tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17124780155214077392024-03-13T16:37:40.521-05:00Literary ChameleonAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.comBlogger183125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-59663571480879347512015-08-25T08:02:00.001-05:002015-08-25T08:02:31.346-05:00Soul Craft: Once Again Sam<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I have a horrible green thumb. I warned my co-worker multiple times before I came to work one day to find a small pot of lemon-balm on my desk. "You can't possibly screw this up," she said, but I said a prayer for my green, leafy friend anyway. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Taking care of plants is a reflection of how we should take care of the rest of our lives. It's a process and there's a struggle in every handful of soil. No slight of hand can make my green beans grow any faster. I devoted a portion of my time to it everyday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There's something to be said for working with your hands especially in a such an automatic culture of today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sam, from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/OnceAgainSam">Once Again Sam</a>, creates stunning jewelry by pushing the boundaries of traditional materials and creating stunning up-cycled jewelry using paint, wood, and leather. She's graciously provided a peek behind the curtain into her world and how she works with her hands to give people around the world a small piece of her heart. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Interview with Sarah Mandell:</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">How did you begin creating jewelry using natural materials?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I started working with leather because it's a material that doesn't require any sewing, or specialty tools. I was able to cut it with scissors, and it was really straight forward to work with. It's also very easy to get material-I found places where I could buy upholstery scraps by the pound, and I also discovered I could cut up thrift store clothing and get a lot of material that way. I began working with wood more recently, in the last 2 or 3 years. My husband does some wood working, and I have enjoyed learning this new medium with his guidance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What types of wood and tools do you use in your process? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I use a combination of basic hand tools and high tech equipment. My workshop and studio include all the basic woodworking stuff like drills, saws, files, sanders, etc. but we also have a 90 watt laser cutter, which is used to make intricate cutouts and engravings. Recently, I learned wood turning, so we invested in a lathe, so that's been fun to learn. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqbT3wzF-GOvZXPoEwlhaTSUxdLoG_bl5FIpgBzQA5Lrmf6ka9gh6CflELxuGLoEEJZloizo9_6g-5n19N0FVspo9DseL6uh65t1Jx2fbdkS7z2RawhT4DuwgT6KNQnqpuPt_ZQV8rLY/s1600/icm_fullxfull.66220776_lxs1ajhmgtso80co0w44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqbT3wzF-GOvZXPoEwlhaTSUxdLoG_bl5FIpgBzQA5Lrmf6ka9gh6CflELxuGLoEEJZloizo9_6g-5n19N0FVspo9DseL6uh65t1Jx2fbdkS7z2RawhT4DuwgT6KNQnqpuPt_ZQV8rLY/s320/icm_fullxfull.66220776_lxs1ajhmgtso80co0w44.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What inspires your designs? How do you decide which symbols to engrave? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Just about everything inspires me. I love nature, geometry, textile patterns, travel...you name it! I choose images to incorporate into my "Curious Cameo' collection because they're interesting to me, and I feel they may represent someone. THere's truly something for everyone within this collection. I personally were the bee, bunny, and Edgar Allen Poe, and a few of the geometric patterns, because those, for some reason or another, speak to me and represent something about me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Who do you idolize as material artists? Would there be anyone with whom you would love to start a collaboration? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've had the honor of collaborating with lots of other artists over the years, but right now I'm actually wanting to collaborate more with my husband Josh. I think his wood working and my jewelry & fiber art go together well. We already share ideas now, and help each other all the time, but I want to collaborate more, because we're better together. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-TQYkL1RCkKWGCliHFgkLRVsVK3jwphyphenhyphenI-dpzBnJSmuCMQ-fJ9kvfYLoOI9_yoeWRD5vqauB6ta4D71tCRstvnd8FwKb-DVHdSr_Z4aeFyDPnfuG8TBd6DpGpDERyNtaCT9LzNncLko/s1600/icm_fullxfull.66220792_m0npiwmxbxw88g4840wc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-TQYkL1RCkKWGCliHFgkLRVsVK3jwphyphenhyphenI-dpzBnJSmuCMQ-fJ9kvfYLoOI9_yoeWRD5vqauB6ta4D71tCRstvnd8FwKb-DVHdSr_Z4aeFyDPnfuG8TBd6DpGpDERyNtaCT9LzNncLko/s320/icm_fullxfull.66220792_m0npiwmxbxw88g4840wc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Do you think you will ever incorporate different materials aside from wood and metal? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm always looking to incorporate new materials into my work, and this summer I spent a week learning to work with copper(forging, enabling, press, etc. ) so that is something I'd like to continue in the future. I also have an interest in learning to weave, carve, cast, and about 1,000 other things! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What was your first piece and have you kept it or did you give it away? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My first few pieces of jewelry were ones I actually made for myself, and I still have those somewhere. Once I opened up an Easy shop, and starting doing this as a business. I got better about thinking about these jewelry pieces as an inventory, so I was able to part with them. Once in a while, I still hang onto a piece here and there, but for most part I sell everything online or at craft shows. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-80181408748207805512015-08-10T07:29:00.002-05:002015-08-10T07:29:29.968-05:00Celia on the Run <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGzNsuexHqASQM95y0yUXfKzjQKRKLsV84bc-ANUKG1OYcWKwTuxTEv94fn29g9BpnQQrMWCGliVOUNWGJEWbWwIImRLsaz9GWRJqrsR01mIcHPMrr653v5hK4yVGYX-5NTCj_ijyGrw/s1600/celia_261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGzNsuexHqASQM95y0yUXfKzjQKRKLsV84bc-ANUKG1OYcWKwTuxTEv94fn29g9BpnQQrMWCGliVOUNWGJEWbWwIImRLsaz9GWRJqrsR01mIcHPMrr653v5hK4yVGYX-5NTCj_ijyGrw/s320/celia_261.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Celia on the Run </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sarah Mandell </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Untreed Reads</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nick Novaczek is a cautious soul, a 17-year old with a quiet thirst for danger. On the eve of his grandmother’s funeral, danger finds him by the motel swimming pool. Her name is Celia and she’s everything he’s not. This foul-mouthed beauty is hitchhiking across the country to make amends with her estranged father and doesn’t carry an ounce of fear or hesitation in her tattered suitcase. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hours after meeting Celia, Nick is hopelessly hooked and “borrows” his parents’ car to join her mission, even though her story is full of holes. It’s the mistake he’s been waiting his whole life to make. After weeks of detours, with hundreds of miles left to go, their wild adventure unravels, but she won’t turn back, no matter how desperate things get. Celia’s got a charming smile to pay her way, a willing accomplice, and an endless supply of lies. Not to mention a gun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Ideas are what fuel this blog. An open dialogue of thoughts flow between the reader and the author and the result is new perspectives. I love connecting with authors who I normally wouldn't have encountered. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Sarah Mandell is a jack-of-all-trades. She owns her own </span><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><u>Easy</u></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"> shop and has found time to write a novel with another in the works. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">When Nick meets Celia, teen vagabond, he seizes the chance to ditch his family and go on a road trip. Nick's a good guy trying to be bad so it seems like a good decision and Celia's just a bad girl. As they travel cross country towards their destination, Nick realizes that the secret to forgetting the past is moving forward. Celia can't keep running...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">I finished this book in less than a day and found a diamond in the rough. I expected a run-of-the-mill teenage story centered around a road trip. I got so much more. Mandela peels away at the layers of each character and reveals each person's vulnerability. This book is about progress, grief, and change. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Read this book if you find yourself at the end of the road and you need a fresh perspective. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Rating: 4.5/5</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-54522780091580283632015-08-05T07:54:00.000-05:002015-08-05T07:54:01.253-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: Color Me Creative<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Kristina Webb</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 09.29.15 by Harper Collins Publishing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">From Instagram sensation Kristina Webb (@colour_me_creative) comes a completely original and unique book to inspire and unlock your creativity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Color Me Creative</em> gives readers a firsthand look into Kristina's personal life, including her exotic upbringing and the inspirational story of how, at nineteen years old, she has become one of the most popular artists of her generation, with a following in the millions. Readers can then go on their own journey by completing the fifty creative, art-inspired challenges designed by Kristina herself. This is the perfect gift not only for artists but for anyone wanting to awaken their inner creative. Featuring Kristina's beautiful custom art throughout, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Color Me Creative</em> will help readers escape the ordinary and unlock their imagination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This book offers readers the chance to download the free Unbound app to access interactive features and bonus videos by scanning the customized icon that appears throughout the book, including never-before-seen home videos and videos of Kristina drawing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">School will be back in session and it's time to get our creative juices flowing. I used to doodle as a kid and I haven't gotten much better past stick figures. So here's to hoping I can learn about someone new whose changing the world through their talents. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-58720223085059666352015-07-29T08:12:00.001-05:002015-07-29T08:12:23.789-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: Trouble is a Friend of Mine <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Stephanie Tromby </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 04.08.15 by Kathy Dawson Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span id="freeText11303594944139626460" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Preparing to survive a typical day of being Digbys friend wasn't that different from preparing to survive the apocalypse.<br /><br />Her first day not in school (because she cut) in her new hometown that will soon be her old hometown (because she's getting out of Dodge as fast as she can) Zoe meets Digby. Or rather, Digby decides he's going to meet Zoe and get her to help him find missing teenager. Zoe isn't sure how, but Digby—the odd and brilliant and somehow…attractive?—Digby always gets what he wants, including her help on several illegal ventures. Before she knows it, Zoe has vandalized an office complex with fake snow, pretended to buy drugs alongside a handsome football player dressed like the Hulk, had a throw-down with a possible cult, and, oh yeah, saved her new hometown (which might be worth making her permanent hometown after all.)<br /><br />A mystery where catching the crook isn't the only hook, a romance where the leading man is decidedly unromantic, a story about friendship where they aren't even sure they like each other—<em>Trouble is a Friend of Mine</em> is a YA debut you won’t soon forget.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sherlock meets Veronica Mars meets Ferris Bueller Day's off sounds like the perfect combination and immediately grabbed my attention when I found the description from Barnes and Noble. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-7637928789771219512015-07-22T11:55:00.005-05:002015-07-22T11:55:48.032-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: The Marvels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlS0ryIlz1H94aavKDs64seCZ4Nbvgfkkg9ovHINM9Y8nEDpN-Ls_QFTFr6IdG-hQzku7i5NSensxmbDxcL8XEXkMylncflRy8L_yeRLcdgZ27LOskA8SB6YLJQZ2UErXhQZqflE8eUg/s1600/23566909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlS0ryIlz1H94aavKDs64seCZ4Nbvgfkkg9ovHINM9Y8nEDpN-Ls_QFTFr6IdG-hQzku7i5NSensxmbDxcL8XEXkMylncflRy8L_yeRLcdgZ27LOskA8SB6YLJQZ2UErXhQZqflE8eUg/s320/23566909.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Brian Selznick</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span id="freeText4682435891600555906" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Caldecott Award winner and bookmaking trailblazer Brian Selznick once again plays with the form he invented and takes readers on a voyage!<br /><br />Two seemingly unrelated stories--one in words, the other in pictures--come together. The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations. The prose story opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an estranged uncle's puzzling house in London, where he, along with the reader, must piece together many mysteries.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I absolutely fell in love with the Invention of Hugo Cabret. It is a testament to illustration that pictures have their own place in books. I cannot wait for this book and I hope it gets made into a fantastic movie. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-22806671166341359052015-07-20T10:57:00.002-05:002015-07-20T10:57:14.661-05:00What I'm Reading Monday: Paper Hearts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXB5l1kzODFHZYllSaiCmIMN6axiRnA7dnUapJeY5qohCTwbdzV9OhdIYzsDyeUZyVYFYdL4zTAFXJvvuYB9ghoNE5mZ7LEoWoiaiBPvSSQIbj_tOqe8KstwdpWGGqFxJmPLt3mgwOulo/s1600/22798893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXB5l1kzODFHZYllSaiCmIMN6axiRnA7dnUapJeY5qohCTwbdzV9OhdIYzsDyeUZyVYFYdL4zTAFXJvvuYB9ghoNE5mZ7LEoWoiaiBPvSSQIbj_tOqe8KstwdpWGGqFxJmPLt3mgwOulo/s320/22798893.