Girl Meets Class- Karin Gillespie

Title: Girl Meets Class

Author: Karin Gillespie

Genre: Georgia author, Augusta Literary Festival author, southern humor, takes place in Georgia

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's been two months since my last blog post! <<<Hangs head in shame>>> Life has been a whirlwind yet again with a new semester of school starting in mid-August and a job change for me last week (I have now entered the world of academic libraries!). Today's review is for Karin Gillespie's shiny, brand-spanking new book, Girl Meets Class. That's Karin in the picture below graciously signing my book!

In Girl Meets Class, Toni Lee Wells is the typical, life-of-luxury Southern gal until one too many trips to the pokey embarrasses her family and the matriarch, Aunt Cornelia, cut off her unlimited source of funds and force her to grow up and earn her inheritance money a little early: find a job, behave yourself and keep it for a year and inherit $5 million dollars!!!

Out of desperation, Toni Lee lands a teaching job at the local "ghetto school" teaching the Special Needs students Life Skills. Toni Lee is out of league on so many fronts and things do not go smoothly  for our beloved protagonist. Her students are wild and disrespectful and her tyrannical principal is involved in a test cheating conspiracy. Good thing Toni Lee has fellow teacher (and lover) Carl Rutherford to help navigate all of this uncharted territory.

Filled with humor and a happy ending, I highly recommend this to anyone looking a humorous read with just a dash of romance!

Underwater- Julia McDermott

Title: Underwater
Author: Julia McDermott
Genre: suspense, Georgia author, Augusta Literary Festival author, takes place in Georgia

Candace Morgan has it all: lots of wealth, the perfect boyfriend, beautiful houses and a successful shapewear company. The one thing that keeps her from enjoying life to the fullest? Her moocher, psychologically disturbed brother, Monty. Although Candace is a successful and driven woman, guilt haunts her over an accident that happened when she and Monty were teenagers. An accident that ripped her family apart. Monty uses Candace's guilt to continually extort money from her instead of working a real job and providing for his family. In the novel, Monty and his family are living in a carriage house while Monty is supposed to be renovating a house that was financed by Candace. But instead of using Candace's money wisely, Monty is a selfish jerk that uses the money to support a hidden, second life.

Monty's wife, Helen, is also successful as a graphic designer but marriage to Monty is no paradise for her. Monty is verbally abusive to Helen, and over the years Helen has become isolated and fearful.
Monty acts even more erratic and threatening when Candace threatens to cut him off and she follows through legally. Unfortunately, Helen is caught in the middle between her husband and her sister-in-law. The ever-sneaky Monty hatches a plan to disrupt Candace's company and her bottom line. Will Candace be underwater (financially) forever?

Julia McDermott was one of the author vendors at the 2015 Augusta Literary Festival. You can check out her work here and read more the Augusta Literary Festival here.

Happy reading!

Title: The Stranger You Seek

Author: Amanda Kyle Williams

Genre: mystery, suspense, thriller, Georgia author, Augusta Literary Festival author, Yerby Award winner, takes place in Georgia

Source: Augusta Literary Festival/William Gray

I met Amanda Kyle Williams at the Augusta Literary Festival last month. She won the 2015 Yerby Award for Fiction for her third book Don't Talk to Strangers. I was able to get Ms. Williams' autograph for my personal copy of her first book The Stranger You Seek. Due to school projects I was only able to read a few pages here and there until last night. Last night after finishing my term paper, I went on a 3-hour fun reading binge with The Stranger You Seek and I wasn't disappointed!

Keye Street is a private investigator, process server, bail recovery agent and recovering alcoholic. After alcoholism ruined her career as an FBI profiler, Keye remakes her life in Atlanta. While working odd assignments Keye gets pulled into profiling a serial killer terrorizing the citizens of Atlanta. At first the Wishbone Killer's victims appear to have no relation to each other. Keye must use a mixture of her wits and FBI training to pinpoint the killer's motives and protect herself, her loved ones and the citizens of Atlanta. Throw in a few plot twists and tight, quick (but not too quick) pacing, and no-nonsense writing= one of the best mystery/suspense/thriller novels I have read in a long time.

For more information on Amanda Kyle Williams: http://amandakylewilliams.com/

For more information on the Augusta Literary Festival: http://www.augustaliteraryfestival.org/

Title: Isabella's Libretto

Author: Kimberly Cross Teter

Genre: YA historical fiction

I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Kimberly Cross Teter last week at the 4th annual Augusta Literary Festival. She was one of five finalists for the Yerby Award for fiction for her debut YA historical novel Isabella's Libretto.

Source: Augusta Literary Festival/William Gray

Source: Augusta Literary Festival/William Gray

Source: Augusta Literary Festival/William Gray

Isabella's Libretto takes place in Venice in 1715. The title character, Isabella dal Cello, is a teenage orphan who lives in the Ospedale della Pieta- an all-girls orphanage. This orphanage is special because the girls receive a musical education and play in a weekly orchestra directed by Don Antonio Vivaldi (yes, that Vivaldi). Isabella is a cello player in the orphanage orchestra and her dream is to play a solo cello concerto. 

Like most teenagers, Isabella has a bit of a rebellious streak- she and her best friend Catherine sneak out to watch fireworks. Of course they are caught by the all knowing and all seeing Signora Priora! Isabella's punishment is a unique one- she must teach a new resident to play the cello. This "punishment" turns out to be a positive growing experience for Isabella as she gains a new friend and further improves her musical skills.

Unfortunately, Isabella faces three hardships in quick succession (keep the tissues handy!) and must make an important, life-changing decision: will she marry or will she stay at the Pieta for the rest of her life?

For more information on Kimberly Cross Teter: http://www.kimteter.com/

For more information on the Augusta Literary Festival and the Yerby Award for Fiction: http://www.augustaliteraryfestival.org/

Title: Deep Fried Trouble
Author: Tyora Moody
Genre: cozy mystery, Christian, Southern

Within one week of retirement, Eugeena Patterson receives a rude awakening when she finds her estranged neighbor dead of suspicious causes. The neighborhood crime, an unexpected visit from her daughter and two grand babies, and her daughter's disappearance cause Eugeena to enlist the help of her neighbors to solve two mysteries at once. These two traumatic events make Eugeena reflect on her past relationships with Mary (the neighbor) and Leesa (her daughter), and how things turned sour with both of them.

This is a cozy mystery, so it's not too graphic, grisly or preachy. If you're looking for a low-stress, quick mystery read with a hint of Southern, then I would recommend this book to you.