Hello...You Won Mistress of the Revolution

The winner of the MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION giveaway is...Toystory! Here is how I picked the winner: each comment was assigned a number in the order they were left - if someone mentioned the giveaway on their blog, they were given the next two numbers. Then I went to random.org and let it generate the winning number. Congratulations, Toystory! I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.

If you didn't win this time, don't despair. There is still time left to enter my other giveaway for a free copy of CALLING HOME.

Review: After Hours at the Almost Home

Summary: It’s Super Bowl Sunday at the Almost Home Bar and Grill with the hometown Broncos playing for their second championship in a row, and the already busy night is about to get busier. When the bartender walks off, she leaves the remaining staff to the chaos of the night—and with the real question. Not why did she leave but why do they stay? After closing time and on a school night, Colleen’s 14-year-old daughter is no stranger to the Almost Home. She’ll do almost anything to leave, to move her life forward or somehow return to earlier, better times, anywhere but here. But it doesn’t matter; there seems to be no way out.

For one night, we follow all of them as they make their cash, close up, and then linger into the after hours, as they always do, their lives colliding, past and present, in the dark back corner at table 14—drinking, talking, and, now, in the wake of Marna’s absence, facing questions: Where did she go? Will she return? Why do we stay? How dangerous is restaurant love?

Smart, provocative, and flawlessly on target, Tara Yellen’s revealing debut offers keen insights on a group of people left to put the pieces of their own lives back together in the wake of a friend's disappearance. After Hours at the Almost Home will put you in an altered state—it's got kick and goes down like a shot. But its effects might be far more lasting. - unbridled books

AFTER HOURS AT THE ALMOST HOME by Tara Yellen is a special, one-of-a-kind book. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I read the book's description, but I was pleasantly surprised. This book is a little different than what I normally read because it is deeply character-driven; however, the writing and story-telling are so good that I found myself wanting to learn more about the workers in the bar.

I found each character more interesting than the next; and the social interactions between them were very entertaining. While I felt so sorry for some of the characters, there was also a lot of humor mixed in with their lives. All of the characters struck me as very real (and very confused), and I appreciated how they all were just doing their best to survive. I liked how the author wove together the characters and their various relationships. I also appreciated how Ms. Yellen was able to write so effectively from each character's perspective.

I especially liked the characters of Colleen and her 14 year-old daughter Lily. I probably felt the most sympathy towards these two characters because their lives were just so tragic to me. Colleen's husband and Lily's father died in an accident leaving them very lost and very alone. Colleen was devastated and unable to properly provide for a teenage daughter. It broke my heart that Lily was forced to hang out in the bar after hours while her mother drank and popped pills.

What I found extremely interesting about this book was that it seemed like none of the bar's workers wanted to leave the bar (except for the one employee who just left with no good-bye.) It was almost as if they were clinging to the bar and their co-workers for some sign of life. There was a sort of inter-dependency on each other that I'm assuming came about from working so closely together. The only other character who didn't seem to be "stuck" in the bar was Lily, the 14 year old girl. She seemed to want to continue moving her life forward no matter what the cost.

As I was reading this book, I kept wondering how in the world Tara Yellen ever came up with the idea for this story. I was so glad to read her "Notes to the Reader" because she explained just that. She started working tables as a way to both make money and meet people. One night at a bar in Denver, one of the regular servers didn't show up -- no one ever saw or heard from her again. Ms. Yellen realized that the people that worked in the bar came and went -- "the faces changed" -- but the relationships remained the same. I think she definitely got that feeling across in this book.

AFTER HOURS AT THE ALMOST HOME, which will be released on April 15th, is Ms. Yellen's first novel. She is an incredibly talented writer, and I have no doubt that we will all be hearing from her again. I know that I will definitely want to read her future books. I was amazed by her beautiful prose and even more so by her perceptiveness into peoples' actions and feelings.

Guest Blogger: Janna McMahan & Giveaway

If you read my post yesterday, you know how much I loved the book CALLING HOME by Janna McMahan. I think Ms. McMahan is such an amazing writer, and I'm really honored that she agreed to guest blog at Booking Mama. CALLING HOME is such a beautifully written book -- and one of the major themes that I appreciated was the relationship between a mother and a daughter. After reading Ms. McMahan's guest post below, it will be evident that she wrote about a mother's love directly from her own heart. To read more of Ms. McMahan's essays, articles and short stories, visit her website at JannaMcMahan.com.

That Mother Thing

I always wanted to be a writer. I never wanted to be a mother.

In the same year, I became both.

After college, I poured my vigorous type-A personality into my career. There were ad agency jobs, corporate positions and non-profit work. I was competitive. I never wanted to lose a job to someone with more education, so I went to graduate school. I was a performance junkie working for recognition and a raise.

I loved to read and always thought that one day I would write a novel. In between study and work, I thought up plots and developed characters; but I always neglected to put those ideas on paper.

