Jenn's Bookshelves

Books Reviewed:

• Eyes of Prey by John Sandford
• Sounds Like Crazy by Shana Mahaffey
• Get Lucky by Katherine Center
• Skin and Bones by D.C. Corso
• Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell
• A Gift from Brittany by Marjorie Price
• Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain
• Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt
• Tighty Whitey Spider by Kenn Nesbitt
• At Witt’s End by Beth Solheim

Total books reviewed: 10

Pick of the month: Get Lucky by Katherine Center

Special Events

I took over the reins of Literary Road Trip from the outstanding Michelle from Galleysmith.  For those new to Literary Road Trip, simply put it is a way for bloggers to showcase local authors.  You can do it through book reviews, author interviews or guest posts, you name it.

I participated in Detectives Around the World, hosted by Jen from Jen’s Book Thoughts. The detective I focused on was Archie Sheridan from Chelsea Cain’s Beauty Killer series.  In addition to reviewing Evil at Heart, I provided a glimpse inside Chelsea Cain’s Portland.

I took part in Dewey’s Read-a-thon.  Didn’t get nearly as many books read as I had planned; I fell asleep early and didn’t wake up til the next morning! I only read three books: The Mark by Jen Nadol, Veracity by Laura Bynum & Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain.

 I said goodbye to my dear grandmother, who passed away just a few weeks ago. She cultivated my love of reading.  I recently learned that the library she loved so dearly may be closed, not due to a lack of funding but for political reasons. It’s become my mission to do what I can to save Wayne County Public Library.

Current Giveaways

As part of the Days of Prey tour, I’m hosting a giveaway for two books by John Sandford! Enter to win either Eyes of Prey (and oldie, but goodie!) or his newest, Storm Prey! The winner will be announced Tuesday, May 18th.

Upcoming Events!

BEA is just a few weeks away! Are you going to be there? Let me know, I’d love to meet up with you!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but is now being hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of  Books so stop by and join in!

Books Completed Last Week

A Gift from Brittany by Marjorie Price
Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell

Currently Reading

Persuader: A Reacher Novel by Lee Child
Get Lucky by Katherine Center

Books to Complete This Week

The 9th Judgment (The Women’s Murder Club) by James Patterson
Small Change by Sheila Roberts

What are you reading this week?

Marie has been contacted via email. Thanks to all who entered! 

Don’t forget, you still have time to enter to win the entire Chelsea Cain “Beauty Killer” series  (contest ends 4/26) or one of three copies of A Gift From Brittany (contest ends 4/28)

I’m excited to welcome Marjorie Price  to Jenn’s Bookshelves today!  She’s writing on a subject that truly comes into play in her memoir, A Gift from Brittany.

Writing — another form of Painting?

Eight years ago, when I began my memoir, A Gift From Brittany, I didn’t think of myself as a writer. Even though over the years I had written short stories, poetry and several children’s books, I was – and always had been – a painter. Once I began the book, however, I couldn’t stop. Even if my book never were to get published, I had to finish it and make it the best I possibly could. I was determined to tell about an unforgettable time in my life in the 1960’s.

I was in my twenties, had traveled alone to Paris to paint and had fallen in love with an exciting French painter named Yves. After we were married, we bought half of a remote hamlet deep in the countryside of Brittany to escape Parisian summers and to paint. What a romantic adventure for my painter’s soul! But Yves broke my heart when he ordered me to stop painting, and my seemingly idyllic marriage began to unravel. I continued to paint watercolors in secret, but it was never again the same.

Finally I left Yves in Paris and moved with our young daughter to live year round on the farm. There, I had the amazing good fortune to grow close to an elderly, illiterate and remarkable peasant woman who lived in the nearest farmhouse across the road. Jeanne Montrelay was 68, she had three cows to her name, didn’t know how to read or write and had never left the tiny village. Yet, her ancient wisdom, resilience and humor were an inspiration to me. Outwardly we had nothing in common. Against all odds, our friendship leaped across boundaries of age, language, culture and life experience; we became so close that we transformed each other’s lives. Often I thought I should write about her. Perhaps a children’s book with illustrations. But I never had the time.

Years later, after divorcing and returning to the states, I settled in New York City, painted, showed my work in galleries and worked as a graphic designer. Then, ten years ago, I underwent serious back surgery. Unable to walk, paint, or lift a canvas, I was in constant pain. Since I could do little else, it occurred to me to write about Jeanne. Bringing her back to life helped me to endure the pain. She had healed me once before; now she was healing me again. I poured out chapter after chapter. The more I wrote, the more I came to love the process of writing, and the more similarities I saw between painting and writing.

As the book took form, I found I was no longer a painter struggling to write, but a painter/writer reliving a pivotal time in my life, using a palette of words like a palette of colors, painting a portrait of a remarkable friendship with a peasant woman who changed forever the way I saw the world. My lifelong skills as a painter nourished my writer’s aspirations – and became one. I persevered with my memoir; I revised it countless times before it found a publisher. Gradually I began to see that my painter’s eye was far from being a handicap; it was my voice.

For those in the DC area, you have access to an exhibit of Marjorie’s artwork.  Following is some information about this event:

Marjorie Price’s exhibition of new paintings from The Bathers Series opens April 3 at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center in Frederick, Maryland, a lovely, historical town outside of Washington D. C. To learn more about the Delaplaine, visit http://www.delaplaine.org

Having been an avid swimmer and competitive synchronized swimmer — as well as a painter — all her life, Marjorie’s connection to The Bathers Seriesis an especially personal one. The theme is inspired by her love of the water; the paintings express how the body moves and feels in another element, how once released from the pull of gravity, one feels a sense of freedom and abandon. The sea is never the same; the paintings in the series explore its endlessly changing moods. For a preview of the show, please visit her website: http://www.marjorieprice.com/paintings/current-exhibitions

“Of all the many themes I’ve painted throughout my life, The Bathers Series is perhaps the closest to my heart. I grew up along the shores of Lake Michigan, and water has always been my element,” says Price. “I’m told I swam as a tot even before I could walk. I’m so pleased to have the opportunity of showing the most recent Bathers at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center.”

For more information on Marjorie’s paintings and to find out more about her other appearances, please visit her Web site.

Thanks to the publisher, I have THREE copies of A Gift from Brittany to give away.  To enter, please fill out the form below.  This contest is open to US and Canadian residents only.  Winners will be announced on Wednesday, April 28th.

Related posts

• Review: A Gift from Brittany by Marjorie Price (7)
• Review: Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell (10)

Marjorie (Midge) Price always dreamed of painting in Paris.  In 1960 she did something that no twenty-eight year old woman should do: she bought a transatlantic ticket to Paris, alone.  Her family was up in arms, no respectful young lady travels alone, let alone across the Atlantic, but Midge was a dedicated artist and living in Paris was her dream.

Shortly after she arrived, she met a native artist, Yves.  They fall in love and marry after a mere six months.  They have a daughter, and soon dream of owning a cottage in the country to get away from the hustle and bustle of Paris life.  Yves soon announces that he has found the perfect place.  It’s not just one cottage, but an entire hamlet.  Yves insists that Midge see this place for herself.  When she arrives, she sees a hamlet in ruins, requiring major repair.  But Yves insists on purchasing, ignoring her concerns.

The restoration required is tremendous.  They are forced to live in another small home until the work is complete.  It’s definitely not the city life that Midge was used to.

Midge soon meets their neighbors, and instantly forms a bond with Jeanne, a peasant woman nearing her seventies.  Jeanne takes her under her wing and begins to treat her as the daughter she never had.  When Ives’ personality begins to change, turning into a raging, abusive husband, Jeanne becomes her support system and helps her survive this turmoil in her life. Slowly, the city-girl side of Midge soon evaporates and she is transformed into a genuine “country” girl.

