Monday, August 31, 2009

Wrapping Up August

I have seen several bloggers "wrap up" the ends of each month. I thought I might give it a go this month too. I've had many ask me how many books I've read or how many pages I've made it through in a month. I have been tracking it and will continue to do so!!

I read a total of 3034 pages in August. I'm a little impressed by this because I didn't think I'd do that well with school starting on August 3!! I finished the August Reading Challenge sponsored by Peter and exceeded my goal much better than I thought I would! I've had a good August!

Here's what I've read with my ratings (click on title to go to my review):

5 stars:
The Reluctant Cowgirl by Christine Lynxwiler
Cowboy Christmas by Mary Conneally
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

4 stars:
Horrid Harry Tricks the Tooth Fairy by Francesca Simon
Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz by Belinda Costas
Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson
How It Ends by Laura Weiss
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Cookie by Lisa Woomer
Davey Bighead: Dream Big by Peter J Hayden

3 stars:
Wally the Walking Fish Meets Madison and Cooper
by Gary Lamit

My overall monthly average on the books I've read is 4.33. Overall, a great book month! How was yours?

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Mailbox Monday




Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page each Monday so that other book lovers and bloggers can see and comment on what's in the mailbox. Thanks Marcia for a great way of posting our new (or new to us) books!!

Have you read a book on my list? Please comment on it. It's possible I will use your comment and link back to you when I post my review of a particular book!

Here's what was in my box this week:

To Review:
What's He Really Thinking? by Paula Rinehart
Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

Purchased:
Chosen by Ted Dekker
Sweet Harmony by Janice Hanna
Heath's Choice by Terry Fowler
All That Glitters by Lynette Sowell
Picture Bride by Yvonne Lehman
A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi (I've been wanting this one for awhile!)
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (recommended by Alaina)
Ruby Among Us by Tina Forkner (bought because I won Rose House)
Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Chaos by Ted Dekker


Giveaway Books I Have Won:



What's in your box this week?


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Saturday, August 29, 2009

Waiting is so hard to do sometimes!!


April 1, 2010...mark your calendars now!! One of my favorite authors, Candace Calvert, will release her second book, Disaster Status!!! This book is about a firefighter, Capt. McKenna and will continue the story of Erin, the ER Charge Nurse.

I can't tell you just how excited I am about this book!! It's 7 months and 2 days away....can I wait that long?!?!

Pre-order your copy today!!!


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Wally the Walking Fish: Meets Madison and Cooper by Gary Lamit

Wally the Walking Fish: Meets Madison and Cooper Wally the Walking Fish: Meets Madison and Cooper by Gary Lamit


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This cute little book is about a young girl named Madison and her dog Cooper. Madison goes fishing and meets several different kinds of fish. One of the neat things about this book is that it describes the different kinds of fish to the reader. The illustrations are very well done in this book as well. I would recommend this book for ages 4-8.

View all my reviews >>

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Cookie by Lisa Woomer

Cookie Cookie by Lisa Woomer


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What happens when all you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is cookies? Why, you turn into a cookie of course!! Catherine ate so many cookies that her family and friends even started calling her "Cookie". What's the cure? Well, read this book and find out!

Recommended for children ages 2-7.

View all my reviews >>

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Davey Bighead: Dream Big by Peter J Hayden

Davey BigHead: Dream Big Davey BigHead: Dream Big by Peter J. Hayden


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a super cute book about overcoming disabilities. Davey has a really big head. He can't put his shirt on normally, kids can't see behind him in class, and he is "out" in dodgeball right after it starts. He comes up with a creative way to deal with his big head and it's a huge "hit" with everyone at school! I would recommend this series for children aged 2-7.

This is the first book in a series by Peter J Hayden. For more information, check out the website www.daveybighead.com

Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy of this book.

View all my reviews >>

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City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments, #2) City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
City of Ashes is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I was itching to start this one right away after finishing the first book, City of Bones.

I really can't say much about this book without giving a lot of way so this will be a very brief review. I LOVED this book. Don't get me wrong, the first book was good, but this one was AWESOME! There was a lot more action and the reader sees more of Valentine in this book. This book also goes into more detail about the Clave and it's rules.

My least favorite character, who I grew to love a little towards the end of the book is the Inquisitor. My favorite character is Simon. I just love the story line of his life. It's so bittersweet!

