Friday, May 31, 2013

THE GLASS WIVES by Amy Sue Nathan

Congrats to Jess Blair! You've won The Glass Wives -- please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com with your address so I can send you your book!





Before I share The Glass Wives with you, Christi aka monsterhead has won All The Summer Girls -- please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com and include your full name and address so I can get you your book! And now, here is today's featured book, The Glass Wives!


This is the book I took with me on my 20th wedding anniversary vacation and if that tells you anything, well, I finished it during that vacation and still managed to have a wonderful time doing 'other' things on vacation! Heh, heh! 

The Glass Wives was one of those books I sought out to want to read, not one that just lands on my doorstep, so that tells you even more about what I felt about this book before I even read it!


Another surprise to me, that I didn't even really figure out until I was into the book was that the "Glass" wives is the actual LAST name of the women in the book, and DUH, it says so right on the back of the book. I LOVE the play on the word, and the story of how Amy Sue Nathan came to find her title. Glass being fragile and see-through and, it was just such a cool juxtaposition on the word and fit her characters Evie and Nicole perfectly! 


Amy Sue Nathan is the owner of a great website for readers and writers called Women's Fiction Writers. I say it's for readers too because it's a great place for us readers to go to find out about great books and to connect with amazing writers. So go there if you want to find more great books!

As I have started doing, here are These Three Things from Amy that she is sharing with us today:

1. The first versions of The Glass Wives had the main character, Evie, not just as someone who likes to bake, but buying a bakery. Why did that change? I emailed countless bakeries asking if I could interview bakers and owners and no one responded. Then, when I researched small businesses and realized that Evie wouldn't have had the money to open a bakery. And we all know fiction must be believable, so that career path was nixed!

2. When I signed with my agent, he suggested (strongly) that the ending of the book was at the two-thirds mark. Two-thirds!  I cut one-third of the book and realized he was right. The worst thing is reading a book and thinking it goes on too long! What did I cut? Scenes at a pool (the story went into September, now it ends in the Spring) and a big surprise party. I'm tucking them away for another book.  Maybe.

3. In The Glass Wives, Evie has a part-time job at Third Coast Gifts and Millie is her boss.  Although Millie is only mentioned a few times in the book, her name is important. It's a combination of Mollie and Mildred, my grandmothers' names. Also in the book are other real names of friends sprinkled throughout, something only they'll know, as well as a few well-placed secrets I don't know if anyone will figure out or find. I guess they're more like private jokes with myself. Yes, writing is a very solitary profession!  

And here is The Glass Wives back of the book blurb:
 
Evie and Nicole Glass share a last name. They also shared a husband.  

When a tragic car accident ends the life of Richard Glass, it also upends the lives of Evie and Nicole, and their children. There’s no love lost between the widow and the ex. In fact, Evie sees a silver lining in all this heartache—the chance to rid herself of Nicole once and for all. But Evie wasn’t counting on her children’s bond with their baby half-brother, and she wasn’t counting on Nicole’s desperate need to hang on to the threads of family, no matter how frayed. Strapped for cash, Evie cautiously agrees to share living expenses—and her home—with Nicole and the baby. But when Evie suspects that Nicole is determined to rearrange more than her kitchen, Evie must decide who she can trust. More than that, she must ask: what makes a family?


If you would like to win a copy of The Glass Wives, since I loved the title of this book so much, I would like you to share with me one or two books that the title has specifically stood out to you -- interesting titles of books that have stuck with you throughout the years and why you remember the title so much? Share in the comments and you could win The Glass Wives

Next Up on Booking with Manic: 
Sarah Jio's The Last Camellia

If you're new here, you should probably read this:
If you're new to Booking with Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If you're entering to win a book, please leave a comment on this post and use an identifying name when commenting. It's usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check back here in a few days to see if you've won the book -- I will either list the winner in a new post OR highlight the winner's name at the top of this post, or tell you where you can find the winner's name at the top of this post. I do NOT personally contact the winners. It is YOUR responsibility to come back to see if you've won. Most books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher or author within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address, unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you would like to see featured, please email me at stephanieelliot[at]gmail.com. Thank you for your support!
 

34 comments:

Kelleyc said...

"A Wrinkle in Time" has always been one of my favorite titles!

jdstec said...

This is a tough one. I can't really recall any title that has stood out for me, and that is so lame, but I would still love to win this book.

Nanette said...

"If I Am Missing or Dead"...obviously catches your attention, right?

"Bitter Is The New Black"...who wouldn't want to read THAT?!?

"The Secret Life Of Bees"...I wanted to know what that secret was!

These are just a few I can think of off the top of my head. :)

Hugs from Alaska!

Nan XO

betsy_blixt said...

"Such A Pretty Fat"

Always have struggled with my weight so this stuck out to me.

Ally said...

The Oath- Frank Peretti
A Time to Kill- John Grisham

Reese78 said...

Jemima J - it just has such a catchy sound to it! I also liked Last Chance Saloon - I wanted to read the book because I had to know what that phrase meant. I ended up loving the book and becoming a big fan of Marian Keyes.

