![]() ![]() That was the least she could do for her dearest friend.Īnd senseless it was. Nevertheless, she was determined to keep her senseless anxiety at bay and return to Thornton Springs. ![]() Her last visit to Montana, for Courtney’s wedding nearly a year ago, hadn’t ended well. The anticipation, she had to admit, wasn’t entirely positive.Įver since she’d heard Courtney’s baby news last summer, a part of her had been secretly resisting this trip. A tingle of anticipation danced across her shoulder blades. In just a few short hours, she’d be at the Bar-G Ranch in Thornton Springs, Montana, helping her best friend, Courtney, prepare for the arrival of her first baby. ![]() Tapping her hands on the output tray as if that might actually speed things along, she allowed a fleeting glance through the window at the hazy Hollywood Hills. There was nothing like preparing for a vacation to make a girl feel like she needed a vacation. She’d put in extra hours for the past month to cover her bases for her upcoming two weeks off. Sheila loved her job as a designer for one of the leading restaurant design firms in Los Angeles, but the responsibility came at a price. Why had she allowed herself to cut it this close? ![]() Instead, she stood in her office, pacifying her frayed nerves with jelly beans and waiting for the printer to spit out the last pages of her design analysis. If everything had gone as planned, Sheila Macintosh would have left for the L.A. ![]()
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![]() ![]() Additionally, she’s a natural at magic, and she’s done taming herself. In essence, she reminds me of Anne Shirley (an orphan who teaches at a school for girls), Elizabeth Bennet (opinionated and witty), and Mary Crawford (driven to marry advantageously). Enter Prunella, a half-Indian woman with a mysterious parentage. Instead of embracing their power, girls must train to be Gentlewitches (who literally use killing curses on themselves to tame their abilities). ![]() They even accuse him of murder behind his back.Īnd, naturally, women’s magic must also be muted. Of course, all the stuffy gentlemen want nothing to do with a black man as their leader. ![]() ![]() Magic and mayhem collide with the British elite in this whimsical and sparkling debut.Īt his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, freed slave, eminently proficient magician, and Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers-one of the most respected organizations throughout all of Britain-ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up.īut when his adventure brings him in contact with a most unusual comrade, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, he sets on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain-and the world at large… THE STORY OF SORCERER TO THE CROWNįirst of all, the characters in Sorcerer to the Crown are fabulous in a Jane Austen sort of way! Zacharias, a freed slave, is the Sorcerer Royal of England. ![]() ![]() The daughter would grow up to find a husband of her own and that marriage would produce a boy named Charles, b.k.a. She even traveled to England to obtain some healing water from the famous grounds of Lourdes (a place where the crippled were said to be cured).Īgatha had also married a man, and that marriage produced a daughter. ![]() ![]() Unlike the black magic of the witches, this was taken from vodou and was a form of white magic to do good unto others. She also became known as a healer, having learned from her grandmother about herbs, potions, and even magic spells to cure the sick. From that moment, Agatha was positive that witches were real, and that she had encountered one that day.Īs she matured into adulthood, Agatha studied about witches as part of training for a career as a witch hunter, or witchophile. ![]() Days later, Alice was transformed into a chicken, and remained that way for the rest of her life. One day, Agatha witnessed Alice taking candy from a strange woman whose evil, monstrous smile frightened her into running straight back home. Little was revealed about Agatha's early history, other than that she was born and bred in Alabama, and during her childhood, she had a friend called Alice Blue. ![]() ![]() For instance, Tyson has a friend from his old neighborhood come and braid his hair on the porch. The book also does a great job of showcasing things that the black community cares about. I love how this book realistically conveys what it may look like for a black man to grow up in a low-income and abusive household. Although they were once closer than peas in a pod, time and distance has put a bridge between them that the reader gets to see them cross together. ![]() Tyson is trying to find a place to call home after moving in with Nandy’s family due to the unfortunate death of his family. ![]() Nandy is headstrong but struggles to accept who she is behind closed doors. This story contains swapping perspectives from the main characters Nandy and Tyson. Grandison! If you’re looking for a book that deals with romance, black-led love, and the struggle of coming from two completely different worlds, then this is the book for you. Let’s get into this wonderful read, “A Love Hate Thing” by Whitney D. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() As stolen kisses turn into secret trysts, she finds herself losing track of what’s real and what’s for the camera. But Gage isn’t the shallow jerk Ellie anticipated-and he’s in no rush to send her home. Still, she could use the exposure-her business is struggling-and she’ll probably be one of the first to get eliminated anyway. And if there’s one thing Gage likes, it’s a challenge.