Mardi Gras Books

This book is just great. Once I started reading it I couldnt put it down. This book is so good I found myself trying to find the time to read it. and I was so disappointed when I finshed because I didnt have another book as good as this one to read, so I had to read it again. It has a great flow to the story line with a continuos flow of things happening that keeps you wanting more. So I odered another book by this author.I just cant wait for it to arrive.

This is a delightful romp. The characters are well written, interesting, and fun to hang out with. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I would love to hear what happens with Jack's two brothers and his sister. I sure hope there will be sequels.

I loved this story and would recommend it highly. It's wonderfully romantic and very sweet.

The only thing I'm bummed about is that I can't find the sequel book anywhere - "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy". I saw it once on a site for download and went there after reading this first book - in order to buy it too - and it was gone. It disappeared. I hope I find it eventually.

A series of these books would be fabulous!

Thank you Dear Authoress.

Bethany Dodson is a little rich girl; but she doesn't want to be. Because her father has forced her into an engagement to further his business interests she goes to Las Vegas with her girlfriends in an attempt to find a man she can marry quickly, get a name change and start a new life.

Jack Johnson is in Las Vegas in an attempt to meet and marry a woman, but from different reasons than Bethany. Jack has to marry to gain his inheritance. Jack and his brothers have a ranch in Montana. Their inheritance will help turn the ranch into a dude ranch, something Jack has always wanted. When he meets Bethany in a bar he's intrigued. And the next thing he knows they're married.

Bethany goes with Jack to Montana, where she helps him obtain his inheritance in a much different way than he anticipated. Then Jack helps Bethany deal with her problems in his own way. But can these two people from totally different lifestyles keep their marriage for convenience only, or will they form feelings for each other?

Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off is a fun, entertaining read. Bethany and Jack's journey toward love was a hot, tantalizing ride. Jack's reaction to the fact that Bethany is a virgin is sweet and made my heart go soft. Bethany is surprisingly grounded for someone who grew up as a spoiled little rich girl. Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off takes readers on a stimulating ride.

Amelia
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Bethany needs to escape her family and fiancée and disappear - fast! Easier said than done, when you are the daughter of a rich and powerful man determined to keep up appearances for the sake of his political career.

Jack is in Las Vegas looking for a wife. With a will stipulating Jack won't come into his inheritance until he is married for three months, Jack's grandfather has left Jack desperate.

When Jack and Bethany meet over a bottle of Patron tequila, they seem the answers to each other's prayers - a theory furthered when they stumble into a wedding chapel accidentally! Jack's remote ranch appears to Bethany to be the perfect place to hide from her family with a new name to cover her trail. Jack believes that Bethany, being the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the country, will easily relinquish any claims to his inheritance when they divorce in three months. Neither expected to fall in love.

When their secrets are exposed and Bethany's family finds them, will their love be strong enough to keep them together or will they lose everything?

This was a truly great read! Cara North proves she has a captivating writing style with Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off, spinning a contemporary tale of love between two people who thought they'd never find it and have resigned themselves to a business relationship.

Jack is the cowboy every little girl and grown woman wants to find for herself! Sweet, sexy, and very randy, he easily steals a woman's heart without even trying!

Bethany personifies that woman inside of all of us - yearning to break free and find that wild woman inside herself after a lifetime of being isolated and ignored by her family. Watching her learn to let go is absolutely heartwarming.

Cara North has thoughtfully paved the way for future sequels should she choose to follow up Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off, by giving Jack two brothers, each of whom have their own romantic woes. Brothers Heath and Rafe are equally as hunky and strong as Jack, but their romantic troubles are vastly different. The author has cleverly allowed us peeks into Heath's and Rafe's relationships in this story, leaving the reader panting for more! In fact, she also leaves room for more of Jack and Bethany's story, without leaving the reader feeling as though this story is in any way unfinished. I look forward to reading more of Cara North's work, and fervently hope to see sequels to this one!