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Courtney Walsh </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Abigail Pressman would never have guessed that love notes penned on paper hearts by an anonymous couple could restore her belief in love. As a business owner in a quaint town at the base of the Rockies, she's poured everything into dreams of expansion . . . and resisting the matchmaking efforts of the Valentine Volunteers, who gather in her store to continue Loves Park's tradition of stamping mail with the city's romantic postmark.When Abigail is unwillingly drafted into the Volunteers, she encounters the paper hearts, a distraction that couldn't come at a worse time. A hard-to-read doctor has become Abigail's new landlord, and he's threatening to end her lease to expand his practice.As she fights a growing attraction to this handsome man crushing her dreams, Abigail is inspired to string the hearts in her store, sparking a citywide infatuation with the artsy trend. But when a new batch of hearts reaches the Volunteers, it appears something tragic has happened to the couple. Will uncovering their story confirm Abigail's doubts about love, or could it rescue her dreams . . . and her heart?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Last year I made a goal to read three mysteries and three romance novels in order to broaden my literary horizons. Even though I work in a library and I pride myself in knowing a lot about a little bit of everything,I enjoy more genres than others. There I said it, but it will be our little secret so mums the word! Paper hearts is my last of my three romance choices and I have to say I'm quite smitten. The story flows very nicely with quirky, memorable characters. It would make a great Hallmark movie. You learn new things when you open your heart<3</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-20657702804967564662015-07-16T20:26:00.002-05:002015-07-16T20:26:23.567-05:00Soul Friends <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu4B_Pz-8Ye8OtMWMtqt8-ZPnL0PQlle_baiU9avXRFv-r3KnhCZu_E_0JMiwKrHFgxG0DtnxkIbzvMwt2ZVRDBwtLmbcvNNXM4qygE6WcQpjyTKh35g_NsWmtuzIeD6EBzbbyoTWjI8/s1600/9780310273301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu4B_Pz-8Ye8OtMWMtqt8-ZPnL0PQlle_baiU9avXRFv-r3KnhCZu_E_0JMiwKrHFgxG0DtnxkIbzvMwt2ZVRDBwtLmbcvNNXM4qygE6WcQpjyTKh35g_NsWmtuzIeD6EBzbbyoTWjI8/s320/9780310273301.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Dr. Leslie Parrott</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Dr. Leslie Parrott is speaking the heart-language of women in her new book that shares how friendships are essential for spiritual formation - for women of all ages.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Soul Friends</em>, Dr. Leslie Parrott brings you into an intimate and vulnerable conversation about the life-changing value of deep-spirited friendships and soul-altering relationships.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Whether it’s a new friend, a member of a small group, or a friend we’ve had for years, these soul-friends embody the grace that enables us to take a next step in the unfolding journey of our lives. God has great purpose, intention, and fulfillment in the give-and-take of deep-spirited friendships. If we purposely cultivate them, God will bring us soul-friends to help us along our spiritual journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Leslie reveals how every woman traverses four stages of growth—quest, calling, crisis, and communion – again and again. And whatever stage you find yourself traveling right now, you need soul friends to help you move forward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">With courageous honesty and heart-felt revelation and reflection, Leslie reminds every woman of the incredibly intimate, intricate, faith-forming work God does in her through the gift of soul friends he places in her life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em;">If a loved one were to show up at my door, they would find Women who Run with the Wolves and Dance of the Dissident Daughter on a table beside the bed-books that honor the warrior within. I make a point to own works of women who I want to emulate. Women whose words have </span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">nurtured</span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em;"> my soul and spurred my creativity. I can hear their voices beckoning, "Come join me,dear friend, I </span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">have been where you are and I welcome you with open arms. You have a place here." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I have always admired Leslie Parrot. Her passion for helping others build healthy, lasting relationships is evident in every word she pens. Her thoughts resonate with me like the sound of a shrill whistle from a tea pot. I think of her wisdom and I think of comfort. I hope you will too. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Rating: 4.5/5</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I received a copy of this book from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-52728111620522956122015-07-08T09:45:00.000-05:002015-07-08T09:45:07.126-05:00Literary Love: Once Again Sam <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">People say everything we own tells a story-what we collect, use, and share. Everything comes together to weave the tapestry about who we are. I am featuring Samantha, the owner of the Etsy shop <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/OnceAgainSam">Once Again, Sa</a>m. I fell in love with her work because of its perfect blend of traditional and non traditional materials. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I chose to review a silver ring etched with my favorite symbol, glasses, the universal symbol for librarians and information seekers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I had been anxiously waiting for it to arrive in the mail and was taken back-in an old fashioned way. It arrived in a small, white box. I loved seeing the velvet-lined inside with the ring staring back at me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Samantha took the time to design what I wanted and if it wouldn't fit on the ring, she was willing to customize something else for me to ensure I got exactly what I pictured in my mind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She took the time to detail it, personalize it and put into it the as much love into making it as I feel when I wear it. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-64665316777033570622015-06-03T08:17:00.004-05:002015-06-03T08:42:10.224-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: Bassoon King<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith, and Idiocy" src="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9780525954538_p0_v3_s600.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 11.10.15 by Penguin Publishing Group</span></div>
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<b id="yui_3_8_1_1_1433335052776_1108" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px none; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rainn Wilson’s memoir about growing up geeky and finally finding his place in comedy, faith, and life.