A Gift from Brittany is a beautiful, yet sometimes heartbreaking, coming-of-age story.  Midge’s transformation takes place alongside the transformation of the hamlet, both are tremendous.  It is also a story of friendship, one that transforms culture and generations. Two women who at first glance having nothing in common form a bond that cannot be broken. Price’s writing itself is a form of artwork, it’s beauty and detailed descriptions paint a portrait of a woman’s life before your eyes.  I became completely wrapped up in the book within the first several pages. It is a profound piece of writing that will stay with you for some time.

Here is what others are saying about A Gift from Brittany. Click on the link to their blog to read the entire review:

Nicole from Linus’s Blanket states: “this was a wonderful glimpse into the lives of not only a strong and lively community of villagers, but of deep friendship, the lives and struggles of artists, and how one artist in particular has to find a way to claim her voice.”

Amy from My Friend Amy states: “I loved the relationship between her (Midge) and Jeanne because I love knowing we can find friendship where we least expect it.We don’t really have to have any of the surface things in life in common to connect at the heart level and this book was a great reminder of that.”

Carey from The Tome Traveller’s Weblog states: “This is a story that is at once heartwarming and heartbreaking. Here is a peek at a European way of life that endured for centuries and then completely died out in a few decades. It is one of the best memoirs that I have ever read and I highly recommend it. It would be an excellent choice for book clubs.”

Be sure to come back tomorrow to read a guest post by the author and enter to win copy of this outstanding book!

Related posts

• Guest Post & Giveaway: Marjorie Price, Author of A Gift from Brittany (4)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, but is now being hosted by Sheila from One Person’s Journey Through a World of  Books so stop by and join in!

Books Completed Last Week

Veracity by Laura Bynum
Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt
Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain
The Mark by Jen Nadol

Currently Reading

Persuader: A Reacher Novel by Lee Child
A Gift from Brittany by Marjorie Price

Books to Complete This Week

Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell

What are you reading this week?

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between!

 You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

and the book:

Essie in Progress

Kregel Publications (April 1, 2009)

***Special thanks to Marjorie Presten for sending me a review copy.***

Marjorie Presten is a native Georgian who has her own fair share of experience juggling career and motherhood. She lives outside of Atlanta with her husband, Tom, and their three children.

Listen to a radio interview about the book HERE.

Product Details:

List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Kregel Publications (April 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 082543565X
ISBN-13: 978-0825435652

Ellison “Essie” Wells is a full-time working mom with two young children, and another on the way. Her life is hectic and busy, and she’s pulled in so many different directions. It doesn’t help that her mother, Pearl, makes her feel guilty for continuing to work.  Her husband, Jack, is going through a mid-life crisis.  He spends the family’s savings to buy an expensive and completely impractical sports car, and trades Essie’s beloved SUV in for a Hummer!  And we can’t leave out Hamilton “Ham”, Jack’s estranged father.  Since Jack’s mom passed away from cancer, their relationship has been extremely rocky.  Ham has re-evaluated his life and wants to play a more integral role in his son’s life.

Reading the summary, one might think that this novel is another one of those “mommy-lit” books, full of fluff. Essie in Progressdefinitely doesn’t fall into that category.  Each of the characters are on a desperate mission to find out their purpose in life, and to know for certain if the path they are following is one that God would approve of.  It is a tale of a family’s struggle for growth and change. It is full of humor, wit, sadness and grief.  Each of the characters are flawed in their own way, and it made it easier for me to sympathize with the struggle they were going through.  As a full-time working mom with two boys, I can completely feel for what Essie is experiencing.  It is extremely easy for me to feel guilty for working, for not spending enough time with my growing boys.  In a sense, it’s a stigma that society sometimes puts on women.  But there are so many issues being dealt with in addition to this “Mommy-guilt.” The book deals with father-son issues, and feelings of self-worth.  Essie in Progress is a light, yet powerful look at evaluating what truly is meaningful in life.