The one thing I despised about this book is the ending. Thank goodness I have City of Glass sitting next to me so I won't have to wait long for some answers!!!

View all my reviews >>

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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Word Verification Balderdash

balderdash

This is the weekly meme where Sheila encourages anyone who wishes to play along to take those crazy word verifications they have had over the past week and apply a fake definition to them (much like how you play the board game Balderdash). This is all in fun and makes commenting on blogs a bit more interesting when the verification may just give you the best definition of the week! See original post here

Here are mine:

balliste: a disease from handling too many volleyballs

synardog: a really ugly dog that's a mix between a pit bull and a pug

bewled: another term for spew/vomit/throw up

patophi: what it's called when you flatten phyllo

uncess: the opposite of success

flypedg: a flying thumb tack

ferswa: the Georgia version of "fur sure"

dumar: What I should be doing...I want to dumar instead of less.

amsup: When you have breakfast for dinner

yakersin: What I do when the kids misbehave...I yankersin to calm them down

prolot: In favor of a lot

preattio: My little girl is preattio!

sistenes: Teenage sisters

warkeen: The sound teenage sisters make when they have a slumber party

pedyspol: A spool of thread spun with your toes

restsw: Sleeping in the southwest

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Teaser Tuesday





Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!!

In the rapidly falling twilight, his hair looked coppery gold. "Your friend's poetry is terrible," he said.
Clary blinked, caught momentarily off guard. "What?"
"I said his poetry was terrible. It sounds like he ate a dictionary and started vomiting up words at random."


Taken from City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

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Monday, August 24, 2009

Super Comments Award


This award comes from Jessica over at A Book Lover's Diary

Jessica is one of the most generous bloggers out there! She gives out a ton of awards each go-round! If you don't know her, be sure to check out her blog. She's super sweet!

Now for the opportunity to pass this along to others...

Lesley

Hodgepodge


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Mailbox Monday




Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page each Monday so that other book lovers and bloggers can see and comment on what's in the mailbox. Thanks Marcia for a great way of posting our new (or new to us) books!!

Have you read a book on my list? Please comment on it. It's possible I will use your comment and link back to you when I post my review of a particular book!

Here's what was in my box this week:

To Review:
Godmother by Caroline Sturgeon
The Blue Pen by Lisa Rusczyk

Purchased:
Renegade by Ted Dekker
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosney
Fearless by Robin Parrish
Merciless by Robin Parrish
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham
Infidel by Ted Dekker

Giveaway Books I Have Won:
Rose House by Tina Forkner
If Tomorrow Never Comes by Marlo Schalesky


What's in your box this week?


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Sunday, August 23, 2009

Great News for Fans of The Mortal Instruments Series!!!!

I saw this today and just had to share!!! Check out the full article here...

There's going to be a fourth Mortal Instruments book. I'm going to paste in the news from the press release here. Keep in mind that everyone sounds like a jerk in press releases for some reason.

New York, NY, August 24, 2009—Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, has acquired City of Fallen Angels, a fourth book in Cassandra Clare’s bestselling young adult fantasy series, The Mortal Instruments, which has over 1 million books in print. The story follows Simon, a character from the first three Mortal Instruments novels, City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass, as he adjusts to life as a vampire. City of Fallen Angels will publish in hardcover in March 2011, followed by a paperback edition in July 2012.

Love, blood, betrayal and revenge — the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels. Simon Lewis is having some trouble adjusting to his new life as a vampire, especially now that he hardly sees his best friend Clary, who is caught up in training to be a Shadowhunter—and spending time with her new boyfriend Jace. Not to mention that Simon doesn't quite know how to handle the pressure of not-quite-dating two girls at once. What's a daylight-loving vampire to do? Simon decides he needs a break and heads out of the city—only to discover that sinister events are following him. Realizing that the war they thought they'd won might not yet be over, Simon has to call on his Shadowhunter friends to save the day — if they can put their own splintering relationships on hold long enough to rise to the challenge.

“Simon has always been one of my favorite characters to write about, and I’m excited to get the chance to tell his story while revisiting some of the other characters that I love form The Mortal Instruments series,” said Cassandra Clare. “The enthusiasm for telling Simon’s story that I’ve received from the team at McElderry Books and Simon & Schuster has been great and I’m excited to be working with them to bring a fourth book to the series.”


