Teaser Tuedays: "Ender's Game," "Live To Tell" and "Gone"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading,. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

Karen's: (One teen science fiction and one suspense)

Science Fiction:

There's only one thing that will make them stop hating you. And that's being so good at what you do that they can't ignore you. I told them you were the best. Now you damn well better be.

Taken from p. 35 of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. (This was such a good book, I just had to take a teaser from it. Be sure to see our review of Ender's Game!

Suspense:

"According to the foster family, however, Dougie is making it all up because he's finally met his match in their 'tough love' parenting style.  I should add that Dougie already has a long history of theft, animal cruelty, and petty arson."
"How old?" 
"Dougie's seven."

Taken from p. 33 of Gone by Lisa Gardner.

Gerard's:

In your words, this type of crime generally has a singular approach. We now have two scenes where an entire family was eliminated using three separate methodologies, and the murder weapons were found inside the home.

From page 130 of Live To Tell by Lisa Gardner.  Click the link to read my review.  Karen will be reading this one too after Gone.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Check out our book giveaway of "I'm Outnumbered--One Mom's Lessons In The Lively Art Of Raising boys" to a mom (or gift for a mom)--winner to be announced May 1 so you have it in time for Mother's Day.

Lessons From The Easter Bunny

All I need to know I learned from the Easter Bunny!

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.

There's no such thing as too much candy.

All work and no play can make you a basket case.

A cute tail attracts a lot of attention.

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.

Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.

Keep your paws off of other people

's jelly beans.

Good things come in small, sugar coated packages.

The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.

To show your true colors, you have to come out of the shell.

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

May the joy of the season fill your heart.
AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU!

Happy Easter! Check out our book giveaway of "I'm Outnumbered--One Mom's Lessons In The Lively Art Of Raising boys" to a mom (or gift for a mom)--winner to be announced May 1 so you have it in time for Mother's Day.


You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Easter Book Giveaway For Moms: "I'm Outnumbered!" by Laura Lee Groves

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!  We will giveaway this book to a commenter who makes the best case as to why they should get it.  Also, please include your email so we can contact you for your address if you are the winner. 

 

We will announce the winner on Sunday, May 1 so they can get it in time for Mother’s Day.  Maybe you do not need it but know a mother who might appreciate it.  Feel free to share why you would like to give it to them in your comment.

I’m Out numbered!:  One Mom’s Lessons in the Lively Art of Raising Boys by Laura Lee Groves is a good little handbook for moms (and dads) of boys.  I got this because I teach 5^th grade boys in Sunday School and thought it may be helpful.  She kept the chapters short because she knows moms are very busy so it is a quick read.  She addresses many issues including expectations, laying a foundation for reading, sibling rivalry, teaching respect, organizing, media, teaching responsibility, and communication.  Also included is a special chapter for dads, for single moms, and one from the boys themselves!  Laura Groves also includes an extensive list of recommended books that deal with related topics that she wrote about in this book.

I think this book would be helpful to any parent of boys especially. It is sprinkled with some humor and scripture which makes it a very enjoyable and interesting read. I liked it and am not even a parent but this book makes parenting sound like lots of fun! As I was reading, I kept thinking of different mothers I know who may benefit from reading this. Some general advice from I’m outnumbered! is to let boys be creative, don’t let them hurt each other, don’t play favorites, give them all a chance to be leaders and promote teamwork, treat them as individuals, love them no matter what they do or don’t do, teach them manners by challenging them to be honorable like knights.

 

I am not a mother but still enjoyed reading this humorous but practical book.  I think it contains some good advice and great ideas for raising boys (and girls too).   It would make a nice gift!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card

I know I'm way late to read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card since it came out years ago.  That being said, I thought this book was just AWESOME!  For sure my book of the month for April and will rank very high in my books of the year list!

The premise of this book is the government has tabbed Ender to be the next big commander.  He is taken away from his family and sent to "Battle School."  His brother, Peter, and his sister, Valentine, also play interesting roles in this book. 

If you loved Hunger Games and The Maze Runner series, you will love this book too!
(Gerard's Review)

Karen's Review:
I liked Ender's Game very much too.  I'm glad Gerard encouraged me to read it!  Ender is just six years old when the government rejected his older brother and sister and took him instead to train to be the commander to fight against the buggers out in space and save the world.  Ender is very smart and very endearing.  He doesn't want to kill anyone but excels in the battle games.  I liked how even though Ender was an "underdog" he was very clever and came out on top when others made things tough for him.  The only thing I did not like about it was the ending.

