tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63549005175803224272024-03-04T23:37:18.730-08:00Novel-ties“We are all failures- at least the best of us are.”
~J.M. Barrieishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-55710336533884075252019-05-25T21:28:00.003-07:002019-05-25T21:28:56.378-07:00Review: Spine of the Dragon by Kevin J. AndersonI remember well my first encounter with KJA book. I was a very new <i>Star Wars </i>fan who hadn't read anything more than the Thrawn trilogy and while waiting for my aunt to arrive one weekend, I read a book blurb that claimed Luke Skywalker was in a coma and a Dark Lord of the Sith was running amok. I immediately bought it (and realized later that I should really have read the first two books in the series) just because I appreciated an author with the audacity to go in a less conventional direction.<br />
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This is a slightly odd way to introduce my review, but I feel it's relevant. <i>Spine of the Dragon </i>was sent to me in the form of an ARC and I devoured it. It is his return to epic fantasy and clearly demonstrates that this format does not cheat the reader of the things I've enjoyed about his other works. (In addition to <i>Star Wars</i>, he's written compelling stories in the <i>Dune </i>universe as well as a great read called <i>The Dark Between the Stars. </i>But that's another topic.)<br />
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The best way to explain this first book in his exciting new series is to ask you to imagine a world in which, during Greco-Roman conflicts, the Olympian gods and all their wacky offspring turned out to be not so much a thing of the past as we thought. That automatically hooked me as a "we've got bigger problems than our national agendas, but it's not simple to reconcile those." It tells the stories of characters ranging from a besotted prince to a disgraced sorcerer-turned-miner, so that we are all invested in the various levels of these societies. The war descriptions do not lack for intensity, but are crafted to demonstrate different priorities and strategies.<br />
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Something that struck me enough that I actually mentioned it to my straight-laced mother is that yes, the married people get conjugal, but in his best moments, Kevin writes it with attention to intimacy instead of physicality. I have been looking for books that are able to convey that after many years of cringing through George R.R. Martin's interpretation of how all physical relations work. <br />
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I won't say more about the plot, but definitely encourage people to go out and give this a try because I want other people to discuss it with!<br />
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<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250302106">https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250302106</a>ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-87849410384860890522019-02-25T06:00:00.000-08:002019-02-25T06:00:09.145-08:00Review: Empire of Light by Alex Harrow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I first encountered the author at a League of Utah Writers conference. They were co-teaching a crash course on Writing the Other and since, I've been on a panel on diversity with them and followed their Twitter obsessively.<br />
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I know their philosophies and inclinations well, so anticipated a very interesting read when I signed up for <i>Empire of Light. </i>I was fascinated by the promise of comparisons to <i>Firefly</i> and honestly wanted to read a book written under the influence of everything I've learned from Alex's various teaching opportunities.<br />
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Let me first say that this is not a book for the faint of heart. It is a post-apocalyptic New York City in which the space program was scrapped because Earth's inhabitants needed to spend those resources on survival. There is a kind of caste system that makes the <i>Hunger Games</i> look like a feel-good system of democracy. There are superpowers out there (the Voyance that the subtitle references), but I don't think I've seen such a polarized magic system since the conflict between Sith and Jedi.<br />
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It is not a book for the faint of heart, but it is absolutely worth the read. When I was given the ARC, Alex included a list of caveats telling the readers about possible hot-button subjects covered in the book. I read through them all out of curiosity, but was interested to see how jarring they would be when they came up.<br />
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The strength of this book is exactly in that polarity. Alex sets healthy relationships against deeply flawed ones. We see the damage done within a complicated and damaged family, but also the ties that create a different kind of family. We are absolutely compelled to keep reading because we can't identify a single reason to take a side. (This is also affected by the fact that I am absolutely a fan of one of the most brutal characters.) It brings to mind the line from Episode III of <i>Star Wars</i>: "There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere." It is hard to trust a single character's actions or motivations, particularly when there is no lack of effective plot twists.<br />
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The fight scenes are fantastically written, particularly because of the integration of voluntary and involuntary defensive magical powers. The system has rules and consequences that speak well of their planning and make me feel a great deal of excitement for whatever comes next.<br />
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I recommend this book highly, as you can tell, but it is one where the seedy underbelly of a society and the depravity of a society in a state of collapse are described graphically. Drug abuse and addiction are major parts of the story, as are very personalized physical and emotional abuse. Those who are not comfortable with profanity should know that it is used as a natural part of the dialogue and I described it as "between Seanan McGuire and George R.R. Martin on a level of how many people punctuate dialogue with profanity." One early scene was graphically intimate, but I found myself more comfortable with the more passing references to intimate pairings. I am not as familiar with stories written by and about characters of different sexualities and sexual preferences, but I found their depiction of a demisexual narrator to be both authentic and realistic. It was actually the first overt depiction of a demisexual that I have seen since discovering that it is a term I relate to, so as soon as Alex inserted that characteristic into the story, I paid attention to the perspective even more. <br />
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I am grateful that I can tell you about this story on its release date and hope you will all go check it out.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NLXY9NM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">Buy here!</a>ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-50450360765363579642018-12-31T23:28:00.000-08:002018-12-31T23:28:14.373-08:00Review: Alive: Shadows of a Living Past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Florence Sterling should be perfectly happy. She’s been given a second chance at life with her beloved husband. But all is not well. She yearns for more children, even though Alex is reluctant. Memories of the day she and her baby were murdered still haunt her. And she can’t shake the feeling she will be separated from Alex again. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">As if in confirmation of her premonition, Alex is called on a dangerous mission to enlist America’s aid in WWII. Trying to distract herself, Florence investigates what really happened when her son died. As she searches, she becomes convinced her son is alive, although witnesses say otherwise. And with each clue she discovers, she unwittingly draws closer to her old enemy—the deranged woman who will stop at nothing to destroy her. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When Alex goes missing in action, Florence must reach deeply into her faith as she faces her greatest fears. If Alex is lost to the war, will she allow herself to love another man and fulfill her desire to have a family? Or will she remain alone the rest of her life?</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Review</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I was curious to come into this series in Book 2. Book 1 refers to a forgotten past, while this title promises to refer to that which is still very much alive.</span><br />
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In a story where there are a million things we should be aware of,, it would be very easy to start this review by saying "I wish I had the information I needed to enjoy this book more." But Marcia writes in a style that I love, in which you are given necessary information without it being a clunky infodump.<br />
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The story with its twists and turns is a fascinating and often portentous one, which an effective suspense-building style. We are clued into dangers without feeling that the author is trying to hold things back. And the world-building is clever enough that the reader is drawn in as much by curiosity about what else we'll find there as driven to follow the story.<br />
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Perhaps I am at a disadvantage because of not having read the first book, so I am not sure if the character introductions are handled the same way in each installment. While I enjoyed so much about the book, the beginning feels slightly ponderous because of hammering in the initial importance of the circumstances in which the story opens. We are reminded again and again in the first act of the book why we should feel strongly about these characters. I feel as though it would be more powerful to spread out these reminders.<br />
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I will not divulge too much in the interest of letting you explore this storyline, but I highly recommend diving into the world of Florence and Alex and the narrative brilliance that comes along with the way the story goes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><b>Character
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Alexander Sterling:</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;">
Richard Armitage\</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"> / </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Florence Contini:</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;">
Emma Watson</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Official Facebook Event
page</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;">:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2489855791055111/"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.facebook.com/events/2489855791055111/</span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Author Social Media
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Facebook:
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/awaken.marciamaidana">https://www.facebook.com/awaken.marciamaidana</a>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Amazon:
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Marcia-Maidana/e/B073VZSBVQ/">https://www.amazon.com/Marcia-Maidana/e/B073VZSBVQ/</a>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Book Buy Links</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Amazon:
</span><a href="http://geni.us/3qV9hNv"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://geni.us/3qV9hNv</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Book 1 Amazon link:
<a href="http://geni.us/5AI5Cqo">http://geni.us/5AI5Cqo</a> </span>
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<br />ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-65422041777995881882018-03-20T20:30:00.003-07:002018-03-20T20:30:51.047-07:00Review: Duck, Duck, Moose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I admit two things. 1) I overslept and had to post this after work. 2) I picked up this title just because the play on the children's game made me laugh.<br />
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Synopsis:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4b4f56; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Duck’s best friend Goose is gone for winter and Duck is lonely. The animals try to cheer Duck, but Duck, Duck, Pig is too messy, and Duck, Duck, Moose is too scary. Will Duck be alone until Goose gets back? Or can Duck come up with a game they all can play?</span><br />
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I really enjoy books in which friendship is built by working through a problem. It's a common thing in everything from <i>Lord of the Rings</i> to <i>Okay For Now.</i> And it's a great way to get children to understand deeper meanings without hitting them over the head with it.</div>