In my late twenties, I was diagnosed with a life threatening disease, and suddenly things that had seemed so important took on a feeling of uselessness. After enduring the psychological strain of illness I had changed. Life was no longer about what other people thought of me; it was about what I thought of myself. It wasn’t about performance for money; it was about living the life I wanted.

I needed more than anything to write that book. So I quit a public relations job I liked and bought a computer. I was surprised how easily the words came. I typed furiously and enjoyed every paragraph.

Six months later I was halfway through my novel and three months pregnant. I tried to act as if the baby was a surprise, but the truth was more than I had opened myself up to the idea for a variety of reasons. I was ready for a monumental change. I wanted to prove I was healthy. I needed someone to hold.

I wrote freelance articles, worked on a novel, published a few short stories during my pregnancy, but once Madison arrived I didn’t care to focus on anything but her. The first time we were separated she was only a month old. A well-meaning friend dragged me to a FarmAid concert. I was miserable the entire time and I wiped silent tears while counting the minutes until we could leave. My friend rolled her eyes at me and said, “Who are you? Good grief. If this is what the mother thing does to you, count me out.”

There is a reason most writers don’t hit their stride until they are in the thirties or forties. It takes that long to get past your self-involved youth and tune into the motivations and emotions of others. A writer needs to gather life experiences like different jobs, intense romantic relationships and the adventures of travel. Parenthood, with all its joy, frustration and heartbreak, is a powerful point-of-view adjustment. I could not have written Calling Home before I became a mother; it would have been impossible for me to comprehend the lengths Virginia would to go to make things right for her child. But her actions are not unusual. Most mothers I know would willingly match Virginia’s sacrifices. I know I would.

When I see smitten new parents in supermarkets who look as if they are the only people in the world to have ever procreated, I know I’m not alone. You may love your grandparents or your husband or your dog. But it is a universal truth that the love that would make you throw yourself in front of a speeding bus or give up the last flotation device is reserved only for your child.

Ms. McMahan graciously gave me an extra copy of CALLING HOME to share with one of my readers. If you are interested in receiving a copy, please leave a comment with your e-mail address. I will randomly choose a winner and post the name on April 11th. You have until Thursday, April 10th at 11:59 pm EST to enter the contest. Good Luck!

Review: Calling Home

Summary: From an extraordinary new voice in fiction comes a haunting, powerful novel about mothers and daughters, choice and regret, the mistakes we make and the ones we hope we can correct before it’s too late.

Nothing much ever happens in Falling Rock, Kentucky. So when Virginia Lemmons’ husband takes off in his Trans Am to take up with a beautician, there’s not much to do but what people in rural Kentucky have always done—get on with it. Now, overwhelmed and unsure, Virginia’s got her hands full trying to keep it together, body and soul, while raising her two teenage kids—eighteen-year-old son, Will, and her spirited fourteen-year-old daughter, Shannon.

But Shannon has her own ideas for breaking free of Falling Rock, and in her reckless, wild-child daughter, Virginia sees echoes of herself and her own painful past. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep her daughter from making the same tragic mistakes, and saving what’s left of her fragile family just may be the biggest fight of Virginia’s life.

In this compelling, heartbreaking first novel, Janna McMahan brings to authentic life the dreams, passions, and troubles of one southern town, where choice isn’t always easy to come by, and living the hand you’re dealt with is a grace all its own. - kensington books

I consider myself so lucky to have had the opportunity to read CALLING HOME by Janna McMahan. Ms. McMahan found my blog and thought her book would be a good fit with my reading interests. I can't tell you how grateful I am to her -- I LOVED THIS BOOK!

CALLING HOME is first and foremost a book about a mother/daughter relationship. However, I think there is so much more to this book than that. It's a coming-of-age book of a young girl growing up in rural Kentucky who aspires to be something more. It's also a book about love and family dynamics. I found this book especially poignant because it's also about making mistakes and learning to overcome them.

I really don't have much of anything in common with the characters in the story, yet I found myself relating to them in so many ways. There was definitely an underlying message about the strength of women -- Shannon and her mother were incredibly strong figures and very much survivors. The characters and their troubles just seemed so real to me -- mistakes and all. I loved "watching" Shannon grow up; and I wanted everything to turn out okay for her.

One of the major themes of this book was sacrifice. So many of the characters in this book make huge sacrifices for those that they love. Even though there were parts of this book that were sad and depressing, I thought the ability of the characters to put others first really showed how wonderful the human spirit can be. There were a few times that I found myself judging some of the characters in this book before I knew their background. I definitely have to say that my feelings about many of the characters (especially Shannon's parents) changed by the time I was done reading the book.

This is Janna McMahan's first novel, but I'm pretty sure it won't be her last. She is already a critically acclaimed author for her short-stories and non-fiction work (winner of the South Carolina Fiction Project, the Piccolo Spoleto Fiction Open, the Harriette Arnow Award from the Appalachian Writers Association, and the Fiction Prize from the Kentucky Women Writers Conference.) I thought this book was extremely well-written and I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. McMahan's work.