Series Order:
Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off
She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

It takes some time to settle the soul, after reading this gem. It seems so real because the author dares to take reality and bend it just enough to deliver a fantastic tale - in true soap opera fashion. To all the Lou's out there...don't settle for a Stonn. Head on down to Nawlin's and find your boogie on Bourbon Street!

You're worth it!!

What do a group of teens do when their disfunctional world is more dramatic than a daytime drama? They create their own soap. When main character, Rusty, has to deal with a bi-polar mom and an abusive stepdad, she turns to her friends for support. But when they continuously dump their problems on her, she avoids her own insanity by creating a role for each in a fictitious soap opera called Northgate Bay. Ms. Vaught is a master storyteller, and a genius at winding a plot that appeals to teens. No doubt Fat Tuesday is only the first of many excellent young adult novels we can look forward to from Susan Vaught.

What can I say but this book is absolutely amazing. From the very first line it caught my attention and never let me go until the very last page. Susan Vaught has masterfully penned this story, and it is absolutely a must read.

Please allow me a moment of gushing...I could not put Fat Tuesday down! It gripped me, held me, shook me around and didn't let me loose until it ended. Susan Vaught has a way of writing about difficult situations and making them yours; making you feel and want to react. This is an author not to be missed.

Ok, now for the nitty gritty. Fat Tuesday hosts a group of teens and their traumas that will grab hold of you, make you laugh [the soap opera notations whilst a result of a horrible reality can make you laugh as well, most especially the Mary Hartman reference had me howling], make you cry for lost innocence and make you proud when maturing and understanding comes along.

Fat Tuesday is a book about teens; their lives thus far, what the future holds for them and them taking hold of the reins for themselves. Does this mean that the adults in this book are all horrible, no, just all to real. This also means that Fat Tuesday is a book for parents just as much as it is for their teens.

Fat Tuesday is not to be missed and Susan Vaught should be added to your automatic buy lists...beautiful writer whose plotlines hold very tangible subject matters.

I finished this book last night, staying up much later than I meant in order to see the resolution of this multilayered story. It's a gritty tale in some respects, but Ms. Vaught handles tough issues with a deft hand, making the reader care about her characters. It goes beyond the standard teen angst book in many ways. I should mention there is humor as well, mostly in the form of Stonn, a blunt Finnish exchange student who had me laughing out loud. But mostly it's the story of Rusty, who must deal with her mother's mental illness, a suicidal friend, and her own budding sexuality. The action climaxes in the rich atmosphere of Mardi Gras, which Ms. Vaught captures quite well. Highly recommmended!

Mardi Gras to Mistletoe was a well-received gift and a great addition to my lady friend's cookbook collection. I have enjoyed the recipes she has used to prepare a number of fabulous meals. The photographs add visual appeal and a wonderful touch to a collection of mouth-watering recipes that add flavor to any occasion. Mardi Gras to Mistletoe is sure to inspire whether a novice or a well-seasoned cook. It is a must have. Mardi Gras to Mistletoe: A Cookbook of Festive Favorites from the Junior League of Shreveport-Bossier

This cookbook not only has great recipes, but the photography of the food and of the area is outstanding. The history of the area that is provided in the cookbook provides answers to questions about the origins of our traditions. I reviewed the recipes and they are among the top recipes of the area, including some from well known restaurants that were a delightful suprise (Superior's Queso). A variety of excellent recipes are provided, from TexMex to authenic Cajun. The crawfish corn soup (chowder) is wonderful. This cookbook would be a welcomed gift for someone who once lived in the area as well as for us natives who are still here.

The book not only has wonderful new recipes but it has a lot of history about Louisiana traditions in the copy. It is a very good book to read as well as to use for the recipes. It is a beautiful book that could easily be a coffee table book because the pictures are so wonderful. For cooking it has some difficult as well as easy recipes. I especially like the shrimp and grits casserole and the turnip green casserole.