If you like stories about mind games, leadership, friendship, bullying, military strategy/training or science fiction, you would love this book!  Anyone with battle experience I think would identify with Enger.  We both highly recommend this one--it's awesome!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Our Friday Fragments

Mrs. 4444 at Half-Past Kissin' Time hosts Friday Fragments each week where we can post snippets that aren't really big enough for posts by themselves. Thought you might enjoy something a little different that lets you get to know us a bit better.

Got the “Blue Screen Of Death” on our computer this week and had to have the hard drive wiped clean and windows reloaded. What a hassle! Can’t find our original operating disk and now have no word processing program! ARGH! Can’t open our documents!  This is why we didn't get to read as many Tuesday Teasers as usual this week.

Karen entered a drawing at work for two Browns hats and a set of Browns coasters for Support Staff Appreciation Day.

Going to go to good old reliable paper and pen to make our reading lists. I had summaries of the book on mine too though—good thing we have this blog and Shelfari and Goodreads!

Both Gerard and I are doing a special puppet presentation for grades 1-6 at Parma Heights Baptist Church on Easter Sunday called “More Than A Miracle” at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

We are thrilled that the Cleveland Indians are in first place and rooting for the Bruins.

Gerard and I are currently reading the same books: Trapped by Michael Northrop, Ender's Game by Orson Card, Dogs Don't Lie by Clea Simone Live To Tell and Gone by Lisa Gardner. Gerard will soon be reading The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials too. Our review of Ender's Game will be up tomorrow. We both liked it!

Visit The Gatekeepers Post to see our interview with Jeff Rivera, author of "Forever My Lady" about being book bloggers. 

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Love Wins" by Bob Bell

Love Wins by Bob Bell is all about the fact that Jesus loves us. That gives me a good warm happy feeling in my body and soul. It is also about heaven and hell with lots of scripture passages. I did not see where in this book the controversy is. I enjoyed reading it during Holy Week!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Trapped" by Michael Northrop

Some things about Trapped by Michael Northrop book:
(1)  It’s a YA book.
(2)  It’s short--you can read it in a few hours.
(3)  Nobody on Amazon gave it 5 stars--Do I care about Amazon?  No!
(4)  I loved it!

The premise is that seven students are stuck in a high school during a major snow storm.  The characters are realistic.  How will they cope?  When will they be rescued?  I was hooked from page 1 to the end!  Super book!  Give it a chance--you will be glad you did!
(Gerard's Review)

Karen's Review:
Trapped by Michael Northrop is a quick read about seven teens trapped in their high school for a week during a snow storm who fight for survival. They are very resourceful and during that week, get to know kids they normally did not hang around. I liked Trapped all right, but it didn’t seem very believable and there were some loose ends that I would have liked finished up. I liked seeing how the kids interacted with one another and how their thoughts changed as they got to know each other a little better, similar to The Breakfast Club. It has some suspense but isn’t as good as other suspense novels I have read. It reminded me a Stephen King novel in a way because the whole story takes place inside the high school until the very end.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teaser: "Trapped"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

Karen's:

How long could we be stuck here? That was the question now. How long, like, conceivably? We had no power, no lights, and the hat was alraedy leaking out of the building through a thousand cracks and seams and windows.

Taken from p. 59 of Trapped by Michael Northrop

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Spring's Renewal" by Shelley Shepard Gray

Spring’s Renewal by Shelley Shepard Gray is a happy Christian romance story of how Cara, an Amish school teacher who is badly scarred from a fire sees her dreams come true.  When Tim meets Cara, he realizes he does not love his hometown sweetheart as much as he thought he did, but falls for Cara.  Although there are some obstacles to a life together, they find a way to work things out.  This is a light, heartwarming read involving balancing one’s responsibilities with the pursuit of happiness.  The main theme is “that it’s not right to judge a person by only outward looks.  Sometimes when you do that, you miss out on a lot.” It has some funny parts as well as some suspense in it.  I enjoyed it!
(Karen's review)

Read Meet Amish Romance Novelist Shelley Shepard Gray to learn about the author.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Love You More" by Lisa Gardner

Love You More by Lisa Gardner is impressive.  It is a mystery about a mother, Tess, charged with murdering her husband and possibly her 6-yr-old daughter, Sophie, as well.  Tess was a real “mother” bear!  The Boston police arrest Tess, a state trooper who doesn’t have much faith in cops because of her past experience.  Tess lies to the police and devises a plan to find her daughter’s kidnapper on her own and rescue her daughter against all odds no matter what.  She had to outfox the police and the bad guys.  Her plan is genius!  “Love You More” shows there is good and bad in everyone.  It’s about betrayal, friendship, crime investigation, murder, gambling, love, and sacrifice.    