I can't wait for my family and friends to read this book so I can talk to someone about it. I highly recommend this book for reading groups and book clubs because there are so many underlying themes that will make for a wonderful discussion. I have found a list of discussion questions as well as an excellent author interview which will further enhance your reading experience.

CALLING HOME is available at all major book retail outlets right now. In fact, yesterday morning I was drooling over the book selection at Target (who doesn't just love their book department?) and was thrilled to see CALLING HOME on the shelves. If you are interested in "winning" a copy of CALLING HOME, stay tuned...I'll be offerering a giveaway in the very near future.

Review: Joey Gonzalez: Great American

Summary: In this breakthrough bilingual children’s book, Tony Robles shows that it is personal pride, self-reliance and a love of learning, not special preferences, that are the keys to becoming not just a good citizen but a great American, someone proud of both their individual heritage and that of our great nation.

Beautifully illustrated by Jim Pryor, and translated into both English and Spanish, Joey Gonzalez: Great American will be treasured by every parent confident that their child is capable of more than their teachers say they are, and by every kid who aspires to be great. - world ahead publishing

I was very excited to receive a children's picture book to review. Although I couldn't read the book to my 3 1/2 year old (it was too long and the subject matter too advanced), I did enjoy reading it with my 8 year old daughter (she would probably want you to know that she is an avid reader of chapter books now). The book JOEY GONZALEZ: GREAT AMERICAN, written by Tony Robles and illustrated by Jim Pryor, gives children the message that minorities don't need special preferences (i.e. affirmative action) to succeed. Children need to use their skills, like pride, self-reliance and a love of learning, to be successful -- just like their ancestors did when they came to the United States.

The author, who is Puerto Rican, grew up in a tough New York neighborhood. He served in the U.S. Navy and later worked in law enforcement with the U.S. Customs Service. The illustrator also grew up poor and served in the Marines before he discovered he had a talent for art. I think it's important to note that both of them truly believe the message in the book -- that anyone can become a great American if they use their strength, intelligence and courage.

After my daughter and I read the book, I asked her if she liked it. She responded that it was a pretty good book; however, I'm not sure that she really understood the terms "affirmative action and race card." When I asked her what she learned, she said "anyone can be an American, no matter where they are from, as long as they want to be one." If she walked away from this book understanding that concept, I definitely think that's a good thing.

March Mom Daughter Book Club Meeting

I may be a little biased, but I think we had another wonderful meeting of our Mother Daughter Book Club. This month, we read and discussed LIFE IN HIDING: ANNE FRANK by Johanna Hurwitz. I was really looking forward to reading this book because it was an age appropriate story (for 8 year olds) about Anne Frank and her diary. I remember being fascinated by Anne's story when I was younger; and I was excited about introducing the story and sharing it with my daughter.

A few days ago, one of the moms called me to warn me that the first chapter covered a lot of information on Hitler and the persecution of the Jewish people. I kind of figured that the book would have to mention this information as background, but I guess I wasn't prepared for the amount and type of questions that our 8 year old daughters would ask. I was very proud of my daughter for asking these questions and wanting to understand what happened, but I have to admit that I found it very difficult to explain this horrific part of history to a child -- I hope I did it justice. I still find it hard to believe that something this horrendous was allowed to happen, so I can't imagine how hard it is for an 8 year old to process all of this information.

I was a little worried about what direction our discussion would take, but the girls were extremely interested in talking about Anne -- thank goodness! Two (out of four) of the girls said that they didn't like the book because Anne died. I wasn't surprised by this, but I hope we were able to explain that a book can still be worth reading even if we don't always like how it ends. Once again this month, some of the girls came up with a list of questions to discuss. I don't think I will ever stop being amazed at the questions these little girls can come up with. They discussed whether they would be willing to risk their lives to hide a friend; and they all talked about what they have in common with Anne.

I was impressed that the girls' discusssion lasted for over a half hour. They really did a great job of talking amongst themselves about the book. In fact, they got frustrated that the moms talked too much about other things and didn't stay focused. Well now! I guess I better just let them run the meeting next month!

Our next book that we will be discussing is SOUNDER by William H. Armstrong. SOUNDER is the winner of the 1970 Newberry Medal and the story of a poor African-American boy in the 19-century South. I don't know how I managed to miss this book growing up, but I'm glad that I now have the chance to read it with my daughter.

Mistress of the Revolution Book Giveaway

A few days ago, I posted a review of MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION by Catherine Delors. I thought it was a wonderful book, and everyone who reads it seems to agree. I just so happen to have an extra copy that I want to share with one lucky person. If you are interested in receiving this book, just leave me a comment with your e-mail address. If you would like to double your chances of winning, you can write about this giveaway on your blog (linking back to this post). The contest will be open until Friday, April 4th at 11:59 p.m. EST.