Monday, August 31, 2009

Review for Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill



Synopsis
The Birth of Britain is the first volume of A History of the English Speaking Peoples, the immensely popular and eminently readable four-volume work by Winston Churchill. A rousing account of the early history of Britain, the work describes the great men and women of the past and their impact on the development of the legal and political institutions of the English. Indeed, Churchill celebrates the creation of the constitutional monarchy and parliamentary system and the kings, queens, and leading nobles who helped create English democracy.


My Review:

The Birth of Britain covers Britain during the time of the Roman Occupation to the Death of Richard III.

Mr. Churchill presents the history of England in a very readable way. His writing is never dry like a textbook.

This book is divided into three sections called books. Each book contains several chapters pertaining to the theme of that particular book.

While its not a detailed it does give you an good over view of the different political and economical developments during each time period in an easy to understand way.

I would recommend this to English History buffs. I am currently reading the next in the series.

I rate this 4/5

August Wrap-up

Well this month I managed to complete 9 books which is about average for me:

This month I completed:

1. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
2. Every Breathe You Take by Ann Rule
3. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
4. My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
5. Obama's Blackberry by Kasper Hauser
6. Beowulf on the Beach by Jack Murnighan
7. No Mad by Sam Moffie
8. The Fruit of Her Hands by Michelle Cameron
9. Speak and Read Toddler Bible by Gwen Ellis

What did you read this month?

What are you reading Mondays

This meme is brought to you by J-Kaye:
Here is what I completed this week:
Beowulf on the Beach by Jack Murnighan
What I am currently reading:
Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
The New World by Winston Churchill
Ted to Black by Alex Dryden
The Plangenent Prelude by Jean Plaidy
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (Audiobook)
The Brothers Karamazov by Fydor Dostoyvsky
What I hope to start because reviews are due out in the next week or so:
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Fearless by Max Lucado
What are you reading this week?

Mail Box Mondays

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

I only recieved one book this week which is good because I am slowly running out of room on my shelves. Plus I have 5 yrs worth of books.

Here is what I recieved:

Called to Worship by Vernon M. Whaley (Thomas Nelson Publishers)





Product Description
IS HOW WE WORSHIP TRULY BIBLICAL? There's only one way to find out: see what the Bible has to say. And that's exactly what Called to Worship is all about. From Genesis to Revelation, every book in the Scriptures gives instruction and insight into God's plan for worship. With this book, you'll learn from Biblical heroes and ordinary people. Compare Old and New Testament practices. Glean insight from Biblical poetry and the Books of Wisdom. And most important, you'll see how the life of Christ serves as a living guide to worship.

What did you recieve in your mailbox this week?

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Reviewof Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig



Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (November 6, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0312262515

My Review:
Mr. McCaig retells the story of Gone with the Wind's most notorious character Rhett Butler. This story starts off with him as a young man before he meets Scarlett O'Hara and ends with events that occurred shortly where Gone with the Wind ends.

Rhett Butler is not a very likeable character and he appears almost as selfish and heartless as Scarlett at times . He is a typical southern man but lacks the true refinement like Ashley Wilkes who Scarlett is infatuated with. In the end, you feel sorry for him and the way Scarlett treats him.

While many fans of Gone With the Wind may despise this book I found it quite enjoyable. It did start off sloow but picked up after he met Scarlett. It is intersting to get his point of view of what happened when he met Scarlett and what he felt about what was going on around in the South during the Civil War and the Reconstruction.

I rate this 4/5

Review of My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler



Product Details
Paperback: 213 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (May 12, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1582346186
ISBN-13: 978-1582346182

Synopsis
In this raucous collection of true-life stories, actress and comedian Chelsea Handler recounts her time spent in the social trenches with that wild, strange, irresistible, and often gratifying beast: the one-night stand.


My Review:

Chelsea Handler is the star of the Late Night Show Chelsea Lately, chronicles a period in her life where she has had several one-night stands.

Ms. Handler is humerous in her tales of her exploits with different men. My favorite one is when she tries to hid her skid mark underwear from a guy she just met. The end of that that tales had my rolling on the floor.

Chelsea is a very witty even though I am not a fan of the her show. I am thinking about reading her other book Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.

I would recommend it to anyone who needs a good laugh but I recommend it for adults only.

3.5/5

Chelsea Handler is an accomplished stand-up comic and actress, as well as the bestselling author of "My Horizontal Life." She is the star of her own late-night show on E!, "Chelsea Lately;" was one of the stars of "Girls Behaving Badly;" has appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with David Letterman;" and has starred in her own half-hour Comedy Central special. Chelsea makes regular appearances in comedy clubs across America and lives in Los Angeles.

Friday, August 28, 2009

The RIP CHALLENGE IV BUT THIS IS MY FIRST

September 1 - October 31, 2009

Carl V is hosting the 4th annual Readers Imbibing Peril challenge to usher us in to Halloween.
There are two simple goals to the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Challenge:
1. Have fun reading.
2. Share that fun with others.
As I do each and every year, there are multiple levels of participation that allow you to be a part of R.I.P. IV without adding the burden of another commitment to your already busy lives.

The one I chose was:

Peril the First:Read Four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose.

Here are my choices:

1.Prophecy of Sisters by Michelle Zink
2. Physick Book of Deliverance Zane by Katherine Howe
3. TBA
4. TBA

Friday 56

Rules:* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.* Turn to page 56.* Find the fifth sentence.* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Storytime with Tonya and Friends at http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST

This week's entry is from Heart of Lies by Ann Rule:

Nick certainly tried. He was a good man, but he was shocked ny Liysa's seemingly insatiable craving---not for other men, but for more real estate.


