Aloha from Hawaii! The turkey's cooking and football is blaring from the TV. While we will have a traditional "mainland" dinner, I enjoyed a "Hawaiian" Thanksgiving at my husband's office on Monday - steamed rice, fried noodles, baked taro, and chop sticks! The beauty of Thanksgiving is you can make it unique as your family. Family itself can be unique with today's blended marriages and close friends who are often closer than siblings. Thanksgiving is being grateful for all those who bless our lives.
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| Hawaiians celebrate Makahiki, which includes giving thanks. |
Today I spotlight a women's fiction novel from Grand Central Publishing that features a unique family - Julia Amante's SAY YOU'LL BE MINE:
Isabel Gallegos is only a handshake away from living her dream life. After years of putting everyone else's need before her own, she's selling her family's vineyard and moving to a quiet cottage on the California coast. But just as she's about to seal the deal, a letter arrives from Argentina with shocking news: her beloved cousin has died and Isabel is now the sole guardian of three young children.
Still holding on to her dream, Isabel travels to Argentina. There she meets little Julieta, the cherubic baby of the family; eight-year old Adelmo, as hot-tempered as his sister is sweet; and ten-year-old Sandra, whose heart-shaped face and quiet confidence remind Isabel so much of her late cousin. She tells herself to let the children go, to leave them in the care of their grandmother or perhaps their long-lost uncle who abruptly reappears. Or should she listen to her ex-husband, who is suddenly at her side, urging her to give the children - and him- a chance?
If she's willing to take a risk, three tiny strangers just might change Isabel's life in ways she's never imagined.
Julia writes "what she knows" - from her bio.
Julia Amante, women's fiction author, lives in California in a home filled with bits and pieces of her Argentine heritage. Paintings of Argentine towns. A beautiful leather map with the outline of Argentina. Pictures and trinkets.
However, the real details of her beautiful culture unfolded gradually as she grew up the daughter of Argentine immigrants.
Today, a product of the American Dream, Julia writes emotionally rich stories about family love, and the passion of chasing and achieving life's goals.
Mary Gramlich reviewed SAY YOU'LL BE MINE at this link:
What a rich, colorful, and completely heart-wrenching book written by a gifted mind. The reader is taken on an emotional ride through the soul with Isabel as she tries to free herself of the baggage she is carrying around while she tries to build a new life. The tapestry for this story is so engrossing you have to keep reading to find out how all this is going to work out for everyone you care that much about these characters.
What a rich, colorful, and completely heart-wrenching book written by a gifted mind. The reader is taken on an emotional ride through the soul with Isabel as she tries to free herself of the baggage she is carrying around while she tries to build a new life. The tapestry for this story is so engrossing you have to keep reading to find out how all this is going to work out for everyone you care that much about these characters.
I am giving away a print copy of SAY YOU'LL BE MINE to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway,
1. Leave a comment about what you serve or what tradition you observe at "family" gatherings.
2. This giveaway is open to all readers.
3. Comments are open through Saturday, November 26, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 27.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
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| Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam (JBPHH) celebrates Makahiki! |
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ReplyDeleteEvery Christmas Eve we follow my parents tradition and we have a meatless Christmas Eve.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Kim.
Hi Kim, I hope you and your family have a very Happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteMy family is the same as Danielle, we have a meatless Christmas Eve also. That is fine with me because I enjoy fish more than turkey.
Everyone joins hands around the table and a prayer is said.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving! "Say You'll be Mine" sounds really good. I love the cover too. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAs for us, we have added chicken enchiladas to our Thanksgiving day meal. We still have all the rest of the traditional items, Turkey included, but the past several years we have included enchiladas. In fact, I just finished up cutting up the chicken for them and I'll be preparing them soon. :)
Happy Thanksgiving Kim! "Say You'll Be Mine" sounds very heartwarming. We always serve a ham at Thanksgiving (we're not big on Turkey) and always have cranberry sauce, broccoli casserole and of course the green bean casserole. We change up the potatoes and bread items but pretty much everything else stays the same. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteHi Kim,
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you ! hope you have a great weekend too :D
Hi, Kim! Happy Thanksgiving! SAY YOU'LL BE MINE sounds like a very heartwarming and must read.
ReplyDeleteAt our house, we usually have either a ham or chicken since my husband isn't that fond of turkey. We have all the traditional foods with them, including pumpkin and pecan pies.
Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteWe have ham or turkey (or both if there are lots of people).
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
ReplyDeleteWhen my daughter and I moved to Texas, it was less than a week before Christmas and none of the things needed to cook a 'traditional' holiday dinner were unpacked. We opted to create a new tradition and I made Fajitas for our Christmas dinner - which is what we now have every year.
Say You'll Be Mine sounds like a really good read.
HI Kim, We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We were to have only about 8 and then we had 12. It was wonderful. We have one tradition and that is to invite people who will be alone.
ReplyDeleteKim, not entering as have a copy of Say You'll Be Mine, but wanted to wish you Happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteWishing everyone a Happy Thanksgivings. Family gatherings are definitely a time to rest, catch up and eat! My family will cook up a storm. It goes hand in hand with laughter, some good old gossip and just enjoying being together. Favorites appear to be spring rolls which seems to be a popular tradition at every gathering.
ReplyDeleteHAPPY THANKSGIVING!
ReplyDeleteham and turkey . but nothing yet in tradtions yet, though we are starting new ones
Aloha Kim and Happy Thanksgiving
ReplyDeleteI would i had fell in love with Say You'll Be Mine, the cover looks gergeous and story sounds great ;)
Most of our family gatherings we serve BBQ. There are so many of us that this is the easiest option & SO delicious.
ReplyDeleteI cut down a bit this year because I have this terrible cold/cough but I still had a stuffed turkey, sweet and mashed potatoes and gravy, asparagus, cranberry sauce and rolls and pumpkin pie.
ReplyDeletecatslady
My son and I are vegetarians so we have a tofu turkey in addition to the other one at our Thanksgiving celebration.
ReplyDeleteA tradition for us is that there is always a Chinese dish of some sort, even for Christmas dinners.
ReplyDeleteWe have turkey, dressing, gravy, mac and cheese (home made), greenbean cassarole, potato salad, homemade cranberry sauce, squash cassarole, rolls and pecan and sweetpotato pie..When we finish eating we all need a nap. lol This is time with family and friends that is wonderful. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeletemisskallie2000 at yahoo dot com