I was a bit confused in the beginning because it was a little hard to tell which lady cop was talking, Tess the state trooper or the pregnant D.D. Warner of the Boston P.D.  Once I got that cleared up, the book got really interesting.  I enjoyed how the State Trooper and the police investigator kept trying to figure out each other and how Tess was able to stay one step ahead.  This was interesting because of the good cops and bad cops involved which made it stand out from other murder mysteries.  I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries.  I am definitely going to read another of Lisa Gardner’s books.

(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Meet Amish Romance Novelist Shelley Shepard Gray

I first heard about Shelley Shepard Gray from Christian Fiction Blog Alliance promoting The Caregiver.  She sounded like someone I would like to know so was thrilled to see she was coming to our library for a "Meet The Author" night.

 

Shelley shared how her imagination developed as a child because her father was an alcoholic and her mother had problems so often she would be by herself and just daydream about how life could be better.  As a 6^th grade teacher, on breaks she would write little romances and then go back to teaching again.  When she took a year off from teaching, she found house cleaning was not her thing and began writing. 

 

She wanted to write western romance novels but couldn’t find a publisher.  Her first book was a 400 pg. western romance that got rejected.  She was told there were too many western romances around and she should  write Amish romances instead because there were less books in that genre.  Shelley liked visiting the Amish stores but really did not want to write about them at first.   

 

Not wanting to disappoint her wonderful agent, she gave it a try thinking she would submit something off the wall, it wouldn’t be any good and that would be it for that.  It turned out that they liked Hidden even though the main character was not Amish.  When researching her book, three things that impressed her about the Amish were:

 

1.  Their faith is real, it’s who they are.  They live out their faith every day, not just attend services once a week. 

 

2.  Family and community is all-encompassing.  Parents teach their children the same skills they learned from their parents such as canning, sewing, quilting, cooking.  They actually know their neighbors and speak face-to-face with them.  Families spend time doing things together.  She also discovered they are not all farmers.

 

3.  The Amish enjoy the moment and live in the present.  Each season has specific things to do and enjoy.  Instead of complaining about the bad weather, they look for things to do inside and enjoy the inside time.  when the weather is nice, they actually take time to sit outside and watch the birds.

 

Shelley never thought she’d be a writer and still can’t believe people actually pay to read the stories she loves to write.  Getting published as a writer was definitely a “God thing.”  Since her first failure, she has had 30 books published--some romance under her maiden name of Galloway with Harlequin and 11 Amish romance novels with Harper Collins.

 

Shelly was very humble and amusing as she shared about some of her characters in her books and her time with her Amish friends, questioning them while hoping she wouldn’t offend them.  She shared that she always begins a book thinking of her characters first and then the plot.  She discusses her characters with her husband as she writes. 

I’ve only read two of her books so far:  Hidden and Wanted but look forward to reading some more, especially finishing the Sisters of the Heart series.  I am currently reading Spring's Renewal, the second book of her Seasons of Sugarcreek series.  The other two in the series are Winter's Awakening and Autumn's Promise.  She wanted to do a summer one since there are four seasons and she wanted to write some more with these characters; however,  her publisher told her that series of just three work best. 

I plan on attending more of these Library “Meet The Author” programs!  Have you read any of her books?  What did you think of them?  Have you met any authors?  Does your library have programs like this too?  What author would you like to meet?

 

Visit her website at http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Dogs Don't Lie" by Clea Simon (UPDATED 4/23/11)

Visit the author's cat's blog at www.conscious.cat.net

Dogs Don’t Lie by Clea Simon is a good, quick mystery in a small town. A man is found dead at his home and all signs point to his dog, a pit bull named Lilly.  But did the dog really do it? The best parts of the book for me are that Pru Marlow could understand what her cat, Wallis, was saying and the Dog, Lilly, becomes a hero at the end! The plot was a bit confusing, but it’s still a good read!
(Gerard's Review)

Karen's review posted 4/23/11:
Dogs Don't Lie by Clea Simon is a cozy mystery with a cute, entertaining twist--Pru Marlowe is an animal behaviorist and also discovers she has a gift of being able to hear what animals think and feel.  With the help of three cats, two dogs, and a ferret, Pru solves the murder of one of her clients whose pit bull she trained.  She questioned some humans too though.  At first the dog was blamed for it's owner's death but then Pru set out to save the dog and eventually figured out who the real killer was. 

