A blog about books, music, movies and more…
This meme was created by Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek. You pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.
I’m sharing this song today not only because I love it, but because I had an experience this weekend that made me think of the poem.
by Dan Chabot
HOME IS WHERE THE HEARTSTRINGS ARE… Three troubled strangers gather on Christmas Eve to say farewell to a doomed old house, the secure shelter and refuge where each of them grew up over the course of 90 years. They all have warm, golden memories of youthful, magical Christmases here, and of the Rockwell-esque small town that nourished them as children. These old walls were witness to the stories of… …An elderly, feisty nun with life-searing experiences as a nurse in World War II, whose promiscuous youth still haunts her; …A depressed former Major League baseball pitcher who is contemplating a horrific act; …The hometown newspaper editor, still dealing with the tragic consequences of her long-ago teenage love affair. They are joined by their gracious host, the last owner of the house, whose own deep attachment has led her to stage this last homecoming for people who know it is not just a house, but a shrine of memories and echoes. But before it goes down to make way for a new bridge, this safe old sanctuary has surrendered some astonishing final secrets… Continue reading “Book Review: The Last Homecoming by Dan Chabot #Book Review #Christmas #WinterReads #UltimateReadingChallenge”
I was tagged by Whitney@WhitReadsLit for this Bookish Naughty or Nice Book Tag. Please check out Whitney’s awesome book blog for many amazing book reviews, book tags, memes, and more! Thanks, Whitney! ❤💚❤
Continue reading “Book Tag: Bookish Naughty or Nice Tag”
According to sixteen-year-old Zander Osborne, nowhere is an actual place—and she’s just fine there. But her parents insist that she get out of her head—and her home state—and attend Camp Padua, a summer camp for at-risk teens.
Zander does not fit in—or so she thinks. She has only one word for her fellow campers: crazy. In fact, the whole camp population exists somewhere between disaster and diagnosis. There’s her cabinmate Cassie, a self-described manic-depressive-bipolar-anorexic. Grover Cleveland (yes, like the president), a cute but confrontational boy who expects to be schizophrenic someday, odds being what they are. And Bek, a charmingly confounding pathological liar. Continue reading “Throwback Thursday: The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane #ThrowbackThursday #YoungAdult #BookReview”
by Julia Ash
When bioterrorism threatens to obscure humanity, one woman has the power to restore hope.
Ruby Spencer plans to resign from the U.S. Special Warfare Council. With an escalating Extinction Level Infection (ELI), the SWC needs the best minds acutely focused on the fight ahead. Yet motherhood has shifted her priorities. She’s preoccupied with her newborn’s health and safety. So resigning is the right choice.
For her last assignment, the SWC sends Ruby and husband Clay on a low-risk mission to Taiwan where they’ll consult with scientists analyzing the infection. Too bad Lt. Col. Quinton Oxford—the American Consulate’s embittered military attaché, is waiting in the shadows. Because Ox’s plans for the couple are everything but low-risk.
by Amy Wilson
When daydreamer Clementine discovers a mysterious house standing in the middle of town that was never there before, she is pulled towards it by the powerful sense of a mother she never knew. The place is full of snowglobes, swirling with stars and snow and each containing a trapped magician, watched over by Gan, the bitter keeper of the house. One of these is Dylan, a boy who teases her in the real world but who is now desperate for her help.
So Clem ventures into the snowglobes, rescuing Dylan and discovering her own powerful connection to the magic of these thousand worlds. Vowing to release the magicians from the control of their enchantments, Clem unknowingly unleashes a struggle for power that will not only put her family, but the future of magic itself in danger. Continue reading “Book Review: Snowglobe by Amy Wilson #BookReview #Snowglobe #ChildrensBooks @MacKidsBooks”
This meme was created by Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek. You pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.
I’m sharing Christmas music this month! Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Perry Como in my house. All my admiration for classic Christmas music stemmed from my grandparents who played Christmas records over the holidays as I was growing up. My grandfather would sing all the time. When listening to these records, it’s like they’re still here with me. Continue reading “Music Monday: The Perry Como Christmas Album #MusicMonday #ChristmasSongs #Christmas #PerryComo”
by Cyndy Drew Etler
For the readers of GO ASK ALICE, TWEAK, and DEAR NOBODY, Etler details her turbulent readjustment to life at home and high school after spending sixteen months in Straight, Inc. Advertised as a rehab program for troubled teens, in reality, Straight subjected Cyndy and her fellow Straightlings to cultlike brainwashing and bizarre “treatment” methods. Continue reading “Book Review: We Can’t Be Friends: A True Story by Cyndy Drew Etler #BookReview #AuthorInterview #NGEW2018”
I discovered Flower Friday last year while visiting Lorilin@Bugbugbooks and have been having a blast sharing some flower pictures and information. Please check out Lorilin’s blog if you haven’t already for book reviews and more!