Also, keep in mind that — despite the apparent finality of press releases — release dates and titles are all subject to change.

You know you want to comment....go ahead....I'm probably just as excited as you are!!! I've just started book 2 earlier tonight, but all the same, I'm totally stoked!!!
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A Cowboy Christmas by Mary Connealy

Cowboy Christmas Cowboy Christmas by Mary Connealy


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
How willing are you to pick up your cross DAILY and live for the Lord? Annette was willing to do this and then some! Lost in a world of what she thought was a great mission work, Annette soon learns that not everyone who says they are believers really are. Claude and Blanche let her know that pretty quickly.

Annette isn't about to let these two bring her down and ruin her faith. With a tragic situation on hand, Annette finally chooses to escape her current situation and try to better herself.

She's been away from home for six years and Annette is ready to see the ranch and Pa. Several of the townsfolk try to warn her about her ranch and what she may or may not see. Most townsfolk aren't fond of Pa. Little does Annette know, this is yet another cross to pick up and carry.

This book has several tragic starts but has a heartwarming lesson about sticking to the faith and doing what is right. Annette solely leans on the Lord and brings a cowboy to a new found version of life with crosses.

This was my first read by Mary Connealy. I've seen many reviews for her other works and when I saw this on netgalley.com, I couldn't pass it up! I'm so glad that I didn't! She is now on my list of authors to read more of! Coincidentally, I have 3 other books of hers sitting next to me as I write this!

Be sure to check out this great read when it is released on Sept. 1!

View all my reviews >>

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Proximity Award


proxaward

A huge thanks goes out to Sheila for this award. Please visit her blog and enjoy a cup of coffee while doing so. She has one of the neatest blogs I frequently visit!

Being a recipient of this award affirms that this blog invests and believes in the Proximity – nearness in space, time and relationships.

This blog receives this great award as a further way to re iterate that it is exceedingly charming, and aims to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!

I would like to bestow this wonderful award on the following:

Rebecca

Staci

Amy



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Saturday, August 22, 2009

The Lemonade Award


By Trin from Bloody Bad

The Lemonade Award is a feel good award that shows great attitude or gratitude. Here are the rules for accepting this award:
  • Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog or post.
  • Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.
  • Link your nominees within your post.
  • Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
  • Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.
This is a sweet and wonderful award, and I feel privileged to receive it! So without further ado, here are the blogs I'd like to pass this award on to:

  1. Alison
  2. Sheila
  3. Jessica
  4. Alaine
  5. Vicky
  6. Margaret
  7. Amy
  8. Lisa
  9. Melissa
  10. Jamie

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Show Me 5 Saturday




Alison over at That's a Novel Idea has decided to start a new MEME. This meme will give each blogger an opportunity to give a brief description of a book they have read or reviewed during the week.

It will work like this:
Each Saturday You will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1 Book you read and/or reviewed this week: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
2 Words that describe the book:
Paranormal Romance
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:
Clary, Jace, and Valentine
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:
1. My favorite line is just hilarious (you'll see it in my review!) 2. I don't like Valentine...or Luke...or Hodge 3. I love the description of Idris. I might want to go there! 4. I dislike the story line for Clary!!! WAHHHH! My opinion might change after I read the next book though. I'll hold out on it for now...
5 Stars or less for your rating?
4.8 Read it, you know you want to! :)

If you would like to become a part of this meme, please join in! Alison would love to have you! Create your post and then let her know the link and she'll add you to the linky list!

Thanks Alison for a super fun Saturday meme!
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North! Or Be Eaten and Saturday Morning Cartoons


This week the Kidz Book Buzz Tour is featuring the second book in the Wingfeather Saga, North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson.

It's Saturday morning and if your kids are anything like mine, they are perusing the channels for some great Saturday morning cartoons. Our favorites are Veggie Tales, My Friend Rabbit, 3-2-1 Penguins, and Turbo Dogs. These are all great cartoons, but imagine if you will, seeing a cartoon made out of this book!! I would LOVE it!! Some of the creatures you would see...