If you like animals and a cozy mystery, this one is for you!  It starts off a bit slow but stick with it!  I was surprised to find out who the real murderer was.  Well done, Clea!

Stop by and visit the author's Conscious Cat blog and find out Challenges Of Living With Mystery Writer Clea Simon.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teasers: "Love You More" and "Dogs Don't Lie"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

Karen's:

"I feared for my life," I whisper. "I felt my sidearm. He charged...I feared for my life."
"Trooper Leoni, what happened?"
"I shot my husband."
"Trooper Leoni--"
I meet his gaze one last time. "Then I went looking for my daughter."

From page 35 of Love You More by Lisa Gardner.

Gerard's:

"Did you think I was asleep all those nights when you were watching Law and Order?"
I burst out laughing. The idea of my cat learning to investigate crime from a TV show, it was all too much.

From page 38 of Dogs Don't Lie by Clea Simon.  See our review of Dogs Don't Lie.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Heaven Is For Real" by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

Heaven Is For Real tells the story of a little boy named Colton.  He was very sick and told his parents that he went to heaven for three minutes and then Jesus sent him back as an answer to his dad’s prayers.  His dad is a pastor and his wife a Sunday School teacher.  I’ll let you decide if Colton really went to heaven or not.  It’s a good Easter read!  I think he did.
(Gerard's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Throwing Like A Girl" by Weezie Kerr Mackey

I liked Throwing Like A Girl by Weezie Kerr Mackey because I like softball and enjoyed the emphasis on how being on the team helped 15-year-old Ella make friends and become more confident. Ella, moved to Dallas from Chicago late in the school year and made friends by joining the softball team in spite of not having played before. This is a wholesome book that deals with Ella's adjusting to a new school in a new town. It's a story about a nice teenager and how she deals with friendship, parents, learning a sport and romance. A great read for young readers that challenges them to put themselves "out there" and to see what happens. I recommend this to pre-teens, teens and anyone who enjoys reading about high school sports.
(Karen's review 2/27/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Pictures Of You" by Caroline Leavitt

Pictures Of You by Caroline Leavitt is a great read!  Two women get into a car accident.  One woman dies, the other woman’s life gets completely changed by the husband and boy left behind by the other woman. I really enjoyed the part of the boy telling the story.  The characters are people I got to care about.  The ending is very good and leaves the chance for a sequel which I would like to read too.
(Gerard's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Our Friday Fragments

Every Friday Mrs 4444 at Half Past Kissin’ Time sponsors Friday Fragments giving bloggers a chance to share snippets that aren’t enough for an entire post. On our “Right Where We Belong” blog we always share things we learned during the past week so I thought over here, we could actually do a variety of fragments, so here we go:


It was fun to get back on http://www.pogo.com/ this week. I played Backgammon to refresh my memory and lost the first game but won the second—even doubled my winning game! It’s a great site for people who like to play games—it has all kinds, you can play for free against other people with chat or just against the computer.

I read Couples Who Pray this week and now Gerard and I are praying together again! I registered us online for the 40-day prayer challenge at http://www.coupleswhopray/. I hope it’s not going to be a nuisance.

Took off work went to the Indians-Red Sox game at noon on Thursday. Good food, exciting game. Of course, we brought books along that we read on the bus.

Our daffodils and crocuses are up and our hyacinths are just starting to pop up. I keep telling myself that these spring showers bring May flowers.

I’m getting Dogs Don’t Lie by Clea Simone from the library tomorrow. She blogs about her cats over at The Conscious Cat.

"Couples Who Pray—The Most Intimate Act Between A Man And Woman" by Squire Rushnell and Louise Duart

Couples Who Pray--The Most Intimate Act Between A Man And Woman by Squire Rushnell and Louise Duart presents the challenge for couples to spend 5 minutes every day praying together for 40 days and gives benefits of doing so supported by research and inspiring testimonies of 24 couples, including celebrities.  The hope is that after the 40 days, it will become a habit you will want to continue. 

The website for the 40-day prayer challenge is:  www.coupleswhopray.com  In addition to praying together, other factors are mentioned as well based on Biblical principles that should be part of any marriage.  My favorite quotes were these: “Our purpose in our marriage is to serve each other and love each other as much as we can.”—Louise Duart  and “Not long ago we drove by a little church with a great saying posted out front:  Loved the wedding, invite me to the marriage!  God.”