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I think that Joy did a great job creating a situation in which we could relate to these animamorphic characters on a very human level, which is something that is an absolute must if I can connect to a book or movie about woodland creatures. It was sweet, but also something that didn't felt dumbed-down for the enjoyment of little ones. The illustrations are definitely appropriate to the story.</div>
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This would be a good story to read multiple times over years in order to get a child to understand it in a different way as they grow up with the book.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #404040; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5pt;">Joy Heyer lives in Virginia with her loving husband and three of her four crazy children. Her oldest child now has a child of her own, making Joy a grandma. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: Lora, serif; font-size: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #404040; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5pt;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora, serif; font-size: 17px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #404040; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5pt;">Her family recently convinced her to get a dog. What was she thinking? The dog now follows Joy everywhere, waits loyally at the front window every time she leaves the house, and goes berserk when she comes back, even if she was only gone for 10 seconds to get the mail. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: Lora, serif; font-size: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #404040; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5pt;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora, serif; font-size: 17px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #404040; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5pt;">In her spare time….wait, what spare time? Whenever her children and dog permit, she loves to read, write, paint, and dream up home improvement projects.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #404040; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5pt;">To follow the rest of the tour and get more on this book check out the official page! <a href="http://www.lovingthebook.com/2018/03/book-tour-duck-duck-moose-by-author-joy.html">Loving the Book Book Tour</a></span></div>
ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-74676713752048172732018-01-09T00:45:00.002-08:002018-01-09T00:45:46.623-08:00Review: Sweet Indulgence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bd9h5tdCxhowctvIwqLq8sl0OZ0xvnEJ2LDK8rTu_d-KYGPFapF80pmYLOsTXED3t4ZDH74NIZHk6pn5JLdhEdpv4XZ9EBLZKPUzp38tXv6JiPe3EHlrtYjuI2zFK7eaU1D4XG9el04/s1600/banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="475" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bd9h5tdCxhowctvIwqLq8sl0OZ0xvnEJ2LDK8rTu_d-KYGPFapF80pmYLOsTXED3t4ZDH74NIZHk6pn5JLdhEdpv4XZ9EBLZKPUzp38tXv6JiPe3EHlrtYjuI2zFK7eaU1D4XG9el04/s320/banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Welcome to today's review of Sweet Indulgence by Debbie White. It was a refreshing romance to start off the new year and I hope you check it out.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Debbie is a USA Today Bestselling Author. She currently lives in northern California where the hills are dotted with vineyards and the jagged coastline is nearby. Many of her books describe the beautiful area she calls home. She avidly supports animal rescue by donating a percentage of all book sales to rescue groups nationwide! Now here are a few more interesting tidbits of information about her!</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">1. Her spouse served in the U.S. Air Force for over 20 years. She uses some of her experiences as a military wife in some of her stories.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">2. She has two granddaughters and a grandson.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">3. She received her degree in Sociology in 2011 and graduated Magna Cum Laude.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">4. She hasn't always dreamed of writing, but she's always loved reading and decided she'd give it a try. Her fans love her so much, she's still putting out books three years later.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EjLdF0S9cyoJ1HjX_xsg93iTEHOENiSC5jew1BWlXForS-_IN_Gq7xRt6ZOXtxjlidmoadk9GINf205I7SdvWbqHlp5QQFd97xBHp3amTa0iwN07XqCRMNAIW5w03bN3mnubqStx8JI/s1600/cover+amazon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EjLdF0S9cyoJ1HjX_xsg93iTEHOENiSC5jew1BWlXForS-_IN_Gq7xRt6ZOXtxjlidmoadk9GINf205I7SdvWbqHlp5QQFd97xBHp3amTa0iwN07XqCRMNAIW5w03bN3mnubqStx8JI/s320/cover+amazon.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Real Men Eat Cupcakes</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Annie McPherson has had it with all the blind dates her grandmother and auntie set her up with. She just wants to be left alone to run the Sweet Indulgence cupcake bakery – even if it means she’ll remain single forever.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Jack’s just been through a gut-wrenching break-up, and women are the last thing on his mind. Now he’s on a mission to pick up cupcakes for his niece’s birthday party—not a mission to fall in love. Pulled in by Annie’s good looks and witty charm, though, temptation proves too sweet.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But will Annie’s pesky grandmother and auntie welcome Jack as Annie’s choice or will they have him jumping through hoops to prove he’s the one?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Fans of Debbie Macomber, Sherryl Woods, and Susan Wiggs are sure to love Sweet Indulgence, the first sweet romance novel in the Charleston Harbor series.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This book is too sweet to pass up! Scroll up to one click and begin your indulgence today!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Review:<br /></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">The stand-out element of this book is that not a single one of the characters is a caricature. Annie and Jack meet in a normal business setting while he is helping a family member with something perfectly reasonable. (Though I will never understand this current obsession with lovelorn women opening cupcakeries, it's much more palatable than the billionaire romance to me.) The grandmother and auntie have ritual and order in their lives. Class dynamics arise and much of the book is occupied with keeping the business that is at the heart of the book running to the best of its potential.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">That said, the romance escalates a bit quickly. Not <i>50 Shades of Grey </i>quickly and not as slowly as the four-book <i>Twilight </i>build to the honeymoon, but they go from casually hanging out on a boat to French-kissing their brains out in a kind of condensed middle section of the book. It would have been more effective for the pacing if it were spread out more. And the ending just made me laugh because of the unexpected twist she throws in. I won't ruin it for you.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">In general, the book made me want to make a pitcher of sweet tea and read t<span id="goog_1497886587"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1497886588"></span>his somewhere surrounded by people who say y'all a lot. And that <i>is</i> a compliment.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Indulgence-Charleston-Harbor-Novel-ebook/dp/B0777BVXX5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515486907&sr=8-1&keywords=sweet+indulgence+debbie+white">Buy here</a></span></span>ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-87704997537717026272017-12-10T09:45:00.001-08:002017-12-10T09:45:25.181-08:00Review: Christmas Secrets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A charming rogue-turned-vicar, Will wants to prove that he left his rakish days behind him, but an accidental kiss changes all his plans. His secret could bring them together...or divide them forever.</span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Holly has two Christmas wishes this year; finally earn her mother's approval by gaining the notice of a handsome earl, and learn the identity of the stranger who gave her a heart-shattering kiss...even if that stranger is the resident Christmas ghost."</span><div>
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I am very particular about certain things, if you can't tell by my reviews. I largely avoid Christmas tales, because they so often miss the mark, and I sometimes avoid historical tales because I spend too much time picking out anachronisms when the tale fails to enthrall me.<br />
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Fortunately, neither of these things was an issue with Donna Hatch's <i>Christmas Secrets.</i> It felt like a combination of <i>Downton Abbey </i>and <i>Doctor Who, </i>not for the time period, but because we were dropped into a world with mannerisms and expectations and knew that every character had a rich history that we would work through by the end in one form or another.<br />
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It's a story in which people find adventure in the ordinary and stolen kisses do not turn out as intended. The story itself is an enjoyable comedy of errors at time, but a heart-warming approach to finding happiness in others. That really is how most of my favorite Christmas tales go (<i>Miracle on 34th Street </i>and <i>It's A Wonderul Life), </i>so I found myself forgetting genre and fact-checking to go along for the ride. (Though I <i>did</i> check out some of the things I was unfamiliar with because they fascinated me.)<br />
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Biography</h3>
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Donna Hatch is the award-winning author of over a dozen books including the best-selling<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />"Rogue Hearts Series.” A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. She is a sought-after workshop presenter, and juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her husband). A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.</div>
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<a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Christmas-Secrets-Donna-Hatch-ebook/dp/B076B6Z7GZ/ref=smi_ge_cnf_cnf_smi?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8&pldnNewCustomer=1">Buy here</a></div>
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ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-51556214127215447072017-12-05T05:43:00.002-08:002017-12-05T05:43:25.746-08:00Review: Dating the It Guy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">Genre: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"> Contemporary, Young Adult</span><br />
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<b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Publisher:</b> Clean Reads<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><b style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">Publication date:</b> March 21, 2017</div>
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Emme is a sophomore in high school who starts dating, Brendon Agretti, the popular senior who happens to be a senator’s son and well-known for his good looks. Emme feels out of her comfort zone in Brendon’s world and it doesn’t help that his picture perfect ex, Lauren, seems determined to get back into his life, along with every other girl who wants to be the future Mrs. Agretti. Emme is already conflicted due to the fact her last boyfriend cheated on her and her whole world is off kilter with her family issues. Life suddenly seems easier keeping Brendon away and relying on her crystals and horoscopes to guide her. Emme soon starts to realize she needs to focus less on the stars and more on her senses. Can Emme get over her insecurities and make her relationship work? Life sure is complicated when you’re dating the it guy.</div>
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Besides mining her teen years and humiliating moments for her novels, Krysten is also a book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. Krysten writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values. She is the author of True Colors, Best Friends…Forever?, Next Door to a Star, Landry in Like, and Competing with the Star (The Star Series: Book 2). Her debut novel, True Colors, won the Readers Favorite award for best preteen book. Krysten’s work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Beavercreek Current, the Bellbrook Times and on Living Dayton.</div>
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<b>Review</b></div>
I have to say that I enjoy it when an author manages to write high school without turning it into an episode of <i>Gossip Girl. </i>(I have almost no problems if they want it to resemble <i>Buffy: The Vampire-Slayer,</i> but that's a subject for another post.) I read a lot of YA books wherein high school bears no resemblance to how life worked at my alma mater and sometimes, that's hilariously refreshing and sometimes it just annoys me that the author can't seem to grasp how teenagers think.<br />
