Dec 17, 2014

Snow Angels by Lezlie Anderson ~ Blog Tour

Snow Angels blog tour


Snow Angels

A winter storm, a family, and an idea for a service project all add up to a delightful Christmas surprise! When Mom and Dad suggest serving their neighbors for the holiday, their kids can’t stop grumbling. But as they secretly shovel snow, their attitudes change, and soon the parents can’t get the kids to stop serving. 

Share the joys of serving others in this wonderful Christmas pamphlet.

Add Snow Angels on Goodreads

Get your copy of Snow Angels

Snow Angels was a delightful short story that teaches the power of small acts of service.  I loved the example that the children in this story showed and the fact that although they weren't excited about their service project to start out, they found happiness in helping others and serving together.  I have learned from experience that you end up loving those you serve and Snow Angels is a perfect example of such love and the power that comes from doing good to others.

This fun short story would make a wonderful gift for neighbors and friends for the holiday season.



Dec 16, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Favorite Books of 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by 

This weeks topic: Top Ten Books I Read in 2014



10 ~ First World Problems
by Leigh Ann Kopans
First World Problems

9 ~ Summer on the Short Bus
by Bethany Crandall
Summer on the Short Bus

8 ~ Tiger's Curse
by Colleen Houck

7 ~ Out of Play
by Nyrae Dawn and Jolene Perry
Out of Play

6 ~ Sinner
by Maggie Stiefvater
Sinner (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #4)

5 ~ My Life Next Door
by Huntley Fitzpatrick
My Life Next Door (My Life Next Door, #1)

4 ~ Bracing the Blue Line
by Lindsay Paige
Bracing the Blue Line (Bracing for Love, #1)

3 ~ Rough Waters
by Nikki Godwin
Rough Waters (Drenaline Surf, #2)

2 ~ Take Me On
by Katie McGarry
Take Me On (Pushing the Limits, #4)

1 ~ Crash Into You
by Katie McGarry
Crash into You (Pushing the Limits, #3)

There you have it!  My favorite books of the year!  I find it interesting the first book I read this year was also my favorite.  Nothing compared to Crash Into You.  I loved that book so much!









Dec 10, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday ~ Finding Carson Lee by Lindsay Paige and Mary Smith

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by 
Jill at Breaking the Spine 
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!


Finding Carson Lee (Oh Captain, My Captain, #3)

Oh Captain, My Captain presents Carson Lee of the Alabama Blacksmiths.

Carson Lee is the league’s bad boy and womanizer, who wants nothing more than to keep it that way. However, his life is full of deep secrets that could ruin the image he built for himself. Everything he worked for could come crashing down around him once he starts finding out who he really is when a grumpy blonde enters his life.

Kinley Wright wants nothing more than to thrive in the world of fashion. She could care less about hockey as long as it leads her to a promotion to work with the football superstars. It isn’t until she has to sign Caron Lee to a clothing contract that she finds he may be the one to push her to let go of her guilt from her past marriage. 

Carson Lee is more than meets the eye and Kinley Wright is more than her failures. When their lives collide, will they trust in the possible hope for their future?

Okay, I finally got to book one in this series this week so I am now literally dying to get to the next books!  Since I read Looking For You in one day (which I rarely am able to do) I know I will be needing this one soon so I'm glad it has a release date of December 12th!

That's what I'm waiting on this week!  What books are you looking forward to?



Dec 9, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday ~ New To Me Authors in 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by 

This weeks topic: New To Me Authors in 2014


10 ~ Andrea Pyros
My Year of Epic Rock
This book was so much fun!  I ran across it on Netgalley and I'm VERY happy that I took a chance on it!

9 ~ Megan Erickson
Make it Count (Bowler University, #1)
I loved reading Make It Count.  Megan has a writing style that agrees with me well and I'm happy to put her on my list of authors that I discovered this year!

8 ~ Emery Lord
Open Road Summer
Open Road Summer was a book I was sure would agree with me from the minute I heard of it and sure enough I loved it!  Thank you Emery Lord for this fun summer novel.