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For nine seasons Rainn Wilson played Dwight Schrute, <i style="border: 0px none; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Office's</i> breakout star and everyone's favorite work nemesis/beet farmer. Viewers of the show fell in love the character and grew to love the actor who played him even more. During the years <i style="border: 0px none; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Office</i> was on the air Rainn founded a website, SoulPancake, that eventually became a best-selling book of the same name. He also started a hilarious Twitter feed (sample Tweet: @Amazon I would like to order my own drone but have it delivered by UPS. Possible?) that now has more than 4 million followers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now, he's ready to tell his own story and explain how he came up with his incredibly unique sense of humor and perspective on life. He'll explain how he grew up "bone-numbingly nerdy before there was even a modicum of cool attached to the word." The book will chronicle his journey from nerd to drama geek ("the highest rung on the vast, pimply ladder of high school losers"), his years of mild debauchery as a young actor in New York, his audition for <i id="yui_3_8_1_1_1433335052776_1122" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px none; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Office</i> and the inside scoop on the many seasons that followed, and finally Wilson's achievement of success and satisfaction, both in his career and spiritually, re-connecting with the artistic and creative values of the Baha'i faith he grew up in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>"Well I guess it’s not an evil idea, it’s just a regular idea, but there’s no good laugh for a regular idea.” -Dwight Schrute</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Rainn Wilson isn't just a regular guy therefore he doesn't produce regular ideas-they're just awesome! My favorite= soul pancake which is why I'm excited to read his book and learn about the man behind the creative brain! </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-45686380866980054702015-05-13T08:59:00.001-05:002015-05-13T08:59:14.819-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: The Shed that Fed A Million Children<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="The Shed That Fed a Million Children: The Extraordinary Story of Mary?s Meals" height="320" src="http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/9780008132705_p0_v3_s260x420.JPG" width="208" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Shed That Fed A Million Children </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 05.26.15 by Harper Collins UK</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span id="freeText10690243141505622731" style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">In 1992, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow was enjoying a pint with his brother when he got an idea that would change his life – and radically change the lives of others.<br /><br /><br />After watching a news bulletin about war-torn Bosnia, the two brothers agreed to take a week’s hiatus from work to help.<br /><br /><br />What neither of them expected is that what began as a one-time road trip in a beaten-up Landrover rapidly grew to become Magnus’s life’s work – leading him to leave his job, sell his house and direct all his efforts to feeding thousands of the world’s poorest children.<br /><br /><br />Magnus retells how a series of miraculous circumstances and an overwhelming display of love from those around him led to the creation of Mary’s Meals; an organisation that could hold the key to eradicating child hunger altogether. This humble, heart-warming yet powerful story has never been more relevant in our society of plenty and privilege. It will open your eyes to the extraordinary impact that one person can make.</span><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Thoughts: Call it Wanderlust or the I realistically don't have enough money predicament-please feel free to donate-I'll send you my address...I love books with a story behind the story. Fiction is great for building a world outside my own, but it's good to be aware of what's beyond my backyard. I hope this book inspires me and you too! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What are you waiting for? </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-41135987321316192612015-05-06T06:43:00.001-05:002015-05-06T06:43:05.106-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: A Pretty Hot Glue Gun Mess<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="A Hot Glue Gun Mess: Funny Stories, Pretty DIY Projects" src="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9780062346612_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG" height="320" width="248" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A Hot Glue Gun Mess </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 06.16.15 by Harper Collins </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">From the hugely popular lifestyle blogger, YouTube star, and designer Mr. Kate (Kate Albrecht), a beautiful collection of step-by-step personal style and home projects—woven in with quirkily hilarious stories and anecdotes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Do you dream of finding ways to infuse do-it-yourself projects into every aspect of your life and have fun doing it? From the quirky personality behind the Mr. Kate brand comes a not-so-average DIY lifestyle book that will make your dreams of creating unique how-to projects become reality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Filled with 50 unique and approachable projects, along with hysterical, unfiltered stories from Mr. Kate’s crazy life, <b id="yui_3_8_1_1_1430878009238_747" style="border: 0px none; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A Hot Glue Gun Mess</b> will show how life can inspire art. Growing up with a high-powered Hollywood father and an oddball, down-to-earth mother, Kate Albrecht had a childhood that was anything but normal. From how her first period influenced her to become an artist to how her friendship with a high-priced hooker encouraged DIY beauty products, Mr. Kate’s stories are weird, wonderful, personal, inspiring, and downright hilarious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Her love of self-expression inspired Mr. Kate to create her own DIY life and a social media platform to connect with young women everywhere. Her projects involve style, home design, and beauty, including DIY nail art techniques, upcycled projects for your old jeans , and watercolor curtains. You don’t have to be a seamstress, metalsmith, or expert at anything to enjoy these projects, all of which are doable in under two hours and require a minimal number of supplies. Now you, too, can become a DIY diva!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I recently picked up a pre-primed, solid oak table and painted it a fire engine red all for under 45 bucks! This new power I feel from knowing I can take something new and up-cycle it to reflect my personal tastes has me in a empowered, I am "Rosie-the-Riveter DIY fantatic! Damn you gorgeous Pinterest and book ideas, you have created a monster! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">CHECK OUT MY POST BELOW AS WELL :) PLEASE COMMENT AND CHECK OUT SIDE BUTTON :)</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-57502288023319605632015-05-05T10:19:00.002-05:002015-05-05T10:19:34.467-05:00Literary Love: Naturally Heartfelt<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I love literary jewelry! Huge surprise, right? I love looking for it, finding out the story behind who designs it, and I wear a lot of it-rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings-anything that makes a statement to the world of how much I love books. I'm always finding new pieces to add to my ever-growing staples of jewelry I wear everyday-each with its own significance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've recently added to my collection a bracelet created by the wonderful Stephanie Wheeler of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/NaturallyHeartfelt">Naturally Heartfelt Designs</a>. It is a gorgeous silver plated bangle with a super easy-to-hook fasten. Every time I see the word, "story staring back at me through the oval glass," I am constantly reminded to <b>live my life as though it is a story I wouldn't want to put down. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It arrived in a dainty little black box with the deepest hue of green tissue paper in an envelope c/o Royal Mail. My first overseas mail package! </span></div>