Friday Fill-in

And...here we go!
1. He was a _good man who helped everyone should stive to be like him____.
2. ____Christmas_______ is what I look forward to most this time of year.
3. My best friend __is my mom_________.
4. _I would love __________ to be honest with you.
5. Appearances can be _deceiving__________.
6. The last person I gave a hug to was _my daughter__________.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _relaxing____, tomorrow my plans include __cleaning___ and Sunday, I want to __drop my son off at my parents house
___!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thursday Thunks

Welcome to the August 27th version of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by
Kimber, the number of kids I have and the color of dead roses.



1. Have you ever played Bullshit? Yes

2. A dog licks you on your face. Are you disgusted or thinking it was sweet? Disgusted

3. Tell us about a fun/special memory you have of a grandparent. Spending the summer helping my granny with housework

4. Have you ever pet a rat? No

5. If I walked into your kitchen, where are the cups? In the cabinet to the right of the stove and to the left of the stove

6. Since you already let me in your home, I found the cup and had water, now where's the bathroom from the kitchen? The Bathroom is in the kitchen

7. Have you ever pet a turtle or tortoise? No

Don't forget to go visit your other Thursday Thunkers & comment on their blog post!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Wonderous Words Wednesday

This is a weekly meme created by Bermudia Onion

Here are my words for the week:

From Plantagenet Prelude:

1. soubirquets- 1. an affectionate or humorous nickname 2. an assumed name

From Beowulf on the Beach:
1. milequetoasty- a very timid, unassuertive, spineless person especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated

2. phthisis- a disease characterized by the wasting away or atrophy of the body or a part of the body

3. scimitar- a curved, single edged sword

Frome The Day the Falls Stood Still

1. curmudgeon- a crusty, ill-tempered, usually old man.

What words did you learn this week?

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Tuesday Teaser


MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Teaser Tuesdays. Here's how it works: Grab your current read; let the book fall open to a random page; and share 2 “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. For more teasers, click on through to MizB's blog.
My teaser for this week comes from The Day The Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
" If you tell Mother," she says, "I'll have to mention your crush." "You're not well." I hand her the plate, roughly, so that the biscuit nearly slides onto her lap.
(pg 30)

Monday, August 24, 2009

Mail Box Mondays

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

This past week I recieved 5 books in the mail

From Barnes and Noble First Look :
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

From Thomas Nelson Publishers:
Fearless by Max Lucado
Imagine Your Life Without Fear by Max Lucado

From the Author:
The Cave by Steve McGill

From Caribousmom:
The House of Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse

Books I bought this week:

From Walmart:
Prophecy of Sisters by Michelle Zink

From BooksAMillion:
My Life Among Serial Killers by Helen Morrison
Scattered Leaves by V.C. Andrews
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi
Broken Flower by V.C. Andrews

What did you get in the mail this week.

What are you reading Mondays


This is a weekly meme brought to from J-Kaye


What I completed this week:
Every Breathe You Take by Ann Rule

What I am currently reading:
The Brothers Karamazov by Fydor Dovestoysky
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
Beowulf on the Beach by Jack Murnighan
The New World by Winston Churchill
Sister Carrie by Theodore Dresier
The Plantagenet Prelude by Jean Plaidy
The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Red to Black by Alex Dryden

What I hope to Start:

Nothing

Goal is to try to read a book a day or every 2 days. Some of the above books are with reading groups and will be on here continuously.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Friday Fill-in


Questions this week are courtesy of my friend, Karen and my cousin, Maribeth. And...here we go!
1. I remember, I remember _when my children were born____.
2. Dear _____Jayson and Jasmyn____ I want you to know __I love you____.
3. Is that my ____Car_______!!???
4. I'm trying to resist the temptation of __buying more books_________.
5. I'm saving a _Book__________ just for you!
6. If I made a birthday list __Bookshelf_________ would definitely be on it!!!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing with my family_____, tomorrow my plans include _go to my parents house for my dad's birthday____ and Sunday, I want to _ make it home at decent time because I have to work on Monday____!

Friday 56


The Friday 56 is hosted by Tonya at Storytime With Tonya and Friends. Why don't you join in the fun?
Rules:* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Tonya's blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to Tonya's blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST
Today's Friday 56 comes from the book The Plantagenet Prelude by Jean Plaidy:






A common complaint of the wayward husband. All she cannot understand is why she should be expected to be faithful while he philanders where he will. It is something I do not understand either.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Thursday Thunks

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

1. Your thoughts on hunting? I don't go hunting

2. Swine Flu vaccine... will you get it? Not unless I am forced to.

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

4. I want to go on a diet, what advice will you offer me? Eat smaller portion sizes and everything can be eaten in moderation

5. You are going out on a date with someone for the very first time. When you get into their car, you see a box of condoms on the floor. What do you do? Nothing. You just know that you will not be the one they are going to sleep with that night

6. Name something in your bathroom that shouldn't be there. Trash in the trash can lol

7. What was your Kindergarten teacher like? Don't remember its been couple of decades

8. What kind of oil do you use when you cook? olive oil mostly and vegetable oil

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

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

Don't forget to go visit your other Thursday Thunkers & comment on their blog post!

