(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Based on the author's bedtime ritual with his four children, this fun, interactive read-aloud is sure to become a family favorite.  Its warm, playful tone sets just the right mood for bedtime.  Prepare yourself for smiles and giggles (some of which will be your own) as well as sweet hugs and silly kisses, all of which will help your little one drift off to sleep feeling secure and loved.  Of Walrus Kisses Are Scratchy, my 9-year-old daughter said, "I liked it 100%!"  You can't get a better review than that!

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Walrus Kisses Are Scratchy represents Brent's first foray into the world of book writing and publishing.  Knowing how important reviews are to a book's success, he's very interested in working with bloggers to get the word out.  If you would like to review Walrus Kisses Are Scratchy, please contact Brent at bweight@gmail.com.

Today's Top Ten Tuesday is all about trends in book titles.  Remember the recent feminist uproar over popular mystery/thriller books using the term "girl" instead of "woman"?  That's what I'm talking about.  Titles are important and it's interesting to see how the trends change from year to year and vary from genre to genre.  The topic du jour, then, is Top Ten Most Frequently Used Words In [Insert Genre/Age Group] Titles. 

Before we get to my list, though, I encourage you to join in the fun.  Top Ten Tuesday really is the best time!  It's easy to participate—just hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few guidelines, make your own list, then click around the book blogosphere and enjoy reading other people's lists.  It's a fantastic way to find new book blogs, give old favorites some love, and just enjoy chatting about our favorite subject.

Since I read so many mystery/thrillers, I started brainstorming a list for that genre.  With words like death, secrets, lies, kill, dark, etc. piling up, it quickly got too depressing!  So, I turned to a genre whose lighter nature is reflected in softer, more reflective titles that evoke memories of home, family, and summering by the seaside.  Without further ado, here's my list of Top Ten Most Frequently Used Words in Southern Fiction Titles:  

1.  Home/House—Southern novels are often about the draw of the land and how, in the end, it always lures its children home.  Think Falling Home and The House on Tradd Street, both by Karen White; Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe; A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash; Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler; etc.

2.  Sweet—Must be something in that most iconic of Southern beverages ... Think Sweet Tea Tuesdays by Ashley Farley; Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons; Secrets Over Sweet Tea by Denise Hildreth Jones; Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell; The Sweetness of Honey by Alison Kent; etc.

3.  Girl—Think Welcome to the World, Baby Girl by Fannie Flagg; The Summer Girls by Mary Alice Monroe; The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen; The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg; etc.

4.  Glory—Southern pride being what it is, this one makes perfect sense.  Think The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells; Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood; No Grits, No Glory by Elaine Calloway; etc. 

5.  Sister(s)—Think Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells; The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson; The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank; Her Sister's Shoes by Ashley Farley; etc. 

6.  Beach/Tide/Island/Ocean/Sea—It's all about the sand and surf in the South, apparently!  Think The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy; Sea Change by Karen White; Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank; The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe; Up Island and Low Country by Anne Rivers Siddons; Beach Music by Pat Conroy; etc.

7.  Tree—I'm not sure what it is about trees in the South, but they appear to be titular gold.  Think Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns; The Beach Trees by Karen White; Peachtree Road by Anne Rivers Siddons; The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred; A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner; etc.

8.  Garden—Think Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt; Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen; The Ladies of Garrison Gardens by Louise Shaffer; etc.

9.  Café—Everyone loves a warm, quirky café.  Think Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg; The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories by Carson McCullers; The Second Chance Café by Alison Kent; The Calamity Café by Gayle Leeson; etc.

10.  South/Southern—Naturally.  Think South of Broad by Pat Conroy; The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks; Southern Comfort by Fern Michaels; Bound South by Susan Rebecca White; Five Miles South of Peculiar by Angela Hunt; etc.

I'm sure I've missed tons of great Southern novels.  Do you have any to add to my list?  What genre did you pick for today's list?  I'd love to know.  Leave me a comment and I will gladly return the favor.

Happy TTT!

As Fossi attempts to solve a puzzling mathematics problem, she's forced to confront an even more tangled dilemma—the state of her fragile heart.  Has she really found the love of her midlife or is Daniel just using her for her math skills?  Can she find the answers he's seeking and what will it mean if she does?  If Daniel returns to the future, where will that leave Fossi?  As one of the most brilliant women alive, she should have been smart enough not to fall in love ...

After finding Nichole Van's Brothers Maledetti series too tedious to be enjoyable, I wasn't keen on reading another book by the author.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I found myself totally engaged in Outshine.  The characters sparkle, the setting feels authentic, and the story line doesn't drag at all.  While there's nothing super original about the novel, it still makes for an absorbing, engrossing read.  Although Outshine is the fifth book in the House of Oak series, I didn't feel adrift in the tale.  Overall, then, I liked it quite a lot.  I'm not planning to read the previous books, but I've heard they're actually better than this one, so if you're into light, upbeat time travel romance novels, give these a go.  The other books in the series are likely to be just as fun as this one, if not more so.

(Readalikes:  Other books in the House of Oak series by Nichole Van, including Intertwine; Divine; Clandestine; and Refine) 

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and vague references to prostitution

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-copy of Outshine from the generous folks at Fiorenza Publishing via those at The Whitney Awards.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Would you like more opinions on My Dearest Enemy?  Click on the links below to follow along on the book's blog tour: