tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76103159161467105192024-03-19T00:00:31.583-04:00The Book Connection...where readers and writers connect since 2007Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.comBlogger4044125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-377928008228419752024-03-19T00:00:00.001-04:002024-03-19T00:00:00.152-04:00Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on My Spring 2024 TBR List<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMnYd9cMjLGUc1ZIL5zQm1ONl8IVUISQMWfP5sIQHvyQKK0dI-F-zc6cQbajjf1VZtJqXIbU8GVO0j2yuOt-hCVP2fjciQ_mDh1B7f1qGIFGJLVO4E5ianMTJ1XfE__h62bbYT4KoonxYKffNrFp3mOofy6qBcU-CQpGw1-S12UNQcqhaNVyPXPsmcA/s768/New%20TTT.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="768" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMnYd9cMjLGUc1ZIL5zQm1ONl8IVUISQMWfP5sIQHvyQKK0dI-F-zc6cQbajjf1VZtJqXIbU8GVO0j2yuOt-hCVP2fjciQ_mDh1B7f1qGIFGJLVO4E5ianMTJ1XfE__h62bbYT4KoonxYKffNrFp3mOofy6qBcU-CQpGw1-S12UNQcqhaNVyPXPsmcA/s320/New%20TTT.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Top Ten Tuesday</b> was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a> in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome back to Tuesday! I haven't participated in this meme for a couple of weeks. Too much going on and not overly inspired lately. While I might do some switching around of this list, here are the...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><b>Top Ten Books on My Spring 2024 TBR List</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxI9OKJwbYxMGXhwwfI5dQyThJCAFPSSIoequ7dWkJl8i2hNPLiCB7QopoggyjH97t6eiPKz0nNnR-_w-nrpISQSXgEQzf66BsP3kkW_QSpnnG4lyZcYVzN6yzfgVgWCsjM7AWxgiGZlYXMCWSGj4jIH8utEMuliP7yz9Fs-w8HeYAXQVnL4RvHcQ3-VC3/s500/calamity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxI9OKJwbYxMGXhwwfI5dQyThJCAFPSSIoequ7dWkJl8i2hNPLiCB7QopoggyjH97t6eiPKz0nNnR-_w-nrpISQSXgEQzf66BsP3kkW_QSpnnG4lyZcYVzN6yzfgVgWCsjM7AWxgiGZlYXMCWSGj4jIH8utEMuliP7yz9Fs-w8HeYAXQVnL4RvHcQ3-VC3/s320/calamity.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div>Have you read any of these? Do any of these catch your eye?Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-40849741316874123252024-03-18T00:00:00.000-04:002024-03-18T00:00:00.144-04:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Mar 18<p>Welcome to <b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> and <b>Mailbox Monday. </b></p><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from <a href="https://bookjourney.net/" target="_blank">Book Journey</a>. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Happy Monday! Did you wear your green for St. Patrick's Day yesterday? It's not a big deal to us around here, but some of the neighboring communities really know how to celebrate.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last week's agenda was full, and I feel like I'm falling behind in what needs to be accomplished. Setting up for a more productive week this week. I'm staying up to date on meal planning, which is helping to control the grocery bill. It also avoids the "What do you want for supper?" question. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHtbA23zKrXC1K63xn46FUqq_o3iI-3_DwrrgrOUdp2oPBIOTHzPTlsExUg215jP57DTtcnVZwqUHmqDXumc9uUT6bbHZH9IzosIkq3FVVkoTpKKCS2-EroyGyvMJeiwElfOwoYC8_gxxxreDqn_es6idEGd9IAGRboXmrD9wlFlQ47pbDoW_AjPNjQT7/s640/dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHtbA23zKrXC1K63xn46FUqq_o3iI-3_DwrrgrOUdp2oPBIOTHzPTlsExUg215jP57DTtcnVZwqUHmqDXumc9uUT6bbHZH9IzosIkq3FVVkoTpKKCS2-EroyGyvMJeiwElfOwoYC8_gxxxreDqn_es6idEGd9IAGRboXmrD9wlFlQ47pbDoW_AjPNjQT7/s320/dog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The weather was great this past week, so we walked through the woods.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KVGmEUyutAVuRMYPmUwGrbqhsi2npTfXOE7zfvHruFxD3Hi_vIZfcVQPW5ycGJAk4PtXjpAIw2lduM3xivVBfBJ6_gQgnUhuy_OYdaKuneiSjI48uB4vWqgkmehyphenhyphendm-Gg-phlcbMtfPJriGOb_p-ORAdw3gVBo672-sjhBx4UeO7fsV_KRmcq0FdVhvZ/s640/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KVGmEUyutAVuRMYPmUwGrbqhsi2npTfXOE7zfvHruFxD3Hi_vIZfcVQPW5ycGJAk4PtXjpAIw2lduM3xivVBfBJ6_gQgnUhuy_OYdaKuneiSjI48uB4vWqgkmehyphenhyphendm-Gg-phlcbMtfPJriGOb_p-ORAdw3gVBo672-sjhBx4UeO7fsV_KRmcq0FdVhvZ/s320/me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Studying for my ABR designation. Nothing like alphabet soup after your name.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgk7uEMDVZV_2HC4wLLyltyB3kJOxFLDU44whLQ-jIHsXmLNoqEZkrzNgPWsXJ_8tLz60kdlIpyaY66vjY6C-D3-CxIfUDjNwO4E5oN3NyeR1jBqUyJRMs-ZWG1TM5plesBpSOmDfIahkSpTOU7Srq6QhihIHIHwO0-60LK0oXK91MnRwel2JcLG1NTSC/s640/theo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgk7uEMDVZV_2HC4wLLyltyB3kJOxFLDU44whLQ-jIHsXmLNoqEZkrzNgPWsXJ_8tLz60kdlIpyaY66vjY6C-D3-CxIfUDjNwO4E5oN3NyeR1jBqUyJRMs-ZWG1TM5plesBpSOmDfIahkSpTOU7Srq6QhihIHIHwO0-60LK0oXK91MnRwel2JcLG1NTSC/s320/theo.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Theo has such a rough life. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In my reading world, I am still reading this one. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YVFAk-h22oAM4VbTPXcDVxXBtfUGFxTrCOoOeYJpGvUToSpfgD3h46EXnyB38a0qp9C6PeU6XUqT1oMVodgIuSo2FxlEt1lPSWe5azC5xOqR6PEua7ufzXZYaIqtF9B0s9cvERAnZ_wciTmW5XEiLjTh_0PI3yQODEjHlMbSuCspyfXuFJDeX3rApNF6/s400/faith.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YVFAk-h22oAM4VbTPXcDVxXBtfUGFxTrCOoOeYJpGvUToSpfgD3h46EXnyB38a0qp9C6PeU6XUqT1oMVodgIuSo2FxlEt1lPSWe5azC5xOqR6PEua7ufzXZYaIqtF9B0s9cvERAnZ_wciTmW5XEiLjTh_0PI3yQODEjHlMbSuCspyfXuFJDeX3rApNF6/s320/faith.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been listening to this one on Audible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjppMphLMpogu-Jqa02Weh9ea5jvS1kv4IUv4Gc-TohVFXzgi1WmPlVwaev2uF4d3FwpPNfZGwMDCUE05FrZqa2MjZ6fAIxQKdbIJux3QMHH4cc5GCwgwE6XYTMnWTIZAC1IwkCCIa3EzBkGshjVNzQnWMUyZOKYEqyTqCfw16bQDNlMzg_MemI3re0aH/s400/book%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjppMphLMpogu-Jqa02Weh9ea5jvS1kv4IUv4Gc-TohVFXzgi1WmPlVwaev2uF4d3FwpPNfZGwMDCUE05FrZqa2MjZ6fAIxQKdbIJux3QMHH4cc5GCwgwE6XYTMnWTIZAC1IwkCCIa3EzBkGshjVNzQnWMUyZOKYEqyTqCfw16bQDNlMzg_MemI3re0aH/s320/book%204.