Wonderous Words Wednesday


This weekly meme brought to you by Bermuda Onion.
Here are my words for the week:
From Pickwick Papers:
1. assiduity- marked by careful unremiting attention or presistent application
2. somniferous- inducing sleep; soporific
From Beowulf on the Beach:
1. garrulous- given to prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity; pointlessly or annoyingly talkative
2.cellarage- a fee charged for storage in a cellar
3. fitchew- the old world polecat of its fur
4. somnambular- to walk or perform another act while asleep or in a sleeplike condition
5.threnody- a poem or song of mourning or lamentation
6.penultimate- the next to last
7. proscenium- 1. the area of a modern theater that is located between the curtain and the orchestra. 2. The stage of an ancient theater, located between the background and the orchestra.
Since I am still reading these books look forward to more from them next week and others.
What words did you find.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Tuesday Teaser


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Today's teaser comes from Every Breathe You Take by Ann Rule:
The rooms were large,and Allen now had his aquarium built into the headboard of the bed in the master bedroom. He had a huge television set.
What is your teaser this week?

Monday, August 17, 2009

Review of Obama's Blackberry by Kasper Hauser



Book DescriptionWhen Obama stated that if elected, he would keep his Blackberry, debate echoed through Washington and among the ranks of the Secret Service. What would it be like to have a president who could Twitter, send text messages, and navigate the web with ease? What would it be like to receive a text message from inside the Oval Office and, most importantly, what would it say?
Now, for the first time, We The People are privy to our new leader's epistolary back-and-forths on his wily hand-held device. We're about to discover that his emails (and the replies, from his wife and daughters, Biden, Palen, Rush, Hannity, the new first puppy, and even Bush) are so tuned in to the language of electronic correspondence they come hilariously close to the brink of legibility.
This giftable, imagined glimpse into Obama's beloved Blackberry traverses the mundane and momentous contours of the Commander in Chief's life, from security briefings to spam, basketball practice to domestic bliss, and the panic of oops-I-hit-reply-all, to, of course, the trauma of dealing with the First Mother In Law.

My Review:

Obama's Blackberry is a collection humoruos texts that you may find on the blackberry of Obama. Some fo the texts comre form former Presidents, TV personalities and world leaders. This si a ficiton account but it does reflect the personalities of the famous people who would possibly text our current President.The funniest texts come from former Presidents Clinton and Lincoln.

I would reccomend this to someone whoe would enjoy political humor because you may need to learn the personalities of some of these people to truly enjoy the humor.

I rate this 4/5

Review of Read and Share Toddler Bible




Product Description
This new addition to the Read and ShareTM brand contains 40 stories plus a 60 minute DVD including bonus features just for toddlers.
The Read and Share Toddler Bible is a delightful way to introduce little ones ages one to four to God's Word. Gwen Ellis's engaging retelling of Bible stories along with Steve Smallman's colorful art communicate God's Word clearly to small tots with short attention spans. Stories from both the Old and New Testaments include all-time favorites ranging from Creation, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, David, to Jesus' birth, miracles, death, and resurrection.
Bonus DVD includes stories and bonus features from the popular Read and ShareTM DVD Bible series. Each story is three minutes long to keep toddlers attention span engaged.



My Review:
Read and Share Toddler Bible is a children's book that introduces your toddler to the wonderful stores of the Bible. This is geared toward Children ages 2-4

I found this book very interesting and my three year old daughter loved the stories. In fact, we read seeral of the stories in one day. The DVD that came with did not hold her attention much. It lacked the action thati s required to keep and active toddler entranced.

My eight year old enjoyed reading it to himself and enjoyed following in the book while the DVD was on. He was little disappointed when the DVD stopped abruptly.

I would recommend this to parents of small children who are interested in teaching their children the different storiesand lessons of the Bible.

I rate this book 4/5.

What are you reading Mondays

The weekly meme is brought to you by J-Kaye.

This what I completed Last week:
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
No Mad by Sam Moffie
Speak and Read Toddler Bible by Gwen Ellis

What I am currently reading:
Every Breathe You Take by Ann Rule (pg 146 of 681)
Beowulf on the Beach by Jack Murnighan pg (158 of 386)
The Brothers Karmazov by Fydor Dostoyevsky (reading with group)
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (reading with group)
Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens(reading with group)

What I hope to start this week and next:
The New World by Winston Churchill
Red to Black by Alex Dryden
Sister Carrie by Theodore Dresier
The Plantagenet Prelude by Jean Plaidy
If You Really Love Me by Ann Rule
Heart of Lies by Ann Rule

What are your reading this week?






Friday, August 14, 2009

Blog Tour For NO MAD BY SAM MOFFIE





Product Details:
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: BookSurge; 1st edition (February 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439204616
ISBN-13: 978-1439204610



About the Book from Amazon.com

Racing home to share news of a long awaited book deal, Aaron Abrams unexpectedly finds his wife and beloved brother TOGETHER. Tossing a few mentionables into the car, along with his golden retriever, Churchill, his now only trustworthy lifelong companion, Aaron embarks on an odyssey like no other. With his own music as a backdrop, while guzzling his favorite Newman's Own Virgin Lemonade, Aaron begins in Youngstown, Ohio, travels interstate 80 in Pennslyvania, and continues into Gettysburg, Pa., Boston Ma., Roswell, NM., to name a few, ultimately ending his road trip in scenic Niagara Falls. Along the way, he continues to embrace each moment, every situation, all relationships and brief encounters. Never losing his zest for life, Aaron stays positive, upbeat and open for adventures, not letting his ex-wife-to-be interfere with his new found freedom, while at the same time rediscovering and recreating bonds that will never be broken. The game of Jinx has never gotten so much attention; what that means the reader is soon to discover


MY REVIEW:
Mr. Moffie introduces us to Aaron a son to be divorced 47 year old man who decides after his wifes infidelity to go on a rode trip. In this book you are in for a wild ride. While is not normally the type of book I would read it did open my eyes to a different style of writing. While it won't appeal to some its had great prose and humor. One thing I did to make the book enjoyable was play the songs he talked about in his book it made you really live the story. While I found some of the humor vulgar at times I think I know why he included it to reflect the main characters personality. Would I read this again probably not but I am thankful to be given an opportunity to review this. I would recommend it to most men because the tend to like the locker room humor presented in this book. Most women would not find it appealing.

