsetting to CeeCee for many reasons, including the rejection she is feeling from her father, not to mention she's never been anywhere outside of their little town and more importantly, she is reluctant to leave Mrs. Odell, her only friend.

CeeCee puts on a brave face and makes the move to Savannah with her Great Aunt Tootie, who has promised her a summer she won't forget. Right away CeeCee sees how different life is in a Southern town and especially in Aunt Tootie's grand historic house with its beautiful gardens and lovely, spacious rooms that are swimming in the Georgia sunlight.

As CeeCee settles into life in Savannah she meets the women in Aunt Tootie's circle of friends, but CeeCee has never met women like these. Strong, independent women that leave their mark on the world and have such grace about them...well, most of them anyway. But the woman who has the most impact on CeeCee is Oletta, Aunt Tootie's maid for many years. 

Over the course of the summer, CeeCee experiences life as she has never known it bringing with it fun, adventure, and even fear but most of all, self discovery.  With the help of these strong Southern women, CeeCee begins to realize that her mother's destiny isn't necessarily her own. She just has to be strong enough to choose her own path and follow her own dreams. 

My Thoughts:

Let me first start off by saying I can't believe it took me so long to read this lovely book. I remember when it first came out and the blogs were going crazy over it.  I put it on my TBR list and now, here we are. The only thing I can say is, the bloggers were right! I fell in love with CeeCee and my heart ached for the way her mother's illness affected her.

The characters in this book are strong and likable and they each play important roles in CeeCee's life in showing CeeCee how different we all can be without it being a bad thing. I especially liked the relationship CeeCee had with Mrs. Odell, her neighbor in her old neighborhood in Ohio. Personally, I had an instant connection to that relationship because as a girl of 14 my parents moved me from a small Ohio town to Florida while my older sister stayed behind to graduate. I found myself feeling alone for the first time, not knowing anyone and feeling very isolated until I met our elderly neighbor, Virginia. We spent many afternoons together sitting on her porch swing, sharing stories. She became an important person in my life just as Mrs. Odell became important to CeeCee. Another relationship I really enjoyed was the friendship that formed between CeeCee and Oletta. Cee Cee learned many things from her much older friend like what life was like in the South when you are black. I loved the protectiveness CeeCee felt over Oletta and I think CeeCee brought out a softness in Oletta that had been missing since her only child had died.

I loved everything about this book and obviously it ranks up there with my all-time favorites.  Reading this book was one of the highlights of my summer, re-instilling in me that the Southern Fiction genre is the heart and soul of the literary world. It's books like Hoffman's SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT that are the proof.

SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT
Author: Beth Hoffman
Publisher: Penguin
Published: October 2010
Pages: 320 pp
Rating: 5 Wonderful Stars out of 5