7 ~ Kristen Strassel
Silent Night (Night Songs Collection, #4)
Kristen and I had been twitter friends for a while when she asked if I would like to review one of her books.  I wasn't sure if they would be for me but I can happily say that she is an author I now love and I look forward to reading! I can hopefully find time on my breaks from Santa's workshop to fit Silent Night in this holiday season!
(Side note: This is my favorite of Kristen's covers and all of them are pretty amazing!)

6 ~ Sarah Ashley Jones
Promise Me This (Promise Me, #1)
Sarah Ashley Jones is another author I wasn't sure if I would connect with but I'm happy to say I absolutely adored her books and her writing.  I loved Promise Me This and the follow up novella Promise Me Forever.

5 ~ T.M. Franklin
How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love with You
I honestly jumped on this book because I have a daughter named Ainsley and with this super fun cover, I had to see what this book was about.  It quickly became a favorite for both my 13yo daughter Meaghan and myself.

4 ~ Huntley Fitzpatrick
My Life Next Door (My Life Next Door, #1)
This book was a very pleasant surprise.  It is one I read while I was down in bed from surgery this year and I loved every minute of it.  I quickly recommended it to Meaghan as well and she loved it as well.

3 ~ Bethany Crandall
Summer on the Short Bus
I don't know who wouldn't love this fun loving summer adventure.  I got this book for my birthday in April and it has been read by myself, Meaghan and several friends as well as their teenage daughters. It really is a book for everyone and easily one of the funnest times I had reading this year!

Tied for 2 and 1
Lindsay Paige and Mary Smith
Looking for You (Oh Captain, My Captain, #1)
I would definitely consider Lindsay Paige and Mary Smith my treasure find of 2014!  I love their writing and as I have gotten to know them they are wonderfully kind ladies as well!  I don't care if you like hockey or not, their books are so fun and well written you will find yourself loving every page of their books!

That's it for me this week!  Who are the authors you discovered this year?





Dec 2, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by 

This weeks topic: Books I'm looking forward to in 2015


10 ~ The Summer of Chasing Mermaids
by Sarah Ockler
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids
Sarah Ockler has been recommended to me by several people and I have yet to read one of her books, but this one looked too good not to have on my list this week!

9 ~ The Boy Most Likely To (My Life Next Door #2)
by Huntley Fitzpatrick
My Life Next Door (My Life Next Door, #1)
If you haven't read My Life Next Door yet I am going to get my 13 year old to call you and talk you into it!  We both ADORED this book and are super excited for The Boy Most Likely To!

8 ~ Last Year's Mistake
by Gina Ciocca
Last Year's Mistake
This book just looks like something I would read and from reading the synopsis I am really looking forward to it!

7 ~ The Ruby Circle
by Richelle Mead
The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines, #6)
I have loved Adrian from the moment he was introduced in Frostbite and I look forward to this installment in the Bloodlines series.

6 ~ Lady Midnight (Dark Aritfices #1)
by Cassandra Clare

It's time to enter a new phase in the world of shadow hunters, vampires, werewolves and all the other creations Cassandra Clare has built for us.  I look forward to this series as I did the others.  I loved The Infernal Devices so much and wasn't sure about another shadow hunter series at the time, but it makes me wonder what is in store for this new series. 

5 ~ Let's Be Crazy (Oh Captain, My Captian series #4)
by Lindsay Paige and Mary Brown
Looking for You (Oh Captain, My Captain, #1)A Hockey Player's Proposal (Oh Captain, My Captain, #2)Finding Carson Lee (Oh Captain, My Captain, #3)
Let's Be Crazy is the 4th installment in the Oh Captain, My Captain series by the fabulous duo of Lindsay Paige and Mary Brown.  If you haven't read anything by these ladies, especially if you enjoy sports romance, you are really missing out!