Couples Who Pray has inspired me to try again to pray together with my husband every day.  We have done this on and off, but maybe with the support of the website challenge, we can stick to it.    I liked the L-A-U-G-H-S acronym for 6 steps to a successful relationship in the last chapter:  Laughter, Appreciation, Understand, God, Honor, Support.  For me, this book dragged a bit when it hit on the existence of God and the reliability of scripture because I am already familiar with that; however,  the stories of the celebrities are quite interesting.  I encourage any couple to read this and give the 40-day challenge of praying together for just 5 minutes each day a try! 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Emily And Einstein" by Linda Francis Lee

Emily and Einstein is the story of Sandy and Emily Portman.  Sandy gets killed in an auto accident and comes back as a dog.  Emily adopts this dog and names him Einstein.  I loved the parts in the book a told by Einstein more than I did by Emily.  Very readable and had a nice, if predictable, ending.
 
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teasers: 3 For You Today!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

We have one non-fiction and two fiction for you today:
Karen's:
Non-fiction taeser--

Honestly, can you think of any act more intimate than joining together in a quiet place, holding hands in prayer, and allowing your soul to be bare naked before God?
This is our pledge: entering into this act of intimacy on a daily basis with the one person you love more than any other will take you to a level of joy and satisfaction that you simply will not believe.

From pg. 3 of Couples Who Pray--The Most Intimate Act Between A Man And A Woman by Squire Rushnell and Louise Duart (non-fiction)

Science fiction teaser--

Bodies hanging from the ceiling, reeking of death and rot, then gone completely in a matter of minutes. A stranger--and his desk!--appear out of nowhere, with an impossible shield protecting them. Then they disappear.

From p. 63 of The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, sequel to The Maze Runner 

Gerard's:
Fiction--

"Come on, Emily, you can't go in there. No telling what kind of crap is in that water. Just give E some time. He'll come back up. Remember, he's a dog!"

From pg. 178 of Emily and Einstein by Francis Lee

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

We'd like you to visit our other blog, Right Where We Belong, today to help us know who is right:  Wife v. Husband on Bedmaking.  We also posted Our Favorite Reads For March.

"Hidden" by Shelley Shephard Gray

Hidden by Shelly Shephard Gray is the first book in the “Sisters of The Heart” Series. When Anna finds herself in an abusive relationship with Rob, her boyfriend, and discovers he has been misappropriating his campaign funds, she decides to hide with an Amish friend, Katie, at her Bed and Breakfast inn. While there, she has time to think about things and finds romance with her friend’s Amish brother, Henry, and a safe haven for awhile and learns to put others ahead of herself. Anna seeks God’s guidance and finally comes to a decision about some major choices in her life and stands up to her controlling parents and Rob, finally figuring out who she is and what she wants.

Hidden deals with self-doubt, loneliness, friendship, romance and trust with some discussion questions in the back. My favorite character was Henry I liked the decision Anna made in the end and the general theme of the book about people hiding who they are was obvious and well done. This was a quick, light Christian romance/suspense story. I read the second in this series first, Wanted, which is more about Anna’s friend, Katie. I liked that one better and look forward reading the last one, Forgiven.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Japan get relief through Samaritan's Purse by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Saving Max" by Antoinette Van Heugten Scores High In My Book

If you go on Amazon.com, this book did not score very well at all.  But, if there was a Gerard.com, this book would get high marks!  I enjoyed it a lot!  The story is based on Max, a young teen boy who is Autistic and smart.  When he gets checked into a special care facility, he is accused of murdering a fellow patient.  Max’s mother does everything in her power to clear her son.  This book drags somewhat, but the hearing in front of the judge which is Part 3, more than makes up for it.  It is SO GOOD!  Especially when the mother, who is an attorney, takes over to defend her son.  Fantastic!  Put this on your to read list--you can thank me later.   

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Comment For Charity: Help People of Japan With Your Comments

Thanks to everyone who commented on our blogs during March! We will be donating $159 to Canine Lifeline which really is our first donation ever to that organization. Our dog, Abby, is very pleased about this!

For April, we are choosing to donate 50 cents per comment on all our blogs to Samaritan's Purse to be used for relief to Japan. Here is a video to show you what this organization is doing:






Hope you will visit our other blogs too: Right Where We Belong, My Funny Dad, Harry, and Always Looking Up.

