Author Guest Post
12 Favourite Books To Have With You
When Planning On Being Stranded On A Deserted Island
A few weeks ago I saw a picture of an author’s 10 favourite books – she had taken a photograph of them and then an artist had painted a watercolour of it. It was beautiful, and I would LOVE for someone to do that for me! (Hint hint, painting friends!)
But then I got thinking – what ARE my favourite books?
It’s impossible to pick just one. That’s like asking a mother to pick their favourite child! Ten seemed more doable, but still tough…
So I asked myself this question – if I knew I was going to be stranded on a deserted island, what books would I take with me?
(I’m not sure if you noticed, but there are 12, not 10 books in my pic!)
All these books are well-read and well-loved. I’m the type who rereads books and some of these books do look a little worse for wear! If I do get a painting out of it, I hope the artist can make them look a little less read!
Here’s my list of 12 favourite reads and reasons why:
In no particular order ...
Michael Grant – Gone
I know in the picture it’s called Hunger, but that’s because I let a friend borrow Gone and she hasn’t given it back yet.
This is my latest addition to my top list. I found it last summer at a toystore while we were at the cottage, and it took me a day to read it, in between looking after kids and packing up for home! I seriously couldn’t put the book down, and on the 3 hour drive home, I stopped in the first Indigo I could find and bought the next 2 books in the series!
It’s a YA book about a town where everyone older 15 just disappears one day, and the kids that are left must fend for themselves and deal with their newly discovered powers. There’s also a sinister evil apparition that is hell-bent on acquiring these powers.
It was the tag-line that sold me – If Stephen King had wrote Lord of the Flies. ‘Nuff said.
A.C. Crispin – V
They made a miniseries out of this in the 1980s, about the lizard aliens who invade Earth to steal our water, hiding behind human faces. Remember the scene of the lizard baby being born? Or the alien commander eating a guinea pig?
This was the first sci-fi book I ever read when I was a teenager and it still has a big place in my heart. So does Mike Donovan – the anti-hero hero of the book!
Emily Giffin – Something Borrowed
Even though I wrote a chick-lit book, (Baby! Baby? Baby?!), I was finding so much of the genre focused on characters that were really annoying and self-serving and selfish and…it’s difficult for me to read a book when I am constantly irritated by the main character. So I stopped reading chick-lit for a while. And then I picked up this book at an airport and it restored my faith in the chick-lit genre!
Rachel sleeps with her best friend’s fiancé and it turns out to be a good thing.
J.K.Rowling – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The only deliberation I had was whether to include this one or number 4 – Goblet of Fire. I told myself only to pick one Harry Potter book. If I was planning on being stranded on a deserted island, I would do my best to sneak the entire series into my bag!
Jilly Cooper – Rivals
Jilly Cooper is a British writer whose books are ‘gripping yarns’, set in glamorous settings and are chock full of adultery, infidelity and general betrayals. My favourite of her books are the Rutshire Chronicles, featuring the devastating Rupert Campbell – Black. Rivals is my top pick of Cooper’s books but any one of them are the ultimate beach read.
Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice
I don’t feel I need to explain. If you haven’t read it, it’s a must! Plus, Mr. Bennett reminds me so much of my father-in-law!
Stephen King – The Stand
This is more thriller than horror and one of Stephen’s King’s best. A plague has decimated the human population and small groups of survivors make their way to Colorado where there is an epic fight between good and evil. Classic.
George R.R. Martin – Game of Thrones
If you’ve seen the show you’ll understand why I picked this one. It’s fantasy with dragons and gods and the three best characters are a little girl, a witty dwarf and a Kingslayer who is involved in an incestuous relationship. And the main character is killed off before the end of the book. If it’s not for you, than I won’t bother trying to persuade you to try, but it’s good!
Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games
The first one is the series is the best
Michael Critchon – Timeline
Time-travel, quantum physics and thirteen century France. The movie was pretty sad, but the book is really cool
Margaret Atwood – The Handmaid’s Tale
I first read this in high school and it’s been a favourite ever since. It was my first time reading about dystopian society and my first time focusing in the status of women in literature; two things that remain an interest of mine to this day
Katherine Neville – The Eight
It’s a mixture of historical fiction, medieval mystery and modern romance. It’s hard to explain, but definitely a cool read.
So there are my 12 favourite books. What about you?
About The Author
Her latest book is the women’s fiction, Coming Home.
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Book Review
Coming Home by Holly Kerr
Publisher: Etopia Press
Publication Date: February 5, 2014
Format: eBook - 495 pages
Kindle - 568 KB
Nook - 795 KB
ASIN: B00IA7AAN2
BNID: 2940148190585
Genre: Women's Fiction
BUY THE BOOK: Coming Home
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Pump Up Your Book Tours.