Bomnubble
Snickbuzzard
Bumpy Digtoad
Toothy Cow (I think this one is my personal favorite although I wouldn't want to meet one!!)
Horned Hound
A Fang of Dang
Quill Diggle (I love the sound of this one!)
Chorkney

If you would like to see what each of these look like, please visit the Creaturepedia! The author also accepts artwork from fans and displays it on his page. I think that is really rocking awesome!! Check out the artwork here!


Be sure to check out these other bloggers on tour this week!


The 160 Acre Woods, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Book Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, My Own Little Corner of the World, My utopia, Novel Teen, Olive Tree, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes
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Friday, August 21, 2009

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments, #1) City of Bones by Cassandra Clare


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have heard several things about this series from different students of mine. They all told me it was a good series and I'm glad that I listened to them!! Overall, I'd rate this 4.7 stars!

Clary is your "typical teenager" who likes to go to parties and hang out with her friends. It's a party at the Pandemonium that starts a series of problems for Clary. She runs into all sorts of non-human creatures and finds out that she may not be all human either.

This book has a lot of adventure, romance, and a few comedic scenes. One of my favorite conversations is between Jace and Clary at a poetry reading...

"Your friends poetry is terrible," he said.
Clary blinked, caught momentarily off guard. "What?"
"I said his poetry was terrible. It sounds like he ate a dictionary and started vomiting up words at random."


I think you'd like this book if you enjoy urban and paranormal fantasies. Thanks Mindi for hooking me up with this series!!!

View all my reviews >>

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North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson: Author Spotlight


This week the Kidz Book Buzz Tour is featuring the second book in the Wingfeather Saga, North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson. Today is a spotlight on the author himself. Not only is Andrew Peterson a wonderful children's author, he is also a musician!

Taken from the author's website:


Frederick Buechner said, “The story of one of us is the story of us all.”

Perhaps this explains why we are drawn to great storytellers, why we yearn for connection with those whose own stories seep with imagination.

Singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson fits inside both of those categories. And the most recent chapter for this prolific storyteller includes a stunning new album, Resurrection Letters, Volume II.

Since completing his last album, The Far Country, independently, Peterson recently signed on with Nashville-based Centricity Music for the Resurrection Letters, Volume II release. His career accomplishments, including the Top 10 radio hit "Nothing to Say" and a Dove Award nomination for his song "Family Man,” make Peterson a reputable addition to Centricity’s roster. The respect, according to Peterson, is mutual.

“The thing that first drew me to Centricity was that they like and believe in my music. That seems kind of silly, like it should go without saying that a label would actually care deeply about your songs, but you'd be surprised how often they just don't. This new situation feels like I'm part of a team,” explains Peterson. “I wanted to do everything I could to get these new songs into the world to do their work.”

The idea for Resurrection Letters, Volume II came to Peterson unexpectedly last Holy Week while writing a series of meditations for his website, andrew-peterson.com. One of his online readers called those writings “resurrection letters”, and a light went on. “I knew I wanted that to be the title of the album, but I didn't know why,” says Peterson. “Then I saw that the songs I was writing were mostly connected by that theme.”

The songs flowed in the days and weeks to follow, lyrics mostly about death and rebirth, about the way that picture pervades all of creation. It wasn’t long before Peterson had returned to local Nashville recording spots (with befitting literary names like Mole End Studio and Night Owl’s Nest) to begin tracking. As with his preceding two albums, Andy Gullahorn and Ben Shive, the co-producers and fellow sojourners he calls the Captains Courageous, accompanied Peterson.

“I've been making music with Ben and Andy for years now, and we've found a good rhythm,” Peterson says. “They're both exceptional musicians and songwriters, men from whom I have learned a lot, both about music and about God. They were around when all these songs were being written, and even co-wrote several of them with me, so there was never really much choice in my mind about who would produce the album.”

Throughout his dozen-year career, Peterson has managed to attract a remarkable cast of musicians to his projects. Alison Krauss and Ron Block of Union Station are previous contributors, and for Resurrection Letters, Volume II he called upon folk artist Pierce Pettis for vocal backing and the legendary Stuart Duncan to bow his fiddle on a song. The recording also features Jill Phillips, Andrew Osenga (Caedmon’s Call), Gary Burnette, Don Chaffer (Waterdeep), multi-instrumentalist Gabe Scott, percussionist Ken Lewis, and of course Peterson’s prodigious collaborator, Shive, who produced, played piano, and conceived the album’s lush string arrangements.