Check out best posts of the week at Saturday Sampling and link up one of your you wish more people saw!

"Family Affair" by Debbie Macomber is a fun read!

Family Affair by Debbie Macomber is a light romantic comedy that would be a good beach read.  It’s about Lacey, a woman whose lost her self-confidence after a divorce but with the assistance of her cat, finds love again with her neighbor, Jack.  Having been through a divorce, Lacey was able to comfort Sarah, Jack’s sister, when she was betrayed by her live-in boyfriend.  It finishes with a cute touch:  recipes for cat treats you can make for your cat!

This is a cute short book that is a fun read, only 99 pages.  I thought it was funny how Lacey talked to her cat and how she compared Jack to his tomcat that was named Dog.  Entertaining with a happy ending.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

Tuesday Teasers

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

Karen's:

Lacey wasn't comfortable thinking of Jack in those terms, but she let her friend's comment pass.  "Yeah.  He owns Dog, the cat who had his way with Cleo.  And before you ask, I did get the name of his cat right.

From pg. 18 of Family Affair by Debbie Macomber. (A romantic comedy)

. . . They're huge, and they look like they've been standing here for a thousand years."  And the idea of those walls closing and trapping him inside this place they called the Glade was downright terrifying.

From pg. 25 of The Maze Runner by James Dashner. (science fiction, YA)

Gerard's:

Viktor was surprised at himself. He had come very close to believing Anna's story. In fact, he had almost hoped that her delusions were somehow connected to the truth.

From pg. 57 of Therapy by Sebastian Fitzek. (Psychological thriller)  See Karen's review of Therapy.

You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"A Rope And A Prayer" by David Rohde and Kristen Mulvihill

A Rope And A Prayer by David Rohde and Kristen Mulvihill is the true story about a husband being abducted and what both he and his wife faced. This non-fiction book is my pick for my March book of the month and here are the reasons why:

(1) It is the true story of David being kidnapped and held for over six months!

(2) It’s the story as told by Kristen, newly married, sharing her feelings as her husband was being held.

(3) It gives really wonderful insight into the Taliban and what they think and believe.

(4) The writing is so very good that I got the sense of what David and Kristen went through.

(5) Has a great ending too!

I highly recommend this book!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Therapy" by Sebastian Fitzek

Wow, how crazy!  That’s all I could say when I finished reading Therapy by Sebastian Fitzek.  It is such a wild story that held my attention all the way through to the end.  It is a psychological thriller mystery that is baffling and kept me guessing.  It’s the story about a 12-yr-old girl who is missing and her father’s quest to find out what happened to her.  I don’t want to say any more about it and ruin it for you.  This is one you’ll have to read for yourself!  It’s a quick read because it’s so hard to put down! 

(Karen's review)

Gerard's review:
I read this whole book and I'm still not sure of what I read.  What I do know is that this book is a real page turner!  It is the story of a psychiatrist who thinks his daughter is missing.  It's been four years, then he begins seeing Anna Glass and this book really takes off.  If you want a great read, one that you will remember, this is it.  I liked it a lot!  I'm curious to see what others think of it.

Thanks to Everything Distils Into Reading
 for recommending this book on Teaser Tuesday.  Click the link if you want to find out more details about the story.
 
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Vicious Cycle" by Terri Blackstock

Vicious Cycle just might be Terri Blackstock’s best book yet!  It held my interest from the first page to the last.  It is the story of a young teenage girl with a drug problem who delivers her own baby.  When her man, also a drug addict, wants to sell the baby for money, she dumps it into a car of a friend of hers and takes off.  This is a great story with characters I cared about and a really good ending!  I enjoyed it very much!
(Gerard's review)

I was hooked into Vicious Cycle by Terri Blackstock from beginning to end!  It is actually about two families, one Christian family with a teenage daughter (Emily) who is just getting out of rehab after being in for a year and the other who is addicted to meth and wants to sell the teenage daughter’s baby for $45,000.  The only glitch is that the girl, Jordan, does not want to sell her baby but wants to give it up for adoption instead, and gets Emily’s brother (Lance) to help her get it away from her mother and brother. 

Vicious Cycle is a good Christian fiction suspense novel that I couldn’t put down.  I cared about the characters and was anxious to see how things would turn out.  It shows how drugs can ruin lives and how hard it is to get off them, but that it is possible.  I especially liked Lance because he’s a good teen who really cares about others which got him into some dangerous situations.  I liked how the author shows the contrast between the two different families and yet the fact that anyone could get hooked on drugs.  Every day we need to do the next right thing. 