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This book does not have that problem. Whether talking about a flaky group project partner, stains that won't come out of your Homecoming dress, or someone complaining about having bombed their French quiz, it felt like a very natural environment. The main characters meet in a summer school class that Emme is taking because the local newspaper rescinded her internship when they forgot to mention that she needed to be 16 and have her own car. On her birthday, she gets an awesome present that costs a ton (she's dating an It Guy after all), but he stops and makes them compare class schedules for the upcoming school year. All of the characters dress like normal teenagers and go to their parents for help paying for a special occasion.<br />
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The twist comes with the interactions with the eponymous It Guy, who doesn't seem to understand that he needs to have a better balance between having a good college application and having a good relationship with the girl he's dating. He skips an event that's very important to her to host a charity auction, which would annoy me, too. He's grown up as the son of a prominent politician, so is used to being a people-pleaser who doesn't always know when to have quality time one-on-one. It was a source of frustration to me that he kept missing this point, so I'm glad that there was character development talking about not only his response to the concern, but how Emme felt about the dynamic. <br />
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This is definitely a clean read overall, but the characters make frequent references to who is probably sleeping around and gold-digging and there is public intoxication involving high school students at one point.ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-75205299584859126352017-11-19T01:59:00.001-08:002017-11-19T01:59:51.056-08:00Review: Dark Days of Promise by Shaunna Gonzalez<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.<br />
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This book covers the coming together of two very interesting characters. One is a SAH(single)M with the usual three rambunctious kids. The other is a cold-blooded killer who yearns to be gentle now that he's back from the war.<br />
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When Vicki receives news of her ex-husband's death, she has to move forward with life and help her two boys and a girl cope with life without Dad. She knows that her unofficial Grandma Janine is related to a military friend of her ex-husband, Kelly. Kelly has returned from the war with an injury and a history in Special Ops. He struggles with having killer instincts and feeling like he no longer is capable of a normal life. You can probably see where this is going. Kelly is the real man her ex-husband and current boyfriend failed to be for Vicki. Vicki teaches him gentleness again. It's not hard to work out where the book ends up.<br />
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The book was ambitious in focusing on Kelly's PTSD. I admired that the author had the children be intelligent enough to perceive that there was something different about Kelly and they didn't just let it slide. The were protective of their family and that worked well. I also liked that she wove in the children's different ways of coping badly with the loss in the family. <br />
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The main characters had strong personalities behind them and the link between them through her ex-husband. The book sells itself short, literally, though. It's 154 pages and makes a very fast transition from "My kids just lost their Dad. How will I help them?" to "My kids need a dad ASAP." Vicki has been raising them for three years while her husband was deployed at times and home at others, yet she keeps underscoring the fact that she needs someone who can teach her boys to be real men. The PTSD that led me to read this in the first place is addressed, but Kelly admits that he refuses to get treatment because his is not that bad. That gave me some pause.<br />
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I'm sure that she spent many days in those three years as a single mom wondering if she was doing a good job, but I feel as though the author wrote a character perfectly capable of teaching her children correct behaviors and attitudes on her own. And the character should have respected herself for it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-Promise-Shaunna-Gonzales-ebook/dp/B01JBTNT4O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511085552&sr=8-1&keywords=dark+days+of+promise">Buy Here</a><br />
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<br />ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-17507841530202890342017-07-29T14:56:00.000-07:002017-07-29T14:56:17.847-07:00Book Blitz: A Killer RetreatSorry, just found this on my drafts section. I meant it to go up last night.<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; color: #181818;">Tracy Weber is the author of
the award-winning Downward Dog Mysteries series featuring yoga teacher Kate
Davidson and her feisty German shepherd, Bella. Her first book, Murder Strikes
a Pose won the Maxwell Award for Fiction and was 2015 Agatha award nominee for
Best First Novel. The third book in her series, Karma's a Killer, will released
January, 2016 by Midnight Ink.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; color: #181818;">Tracy and her husband live in
Seattle with their challenging yet amazing German shepherd Tasha. When she’s
not writing, Tracy spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sipping
Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house. </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Yogi Kate must
clear her name of murder in this charming yoga mystery</span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">When Kate Davidson gets an offer to teach yoga classes
to wedding guests at the</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Elysian Springs resort, she jumps at the opportunity,
even though it means being forced to endure the wedding ceremony of the
center's two caretakers. </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Avoiding the M-word turns out to be the least of
Kate's problems when a wedding guest is found floating face-down in the
resort's hot tub, shortly after a loud, public</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">(and somewhat embarrassing) fight with Kate. </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The police pick Kate as their number-one suspect, so
she's forced to team up with boyfriend Michael, best friend Rene, and German
shepherd sidekick Bella to find the real killer. But they'll have to solve the
murder before the police arrest Kate, or her next gig may last a
lifetime--behind bars."</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Facebook Event page</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/443448132680408/"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">https://www.facebook.com/events/443448132680408/</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Book Buy
Links</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Audible: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 107%;">https://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/A-Killer-Retreat-A-Downward-Dog-Mystery-2-Audiobook/B071FV8D8S</span></u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Amazon: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QVLB9MA/"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QVLB9MA/</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Goodreads: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22827898-a-killer-retreat"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22827898-a-killer-retreat</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">
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<br />ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-25891549315701000902017-07-10T00:12:00.002-07:002017-07-10T00:12:44.579-07:00Review: I LEFT MY HEART ON MACKINAC ISLAND<div style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #8e989c; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">
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<strong>Series:</strong> My Heart Belongs<br /><strong>Genre: </strong>Adult, Christian, Fiction, Historical, Romance<br /><strong>Publisher: </strong>Barbour<br /><strong>Publication date:</strong> July 1<br /><br />Journey now to Mackinac Island where... A Tangled Gilded Age Love Story Unfolds. Although the Winds of Mackinac Inn has been in her mother’s family for generations, Maude Welling’s father refuses to let her run it without the guidance of a husband. So she seeks to prove her worth and independence by working incognito as a maid at the Grand Hotel. </div>
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Undercover journalist Ben Steffans, posing as a wealthy industrialist, pursues a story about impoverished men chasing heiresses at the famed hotel. While undercover, he becomes attracted to an intriguing maid. By an act of heroism Ben endears himself to the closed-mouthed islanders—including Maude—and he digs deep for his story. But when scandal threatens, will the growing love between Maude and Ben be scuttled when truths are revealed?</div>
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<b>Review:</b><br />
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There are some books that I pick up because I like the cover or the title or something in the blurb. It's hard to tell what will catch my eye when I go browsing on certain days. <br />
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This book I chose because friends speak so fondly of the setting. I have a magnet from the island and while I never have been, I know it to be a special place.<br />
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Let me put the review into further context with a TV show. <i>Gran Hotel</i> is set in Spain and I started watching it because I wanted to get a sense of not just the sites where it took place, but of the people who walked the streets of those towns and the footpaths through those valleys.<br />
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This book invites me into the setting in the same way that <i>Gran Hotel</i> does. I wanted to look up many of the locations, but felt like it would take me out of the story to focus on the topography of the book.<br />
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Instead, I found myself finding a rich ensemble cast. Maude and Ben, who have secrets to keep and very individual reasons for those deceptions, are almost tangential love interests. Their actions towards each other are period-appropriate and feel natural. Around them, some of the characters seem to be trying too hard--<i>everyone </i>has a kind word to say about Maude, who might as well be a Disney princess for her notoriety, but is more down-to-earth--but I was charmed by Jack, the aspiring Olympian cum trickster. I found comedies of errors in mistaken impressions of Maude's extended family.<br />
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Overall, the plot had good pacing and enough turns and intrigues for me to enjoy it.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #626262; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">ECPA-bestselling author Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D., is the award-winning author of a dozen Christian historical romances. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn't "cure" her overactive imagination! A self-professed “history geek,” she resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia but grew up as a “Yooper.” Carrie loves to read, bake, bead, and travel – but not all at the same time! You can connect with her at www.CarrieFancettPagels.com.</span></div>