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished this teen self-help book. My review appeared at <a href="https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/03/mind-over-matter-by-aria-rose.html" target="_blank">this blog</a> on Wednesday. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi730wXYywSVw7ksvePsAYcHXOyXuEj9rAfo2vVMIDIi5fWL1ua7p2_x-Yt6zUBxqtWY1EbltJcM6Owh-tPkmrMtu_zJ9izDeYBNCaX1QMtgXHJKeklf7VFviCyKN52QgNMibTuJFodex66QcYPs7PeYV_F8IDhRN7ikalf2ygK2Dy9EErhrv5yY9fsh8KC/s2250/mind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi730wXYywSVw7ksvePsAYcHXOyXuEj9rAfo2vVMIDIi5fWL1ua7p2_x-Yt6zUBxqtWY1EbltJcM6Owh-tPkmrMtu_zJ9izDeYBNCaX1QMtgXHJKeklf7VFviCyKN52QgNMibTuJFodex66QcYPs7PeYV_F8IDhRN7ikalf2ygK2Dy9EErhrv5yY9fsh8KC/s320/mind.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished this book yesterday and posted my review <a href="https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/03/book-review-little-house-life-hacks-by.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2pjAsfKFjvSTutuQMHondfqytmSlELzojftIV2MxOqY5-8aSA3Ximi9pkGDw9sNMm2xE1k-bZoVB2TyReQZSvogk5dUu8d6AKC2sBiZfaPqkP0eoVrMdEs0RrSAokEW_AqQa27mm5jrx2wT2XnXqyG32fNHdgV7EKLyr2xhtK30j-2zlpXjkNo9Upccj/s400/LH%20Hacks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2pjAsfKFjvSTutuQMHondfqytmSlELzojftIV2MxOqY5-8aSA3Ximi9pkGDw9sNMm2xE1k-bZoVB2TyReQZSvogk5dUu8d6AKC2sBiZfaPqkP0eoVrMdEs0RrSAokEW_AqQa27mm5jrx2wT2XnXqyG32fNHdgV7EKLyr2xhtK30j-2zlpXjkNo9Upccj/s320/LH%20Hacks.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also need to review these two. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s500/calamity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s320/calamity.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItHNlqiENxkfSRew9h5YFTM3dprME2xsBjA26rkhKeZEnrJ-BytTTH83GlGV2BRHtX8GtWYMvL35VpPAsY36pJoKlQucpVU1hMC21R0GAr4s0gscKAW3w-ViHqQ8ac8ZkJIUrgbKhagz_aFFLkC2CMte0u1oDBBO3Qp-7vnpApgFWnTYwMuJ_Uy4Heu10/s1000/BookCover_My-Career-Journal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItHNlqiENxkfSRew9h5YFTM3dprME2xsBjA26rkhKeZEnrJ-BytTTH83GlGV2BRHtX8GtWYMvL35VpPAsY36pJoKlQucpVU1hMC21R0GAr4s0gscKAW3w-ViHqQ8ac8ZkJIUrgbKhagz_aFFLkC2CMte0u1oDBBO3Qp-7vnpApgFWnTYwMuJ_Uy4Heu10/s320/BookCover_My-Career-Journal.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This one might be next. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FUm3cLTHwmZmyROCgpql0YGcOjjKDZiOGO1D8ZUzfRLWhYBtx_IzBwdTxxGQ16ZtpcRuY4lqtrgZjuO4YbXZZmYfG1YeL3IXgC3ekToQqB-RIMnvCGXZHk-Ef7hL_zLvTZU3ZvYRnPgTS7SIvS9VZ9eIYl5yW8FOP8WEFva1kO7iHtBh51293Jj8-d1Y/s350/Legacy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="235" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FUm3cLTHwmZmyROCgpql0YGcOjjKDZiOGO1D8ZUzfRLWhYBtx_IzBwdTxxGQ16ZtpcRuY4lqtrgZjuO4YbXZZmYfG1YeL3IXgC3ekToQqB-RIMnvCGXZHk-Ef7hL_zLvTZU3ZvYRnPgTS7SIvS9VZ9eIYl5yW8FOP8WEFva1kO7iHtBh51293Jj8-d1Y/s320/Legacy.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">Upcoming virtual book tours:</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>It Will Have Been So Beautiful </i>by Amanda Shaw - Apr 25 (review) </li><li><i>My Career Journal </i>by CareerTuners - May 1 (review) </li><li><i>Be Resilient in Your Career </i>by Dr. Helen Ofosu - May 16 (review)</li><li><i>I Will Ruin You: The Twisted Truth Behind the Kit Martin Murder Trial </i>by Emilio Corsetti III - May 31 (review)</li></ul><div>At <b>Christmas Year Round</b>, we talked about <a href="https://christmasyearroundccm.blogspot.com/2024/03/self-help-books-that-make-great.html" target="_blank">Self-help Books That Make Great Christmas Gifts</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4MmqsCW4cqUSklXu27S3631YqkC9jciR92zlBQ-d6gMF_T7UKHnkmkCuqVSXmNg-eaWy1AiTpXTju_w6XAo9UFceLGuEWvnrqMNjA4-RuaEb8qPl9KMjBL_4os4T-B0_YzWJU212KPGVkPwZ1bCLWkgvQpQvYw8R1sh_zw0vYTnuVjcGquMlAdBVbYR_/s300/purple%20mailbox.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="300" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4MmqsCW4cqUSklXu27S3631YqkC9jciR92zlBQ-d6gMF_T7UKHnkmkCuqVSXmNg-eaWy1AiTpXTju_w6XAo9UFceLGuEWvnrqMNjA4-RuaEb8qPl9KMjBL_4os4T-B0_YzWJU212KPGVkPwZ1bCLWkgvQpQvYw8R1sh_zw0vYTnuVjcGquMlAdBVbYR_/s1600/purple%20mailbox.png" width="300" /></a></div><div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Mailbox Monday</a><span style="text-align: left;"> is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">More activity than usual in the mailbox. I bought this book to display in my office with the others about town.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSu8iD5DnpS3q0e_lL2MLSmfKGSKl6aRXvgU-GyM31qVPOVOaqZ5JjziRSFtitVEoO-ZbyidqGhMhFK5NDAmLh7RvihrsCXCu2Mb1qFFAkbEPaut-LFBg7p3N9AGUsAoi8IE8E_58M1M0dloye2uM3Deiw_ipPCkL3cBxuYfY06WQ7xFQCN4CKC3NpaQY2/s1360/wilbraham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSu8iD5DnpS3q0e_lL2MLSmfKGSKl6aRXvgU-GyM31qVPOVOaqZ5JjziRSFtitVEoO-ZbyidqGhMhFK5NDAmLh7RvihrsCXCu2Mb1qFFAkbEPaut-LFBg7p3N9AGUsAoi8IE8E_58M1M0dloye2uM3Deiw_ipPCkL3cBxuYfY06WQ7xFQCN4CKC3NpaQY2/s320/wilbraham.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Prairie Pages book club is reading <i>The Secret Garden </i>for our next selection, so I added it to Audible. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftdW17cltCFnGWrphG-Rmw4WBHrC0LfYvOtajo-XhwGdkQ9Obf2N_7i8UsQcnvlwQ-ZPyVmhsnRrUbpJCINvyc48T4Xq-wl4iOLIALzls-2U4g0XbukA5-i-sIYioogkmiDRKgTRzKgZMTjkNjV2AVHVlf-Rp9DslysiqxNgArdMrd_RESZhrSl_GI8oQ/s475/secret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftdW17cltCFnGWrphG-Rmw4WBHrC0LfYvOtajo-XhwGdkQ9Obf2N_7i8UsQcnvlwQ-ZPyVmhsnRrUbpJCINvyc48T4Xq-wl4iOLIALzls-2U4g0XbukA5-i-sIYioogkmiDRKgTRzKgZMTjkNjV2AVHVlf-Rp9DslysiqxNgArdMrd_RESZhrSl_GI8oQ/s320/secret.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I borrowed these two from the library to study house styles. I think I have two more coming in as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CmBHOT7_hSmQkgAc5cURp47fMvdfodzM1mnIoamjg8BtbGXz68Yqt4msA9r_vRuyloj1k9cMQwaR0H0z3tQFIS_wFW4fsiaPm7Hs2OYKbXpF3izLtm6efLV9SCAacYc5i4flsxHNwQwwZ0qeeOzHMqSMMIzJjTjAZ9DwK2MxWUodL_FgQIIdfQYDOE0m/s430/craftsman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CmBHOT7_hSmQkgAc5cURp47fMvdfodzM1mnIoamjg8BtbGXz68Yqt4msA9r_vRuyloj1k9cMQwaR0H0z3tQFIS_wFW4fsiaPm7Hs2OYKbXpF3izLtm6efLV9SCAacYc5i4flsxHNwQwwZ0qeeOzHMqSMMIzJjTjAZ9DwK2MxWUodL_FgQIIdfQYDOE0m/s320/craftsman.