4 ~ Contradictions
by Tiffany King
Contradictions (Woodfalls Girls, #3)
I'm a huge fan of Tiffany King and I am certainly looking forward to this last book in her Woodfalls Girls series coming in 2015!

3 ~ Saint Anything 
by Sarah Dessen
Saint Anything
This is a book I heard of at Y'allFest this year and it looks so good!  I have read a few of Sarah Dessen's books and my teenage daughter loves her so I know this one will be one we are both looking forward to.

2 ~ Nepenthe (A Bracing For Love Novel)
by Lindsay Paige
Bracing the Blue Line (Bracing for Love, #1)Nepenthe (Bracing for Love, #2)
If you read Bracing The Blue Line you may remember the over baring Kennedy brothers.  Nepenthe is about Corey Kennedy, Lucy's oldest brother.  This book is going to be so amazing I can barely stand the wait until it is released!  

1 ~ Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1)
by Katie McGarry

Everyone knows by now I have such a love for Katie McGarry's books.  She is a fantastic author and I am always on the edge of my seat waiting for her next release. Nowhere But Here will be the start of a new series for her and I'm sure it will be well worth the wait!  

That's it for me this week!  What's on your list?

Nov 30, 2014

Uncle Remus ~ His Songs and His Sayings and Read A Classic Month




Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings



In 1880, Joel Chandler Harris, a moderate white Southern journalist, published a collection of black folktales, proverbs, songs, and character sketches based on stories he had heard as a child. In his introduction, Robert Hemenway discusses the book's enduring popularity, pointing out that the character of Uncle Remus, the docile and grandfatherly ex-slave storyteller, is a utopian figure-a literary creation by Harris that reassured white readers during the tense and tentative Reconstruction. By contrast, the feisty Brer Rabbit was a mainstay of black folklore long before Harris heard of his exploits. Brer Rabbit's cunning and revolutionary antics symbolically inverted the slave-master relationship and satisfied the deep human needs of a captive people.


So, here's a bit about my reading for the month before I get to my "sort of" review.  I have an author/blogger friend named Robert Zimmerman (his blog is A Life Among The Pages) who has a habit of talking me into things I don't want to do.  Sometimes I'm happy about it after all is said and done, like the fact I like Gilmore Girls now and sometimes it just ends up being a thorn in my side, like "Read A Classic In November" has been.

I have been so busy lately.  I have barely read a book every other week the last couple months.  It has been terrible.  So in November not only am I trying to read, but I'm reading a classic which I have a hard time due to my past experience with them not being the best.  I hated reading them in school and the couple times I have tried since I have hated it within a couple chapters.  It just isn't really for me.  So this time I thought I would maybe listen to a classic.  It's almost the same as reading and to some it is the same.  I had 8 hours in the car to myself while driving to Yallfest in November so this was going to be cake!  Yeah, not so much.  Within 3 chapters I was about to fall asleep at the wheel, not because the book I was listening to was bad (The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells) but just because the listening and driving wasn't a good mix for me over a long distance.

A couple weeks pass and I start thinking about what else I could maybe fit in and might be a bit more fun to read AND something my kids might enjoy at the same time.  I remembered seeing the Disney movie "Song of the South" as a kid and loving it.  I have always loved the stories told by Uncle Remus because they were so funny.  So I talked my 9yo into letting me read her a story about Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox.  After a page or two she stopped me with "I don't get a thing you're saying Mom!" That's because I wasn't really good at reading "Southern" out loud which is how these stories are written.  I had to keep stopping and telling her what was happening and before long she was bored.  I pulled out the Disney version of the book and redeemed myself with her at least.  It was much easier for her to get and we had a fun time laughing over these few stories I remembered.
  
Then the teens came home and I MADE THEM sit down and let me read the book to them as well. They thought it was funny too and I felt like I at least passed a little something different I enjoyed as a kid on to them.

