Journal Entry 1 by indygo88 from Lafayette, Indiana USA on Tuesday, May 17, 2011

"After a personal tragedy, Chicago writer Ava Dabrowski quits her job to spend the summer in Woodburn, Tennessee, at the invitation of her old college friend Will Fraser and his two great-aunts, Josephine and Fanny Woodburn. Her charming hosts offer Ava a chance to relax at their idyllic ancestral estate, Woodburn Hall, while working on her first novel.

But Woodburn is anything but quiet: Ancient feuds lurk just beneath its placid surface, and modern-day rivalries emerge as Ava finds herself caught between the competing attentions of Will and his black-sheep cousin Jake. Fascinated by the family’s impressive history—their imposing house filled with treasures, and their mingling with literary lions Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Faulkner—Ava stumbles onto rumors about the darker side of the Woodburns’ legacy. Putting aside her planned novel, she turns her creative attentions to the eccentric and tragic clan, a family with more skeletons (and ghosts) in their closets than anyone could possibly imagine. As Ava struggles to write the true story of the Woodburns, she finds herself tangled in the tragic history of a mysterious Southern family whose secrets mirror her own."

Got this one through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers. (hardcover) 

Journal Entry 2 by indygo88 at Lafayette, Indiana USA on Wednesday, June 08, 2011

This read was really a pleasant surprise. Not being familiar with the author, & having read both good & bad novels set in "the south", I wasn't sure going into this one if it was going to be my cup of tea. The description intrigued me, though. It had all the right elements to catch my attention: family secrets, a mysterious death in the past, some literary references, a quaint setting, a budding novelist as the main character, & a bit of a love triangle, both present & past. I thought the blending of past & present was pulled off really quite well in this story. My interest was maintained throughout & I was kept guessing almost right up until the end.

My only real complaint: the title of the book. It didn't really fit. It makes it sound like a coming of age novel, or maybe a romance, and it really wasn't either of those. I think a more appealing title would be likely to draw in more readers. 

Journal Entry 3 by indygo88 at Lafayette, Indiana USA on Saturday, June 18, 2011

Packaged up for a trip to Elizardbreath. Enjoy! :') 

Journal Entry 4 by elizardbreath at Pendleton, Oregon USA on Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Thanks so much for sending this my way! You're right about the title not being very catchy---and then it doesn't help that the cover image is all blurred... I'm trusting your review though so I'll let you know how it goes! :) 

Journal Entry 5 by elizardbreath at Pendleton, Oregon USA on Sunday, July 17, 2011

I really, really enjoyed this book! One thing that was unique about it was that I kept changing my mind about what I wanted to happen in the end. Usually I make a pretty firm decision shortly into a story but this time I kept going back and forth...Ha! I agree with indygo88 that it has all the great elements of the perfect "historical mystery". I also like the Southern "feel" of the story and characters, without the author trying to write the words the way they actually sound coming from the individual characters. Many authors try to "spell the accent" and that annoys me to no end! (It's just about as annoying as the several times I've put things in quotation marks during this review!) Anyway, thanks so much, indygo88, for passing this on to me. I'll try and find a good home for it soon! 

Journal Entry 6 by elizardbreath at Pendleton, Oregon USA on Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Released 7 mos ago (10/4/2011 UTC) at Pendleton, Oregon USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I sent this home with my mom last night for her to try out.

To the finder of this book:

This book is gift, no strings attached, from me to you. You may keep it forever, pass it along to a friend, or release it into the wild to be found by someone else.

If you are new to BookCrossing, welcome! Enjoy the site, the book, and the BookCrossing community. I hope you'll join us...it's free! If you do, please consider using me, elizardbreath, as your referring member. You can even remain anonymous if you wish!

I hope you'll make a brief journal entry so all the previous and future readers can track this book's journey.

Thanks, and Happy BookCrossing! :)
 

Journal Entry 7 by elizardbreath at Pendleton, Oregon USA on Saturday, October 15, 2011

Mom read and enjoyed this one. It's now back with me waiting on it's next adventure. 

Journal Entry 8 by elizardbreath at Bookbox in Bookbox, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Friday, October 21, 2011

Released 7 mos ago (10/20/2011 UTC) at Bookbox in Bookbox, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Releasing into the Kitchen Sink bookbox.

To the finder of this book:

This book is gift, no strings attached, from me to you. You may keep it forever, pass it along to a friend, or release it into the wild to be found by someone else.

If you are new to BookCrossing, welcome! Enjoy the site, the book, and the BookCrossing community. I hope you'll join us...it's free! If you do, please consider using me, elizardbreath, as your referring member. You can even remain anonymous if you wish!

I hope you'll make a brief journal entry so all the previous and future readers can track this book's journey.

Thanks, and Happy BookCrossing! :)