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw55ABf_RQtV3wUAOCwrshrK5kwGaL0nImogF2TOJvMaBybdEgt3lkON1-gDyQC1cKKwDU2NXIDK2MQSoTRNbYc5KDKDaKSndFg_N4Gyk7HT-ENUHlkYKr1VemEmOaikhUVhHMxMYbZYV_GBV1Q_VT7GRFaRo14hVWqTgvaLTqS5487DAQ8zFqp5_ea5T/s2354/Period%20Homes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2354" data-original-width="1748" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw55ABf_RQtV3wUAOCwrshrK5kwGaL0nImogF2TOJvMaBybdEgt3lkON1-gDyQC1cKKwDU2NXIDK2MQSoTRNbYc5KDKDaKSndFg_N4Gyk7HT-ENUHlkYKr1VemEmOaikhUVhHMxMYbZYV_GBV1Q_VT7GRFaRo14hVWqTgvaLTqS5487DAQ8zFqp5_ea5T/s320/Period%20Homes.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I look forward to checking out your blogs and books. Hope you have a great day!</div></div></div></div></div></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-54975943986944537622024-03-17T20:41:00.000-04:002024-03-17T20:41:01.999-04:00Book Review: Little House Life Hacks by Angie Baily & Susie Shubert<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DiQEihOX2fm1kbMw_fHgnQtb2KCXc7L7bsqor8PKqYueUNcymhGkGNu3fbMMZbX3Gnmg66u2DNa8yjy43_Y323Vr_ViYAYS_rp-9uwIvQIyIWEp1pK1Zu0psHOOAgIIeL9AzN9mSXT7qAngcTHJl5f9L8oc3szA_h9y7Q1qnPFd5mrtGN7qrA1lip2tu/s400/LH%20Hacks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DiQEihOX2fm1kbMw_fHgnQtb2KCXc7L7bsqor8PKqYueUNcymhGkGNu3fbMMZbX3Gnmg66u2DNa8yjy43_Y323Vr_ViYAYS_rp-9uwIvQIyIWEp1pK1Zu0psHOOAgIIeL9AzN9mSXT7qAngcTHJl5f9L8oc3szA_h9y7Q1qnPFd5mrtGN7qrA1lip2tu/s320/LH%20Hacks.jpg" width="232" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Who knew <i><a href="https://amzn.to/490nfAC" target="_blank">Little House on the Prairie</a></i><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>and the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder held so much wisdom for today's world?</p><p style="text-align: left;">If we look around us, there is a whole movement to get back to the simpler things and ways of living. Trad wives are trending on social media. Some <a href="https://parade.com/999968/lindsaylowe/stores-closed-easter-sunday/" target="_blank">national retailers</a> plan to close on Easter Sunday so their employees can spend time with family and friends. While the quest for work-life balance has been with us since the 70s, the pandemic made us rethink what was important to us, and there has been a post-pandemic push to implement a four-day work week and a renewed focus on health and well-being.</p><p style="text-align: left;">As the blurb for Angie Bailey and Susie Shubert's book <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3IIuNNM" target="_blank">Little House Life Hacks</a></i></b> states, the authors have compiled "the most crucial takeaways from that world, practical enough to work for pioneering stock and updated for today’s evolving world." With a good dose of humor, historical tidbits, and cherished moments from the <i>Little House on the Prairie </i>television show, Bailey and Shubert share timeless teachings that offer sage advice to modern families. </p><p style="text-align: left;">There is so much to love and enjoy in <i style="font-weight: bold;">Little House Life Hacks. </i>The entire book design is a testament to the pioneering world. From the artwork by Lauren Mortimer to the carefully selected quotes from the show and books to the color scheme. Even the hardcover book's size is a mere 1/4" shy of my Harper & Row <i>Little House </i>books. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">After the authors' note, which talks about how the pandemic found them streaming episodes of <i>Little House on the Prairie</i> and how it led to this joint project, you'll find the authors' goals and hopes for readers of their book, followed by an introduction to the Ingalls family and their neighbors. The book is then broken down into nine separate hacks, with multiple sub-hacks that tie into the subject of the main one. Each sub-hack ends with an "Unpack the Hack" discussion to give the reader an action step or steps.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Little House Life Hacks</i> is an engaging and funny read. The authors did a fine job of accomplishing their goals. I look forward to implementing some of their suggestions and found how they incorporated moments from the show endearing. Fans of Wilder, her work, and the shows based on them, are going to enjoy adding this book to their collection.</p><ul class="a-unordered-list a-nostyle a-vertical a-spacing-none detail-bullet-list" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; margin: 0px 0px 1px 18px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Publisher : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Running Press Adult (August 22, 2023)</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Language : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">English</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Hardcover : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">256 pages</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">ISBN-10 : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">0762481994</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">ISBN-13 : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">978-0762481996</span></span></span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><i>I bought this book from Barnes and Noble with a gift card. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.</i></p><br />Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-35167781480566010902024-03-13T00:00:00.004-04:002024-03-17T21:23:00.790-04:00Book Review: Mind Over Matter by Aria Rose<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWvYo4CEND1PxhnPnyQ7fbK-iek36smAXKxl-7_wsDdIHX8ckwWRo9XDuHM2-XSCbVW1yXmS_BSvNIPbR2b8kwsw5p3WYXzKpvzlXJ4Sz0RhgKst2aCYzz7LqjyoTHhLwHkTzFAh-mqJlRa0QubmqNlmm7Yi9m33T_SoAdeoTv73z6agvmHcwwZVu7iln/s2250/mind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWvYo4CEND1PxhnPnyQ7fbK-iek36smAXKxl-7_wsDdIHX8ckwWRo9XDuHM2-XSCbVW1yXmS_BSvNIPbR2b8kwsw5p3WYXzKpvzlXJ4Sz0RhgKst2aCYzz7LqjyoTHhLwHkTzFAh-mqJlRa0QubmqNlmm7Yi9m33T_SoAdeoTv73z6agvmHcwwZVu7iln/s320/mind.