I give this book a 3.5/5

About Author Sam Moffie
A lifelong baseball fan, Youngstown, Ohio resident Sam Moffie graduated from Wittenberg University. He manages two sports bars, serving on the front lines of America’s most heated debate topics: sex, sports and politics. Sam has three children, one son-in-law, one grand daughter, two dogs, two cats and one1 strike-out at marriage.

I would again like to thank Tracee at Pump Up Your Book Promotion for giving me an opportunity to read this book.











This a part of the tour for:


Friday Fill-in




from Friday Fill-Ins by Janet

Graphic courtesy of Tonya!And...here

1. When will _I get better quality sleep____?

2. ___The Fruit of Her Hands__ was the last good book I read or movie I saw or tv show I watched.

3. Everything has its beauty but __not everything is beautiful___.

4. _Nothing____ is what I had for dinner.

5. I'd like your _Friday Fill-in____.

6. __In Bed___ is where I want to be right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _Finishing up No Mad and write the review up____, tomorrow my plans include _clean up the house____ and Sunday, I want to ___catch up on all my reviews__!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Review of The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory (ARC UK VERSION)



Ms. Gregory has done it again!!! She introduces us to Elizabeth Woodvilee, mother to the Princes in the tower and the future Elizabeth of York consort to Henry VII. She takes us from the time when she meets Prince Edward through the War of the Rose and ending with the mystery of the Princes in the Tower.

Ms. Gregory protrays Elizabeth as a strong woman who would stop at nothing ot protect her family. Edward is protrayed as a great warrior who's only weakness is women namely Jane Shore.

What I like about this book was that is was very engaging and the writing sucked you in form the very first sentence.

What I did not like about this book was that concentration on the Mesulina storyline. Elizabeth openly discussed it and in those days she would surely have been burned at the stake as forthcoming as she was with talking about it. Another thing I did not care for was how she incorporated Perkin Warbeck in the story of the Princes in Tower it was found that he was an imposter in the time of her son-in-law. The thing is her daughter and the young princes' sister were reign and surely should have recognized her own brother. The point is he was an imposter and Ms. Gregory should have known that. But she made it seem as he was the lost Prince Richard.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and yes, I understand its fiction and as with any fiction of an historical nature you can take liberties with the facts to make the story more appealing but some things just bugged me. This however did not decrease my enjoyment of this novel. Ms. Gregory will always be one of my favorite authors of English historical ficiton. Anyone who is a fan of hers would throughly enjoy this novel.

I rate this 4/5

Review of The Fruit of Her Hands by Michelle Cameron (ARC)



Product Description from Amazon.com
Crafting a richly textured, absorbing novel based on the life of her ancestor, renowned thirteenth-century Jewish scholar Meir ben Baruch of Rothenberg, Michelle Cameron paints a page-turning and deeply personal portrait of Judaism in medieval France and Germany. Imagined through the eyes of Rabbi Meir's wife, Shira, this opulent drama reveals a devout but independent woman who struggles to preserve her religious traditions while remaining true to herself as she and her family witness the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe.
Raised by her widowed rabbi father and a Christian nursemaid in Normandy, Shira is a free-spirited, inquisitive girl whose love of learning shocks the community. But in Meir ben Baruch, a brilliant scholar, she finds her soul mate and a window on the world of Talmudic scholarship that fascinates her.
Married to Meir in Paris, Shira blossoms as a wife and mother, savoring the intellectual and social challenges that come with being the wife of a prominent scholar. After every copy of the Talmud in Paris is confiscated and burned, Shira and her family seek refuge in Germany. Yet even there they experience bloody pogroms and intensifying hatred. As Shira weathers heartbreak and works to find a middle ground between two warring religions, she shows her children and grandchildren how to embrace the joys of life, both secular and religious.
A multigenerational novel that captures a hitherto little-known part of history with deep emotion and riveting authenticity -- and includes an illuminating author's note and a Hebrew glossary -- The Fruit of Her Hands is a powerful novel about the enduring spirit of the Jewish people.
My Review:

The Fruit of Her Hands is the story of Shira of Askenaz but it s also historical fiction of the times of the author's ancester Meir Ben Barauch a famous Rabbit. Ms. Cameron sucks you in from the first page you are engrossed in this page turning novel.

Shira is a very likeable character, she is a woman ahead her time and she is very intelligent. In the 1200s women were not allowed to learn how to read and write. They were only supposed to run the house and thake care of the children. Shira wanted to learn to study the Torah and the Talmud. Her father , another rabbi had his school, and in this school she met her husband the famous Meir ben Bauch. Another infamous she met at the school is another historical figure Nicholas Donin, who would weave his way throughout her life almost to the very end.

One thing I learned through out this novel was some Jewish Traditions and history. The Jews it seems have been persecuted for years even by own religion of Catholicism has played a role in help and sometimes harming the Jews. I knew nothing about the persecution of the Jews during this time period so this was an eye opener. I also liked that the author included a nice dictionary of terms used in the Jewish Faith.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this novel and would recommend this to any historical fiction lover or anyone who is interested in learning a little about this time in Jewish History without being bogged down with a lot of facts.

I rate this book a 5/5

Review of Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter



Product Description from Amazon.com
After staking out, obtaining, and then being forced to give up her first boyfriend, Josh, all Cammie Morgan wants is a peaceful semester. But that's easier said than done when you're a CIA legacy and go to the premier school in the world . . . for spies.

