Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 10, 2012, 4:00 am
When I was offered a copy of Home Front, I immediately thought of my sister since she’s enjoyed Kristin Hannah’s work in the past.  Karen was eager to read the book and, after reading her review, I am too! Despite growing up in a dysfunctional family and losing both her alcoholic parents at th...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 9, 2012, 4:00 am
I’m thrilled to have this guest post from Sarah Pinneo, the author of Julia’s Child.  I found her words to be very touching and hope you do too. Julia’s Child is a story about longing. Mom Julia Bailey yearns to see her efforts—in this case, her organic toddler meals—on the shelves of Wh...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 8, 2012, 4:00 am
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky!  Finally, some words from my reading! My first two words this week come from ...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 7, 2012, 4:00 am
After the Civil War left her family penniless, Augustus (Gus) was forced to marry a wealthy man who made his money in a less than desirable fashion.  When her husband dies from a blood fever ten years later she comes to realize that her reputation has suffered because of him.  She doesn’t know w...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 6, 2012, 4:00 am
Welcome to Mailbox Monday, a meme started by Marcia of  A Girl and Her Books and hosted by Kim of Metroreader for the month of February.   I had a crazy January and I’m looking forward to a less stressful February.   Carl and I are both at home for the first time in a while, so things should se...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 5, 2012, 4:00 am
Our cookbook club held its second meeting last week to continue our exploration of Southern Biscuits by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart.  Since Carl and I were to cook an entree this month, I decided we’d make Tomato Biscuit Soup.  I made the biscuits the day of the meeting and Carl and I p...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 4, 2012, 10:00 am
Since our niece, Heather, will be 21 tomorrow, I wanted to feature her on Saturday Snapshot.  This is my favorite photo of Heather, even though we have many more glamorous shots of her.  This picture was taken the summer Vance turned six so Heather was around two and a half.  At the time, Vance s...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 4, 2012, 4:00 am
Nate Wright has quite an ego, but you can’t help but relate to him in some way.  He just knows he’s going to excel at something, but hasn’t figured out what yet.  When he gets a fortune cookie that says “Today you will surpass all others,” he knows it’s going to be his best day ever. ...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 3, 2012, 7:00 pm
Random.org has chosen Irene as the lucky winner of THE LAKE OF DREAMS by Kim Edwards.  Congratulations to Irene and thanks to all who entered. Don’t despair if you didn’t win, there’s still time to enter to win THE WAY WE FALL by Megan Crewe and I have a few more exciting giveaways planned.
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 3, 2012, 4:00 am
Benjamin Mee’s wife has passed away and he’s struggling as a single parent to his two children.  When his son is expelled from school, Benjamin realizes he has to make some changes in their lives and decides to look for a house with some land.  When the realtor shows him a house that’s on th...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 2, 2012, 8:00 pm
Have you seen Alyce‘s great new feature, Best and Worst?  I was thrilled when she invited me to participate but struggled when it came time to write the post – it was hard to choose who to write about.  Want to see who I picked?  Click over to Alyce’s blog to find out.
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 2, 2012, 4:00 am
The Outlaw Album, by Daniel Woodrell is a collection of twelve short stories set in the Ozarks.  The stories are dark and full of despair and feature characters with few options.  I really liked most of the stories, found a few disturbing, and will admit that a few of them left me puzzled.  My fa...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Feb 1, 2012, 4:00 am
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky!  I really do need to read more challenging books because once again I had to r...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 31, 2012, 4:00 am
I met Sarah McCoy on Twitter a while ago and, as soon as I found out she’s a Hokie, I knew I liked her!  I actually liked her before that, but when I found out she’s a Hokie, I knew why.  (Sarah’s such a good sport, she sent me this photo of her in her Virginia Tech snuggie when I asked for ...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 30, 2012, 4:00 am
Welcome to Mailbox Monday, a meme started by Marcia of  A Girl and Her Books and hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books for the month of January.   It’s hard for me to believe it’s the end of January – especially with the gorgeous weather we’ve been having – but it seems the year is zipp...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 29, 2012, 4:00 am
Oskar has always been a little bit different, but he’s always had a great relationship with his dad.   His dad would devise “reconnaissance missions” for them to go on together.  When Oskar’s dad is killed in the September 11 attacks, Oskar loses the one person who understands him and he ...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 28, 2012, 8:45 am
Life has been crazy so I haven’t had a chance to read The Way We Fall, by Megan Crewe, yet, but it’s a book I’m really excited about.  Here’s a little about it: It starts with an itch you just can’t shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you’ll be bl...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 28, 2012, 4:00 am
I’m on my way to see my mom since today’s her 85th birthday and wanted to celebrate by sharing a photo of her.  I decided to use this one because it’s the very last photo I have of my parents together.  I took it with my phone and cried when I thought I’d lost it – luckily Vance was able...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 27, 2012, 4:00 am
Mickey has grown up all over the world because of his parents’ work for a charitable organization.  As he enters high school, they decide they need to settle down so he can attend high school in one place.  Unfortunately tragedy strikes, and Mickey ends up in the care of his uncle Myron Bolitar....