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<br style="text-align: left;" /><strong style="text-align: left;">Ten of my Fave authors are:</strong><span style="text-align: left;">Tamera Alexander, who gave me this beautiful endorsement:</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">Julie Lessman – amazing historical romance with strong family ties</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">Susie/Susanne Dietze – a rising star in CBA fiction!</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">Tracie Peterson – I love her audiobooks in particular!</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">Julie Klassen – especially her early books</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">Michelle Griep -- her Regencies are amazing!</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">Serena Miller – a lovely lady with equally lovely books – some set in Michigan</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">Debbie Lynne Costello – check out her medieval stories!</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">Rachel Hauck’s dual-time audiobooks are lovely</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">Suzanne Woods Fisher who gave me this wonderful endorsement:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RcLWS7LzSXMs8-DA7waB5jjysqc970feHVYlBkhjTeG2KA8uDI3BlXHeKK1yC3Pv_RXMdF-QMwJpzsR67lrjYpRF2ha9NMAoZFfHfKvXf6RWASxjvzRQjlfvyIB-rIxCmtIJDyUTbF4/s1600/7_56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="566" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RcLWS7LzSXMs8-DA7waB5jjysqc970feHVYlBkhjTeG2KA8uDI3BlXHeKK1yC3Pv_RXMdF-QMwJpzsR67lrjYpRF2ha9NMAoZFfHfKvXf6RWASxjvzRQjlfvyIB-rIxCmtIJDyUTbF4/s320/7_56.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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1. We stayed at the Grand Hotel for me to conduct some of my research.<br />2. We also stayed at the Windermere, which is the inspiration for my heroine’s inn.<br />3. The owner of the Windermere is Margaret Doud, Mackinac Island’s mayor and I’d wager we could rightly call her Mackinac Island’s “First Lady.”<br />4. The Round Island Lighthouse was being built in 1895, as indicated in the story, but on my cover there are two lighthouses, which there weren’t then – but it’s still a gorgeous cover, isn’t it?<br />5. This is my “Problem Child” manuscript and I knew I wanted this story to matter so I called in the “big guns” to help me. Julee Schwarzburg, a top editor in Christian fiction, came in and consulted on the overall proposal and theme and some of the editing. Sue Brower, who had been at Zondervan for decades, helped edit the first three chapters for the Maggie Unpublished awards, which this story finaled in. Julie Gwinn, a wonderful editor who had switched to agenting but took my story as a freelance job, came in and did a great job of directing me in which way I should go – but she didn’t molly coddle me, and I needed for her to treat me like that – as if I could fix it, and I did, PTL!<br />6. Maude was originally a much more “neurotic” type of character in that she had some OCD stuff that her maternal grandmother had instilled in her. One of my consultants, not mentioned above, said she was too “crazy” and I should tone her down. So I did.<br />7. I went to Arch Rock a number of different ways and on different days, to get a feel for the special scene I have toward the end. On one of these, the transportation almost left without me!</div>
ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-80711409316135969922017-06-03T20:43:00.002-07:002017-06-03T20:43:46.836-07:00Blog Tour: Mary Ann Johnson's BECOMING A PRESENT PARENTA number of years ago, my mother received her Master's Degree. Before that, she had to write her thesis on teaching children the interpretation of music. I was the proof-reader and captive audience and was therefore subject to her advisor's recommendations.<br />
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One e-mail stands out in my mind. The advisor wanted to infuse this academic achievement of writing with some more pathos, so she recommended something along the lines of "I <i>cherish</i> the moments when a beloved student turns to me and says humbly, 'Mrs. Olsen, when you encourage me to achieve my very best...'" You get the idea. Even now, Mom and I can be reduced to giggles by the words, "I <i>cherish</i> the moments."</div>
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It is a style that I think of as General Conference story-telling. If you're not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the leaders of the church come together every six months to instruct and enlighten the members and the stories they tell in the course of their discourses are always memorable. But the stories all tend to feature a "sweet, young mother of six" or "beloved husband of fifty-three years." General Conference stories are like click-bait headlines about "Spunky four-year-old puts hardened Democrat Congressmen in their place!!!! I'm crying." But because they always tie this into my faith, I forgive them for the hyperbole.</div>
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So, why am I telling you this? Well, for one simple reason. Mary Ann's book is not General Conference story-telling. It's true that she tells story about her experience raising her children in all of its highs and lows, but it is a remarkably relatable medium. </div>
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I have no kids. I have six nephews, two nieces, a step-nephew and a dozen or so kids who treat me like a family member, but I absolutely loved reading this. It taught me things about my relationships with children, but also with my friends and even my roommates. When she talked about a moment when her daughter was venting about a schoolday problem and she tried to trouble-shoot the situation, I remembered that I had similarly once asked my best friend to stop fixing my feelings and let me just feel them. </div>
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She also uses a variety of academic and unofficial sources, such as the <i>Highlights </i>magazine survey about parental interactions and articles by learned professionals. She names scenarios that give you a foundation for understanding her principles that provoke thoughts about your own daily habits.</div>
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In short, the appeal of this book is that it approaches parenting with both realism and compassion and isn't afraid to admit to the author's own insecurities. It was a self-help book that made it clear how much these techniques had already been of help to Mary Ann herself.</div>
ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-15093495261903288742017-05-15T05:49:00.002-07:002017-05-15T07:48:22.169-07:00Blog Tour: Nikki Trionfo's SHATTERSorry I've been a bit absent. I've been getting ready for a 4-country, 12ish day trip to Europe and had to get through a variety of events and writing ordeals in the last few weeks. But I'm back and have a plan for resuming the 100 books review thing. I also hope to have my normal site back up very soon, but have had issues with hosting and with domain. So here I am for the meanwhile, with a debut novel.<br />
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Now, to give you a bit of background, Nikki first ran into me at Life, the Universe and Everything Symposium. I'd been on some Facebook writing support groups and she kept saying that if we saw her, we should take a picture with her. So on the first night of the symposium, I was standing at the elevators when I saw a blonde person cosplaying the cover of <i>It Came From the Great Salt Lake.</i> I immediately turned to her and said, "You're Nikki and I'm supposed to take a picture with you and your anthology." We did just that and ran into each other a few times over the next days. In other contexts, she's the person who throws a dance party for LDStorymaker's Conference (This year's theme was the Never-Ending Story...maker's Party). She's having a dance-off and carnival for her book launch this Friday and I wish I were able to go.<br />
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So, here's her murder mystery! Salem Jefferson is the survivor of a sister who died in a gas explosion and is also the daughter of a grower in orchard country of California. She's on her mock trial team, runs cross-country and is, it seems, the only person who doesn't believe that Carrie's death was accidental. This is complicated further when a Hispanic worker is found buried on her family property with a gang symbol carved into his shoe and hard evidence of foul play.<br />
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The various threads of this book are the best thing about it. I cared passionately about the murder mystery as much as the outcome of the mock trial competition. The entire mystery hinged around a union strike that was hitting its crisis point and I think it's the only YA book I've seen that has dealt fairly with both sides of a tough issue without asking the reader to pick one of those sides. I did find a typo in Spanish in the book, but that's just my preternatural ability to nitpick any translations. <br />
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The characters were dynamic as well, though some of the minor characters felt like they should have been consolidated into one because they were indistinguishable from each other. While Cordero was the most prominent secondary character, I was dying for more information on Slate and his sister Anna. A character named Envy (what was WRONG with her parents? Were they Puritans?) played an important role, but I felt that she hadn't been given sufficient development for it to have the right impact.<br />
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Nevertheless, the story was interesting. The dynamics were credible. It made me very homesick for my own section of California, where we had ghettos instead of orchards, but I knew people who resembled every character in the book.<br />
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Now for the semi-annoyed perspective. As I said, this is a debut novel of someone who's been in anthologies. I recently read one that Nikki was in called <i>Under A New York Skyline. </i>I'll be reviewing that later, but I had a fundamental period of eye-rolling about the story that first came from the title, "Crosstrain My Heart and Hope to Die." It's about a hip-hop teacher facing off with the hunky meathead of a crossfit instructor from next door and of course they have a love-hate romance. Very '80s movie plot and one of those "Well, that's cute, but when does that actually happen?" examples that I often find when reading. Going from that fluff to this gave me the same feeling that I experienced when, after having read every book in the <i>Twilight </i>series, I read <i>The Host</i> by Stephenie Meyer. Or how Natalie Portman dragged me through <i>Attack of the Clones </i>before stunning me in <i>V for Vendetta.</i><br />
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It's good to find a writer who can write multiple genres and Nikki definitely has a passion for each of her stories, but I wish the tones were more consistently gripping. I'll be rereading <i>Shatter</i> a lot and have recommended it to friends and family already, but I won't say the same about the ode to hip-hop.ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-10143712206217927592017-04-19T09:21:00.002-07:002017-04-19T09:21:58.160-07:00Book blitz: Tarragon: Dragon Mage<span class="s8" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">I'm having issues posting pictures at the moment, but will tell you about this first and update later. </span></span><div>
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<span class="s8" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span><span class="s8" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Meanwhile, the Mage Circle, a group of dragon mages with a vendetta, is camped outside the Gates. Calling on allies of their own, they will stop at nothing to gain control of the Dragon City and all who dwell inside.</span></span><span class="s8" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span><span class="s8" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span><div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
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<span class="s18" style="background-color: white; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Courtney stopped abruptly as the scatterings of a cave-in came into view. “Oh no,” she whispered, one hand to her mouth. Moving slowly, she noticed a body slumped in the hallway. “Please don't be dead,” she said over and over again as she moved closer. She couldn't help but wonder which of her friends lay there, and what had happened to the other.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s18" style="background-color: white; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">The closer she came, the more detail came to light. She recognized Tyler Durand as he lay on his side. His light-colored hair lay limp against his head. His skin was unnaturally pale. At least she didn’t think he was dead. It took a lot to kill a dragon. But just beyond him, a little more out of the way, lay </span></span><span class="s18" style="background-color: white; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Anwen</span></span><span class="s18" style="background-color: white; font-family: Garamond; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Porter. And she wasn’t moving.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s5" style="font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26.399999618530273px; text-decoration: underline;">URL Links</span></div>
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<span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"></span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1248332381926586/"><span class="s8" style="background-color: white; color: #0563c1; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">https://www.facebook.com/events/1248332381926586/</span></span></a><span class="s9" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Facebook at </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/karliemlucas"><span class="s10" style="color: #0563c1; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">https://www.facebook.com/karliemlucas</span></a><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Goodreads at </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8580852.Karlie_Lucas"><span class="s10" style="color: #0563c1; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8580852.Karlie_Lucas</span></a><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Amazon author profile at </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Karlie-Lucas/e/B00N8Z86H8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1411349158&sr=8-1"><span class="s10" style="color: #0563c1; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">http://www.amazon.com/Karlie-Lucas/e/B00N8Z86H8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1411349158&sr=8-1</span></a><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Twitter @</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">karliemlucas</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Blog at </span><a href="http://tenelia.blogspot.com/"><span class="s10" style="color: #0563c1; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">http://tenelia.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Linkedin</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> at </span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/karlie-lucas/17/1b/a62/"><span class="s10" style="color: #0563c1; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">http://www.linkedin.com/pub/karlie-lucas/17/1b/a62/</span></a><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></div>
