Review: A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson (Audio)

Whenever I pick up a Jashilyn Jackson novel I know without a doubt that I am delving into a story that is going to grab my heart and not let go. But I also know there's going to be some laughs along the way. In A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY, that couldn't be more true.

This heartwarming story of three Southern women from three generations in the Slocumb family is centered around Mosey, Liza's daughter. Liza hasn't had it easy since becoming a mother at a very young age, but there is no mistaking her love for her daughter. Liza's mother, Jenny, who was also young when she had Liza, has one rule: You always put family first. That's why when Liza showed up on her doorstep after being gone for almost two years with her baby girl on her hip, Liza didn't hesitate to take her and the toddler in. Since Jenny hadn't seen them since Mosey was just itty-bitty, she was thrilled to be a part of her grand-daughter's life and feel into the role as matriarch swiftly and smoothly. It was obvious to Jenny that Liza had some issues but she didn't press it - she was just happy they were finally back home where they belonged.

When Mosey is fifteen, the Slocumb's world is turned upside down when while removing a tree from the back yard to make room for a swimming pool, a small grave is unearthed. This shakes the Slocumb women to the core. Jenny is shocked, Liza, who has suffered a stroke and cannot communicate well is visibly shaken and Mosey is determined to find out who the grave belongs to and why it was in their back yard. Each of these women, in their own way, are looking for answers but in the process discover even more secrets about their family. It is Jenny who is bound and determined to do whatever she must do to keep their small family in tact, hopefully before the police figure it out first.

My Thoughts:

This story has everything I'd expected it to have: love, friendship, loyalty, humor and a little small-town drama.  The characters were rich in so many ways. I instantly loved Jenny, the too-young-to-be-a-grandmother, grandmother, who loves her family unconditionally and will do anything to protect it. Liza, even though held captive in her own body due to a stroke, fought for her family as best she could, and Mosey was simply a terrific character with no fear and a sense of adventure that she didn't back down from. The supporting characters rounded out the story, giving it a believable small-town feel.

Ms. Jackson reveals the secrets of the Slocumb women beautifully through the voices of each character as they share in telling the story. I chose to listen to this on audio after I sampled it on Audible.com and heard Joshilyn Jackson's own voice as the narrator. It was pure perfection! It didn't feel like I was listening to a book, it was more like I was sitting with a fellow southerner who was telling me the story of her family. She did an amazing job of channeling each character all the while leaving me totally entertained and satisfied.

A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY is one of those books that after you finish it, you miss the people in the story and feel the hole they've left in your heart when they're gone. This is one of my favorite Joshilyn Jackson novels and I recommend it highly!

A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY
Author: Joshilyn Jackson
Audible.com publish Date: January 2012
Length: 12 hrs 25 min / 352 Printed Pages
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

Sunday Salon: Dystopian Fantasy

Hello and thanks for visiting today! After receiving a review copy of a new book the other day, it has left me curious. The book was unsolicited and of course, I was happy to receive it but isn't the type of book I would typically choose for myself. It is dystopian fantasy, which I rarely read and it got me to wondering if this is a genre that many of you read? I know we all have our own tastes and preferences where books are concerned and I'm really interested in your answers.

The particular book I received is WHO FEARS DEATH by Nnedo Okorafor. She is an accomplished and award-winning writer of young adult fiction, though this novel is her first foray into the adult genre. Being of Nigerian decent, she is known fo r incorporating African cultures into her science fiction writing. The title certainly grabbed my attention and I find the cover striking as well. After reading the book flap, I am actually really looking forward to reading it. For a quick synopsis of this interesting new book, click here to visit Penguin.com.

Aside from receiving this new book, I also got my 50th Anniversary Edition of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. I'm so happy to have it and I'm planning to read a little bit each evening to savor it and to make it last. Just in reading the first few chapters, I feel like I'm visiting an old friend and I find myself smiling a lot while I read. Isn't it wonderful when a book can make you feel so good?

