Well Said: Magic and Imagination

"It was the only place left where she still felt the nervous anticipation that extraordinary and magical things could happen if she let her imagination go wild."

~ The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky

Yackety-yak: Holiday Reading

"My book and heart must never part."

Hey kittens! What's shakin bacon? How is your Saturday going? In preparation for my upcoming move, I boxed up my books recently and now I am totally suffering from TBR shelf separation anxiety. Argh! What was I thinking? Anywho got any plans for the long weekend? Mr. Whimsy and I are heading out of town for our rental house hunt and I am still under the weather. Wish me luck and fill me in on your holiday plans and what books you're taking with you or planning to crack open this weekend?

Credit: Quote source unknown. Image courtesy of Daily Beeswax.com.

Wham-Bam Two Sentence Reviews: Scandal, Werewolves, and Amish Love

Scandal Sheet by Gemma Halliday: I had the hardest time connecting or feeling for this prickly potty-mouthed gossiping instasleuth (yup I totally made that up). However, it is a light mystery I predict fans of Janet Evanovich will dig. 3 stars

Warning: The cover does not match the story. There is no time between the sheets in this one.

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper: Jiminy Cricket this book was snarky, funny, and fun! I loved every moment of the hilarious infinitely quotable How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf and all the fun pop-culture references Molly sneaks in there. 5 stars

Warning: Keep a fan handy 'cause this one is hot hot hot! There is sex, I believe a little profanity, and tons of nail-biting excitement.

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper: Sadly, this one felt a bit flat and forced to me. But fans of book one (How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf) will love seeing the old gang (or should I say pack?) again. 3 stars

Warning: While book one is told from Mo's point of view, this one is book two and told from Maggie's point of view. Maggie just isn't as funny and likable as Mo and book 1. That being said, I still can't wait for the next book.

An Amish Love Anthology by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long: One charmed me and made me smile (A Marriage of the Heart by Kelly Long), one made me think about forgiveness (What the Heart Sees by Kathleen Fuller), and one made me really think about the hidden ways God moves us and utilizes us (Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman). Overall I adored my time with this sweet reflective book. 4 stars

Warning: This one is best suited for established fans of Christian Fiction.

Well Said: Scared

"I read the note over and over. But I have to tell you that I had no idea what any of it meant, until later. And I have to tell you something else, too: I was scared. You scared the hell out of me."

~When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

The mystery of who is sending notes to a twelve year old girl from the future made this book impossible to put down.

Yackety-yak: American Doll

Were you an American Girl reader? Well then for a chuckle and a smile, you have to check out the What Your American Girl Doll Says About the Rest of Your Life article by hairpin.com. I wanted a Samantha doll but always considered myself to be a bit more of a Molly. Sadly, the costly price tag kept my folks for buying me one. But don't fret there is a prediction for those of us who never got one.

So tell me, did you have a American Girl doll? If so which one?

Credits: The American Girl image is courtesy of American Girl.com. Thank you Midnight Cowgirl of The Fashion Planner for bringing this article to my attention. For a more compressive fun quiz about what kind of gal you were take the American Girl quiz.

Well Said: Everywhere

"Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere."

~ Mary Schmich

Where is your reading taking you this weekend?

First Words: Well-Wishers

"The hum of well-wishers' voices swirled around Claire James as she stood numbly in front of the brick fireplace in her mother's cramped Los Angeles apartment." - Delivered with Love by Sherry Kyle

My thoughts: O.K. so yeah it starts sad. But sometimes you need that and something about her inner voice sucked me in. Which has me ready to do a cartwheel (if I knew how) because my latest reading slump has been brutal. Hooray for the book the broke the slump!

Update: Turns out Lydia at The Overweight Bookshelf was right. This story is too perfect. Things just magically appear when she needs them resulting in a total lack of depth.

That has me back on the slump-killer search. Wish me luck! Toodles!

Wishin' and Hopin': Good Stuff

This week, I'm thinking about:

Goodreads Blurb: "With the birth of his daughter, the sixty-three-year-old Cary Grant— still urbane, athletic, sublimely handsome, always self-effacing—retired from the screen to devote himself to his longed-for child.

In Good Stuff, Jennifer Grant writes of her enchanted but very real life with her father, playing, laughing, dining, and dancing together through the thick and thin of Jennifer’s growing up; the years of his work, his travels, his friendships with “old Hollywood royalty” (the Sinatras, the Pecks, the Poitiers, et al.) and with just plain old royalty (the Rainiers)...until Grant’s death at the age of eighty-two.

She writes of the love he showed her, the lessons he taught her, of his childhood as well as her own. Here are letters, notes, cards, and drawings from father to daughter and from her to him . . . photographs taken at home and on their many adventures . . . and bits of conversation between them (Cary Grant kept a tape recorder going for most of their time together).

Good Stuff captures the magic of a father’s devotion (and goofballness) and reveals a daughter’s special odyssey of loving, and being loved, by a dad who was Cary Grant."

Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of my Father, Cary Grant by Jennifer Grant

As a retro loving woman who recently lost her father, I am completely drawn to this book. While she only had roughly nineteen years with her father, it sounds like he made sure those years were rich and beautiful.

So I'm curious, what are you wishing and waiting for this Wednesday?

Credit: Thank you Hooked on Houses for bringing this book to my attention. Head over to Hooked on Houses to peak into Cary Grant's former home.

Yackety-yak: I Wish You Were a Novel Miss Mars

Have you ever loved a TV show so much that you wish it was series of books you could read? That is how I've been feeling about Veronica Mars. I finished it several months ago and I still miss it. I wish it was based on books so I could have a Veronica Mars reading summer. It would make EXCELLENT Young-Adult Fiction and then I could stop imagining who Veronica actually chose in the end.

Has this ever happened to you? If so, do tell! Which show?

Book Signing Report: Debbie Macomber

What I learned about the sweet, personable, delightful Debbie Macomber at last Saturday's book signing:

• Debbie likes Starbucks.
• She believes the next writer in her family will be her 8 year old grandson.
• Her newest book (A Turn in the Road) was inspired by her annual book signing road trip with her husband Wayne.
• Her book The Sooner the Better (signed paperback contest coming soon) was inspired by her two favorite movies Romancing the Stone and African Queen.
• She insisted I rent African Queen.
• She named her dog Bogie after Humphrey Bogart.
• Her first library book was checked out to her by then librarian Beverly Cleary.
• It took her 5 years to get published.
• Every time she signs her autograph, she finishes it with 2 Tim 1:7
• Another angel book (featuring an angel-in-training named Will) is due out next year.
• A third Debbie Macomber book is scheduled to become a Hallmark movie. This coming Christmas look for Trading Christmas (originally title When Christmas Comes) on the Hallmark Channel.
• Should you ever get the chance to meet Debbie, do! She is delightful!

Image: Property of Tales of Whimsy.com

Whimsy Updates: Apology & Update

Apology: My dearest darlings, I don't know if you've noticed however I have been a bit behind responding to comments (due to being under the weather). So please bear with me.

Update: Check out my new button! The fantastic Staci of Blogging Bella Designs whipped this up for me. I just love the Victorian feel. *squeal* If you're a fan of the old one, don't fret. The links will still work.

Giffin's Cameo

If you're like me, you're really looking forward to seeing Something Borrowed and you're a fan of writer cameos. Well according to recent interview that our darling Danielle of Chick Lit Reviews got to be part of, Emily Griffin has:

..."a little scene where I can be found on a park bench reading my book."

Keep your eyes pealed for Ms. Griffin and head over to Chick Lit Reviews to read the Emily Giffin interview in full.

Well Said: Jack

"You gave her to Jack Keller?"

"What choice did I have?" Dancy asked, "I had to get her out of here before the police arrested her."

-The Sooner the Better by Debbie Macomber

Wee-view: Spun by Sorcery

3 Witticisms: "Honey," Holly said, "if you live in this world long enough and you don't believe in magic, there's something wrong with you."

"There are always reasons to be scared," I said, meeting his eyes.

"It's the human condition." You learn to work around it."

"Beware of the expected: that is where the true danger lies."

2¢ Worth: After her beloved town of Sugar Maple vanishes into thin air, Luke, Chloe, and Chloe's semi-angry witch b.f.f. hit the road looking for answers. What follows is a 3-star, fast-paced, rumpus journey full of magical road blocks. The story gets a little knotty at one point, but fans of this series will delight in seeing Chloe and Luke holding strong and struggling for good. It helps that Chloe is in her snarky prime. The gal has never been funnier or more quotable. But the best part of Spun by Sorcery is the juicy little nugget of fun we learn in the epilogue that will surely leave fans (this one included) diving for the next book.

Whippersnappers: Death, profanity, and mentions to sex.

Review Copyright © of Tales of Whimsy.com

Free Christian Fiction Reads!

Good morning darlings!

It is a good day for FREE Christian Fiction at Amazon.

Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad

A Tailor Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Also available but not pictured:

Too Close to Home by Lynette Eason

Disaster Status by Candace Calvert

It Happens Every Spring by Catherine Palmer and Gary Chapman

Enjoy!

Don't have a Kindle but still interested? Consider downloading the Kindle reader (for free) for your for PC, BlackBerry, or iPhone. Own a nook? Check out Free Friday at Hott Books.