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://amzn.to/48Lo1Bf" target="_blank">Mind Over Matter: A Teen's Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic Attacks</a> </i>by Aria Rose is a helpful resource from someone who has traversed the challenging waters of adolescence. </p><p>Rose has put together a book to assist teenagers coping with anxiety and panic attacks by providing an understanding of how complex teenage anxiety is, exploring a variety of ways to manage it, including an exploration of the mind-body connection to build a balanced lifestyle, offering ways to redefine your self-image and identity, and helping them to embark on a journey of self-discovery, personal growth, and lasting emotional well-being. </p><p>While there are plenty of resources out there that teens might find to manage their anxiety and panic attacks, what makes <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mind Over Matter </i>unique is that this book has been written by someone close enough to their age and the challenging years of adolescence that the information feels more authentic. I can't say I learned anything new, but I'm not the target market. Rose's style of writing might encourage more teens to pick up and read the book. </p><p>That doesn't mean they shouldn't seek professional help, and the author encourages readers to do so, but in <i style="font-weight: bold;">Mind Over Matter</i>, she shares her experience of learning to identify her triggers, addresses the numerous pressures that teens of today face, offers advice on how to retrain your brain and the importance of self-care and being kind to yourself, and shares the advantages of taking a holistic approach. Throughout the book, there are links to other resources and tests that teens could find valuable, as well as a summary of each chapter. </p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mind Over Matter </i>seems like a good starting point for teens as they seek to embark upon a journey of lifelong health and well-being. </p><ul class="a-unordered-list a-nostyle a-vertical a-spacing-none detail-bullet-list" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; margin: 0px 0px 1px 18px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">ASIN : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">B0C81G5LHN</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Publication date : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">June 13, 2023</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Language : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">English</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">File size : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">4654 KB</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Simultaneous device usage : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Unlimited</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Text-to-Speech : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Enabled</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Screen Reader : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Supported</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Enhanced typesetting : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Enabled</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">X-Ray : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Not Enabled</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Word Wise : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Enabled</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Sticky notes : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">On Kindle Scribe</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Print length : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">141 pages</span></span></span></li></ul><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111;"><i>I received a digital copy from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.</i></span></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-82240953288912971952024-03-12T08:00:00.001-04:002024-03-12T08:00:00.141-04:00Interview with Elizabeth Bruce, Author of Universally Adored & Other One Dollar Stories<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMtHD3pnc8KoWTqb8siVQlY7-vbbYdCdw2zH8HQ8aejTfIE3kMU_0yNYeFPxu_YE4I4VqtcRGyO_k393hgoF8vb9bVXFq-QzfeBGAX-ccTGSpIbYvixwUV-DawWkhbTcjnWHWs9PtUEbFZ5_5213mRHSyg56jv72H8TJmDSUSOrfzStSWHIVCKZxqHIlK/s1000/EB+Headshot+by+K+Whipple+Photography.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="1000" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMtHD3pnc8KoWTqb8siVQlY7-vbbYdCdw2zH8HQ8aejTfIE3kMU_0yNYeFPxu_YE4I4VqtcRGyO_k393hgoF8vb9bVXFq-QzfeBGAX-ccTGSpIbYvixwUV-DawWkhbTcjnWHWs9PtUEbFZ5_5213mRHSyg56jv72H8TJmDSUSOrfzStSWHIVCKZxqHIlK/s320/EB+Headshot+by+K+Whipple+Photography.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">Elizabeth
Bruce’s</span></b><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"> new collection, </span><a href="https://www.elizabethbrucedc.com/short-stories"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">Universally Adored & Other One Dollar Stories</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">, </span><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">launched in
January 2024 from the Athens, Greece-based </span><a href="https://www.vineleavespress.com/"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">Vine Leaves
Press.</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"> Her debut novel, </span><a href="https://www.elizabethbrucedc.com/and-silent-left-the-place"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">And Silent Left the Place</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">, </span><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">won </span><a href="https://www.washingtonwriters.org/"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">Washington
Writers’ Publishing House’s</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"> Fiction
Prize, with </span><span style="background: white; color: #404040; line-height: 107%;">ForeWord
Magazin</span><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">e and Texas Institute of Letters’ distinctions.
