‘Farley’s Five and Dime: A Dime Store Novel’ by Renée Riva – Book Review and Giveaway

I really love reading a book that just warms the heart. I am still glowing and cozy warm after reading ‘Farley’s Five and Dime: A Dime Store Novel’ by Renée Riva!

Here is the synopsis of this wonderfully entertaining book:

A Charming Waltz Down Memory Lane. “There was nothing real special ‘bout Farley’s Five-and-Dime except that I was a Farley. That, and my family lived up above the store in what we called The Loft. And my daddy built a secret two-story slide beside the back staircase that went from The Loft right down into the store – which came in quite handy when my brother, Sammy and me were in need of a midnight snack…”

What more could an eleven year old girl who worked the soda fountain in a 1950’s five-and-dime store possibly want?

Nothin’ much…until the town of Hog Eye Holler announces their annual Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Waltz. By her upcoming twelfth birthday, Mazie Farley will finally be old enough to attend, but is she setting her sights a little too high? Best friend, Maybeline Zirkle certainly thinks so…

‘Mazie May Farley, you need to have your head examined if you think you’re going to get Billy Ray Baxter to ask you to that dance!”

But nothing stops Mazie from trying…and trying…and trying! Her comical, self-defeating schemes will keep everyone laughing and falling in love with this high-spirited, red-headed whirlwind. Crazy Mazie carries us along in a tale of warm Southern charm, gentle humor, and a touch of sweet serendipity.

“The best thing about life is…it’s never so bad that it can’t get worse.” – Mazie May Farley

Here is the biography of this author:

Renée Riva has been writing humorous, family and animal stories ever since she won her first writing contest in the second grade. A former greeting-card verse writer and popular speaker, Renée has also published three children’s books: Izzy the Lizzy, Guido’s Gondola, and Rudy the Runt, as well as a Young Adult Trilogy: Saving Sailor, Taking Tuscany, and Heading Home. Farley’s Five and Dime is her latest project about a fun and feisty little character named Mazie Farley.

Renée and her husband reside in Washington State with their three daughters, a dog, a cat, and a baby box turtle named Buster.

This story, which takes place at the end of 1958 and the beginning of 1959, is written in the first person voice of the main character, Mazie May Farley. Here she is describing her family:

It was just me and Daddy and Sammy that made up our family after Mama went to heaven in 1956. I was only nine years old when she left us. I remember thinking she must have been needed pretty bad up there, ‘cause I sure needed her down here, but heaven got her anyway. (p. 10)

I love the tone; she seems like a neat little girl!

Mazie knows what she wants, and she has a plan to get what she wants:

The way I see it, there are only two things standing between me and Billy Ray. Two years, age-wise, and Emma Jean Jacobs. The first one I can overcome by January 30^th when I turn twelve, and will be only one year behind. The second one will take some scheming. For starters, every girl in Hog Eye, Kentucky is in love with Billy Ray Baxter and wants to be the one he asks to the Sweetheart Dance on Valentine’s Day. So far, Emma Jean is the only one Billy Ray seems to notice though. That is gonna have to change by February 14^th, and I intend to make sure it does. Lucky for me, Farley’s Five-and-Dime soda counter is the one place I can always count on Emma Jean to come looking for Billy Ray. And that is exactly where I plan to fight this battle. (p. 19)

God gets a message through to Mazie through her Sunday school teacher, Miss Tiffany; she was not too receptive!:

Sunday morning, I’m sitting in Sunday school at Holy Cross listening to Miss Tiffany talk about loving our neighbor during the Christmas season by doing kind deeds for them.

Good thing Emma Jean is not my neighbor.

“And who is our neighbor?” Miss Tiffany asks.

I’m thinking of old Mr. Martin, and how just maybe I’ll bake him up a sugar loaf for Christmas.  

“Our neighbor is anyone God brings along our path, and whether we like them or not, we are to show love to them.”

Oh, great. Not what I wanted to hear.

“This is the time to make things right. Right the wrongs of the past year, so we can spend Christmas with a joyful heart and a clear conscience.”