This is a beautiful book that not only has great recipes but also has beautiful pictures of life in Shreveport-Bossier! The proceeds from the sale of this cookbook go to fund community events supported by the JLSB. My favorite recipe is the Chipolte Prawns with Goat Cheese Polenta which is a recipe straight from local favorite restaurant Bella Fresca! It is one of many "secret" recipes that are shared in this great text. Also, try the cranberry salsa, herbed tomatoes, and turtle candy. Enjoy!

I DESIGN MARDI GRAS COSTUMES. THIS BOOK HAS BEEN EVERY USEFUL FOR IDEAS

If you wish to view the real New Orleans carnival celebration, take a look through this window opened by its legendary artist/historian, Henri Schindler. Schindler is a local icon, the touchstone of this unique cultural expression. Students of cultural and social history as well as art lovers and designers will share delight in Schindler's masterful recreation, through well-researched and entertaining text and beautiful color plates, of the "golden age" of the celebration--an oeuvre to which Schindler adds annually through his own designs for several of the old-line carnival organizations, thus keeping alive the artistic and cultural tradition of which he writes in this and his previous books. The reader comes to know, through the insights of a true "insider", the meaning and spirit of the "real" Carnival.

This book is exquisite.
In New Orleans, Mardi Gras as practiced by the faithfull is the high holy event of the year. Mr. Schindler has documented the aesthetic traditions of the rites in a series of beautiful books- this is the lastest and focuses on costume designs from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The plates are all original drawings by the great designers of Carnivals' past (Mr. Schindler is the great designer of Carnivals present). New Orleans Mardi Gras is rooted in the aesthetic of 19th century Italian opera and this book has some truly surreal illustrations. Any Carnival faithfull, opera fan, theatre designer or just folks who love costume parties should love this book. It also stands as a serious work of art history- the talent and effort that go into mounting parades and tableaux balls in New Orleans get overlooked and all of Mr. Schindlers books on the subject document a rich history of artists and artisans who worked in the city and built its most revered tradition.

I guess if your only complaint about a book is that it's too short, that's not so bad.

I love this book. The pictures are terrific. I even used it to make a doll-sized Mardi Gras outfit. Definitely recommended.

I PERSONALLY KNOW JUST ABOUT EVERYONE MENTIONED IN THIS BOOK. CAROLYN DID A WONDERFUL JOB IN RELAYING OUR CULTURE INTO A BOOK. I REMEMBER WHEN SHE WAS INTERVIEWING SUSAN LAUNEY FOR THIS BOOK I ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE WITH CAROLYN'S WORK. I JUST RESENTLY SEEN CAROLYN WARE AT A FESTIVAL IN MONROE, LA AND SHE IS STILL WORKING HARDER THAN EVER TO PROMOTE CAJUN HISTORY. IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN OUR MARDI GRAS PLEASE RECOMEND THIS PARTICULAR BOOK. IT DESCRIBES OUR TRADITION (WHICH HAPPENS TO BE THE FIRST AND ORIGINAL MARDI GRAS) TO THE TEE. I APPLAUDE YOU CAROLYN WARE FOR YOUR MAGNIFISENT JOB ON THIS AND ALL OF YOUR WORK. I DO HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK ON CAJUN CULTURE BECAUSE I HAD TAKEN PART IN THIS ACTUAL BOOK. I LEARNED FROM MY FRIEND SUSAN LAUNEY HOW TO MAKE THE MASK IN THIS BOOK AND IT IS A REALLY NEAT AND INTERESTING ACTIVITY FOR ADULTS AND KIDS TO TAKE PART IN. THANK YOU CAROLYN FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND INTEREST IN OUR CULTURE. SEE YOU AT JAZZ FEST 2000 SINCERELY, RYAN FONTENOT

This is a lovely book about the history and traditions of a New Orleans tradition. It will appeal to young and old, black and white, especially now after Katrina when New Orleans people are trying so hard to hang on to what is left of their former lives and traditions.

My daughter and I both enjoyed this book. It has an interesting storyline as well as a view into the "real" Mardi Gras experience.