Įllie can’t believe she let her best friend talk her into exchanging her dignity for a glorified bikini contest. Gage has no idea how feisty, independent Ellie Wright wound up in the cast, but it’s obvious she hates his guts. Now he’s stuck at a Hawaiian resort with nineteen women competing to drag him back to the altar-and one contestant who’s even more miserable than he is. Gage Barrett’s reputation as a ladies’ man has been greatly exaggerated, but none of that matters after a drunken bet lands him on Jilted, a reality TV show that matches runaway grooms with wannabe brides. Readers will not want to put it down.” - USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog ![]() For one charming playboy, getting cast on a Bachelor-esque reality TV show is the shock of a lifetime-until he finds love where he least expects it. ![]() ![]() Would it have the same impact as the first book? What if the intervening decade-and-a-half have turned me a bit hard and cynical and I'm just not as moved by this one? (Yes, a lot of over-thinking – but this book really touched me). So, learning that, 15 years later, Ahern has released a sequel was both exciting and slightly frightening. ![]() The notes took Holly on an emotional journey, and it was impossible not to be pulled along with her. She discovers that while dying from a brain tumour, he'd written a series of notes (each ending with 'PS, I love you') for Holly to discover after he'd gone. It followed young widow Holly as she grieved for her husband Gerry. Postscript by Cecelia Ahern is published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £16.99 (ebook £8.99)ĭO YOU remember when PS, I Love You – Cecilia Ahern's heart-shattering debut novel was published? It was 2004 and Ahern was just 22 (as was I). ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The marriage lasted a year, and in December 1993, the divorced mom moved to Edinburgh, where her sister Di was living. Though she didn't finish her book in Portugal as she'd hoped, she met and married a Portuguese man and gave birth to a daughter, Jessica. It had undergone a number of changes since her mother died. She took the Harry Potter manuscript with her. Nine months later, still grieving for her mother, Rowling left for Portugal, where she had a job teaching English in a language institute. ![]() However, the book was put on hold when on December 30, 1990, her mother, who'd been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when J.K. That very evening, she began to write the first book, although Rowling admits those first few pages didn't resemble anything that wound up in the published book. Not having a pen on her, she spent four hours on the train conjuring up ideas surrounding a scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard. After spending a weekend searching for an apartment, the idea of Harry Potter popped into her head when she was traveling back to London on the train. In 1990, and and her boyfriend moved to Manchester together. After leaving university she worked in London including a stint with Amnesty International. She studied French at the University of Exeter, on the south coast of England and spent a year living in Paris as part of her course. Joanne Rowling was born near Bristol, England, on July 31, 1965. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() This political thriller is again cloaked in suspense revolving around the diabolical DNC Chairman, Eddie Cobb. Focusing on the evils of win-at-all-costs elections and the role decennial redistricting plays in protecting incumbency, the story sheds light on the legislative process and how policy goals take a back seat to political dynasties. ![]() Volume II, Strange Bedfellows, examines the twisted thinking of modern day Democrats and Republicans that it is more important to get elected than it is to govern responsibly. Since that time, the level of dysfunction and polarization in the political system and government has intensified and the public's desire for an effective, competitive third party is rapidly growing. Starting in the Middle, the first volume in the Third Party series, was originally published in 2010. ![]() ![]() Pricklebush is where the Aborigines live, with rundown shacks, near the rubbish dump, with poor facilities. They are the ones who (nominally) run the town – the majority of the local council and mayor, the police and the better shops. There had been a move to change the name but the new signs were all destroyed and the old name stayed. The novel is set in the small fictitious town of Desperance, on the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is also perhaps the best novel by an Australian Aborigine and the best about Aborigines. Quite apart from the crass stupidity of Angus Robertson as regards its general policy, this novel is a superb novel, rich in description, peopled by memorable characters and with a series of first-class interlocking stories. The large Australian book shop chain, Angus and Robertson, had adopted a policy charging small and medium-sized publishers for stocking their books, meaning that the book, despite winning the Miles Franklin Award, the top Australian book prize, could only have limited distribution. ![]() It was turned down by every major Australian publisher and was finally published by a small publisher, Giramondo. Home » Australia » Alexis Wright » Carpentaria Alexis Wright: CarpentariaĪlexis Wright had considerable difficulty getting this book published. ![]() ![]() ![]() Schedule a trip with one of our reputable outfitters for an opportunity to experience this unique perspective. End your trip at the Fayette Station rapid and view the iconic bridge from the water. ![]() The New River is one of the world’s oldest rivers and has exhilarating rapids that will delight both beginners and experienced rafters. ![]() Ĭheck out the view from below on a whitewater rafting trip down the New River. The tours last about two to three hours in length and move at a leisurely pace - so there’s plenty of opportunities for photos! To book a trip and learn about the additional safety precautions implemented by Bridge Walk go to their website. Before beginning the tour, guests are securely fastened onto a safety cable. The catwalk is over a mile long and 24 inches wide with a substantial railing. The next best thing to walking across the bridge on Bridge Day is to walk the catwalk beneath it during a Bridge Walk tour! See the breathtaking landscape and incomparable views of the Gorge from 851 feet above the New River. And luckily, we all can still enjoy the bridge from new perspectives while keeping ourselves and others safe. Although the recent cancellation of Bridge Day 2021 was disappointing, the safety of our visitors and communities is more important. The New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville is an acclaimed landmark of Southern West Virginia and home to West Virginia’s largest single-day festival: Bridge Day. ![]() |