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Stephanie has a plethora of bracelets, rings, necklaces, and even cuff links for the bookish person in your life :) </div>
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Stephanie has graciously offered a 10% code for all readers </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-24830792598699014632015-05-01T05:39:00.002-05:002015-05-01T05:39:49.677-05:00Misfits Welcome<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Matthew Barnett </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Thomas Nelson </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Being a misfit does not disqualify you from a dynamic life—it prepares you for it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Matthew Barnett knows a thing or two about misfits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As founder of the Dream Center in Los Angeles, a twenty-four-hour church that ministers to thirty-five thousand hurting people a week, Barnett has seen a little of everything. Gangsters, addicts, orphans, taggers, cutters, the sick, the suffering, the hopeless—all the misfits of the world come through the Dream Center’s doors in search of hope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">But when Barnett first arrived in LA, it was he who felt like the misfit. In Misfits Welcome, he shares the simple, life-changing lesson he has learned from twenty years of ministering to the forgotten: Being a misfit prepares you to do the work of the Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Have you found yourself in a jarring new era of life? Have your circumstances deviated drastically from your plans? Maybe you’ve felt like a misfit all your life, or maybe you’re still haunted by yesterday’s mistakes. Whatever the case, rejoice! It is at your most broken that you are most ready for what God has in store. <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Misfits Welcome</em> is not just about embracing the misfits around us—it is about embracing the misfits within us and using them for the glory of God.</span></div>
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<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">About the Author</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Matthew Barnett</em> is pastor of Angelus Temple and the Dream Center in Los Angeles, CA, the first of 150 Dream Centers launched around the world. He is also the bestselling author of The Church That Never Sleeps and The Cause Within You. Barnett is married with two children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Thoughts: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My library director has often said that librarians never invent the wheel, we just tweak it. And she's right. Within the library holds the greatest weapons: books as well as the keepers of its secrets: the librarians. You have the meticulous cataloger, the real-life Miss Frizzle children's librarian, the perky circulation assistant. It's a feeding frenzy of information and we all know we're mad here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Books are dangerous thinks as they provoke new ideas which lead to change. Matthew Barnett's book really opened my eyes to something simple yet profound: Crazy is okay. Those types of people are the ones that change the world. Within the pages, you'll find tidbits of hope with real-life examples that there are a million ways to get to the end of the tunnel :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rating: 4.5/5</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I received this copy courtesy of Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-37747603797530161552015-04-29T10:48:00.003-05:002015-04-29T10:48:27.437-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: Pixel to Personal<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="In Real Life: My Journey to a Pixelated World" height="320" src="http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/9781476794303_p0_v4_s260x420.JPG" width="208" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In Real Life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Joey Graceffa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 05.19.15 by Simon & Shuster</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A confessional, uplifting memoir from the beloved YouTube personality.</span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1430320330568_1249" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<i id="yui_3_8_1_1_1430320330568_1248" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It’s not where you begin that matters.</span></i></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1430320330568_1250" style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<i style="border: 0px none; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's where you end up.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Twenty-three year old Joey Graceffa has captured the hearts of millions of teens and young adults through his playful, sweet, and inspirational YouTube presence (not to mention his sparkling eyes and perfect hair). Yet, Joey wasn’t always comfortable in his skin, and in this candid memoir, he thoughtfully looks back on his journey from pain to pride, self-doubt to self-acceptance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To his fans, Joey is that best friend who always captures the brighter side of life but also isn’t afraid to get real. In the pages of his first book, he opens up about his years of struggling with family hardships and troubles at school, with cruel bullying and the sting of rejection. He tells of first loves and losses, embarrassing moments and surprising discoveries, loneliness, laughter, and life-changing forks in the road, showing us the incalculable value of finally finding and following your true passion in this world. Funny, warm-hearted, and inspiring, Joey Graceffa’s story is a welcome reminder that it’s not where you begin that matters, but where you end up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Thoughts: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Artists have been apart of the community connecting and opening new avenues of thinking. Not untouchable stars. Celebrity is all about people admiring from a far. Books are even further breaking the divide. Their pages are the physical manifest of their journey. The words state, you can get anywhere you want. Don't let anyone tell you that you don't deserve something you really want. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What books have inspired you lately? </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-51812785270173206942015-04-22T09:28:00.000-05:002015-04-22T09:28:20.182-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: Doodle Revolution<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="17707707" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1379328945l/17707707.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Doodle Revolution</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sunni Brown </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 05.26.15 by Penguin Publishing </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There is NO SUCH THING as a mindless doodle What did Einstein, JFK, Edison, Marie Curie, and Henry Ford have in common? They were all inveterate doodlers. These powerhouse minds knew instinctively that doodling is deep thinking in disguise-a simple, accessible, and dynamite tool for innovating and solving even the stickiest problems. Sunni Brown's mission is to bring the power of the Doodle to the rest of us. She leads the Revolution defying all those parents, teachers, and bosses who say Stop doodling! Get serious! Grow up! She overturns misinformation about doodling, demystifies visual thinking, and shows us the power of applying our innate visual literacy. She'll teach you how to doodle any object, concept, or system imaginable, shift habitual thinking patterns, and transform boring text into displays that can engage any audience. Sunni Brown was named one of the "100 Most Creative People in Business" and one of the "10 Most Creative People on Twitter" by Fast Company. She is founder of a creative consultancy, an international speaker, the co-author of Gamestorming, and the leader of a global campaign for visual literacy called The Doodle Revolution. Her TED Talk on doodling has drawn more than a million views on TED.com. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Thoughts: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The universe of Harry Potter started on a napkin so it makes me wonder how many huge ideas started on something so small. It begins with our minds and a writing utensil. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">This book gives me hope that there was a method to my madness as I found my doodles on my notebook more interesting than the doodles on the white board. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Go use your noodle and doodle :)</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-16287672202431515082015-04-20T06:43:00.000-05:002015-04-20T06:43:02.731-05:00What I'm Reading Monday: I recently acquired a job as a technical processing assistant. In library land, it means I create the records and process them with barcodes and the name of the library so that way people can find them on the shelf and in the computer. Book orders are always coming. I often feel like its Christmas every time I open a new box and look inside.<br />
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I stumbled upon this awesome book and even bought it for my mom for mother's day:<br />
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<img alt="20821299" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400873472l/20821299.jpg" /></div>
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The book with No Pictures</div>
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B.J. Novak</div>
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Dial Books</div>
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Summary: </div>
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<span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A book with no pictures? </span><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">What could be fun about that?</span><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">After all, if a book has no pictures, there's nothing to look at but the words on the page. </span><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Words that might make you say silly sounds... In ridiculous voices...</span><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Hey, what kind of book </span><em style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">is</em><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> this, anyway?</span><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">At once disarmingly simple and ingeniously imaginative, </span><em style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The Book With No Pictures</em><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> inspires laughter every time it is opened, creating a warm and joyous experience to share--and introducing young children to the powerful idea that the written word can be an unending source of mischief and delight.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Thoughts: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: ; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I have always admired picture books. It is really an art to fit a unique, sometimes complicated idea, and break it down so it fits in 32 pages or less. Check this one out, you won't even miss the pictures...</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-34420577832169269232015-04-15T06:09:00.001-05:002015-04-15T06:10:14.475-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: I Am Princess X <div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="17408897" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1415300641l/17408897.jpg" height="320" width="220" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I am Princess X </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Cherie Priest</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 05.26.15 by Arthur A. Levine Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span id="freeText464730923612498496" style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Best friends, big fans, a mysterious webcomic, and a long-lost girl collide in this riveting novel, perfect for fans of both Cory Doctorow and Sarah Dessen; illustrated throughout with comics.<br /><br />Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure.<br /><br />Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard Bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her.<br /><br />Once upon a now: May is sixteen and lonely, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window.<br /><br />Princess X?<br /><br />When May looks around, she sees the Princess everywhere: Stickers. Patches. Graffiti. There's an entire underground culture, focused around a webcomic at IAmPrincessX.com. The more May explores the webcomic, the more she sees disturbing similarities between Libby's story and Princess X online. And that means that only one person could have started this phenomenon---her best friend, Libby, who lives.</span><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Thoughts: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I love original concepts. As a blogger, I am so honored to review and find those books filled with pages of an awesome story. I can't wait for this one-comics meets Pretty Little Liars. </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-48495752248044203722015-04-08T10:26:00.003-05:002015-04-08T10:29:44.043-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: Uprooted<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="22544764" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420795060l/22544764.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Uprooted </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Naomi Novik</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 05.19.15 by Del Rey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.</span><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.</span><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—</span><em style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">everyone</em><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.</span><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Thoughts: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I love how watching a show gets you into a new genre of reading. Lately, I've been binge watching the show, Supernatural and I've been looking for something to transplant me into another world I normally wouldn't enter. I think this is the ticket to paranormal crazy! Not to mention, what a GORGEOUS cover! </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-57041044106895986432015-04-01T10:30:00.002-05:002015-04-01T10:30:28.335-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: Ice Kissed <div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Ice Kissed (Kanin Chronicles Series #2)" height="320" src="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9781250049872_p0_v1_s600.JPG" width="211" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ice Kissed </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Amanda Hocking</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 05.05.15 by St. Martin's Press</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1427901936256_1311" style="border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In the majestic halls of a crystal palace lies a secret that could destroy an entire kingdom…</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1427901936256_1281" style="border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bryn Aven refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves. It's a dream that brings her to a whole new realm…the glittering palace of the Skojare.