Cammie may have a genius I.Q., but there are still a lot of things she doesn't know. Like, will her ex-boyfriend even remember she exists? And how much trouble is she really in after what happened last semester? And most of all, why is her mother acting so strangely?

Despite Cammie's best intentions to be a normal student, danger seems to follow her. She and her friends learn that their school is going to play host to some mysterious guests--code name: Blackthorne. Then she's blamed for a security breach that leaves the school's top secret status at risk.

Soon, Cammie and her friends are crawling through walls and surveilling the school to learn the truth about Blackthorne and clear Cammie's name. Even though they have confidence in their spy skills, this time the targets are tougher (and hotter), and the stakes for Cammie's heart--and her beloved school--are higher than ever.

My Review:

Camy is a likeable but sometimes annoying character. I found myself wanting to throw the book sometimes when she repeatedly started mentioning her classes. We know she is in spy school and taking spy classes but do we constantly have to be reminded about what classes she is taking.

Zach is a secretive but interesting character and I hope to see more of him in forthcoming novels. He did not talk much about being a spy he was more normal. He seemed like he could function in normal society without the paranoia of Camy.


I really like series despite myself finidng Camy somewhat annoying.The story started out slow in the beginning and towards the middle picked up till exciting actioned filled conclusion. I will definitely keep reading this series.

I give this book a 4/5.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Wonderous Words Wednesday


This weekly meme was created by Bermuda Onion.
This weeks words come from THEY MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD by Charles Dickens. What I like about 19 century novels is that they have a lot of new to me words.
1. Chancel- a space around the altar of a church for the clergy and sometimes the choir; often enclosed by lattice or railing
2. epigrammatic- a terse and witty and like maxim
3. mitre- the headdress of a bishop or abbot; consisting of a tall pointed clef cap
4. perspicuously- clearly expressed or presented; easy to understand
5. miscreant- 1. an evildoer, a villan 2. an infidel; a heretic
6. exrescence- an outgrowth or enlargement, especially an abnormal one , such as a wart
7. concordant- harmonious, agreeing
8. stultify- 1. to render useless or ineffectual; cripple
2. to cause to appear stupid, inconsistent, or ridiculous
9. acerbity- sourness or acidness of taste, character, or tone
10. pomatum- a perfumed unguent or composition, chiefly used in dressing the hair; pomade
11. panegyrical- a formal eulogistic composition intended as a public compliment.
What words did you find this week?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Tuesday Teaser



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This weeks Teaser comes from NO MAD by Sam Moffie:
"They were glad it wasn't another book on lawyers. The editor said he thought with the popularity of MYSPACE, FACEBOOK, CLASSMATES and the whole internet revolution people catching up on on another, that this book would not only sell a lot in the stores but on the internet as well," she said.
What is your teaser for this week?

Monday, August 10, 2009

Mailbox Mondays





Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

Here is what came in my mailbox this week:

1.The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y' Barbo (Shelf Awarness)
From back of book:
The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed to go back to New York and marry another man. As Gennie adapts to the rough-and-tumble world of 1880s Colorado, she must decide whether her future lies with the enigmatic Daniel Beck or back home with the life planned for her since birth. The question is whether Daniel’s past–and disgruntled miners bent on revenge–will take that choice away from her.

From Walmart:

1. Cruel Death by M. William Phelps
Product Description from Amazon.com
Erika Sifrit was once a high school basketball star and an honours student. Then she married Navy SEAL Benjamin Sifrit. Some say Erika was abused by 'B.J.' Some say she pulled his strings. But by the time they reached Ocean City, MD, Erika was packing a gun in her Coach bag and was caught the grips of a new American death ride. In the sun-kissed, sea-swept resort town, a loving couple crossed paths with Erika and B.J. Sifrit. Shortly thereafter, Erika was wearing a bloody wedding ring on her necklace, while what remained of two dismembered holiday makers was buried in a Delaware landfill, and a modern-day "Bonnie and Clyde" story was being written - a lurid tale of madness, money, sex and murder.

2.Blood Trail by Steven Walker and Rick Reed
Product Description from Amazon.com
On October 29, 1997, hooker Andrea "Slick" Hendrix's, beaten, naked body was discovered in a roadside ditch near Stewartsville, Indiana. With no leads for police to follow, the case eventually went cold, but it wouldn't stay that way. In 2003, sadistic sexual predator Joseph W. Brown claimed to have strangled Hendrix with his favourite murder weapon: a shoelace from a woman's size-8 shoe. Ginger Gasaway, 53, met Brown at a Gambler's Anonymous meeting. She didn't know that when she took up with him, she was gambling with her life. On August 30, 2000, Brown murdered Gasaway and scattered her body parts across three Indiana counties. For this grisly crime, he would be sentenced to life in prison without parole. But it wouldn't be his first time behind bars...In 1977, Brown had been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and armed robbery. In 1995, he was released despite the fact that he'd beaten a fellow inmate nearly to death. Brown later confessed that during the next five years, he indulged in a seven-state rampage of torture and murder, his victims female hitchhikers and prostitutes. Now, doing time in Wabash Valley Corrections Centre, Brown maintains that he murdered no less than thirteen other women.