She’s published in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India,
South Korea, Israel, Sweden, Romania, Malawi, Yemen, and The Philippines in
such journals as </span><a href="https://firewords.co.uk/people/issue6/?fbclid=IwAR1ihIw5s_cE6Yir-kVWt17I8MLopj5oLmmyDStC-uBwE2CIJcgmfPOlTCk"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">FireWords Quarterly,</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"> </span><a href="http://www.ilanotreview.com/want/who-knew/"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">The Ilanot
Review,</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"> </span><a href="https://www.english.su.se/two-thirds-north"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">Two Thirds
North,</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"> </span><a href="https://www.takahe.org.nz/product/takahe-92/"><span style="background: white;">takahē magazine,</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black;"> </span><a href="https://pureslush.com/store/anthologies-themed/happy%C2%B2-pure-slush-vol-15/?fbclid=IwAR3djvhFuuKGlEgOZcZLL_VK5ZEqSblHd5APoPI2B3TZXS2urG4bwp7Yoyo"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">Pure Slush</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">, </span><a href="https://www.samjokomagazine.com/mousesocks-elizabethbruce"><span style="background: white;">Samjoko Magazine</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black;">, </span><span style="background: white; color: black;">and others.</span><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">Her bilingual educational book, </span><a href="https://www.elizabethbrucedc.com/theatrical-journey-project"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">CentroNía’s </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Theatrical
Journey Playbook: Introducing Science to Early Learners through Guided Pretend
Play,<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> </span></span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">won or placed
in four indie contests. A DC-based native Texan, she’s received DC Commission
on the Arts & Humanities, HumanitiesDC, and McCarthey Dressman Education
Foundation fellowships, and studied with Richard Bausch, the late Lee K.
Abbott, Janet Peery, John McNally, and Liam Callanan. As a character actor, she
co-founded DC’s Sanctuary Theatre and currently co-hosts </span><a href="https://creativists.substack.com/p/a-theatre-in-community-podcast-part-ec2"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">Creativists in Dialogue: A Podcast Embracing the Creative
Life</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"> and its “Theatre in Community” and “Innovators,
Artists & Solutions” series. For more information, visit: </span><a href="https://www.elizabethbrucedc.com/theatrical-journey-project"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;">elizabethbrucedc.com</span></a><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #404040; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"> and </span><a href="https://www.vineleavespress.com/universally-adored-by-elizabeth-bruce.html"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Open Sans";">https://www.vineleavespress.com/universally-adored-by-elizabeth-bruce.html</span></a></i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: #242424;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></b><b><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Where did you grow up?</span></span></b><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I grew up in a small Gulf Coast Texas town called
LaMarque—which means “the mark” in French. It’s on the mainland just off of
Galveston Island. LaMarque was a “bedroom community” for the petrochemical
industry in the slightly larger, next-door town of Texas City. Back in the
1950s and 60s, the town was known, at least in the white community, for its
high functioning public school system.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The area is semi-rural, with wetlands stretching
between the town and the bayou over to Galveston Island. The smokestacks of the
refineries—Union Carbide, BP, Monsanto, American Oil, a tin smelter, etc.—dominate
the landscape.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I grew up, LaMarque was a very small working-class
and middle-income community in the segregated south. It was very
family-oriented, very religious, and very conservative. I had a Yankee,
feminist, integrationist World War II Navy nurse mama, and a storytelling, East
Texas, former Navy doc psychiatrist daddy. Politically, in the late 60s, I was
at odds with the mainstream culture. The Vietnam War was still raging, and I
was against the war. I would come home from school and take off my dress—girls had
to wear dresses to school in those days—and put on my bell bottoms and love
beads. I was as good a hippie as I could be all by myself in LaMarque, Texas!</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a kid, however, I totally had a “free range
childhood.” My best friend Gladys—to whom my story collection is dedicated—and
I would take off on our bikes in the morning and not come back until sundown
when my mother would ring the dinner bell. Gladys was the funniest, craziest,
wildest kid in town, and I—this paralyzingly shy kid—was her devoted sidekick.
I still miss her.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was an avid reader, especially of stories of
free-spirited, adventurous girls like Pippi Longstocking and Nelly Bly. I adored
the little bookmobile that came around the neighborhoods and couldn’t wait to
grow up and go out into the world to “seek my fortune.” Luckily for me, my
folks subscribed to a ton of periodicals, and I grew up—particularly as a
teenager—reading several area newspapers, as well as <i>Time, Life, The
National Geographic,</i> <i>The Wall Street Journal,</i> and <i>The New Yorker.</i>
I devoured Pauline Kael’s <i>New Yorker</i> film reviews and then would stay up
late at night watching The Dick Cavett and David Frost talk shows on this
little black and white TV. That was my Internet.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The town itself is very economically depressed now, as
the petrochemical property that was within the city limits closed down some
years back and took the tax base with it, so the LaMarque Independent School
District had to become part of Texas City.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When did you start writing?</span></span></b><b><span style="color: #242424;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn't start writing creatively in earnest until I
was well into my adulthood. I was a voracious reader as a child, as I
mentioned, and a good student—save for trigonometry—and I did a decent enough
job on all the written school assignments. I even wrote a tiny bit for the
junior high school newspaper. As I kid, though, I was more drawn to visual art.