Here are some delphinium from my vegetable garden. These were taken this past summer. I thought I’d save these for winter to share some color!
Continue reading “Flower Friday: Delphinium (Delphinium elatum) #FlowerFriday”
by Peter Scottsdale
From Bestselling Author Peter Scottsdale Comes His First Children’s Chapter For Ages 8 and Up
It’s Christmas Eve and Nathan’s cat is wrecking the holidays by destroying the Christmas tree. Fed up with Shadow’s antics, Dad wants the kitty out of the house – for good! So Nathan pleads for help in hope the magic of the holidays will allow him to keep his cat. In this enchanting tale (or should it be “tail?”), does Shadow change his misbehaving ways or will he ruin Christmas? Find out!
by Kate DiCamillo
Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering
A brave mouse, a covetous rat, a wishful serving girl, and a princess named Pea come together in Kate DiCamillo’s Newbery Medal–winning tale.
Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other’s lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out. Continue reading “Book Review: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo #BookReview #ChildrensBooks”
This meme was created by Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek. You pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.
It’s Christmastime again folks, and I’m so excited! I shared some Christmas tunes last year and I’ll do it again this month as well. This is my favorite time of year. I’ll admit, I was a little down this morning when WordPress informed me that they won’t be offering falling snow on our blogs this year. Ugh! Seriously? 😧😫😭 Not sure who made that decision, but phooey on them!
So…
When Scott Weiland came out with a handful of classic Christmas songs, I was so excited. I couldn’t believe it and fell in love with the whole album. For those of you who aren’t sure who Scott Weiland is, he was the lead singer and lyricist of Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, and a few other bands. He was also a solo artist. If you were listening to the radio a lot in the 90’s, you might still remember Stone Temple Pilot’s “Plush”, “Interstate Love Song”, or “Creep” which are still played today. Continue reading “Music Monday: Scott Weiland “Winter Wonderland” #MusicMonday #Christmas”
Happy Friday, everyone! We read some interesting children’s books this week. I was able to choose these from NetGalley and some have already been archived as I’m catching up. Here are my reviews for them below.
Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme created by Renee @ It’s Book Talk. This meme is an awesome way to share old favorites that were published over a year ago or even books that you’re finally reading after much time has passed. I have plenty of those to share! If you have your own Throwback Thursday recommendation feel free to jump on board. Please link back to her by using the link above.
by Debbie Macomber
Before beginning her dream job as sous chef in one of Seattle’s hottest new restaurants, Josie Avery takes a summer position cooking at a lakeside lodge in the remote Alaskan town of Ponder. Josie falls for the rustic charms of the local community–including Jack Corcoran, the crotchety keeper of Ponder’s famed sourdough starter, and, in particular, the quiet and intense Palmer Saxon, a famed master swordsmith.
Josie and Palmer become close during the long Alaskan summer days, but Josie knows that, come fall, she’ll be returning to reality and the career she’s worked so hard for. Palmer, on the other hand, would like nothing better than to make Josie his wife and to keep her in Ponder. But Josie can’t imagine abandoning her mother back in the Emerald City and sacrificing her career to stay in this isolated town–not even for a man she’s quickly coming to love. Continue reading “Book Review: Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber #BookReview #AlaskanHoliday #DebbieMacomber #Christmas”
This meme was created by Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek. You pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.
“I Could Have Lied”
Continue reading “Music Monday: Red Hot Chili Peppers “I Could Have Lied” #MusicMonday”
by Nora Decter
I was tagged by Abbey@ThreeCatsandaGirl for this awesome, new tag that she recently created. I enjoyed reading her answers for this tag. She’s so creative! Please check out Abbey’s blog if you haven’t yet. Thanks for thinking of me Abbey!
Continue reading “TAG: Give Thanks For All The Great Reads!”
This meme was created by Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek. You pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.
Continue reading “Music Monday: Pearl Jam “Garden” #MusicMonday #PearlJam #Grunge”
Contributors Mayana Itoeiz,Paul Cuuet, and Nathan Sacks
From Goodreads:
In this witty graphic novel, a community of forest animals trades scary rumors about a nearby wolf. Some critters have even gone into business selling wolf traps and anti-wolf fences. But when the wolf appears in a pair of striped underpants, everyone rethinks their fears. This is a heartwarming story about understanding differences, told with an oddball sense of humor.