I recommend Vicious Cycle to anyone who likes stories about family, suspense or teens.  This book is about the same Christian family that is in Intervention, the story of the mother getting Emily into rehab for her drug addiction.  It’s very good too! 
(Karen's review)

Here's the book trailer:


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Townie" by Andre Dubus III

Townie by Andre Dubus III tells the true story of the author growing up with his family and friends.  His mom and dad split up and this book tells of his life that took a lot of twists and turns.  I could never really get into it 100 percent.  Parts were very good while other parts I could have done without.  This is not one I can recommend.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Wanted" by Shelley Shephard Gray

Wanted by Shelley Shephard Gray is a happy little story of Jonathan, a brokenhearted widower with two little girls and an Amish woman, Katie, who faces her past in order to move on with her life and make her dream a reality.  When Jonathan asks Katie to help him live at his home and help him care for his girls, she sets out to show him what a good wife she would be.  I found it interesting to see how Katie struggled to connect with the girls and also gradually got Jonathan’s attention.  It focused on inner struggles and faith in God to work things out. 

Shelly Shephard Gray’s books have clean language and no sex scenes—a rare find in the romance genre.  This is a light, quick read that I finished in one day.   If you like Christian romance or stories about the Amish, I recommend this one.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

Teaser Tuesday: "The Bird House," "Wanted," "Vicious Cycle"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

Karen's:

This conversation was getting worse and worse. It was so uncomfortable that Katie no longer minded that they were speaking about her as if she wasn't there. She didn't want to be there.

From pg. 4 of Wanted by Shelley Shepard Gray

My heart skipped a beat; we'd never discussed the origins of that bird house. She couldn't know what it meant to me.

From pg. 75 of The Bird House by Kelly Simmons

Gerard's:

Finally, the door came open, and she saw her son standing with a tiny, screaming baby in his arms.
"Mom, I know you're gonna freak out, but I need you to chill. Something's wrong with her, and I don't know what to do!"

From pg. 57 of Vicious Cycle by Terri Blackstock.

You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"The Bird House" by Kelly Simmons

The Bird House by Kelly Simmons is a story about a grandmother who shares and discovers family secrets with her granddaughter.  It’s about tension between the mother and her daughter-in-law.  I didn’t care for this book much although the relationship between the grandmother and Ellie, her granddaughter was endearing.  I liked the cover but the characters didn’t seem very well developed and I didn’t like how it kept jumping back and forth between the past and the present.  I was pretty bored with it, although I finished in two days. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"The Horses Of Proud Spirit" by Melanie Sue Bowles

The Horses Of Proud Spirit by Melanie Sue Bowles is a remarkable non-fiction book!  It tells the story of Melanie who one day wanted to get a horse.  She knew next to nothing about caring for a horse and now her husband and her run a no-kill farm for horses.  The short stories in The Horses Of Proud Spirit range from happy, sad and funny.  All will touch your heart.  There is a sequel to this book that I plan to get one day.  You do not have to own a horse to enjoy this book--an animal lover will do just fine!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua

I read Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother by Amy Chua just to find out what all the hype and controversy was about and I liked it. It is a true story about a Chinese mom, two daughters and two adorable dogs with superb writing and a great ending. I didn't want to put this one down and highly recommend it! Read and enjoy!
(Gerard's review)

Karen read it too:
The Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother by Amy Chua is a non-fiction book points out the differences between parenting styles of Western culture and Chinese culture through the eyes of a Chinese mother living in the United States with a Jewish husband and two daughters. Amy, the determined, mother is a law professor at Yale who raised her two daughters the Chinese way to give her children skills that will open doors for a bright future. She wrote this book to show the Chinese way to be the best way to raise kids but discovered that the best way is a combination of the two.

Amy Chua raised two amazingly talented daughters: Sophia the obedient, well-behaved one who was good enough on the piano to get to play at Carnegie Hall at 14, and Lulu, the one proficient on the violin but more rebellious and willful. I liked both daughters and thought the mother was obsessed with success and too driven. At times, I thought her methods were crazy! I found myself cheering for Lulu, the younger daughter who finally was able to choose tennis while not being so focused on the violin. Thanks to her mother, she developed a great work ethic that she applies to tennis without her mother’s help.

