Friday, March 8, 2019

Dear Abby - Dog Songs: Bird Dog by The Everly Brothers (1958)

Dear Friends,

I'm glad you stopped by today!  I have another "dog" song to share with you today.  This song is called "Bird Dog" and it's by The Everly Brothers.  It was a hit on both the country and pop charts in 1958, so it is an oldies song now.   The Everly Brothers were Don and Phil.  They spent most of their growing up years in Iowa and Tennessee.  They were discovered by country music great Chet Atkins, a friend of the family.  They later had great success in the 1950's, touring with Buddy Holly, and into the 1960's.

"Bird Dog" is a song about a boy named Johnny who is a "bird dog," trying to steal the singer's girlfriend away from him.   It was remade later by the Newbeats (1966), glam rockers Mud (1975), and the Bellamy Brothers (1978).

Of course, I have to tell you that although this song isn't ACTUALLY about a dog, I wanted to listen to it because it had "Bird Dog" in the title.  Bird dogs are dogs that hunt game -- pointers, retrievers, and spaniels.

I found an old video of the song in a medley with another Everly Brothers hit called "Till I Kissed You."  I hope you enjoy it!



I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.   I look forward to visiting again next week with you!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo 

Book Review - California Girls by Susan Mallery

Book Synopsis
The California sunshine’s not quite so bright for three sisters who get dumped in the same week…

Finola, a popular LA morning show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she’s just fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.

Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.

Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancĂ© sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.

But side by side by side, these sisters will start over and rebuild their lives with all the affection, charm and laugh-out-loud humor that is classic Susan Mallery.



 

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble



My Review 
California Girls is the story of three sisters.  Finola's husband leaves her just as she is about to go on air with her perky morning talk show ... and interview what turns out to be his much younger girlfriend.   Zennie breaks up with a man she likes but doesn't love, and then decides to be a surrogate mother for her best friend.  Ali is engaged and her fiance breaks up with her by sending his brother Daniel over with the message.

I wanted to read this book from first mention.  I always enjoy Susan Mallery's books and liked the theme of sisters and the title California Girls.  It sounded like a good beach read.

I immediately was interested in the story of the three sisters.  The author did a great job at creating three very distinct characters.  The book follows all three storylines separately - and their lives together - and it is so well done.  Ali is my favorite of the sisters.  She is such a girl-next-door, relatable character.  She always felt overshadowed by the glamorous (but self centered) Finola and the very accomplished, athletic Zennie.  I loved Daniel too and enjoyed his relationship with Ali.

As I was reading, I kept thinking that this book would make a good movie too.  I have been casting the movie in my head and think it would be good with Reese Witherspoon as Finola, Bryce Dallas Howard as Zennie, and Emma Stone as Ali.  Now Nancy Meyers just needs to decide to direct!

I recommend California Girls for fans of women's fiction and for anyone looking for a highly enjoyable beach read or weekend book to relax with.  This is a really fun read!


Author Bio
#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives-family, friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages.Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Connect with Susan

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Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Beach Blanket Homicide (Whispering Bay Mystery) by Maria Geraci

Book Synopsis
Everyone agrees that Lucy McGuffin bakes the best muffins in Whispering Bay, but she’s got another talent, one that she’s tried her whole life to hide. Lucy can always tell when a person is lying or telling the truth. Being a human lie detector isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Especially when you don’t really want the answer to the universal question: Does this dress make my butt look too big?

When Lucy is hired to cater the grand opening celebration of the city’s new community center, she stumbles across the dead body of Abby Delgado, a prominent member of the Sunshine Ghost Society. Lucy’s brother, Father Sebastian, a local priest, is the last person to have seen Abby alive. Convinced he’ll be breaking a confidence, Sebastian refuses to cooperate with the police, forcing Lucy to put her skills to the test to save her brother’s good name.

Enter the town’s new hotshot deputy, Travis Fontaine. Travis doesn’t want an amateur like Lucy snooping around his turf, so he offers her a deal. He’ll stay out of her kitchen if she’ll stay away from his crime scene. But Lucy isn’t about to let her brother’s fate rest in the hands of an arrogant cop. Good thing she has her best friend Will and her new little rescue dog, Paco, to back her up, because its up to Lucy to figure out what everyone in the quaint little beachside town is hiding.


Author Bio
Maria Geraci writes quirky, fun, romantic women’s fiction and cozy mysteries. She’s a two time RITA® Finalist, as well as a finalist in the National Readers’ Choice Awards and Romantic Times’ American Title Contest. She lives in central Florida and is always on the lookout for the perfect key lime pie recipe (but not the kind they served on Dexter).

Author Links
Website – http://mariageraci.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MariaGeraciBooks
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2869532.Maria_Geraci
BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-geraci
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/authormariageraci/

Purchase LinkAmazon

Giveaway
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