I remember making these elaborate blueprint-like drawings of imaginary houses,
doing collages, making ceramic figurines, and endlessly drawing horses. I was a
horse-crazy kid, and, though I never had a horse, I did learn to ride.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">As an English major at college, I spend a lot of time
reading, of course, and writing papers at the liberal arts college I went to in
Colorado Springs--a really innovative school called </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.coloradocollege.edu/basics/blockplan/">The Colorado College</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> where you take
one course at a time—a semester’s worth of credit hours in three and a half
weeks—so there was no slacking off. I wrote some creative stuff in both high
school and college, though it was pretty awful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For most of my adult life, however, I’ve made a living,
at least partly as a nonprofit writer, though writing grant proposals and press
releases is a far cry from creative writing. I didn't begin writing creatively
in earnest until I was in my 40s.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My first realized artistic path in life, however, was as
a character actor and costume designer, and then later as a theatre producer
with my now longtime husband Robert Michael Oliver. I collaborated a bit in
those years on scripts and such, but it wasn’t until my theatre career had been
placed on the back burner by motherhood and mortgage-hood and the endless, granular
business of family life, that I pivoted to creative writing.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">I started writing feature articles for a small
community paper in DC’s Mt. Pleasant neighborhood and wrote a bunch of personal
essays after I took creative nonfiction classes at the </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://writer.org/">Writers’ Center.</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> I was part
of a creative writing group that was launched within this wonderful network called
WriterMoms, and it was there that I switched to fiction.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">Then, I was accepted into the inaugural Heritage
Writers Workshop at George Mason University with the extraordinary writer and
teacher, </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bausch">Richard Bausch</a></span><span style="color: #242424;">, who was so
incredibly encouraging. He gave me a great blurb for my debut novel, and I just
saw him at AWP. Wonderful man! Then I did the </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://english.columbian.gwu.edu/jenny-mckean-moore-free-community-workshop">Jenny McKean Moore Fiction
Workshop</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> at George Washington University with the amazing
writer and teacher </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://english.louisiana.edu/node/208">John McNally,</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> who gave me a
fantastic quote for this new collection. I also went to some writing
conferences and retreats, including the Rappahannock Fiction Writers Retreat where
I got to study with </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_K._Abbott">the late, great Lee K. Abbott</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> and the amazing
writer </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Peery">Janet Peery</a></span><span style="color: #242424;">. I also took
a fiction writing class <i>twice </i>at Georgetown University’s Continuing Ed
with the awesome writer </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.liamcallanan.com/">Liam Callanan.</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> I remain so indebted to
all of them.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">It took me a long time to finish my first novel, </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.elizabethbrucedc.com/and-silent-left-the-place"><i>And Silent Left the Place,</i></a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> which was
published in 2007 by </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.washingtonwriters.org/">Washington Writers’ Publishing House</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> when I was
in my 50s. It was actually my second novel since I put aside the first version
of that novel and started all over with a protagonist who was as unlike me as he
could be.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, I'm definitely someone who came to writing
creatively later in life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you
can sneak a few moments?</span></span></b><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My writing practice has changed a lot from the days
when I was a primary parent and working mother immersed in all the mom business.
Back then I used to write in little snatches of time I could carve out. I would
stop at Rock Creek Park and write for a while in longhand after I dropped my
kids off at school. I’d write at the community center when they were in gymnastics
or ballet or the cascade of their extracurriculars. I’d stay up at night and
work, especially doing research, etc. It was a real patchwork of writing
practice.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Since my kids are now well into their adulthoods and
I’m officially “retired” from my long life as a teaching artist and arts
producer at the community-based organization, CentroNía, I write a LOT more. </span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I walk a lot, and sometimes I take my notebook and scribble
out a little section of a chapter or dictate my scribbles into my phone. Then
I’ll edit it when I get home.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">I’ve been tremendously aided by my collaboration with
several writing groups. One is a an online “Poetry Game” that the poet and
scholar and close friend </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://english.missouri.edu/people/barnstone">Aliki Barnstone,</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> who is a professor
at the University of Missouri and former Poet Laureate of Missouri, has online
several times a week with other poets. We generate a list of poetic, imagematic
words, then everyone clicks off, writes for 45 minutes, then comes back and
shares. That's been enormously valuable in adding depth and texture to rough
drafts. I'm also part of an online writing group run by the screenplay writer,
solo performer, and facilitator </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://creativists.substack.com/p/a-conversation-with-laura-zam">Laura Zam</a></span><span style="color: #242424;">, which is
awesome.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve also been part of fabulous in-person prose writing
groups for decades, which have been vital to me as a writer. A close friend
who’s a psychotherapist in a group practice likened the dynamic of a writing
group to what clinical therapists call “staffing.” When a therapist in a
practice is going to be gone, they brief each other on their clients’ histories
and issues, so that their fellow practitioners can step in, knowing what’s
going on with each client. Working on a long piece of fiction in a writing
group is like “staffing” for your characters. I love that!</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My husband Michael, who’s an incredibly prolific and
disciplined writer, and I will go off for a week or 10 days on self-financed
writing retreats at an Airbnb country house someplace with more space and no
interruptions where we can spread out our work and get it organized and take it
to the next level.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But I would say to writers who do <i>not</i> have big
chunks of time to write, to just hang in there, and keep chipping away at the
larger story. It gets better once your kids are in school, and even better when
you’re an empty nester, and much better once you're no longer working your day
job.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is this book about?</span></span></b><b><span style="color: #242424;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">My new collection, </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.elizabethbrucedc.com/short-stories"><i>Universally Adored &
Other $1 Stories,</i></a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> just released by </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.vineleavespress.com/">Vine Leaves Press</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> of Athens,
Greece, features 33 short fictions that each begin with the words “one dollar.”
As the writer John McNally suggests, the book offers 33 ways of looking at a
dollar, to riff on the Wallace Stevens’ poem, “13 Ways of Looking at a
Blackbird.” Each story pivots in some way around the meaning of the
“universally adored” dollar. They feature primarily “analog” people—plain
spoken, regular folks who are trying to find some respite from the challenges
in their lives.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of the stories are set in small communities or the
countryside, in Texas or the South or West of the 1970s, 80s, 90s and 2000s.