“One of the most exciting things that we were able to do was the choir,” Peterson says. “Ben [Shive] and I had the idea to record a choir for the end of the song ‘The Good Confession,’ so we put the word out that we were looking for people to sing on the record. People drove and flew from all over the country, many of them people I recognized from our shows. We gathered about forty folks who had never heard this song, and recorded them singing, ‘I believe He is the Christ, Son of the Living God.’ It was beautiful. Hearing that choir enter at the end of the song is my favorite moment on the record.”

During the recording though, Peterson realized that he had more to say. He recalls, “Folks have asked me over the years if I'd consider putting together an Easter album, something similar to Behold the Lamb of God” (his popular Christmas project and accompanying annual tour). “I've resisted that because I feel like Behold the Lamb is in some ways as much an Easter celebration as a Christmas one. I felt good about this album, the sound of it, and the songs I had written. But one day I woke up feeling like this was the second half of the story. These songs are about our lives in the wake of Christ's resurrection. Not until I was mostly finished with this record did I realize that I still want to write an album about the actual death and resurrection of Jesus.”

For this reason (and because he liked the quirkiness of the idea), Peterson decided to label the project as Volume II. Volume I will be the follow-up, though it has yet to be written.

Peterson’s songs have long centered on family and faith, and Resurrection Letters, Volume II offers no exception. “All Things New”, the first single, is at the heart of the album. According to the artist, the song offers an invitation to believe in the stories of Christ, in His promise to purify us from the inside out.

“When at Easter we sing, ‘Christ the Lord is Risen Today,’ we're proclaiming that He is the resurrection and the life. It isn't just something that happened, or just something that's going to happen--it's happening now. The sun is always rising somewhere,” Peterson says. “I know that if I'm able to keep my eyes open, to really pay attention to the days as I move through them, there's a wealth of inspiration.”

That inspiration also found its way into another song, "Windows in the World,” which carries the theme deeper. “God litters our paths with little moments of truth, signs along the way that speak of His purposes,” he continues. “Sometimes those signposts, or bread crumbs, are general, like the change of seasons, the way a seed falls to the earth, dies, and rises again. Other times those signs are very specific, like the sacraments of Communion and marriage. These are pictures that God uses to remind us that we are called to a deep and lasting relationship with Him.”

When not pouring imagery into his songs, Peterson focuses on another kind of writing. Last March, Waterbrook Press published the author’s first fantasy novel, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, to critical acclaim. Garrison Keillor’s News from Lake Wobegon and The Chronicles of Narnia, along with bedtime tales Peterson spun for his daughter Skye and two sons Aedan and Jesse, inspired the book. In fact, he’s has already begun penning the second installment of the Wingfeather Saga series. In 2007, a richly illustrated children’s book, The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats (Thomas Nelson), became a visual companion to Peterson’s song of the same name. In addition, he’s been lending his diverse talents to the VeggieTales establishment, co-writing three children’s songs with solo artist and friend, Randall Goodgame.

Many would consider the current setting of Peterson’s multi-faceted work somewhat idyllic. Last year, he relocated his family of five to a charming little house on the side of a hill just south of Nashville. The storybook dwelling offers a respite from the artist’s hectic schedule, while also quenching the boyish side of Peterson, always thirsty for a new adventure.

“There are woods to play in, a front porch to palaver from, and rabbits and deer aplenty. We call it the Warren--a fancy name for a rabbit hole--because of the rabbits in the yard and the fact that I had just finished Watership Down when we bought the place,” Peterson says. “Junipers, hackberry trees, and white oaks abound, not to mention the pumpkins, apple trees, and blueberry bushes we planted. There's a dried up pond, a tree house, a front porch swing, and our oldest friends in Nashville as neighbors. We’re very grateful.”

Usually found with his hands dipped inside several honey pots at once, Peterson has also launched an online artists’ community known as The Rabbit Room (www.rabbitroom.com). Here songwriters, artists, and authors converge to share ideas. Music can be heard, new and used books from favorite writers can be purchased. It’s a place where imagination roams free and connection is made, two elements that seem to permeate everything Peterson touches.