Juliet Farmer said...

Sight Hound by Pam Houston. One of the best dog novels I've ever read (the other one being The Art of racing in the Rain).

TinaB said...

My fave book titles are "Such a Pretty Fat" and "Bright Lights, Big Ass" by Jen Lancaster. She's hilarious and so are her books!!!
Brannanflooring@aol.com

Susan @ The Book Bag said...

The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers - we sometimes forget that murderers are real people and have families just like everyone else. And those families have to deal with the aftermath of the murder. Great book!

GoGreen said...

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a title that stands out to me because it is quirky and different. The subject matter is a bit more serious than one might expect.




Bonnie

ncsuloges said...

Bitter is the New Black (Duh!), Light Between Oceans (beautiful book and title), Sipping Cups are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn As a New Mom (obviously laugh out loud funny), Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D (I may only remember this one because it was a great read), Signs of Life (a memoir about a woman who loses her husband in a freak accident while she is pregnant. It's one of my favorite books), Act Like a Lady Think Like a Man (just because it was a recommended by a psychologist)

absolutahnie said...

A tree grows in Brooklyn. Beings thriving in unexpected places/ways. My favorite book ever.

Anonymous said...

Jen Lancaster's titles for her memoirs always make me chuckle and have me dying to read what is obviously going to be a hilarious book. I picked up Bitter is the New Black based on the title alone. Such A Pretty Fat struck a chord with me because of my own weight issues. I can not wait to read The Tao of Martha because as a self-proclaimed "crappy crafter", I understand the feeling of accomplishment when you finish a DIY project combined with subtle hints of shame because it looks nothing like how Martha did it. Genius title!

Colbey J

TaraUB said...

I have to admit I don't readily remember book titles. I love Laurie Notaro and look forward to reading The Potty Mouth at the Table during my vacation. I've read all of Jen Lancaster's books as well. Also, love Jenny Lawson's book and her blog. I'm more of a non-fiction person. I belong to Laurie's Idiot Girl's Book Club because I like someone else to tell me what to read, otherwise I might not read at all. You're blog has helped me have a list of potential books too.

Melissa said...

I will admit that book covers stick out to me more than titles, but I love the title "Skipping a Beat" (Sarah Pekkanen). It has a unique flair to it.

Melissa A from CLC

PoCoKat said...

Hard to pick one specifically. How about Gone Girl.

Erica said...

The Painted Girls title captivated me. And I loved the book.

Bitter is the New Black was another great title. Loved that book too.

karenk said...

loved sarah jio's...blackberry winter and Adriana trigiani's...the shoemakers wife

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Emma S. said...

"One Hundreds Years of Solitude" and all three of Khaled Housseini's titles ("The Kite Runner", "A Thousand Splendid Suns", and "And the Mountains Echoed") have stuck out to me. The titles definitely lived up to the stories, though I have yet to read his newest book that just came out.

your invisible pixie said...

this is life by dan rhodes - his is also a play on words!

and the giver, which is one of my favorite books.

Kimmi said...

I'd never heard of Jen Lancaster until I saw "Such a Pretty Fat" on the shelf. If that title doesn't grab you, nothing will. In fact, she always knocks it out of the park with her titles.

EKB said...

goodnight moon- for my girls- it just flows. And "a time to kill" - incredible book and the title was perfect.

Jessica said...

I really like the name of the book Tour de Force by Elizabeth White.

Thanks!
-Jessica M
walkingcorpse11@hotmail.com

Caroline N. said...

White Girl Problems and Bright Lights, Big Ass. How can I not pick those up with titles like that?

Tiffany Drew said...

Definitely If I Am Missing or Dead, although the book was a pretty big let down for me. I also like Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, it's very strange!

Unknown said...

I always can remember the novel title "Such A Pretty Fat" by Jen Lancaster. I remember it because it was a novel about Jen's real-life trials and eventual success with losing weight, which I, as many other women can empathise with. The stories really stuck with me since they were a) honest, and b) hilarious! I've also remembered the title because it references when Jen was told she had, "such a pretty face," and would be so much prettier if she just lost weight, which I've also been told.

The Glass Wives sounds like a book that's right up my alley; a book I'd definitely enjoy reading!

jessbair15@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

"Bel Canto" by Ann Patchett and "Morality for Beautiful Girls" by Alexander McCall Smith.

Great review/interview!

Lizett said...

Bitter Is The New Black stuck with me because the title was just so funny! I loved it instantly!

Also the Devil Wears Prada. I had never thought about the 'devil's' wardrobe prior. =)

equinn726 said...

"Bitter is the New Black" is the one that sticks out for me....I love Jen Lancaster's books, so so funny!

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Megan said...

"Love in the Time of Cholera" and "We Thought You'd Be Prettier" are two that really stick with me :)

Eloise Peaches

Bev V said...

"Such a Pretty Fat" -- had to read that one.

JJT said...

Septembers of Shiraz - There is something haunting about that title!

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