There’s one pandemic story, and a few are set in Washington, DC, some years
ago. One is set in post-Civil-War Texas, and another is set in a dystopian
future time.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; padding: 0in;">There’s a ladies’ room attendant escaping an abusive husband, a
stable owner and her alcoholic father, an urban street vendor of ice-cold water
and a laid off ammo factory worker. There’s a street jazz musician, a
color-obsessed artist, a germaphobe bartender, a migrant farmworker girl, and
an odd-job bibliophile. There’s a jaded humanitarian doctor, an older brother
in charge of his neurodivergent younger brother, a vagabond healer, and some
middle schoolers, single mothers, and more. And there’s a subset of
characters embroiled—voluntarily or not—in the underground economy: a drug
mule, a soon-to-be conscripted-into-prostitution young girl, an ex-con, and a
wrongfully convicted lifer.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of my characters speak in a vernacular that comes
out of my upbringing in small town Texas, or from living in northeast DC for
almost 40 years. I’m very attuned to the oral quality of language. Everything I
write is created aloud; there’s a cadence and rhythm to it that’s for the ear
as much as the page—an approach that comes from my years as a character actor.
I’m super keen to create an author-read audio book for the collection like I
did for my debut novel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2n5RQxgCWS8sVrK2oSEb9AZNpuAF6lGGGZWhpKFYWqcMXyEvVJ1slDlGMa7eurEa77-VgJroo-MaGQVq-cfa6LPyQTDesySlUaWWss3aGMwElvROISLFYZ-pqEw4t29mbNGQotTzPBO81xEAiUmAJxX9D5KiS1LhPUbijIE85kdfJdoU9jkQLJScTOEKT/s2554/dollarstories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2554" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2n5RQxgCWS8sVrK2oSEb9AZNpuAF6lGGGZWhpKFYWqcMXyEvVJ1slDlGMa7eurEa77-VgJroo-MaGQVq-cfa6LPyQTDesySlUaWWss3aGMwElvROISLFYZ-pqEw4t29mbNGQotTzPBO81xEAiUmAJxX9D5KiS1LhPUbijIE85kdfJdoU9jkQLJScTOEKT/s320/dollarstories.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What inspired you to write?</span></span></b><b><span style="color: #242424;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">While I don’t remember exactly how I started writing
these one-dollar stories, I’m pretty sure it started in a writing workshop. I
spent a dozen plus years either producing or co-producing a free community, intergenerational
community writing workshop called </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100064227783933">Writers on the Green Line</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> that met monthly
at </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.centronia.org/">CentroNía</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> in Columbia Heights (on
the Green Line Metro) where I was the Community Arts Producer for many years.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">Many of those workshops were generative, led by a host
of wonderful writers and poets from all over the metro area, thanks in part to
the good people at the </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.pw.org/content/about_readings_workshops">Poets & Writers’
Workshop Program.</a></span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">These stories were well received, and I started to riff
on the prompt of beginning each story with the words “one dollar.” I liken that
process to a theatre game called the “Pass the Object Game,” in which you take
an everyday object—like a pencil—and you pass it around the circle and each
person has to animate the object without talking, to act out what the object is
like in charades, and the others have to guess what the pencil represents. It
could be a telescope or a baseball bat or a pool cue, etc. Each person has to
come up with something new. It gets harder and harder the farther along the
circle you go. The game is an example of what the creativity expert </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torrance_Tests_of_Creative_Thinking">Paul Torrence</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> calls
“originality,” one of the four core competencies of creativity.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, in many ways my dollar stories are a kind of
written example of the “Pass the Object Game.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s another situation where one dollar has
some kind of significance? That’s how each of these 33 dollar-stories started.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy
ride?</span></span></b><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh man, both of my books took a motherload of a long
time to get published. It was a long slog, finding a publisher for this
collection. I went to the ends of the Internet searching for small traditional
literary presses that publish story collections. There were various hurdles: Did
it fit the word count? Did it have the right tone? It’s sort of an odd duck of
a collection. It has this hook of beginning each story with the words “one
dollar.” I mean, who does that? It’s also not your standard, jaded, ironic MFA literary
voice. The characters are not particularly hip or cerebral. They're straight
forward, regular people, and while not all their stories end happily, most reveal
a kind of resilience and grit that led John McNally to say, “These are exquisite
short stories that give me hope.”</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Interestingly—and this is a bit of advice to other
writers—I didn’t submit to Vine Leave Press for many moons because I didn't
have a website, and my digital footprint was not very robust. It took me a long
time to get a website up. I finally worked with a wonderful designer named Amy
Williams, and then I revisited sending the manuscript to Vine Leaves Press. I’d
had a few vignettes published in a beautiful anthology they did when they were
still headquartered in Australia.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once I got my digital ducks in row, however, I sent it
to Vine Leaves and got this wonderfully positive response. I was just over the
moon. I’ve had the best experience working with the publisher, Jessica Bell,
who also designs the covers, and production director Amie McCracken, and developmental
editor Melanie Faith. They are all amazing.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">Vine Leaves Press has an </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.vineleavespress.com/international-voices-in-cnf.html">International Voices in Creative
Nonfiction Competition</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> going on right now
(February 1-June 1, 2024), so I urge your readers who have CNC manuscripts
ready to go to check it out. It’s a very high-performance, robust independent
traditional literary press.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you knew then what you know now, is there anything
you would have done differently?</span></span></b><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I certainly would have gotten my website up and running
a lot sooner so that I had a robust digital profile as fiction writer. I could
have spared myself a lot of the labor of submitting the manuscript everywhere across
the English-speaking world. But I’m a digital immigrant, so it took me longer.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also think I could have engineered my life a little
better to have more bandwidth to write creatively. I’m not too hard on myself,
though, because before I retired, I had a very busy, very full, and very
creative professional life as an educator.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">As a teaching artist and arts producer at CentroNía, I
created a program and wrote an educational playbook about </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.elizabethbrucedc.com/theatrical-journey-project">The Theatrical Journey
Project: Introducing Science to Early Learners through Guided Pretend Play,</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> which is an
incredibly engaging, constructivist, hands-on playful process of working with
3- to 5-year-old PreK children using the tools of improvisation. Using
kid-friendly, tactile, and multi-sensory props, the project simulates real
science phenomenon, and the children become the skilled science problem solvers.