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<span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Amazon:</span></span><span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tarragon-Dragon-Mage-Karlie-Lucas-ebook/dp/B01MR85VMR/"><span class="s11" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">https://www.amazon.com/Tarragon-Dragon-Mage-Karlie-Lucas-ebook/dp/B01MR85VMR/</span></span></a><span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Goodreads: </span></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33543394-tarragon"><span class="s11" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33543394-tarragon</span></span></a><span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Amazon UK</span></span><span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">: </span></span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tarragon-Dragon-Mage-Karlie-Lucas-ebook/dp/B01MR85VMR/"><span class="s11" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tarragon-Dragon-Mage-Karlie-Lucas-ebook/dp/B01MR85VMR/</span></span></a><span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Amazon Canada:</span></span><span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Tarragon-Dragon-Mage-Karlie-Lucas-ebook/dp/B01MR85VMR/"><span class="s11" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">https://www.amazon.ca/Tarragon-Dragon-Mage-Karlie-Lucas-ebook/dp/B01MR85VMR/</span></span></a><span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Amazon Australia:</span></span><span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"></span></span><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Tarragon-Dragon-Mage-Karlie-Lucas-ebook/dp/B01MR85VMR/"><span class="s11" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">https://www.amazon.com.au/Tarragon-Dragon-Mage-Karlie-Lucas-ebook/dp/B01MR85VMR/</span></span></a><span class="s7" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="s6" style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Rafflecopter</span></span><span class="s6" style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> Giveaway:</span></span><span class="s6" style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/330006f8301/"><span class="s12" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9px; line-height: 10.800000190734863px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/330006f8301/</span></span></a></div>
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ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-56081004400141161652017-03-28T23:32:00.002-07:002017-03-28T23:32:39.089-07:00Book Blitz: Grandma's Wedding Quilts, Day 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbHpQi238yyJzzwFVXpYfA3vOa_fmUQmr6i_Nehe0C7FW6RauTtR-j6dEKPnlbpkqEYpXp5c7q8pSypmTXtp9hJlScKx4K_NwQR0K4ObS1ImmrRcUo2wt9LgEjnZc363gCSonSNPqXHY/s1600/quilts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbHpQi238yyJzzwFVXpYfA3vOa_fmUQmr6i_Nehe0C7FW6RauTtR-j6dEKPnlbpkqEYpXp5c7q8pSypmTXtp9hJlScKx4K_NwQR0K4ObS1ImmrRcUo2wt9LgEjnZc363gCSonSNPqXHY/s640/quilts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAcLHTjIRs5_gX3gSeGIxv6hyphenhyphen7aV5bI34jcVFqpUvexpfPERVvSYC2Mi-OXX1zS2Dx-n8slXCxhLxOMWtD9iXbSm3ZrPt4t9j0tbUgB-aXIwUV4K8yOFy53GKnkozA9GqWYx_hobGwTM/s1600/ai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAcLHTjIRs5_gX3gSeGIxv6hyphenhyphen7aV5bI34jcVFqpUvexpfPERVvSYC2Mi-OXX1zS2Dx-n8slXCxhLxOMWtD9iXbSm3ZrPt4t9j0tbUgB-aXIwUV4K8yOFy53GKnkozA9GqWYx_hobGwTM/s320/ai.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DQt4u2LRxDd-aQQzH3nDFDBU4_DkY4IKY6nU0y5_K2Sj2prEH13eAwPXacIGBJfvQzSsy0-pCmuaXeHETuOrG-Svf0PrEMdlzmsygglkpVJansfJZEma5GSh4JYTImsQIzBmFANseUI/s1600/pickay.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DQt4u2LRxDd-aQQzH3nDFDBU4_DkY4IKY6nU0y5_K2Sj2prEH13eAwPXacIGBJfvQzSsy0-pCmuaXeHETuOrG-Svf0PrEMdlzmsygglkpVJansfJZEma5GSh4JYTImsQIzBmFANseUI/s320/pickay.png" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am a stay at home mom, who loves to read and write
clean historical romance. I enjoy thinking back to a simpler time, a time when
men and women were true heroes. I also believe that a good romance can be told
without needing to know all of the details;)</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">All of my stories will tell of people who find true love,
and who find their happy ever after. Sometimes the road might be rocky, but
that makes it all worthwhile!</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNJxuLu7nKUZXKIy3etRX3dLjETDOqeUniJC5cqifCsGNxq4zdNAs-u4h-jTsovjKDLJ07Sqw7n1jDMxVIEQyLC4CjGxSLUkq52KKD3tq5Yxqr-8RLuzNsjdgoYk8-Mas1wdIv1ZZ7eM/s1600/atb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNJxuLu7nKUZXKIy3etRX3dLjETDOqeUniJC5cqifCsGNxq4zdNAs-u4h-jTsovjKDLJ07Sqw7n1jDMxVIEQyLC4CjGxSLUkq52KKD3tq5Yxqr-8RLuzNsjdgoYk8-Mas1wdIv1ZZ7eM/s320/atb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WSDHcru6D5AbliuadASE47hQ-TujFlThLeiivaX0ntfG7w4qqwGjVo4JprmKqUr0hDuS41eY4E4D1sggKBxdNUwXvcKJxwVgnfGFeJEVdDvltjZDE6U3l-6hvymkdq2LmdIVRERsaZA/s1600/Jesses-Bargain-Generic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WSDHcru6D5AbliuadASE47hQ-TujFlThLeiivaX0ntfG7w4qqwGjVo4JprmKqUr0hDuS41eY4E4D1sggKBxdNUwXvcKJxwVgnfGFeJEVdDvltjZDE6U3l-6hvymkdq2LmdIVRERsaZA/s320/Jesses-Bargain-Generic.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cora left England for a new life in America as a mail
order bride - only to find the man she’s come to marry has been killed in a
gunfight. She has a sister in Kansas, but how can she get there?<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jesse needs this job driving cattle to Kansas so he can
marry the woman who’s given him an ultimatum - buy land and settle down, or
she’ll marry someone who will.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">But, his cook’s been killed in the same gunfight, leaving
him without anyone to drive the chuckwagon. His right hand man, an old cowboy
with a soft heart, has a solution for both Cora and Jesse - one he might not
like.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dressed as a boy, Cora heads off with a team of cowboys,
led by a man who isn’t happy about her being there. Kansas is a long way
away…and a lot can happen before they get there.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju16EM0JaeqLRe2AukhXl0iTbMIrwyOKnp02EgtOIkWKnH97Rtu-J_vvIWy1OPUxqMy7ry5Pa8vQphyphenhyphenznQnkGHCvm1WxNm9hcnzoSWZ9ZIlKGkVh2z1Lt4gPq6A2HlAdhOPbJjYMO_JTM/s1600/extras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju16EM0JaeqLRe2AukhXl0iTbMIrwyOKnp02EgtOIkWKnH97Rtu-J_vvIWy1OPUxqMy7ry5Pa8vQphyphenhyphenznQnkGHCvm1WxNm9hcnzoSWZ9ZIlKGkVh2z1Lt4gPq6A2HlAdhOPbJjYMO_JTM/s320/extras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Q&A With The Author:</span></b><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">1. Describe yourself in 50 words or
less.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">A mom, who loves nothing more than spending
time with my family. I prefer the quiet of living in a small town than
being in a city. I’ve always loved to read, and being at home with a good
book is just as exciting to me as traveling the world.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">2. What do you love most in the world?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love my family. I grew up around
all of my grandparents, my aunts, uncles and cousins. And I have a sister
and two brothers, who all still live in the same town with their
families. My girls get to grow up knowing everyone, and see the
importance of family above anything else. Being able to just do things on
a regular basis with my family is truly the thing I love most in the world.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">3. What do you fear most?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">This is a tough one. I have some
fears, but I think the one that gets me the most is just that my kids won’t be
happy. All I hope for them is that they find happiness, and never have to
face life with worry. When I went through treatments for breast cancer, I
felt so bad that they were having to deal with that at such a young age.
I wish I could take that fear away from them, and show them to grab life and
just be happy, no matter what happens.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">4. What is your largest unfulfilled dream,
and what are you doing to reach it?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Well, it had always been to write a book,
but since that’s been done, my largest unfulfilled dream now is to earn enough
money for my husband to be able to give up truck driving. I want the kids
to have both parents home regularly, and he’s worked hard to allow me to be a
stay at home mom when the kids were small. I’d like to pay that back.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">5. What is the hardest thing you've ever
done?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The hardest thing I’ve ever done was say
goodbye to my grandparents. I grew up with them all close to me, and they
were a huge part of my life. I was with each of them when they passed,
and each time, having to let them go was the hardest thing for me to do.
But, after all they’d done for me over the years, I knew I had to be there when
they needed me.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">6. Now that we've gotten to know each
other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last
week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's
your story?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">My story…well, I decided after I had cancer
that I didn’t want that to be what defined me. I didn’t want that to be
what people thought when they saw me. I get told all the time that people
actually forgot I had it. It was a horrible time of my life, but I’ve
moved past it and now try to just stay positive. It helped me to realize
what was important, and that nothing is ever guaranteed in life. So, I
took a chance and started writing—the thing I’d always wanted to do but was too
afraid to even try. And, I’m not going to let myself say “someday I’ll do
that” anymore. If there’s a way to do it now, and it’s something I want,
I’m going to do it. And I want to teach my kids to do the same
thing. </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUx02pP76AvVBcQYgtOpjcn8UB1EGt_ySmnnnQvvSo5xIwGzE2ErhJLs3JTJdn6f4ElqhAIbLVmNcsLVBY4o4jP4CWRlLF4KWv9weLwHrHLJ1Mr2qvvvs-nfSJTROkshmYCG6Hqhhjzw/s1600/bh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUx02pP76AvVBcQYgtOpjcn8UB1EGt_ySmnnnQvvSo5xIwGzE2ErhJLs3JTJdn6f4ElqhAIbLVmNcsLVBY4o4jP4CWRlLF4KWv9weLwHrHLJ1Mr2qvvvs-nfSJTROkshmYCG6Hqhhjzw/s1600/bh.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">US: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/d/Jesses-Bargain-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/B01NBLBO7D/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.com/d/Jesses-Bargain-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/B01NBLBO7D/</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Canada: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/d/Jesses-Bargain-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/B01NBLBO7D/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.ca/d/Jesses-Bargain-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/B01NBLBO7D/</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">UK: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Jesses-Bargain-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/B01NBLBO7D/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Jesses-Bargain-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/B01NBLBO7D/</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Australia: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/d/Jesses-Bargain-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/B01NBLBO7D/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.com.au/d/Jesses-Bargain-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/B01NBLBO7D/</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-74267835360121799012017-03-28T23:25:00.001-07:002017-03-28T23:25:58.792-07:00Book Blitz: Grandma's Wedding Quilts, Day 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbHpQi238yyJzzwFVXpYfA3vOa_fmUQmr6i_Nehe0C7FW6RauTtR-j6dEKPnlbpkqEYpXp5c7q8pSypmTXtp9hJlScKx4K_NwQR0K4ObS1ImmrRcUo2wt9LgEjnZc363gCSonSNPqXHY/s1600/quilts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbHpQi238yyJzzwFVXpYfA3vOa_fmUQmr6i_Nehe0C7FW6RauTtR-j6dEKPnlbpkqEYpXp5c7q8pSypmTXtp9hJlScKx4K_NwQR0K4ObS1ImmrRcUo2wt9LgEjnZc363gCSonSNPqXHY/s640/quilts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAcLHTjIRs5_gX3gSeGIxv6hyphenhyphen7aV5bI34jcVFqpUvexpfPERVvSYC2Mi-OXX1zS2Dx-n8slXCxhLxOMWtD9iXbSm3ZrPt4t9j0tbUgB-aXIwUV4K8yOFy53GKnkozA9GqWYx_hobGwTM/s1600/ai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAcLHTjIRs5_gX3gSeGIxv6hyphenhyphen7aV5bI34jcVFqpUvexpfPERVvSYC2Mi-OXX1zS2Dx-n8slXCxhLxOMWtD9iXbSm3ZrPt4t9j0tbUgB-aXIwUV4K8yOFy53GKnkozA9GqWYx_hobGwTM/s320/ai.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8AcnO34sLNfAAaaQngdzEqhaQApK8n4P-NdHmhmQmHY1MeR8QmwC4j2ToVH-7a5S3tOjs8X7Mm0WDhqy3OIVNfMLOa3TQMcYZpShyphenhyphendTdUMQGHc6Rr4tlIBkyaQ4LV07eR0ERs7iJhto/s1600/IMG_Zina+Abbott+Thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8AcnO34sLNfAAaaQngdzEqhaQApK8n4P-NdHmhmQmHY1MeR8QmwC4j2ToVH-7a5S3tOjs8X7Mm0WDhqy3OIVNfMLOa3TQMcYZpShyphenhyphendTdUMQGHc6Rr4tlIBkyaQ4LV07eR0ERs7iJhto/s320/IMG_Zina+Abbott+Thumb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her