3. Deadly Angel by Fred Rosen

Product Description from Amazon.com
An astonishing true story of bizarre love and lethal obsession in America's last frontier.
Mechele Hughes came to Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 4200), looking for a new life and easy money. As an exotic dancer at the Great Alaskan Bush Company in nearby Anchorage, she was soon earning thousands a night—and getting expensive gifts from admiring male clients. Three in particular fell under her spell. Each claimed to be engaged to her . . . and they all lived with her together in the same house. But in May 1996, the bullet-ridden body of Kent "T.T." Leppink, a local fisherman and one of her fiancés, was discovered in a wooded area ninety miles away—possibly slain by suitor number two, John Carlin III, at the stripper's urging.
Ten years would elapse before the arrests and trials of Mechele Hughes Linehan and John Carlin III. Was the real Mechele a murderess, a ruthless sexual manipulator as the prosecution claimed, killing for insurance money—or the loving wife and mother she had since become, dedicated to children, animals, and charitable causes?

4. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
From Barnes and Noble.com
A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history -- the Salem witch trials. Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key secreted within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest to find out who this woman was, and to unearth a rare colonial artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge of herbs and other, stranger things. As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined. Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the trials in the 1690s, and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.

From Borders:

1. House of Evil The Indiana Torture Slaying by John Dean
Product Description from Amazon.com

In the heart of Indianapolis in the mid 1960’s, through a twist of fate and fortune, a pretty young girl came to live with a thirty-seven-year-old mother and her seven children. What began as a temporary childcare arrangement between Sylvia Likens’s parents and Gertrude Baniszewski turned into a crime that would haunt cops, prosecutors, and a community for decades to come…
When police found Sylvia’s emaciated body, with a chilling message carved into her flesh, they knew that she had suffered tremendously before her death. Soon they would learn how many others—including some of Baniszewski’s own children—participated in Sylvia’s murder, and just how much torture had been inflicted in one HOUSE OF EVIL

From Various Authors' Publishing Companies and Authors themselves:

1. Indigo Awakening by Dr. Janin Talty, DO
Product Description by Amazon.com
Dr. Janine Talty, today a successful osteopathic physician, as a child found herself bewildered by a world full of challenges that she could not understand. She felt isolated, unable to cope with the regular life issues that other children managed easily. She could not comprehend math or spelling-yet she could see energies that others could not see, and had levels of awareness than no-one around her possessed. She exhibited unusual artistic and healing talent. She spontaneously remembered and drew pictures from 'old memories' of places her family had never visited. Only as she grew into adulthood, painfully learning to cope with her challenges, did she realize she was an 'indigo,' one of a generation of people with unusual talents and abilities, yet who rarely fit neatly into societal roles.This book is the inspiring story of how she overcomes these challenges, finds her voice and identity, and discovers a channel for her healing abilities as an osteopathic physician.

2. Legacy by Cayla Kluver (Amazon Encore)
Synopsis from Barnes and Noble.com
The first boy disappeared on the day of his birth, on a night when the pale yellow moon of the nighttime sky turned red and bathed the heavens in the ghastly color of blood, on the same night the Kingdom of Cokyri abruptly ceased its merciless attack.
Across the land of Hytanica, under the shadow of the crimson moon, infant boys continued to vanish. Not until the blood had faded from the sky did the disappearances stop, and the bodies of the murdered infants were found outside the gates of the city, a final word from the greatest enemy Hytanica had ever known. For the next sixteen years, peace reigned, but one mystery remained unsolved. The Cokyrians had abducted forty-nine newborns, but returned only forty-eight bodies.
Now, as seventeen-year-old Princess Alera of Hytanica is besieged from all sides by suitors vying for the Throne, a teenage Cokyrian boy, Narian, is encountered within the walls of her Kingdom, a boy who will show Alera a world where women serve a purpose and not just a husband. As Narian helps Alera find her voice, she struggles against an arranged marriage that will shatter the life she has scarcely begun to live. And when Narian's shocking past is uncovered, and war with Cokyri looms once more, he must fight to defy a fate ordained at his birth.

4. Dancing with Ana Nicole Barker
From Back Cover
Beth is a lucky girl... She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she's grown up with has the most amazing green eyes... Beth has every reason to be happy. Every reason to feel blessed. Then why is she sticking her fingers down her throat?

5. Awakening Consciousness A Girl's Guide by Robin Marvel

Product Description from Amazon.com
Awakening Consciousness is a workbook designed to encourage spiritual growth on a path of self awareness. The fun hands-on exercises in this motivating, easy to use workbook are for girls of all ages and will encourage great exploration into universal Awareness. In this book you will:
Exercise your seven chakras
Learn about crystals
Discover how to keep a healthy aura
Explore your inner self
Practice learning the pendulum
Create your own future
Try aromatherapy with easy to do, fun crafts

6. Awakening Consciousness A Boy's Guide by Robin Marvel
Product Description from Amazon.com
Awakening Consciousness: A Boy's Guide! is a workbook designed to encourage inner-strength and growth that will encourage self-security. This action-packed guide is chock full of fun hands-on activities for all ages that will motivate and enhance a path of self-awareness, including:
Making your own drum
ChakraCizing your body and spirit
Finding your totem
Practicing the pendulum
Discovering your spirit guide
Learning how to keep a strong aura
Native-American legends and lore

7. Recovering The Self by L.H. Press

Product Description from Amazon.com
Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing (Vol. 1, No. 1) September 2009Recovering The Self is a quarterly journal which explores the themes of recovery and healing through poetry, memoir, essays, fiction, humor, media reviews and psycho-education. Areas of concern include aging, disabilities, health, abuse recovery, trauma/PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Contributors come from around the world to provide a mirror of the experience of peoples of all cultures and beliefs. The premier issue explores a number of areas of concern including:
Resilience and trauma recovery
Healing the inner child
Journaling and grief
Forgiveness
Lyme Disease
Fibromyalgia
Substance abuse
Military families
Nature of gender
Children and trauma
and much more!

What's in your mailbox?