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 26, 2012, 4:00 am
After an unsettling childhood with a troubled mother and an absent father, Theresa Weir was living in Iowa, working at, and living in, her uncle’s bar.  When Adrian Curtis, a young apple farmer, came in after a wedding, the two began an odd sort of courtship and married shortly thereafter, withou...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 25, 2012, 4:00 am
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky!  I really do need to read more challenging books because once again I had to r...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 24, 2012, 4:00 am
Fiction Addiction recently hosted New York Times bestselling author Kim Edwards for a Book Your Lunch event and I was lucky enough to attend.  I was especially thrilled since one of her books had been an answer on Jeopardy the week before. Kim was born in Texas, but only lived there for two months...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 23, 2012, 4:00 am
Welcome to Mailbox Monday, a meme started by Marcia of  A Girl and Her Books and hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books for the month of January.   Life has been crazy, so I was happy for a slow week.  Even though I didn’t get much reading done last week, I was able to make the slightest dent in...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 22, 2012, 4:00 am
Three women – two sisters and a friend – are unhappy with their lives as they face their forties.  They each have their challenges and they each cope with them in different ways.  Holly is a single mom searching for Mr. Right.   Andrea is married to a man who she finds dull so she looks for ...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 21, 2012, 4:00 am
In 1975, ten-year old Hà lived in Saigon with her family.  Her father, an officer in the Vietnamese Navy, was captured on a mission nine years before.  Her mother does her best to take care of Hà and her three brothers.  Things become more and more difficult and when it appears the fall of Saig...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 20, 2012, 4:00 am
I’m happy to say my sister’s back with a wonderful review!  I didn’t think this book was for me, but after reading what she has to say, I may just have to give it a try. The year is 1537 and England’s religious houses are under siege.  The King has separated himself from the Catholic chur...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 19, 2012, 4:30 am
When Conor Grennan decided to spend a year taking a trip around the world his friends were critical, so he decided to spend three months of that year volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal, feeling sure that would impress people.  Up until that point, he’d had very little exposure to children, so ...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 18, 2012, 4:00 am
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky!  My words this week came from my Word-a-Day calendar. (I’m happy to report I...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 17, 2012, 4:30 am
The Descendants, starring George Clooney, is the story of Matt King.  As one of the descendants of Hawaiian royalty, Matt has control over his family’s trust which includes a large chunk of prime Hawaiian real estate.  Matt has been focusing on work and his family’s trust and fails to see that...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 16, 2012, 4:30 am
... Sandford came from Penguin Thursday Pocket Kings by Ted Heller came from Algonquin Books The Coldest Night by Robert Olmstead came from Algonquin Books The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac by Kris D’Agostino came from Algonquin Books Until the Next Time by Kevin Fox came from Algonquin Books Sa...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 15, 2012, 4:30 am
I picked up Corked, by Kathryn Borel, because I thought reviewing it would make a good Weekend Cooking post.  After all, the cover proclaims, “A father.  A daughter.  The wine trip to end all wine trips.”  You know, I love a good memoir and I thought this one might teach me a thing or two ab...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 14, 2012, 2:00 pm
The lucky winner of  mental_floss: The Book: The Greatest Lists in the History of Listory is: Kerry! Congratulations Kerry and thanks to all who entered!  
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 14, 2012, 4:30 am
The subtitle of Hannah Westberg’s book, Hannah: My True Story of Drugs, Cutting, and Mental Illness says it all.  Hannah’s mentally ill mother had a horrible upbringing and an abusive first husband.  She had one child with him and, after he was murdered, she married his brother and had three m...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 13, 2012, 4:30 am
If the photo on the cover of Unlikely Friendships, by Jennifer Holland, makes you go “Aw,” then you’re going to want to get your hands on a copy of this book.  Holland has collected forty seven stories of unusual animal friendships and shares them in her book.  Each story is four or five pag...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 12, 2012, 4:30 am
Jack’s family doesn’t have the best reputation – his father is “irregular in his unemployment,” his mother has “a face that belonged in a Dust Bowl documentary,” and his brother, Stan, is a delinquent. Thirteen-year old Jack doesn’t fit in with them, though – he’s smart, kind, ha...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Jan 11, 2012, 4:00 am
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky!  All of my words this week come from my Word-a-Day calendar. 1. fustigate �...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Nov 2, 2011, 8:00 am
If you’ve read this blog for very long, you know I’m a huge fan of Sarah Pekkanen and her books.  I’ve been lucky enough to meet Sarah in person a few times and have read, and loved, both of her books – The Opposite of Me and Skipping a Beat.  Sarah writes women’s fiction that is full of...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Nov 2, 2011, 4:00 am
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky! My first word this week comes from Fun and Games by Duane Swierczynski. 1. mo...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Nov 1, 2011, 4:30 am
When I found out Téa Obreht was coming to Hub City Books, I made plans to attend.  I thought it was just a signing, so I wasn’t in a big hurry to get there and when I walked in, she was almost through with her presentation.  Luckily for me, she had a few minutes to spare after the signing and s...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 31, 2011, 4:30 am
Happy Halloween!  I hope everyone has a day full of treats and no tricks.  Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of  A Girl and Her Books and is being hosted by Serena of Savvy Verse and Wit this month.   This was a pretty good week for me, because I broke even – I read three books and got thr...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 30, 2011, 8:00 pm
The randomly chosen winner of THE BALLAD OF TOM DOOLEY by Sharyn McCrumb is: Leslie! Congratulations, Leslie, and thanks to all who entered.  Be sure to check out my current giveaway: autographed copy of THE BEST OF ME by Nicholas Sparks Watch for more giveaways coming soon!  
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 30, 2011, 5:00 am
If you ever find yourself standing in your kitchen at 5:00, wondering what in the world to fix for dinner, then you need to check out Robin Miller‘s new cookbook, Robin Takes 5.   This fantastic cookbook contains 500 recipes that can be made quickly, only require 5 ingredients, and are under 500...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 29, 2011, 10:30 am
This is a photo Carl took while we were in Northern Ireland earlier this year.   We were on the coast and it was windy and cold, but also gorgeous and peaceful.  I love the contrast of the bright colors against the old stone wall. Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books.  It�...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 29, 2011, 4:30 am
With a name like his, eleven-year old Saint has a lot to live up to, but he’s doing a great job of it.  He loves to play his clarinet and plays it in the tourist areas of New Orleans to make money to buy his dream clarinet.  You see, he’s got big plans to attend Juilliard one day. The summer ...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 28, 2011, 5:00 am
Neil Pasricha, the author of The Book of Awesome, is back at it again, this time with a book chock full of holiday goodness – The Book of (Holiday Awesome).  This book isn’t just for the winter holidays – he covers holidays throughout the year.  Each little tidbit reminds readers to focus on...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 27, 2011, 4:30 am
1300 books + 4 employees + 13 volunteers + over 900 fans = Nicholas Sparks book signing Nicholas Sparks‘ newest book, The Best of Me, was released on October 11 and he came to my neck of the woods on October 12.  If you’ve never experienced one before, let me tell you, a Nicholas Sparks ev...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 26, 2011, 4:30 am
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky! All of my words this week come from Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. 1. ...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 25, 2011, 4:30 am
I have an odd fascination with polygamy, so I was very excited to read Love Times Three by Joe, Alina, Valerie, and Vicki Darger.  My expectations were pretty high and I’m happy to report that this book met them.  I found it to be well written, thoughtful, and compelling.  That’s not to say t...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 24, 2011, 4:30 am
Another week has flown by, and this time it’s brought us some cooler weather.  Hopefully that means more time to read.   Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of  A Girl and Her Books and is being hosted by Serena of Savvy Verse and Wit this month.   Here’s what I found in my mailbox last we...
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Kathy R. posted an article on Bermudaonion’s Weblog - Oct 23, 2011, 8:00 pm
The randomly chosen winner of WHISTLIN’ DIXIE IN A NOR’EASTER and YANKEE DOODLE DIXIE, both by Lisa Patton, is: Darcy O! Congratulations to Darcy and thanks to all who entered!  Don’t despair if you didn’t win, I’ve got more great contests planned and there’s still time to enter to win...
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