historical romances. Robyn currently lives with her husband in California, USA,
near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">She is a member of Women Writing the West, and American
Night Writers Association. She enjoys any kind of history including family
history. </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">When she is not piecing together novel plots, she pieces
together quilt blocks.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNJxuLu7nKUZXKIy3etRX3dLjETDOqeUniJC5cqifCsGNxq4zdNAs-u4h-jTsovjKDLJ07Sqw7n1jDMxVIEQyLC4CjGxSLUkq52KKD3tq5Yxqr-8RLuzNsjdgoYk8-Mas1wdIv1ZZ7eM/s1600/atb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNJxuLu7nKUZXKIy3etRX3dLjETDOqeUniJC5cqifCsGNxq4zdNAs-u4h-jTsovjKDLJ07Sqw7n1jDMxVIEQyLC4CjGxSLUkq52KKD3tq5Yxqr-8RLuzNsjdgoYk8-Mas1wdIv1ZZ7eM/s320/atb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJyJkqixVK17tnqPHOiJKtrQua0HAQWbE1X7ZiGoJwxv2UbN7_y5Cxoy9bLx4Vhfr6xWhoJJUdwMkMT6b3V9uHNfri9UxrEj-p15UYiF3ybpLNZzwFhHlG0tubezE17IRCaEsNDJa3gg/s1600/2+Kizzie+Kisses+cover2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJyJkqixVK17tnqPHOiJKtrQua0HAQWbE1X7ZiGoJwxv2UbN7_y5Cxoy9bLx4Vhfr6xWhoJJUdwMkMT6b3V9uHNfri9UxrEj-p15UYiF3ybpLNZzwFhHlG0tubezE17IRCaEsNDJa3gg/s320/2+Kizzie+Kisses+cover2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">Running from hostile Indians attacking Salina, Kansas in
1862, feisty Kizzie Atwell, Grandma Mary’s oldest grandchild, runs into
freighter Leander Jones traveling the Smoky Hill Trail. He is as interested in
her as his stallion is in her mare. The two join forces to prevent the Fort
Riley Army captain from requisitioning their beloved horses for the cavalry.
Avoiding bushwhackers and fighting off a thieving bullwhacker binds their
bargain.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">In 1865, at the victory dance held at Fort Riley to
celebrate the end of the Civil War, Kizzie is asked to participate in a
fund-raiser to aid the Sanitary Commission helping injured and sick soldiers.
It involves chaste sweetheart kisses in exchange for tickets purchased by
officers and guests. As a contract freighter for the Army, Leander is invited.
Much to Leander’s chagrin, before his chance to claim his kiss, Kizzie’s uncle
steps in and puts an end to the kissing game.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Is Leander out of luck, or
will the bargain Kizzie and Leander made three years earlier to save their
horses lead to a more romantic bargain sealed with a kiss?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju16EM0JaeqLRe2AukhXl0iTbMIrwyOKnp02EgtOIkWKnH97Rtu-J_vvIWy1OPUxqMy7ry5Pa8vQphyphenhyphenznQnkGHCvm1WxNm9hcnzoSWZ9ZIlKGkVh2z1Lt4gPq6A2HlAdhOPbJjYMO_JTM/s1600/extras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju16EM0JaeqLRe2AukhXl0iTbMIrwyOKnp02EgtOIkWKnH97Rtu-J_vvIWy1OPUxqMy7ry5Pa8vQphyphenhyphenznQnkGHCvm1WxNm9hcnzoSWZ9ZIlKGkVh2z1Lt4gPq6A2HlAdhOPbJjYMO_JTM/s320/extras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 18.0pt;"> 10 top favorite
things:</span></b><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">1.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "" "times new roman" "" , serif; font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love my computer so I can use it to write stories</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">2.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "" "times new roman" "" , serif; font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love my sewing machine so I can quilt when I need a
break from writing</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">3.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "" "times new roman" "" , serif; font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love paper and ink books that fill my bookcases</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">4.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "" "times new roman" "" , serif; font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love my Kindle, Nook and Deseret Book apps because
my bookcases are already full of paper and ink books</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">5.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "" "times new roman" "" , serif; font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love my camera so I can take photographs</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">6.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "" "times new roman" "" , serif; font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love my photo-editing program so I can tweak my
photos so they look even better</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">7.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "" "times new roman" "" , serif; font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love Yosemite National Park because it is so pretty
in any season</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">8.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "" "times new roman" "" , serif; font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love museums because of all the wonderful historical
items they display</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">9.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "" "times new roman" "" , serif; font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love Columbia State Park and Mono County because
they capture the history of the California Gold Rush</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">10.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "" "times new roman" "" , serif; font-size: 7.0pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I love my car because it comfortably takes me to all
my favorite places</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">US:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kizzies-Kisses-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/dp/B01MT0UO6Q/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.com/Kizzies-Kisses-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/dp/B01MT0UO6Q/</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Canada: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Kizzies-Kisses-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/dp/B01MT0UO6Q/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.ca/Kizzies-Kisses-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/dp/B01MT0UO6Q/</span></a></span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">UK: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kizzies-Kisses-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/dp/B01MT0UO6Q/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kizzies-Kisses-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/dp/B01MT0UO6Q/</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">Australia: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Kizzies-Kisses-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/dp/B01MT0UO6Q/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.com.au/Kizzies-Kisses-Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-ebook/dp/B01MT0UO6Q/</span></a></span>ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-48500047647570121872017-03-28T23:19:00.000-07:002017-03-28T23:19:13.412-07:00Book Blitz: Grandma's Wedding Quilts, Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pU2IwJTutwjVJtKTtImx8zmvdk72c7veiA9Mnb_K_OvoZjUzd_t6AizgKpSzOVYlhkZW-BX04_vJpTZITJD5vwWHNEgJXih3zfEb_jUSg22rjwnbGvVDle1-2a1LjYX6OJecRFKtum0/s1600/quilts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pU2IwJTutwjVJtKTtImx8zmvdk72c7veiA9Mnb_K_OvoZjUzd_t6AizgKpSzOVYlhkZW-BX04_vJpTZITJD5vwWHNEgJXih3zfEb_jUSg22rjwnbGvVDle1-2a1LjYX6OJecRFKtum0/s640/quilts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kate Cambridge is an emerging author of Sweet Historical
Romance and Sweet Contemporary Romance. She is a hopeless romantic, strong
supporter of women's rights, and loves to create stories that inspire, and
characters who seem real long after "The End."</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">Visit<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://katecambridge.com/"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">KateCambridge.com</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">for more information, or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://katecambridge.com/Choice"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">KateCambridge.com/Choice</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">to join the Choice Readers group for special launch-day pricing,
contest, and more. Be one of the first to know what happens next...</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kate loves to connect with readers!</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbk7PKs3o14LvtgKdVRKVqbGstyYq37ks-kAKur30rJZ_3AFnicAxWCwuhcCb8PEexum6jwv-7CavMNGSwoSU9Yt3UPDVHvs3ZEL4lJpivcnS2Gb8f50OLut9fe1u53CAWhyphenhyphenUCiZszAx0/s1600/atb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbk7PKs3o14LvtgKdVRKVqbGstyYq37ks-kAKur30rJZ_3AFnicAxWCwuhcCb8PEexum6jwv-7CavMNGSwoSU9Yt3UPDVHvs3ZEL4lJpivcnS2Gb8f50OLut9fe1u53CAWhyphenhyphenUCiZszAx0/s320/atb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">The greatest inspiration is
often born of desperation.</span></i><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">One year ago Hannah Quinn scored her dream job, and now
the fate of the museum she loves will rise or fall on her next exhibit. But
wait... there's a problem. She doesn't have a clue what her next exhibit will
be!</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">When a trunk with two quilts is donated to the museum,
Hannah's boss thinks she's wasting her time chasing down the history of the
quilts, regardless of their beauty; but Hannah persists. She knows there's
something special about these quilts, and a story that demands to be told.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">Little does Hannah know, her friend Callum, a researcher
and consultant, plays an unexpected a role in her investigation that leads to
questions and discoveries that threaten the foundation of all she holds most
dear.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1e1419; font-size: 14.0pt;">Will her desperation to discover the story of the quilts
cause her to lose the very thing she loves the most - or will the secrets she
uncover lead her to more than she ever dreamed?</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Snippet #3</span></b><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“She hurried past the doctor before Dr. Wagstaff could see the tears
forming in her eyes. Hannah knew it wasn’t just her mistake that upset her, it
was the sensation of the quilt under her fingertips. It stirred something in
her, something that she couldn’t explain.”</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">US: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/d/Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-Kate-Cambridge-ebook/B01N0T0AOP/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.com/d/Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-Kate-Cambridge-ebook/B01N0T0AOP/</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Canada: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/d/Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-Kate-Cambridge-ebook/B01N0T0AOP/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.ca/d/Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-Kate-Cambridge-ebook/B01N0T0AOP/</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">UK: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-Kate-Cambridge-ebook/B01N0T0AOP/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-Kate-Cambridge-ebook/B01N0T0AOP/</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Australia: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/d/Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-Kate-Cambridge-ebook/B01N0T0AOP/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">https://www.amazon.com.au/d/Grandmas-Wedding-Quilts-Kate-Cambridge-ebook/B01N0T0AOP/</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-9186339705120090652017-03-21T16:27:00.000-07:002017-03-21T16:27:02.279-07:00Day 82: Powerful PerennialsAs many of you know, I am a published novelist. Cedar Fort Books has been good to me and I've made some good friends among the authors. So when I put out a notice that I would be willing to review books by people from my publisher, I got a bunch of responses. We'll get to those later, but one of the requests was for a gardening book, <i>Powerful Perennials.</i><br />