What are you reading Mondays

This is a weekly meme hosted by J-Kaye

What I completed this week:
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
Obama's Blackberry by Kasper Hauser
The Fruit of Her Hands by Michelle Cameron

What I am currently reading:
The Brother Karamazov by Fydor Dovestoysky with a online group over 2months
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (Audio book)
No Mad by Sam Moffe
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
Read and Share Toddler Bible by Gwen Ellis

What I hope to Start this week:
Every Breathe You Take by Ann Rule
Sister Carrie by Theodore Dresier
The New World by Winston Churchill
Beowulf on the Beach by Jack Murnighan

12 hour Mystery-a- thon Wrap up Post


Well I wanted to finish one book but did not finish any. I stayed longer at a family engagement than I expected and only got 8 hours completed. I have about 40 pages left in the First book that I started. So I did not get to the second. I wish I would have accomplished more. I will next time. I will also try a lighter read. Dickens is not a fast read.

To everyone who participated I enjoyed myself. I will also do this again. Thank you to the host of this challenge and the prize giver. I look forward to doing this again.

Now to finish the book. I think next time I will find some Nancy Drew. I loved reading her as a kid or maybe some R.L. Stine.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

12 hour Mystery-a-thon Update of Day One

I found out about this today so I decided to join since I am reading a mysteries for the Cozy Mystery Challenge. I hope to complete 1 book and have good chunk of a second book done. I am spreading my hours out over 2 days. Today I completed 6 hours and tomorrow another 6.

So far I have read 176 pages out of 272 readable pages of THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD by Charles Dickens. I hope to complete this by tomorrow morning. The I hope to start on the the True Crime novel : Every Breath You Take by Anne Rule.

So far I signed up for one book giveaway and I will try to do the Weekly Geeks sometime tomorrow. I am exhausted for the night so I will update you on twitter tomorrow on my progress.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Friday 56






Tonya at Storytime With Tonya and Friends hosts The Friday 56 every Friday. Come join in the fun
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to Tonya's blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Todays Friday 56 comes from The Plantagenet Prelude by Jean Plaidy:

It is years since they were lovers. She does not understand him at all.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Thursday Thunks

by StraitJacketMom (Berleen)Welcome to the August 6th version of Thursday Thunks!

(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Berleen, the number 1 and the color of the crap under your shoe.



1. What the hell were you thinking? I am thinking why are u asking me that question lol

2. The tornado sirens go off in your neighborhood - what do you do? Go to the center of my house since I am without a basement.

3. Give us a recipe. Put a pie in the oven at 400 for 60 mins lol.

4. It's the middle of the night, there isnt a car in sight and you are stuck at a red light that just won't change.... how long do you wait until you run it? About 30 seconds. I do have to check for cops though

5. When was the last time you got all dressed up fancy-like? Where did you go?
In February, I went to church.
6. Have you ever had a mole removed? No

7. Are you in an area of record highs or record lows for the temps this summer? Are you lucky and stuck in the middle where it's somewhat normal? No, Yes I consider myself lucky. Virginia is usually temperate.

8. When was the last time you changed your furnace filter? I never changed anything in my furnace but I did change my air filter in Feb and its past due lol

9. What's your favorite type of frog? I don't like any frogs not even Kermit

10. If you were to go on America's Got Talent, what would you do for your talent? (and choosing not to go is not an option....) I would play the piano. It would be very basic though

11. Have you ever been on a rooftop of a building? No, I am afraid of heights

12. What is the first website you go to each day when you sit down at your computer, other than your email? Twitter






Don't forget to go visit your other Thursday Thunkers & comment on their blog post!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Wonderous Words Wednesday




Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion where we share new (to us) words

This weeks words are from The Brothers Karamazov by Fydor Dostoyevsky

1. abnegation- to refute; to deny; the act of giving something up; self- denial

2. dirge- 1. a funeral hym or lament 1b. a slow mournful musical composition 2. a mournful or elefiac poem or other literary work

3. Ultramontanism- the policyy that absulute authority in the church ashoud be vested inthe Pope

4. dilettanti- 1. a dabbler in the art or a field of knowledge 2. lover of the fine arts; a connoisseur 3. superficial; amateurish

5. parricide- the murdering of one's father, mother, or other near relative.

What words did you find this week?

Movie Review: VERTIGO



Product Description
One of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest cinematic achievements, Vertigo, celebrates its 50th anniversary with an all-new 2-disc Special Edition DVD! Set in San Francisco, Vertigo creates a dizzying web of mistaken identity, passion and murder after an acrophobic detective (James Stewart) rescues a mysterious blonde (Kim Novak) from the bay. Recognized for excellence in AFI’s 100 Years...100 Movies, this dreamlike thriller from the Master of Suspense is as entertaining today as it was 50 years ago. Featuring revealing bonus features and a digitally remastered picture, Vertigo is a “great motion picture that demands multiple viewings” (Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide).

My Review:

This another good movie from Hitchcock. It has all the elements of a good film, drama. suspense, comedy and romance. The acting was wonderful. James Stewart was great as the Detective John Ferguson who investigates why a woman had faked her death. This movie had a lot of twists and turns. Kim Novak was good even though it is said she was not Hitchcocks first choice. This movie was far from predictable. It shocked me to the end.

I rate this movie a 4/5

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Tuesday Teaser




Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:




•Grab your current read




•Open to a random page




•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page




•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)




•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Is from Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter:

We're spies. But on that January day, even my mother...even my headmistress... seemed to have forgoten that when you've spent your whole life learning fourteen different languages and how to completely alter your appearance using nothing but nail clippers and shoe polish, then being yourself gets a little harder- that we Gallangher Girls are really far better at being someone else. (pg 1-2)




What is your teaser this week?