Can we just settle for the joyful heart?... (p. 31)

Mazie has great admiration for Nellie, a waitress at their favorite restaurant, Country Vittles:

I watch her every move when I’m here ‘cause I want to grow up to be just like her. I already practice my pony tail swing when I’m working the counter at the Five-and-Dime. My hair is just now finally long enough to wear in a super short pony tail. No more pixie-cuts for this cowgirl or I will never look like Nellie. (p. 44)

Mazie gives us a glimpse about life in a small town at Christmas time in 1950s America:

We walk home by way of the park tonight to see the living nativity that the town of Hog Eye puts on every Christmas Eve. The newest baby boy, born closest to Christmas Eve, gets to play Baby Jesus every year. This has caused some competition between some of the expectant mothers in the past as they have all tried to plan their baby’s birth around Christmastime. One year, two baby boys came along on the same day, but we couldn’t have two Baby Jesus’s, so they had to take turns and work in shifts. It’s quite an honor to be Baby Jesus in this town. You get your picture in the newspaper and go down in the Hog Eye Holler Museum of all Baby Jesus’s from way back. Some of the first Baby Jesus’s are older than the hills by now. For some folks in this town, that is their only claim to fame. (p. 47)

The end of the book is unexpected, but very sweet!:

There are times in life when everything once hoped for seems suddenly hopeless, and life begins to lose its shine. Then out of the blue, serendipity shows up and knocks your socks right off. I guess you could say this was one of those times. And we waltzed. (p. 148)

I have read one other book from Renée – ‘Heading Home’ (you can read my review here). It is truly one of my favorite books I have read this year – and I have read A LOT of books this year! I really loved her humorous and fun style. It seems really rare these days – or else I am just hanging out with the wrong people! But her writing just warms my heart. And ‘Farley’s Five and Dime’ is no exception! I really loved this book. Renée has a writing style that makes me want to read more and more of her work. I will be keeping my eye open for other books coming from her computer. I look forward to them with great anticipation!

This is a great gift for another or for you to read as a Christmas tradition! It is geared to a younger audience - therefore, easy reading - but enjoyable for one and all! You can order this book here.

This book was provided by StoneHouse Ink for review and giveaway purposes.

_______________________________________

I have one copy of this book to pass along to one of you; thanks to Aaron at 

StoneHouse Ink for generously providing this copy! 

There are several ways to gain entry:           

1) Leave a comment here on the blog, telling me how God has helped you through a stressful situation. Please make sure to leave your email address in this format – sample[at]gmail[dot]com. 

2) Follow me on Twitter; I will more than likely follow you back! If you are already a Twitter follower, that counts, too! Please leave a new comment to that effect.

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So there are five chances to enter! Please limit one entry per option, and please include your email address, or, sad to say, the Random Number Generator will have to choose a different winner.

This giveaway is for U.S. residents only. The deadline for entry is Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST. A winner will be chosen via the Random Number Generator on Thursday, December 16, 2010 and will be contacted via email. The best to all of you!

‘Heading Home’ by Renée Riva – Book Review

There are few things in life better than reading a book that draws you in and draws you back as quickly as life allows you in order to keep reading. ‘Heading Home’ by Renée Riva is just such a book

Here is the synopsis of this book:

Eight year is a long time – from saying good-bye as kids to saying hello as adults.

She’s back! For eight long years, A.J. Degulio has been itching to get back to Indian Island, her beloved dog, Sailor, and her childhood friend, Danny Morgan. It’s home. But a lot has changed. Sailor moves slower, Danny has grown into a six-foot-something good-lookin’ cowboy… and A.J. has a promise to keep… which doesn’t include Danny. When Danny hears of her plans, he’s shocked and hurt. But he cares too much to stand in the way of what she really wants.

What’s a girl to do? A.J. isn’t sure how to fulfill her promise without losing Danny. She works every angle possible to keep her promise and her cowboy. But Danny has plans of his own. Will they be able to work it out? It will take compromise, laughter, and a lot of love before Danny and A.J. figure out that home is more than a place on the map. It’s a place in 

the heart.

And here is the video trailer for this delightful book:

Here is the biography of this author:

Renée Riva has been writing humorous stories ever since she won her first writing contest in second grade. A former greeting card verse writer and popular speaker, Renée is the author of Saving Sailor, Taking Tuscany, and two children’s books. She and her husband reside in Washington State with their three daughters and a menagerie of pets.

I loved the story in the ‘After Words’ section of the book in which Renée shares the story of her meeting of Bear and their subsequent marriage. I would love to read the whole story someday!