Book Description:
Brenna Ebans always wanted more than what Hill n’Valley could give her, so it seemed a simple decision to follow her black-sheep sister Dory’s footsteps and leave Hill n’Valley in her rearview, hoping to locate their missing father. Leaving her sisters and her first love Seamus was harder than she thought, but she’s made a life for herself in Vancouver, started her career at a prestigious law firm, and has found the man of her dreams. But when she finds her husband Toby in a compromising position at work, she loses both her love and her job, and has nowhere to go but home.
Youngest sister Cat has remained in Hill n’Valley, leaving a string of broken hearts—and ex-husbands—in her wake. She’s happy living in the family home, with the ghost of their dead mother to keep her company during the day, and her latest conquest—Brenna’s old boyfriend, Seamus—to keep her warm at night. And she’s less than thrilled to hear about Brenna’s return.
But when tragedy strikes, it brings their father back to Hill n’Valley, and the sisters will have a lot of issues to resolve…
Book Excerpt:
One little decision changed my life.
The choice I made to follow my husband into the supply closet at work was it for me.
I was in the middle of finalizing the paperwork of a 2.5 billion dollar acquisition for one of my most problematic clients when my sister Cayleigh called. I almost didn’t take the call. I loved my sister dearly but talking to her on the phone meant a certain guilt trip about why I couldn’t find the time to come home for a visit. I much preferred our weekly email communications. Yes, it’d been fourteen years since I’d left home at eighteen and no, I hadn’t managed to come home even once since then. At first it was because I couldn’t afford the ticket to fly home halfway across the country and then it was because of being swamped with school and then work and then…
Instead of trying to justify it to myself, I picked up the phone with a last longing look at the neat file on my desk. I’d been surviving on pure adrenaline for the past three days trying to get the deal done and to everyone’s amazement, but mine, I had done it. I had found the one little loophole that had changed everything and put the power back in my client’s hands. Complicated yes, tedious to some, but I loved my work. It left me no time or inclination for a social life and my hours spent at work both in the office and at home aggravated my husband Toby to no end, but I loved it.
At least I told myself I loved it.
I was listening to Cayleigh tell me some story when my assistant Krystal poked her head into my office to drop another file on my desk with a big smile. There were two yellow post-it notes: “Call them ASAP” with a happy face and “I’m leaving in 10 mins”, with an even bigger happy face. It was already five thirty on a Monday and I wasn’t getting out of here anytime soon. I was going to have to cancel yet another dinner with Toby. We both worked for Davis and Daniels, Attorneys at Law, so it was possible he was as swamped as I was.
Doubtful. My hours at the firm were so long these days that Toby had given up driving me home from work, forcing me to take the bus if I worked late because I didn’t have my own car. I should have really found time to buy a car.
“Are you coming home for Addison’s wedding?” Cayleigh asked, over the phone. I pulled myself back to the reason Cayleigh had called. “Maggie said you haven’t sent your RSVP back.” Addison was the oldest daughter of my oldest sister Maggie and I didn’t remember being told she was engaged let alone being invited to the wedding. I definitely had no clue who she was marrying. I rummaged through my inbox as Cayleigh tried to guilt me into going home for the wedding. I had two inboxes on my desk—one for personal matters and one for work. The contents of the work one were spread over my desk in an orderly manner while the personal one was overflowing and neglected. I spent the majority of my time in my office so I had begun to get my mail forwarded there about a year ago.
“Oh, Cay…work is just so crazy and—” There was the invitation; still unopened in the middle of the pile with my name written in sparkly green ink, along with a credit card bill and an invitation to join the newest fitness center in the area. “It’s been really bad—really busy,” I corrected. “I’m doing this deal and no one thought it was going to come together but I managed it and—”
“You’re always busy. You work over Christmas and you never take vacations. Look at how late it is and you’re still there. It’s been years since you’ve been home, Brenna, and if it wasn’t for your Facebook page, which you never update anyway, I wouldn’t remember what you look like. Come home.” I was readying my arguments but Cayleigh didn’t give me the chance. “Addison’s wedding is in two weeks. Maggie needs you to be there. It’s her daughter. It’s Maggie.”
The choice I made to follow my husband into the supply closet at work was it for me.
I was in the middle of finalizing the paperwork of a 2.5 billion dollar acquisition for one of my most problematic clients when my sister Cayleigh called. I almost didn’t take the call. I loved my sister dearly but talking to her on the phone meant a certain guilt trip about why I couldn’t find the time to come home for a visit. I much preferred our weekly email communications. Yes, it’d been fourteen years since I’d left home at eighteen and no, I hadn’t managed to come home even once since then. At first it was because I couldn’t afford the ticket to fly home halfway across the country and then it was because of being swamped with school and then work and then…
Instead of trying to justify it to myself, I picked up the phone with a last longing look at the neat file on my desk. I’d been surviving on pure adrenaline for the past three days trying to get the deal done and to everyone’s amazement, but mine, I had done it. I had found the one little loophole that had changed everything and put the power back in my client’s hands. Complicated yes, tedious to some, but I loved my work. It left me no time or inclination for a social life and my hours spent at work both in the office and at home aggravated my husband Toby to no end, but I loved it.
At least I told myself I loved it.
I was listening to Cayleigh tell me some story when my assistant Krystal poked her head into my office to drop another file on my desk with a big smile. There were two yellow post-it notes: “Call them ASAP” with a happy face and “I’m leaving in 10 mins”, with an even bigger happy face. It was already five thirty on a Monday and I wasn’t getting out of here anytime soon. I was going to have to cancel yet another dinner with Toby. We both worked for Davis and Daniels, Attorneys at Law, so it was possible he was as swamped as I was.
Doubtful. My hours at the firm were so long these days that Toby had given up driving me home from work, forcing me to take the bus if I worked late because I didn’t have my own car. I should have really found time to buy a car.
“Are you coming home for Addison’s wedding?” Cayleigh asked, over the phone. I pulled myself back to the reason Cayleigh had called. “Maggie said you haven’t sent your RSVP back.” Addison was the oldest daughter of my oldest sister Maggie and I didn’t remember being told she was engaged let alone being invited to the wedding. I definitely had no clue who she was marrying. I rummaged through my inbox as Cayleigh tried to guilt me into going home for the wedding. I had two inboxes on my desk—one for personal matters and one for work. The contents of the work one were spread over my desk in an orderly manner while the personal one was overflowing and neglected. I spent the majority of my time in my office so I had begun to get my mail forwarded there about a year ago.
“Oh, Cay…work is just so crazy and—” There was the invitation; still unopened in the middle of the pile with my name written in sparkly green ink, along with a credit card bill and an invitation to join the newest fitness center in the area. “It’s been really bad—really busy,” I corrected. “I’m doing this deal and no one thought it was going to come together but I managed it and—”
“You’re always busy. You work over Christmas and you never take vacations. Look at how late it is and you’re still there. It’s been years since you’ve been home, Brenna, and if it wasn’t for your Facebook page, which you never update anyway, I wouldn’t remember what you look like. Come home.” I was readying my arguments but Cayleigh didn’t give me the chance. “Addison’s wedding is in two weeks. Maggie needs you to be there. It’s her daughter. It’s Maggie.”
My Book Review:
So whoever said coming home can't be a blessing in disguise?
In Coming Home, author Holly Kerr weaves an enjoyable story that follows the family drama and trials and tribulations of five sisters, and how after a tragedy strikes, it brings them back together.
Set in the Canadian small town of Hill n' Valley, the reader is easily drawn into the story that is mainly surrounded around the family dynamics of three of the sisters: Brenna, Maggie, and Cat. Their family has had a difficult time with the death of their mother and disappearance of their father, and when you add in the tension, drama, strong personalities and sisterly squabbles, it's not always easy to maintain a strong family bond. But when tragedy strikes and their dad comes back home, it's time for the sisters to resolve their issues and get back to being a family.
Coming Home is an engaging story that has a realistic feel for life in a small town and the real life issues that occurs within a family. There is a nice mixture of drama and humor interwoven within the story, it is easy to follow along as the sisters work out the issues that has permeated through their family dynamic for a long time. No family is perfect, but when times of trouble and tragedy come along, it is heartwarming to see how the issues and personalities can be put aside and bring a family back together again, strengthening their family bond.
Coming Home is an enjoyable women's fiction novel about sisterly relationships that will give you a warm fuzzy feeling and will leave a smile on your face.
RATING: 4 STARS
Virtual Book Tour Schedule
Tour Schedule:
Interview at Virginia Beach Publishing Examiner
Tuesday, June 3
Book Featured at Bound 2 Escape
Wednesday, June 4
Interview at The Writer’s Life
Thursday, June 5
Guest Blogging at What Is That Book About
Friday, June 6
Guest Blogging at As the Page Turns
Tuesday, June 10
Book Feature at Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews
Wednesday, June 11
Guest Blogging at Bookingly Yours
Thursday, June 12
Book Featured at I Heart Reading
Friday, June 13
Interview at Blogcritics
Monday, June 16
Character Interview at The Literary Nook
Tuesday, June 17
Book Review at Miki’s Hope
Wednesday, June 18
Book Review & Guest Blogging at Deal Sharing Aunt
Thursday, June 19
Guest Blogging at My Life. One Story at a Time.
Monday, June 23
Guest Blogging at Confessions of a Reader
Tuesday, June 24
Book Review & Guest Blogging at Melina’s Book Blog
Wednesday, June 25
Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Thursday, June 26
Interview at Booklover Sue
Book Featured at Cheryl’s Book Nook
Friday, June 27
Book Review & Guest Blogging at Jersey Girl Book Reviews
Thanks for letting me visit and for the review!! So glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteHappy Reading!
Holly
Hi Holly! I enjoyed reading Coming Home, it is a wonderful story. Thank you for the opportunity to host your virtual book tour event. :)
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