Joshilyn Jackson's The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

ahhhhhh - i've finished it. my fabulously signed copy of Joshilyn's book. The one that she signed - with my name in it and everything! and the one that on page 309 mentions me (well, you know, the quilt mavs -- i'm one of them...yes, i HAVE mentioned this before). i believe i also mentioned the lovely Dees from whom i won this wonderful book. Dee is so pretty! and so is Dee, they are over at Dee's Book Dish. Go and check them out!
now - to the book. i TRIED to parcel it out...to read slowly...to fully appreciate that i wouldn't be able to read a new book by joshilyn in probably over a year...oh the humanity of it all! and still, i finished it - quickly. dadgum. i really deeply enjoyed this book. and i got lost in it - the good kind of getting lost, you know, when you find you are inserting yourself into the story. hmm, that doesn't explain it quite right. but it happens to me in good books, i'm jo in little women, or meg in the wrinkle in time series. the GOOD kind of getting lost in a book. i was transported. i could hear Shelby, and i could hear Bet's heavy accent. i could feel the tension between Mother, Thalia, and Laurel. the twists and turns in the book were wonderful. i knew how laurel was making the quilt - i loved the box of specials she had. now, i need to get the audiobook onto itunes so i can listen to joshilyn read it and see if i had the accents right in my head. it's outstandingly cool to hear an author read his/her own book because you can really get the way that the author intended it to be. again with the not making sense...but it makes sense to me.
so - go to your local book store or order it online or go and borrow it from the library. and after you finish that one and are jonesing for more of her books, you can get _gods in Alabama_ and _Between, Georgia_.
When you go to the bookstore, perhaps you can even make it so that her books are facing front so everyone can see the jackets.
and then, when you finish the book and you love love love it, go to amazon or barnes & noble online and write a review. i need to do that too!!
**BREAKING NEWS** it has just come to my attention, that equilter.com is also selling The Girl Who Stopped Swimming!!! way too fabulous! you can put all sorts of things into your basket when you get tgwss from luana and 2% of your purchase will go to one of several charities of your choice!