Tuesday, March 29, 2016
What are our favorite authors reading? Find out in our One Night (Book) Stand feature! Today's guest is Charlene Ross, author of Frosted Cowboy.
Like every writer, I'm a reader first. My tastes vary. I love chick lit, literary fiction, mysteries and memoirs. I love to read the book that everybody is reading and I also love to read books by indie authors that nobody has heard of. Here are some of the books that are currently taking up space on my night stand.
A Window Opens
by Elisabeth Egan
This is the story of 38-year-old Alice Pearse, a married mother of three who goes from working part-time to working a full-time "dream job" as the main breadwinner when her husband makes a career change. We fall in love with Alice as her marriage falls apart, her kids reach milestones she does not see, her dream job is not so dreamy, and Alice must decide what she really wants. Egan tells Alice's finding-balance-(or-not)-while-trying-to-have-it-all story with humor and poignancy. I loved, loved, loved this book!
Sifting Through Mud
by Demetria Foster Gray
I am in the middle of this book and am really enjoying it. It's women's fiction about the unlikely friendship of a recent widow named Nyla (who was unhappy in her marriage and not quite as sad as she "should" be about her husband's sudden death) and her husband's mistress, Vivian. The book shifts back and forth between Nyla and Vivian's point of view. Vivian knows who Nyla is, but Nyla hasn't found out who Vivian is (yet), but when she does, I have a feeling the you-know-what is going to hit the fan. Gray has crafted strong and complex characters and has made me deeply invested in their story.
Above Us Only Sky
by Michele Young-Stone
This is next on my TBR list. It is a magical realism story of a family of women separated by generations who are born with wings. It goes back and forth through a time span of the 1863 Lithuanian uprising against Russian Tsarist rule to the fall of the Berlin Wall. (I might have to put on my thinking cap for this one!) A good friend with excellent taste in books told me it was her favorite book last year, and I can't wait to read it.
Finding Audrey
by Sophie Kinsella
My daughter is currently reading Kinsella's foray into YA and I have to admit I keep picking it up every time she puts it down. It's the story of fourteen-year-old Audrey with an anxiety disorder that is turning her family upside-down. It doesn't sound funny, but it starts out, "OMG, Mum's gone insane. Not normal Mum-insane. Serious insane." (I was hooked immediately.) Kinsella is a master at her craft, so I'm sure this sensitive subject matter will be handled with the perfect mix of sensitivity and humor. I can't wait for my daughter to finish so I can read it.
About Charlene Ross:
Charlene Ross, a Los Angeles suburbanite, is the author of FROSTED COWBOY and LOVE ON THE ROCKS (WITH SALT), a novella. She is also a contributor to THE MAKING OF A PICKY EATER. She has been featured in Skirt! Magazine and on NPR's This I Believe series. Before life in the suburbs she backpacked through eighteen European countries, lived in London, worked in the music industry, and became engaged on stage at a U2 concert in Verona, Italy. (Bono even kissed her!) Now she drives carpool, embarrasses her children by dancing "in the pit" at free cover band concerts, and works hard at keeping the spark of her 20-year marriage alive.
Connect with Charlene on social media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
Charlene's Books:
Like every writer, I'm a reader first. My tastes vary. I love chick lit, literary fiction, mysteries and memoirs. I love to read the book that everybody is reading and I also love to read books by indie authors that nobody has heard of. Here are some of the books that are currently taking up space on my night stand.
A Window Opensby Elisabeth Egan
This is the story of 38-year-old Alice Pearse, a married mother of three who goes from working part-time to working a full-time "dream job" as the main breadwinner when her husband makes a career change. We fall in love with Alice as her marriage falls apart, her kids reach milestones she does not see, her dream job is not so dreamy, and Alice must decide what she really wants. Egan tells Alice's finding-balance-(or-not)-while-trying-to-have-it-all story with humor and poignancy. I loved, loved, loved this book!
Sifting Through Mudby Demetria Foster Gray
I am in the middle of this book and am really enjoying it. It's women's fiction about the unlikely friendship of a recent widow named Nyla (who was unhappy in her marriage and not quite as sad as she "should" be about her husband's sudden death) and her husband's mistress, Vivian. The book shifts back and forth between Nyla and Vivian's point of view. Vivian knows who Nyla is, but Nyla hasn't found out who Vivian is (yet), but when she does, I have a feeling the you-know-what is going to hit the fan. Gray has crafted strong and complex characters and has made me deeply invested in their story.
Above Us Only Skyby Michele Young-Stone
This is next on my TBR list. It is a magical realism story of a family of women separated by generations who are born with wings. It goes back and forth through a time span of the 1863 Lithuanian uprising against Russian Tsarist rule to the fall of the Berlin Wall. (I might have to put on my thinking cap for this one!) A good friend with excellent taste in books told me it was her favorite book last year, and I can't wait to read it.
Finding Audreyby Sophie Kinsella
My daughter is currently reading Kinsella's foray into YA and I have to admit I keep picking it up every time she puts it down. It's the story of fourteen-year-old Audrey with an anxiety disorder that is turning her family upside-down. It doesn't sound funny, but it starts out, "OMG, Mum's gone insane. Not normal Mum-insane. Serious insane." (I was hooked immediately.) Kinsella is a master at her craft, so I'm sure this sensitive subject matter will be handled with the perfect mix of sensitivity and humor. I can't wait for my daughter to finish so I can read it.
Charlene Ross, a Los Angeles suburbanite, is the author of FROSTED COWBOY and LOVE ON THE ROCKS (WITH SALT), a novella. She is also a contributor to THE MAKING OF A PICKY EATER. She has been featured in Skirt! Magazine and on NPR's This I Believe series. Before life in the suburbs she backpacked through eighteen European countries, lived in London, worked in the music industry, and became engaged on stage at a U2 concert in Verona, Italy. (Bono even kissed her!) Now she drives carpool, embarrasses her children by dancing "in the pit" at free cover band concerts, and works hard at keeping the spark of her 20-year marriage alive.
Connect with Charlene on social media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
Charlene's Books:
  Frosted Cowboy |   Love on the Rocks (with Salt) |