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I admit that I am not a gardener. I have a succulent named Janet and last year, I killed my roommate's bell pepper plant by accident. My roommate, meanwhile, has a complicated system of starter pots and seedlings and a kind of mini-greenhouse sitting on our kitchen table until the plants are ready to go in the ground. But I'm interested in learning and that's one of the reasons that I took an interest in that request. (Plus, the author shares a name with my favorite aunt.)<br />
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Nedra Secrist doesn't just give you the kind of advice that you find on the back of a seed packet or the side of a houseplant container. I was relieved by the tone of the book as soon as I read the prologue and found that she had experience instructing gardeners from those who do it for stress relief to those improving their health. She knows what it's like to try to make an Eden out of a desert and has practical advice that isn't Greek to me. (Though, given my background in classics, Greek might have helped.)<br />
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I plan to pull this book out again when it comes for next year's efforts. I might just request a corner of our garden to be my personal lab.ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-33195236031154779872017-03-20T20:32:00.002-07:002017-03-20T20:32:48.777-07:00Day 83: A TIME OF ANGELSI asked my roommate to name a genre and said I'd review a book from that category. She chose historical fiction and after listing the two books I'd reviewed, I remembered my favorite book set in the time of the Spanish Influenza.<br />
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The story takes place in a very tight-knit community in Chicago, 1918. Hannah and her sisters live with relatives while their parents are unable to come home from the war. Meanwhile, people in their building are falling ill and coming to her wise old relations for help. There's no telling if or when Hannah's own family will fall prey to the influenza and what she will do if her worst fears come true.<br />
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I love this book on a number of levels. Her family dynamics are well-written, showing both the respect Hannah has for her elders and the misunderstandings that come from the generational gap. She has a complex love for her family, but also cares for people who are only related by address. This is also a very realistic depiction of a practicing Jewish family and the near-familial closeness of those of their same faith reminds me of having lived in Provo, where most of my neighbors were people I saw on Sundays.<br />
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Mostly, I enjoy that the drama is almost entirely a matter of what-if and worst-case scenarios. Fear can be related to very intangible things, but no less powerful than fear of an assailant or a weapon. Hesse does a great job of focusing on things that are more terrifying to the characters than the war on distant shores.ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-1531956564365806462017-03-19T19:21:00.004-07:002017-03-19T19:21:45.280-07:00Day 84: HOW TO BABYSIT A GRANDPAOnce in a while, Katey and I pick a library and spend an afternoon there, reading picture books to each other. Sometimes, they're familiar--in our first session, I got choked up reading my favorite book (<i>The Polar Express)--</i>but more often, they're books that struck as us funny or interesting or profound when we thumbed through them earlier that day.<br />
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Yesterday, we had one such session. I read a book about Irish step dance (complete with accents), a short biography of Babe Ruth (Boooooooooooooooooo), an Arab fairy tale about camels, a book about winter and finally, today's review subject.<br />
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I have many fond memories of my maternal grandparents. We lived in Oregon near them and would have outings to Eagle Creek, where we would have pancakes and sausages and go fishing. On my sixth birthday, Grandma had me stay overnight and taught me how to use a typewriter. Even when we moved to Massachusetts, Grandma and Grandpa Nelson would come to visit and Grandpa would almost always fix something around the house.<br />
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This book, therefore, amused me greatly. It instructs children on how to feed, entertain and comfort their elderly guest. It even deals with how to calm a grandpa who has separation anxiety. It shows "empathy" for Grandpa's need for a nap and understanding of what grandparents really treasure about their hosts. <br />
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And don't tell him, but I'm totally getting this book for my dad to keep around the house for when my nephews and nieces visit.ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-78707349563093198852017-03-18T22:00:00.001-07:002017-03-18T22:00:17.426-07:00Day 85: THE MARTIANAs you can probably tell, I enjoy telling the stories behind how I find books. Some of them will be more ordinary--I'll be reviewing a book I had to read in Mrs. Elliott's Honors American Literature class in 1998--but I do like connecting a book to a place, a time or a person.<div>
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In this case, it's San Jose, CA over Memorial Day weekend a couple of years ago. I was spending five days with my brother's family and as soon as he picked me up from the airport, my brother turned on an audiobook.</div>
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There aren't many books that start out with profanity that I would recommend. The first sentence ends with one in the past tense. Then you get a bit of context and you realize that you wouldn't be able to be polite in a similar situation.</div>
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Mark Watney, a member of the Ares III mission to Mars, was hit by flying debris during the mission evacuation. His vital signs flat-lined and in spite of his crewmembers' efforts, they were unable to recover the body. Where it gets complicated is that the first line of the book is from Mark's first log, recorded after he woke up alive and alone on Mars. He is a botanist and a mechanical engineer who <i>might</i> be able to live long enough for the next mission to Mars to arrive at the Schiaparelli Crater in a while. That is, if the hazards of the uninhabitable planet don't kill him first. And the future astronauts don't know he's alive.</div>
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The book is phenomenal. Andy Weir basically posted it on his blog and crowd-researched the plot, the science, etc. Followers would give him information on complications or how to make things work.</div>
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Back on earth, there is a huge public relations issue after America lost an astronaut. They hope that the next mission will be able to recover his remains and to their horror, they discover that his body doesn't show up on the satellite footage and someone is moving the equipment around and using the solar panels.</div>
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While the story is riveting (I actually screamed for joy when something went awesomely right), my favorite moments are things like the US Postal Service having to stop circulating Mark Watney's commemorative stamp because they've never had a stamp for a living person before and the NASA/JPL efforts to help him being called Project Elrond. (In the movie, Sean Bean of Boromir fame is in on this project.)</div>
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So be prepared for a bit of profanity and lots of hatred towards disco music. But read this book and feel the way you did when you first saw <i>Apollo 13.</i></div>
ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-91704889154673959902017-03-17T22:28:00.000-07:002017-03-17T22:28:42.789-07:00Day 86: INSTANT MOMI found this book on one of my mailing lists recently and immediately recognized the name Nia Vardalos. If you don't know the name, you probably remember her film, <i>My Big Fat Greek Wedding.</i> Having laughed myself silly at how familiar the Greek culture was to me, since I knew a lot of Greek-Americans in Boston, I impulse-bought her memoir.<br />
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The book chronicles her efforts to become a parent, whether going through IVF or suffering a miscarriage or finding out that her surrogate had been unable to get pregnant. Then things turn as she finds herself able to adopt a young girl and she learns to cope with life as a parent.<br />
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Adoption stories are near to my heart. I have a sister who is a year and twenty days older than me, but since she's been part of our family since she was three days old, I never knew life without her. I remember having a conversation with her son about how he feels towards his step-brother. He said something along the lines of "We're not brothers if we're not blood-related" and I immediately lamented that I couldn't be Aunt Kaki if that's all that counted. As soon as he remembered that I'm his aunt without a blood relation, he conceded that it counted. I also have a 7-year-old in Lowell who calls me Auntie Kaki (his brother isn't that articulate yet) and three Filipino-Cambodian children who do the same. So I'm well aware of how close a family adoption, formal or otherwise, can create.<br />
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Nia never makes light of the subject, even some of her experiences border on the hilarious. There are sacred moments in the book, such as when she has a dream about holding her hand out to a little girl with blond streaks in her hair and when, months later, the blond-streaked little girl she just met calls her Mommy. As expected, her huge Greek family has things to say about her adoption of an American child.<br />
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The best part of this is that it's non-fiction. I found myself crying in understanding of her pain after only thirty-two pages and getting just as emotional when the adoption was finalized.ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-25170087846265673162017-03-16T22:25:00.004-07:002017-03-16T22:25:40.741-07:00Day 87: HOWL'S MOVING CASTLERemember when I told you about my first job, shelving books at the public library? I had an excellent boss who worked with my school schedule and treated me as a valuable member of the staff. But before that, she was adamant on one particular thing. On my first day, she handed me a copy of Diana Wynne Jones' <i>Howl's Moving Castle</i> and told me I had to read it before I was allowed to work under her.<br />
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You may have seen the excellent animated movie and it does share some of the elements, but let's set that aside for now. This is a story of a girl who, like any industrious peasant, runs afoul of a witch in her quest for her life's purpose. She is transformed into an elderly woman and has to work out how to break the spell. The only reliable source is the wizard, Howl, who has a reputation for causing trouble and also being invaluable. When she infiltrates the castle as a kind of housekeeper, she finds a fire demon who knows how to avoid a question, a young apprentice wizard who gets easily distracted and a little discouraged at times and the wizard himself, who is temperamental and eccentric. They have their own priorities and obstacles and there are often misconceptions to overcome and a secret identity for Howl that I would, in a million years, never have seen coming.<br />
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It's one of those books that refuses to fit into any category and is therefore appropriate for many ages. I am personally more fond of the sequel (because it's one of the most absurdly adorable love stories I've ever read), but the number of subplots and twists does nothing to detract from the well-paced and character-driven story. <br />
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And I will quote my favorite line: "I think we should live happily-ever-after. It should be a hair-raising experience."ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-26998856737926267742017-03-16T22:17:00.000-07:002017-03-16T22:17:15.692-07:00Day 88: BROKEN CHORDSSince this is a book about an instrument with 88 keys, I thought I'd use it for this particular day. I also accidentally missed its day because I was up against an anthology deadline.<div>
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The author is Barbara Gilbert and the book is a relatively short one, in which a virtuoso (she refuses to be called a prodigy) is accepted into the finals of a high-pressure piano competition. Her most likely rival is attempting for a third time to win the resulting scholarship and has given up everything (including his apartment) to make this last-ditch effort. Meanwhile, the main character is unsure if she wants to win and questions why she is playing in the first place when an injury forces her to scale back her life as a musician.</div>