I posted my review of a book I loved this week. It was BACKSEAT SAINTS by Joshilyn Jackson. You can find the review here. I will definitely be reading more of her previous books and looking forward to new ones as well. I know this book is making it's way around the blogs and if you get the chance, you really ought to read it, especially if you enjoy Southern Fiction. It's well worth the time.

I also finished reading A RELIABLE WIFE by Robert Goolrick last week and will be posting my review in the next day or so. I'm happy that I finally read it, although it was a different sort of book.

This week I'm reading THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson and I am really into it. I didn't know if I would like the whole financial intrigue aspect of it but I am loving it and hate putting it down. In fact, with the scorching temps we're supposed to have here today, I'm planning on staying inside reading all day. Are you planning to spend your day reading? If so, what has your attention these days?

Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson

BACKSEAT SAINTS, Joshilyn Jackson's latest novel is the story of Rose Mae Lolley. But it's also Ro Grandee's story. The interesting twist is that they are the same person. Ro Grandee is the wife of Thom, son of the successful Grandee family of Amarillo, Texas. His family owns three large gun stores throughout the state and though Thom works side by side with his father, running the family businesses, Thom can't make a move without his father's approval or interference, in most cases. While Ro tries to keep her husband on an even keel so he doesn't take his frustrations out on her, sometimes Rose Mae Lolley has to take over. She's always been stronger than Ro and she knows how to handle Thom Grandee.

Here's a bit about the book straight from the author's website:

Ro Grandee is the perfect Texas housewife. She's determined to be nothing like her long-missing mother, the one who left her with only a heap of old novels and her father's fists for company, so Ro keeps quiet and takes her husband's punches like a lady. But Ro wasn't always this way. Underneath her pastel skirts and hidden bruises lies Rose Mae Lolley, teenaged spitfire, Alabama heartbreaker, and a crack shot with a pistol. Rose Mae is resurrected when a gypsy's tarot cards foretell doom for dutiful Ro: her handsome husband is going to kill her. Unless she kills him first.

Armed with only her wit, her pawpy's ancient .45, and her dog Fat Gretel, Rose Mae hightails it out of Texas. In a journey that is by turns harrowing and exhilarating, she uncovers long buried truths about her family and herself, running from the man who will never let her go, on a mission to find the mother who did.

My thoughts on the book:

The first thing that I was curious about was the braid on the front cover of the book. In the last week or so, while I've been blogging about this book, other people have questioned the braid as well. Last week, I featured this book in Teaser Tuesdays. Let me share with you the teaser I chose from this book:

I picked up the braid and walked back to the bathroom. I think I meant to put it in the trash, but I caught sight of myself in the mirror and stopped. I was ten pounds too thin and two shades paler than paper. My shorn hair hung around my face in a ragged tangle, longer on the right side than the left. I had kaleidoscope eyes, spinning with a hundred different colors of pure, naked crazy. For the first time in years, I was face-to-face with Rose Mae Lolley.

The symbolism of that braid speaks volumes. Domestic violence is at the center of this story. But even with such a serious subject, Jackson uses wit and smartly placed humor to talk about this disturbing issue that happens every day in our society. In the beginning, we learn a little about Ro Grandee and where she came from and how she met her handsome husband. Then there's the tarot-reading gypsy Ro meets in the airport at a seemingly chance meeting. Aside from the domestic violence in her life, Ro also had been living with the fact that her mother left her when she was a child. She always wondered why her mother didn't love her enough to take her with her. As you can imagine, Rose Mae never got over her mother leaving and it was interesting following her on her quest to find answers about this painful part of her life.

The characters in the book were very believably written. Some were a little scary while others were a little quirky. As the story continues, things turn more serious and the humor lessens as Rose Mae makes a plan and starts to take control of her life.