“To love, to hope, to dream is to exercise the imagination, and the more you use it the bigger and better it becomes,” says the writer. “I try to be constantly aware of the gift it is to be alive, to recognize that the world is full of surprises, that God isn't hiding behind the curtain like the Wizard of Oz, concealing Himself because He's smaller than what He projects. Instead, the veil that conceals God's fullness exists because of his mercy, because our minds couldn’t contain him and would probably fry to a crisp. He shows himself to us in small doses, urging our imaginations to expand that we might find ourselves lost in wonder, truly awake and able to see the world not just as it is but as it will one day be.”



Be sure to check out these other bloggers on tour this week!


The 160 Acre Woods, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Book Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, My Own Little Corner of the World, My utopia, Novel Teen, Olive Tree, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes
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How It Ends by Laura Weiss + Giveaway

How It Ends How It Ends by Laura Wiess


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"I would not willingly peel back the scar tissue protecting the deepest chambers of my heart and reveal the bruised hollows pooled with the blood of old wounds---the terror that just thinking about it---but now, facing darkness I am left with no choice. I love you, and because of that I am going to try and raise the dead." ---Louise Bell Closson

This is one of the most haunting books I've read this year. The twists and turns will keep you wondering from the minute you start reading this book until you know How It Ends.

I was intrigued most about Laura Wiess's use of an audiobook within a book. There were times I became confused about which story we were on but it all ties in together. I've never read a book even remotely close to this and really enjoyed it!

Hanna is your almost typical teenager. She thinks Seth is the bomb diggity and can't imagine her life without him. She also thinks a lot of her neighbor, Gran. As she grows older, Hanna spends less and less time with Gran, which causes a lot of heartache on both sides. I found myself feeling sorry for Gran and her loneliness. A school project helps Hanna to find her way back into spending more time with Gran and learning more about her life growing up.

I found myself at times not wanting to know how this book would end. I laughed, I wanted to throw the book at certain characters, and I bawled like a baby. I believe I may have experience every imaginable emotion during my reading of this book.

It is written for young adults but I know that "older" adults would enjoy it just as well, if not more so. I do rate this book PG-13 for some very strong language and some suggestive scenes. I don't guess I recognized that this was a YA book until I was reading the author's interview and the discussion questions.

Be patient while reading this book (it's hard to do in this one with all the twists and turns!) and by the end, you will know How It Ends. Like it, love it, or hate it, the book does end!

Thanks to Sarah at Pocket Books for providing this copy for review and giveaway.

Please check out these other reviews this week!

My Book Views: my-book-views.blogspot.com
Book Soulmates: http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/
A Journey of Books: http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/
Just Jennifer Reading: http://justjenniferreading.blogspot.com/
Debbie’s World of Books: http://debbiesworldofbooks.com/
All About {n}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/
Chick with Books: www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com
Bookin’ with Bingo: http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
Booksie’s Blog: http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/
Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
Blog Business World: http://www.blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/
Books and Needlepoint: http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/
Bella’s Novella: http://www.bellasnovella.com/
Frugal Plus: http://frugalplus.com/
Eclectic Book Lover: http://www.eclecticbooklover.com
My Own Little Corner of the World: http://molcotw.blogspot.com/
Chick Loves Lit: http://www.chickloveslit.blogspot.com/
Poisoned Rationality: http://lastexilewords.blogspot.com/
So Many Books, So Little Time: http://purplg8r-somanybooks.blogspot.com/
Beth’s Book Review Blog: http://bethsbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/
Park Avenue Princess: http://aparkavenueprincess.blogspot.com/
Half Deserted Streets: http://www.halfdesertedstreets.com/
Power in the Blog: http://jesharris.wordpress.com/
Metroreader: http://metroreader.blogspot.com/
Crazy for Books: http://crazy-for-books.blogspot.com/
Angieville: http://angieville.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews >>


Contest Rules:
To enter, respond and tell me about someone that has meant a lot to you in your life that was not physically related to you.

For me this would be my "Aunt Faffy". In a lot of ways, she reminded me of Helen. In a lot of other ways, she was nothing like her.