Monday, August 3, 2009

Movie Review: The Babysitters



Product Description from Amazon.com
Shirley Lyner is your typical suburban student. She studies hard and baby-sits in her spare time to save money for college. But when Gail and Michael Beltran ask her to sit for them, her normal life will become wilder than she could ever imagine. Shirley and Michael begin a dangerous affair and he pays her a big tip to stay quiet. With her new found money and power Shirley decides to take her babysitting service to a whole other level when one of Michael s married buddies learns of his arrangement. With a calendar filled with student-babysitters and more married fathers than she and her friends can manage Shirley's life begins unravelling into a world of sex, money and greed. For this babysitter, getting into college is the least of her problems.

My Review:

I think this movie really disgusted me that grown men would prey on young teenage girls. The most disgusting part is that the director of the moview was the lead character. Mr. Lequizamo has lost all my respect.

This was recorded on my dvr before I knew the details of the movie. When I watched little did I know I was in for a shock.

I would not recommend this movie to any especially anyone with a teenage daughter.

1/5 for a disgusting concept of child exploitation.

Movie Review: FOOTLIGHT PARADE




Product Description for Amazon.com:


James Cagney channels Busby Berkeley (who choreographs the stunning, kaleidoscopic dance routines) as a Broadway director who comes up with a scheme to break into movies through, well, stunning, kaleidoscopic dance routines. (Cagney even does some hoofing of his own.) Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell co-star in this musical extravaganza that includes such vintage songs as "Honeymoon Hotel," "Shanghai Lil" and "By a Waterfall."


My Review:
All I can say is wow. It reminds me of all the musicals I know and love. I had the idea to watch this after I saw the previews a thousand times waiting on the ride at MGM studios Ride the Movies.

This movie starts James Cagney and Joan Blondell. Most people, when they think of Cagney they think of the old gangster movies. This a refreshing look at him in a musical. Who knew he had dancing talent. Joan Blondell was good as well but this is my first movie of hers.

The muscial numbers were wonderful and excellently choreographed. They had tons of big showstoppers my favorite was Shanghai Lili and The Finale. Back in the 30's they used to have showgirls dance before the movies. It would have been fun if they did it still today.

The costumes even though this movie was in black/white were elegant with a little bit of sex appeal. The presenter of this this movies said this is before they had censorship on what ladies wear. As we know now those censors have been dropped and ratings added to movies.

Overall, I recommend it to people who love musicals and would love to view the history of musicals.

4/5

Mail Box Mondays

This is hosted by Marcia of The Printed Page

This week I only recieved 3 books in the mail which is a good thing because I am running out of room. I need to invest in another bookshelf.

1. Circle of Friends Book IV Mike by L. Diane Wolfe



Product Description from Amazon.com :

Past mistakes can never be forgiven ... Mike Taylor is the epitome of stability. His family is proud of his academic and athletic achievements at Georgia Tech, and despite the temptations of college life, he has maintained his moral standards. Yet beneath the peaceful surface, Mike is consumed with guilt, fearing condemnation and rejection. A former girlfriend's abortion and the intense love he feels for his roommate's wife constantly remind Mike of his failures. Unable to forget and full of shame, he refuses to forgive himself. When Danielle enters his life, he realizes he can no longer hide the past. Will she be able to reach him in time or is Mike past the point of redemption?

2. Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle



Product Description from Amazon.com
What do Katie-Rose, Yasaman, Milla, and Violet all have in common? Other than being named after flowers, practically nothing. Katie-Rose is a film director in training. Yasaman is a computer whiz. Milla is third in command of the A list. And Violet is the new girl in school. They’re fab girls, all of them, but they sure aren’t friends. And if evil queen bee Medusa— ’scuse me, Modessa—has her way, they never will be. But this is the beginning of a new school year, when anything can happen and social worlds can collide . . .
Told in Lauren Myracle’s inventive narrative style—here a fresh mix of instant messages, blog posts, screenplay, and straight narrative—Luv Ya Bunches, the first in a four-book series, is a funny, honest depiction of the shifting alliances and rivalries that shape school days, and of the lasting friendships that blossom from the skirmishes.
3. Read and Share Toddler Bible retold by Gwen Ellis






Product Description by Amazon.com

This new addition to the Read and ShareTM brand contains 40 stories plus a 60 minute DVD including bonus features just for toddlers.

The Read and Share Toddler Bible is a delightful way to introduce little ones ages one to four to God's Word. Gwen Ellis's engaging retelling of Bible stories along with Steve Smallman's colorful art communicate God's Word clearly to small tots with short attention spans. Stories from both the Old and New Testaments include all-time favorites ranging from Creation, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, David, to Jesus' birth, miracles, death, and resurrection.

Bonus DVD includes stories and bonus features from the popular Read and ShareTM DVD Bible series. Each story is three minutes long to keep toddlers attention span engaged.






What are you reading Mondays

This is a weekly meme hosted by J-Kaye.

Here is what I completed last week:

The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill
The Winter Queen by Phillipia Gregory
Homer's Odyessy by Gwen Cooper
Rhett Butler's People by Daonald McCaig

What I am currently reading:

Sacred Heart by Sarah Dunant
The Fruit of Her Hands by Michelle Cameron
The Brother's Karmazov by Fydor Dostoyevsky
My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
Obama's Blackberry by Kasper Hauser
Read and Share Toddler Bible Retold by Gwen Ellis

What I hope to Start when I finish these:

Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
Every Breath You take by Ann Rule
Sister Carrie by Theodore Dresier
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
The New World by Winston Churchill
No Mad by Sam Moffie