By Melody Carlson
When Wendy Harper inherits her family’s beachside cottage in Seaside, Maine, she sees it as a way to finally pay off the debts that have mounted since her husband died. But before it can be sold, the neglected property must be renovated. She and her 12-year-old son Jackson move in–temporarily, she reminds him–in order to do the work themselves, even though Christmas is coming. The charming town, along with local craftsman Caleb Colton, pulls on both Wendy and Jackson, who even registers himself for school in a bid to get his mom to move them there permanently. Wendy knows that the most responsible thing to do is to sell the cottage and return to Ohio, but the lure of the sea is hard to resist.
Join award-winning author Melody Carlson for a Christmas story that will warm your heart and have you dreaming of your own enchanted seaside holiday. Continue reading “Book Review: A Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson #ChristmasBooks #FestiveReads”
by Kate DiCamillo
From two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo comes a story of discovering who you are — and deciding who you want to be.
When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn’t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home. But as Louisiana’s life becomes entwined with the lives of the people of a small Georgia town — including a surly motel owner, a walrus-like minister, and a mysterious boy with a crow on his shoulder — she starts to worry that she is destined only for good-byes. (Which could be due to the curse on Louisiana’s and Granny’s heads. But that is a story for another time.)
Called “one of DiCamillo’s most singular and arresting creations” by The New York Times Book Review, the heartbreakingly irresistible Louisiana Elefante was introduced to readers in Raymie Nightingale — and now, with humor and tenderness, Kate DiCamillo returns to tell her story.
by Luke P. Narlee
Adam Arthur has built his life on telling love stories. In the final moments before a surgery from which there is no guarantee of waking up, Adam’s mind is filled with the stories of an array of individuals: each one unique, each one connected.
A jaded woman tires of pretending her way toward a perfect match; a wife who, after years of contentment, suspects her husband of unfaithfulness; a young mother wonders at what juncture her life took the wrong track; two lovers find their fate in one another, even if it requires more than one lifetime to fulfill that destiny. These tales and more intertwine in Adam’s memory as he considers the rippling effect of choices made and chances taken.
Told with romantic mystery, urgency, and hope, Luke P. Narlee’s collection of stories captures brief, significant moments in his characters´ lives. These 13 narratives of the heart remind us there are things in life that just can´t wait. Continue reading “Book Review: This Can’t Wait by Luke P. Narlee #shortstories @lukenarlee #BookReview #ThisCantWait”
*Follow all of my updates on my Thyroid Healing Page by clicking here…*
On January 12th, I shared my book review for Thyroid Healing by Anthony William and I also shared my story about how I’ve struggled with anxiety and autoimmune disease. If you haven’t seen the original post and would like to read it, you can find it HERE. You can also follow all of my updates by clicking above. Continue reading “My Thyroid Healing Update #3 – Medical Medium Anthony William – Thyroid Healing & Liver Rescue #MedicalMedium #Thyroid Healing #AnthonyWilliam #LiverRescue”
by Neil Gaiman
“Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house. . . .”
When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous.
But there’s another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.
Coraline will have to fight with all her wit and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life. Continue reading “Book Review: Coraline by Neil Gaiman #BookReview #Coraline”
This meme was created by Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek. You pick a song that you really like and share it on Monday.
“Sit Next to Me”
Continue reading “Music Monday: Foster The People “Sit Next to Me” #MusicMonday”
Written by L. Frank Baum
Illustrated by W. W. Denslow
Journey to the spectacular land of Oz with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! This classic tale from L. Frank Baum has enchanted readers for over a century. Now, in this stunning hundredth anniversary edition featuring the original illustrations by W.W. Denslow, new readers will learn the power of the phrase “There is no place like home.”
In this hardcover edition with high-quality reproductions of the original art, follow the adventures of young Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto, as their Kansas house is swept away by a cyclone and they find themselves in a strange land called Oz.
Here she meets the Munchkins and joins the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion on an unforgettable journey to the Emerald City, where lives the all-powerful Wizard of Oz. Continue reading “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (100th Anniversary Edition)”
by Nicholas Sparks
In the romantic tradition of The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with a story about a chance encounter that becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals — transcending decades, continents, and the bittersweet workings of fate.
Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.
Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.
Illuminating life’s heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, Every Breath explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties — and asks the question, How long can a dream survive? Continue reading “Book Review: Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks #BookReview #EveryBreath #NicholasSparks #Romance”