Very colorful and well done pictionary type book. My party guests seemed to all spend some time brushing up on their mardis gras knowledge.

This book beautifully describes the Mardi Gras tradition of Louisiana and defines things related to it. Did you know that a scepter is held by a ruler as a sign of authority? Now I do too.

Schindler, himself a treasure-trove of history and lore of New Orleans' "golden age", shares through lucid and eloquent essays and stunning color plates the story of the evolution of the Carnival street pageant, from its beginnings in pre-Civil War affluence to the great depression of the 1930s. He weaves a tapestry of social, political and economic events through the warp of the lives of the great artists and artistic movements that shaped the unique street parades of the New Orleans Carnival. From the sadly anonymous creator of the 1858 Comus pageant memorialized in the London Illustrated News through the accomplishments of prolific Virginia Wilkinson Wilde and the remarkable Plauche family in the last century, Schindler offers a rich chronicle of the men and women who created a unique art form that provided mass public entertainment long before the invention of the motion picture projector and cathode ray tube. Those of us who have enjoyed his prior publications, Mardi Gras and Invitations of the Golden Age will delight in this latest addition to the multi-layered history of New Orleans' pre-Lenten celebration. Readers new to Schindler's magic will eagerly await his next opus.

Mardi Gras Treasures charts the specialty parade floats of Carnival in New Orleans from 1870-1930, examining classic and artistic themes and recreating original float designs in watercolor and lithographs. The author, Henri Schindler, has himself designed Mardi Gras parades and balls for some time: his striking full-color illustrations will appeal to a wide audience, from float designers to artists with a special interest in New Orleans works and history.

Whether your interest is socio-cultural, historical or purely aesthetic, you will treasure Henri Schindler's latest passport to the "Golden Age" of the New Orleans Carnival celebration. Schindler, who is himself a treasure-trove of information on this subject, has put together a most interesting documentary providing an in-depth discussion of the historical roots of the pre-Lenten festival against a background of the artists, illustrators and patrons who gave the "Golden Age" its particular look and ambience. The quality of the color reproductions of the invitations that make up a major part of the book is most impressive. The color and clarity of these (mostly) art nouveau works comes across on each page, leaving the reader with the feeling that he or she has truly been a part of this romantic era.

Over two hundred invitations, dance cards and admit cards are assembled here in a coverage of the art work associated with the Mardi Gras which began in the 1870s and was marked by pageants and private balls. While Mardi Gras Treasures is a specialty collection of interest to those researching New Orleans collectibles and Mardi Gras collectibles in particular, many a reader will delight in these full-page illustrations.

When Rodger's wife dies with their unborn child in a car accident, he blames himself and enters a life of seclusion behind the gates of his tobacco mansion. Then one day...he offers a substantial reward to the person who can prove that spirits exist...and not just any spirit...he specifically wants proof positive for the ghost of his beloved wife.

Enter a set of spiritual women who met online and now bring their own backgrounds and beliefs to the task of finding the deceased Sarah Hawthorne. What I found intriguing about the book was the way each of the ladies accepted the other with open arms and open mind. It was uplifting to see a group come together for the purpose of loving and helping, even if they were just a fictional set of BFF. What I wish was that Mardi Gras Publishing had assigned an editor to this book! I could have stayed in the story and enjoyed being lost among the characters and the ghosts and the myriad rituals that the characters were intent on teaching me if I didn't have to skip past so many mistakes in format and style. What a shame...

But, to the authors' credit, they've built an uplifting tale with likeable gals who just want to get to the bottom of a love story gone awry. I was intrigued from page 1 and found myself flipping pages quickly to devour the storyline -- hook, line and sinker!

From Sandy Lender, "Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

The Search for the Million $$$ Ghost

By: Dorothy Thompson, Heidi AW Kaminski and Pamela Lawniczak

Mardis Gras Publishing, 2006

[...]