This book, set in 1976, is set on Indian Island, Washington. A.J. is just returning home after being in Tuscany, Italy, living with her family in an old castle. This is A.J. reaction to seeing Danny again:

Wiping away my tears, my eyes come to focus on the face I’ve so longed to see – besides Sailor’s. Oh … my … gosh. This is not the Danny I remember. Before me stands a towering six-foot-somethin’ sandy-blond, sun-bronzed cowboy – a perfect cross between the Duke and Little Joe Cartwright. When we’re within arms’ reach of each other, we both just stop. Eight years is a long time – from saying good-bye as kids to saying hello as adults. (p. 17)  

Renée’s writing style – and therefore A.J.’s speaking style – is so fun and light-hearted! Danny is testing out the idea of running a Christian summer camp on Indian Island (with a cowboys and Indians theme). After A.J. dropped the bombshell that she is thinking about becoming a nun, to fulfill a promise to God in the only way she knew how, Danny went ahead and hired an assistant. Here A.J. explains that Danny and his summer camp assistant will definitely need a chaperone:

When [the tug’s] close enough to make out who’s who, I notice the Indian squaw is in my chair. At least they have a boatload of kids with them this time. Danny should not be left alone with someone like her. He’s too naïve to know the games women like her can play. It’s the same old “let me be your Indian princess camp helper” game. I’m on to you, Indian squaw. Someone needs to look out for him! (p. 39)

Here’s another choice piece of comedy. A.J.’s grandma allows her drive her 1960 Studebaker.  Here A.J. describes how people must interpret her comings-and-goings, and how much she misses her family (comedy and tragedy are perfect partners):

Puttering down Main Street in this red and white jalopy draws some interesting stares from the town folk. Hi, y’all. I’m A.J., just rolling through town inside a peppermint twist. It reminds me of the looks I got with Daddy when practice-driving the old Fiat in the hills of Tuscany. Of course that drew looks of panic rather than curiosity – people fearing for their lives. A sudden pang of loneliness comes over me and I find myself missing my family and relatives. Going to being surrounded by lots of family to being alone is quite a change. I used to wish I were an only child – now I’m starting to appreciate belonging to a big family. Especially when they’re gone. (p. 57)

A.J. gets a kick out of speaking in a Southern accent; hence, the “hi, y’all” part of her explanation. Funny for me, this Michigander, who also loves to speak in a Southern accent on occasion (I think I’m a Southerner at heart!)!

A.J.’s grandma doesn’t agree with her decision to pursue the life of a nun, particularly in light of Danny’s interest in her:

‘Mamma mia, Angelina.” She looks me right in the eye. “Let me put it to you like this. I know Danny Morgan better than you think I do. I’mma old, but I’mma pretty smart for an old gal. If you have a man like Danny Morgan, who loves God, loves you, and is interested in serving God with you, then all I can say is: Angelina Degulio, what’sa matter you?”

I love that!

A.J. decides she needs to investigate the option of becoming a nun or a sister, so she decides to attend a retreat given by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Lake. She visits Saddlemyer’s Dime Store to pick up some items to take with her for the weekend. Wonder of wonders, Danny shows up:

          “Are you … looking for something?”

          “You.”

          “Me?”

“Yeah, you.” His eyes melt right into mine. “May I … have this dance?” he asks, softly.

I look around. “Here?”

“Yeah.”

“Uh … okay.” I lift my arms, still clutching the toothpaste.

Danny gently removes the toothpaste from my hands, set it on the shelf, and takes my hands in his. He never once takes his eyes off mine. We’re dancing through the aisles of the dime store to the words Darlin’, save the last dance for me, but the last thing I can hear is everything my grandma said to me a half hour ago. (pp. 72-73)

Is that sweet or what?!  

Back to the comical side of the book, A.J. reflects on her childhood – and provides a glimpse for where she may have gotten her sense of humor:

Sailor and I are spending a quiet Saturday morning in front of old Western movies. A much-missed tradition from long ago. Indian Islands and Westerns have always gone together. Shirley Temple Theatre was always a favorite I rarely missed. I had to keep the volume down on Shirley when Mama was in the cabin. I can still hear her yelling from the kitchen, “If I have to listen to that kid sing ‘Animal Crackers in My Soup’ one more time, I’m going to flip that channel and bring her little tap shoes to a screeching halt! For the love of Pete, who puts animal crackers in soup anyway?”

I’ve never heard anyone but Mama call Shirley on that one. (p. 118)

Nor had I! When I read that, I burst out in laughter!

A.J. figured out that the nunnery is not the place where God would have her. The ending is adorable; Italian, Greek, and Southern families are lots of fun!  And the very last page will warm anyone’s heart!

I absolutely loved this book; this is a terrific summer read! A.J. Degulio is adorable; this character has a lot of life!! Although this is Book Three in the ‘Indian Island Trilogy,’ I hope that Renée’s intention is to keep writing books about A.J. and Danny for years to come, following their loving adventures! I loved this one, and hope to go back and read the first two!

You can order this book here.

This book was published by David C. Cook and provided by B & B Media Group for review purposes.