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1427901936256_1271" style="border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal enemy that's been threatening the Kanin, and Bryn is there to help. Being half Skojare herself, it's also a chance for her to learn more about her lost heritage. Her boss Ridley Dresden is overseeing the mission, but as their undeniable attraction heats up, their relationship is about to reach a whole new level--one neither of them is prepared for.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1427901936256_1275" style="border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As they delve deeper into the Skojare world, they begin to unravel a long-hidden secret. The dark truth about her own beloved Kanin kingdom is about to come to light, and it'll change her place in it forever…and threaten everyone she loves.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1427901936256_1275" style="border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
Thoughts: </div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1427901936256_1275" style="border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
Amanda Hocking is an amazing author whose stories are filled with depthful characters and well thought plot lines. I can't wait for the second installment! </div>
<div id="yui_3_8_1_1_1427901936256_1275" style="border: 0px none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px;">
What are you waiting for? </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-3454384051197880252015-03-30T06:02:00.002-05:002015-03-30T06:02:40.476-05:00What I'm Reading Monday: Beastly<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="17402724" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406914085l/17402724.jpg" width="213" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Beastkeeper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Cat Hellisen</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Henry Holt & Co. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span id="freeText3876188514164114178" style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Sarah has always been on the move. Her mother hates the cold, so every few months her parents pack their bags and drag her off after the sun. She’s grown up lonely and longing for magic. She doesn’t know that it’s magic her parents are running from.<br /><br />When Sarah’s mother walks out on their family, all the strange old magic they have tried to hide from comes rising into their mundane world. Her father begins to change into something wild and beastly, but before his transformation is complete, he takes Sarah to her grandparents—people she has never met, didn’t even know were still alive.<br /><br />Deep in the forest, in a crumbling ruin of a castle, Sarah begins to untangle the layers of curses affecting her family bloodlines, until she discovers that the curse has carried over to her, too. The day she falls in love for the first time, Sarah will transform into a beast . . . unless she can figure out a way to break the curse forever.</span><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I'm halfway through this book and guess what...the girl turns into the beast! Talk about a new twist on an old tale. Hooray for women empowerment. I am woman, hear me roar! Full thoughts coming this week :) </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-81530815297517440562015-03-24T10:58:00.001-05:002015-03-24T11:00:05.122-05:00Miracle on Voodoo Mountain<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://www.booklookbloggers.com/art/_140_245_Book.1464.cover.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Miracle on Voodoo Mountain </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Megan Boudreaux </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Thomas Nelson Publishing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"It took months of God waking me up in the middle of the night before I realized I was the one He was calling to leave my comfortable American life and move to Haiti."</span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Miracle on Voodoo Mountain</em> is the inspirational memoir of an accomplished and driven 24-year old who quit her job, sold everything, and moved to Haiti, by herself-all without a clear plan of action. Megan Boudreaux had visited Haiti on a few humanitarian trips but each trip multiplied the sense that someone needed to address the devastation-especially with the children, many of whom were kept as household slaves on the poverty-stricken and earthquake-devastated Caribbean island.</span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">God guided her every step as she moved blindly to a foreign land without knowing the language, the people, or the future. From becoming the adoptive mother of former child slaves, to receiving the divine gift of the Haitian Creole language, to starting, building, and running a school for more than 500 children, "the amazingness of what God did after I made the choice to be obedient is incredible," said Megan.</span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Three years later, six acres on Bellevue Mountain in Gressier is the home of the nonprofit Respire Haiti at the former site of voodoo worship, and in the area that many still come to make animal sacrifices, Megan and her staff of nearly 200 are transforming this community as they educate, feed, and address the needs.</span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Author</span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Megan Boudreaux</em>, at the age of 24, founded Respire Haiti, a non-profit to fight for the freedom of Haiti's estimated 300,000 child slaves. Megan followed God's call to begin a feeding program and transform a barren hillside into a refuge and a school for 500 children. A medical clinic is nearing completion with future plans for a church, community center, and library. Megan has adopted four Haitian children and in 2013 she married her best friend, Josh Anderson.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Thoughts:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">March is definitely going out with a bang. Sun one day, snow the next.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I love the energy that comes with the spring-the opportunity for new adventures and the feeling to take on the world. The turning of a new page...Endless possibilities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">That's what a book is-a physical representation of endlessness. Hope for the future. A light in the dark. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Megan Bodreaux's book about her life changing experience in Haiti was definitely a page turner. It offended me and tore at my soul in the best possible way. It provided me with a new perspective about the world beyond my backyard. It sparked ideas. Made me more aware. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So now, I'm making you accountable. By reading this review, please take the time to go to your local bookstore, library, or computer and and invest in Megan's journey. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from Booklook Bloggers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Rating: 5/5</span>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-34751378283778221432015-03-23T07:49:00.005-05:002015-03-23T07:49:56.397-05:00What I'm Reading Monday: Hidden Gems<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm clicking through Axis 360 (Illinois' Library E-Reader Platform) and found in the upper right hand corner, the tab, "hidden gems" Those off-the-beaten path novels that tug at our heartstrings. Those are the books that we as bloggers hope to find. Our reviews will inspire and perhaps shed light for another person to pick it up, peruse it, and find perspective. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This week, I'm reading this diamond in the rough: </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="6317932" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347025674l/6317932.jpg" width="214" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Viola in Reel Life</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Adriana Trigiani</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Harper Teen </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Summary: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span id="freeText3497781124027776421" style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">'m marooned.<br /><br />Abandoned.<br /><br />Left to rot in boarding school . . .<br /><br />Viola doesn't <em>want</em> to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.<br /><br />Ick.<br /><br />There's no way Viola's going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to <em>like</em> it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.<br /><br />Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.<br /><br />But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in.</span><span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-26115143125648110702015-03-18T08:19:00.003-05:002015-03-18T08:19:55.568-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: Galgorithm <div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="23309763" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421828623l/23309763.jpg" width="212" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Close your eyes. Picture your high school crush in your mind. Remember that butterfly feeling you got waiting for that name to appear at the number one spot of your valentine compatibility algorithm test you paid for on Valentine's Day at school. It was a dollar well spent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Everyone's trying to find the perfect formula for love. Maybe Aaron Ko's found the golden ticket. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Galgorithm </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Aaron Karo </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 05.05.15 by Simon Pulse </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A romantic comedy about high school, heartbreak, and having all the answers.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">What if the secrets of dating and love were revealed in one simple formula? That&#8217;s the tantalizing proposition high school senior Shane Chambliss offers the hopeless and hapless guys who come to him for relationship advice.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">After the girl of his dreams breaks his heart, Shane devises a mysterious formula called the Galgorithm and establishes himself as the resident dating guru at Kingsview High School. But his attempts to master the art of romance go outrageously awry.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">As Shane tries to navigate the ensuing drama, he must follow his heart, abandon all the rules, and ignore his own advice in a quest for true love. What he discovers, no formula could ever predict...</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-72093819771309584772015-03-04T11:01:00.001-06:002015-03-04T11:01:42.099-06:00Waiting on Wednesday: Finding Your Niche<div style="text-align: center;">
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<img alt="Boys Don't Knit" src="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9781250053312_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" height="320" width="211" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Boys Don't Knit </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">T.S. Easton </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PD: 03.24.15 by Feiwel and Friends</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After an incident regarding a crossing guard and a bottle of Martini & Rossi (and his friends), 17-year-old worrier Ben Fletcher must develop his sense of social alignment, take up a hobby, and do some community service to avoid any further probation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">He takes a knitting class (it was that or his father’s mechanic class) with the impression that it’s taught by the hot teacher all the boys like. Turns out, it’s not. Perfect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Regardless, he sticks with it and comes to discover he’s a natural knitter, maybe even great. It also helps ease his anxiety and worrying. The only challenge now is to keep it hidden from his friends, his crush, and his soccer-obsessed father. What a tangled web Ben has weaved . . . or knitted.</span></div>
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Thoughts:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Embedded in pages is the physical evidence of a snapshot in time of the surrounding culture. A potential woman president, the war between gender roles-we're becoming pretty progressive. Accepting more. I'm excited for books like this with this message of permission-to find your own way. Follow wherever the "needle" points. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1712478015521407739.post-70220221242663880982015-03-02T05:44:00.002-06:002015-03-02T05:44:13.931-06:00What I'm Reading Monday: Pay It Forward<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">~Author Unknown</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The other day I went to Starbucks before work and ordered my usual: a giant steaming cup of tea with lemon and found it had been paid by the car in front of me. It made me smile. I have often done this same act of kindness throughout the year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sure, I'm out a few dollars but it's the thrill of doing something completely unexpected for another unsuspecting person in hopes that they will continue the act. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That act of kindness spurred me to find books about kindness and I found this one: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Michele Heler Hurwitz </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Wendy Lamb Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span id="freeText6416488103372596077" style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It's summertime, and thirteen-year-old Nina Ross is feeling kind of lost. Her beloved grandma died last year; her parents work all the time; her brother's busy; and her best friend is into clothes, makeup, and boys. While Nina doesn't know what "her thing" is yet, it's definitely not shopping and makeup. And it's not <em>boys,</em> either. Though . . . has Eli, the boy next door, always been so cute?<br /> This summer, Nina decides to change things. She hatches a plan. There are sixty-five days of summer. Every day, she'll anonymously do one small but remarkable good thing for someone in her neighborhood, and find out: does doing good actually make a difference? Along the way, she discovers that her neighborhood, and her family, are full of surprises and secrets.<br /> In this bighearted, sweetly romantic novel, things may not turn out exactly as Nina expects. They might be better.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10704269774343945808noreply@blogger.com8