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I have an absolute obsession with books written accurately about musicians and their training. I read a book last year that had a wonderful plot, but the piano teacher spent every lesson in the book in awe of her student's fluid arpeggios and the way her hands moved gracefully over the keys. This, clearly, was not written by someone who has taught any kind of music lesson. My piano teacher is my mother and while she will sit back and quietly take notes when I'm playing a Beethoven sonata or a Bach invention, she notices plenty. She can tell when I am half an inch too far back on the bench and have collapsed wrists. She notices a different in the sound when I play with the inside edge of my finger instead of the flat part. I remember putting on headphones and playing a Haydn sonata on an electronic keyboard. She could tell from the click of the keys that I needed to change my fingering. That is the kind of expertise and attention to detail that I expect from acclaimed music teachers.</div>
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It might be snobbish to say that I wish more people got into the technicality of music in books and <i>Broken Chords </i>delivers. In this, a disaster is caused by a person applying insufficient pressure to one of the pedals during the competition. Clara talks extensively about the difficulty of relearning a section of a concerto with new fingering because she relies so much on muscle memory. I relate to this book because I remember knowing the shape of the first notes of a piece, but forgetting the position on the keyboard so that I started playing it several notes higher than it was meant to be and having to readjust my hands when I hit the note that wasn't where it should be. I relate to her frustration with her wrist injury because I sprained mine on Thanksgiving one year and had to give up any piece that made me do octaves for a month.</div>
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But this is not just a story for obsessive musicians. The characters are extremely real, whether the daughter who struggles to identify when her parents are proud of her to the brother who feels overshadowed by his virtuoso of a sister, to the rival who plays Gershwin to relax before his critical performance. It's a book for anyone straining to find true humanity in fictional characters.</div>
ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-20122760958599163232017-03-14T21:48:00.003-07:002017-03-14T21:48:43.794-07:00Book Blitz: The Essence of Courage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1A5FbRWllZF1q34thXFjB45eprbNabW0dlfwRUui_OtGJYY3UtTlESMDBZhor0O-MneuCQ7X0Yb1vOGfm2iEpnJoRbBqIcXW5SjZxJfLoYgMEtl2bf9DUQhTXeP3z_TRX8D7bDjr8QQo/s1600/book-cover-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1A5FbRWllZF1q34thXFjB45eprbNabW0dlfwRUui_OtGJYY3UtTlESMDBZhor0O-MneuCQ7X0Yb1vOGfm2iEpnJoRbBqIcXW5SjZxJfLoYgMEtl2bf9DUQhTXeP3z_TRX8D7bDjr8QQo/s320/book-cover-front.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">As women we
encounter multiple challenges, while simultaneously wearing</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">many hats. We need courage to face our
challenges and commitments. In Song</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">of Solomon 4, Solomon ascribes the essences
of his locked garden to the</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">courageous woman he has taken as his wife.
This inspirational study will</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">provide an opportunity for you to discover:</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">• The secrets of the fruit, spices, and
essential oils in Solomon’s locked garden.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">• A deeper meaning of these fruits, spices
and essential oil essences in Scripture by studying different women in the
Bible.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">• How others learn through their struggles
and triumphs when you meet Cinnamah-Brosia and the women with whom she
does life.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">• Encouragement to allow the Holy Spirit to
cultivate the essence of courage in your heart.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">• Fun facts about the spices and essential
oils, along with ways for you to</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""arial"",serif;">enjoy incorporating reminders of the fruit
they represent into your life.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""calibri"",serif;">Pulled reluctantly into women’s ministry
nearly four decades ago, Lynn Watson now treasures the
opportunities that were provided to lead, encourage and mentor women through
relationships and Bible studies. She wrote a few of the studies, too. Drawing
from those experiences, along with years serving others professionally in the
complementary healthcare field and her love for essential
oils, Lynn delights in bringing her readers freshly inspired insights
drawn from and focused on the many fruits, plants, oils, and spices mentioned
in God’s Word. Married since 1973, Lynn and Steve call Bartlett,
Tennessee home. Their</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: ""calibri"",serif;">home is filled with handmade treasures and
lots of love for family, especially their five beautiful (of course)
grandchildren.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 22.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Top Ten
List<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Baking bread from freshly milled grain
has become a bi-weekly ritual in our home. The aroma, the taste, and the
nutritional value are impossible to beat.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 47.25pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Weather permitting, a friend and I
enjoy early morning bike rides. Gloria is my tangerine cruiser. She sports a
1970’s vintage leather purse for carrying little things like my phone.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 47.25pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">A queen at the age of 5, I also had two
princesses to attend me. The local businessmen in our community held a parade.
My dad and grandfather owned a construction company. My doll house sat on the
float with us. A banner proudly announced, “We Build Homes Fit for a Queen.”</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 47.25pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">My grandmother had a vintage stove in
her basement just for making fresh donuts. I loved to help, but my grandfather
and I were often accused of eating donuts faster than we helped make them.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 47.25pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">For my 60<sup>th</sup> birthday my
husband gifted me a hot air balloon ride. It was a dream come true around my 61<sup>st</sup> birthday
when we finally experienced the adventure!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 47.25pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">I love chocolate!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 47.25pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Between kindergarten and high school
graduation, I attended 16 different schools.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 47.25pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">For a costume party once as a child, I
dressed as an organ grinder accompanied by my well loved sock monkey. </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 47.25pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">There's little sun in my yard for
growing veggies, but I always have an herb garden.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">K-LOVE is my favorite radio station.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">And now a snippet:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">An unsightly explosion brewed. Holding back the anger
I felt, I’m certain my tongue bled ’til I could taste it. I shrugged my
shoulders and may have commented, “This is not my choice to make.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">from "A Woman of the Bible
Displays the Fruit: Hannah Bites Her Tongue," page 173</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">******</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jochebed placed the basket in the water. Miriam's
actions were necessarily gentle as she hid among the reeds of the Nile and
waited. When Pharaoh's daughter found the baby, Miriam met the challenge. She
assessed the situation while thinking very quickly on her wet feet. The Egyptian
princess loved on Miriam's baby brother. In response to the hopeful sight,
Miriam simply asked if the assistance of someone to nurse this baby would be
helpful. A pleased adoptive “new mom” readily agreed and offered compensation
for the task.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">from "A Woman of the Bible
Displays the Fruit: Miriam's Gentle Negotiations," page 155</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">******</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> "E</span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://web.mail.comcast.net/zimbra/www" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">....
that smells like my closet floor with all my dirty clothes and smelly
socks!" That was one young lady's spontaneous reaction as my husband
shared spikenard with his fifth grade</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
<span class="aqj"><span style="background: white;">Sunday</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="background: white;">school class. The day's lesson: Mary anointing Jesus’
head. We can be sure the aroma of a full pint of the oil filled the room.
Shooey!!!</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"> The cost – not the
aroma – alarmed the disciples (especially Judas, the one who later betrayed Him
for personal financial gain). The others’ concerns acknowledged the fact
spikenard sold for a handsome price, and the money could help the poor. There
was surely a better use for the resource than pouring a whole pint of expensive
oil on someone's head.</span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Considering the cost
and undeterred by their criticism, razzing and complaints, Mary chose to serve
Jesus. She believed He was the most valuable investment opportunity in her
life. Hindsight tells us she was absolutely correct! <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>from
"The Essence of Spikenard in Scripture: What Is Your
Spikenard?" page 69</em><o:p></o:p></span></div>
ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354900517580322427.post-76288587135169756722017-03-14T19:57:00.001-07:002017-03-14T19:57:11.254-07:00Day 89: Dan Brown's THE DAVINCI CODELet me start out by saying that I'm not going to attempt to get into the theology of the book. I remember reading this novel and sighing at how often I disagreed with an opinion, but now that I have read four of his novels, I've learned to separate my own feelings from those of the characters and I hope you will do the same.<br />
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There's no denying that <i>The DaVinci Code</i> is entertaining. It starts with a murder in cold blood committed in the famous Louvre Museum. Soon, an American professor is implicated in the crime and the only person who can save him from imprisonment and complete the murdered man's life-long quest is the man's estranged granddaughter. It crosses France and England I wouldn't say no to a "tour the sites of <i>The DaVinci Code"</i> vacation. <br />
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The problem that I have is the same as the issue I take with Indiana Jones. Robert Langdon is on a Top 10 Bachelors list and has chocolate-sweet tones and wears a vintage Mickey Mouse watch under his Harris tweed. He is a world-renowned symbologist and on the quest for the Holy Grail. Similarly, Dr. Jones is a knockout who looks good in specs, but also makes women swoon when he brandishes a whip or talks about excavation technique. While both of them are interesting characters, their stories are completely implausible. Just once, I'd like a book in which Robert Langdon would like to find the final resting place of St. Alexandra of Atlantis, but he has to proctor exams and his book tour got canceled, so he's stuck grading papers in Cambridge, Having a PhD in symbology doesn't lead you to having assassination attempts made on your life by Catholic secret societies, just as being an archaeology professor is unlikely to mean that you dabble in the occult with Hitler's goons..<br />
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Character issues aside, I read the book with Google at my side so I could cross-reference the works of art described and deciphered. The story drew my attention to elements that I had never considered and I was able to contemplate the interpretation of my faith as well as that of the characters. If you're looking for a stand-out Robert Langdon book, though, try <i>Inferno.</i> ishtheintrepidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08130282289821544632noreply@blogger.com0