Rules:
1. Please include your email address with your answer, so that I can contact you if you win. You will have 3 days to respond to the email. You must put your email address in the comments or your entry is invalid. Format like faithfulgirl4[at]gmail[dot]com
2. For an extra entry, sign up to be a follower. If you're already a follower, let me know and you'll get the extra entry as well.
3. For another extra entry, subscribe via googlereader, blogger or by email and let me know that you do.
4. For another entry, blog about this giveaway and send me the link.
5. For another entry, Tweet about this contest and include @faithfulgirl along with website link.
6. For another entry, enter to win another of my giveaways and tell me that you have entered by leaving a comment here as to which one.
7. Leave a separate comment for each entry or you'll only be entered once.

The contest is limited to US and Canada only. No P.O. boxes. The contest ends at 11:59 pm EST on September 14, 2009.

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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Thursday Thunks: Stupid Questions We Love to Answer


Welcome to the August 20th version of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Berleen, the number ziltch and the color of spider webs.

1. Your thoughts on hunting? I don't have a problem with it, as long as you are not hunting me! :)

2. Swine Flu vaccine... will you get it?

3. What is one job/profession that you think there are just too many of? politicians

4. I want to go on a diet, what advice will you offer me? avoid refined sugars!!

5. You are going out on a date with someone for the very first time. When you get into their car, you see a box of condoms on the floor. What do you do? get out of the car and run away. I'm not into that the first time.

6. Name something in your bathroom that shouldn't be there. Boxes

7. What was your Kindergarten teacher like? Mrs. Davis was one of the sweetest people I've ever met. I still have a lot of my stuff from kindergarten.

8. What kind of oil do you use when you cook? canola

9. If someone takes an unflattering picture of you and posts it online, do you beg them to take it down or do you laugh at yourself with everyone else? Beg, plead, pay lots of money

10. What brand of dishwashing soap do you use? Dawn

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North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson


This week the Kidz Book Buzz Tour is featuring the second book in the Wingfeather Saga, North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson.

This is my first read by Andrew Peterson. It will not be my last however! This is the second book in a series and I was a bit concerned that I might be a little behind. However, the author does such a great job with this book that I don't feel like I've missed anything. (I may have and just not known it though!)

This is quite the adventure with all sorts of interesting characters (we'll discuss them on Friday). The goal of the Igiby children is to make it Aerwair. Alive. Safely. Can they do it? Of course they can...but not without the help of a few friends (and enemies) along the way.

This is a great book for any one of any age. It is a young adult book but as a parent, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As my children (ages 5 and 3) get older, I will pass it down to them to read and read it to them myself. I loved the vivid descriptions of the scenery and creatures, not to mention just the story itself.

Overall, I give this read 4 out of 5 stars!!


Be sure to check out these other bloggers on tour this week!


The 160 Acre Woods, A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Homeschool Book Buzz, KidzBookBuzz.com, My Own Little Corner of the World, My utopia, Novel Teen, Olive Tree, Reading is My Superpower, Through a Child’s Eyes


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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

And the Winner of OFFWORLD is...


Before I tell you who the winner is, I just want to thank each of you who commented!! This was the most popular book giveaway that I've hosted yet!! It was great learning more about each of you and where you'd love to visit!

Now, the moment you've been waiting for...

ImageChef.com

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A-Z Wednesday: B




Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!! This is a great new meme started by Vicki over at Reading at the Beach! Be sure to let her know you are joining in and she'll make sure that others are linked to you!

To join, here's all you have to do:
Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back here and leave your link in the comments
Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment.
(We all love comments, don't we?)
Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.

THIS WEEKS LETTER IS: B



Taken from Amazon.com:

Product Description

Following up on Sally John’s bestselling Beach House series (The Beach House and Castles in the Sand—nearly 45,000 in combined sales) is a brand–new Beach House book from veteran Harvest House novelist Trish Perry.

Tiffany LeBoeuf recently lost her mother to cancer. Still grieving, Tiffany seeks rest for her body and soul at a cozy beach house in San Diego. A scheduling mix–up causes a double booking, and Tiffany ends up sharing the house with a woman named Eve. When Eve’s boyfriend, Jeremy, arrives to surprise Eve, he’s surprised to see Tiffany as well. He settles in at the beach house next door, and what happens after that surprises them all.

A fun, contemporary romance about how God uses even our mistakes to bring about His divine purposes. Beach Dreams is the perfect get–away read.


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