When I first received this book I didn't realize that Ro/Rose Mae had been a supporting character in Jackson't previous novel, GODS IN ALABAMA, which I hadn't yet read. That said, BACKSEAT SAINTS is a stand alone novel. I do plan to read GODS IN ALABAMA to learn about Rose Mae in her high school days and about her first love, Jim Beverly, who does play a part in this book.

I truly enjoyed Joshilyn Jackson's writing and I plan to read more of her books. I am a huge fan of Southern Fiction and this ranks right up at the top for me. While telling Rose Mae's story, she took me on an emotional journey from laughter, to heartbreak to joy to fear and I enjoyed it every step of the way. I can't encourage you enough to make the time to read this book. I'd like to thank Library Thing and Hachette Books for providing my review copy.

BACKSEAT SAINTS

Author: Joshilyn Jackson

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Published: June 8, 2010

Pages: 352

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars (Highly Recommend)

The Sunday Salon:

Hello and welcome to another Sunday Salon! Boy, I honestly don't know where this week went but it sure did fly by! It's hard to believe we're approaching the end of July already. Although it has been very hot here, it doesn't seem to be as unbearable as summers past. In fact, many days its been hotter in my home state of Ohio than here, which is crazy to me. Tuesday I had a scare with my A/C unit when it started blowing hot air through the vents. I've been living on borrowed time with the unit so I figured the time had come and it just wasn't going to work anymore. Then my Dad called and suggested that since my electricity had gone on and off several times a few days before during a storm, that maybe it tripped the breaker. So I flipped it off and back on again and suddenly I had cold air flowing again! Dad is a genius! I know I'm going to have to replace it one day soon, but its a relief to not have to do it right now.

As far as my reading goes, I had a pretty good week. I have not allowed myself to get involved in any of the new summer series on TV, because, for one reason, none of them really appeal all that much to me. And secondly, I've been loving all the reading time in the evening. However, I believe Mad Men starts again July 25th on American Movie Classics and I just can't resist that show. It's so smartly written and different than anything else on TV and the actors are all amazing.

But back to the books - I finished Joshilyn Jackson's BACKSEAT SAINTS and I'll be working on my review later today. But I will say now that I am such a fan of her work and I look forward to reading more from her. Last week I posted my review of Linda Castillo's SWORN TO SILENCE [Review Here] and I was surprised when I received her new book PRAY FOR SILENCE from the publisher on Thursday! This is the second book in this new Kate Burkholder series and it is fabulous! What a nice treat that was! So I'll be reading that one soon and posting my review.

Tomorrow I'm heading over to Books A Million to pick up a copy of the 50th Anniversary edition of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. There was an online coupon and I just have to have it. I wish we had some independent book stores in my town but our only choices are two big chain stores. But I am very excited to get this book and to read it before the end of summer.

Right now I'm reading A RELIABLE WIFE by Robert Goolrick. I'm about a hundred pages in and I'm really getting into his writing style. It's very unique and the story is interesting right off the bat. After that I haven't decided what is next. I have so many great books to read: THE QUEEN OF PALMYRA, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, LAST LIGHT OVER CAROLINA, PRAY FOR SILENCE... I could go on and on!

I'm planning to continue my leisurely weekend today by not doing too much of anything, except reading. The housework and laundry are all done, the yard is taken care of, so I can relax and not feel guilty about it. I will be keeping an eye on The British Open and nibbling on some grouper that we had left from last night's fish fry but aside from that, my nose will be stuck in a book. I hope you are able to enjoy a peaceful Sunday doing whatever it is you want to do as well. Thanks for stopping by and please come back in a day or two when I post my review of BACKSEAT SAINTS.

Teaser Tuesday: Backseat Saints

Today is Tuesday and that means another teaser from the book I'm currently reading. That book is BACKSEAT SAINTS, the newest release from Joshilyn Jackson, the author of GODS IN ALABAMA and THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING, to name a few. I know we're only supposed to share two sentences as our teaser, but I've chosen a passage that I thought says a lot about Ro Grandee, the protagonist of the story.