I think Tiger Mother is interesting and enjoyed the pictures and touches of humor throughout. Their dogs are really beautiful and I liked how the mother’s attitude about dogs changed for the better once they got one. I thought it was interesting to see how children in the same family, raised the same can be so different. It proves that children are individuals and should be treated as such. What works for one, doesn’t always work for the other.

Here are a few of my Favorite funny quotes:

Thank God we live in America, I thought to myself, where no doubt because of the American Revolution rebelliousness is valued. In China, they’d have sent Lulu to a labor camp. (p. 38)

. . . there’s nothing I hate more than all these festivals and projects that private schools specialize in. Instead of making kids study from books, private schools are constantly trying to make learning fun by having parents do all the work. (p. 64)

Lulu: “I wish I had a pet.”
mom: “You already have a pet,” I snapped. “Your violin is your pet.” (p. 65)

Once, when I came back from a “walk” with my elbows scraped and my knees grass-stained, Jed said, “It’s her Samoyed nature. She thinks you’re a sled, and she wants to pull you. Let’s forget about teaching her to walk. Why don’t we just get a cart that you can sit in and have Coco pull you around?

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Midwives" by Chris Bohjalian is a good read

What a good read Midwives by Chris Bohjalian is!  It tells the story of a midwife helping with a birth.  The baby is saved, but the mother is dead.  The question is did the mother die of natural causes or did the midwife cause her death.  The story is told by the midwife and her young daughter.  The trial was my favorite part of the book.  That’s when it was almost impossible to put down!  I’m glad I read it!  Give it a chance and I think you will be glad you did. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"The Cat In The Hat" by Dr. Seuss

One of my first books that I owned was "The Cat In The Hat" by Dr. Seuss. I was trying to remember the other day what it was about. I don't know what happened to it. I have other books from when I was a kid but couldn't find this one. All I remembered about it was that it was about a cat with a big hat and it rhymed.

I was surprised to see it sitting on the coat rack at church last Sunday. Our church also runs a school and apparently one of the children set it up there and forgot about it. I removed my coat and read the book there in the hallway! It is about two kids being bored sitting in the house on a rainy day with nothing to do until the cat in the hat came in. Basically, he balanced things, including the fish bowl, and brought in two things that ran through the house flying a kite inside making a huge mess. The talking fish kept saying he didn't like that game and the cat had leave because the children were not supposed to have anyone in the house when the mother wasn't home. Then the mother came home and the cat cleaned the whole house up before she got inside because the kids were worried they would get in trouble. When the mom came in, she asked them what they did all day. The kids had a decision to make whether they should tell her or not and ended with the question, what would you do?

It was fun reading this again and refreshing my memory. It repeats a lot of the words so that children can read it themselves. I completely forgot it dealt with integrity. I wonder how many children would tell what really happened while mom was away. I doubt very many. This is a fun kid's book with illustrations on each page.

What was one of your earliest books you remember? Did you read any by Dr. Seuss?

A few years ago I found a Rookie Biography series by Dana Meachen Rau which included one about Dr. Seuss. This is a biography about Dr. Seuss that is written for the beginning reader but still contains some interesting facts and has colorful pictures every other page. The point is reading can be fun. I was surprised to learn that Dr. Seuss wrote a book for adults as well called "You're Only Young Once." It's a very quick read--only takes five minutes!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

Tuesday Teasers: "Heartwood" and "Tiger Mother"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

Karen's:

"Robby, we're a couple.  There's no competition between us."  But that was a lie, and they both knew it.

From page 141 of Heartwood by Belva Plain.  (I finished this book Friday but wanted to share a teaser from it.  It was really hard to pick just one, there were so many good lines.  I posted my review of this yesterday.)

Gerard's:

Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem.  But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up.  On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.

From page 62 of Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.  (The true story about a mother, two daughters, and two dogs.)

You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Heartwood" by Belva Plain

Heartwood is Belva Plain’s last novel, a sequel to Harvest actually.  Belva Plain is one of my favorite authors and did not disappoint me with this contemporary fiction novel about love, marriage, life’s challenges, family relationships, forgiveness, infidelity and secrets.  I enjoyed reading this book very much because it delves into the inner workings of marriage and family.  It continues the saga of a Jewish family that Belva Plain first writes about in Evergreen.  This is about Laura, who tries to be a good wife out of duty but becomes more interested in her catering business than her husband who feels like a failure for being unable to achieve his dream.  I highly recommend Heartwood to women.  (I'm taking a teaser from it tomorrow.)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.