Loneliness can drive a person to do lots of things. But it can also bring old memories to the surface. One of those you've loved, those you yearned for and those you love still...

Reclusive billionaire Roger Hawthorne is a lonely man. Since the death of his young wife, Sarah Pemberton, in 1972, he has lived alone in the Hawthorne Estates in Hickory Heights North Carolina. For thirty years, he has grieved for his lost bride and for thirty years he has refused to move on, to let himself heal.

After thirty years of grief, Roger decides to take matters into his own hands. Appearing on a television talk show, Roger makes a plea: He will offer one million dollars to the person who can give him undeniable proof that ghosts exist. What he doesn't tell the television viewers is that he is hoping that he can finally contact Sarah, finally see her face again.

Five women respond to Rogers' plea: Shiloh Swallowtail, a psychic who lost her husband and feels lost on her new spiritual path. Ezra Anne Thornberry, a clairaudient who has visitations from a helpful ghost named Henri; Ezra is in desperate need of money to support her family. Brianna Campbell, just delving into the spiritual world, who misses her dead husband Rick. Pan Ryan, a psychic who feels as if life is moving around her too quickly. Peggy Maguire, a metaphysical Sunday school teacher, who is feeling smothered by her family while recovering from surgery. And Brooke Murphy, an herbal practitioner and Wiccan, who wants to find more time to devote to her photography.

Each woman is looking for a change in her life and they're hoping that this could be it, the change they were all wishing for. They should be careful what they wish for, however, as their wish is granted and will bring more change than any of them could have thought possible.

Roger Hawthorne invites them to the Hawthorne Estates and sets a challenge: they must provide undeniable proof that ghosts exist within a week's time or they go home empty handed. What none of them know is that the veil to the spirit world is thinner than they realize. Someone, or rather, something is waiting for them in Hickory Heights and will stop at nothing to get what it wants....

I can't stress enough how incredible The Search for the Million $$$ Ghost is. At first I was a little sceptical, as different writers have different writing styles and multi-author books are usually pretty choppy. I needn't have worried. From page one, this book flows beautifully and you can't tell where one author started and another author continued. The writing is flawless and the story pulls you in until it absorbs your entire world.

I loved the idea that, essentially, it was a book about spirituality and the existence of the spirit world. Normally, messages thinly disguised as novels have little to no story and the characters are nothing but mouth pieces to preach at readers. Nothing could be farther from the truth where The Search for the Million $$$ Ghost is concerned. The story is the main focus and the authors use the story to examine the spirit world and their beliefs. A truly refreshing concept.

The story, and its incredible characters, is the focus here. Each chapter gives us a deeper glimpse into one of the characters stories but all of the chapters flow together beautifully to tell us the complete story. Roving narrative has never been used more deftly and more enjoyably.

Believe it or not, The Search for the Million $$$ Ghost is also a touching love story. It examines what one man will do to find the woman who still claims his heart. If that isn't romance, I don't know what is. The novel is also a study of human relationships and how strangers, connected by the internet, interact with each other one they come face to face.

It also helped me examine my own beliefs about the spirit world. There is too much proof in this novel for a reader not to believe, for a reader not to know that there are spirits among us. It's a rare novel that makes you think and examine your own introspective beliefs. I haven't been this taken with a spiritual novel since Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. Thankfully The Search for the Million $$$ Ghost is a million times better.

This book has a lot on its plate: a ghost story, a love story, probing the consciousness of others, examining theories about the spirit world and the existence of ghosts, families and the ties that bond them, the strength of the human heart. But, incredibly, the authors juggle all these elements with deft hands while still delivering an incredibly satisfying, immensely readable ghostly tale.

As soon as I had finished The Search for the Million $$$ Ghost, I started it all over again. It's a fast and easy read and beautifully written. Indulge yourself and get a copy of this book. It will entertain you, it may frighten you and it will certainly change the way you look at the world around you. I can't tell you how good this book is. You'll have to read it for yourself.


Jamieson Wolf