Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Archives for December 2011

A day at the beach: A review of Shadows on the Sand by Gayle Roper

If Seaside, New Jersey was a real place, I’d book my next vacation there. Murder and intrigue notwithstanding.

Shadows on the Sand was my first Gayle Roper novel, and I’m not sorry I took the plunge. It was an enjoyable blend of romance and mystery. Thrilling in all kinds of ways.

In it, Carrie Carter runs a cafe and when her dishwasher turns up missing, and then dead, she finds herself looking for answers. Greg, a former police officer, a widower and a regular at the cafe, is drawn into the search. While the storyline has its predictable moments, the journey is fun and exciting, with enough twists and turns to keep you in it till the end.

Click here for a sneak peek at the first chapter.

I especially loved the characters. Carrie and Greg and the supporting “cast” became real to me. I believed their emotions, their struggles, their reactions. My only criticism of Carrie is that I kept imagining her older than the 33 years the author created her to be. She had a rough past, so maybe that’s why she seemed older in thought and deed.

I’m not sure what impacted me more, though: the story or the author’s note at the end. Roper reveals that she was recently widowed, a characteristic she shares with Greg in the book. His struggles became more meaningful as I realized she was writing, in part, from what she knew and experienced.

That, my friends, is the key to good writing. I appreciated Roper’s openness in sharing that particular struggle and transforming it into a creative work for the blessing of others.

Shadows on the Sand is Roper’s fifth book in the Seaside Seasons series. I’m looking forward to reading what I’ve missed in the other books.

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As part of the Blogging for Books program, I received a free digital copy of Shadows on the Sand from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

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So, if you made it this far, you might be willing to go a step further, right? Click on the link below to rate my review on the Blogging For Books Web site and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a FREE book from Waterbrook Multnomah. That’s worth a few extra seconds, right?

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/ranking/14639

10 songs you shouldn’t hear at a Christmas party

My husband and I attended his work Christmas party on Friday night. Free food + great entertainment + a night away from the kids + a chance to win door prizes = SOLD!

It’s sometimes awkward for me to attend work functions for my husband. This is a part-time, temporary job, not what his career will be, and many of his co-workers are high school and college age, significantly younger than us and in a 100 percent different season of life.

Still, I looked forward to the party. The entertainment was the same as last year — a singing duo with great vocal range, everything from Motown to country to pop. The guy also plays the flute and the sax, and the lady wears great shoes that have been the talk of the party. They’re a lot of fun and extremely talented.

While the dinner music played this year, I noticed a theme I couldn’t ignore.

So, here’s a list of 10 songs  that shouldn’t be on the playlist for a Christmas party, in this case a work Christmas party.

1. “Bye, Bye Love.” Goodbye, happiness. Hello, loneliness. I feel like I could die. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t people struggle with depression around the holidays? Is Christmas the right time to be singing about a break-up?

2. “Margaritaville.” It was a non-alcoholic party. ‘Nuff said, right? Although maybe the idea was to create an urge to take a vacation from the cold winter weather of central Pennsylvania.

3. “Tears on My Pillow.” See #1. Break-up songs + Christmas = awkward at best.

4. “Forget You.” Though the guy did a decent Cee Lo cover, it’s yet another break-up song. And the original version contains the big “F-bomb,” though I wouldn’t have known that if my husband hadn’t told me.

5. “Runaround Sue.” All I want for Christmas is a girl who won’t cheat on me.

6. “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” The words “gonna let it all hang out” make me cringe in mixed company, especially when that company includes female co-workers your husband sees daily.

7. “Rolling in the Deep.” Great song, and if you can’t tell what it’s about, then maybe it doesn’t matter. More relationship angst.

8. “Build Me Up Buttercup.” More unfaithfulness, more unrequited love. Did I miss something about what Christmas is all about?

9. “She’s a Brick House.” Refer to #6 on the “hanging out” lyrics. Also, because the male entertainer of the duo demonstrated a suggestive move for the ladies on the dance floor to imitate. It was like prom meets bad wedding reception.

10. Anything by Lady Gaga, especially when it’s the last song of the evening and it’s “Bad Romance.” Catchy if you don’t listen to the words. But the main reason it makes the list is my husband’s reaction as he turned away from the dance floor: “I’m not going to look. I don’t want to know which of my coworkers wants a bad romance.”

The singers did their fair share of appropriate Christmas and dance music, too, so maybe creating this list means I’m getting old. I should add that we had a great time and came home with a Ruby Tuesday gift card. Date night bonus!

What do you think about these songs as Christmas party entertainment? Do you have any to add? Should I have left any of these off the list?