From page 118 of BACKSEAT SAINTS . . .

I picked up the braid and walked back to the bathroom. I think I meant to put it in the trash, but I caught sight of myself in the mirror and stopped. I was ten pounds too thin and two shades paler than paper. My shorn hair hung around my face in a ragged tangle, longer on the right side than the left. I had kaleidoscope eyes, spinning with a hundred different colors of pure, naked crazy. For the first time in years, I was face-to-face with Rose Mae Lolley.

I am really enjoying this book of southern fiction. Although it is filled with sharp wit and ironic humor, it centers around a serious topic. That being domestic violence. This book is courtesy of Library Thing Early Reviewers and I feel lucky to have received it.

For more teasers, please visit MizB at Should Be Reading.

The Sunday Salon: Kindle Update

Welcome! And happy Sunday! It's going to be another hot summer day here in Florida, much like the rest of the country. The difference is, we usually get afternoon thunderstorms down here and if they come late enough in the day, it makes for a more comfortable evening. Right now though, I'm sitting here drinking my coffee, nibbling on some coffee cake I made this morning and enjoying this quietest time of day.

Since I've had my Kindle now for a couple weeks, I thought I'd let y'all know how it's going. I've had some really sweet comments from people wishing me well and giving me some great tips. I'm not a read-the-manual type of gal so I do a lot of trial and error learning so those tips have been very useful. I absolutely love the fact that I can change the fonts to suit me. The other big thing is that I can lie down and read now, whereas before, when reading a paper book, I could never get comfortable enough to hold the book and read, so I always sat up. It is so great that I can lay on the couch, hold the Kindle and turn the page just by clicking a button with my thumb! I know it sounds like a simple thing, but it is a big deal for me! I also like the sample feature that allows you to download the first chapters of books before you buy.

The first book I downloaded was Linda Castillo's SWORN TO SILENCE. I read it in record time (for me) and I think its because I enjoyed reading it on the Kindle, but also, the fact that I was able to read for longer periods of time without my eyes getting dry and tired. I have to be honest, it also probably helped that I was really into the book and I didn't want to stop reading! I posted my review the other day and you can check it out here, if you'd like.

I've also found some really great deals at the Kindle Store on Amazon. For instance, you may be aware that Christopher Reich has a new book out titled RULES OF BETRAYAL that is the third in the John Ransom series. I read the synopsis along with some great reviews and was intrigued by it. I did some looking and found the Kindle version of the first book, RULES OF DECEPTION for only .79! And the second book, RULES OF VENGEANCE for $5.00! It sounds like a great series and at those prices, you can't go wrong. Oh, I almost forgot - I found the Kindle version of another book I've had on my library reading list for a while now and I got it for only $2.56. The book is HOW TO BE LOST by Amanda Eyre Ward. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can find some really great deals at the Kindle Store if you spend just a little time looking.

The book I'm reading now is not on my Kindle, but a review copy sent to me by LibraryThing. It's Joshilyn Jackson's newest release, BACKSEAT SAINTS. I had no idea I was going to love her writing so much. The pure southerness has completely stolen my heart. I'm not too far into it yet, but already I've laughed out loud several times at her clever wit and sharp tongue. I've never read any of her other books, but I really hope I get the chance to go back and read them, especially GODS IN ALABAMA. Apparently, the main character in this new book was a supporting chrarcter in that one and I want to know how she ended up in Amarillo, Texas, the setting for BACKSEAT SAINTS.

I did a little changing around on my blog this week, too. I was really tired of the old look and I noticed that blogger has come up with some new designs that are pretty easy to work with. Even though it's still a work in progress, I think I like the changes I've made. I hope you like it too.

Well, its time for me to go get some reading done. Since my boyfriend is out of town today, I'm looking forward to spending most if the day with my book. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon.