| The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsover |
| The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsover |
FIRST BOOK SUGGESTION from Beth - Please let Doerte and me know if this worked.... please post a comment too! THANKS! Beth
ReplyDelete***ROSES by LEILA MEACHAM (Author lives here in SA)
PLEASE NOTE!!! DO NOT read the book "synopsis" on the Amazon website until AFTER you finish the book (Unless you want to find out WAY Too Much about the book BEFORE you read it!)
I was SO glad that I had already read the book when I read the summary, details about what happens to the characters, etc. Clearly the book would not have been nearly as interesting and certain parts of the book would have really spoiled had I read the Amazon highlights prior to reading the book.
I haven't talked to anyone who has read Roses that didn't just love the book - a real "page turner."
Here's an excerpt from an Interview with the author that was printed in the SA Express-News.
'Roses' author scores with epic Texas tale
By Jennier Rodriguez - Special to the Express-News Web Posted: 10/10/2010 12:00 AM CDT
ROSES BY LEILA MEACHAM
First, Leila Meacham got word that former first lady Barbara Bush wanted to come to her book signing in Houston. Then, Bush not only showed up, but invited Meacham to visit her and former President George Bush when Meacham was in Maryland. Meacham has plans to see her again in Dallas.
This was quite a turn of events for Meacham, a retired high-school English teacher whose 2010 novel about Texas, titled "Roses," was featured in daily papers from coast to coast, including the New York Times, where it made the best-seller list. People Magazine gave "Roses" a four-star review, and the novel was covered in USA Today twice.
Meacham, who lives in San Antonio, says she spent many years caring for her husband and making a life for them. Suddenly, with the publication of her book, things changed.
"I went back to work, essentially, as his (career) was winding down," Meacham says.
Now, Meacham's days are filled with the phone ringing, e-mails coming in and much more traveling than she and her husband were accustomed to. "He certainly enjoys his reading and TV watching times while I am slaving behind the computer," laughs Meacham. But the best part has been how people have enjoyed reading "Roses."
"I had no idea that it would appeal in so many different ways to so many different people. The people I've met and how they relate to the book, to the town, to the characters. The way it was. The way we were," says Meacham. "I've been very humbled by that and very pleased."
In fact, there's not much Meacham can complain about. The only thing that she questions is the novel's comparison to "Gone With the Wind."
Meacham thinks it's because both of the lead women have such a strong attachment to the land, though she really doesn't see any similarities between the characters or the story. But that hasn't stopped the bloggers from talking.
"If I'd known Scarlett O'Hara had green eyes, I'd have given my character Mary blue eyes," Meacham says.
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