The next night we were all hanging out and I decided to read them some of the differences in the versions of the stories.  We listened to a few of them on audio as well and this week I have heard "de Tar-Baby, she ain't sayin' Nuthin'" and "Brer Fox, he lay low" about 100 times....literally! We all loved the Tar Baby story and have been laughing about it all week.  Since my kids speak fluent southern is sounds fairly authentic as well.

I went through and read a few more of the stories and although I didn't read the entire book, I wanted to share the small experience I did have with reading a few of these adventures with my kids.  It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we did it.  I want to finish reading them, or listening to them, sometime soon. Perhaps when I'm wrapping Christmas gifts in the coming weeks.  I found the writing EXTREMELY hard to read out loud, but not so bad to read to myself.  Years before living in the south (I have been here 16 years now) I would have probably found it even more difficult, but I actually found it getting easier the more I read.

I thought I would be fun as well to ask my kids what their favorite part of the stories were and here's their replies:

Ainsley ~ 9 
"I liked the story where Brer Rabbit talked Brer Bear into trading places with him for the dollar a minute job when he was in the trap Brer Fox set."

Meaghan ~ 13 
"de Tar-Baby, she ain't sayin' Nuthin' and "Brer Fox, he lay low." (That was her exact answer when I asked her her favorite part! I told you....I've heard it all week!)

Beighley ~ 17 
"I liked the Tar Baby story and when they threw him in the Brier Patch." (He's a man of few words.)

I want to thank Rob for making me, once again, do something I didn't really want to do that didn't turn out too bad.  If nothing else, my kids and I have something else we share that we all like.

You can catch Rob's Read A Classic In November post HERE and maybe you will be inspired just a bit to read a classic yourself sometime soon.


Nov 25, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Winter To Be Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by 

This weeks topic: My Winter To Be Read List


10 & 9 
Torn ~ True Love 
Tore ~ Divided Love
by K.D. Ferguson
Torn True LoveTore Divided Love
These are the only books I purchased while at Y'allFest this month (a small miracle I know) and I enjoyed meeting author K,D. Ferguson very much so I am looking forward to reading this series.

8 ~ Any Book by Colleen Hoover
Hopeless (Hopeless, #1)
I have been all but yelled at by so many people for never reading anything by Colleen Hoover that I guess it's about time I get her bumped up on my TBR.  

7 ~ Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy
by Laini Taylor
This is another series I have been putting off for a while.  I am really in the mood for a good fantasy series so I look forward to getting to this one.

6 ~ Contradictions
by Tiffany King
Contradictions (Woodfalls Girls, #3)
It's no secret that I love Tiffany King.  Her books are amazing and I am certainly looking forward to reading the final book in the Woodfalls Girls series...Contradictions.

5 ~ City of Heavenly Fire
by Cassandra Clare
City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6)
I haven't had time to finish this series yet, mostly because I need to reread books 4&5 before I read this one.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this series ends. 

4 ~ Shadow and Bone Trilogy
by Leigh Bardugo
This is a trilogy that has been sitting on my shelf for a long while.  I look forward to sinking in to it hopefully while the weather is cold this year.

3 ~ The Weight of Destiny
by Nyrae Dawn
The Weight of Destiny
This book was a must have for me.  I love Nyrae Dawn's books so much and this one is calling out to me like crazy!  I also would like to note that I LOVE this cover!

2 ~ The Oh Captain, My Captain Series
by Lindsay Paige and Mary Brown
Looking for You (Oh Captain, My Captain, #1)A Hockey Player's Proposal (Oh Captain, My Captain, #2)Finding Carson Lee (Oh Captain, My Captain, #3)
My best author discovery of the year was Lindsay Paige and Mary Smith!  I love these ladies and their work is amazing!  I am looking forward to this great series that they have released so fast that I can't seem to catch up with it!  

1 ~ Breaking the Rules
by Katie McGarry
Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits, #1.5)
Katie McGarry is a must have author for me and I look forward to every one of her books.  I can't wait to devour this installment of the Pushing The Limits series.


That's it for me this week.  What books are on your Winter TBR?