It is such a joyful and rewarding program, though it’s super high energy and
exhausting. But I wouldn’t have given up that long chapter in my life for
anything. Other than raising two amazing adult children, the Journey Project is
probably the greatest contribution I will ever make to the world.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<b>Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?</b></span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">It’s available through my website </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.elizabethbrucedc.com/short-stories">here. </a></span><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, E-</span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Review copies are available via
EBruceAuthor@gmail.com</span><span style="color: #242424;"> I </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">also
have hard copies that I’m selling at my many author events, which you can find
out about at: <a href="https://www.elizabethbrucedc.com/events">Events —
Elizabeth Bruce (elizabethbrucedc.com)</a>.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The
e-book is available everywhere, all around the world! Just Google <i>Universally
Adored & Other One Dollar Stories.</i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">I’ll
put in a plug to anyone who reads my book—or other authors’ books—especially if
you like it, to leave a short review on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199061253-universally-adored-and-other-one-dollar-stories">Goodreads,</a>
<a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elizabeth-bruce-c060cf95-ee61-494d-8bb0-7a4f1edad059">BookBub</a>,
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Universally-Adored-Other-Dollar-Stories-ebook/dp/B0CKXK5X5T">Amazon,</a>
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/universally-adored-and-other-one-dollar-stories-elizabeth-bruce/1144214373">Barnes
& Noble,</a> <a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/universally-adored-and-other-one-dollar-stories/51222195/#edition=70104478&idiq=61815838">Thriftbooks,</a>
and any other booksellers’ site. They really help with marketing!</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is one piece of advice you would like to
share? </span></span></b><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As someone who came to creative writing later in life.
I would tell emerging writers, or anyone really in any discipline, to keep your
head down and just keep working at it. Do <i>not</i> allow yourself to be swept
up in all this competitive buzz about who’s the hot new writer. Who's the fresh
new voice? Who just landed this big shot agent or publisher or just got this huge
advance? Who’s got the zeitgeist, etcetera, etcetera? For me, that kind of
energy breeds panic that you’re not doing enough, you’re not good enough, that the
ships are passing you by. It’s so debilitating. To quote Hamlet, “Pray you,
avoid it.”</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure, there are isolated fairy tales of some debut
writer who catapults to celebrity status overnight, but almost all writers—all
artists—experience a ton of rejection.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was a character actor before I was a writer, and as an
actor, you get used to rejection. You learn to internalize the fact that “the
artist's life is a study in rejection.” You audition for this part or that part
and you don't get cast, or you don't get the part you wanted, yadda, yadda. But
then, you do get cast, you do get to perform, or you write your own one-person
show, and life goes on.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being a writer is the same thing. You submit, you
submit, you submit. You get rejected and rejected and rejected. But then, along
the way, you get some acceptances. And meanwhile, you finish your manuscript,
you write new stories or poems or essays, that hopefully, you can nurture and refine
through the intimacy of a trusted writers’ group.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;">. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #242424;">There was a seminal article in <i>Literary Hub</i> by
the author Kim Liao in June of 2016 entitled </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://lithub.com/why-you-should-aim-for-100-rejections-a-year/">“Why You Should Aim for 100
Rejections a Year.”</a></span><span style="color: #242424;"> A literary version of the “Go for the No” mantra in
the business world.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Echoing the practice of a writer friend of hers, Liao
urged writers to submit so much that they garnered 100 rejections a year
because along the way, you’re going to get a bunch of acceptances. Say 10%.
That’s 10 published works a year. That’s a lot!</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, I too would urge any writer, not just emerging
writers, but any artist or person trying to do anything that involves convincing
the external world to take some action, to steel yourself against rejection, to
not take it personally, and keep going. To understand that there are so many different
value systems and sensibilities, different aesthetics, etc., that finding a place
that truly resonates with your work is a winding road.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would also strongly agree with the advice to get
organized, however you do that—in whatever digital or analog way that works for
you—so you know where you’ve submitted to, what the outcome was, etc., so you
don’t end up re-submitting the same piece to the same place. That’s
embarrassing, although I’ve done it!</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is next for you?</span></span></b><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, I’ve actually almost finished
a rough first draft of a novel-in-progress that’s a sequel of sorts to my collection
of one-dollar stories. I take about 10 characters from different dollar stories
and plunk them down altogether in the same place. Same characters, same cursory
backstories, but a lot more present action and a lot more backstory.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The setting is a fictitious diner in
1980 in the petrochemical town of Texas City, which is right next to my
hometown. A lot of these characters have been struggling to keep their heads
above water and deal with the challenges of their daily existences. There isn’t
a lot of joy in their lives, and a lot of them are pretty lonely. Over the
course of the novel, however, various characters find some companionship with
each other. I flesh out a lot of really dramatic backstory, history, and
personal narratives of some very hard times.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #242424;">There’s also a deep backstory to the
setting which has to do with this terrible industrial accident that happened in
1947—called the </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_City_disaster"><span style="background: white;">Texas
City Disaster</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: #242424;">—which is still the deadliest
industrial accident in US history. A French ship full of ammonium nitrate blew
up in the Texas City harbor and then a cascade of other explosions happened in
the petrochemical refineries, and then the next day another ship full of
ammonia nitrate also blew up.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a devastating accident. The
blast was felt hundreds of miles away. People thought it was an atomic bomb. At
least 600 people died, and thousands were injured. Until 9/11, It was also the
deadliest loss of firefighter lives in US history. Twenty-seven of the 28 members
of the Texas City Volunteer Fire Department were just vaporized. A horrible
disaster.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While I don't have any first-hand
experience with it, my folks were living in Galveston at the time. My mother
was a nurse, and she was part of the triage team, so I grew up hearing about
this.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Texas City Disaster was also
very indicative of the country in 1947. It was the post-war boom, there were almost
no environmental controls or occupational health and safety regs. The petroleum
industry was flying high, and there wasn’t much of a line in the sand of what
industry could or couldn’t do.</span></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; color: #242424;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This new work is a “polyphonic, discontinuous”
novel, meaning that there are multiple POV characters and multiple narrative
arcs going on, though they all come together eventually, in part through my very
traumatized, somewhat unreliable central narrator who is haunted by the dead.
Though there is also a lot of joy in the book as characters find some love and
belonging.</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #242424;">So that's what's next for me. Plus,
of course, continuing to produce our podcast, </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://creativists.substack.com/p/a-theatre-in-community-podcast-part-ec2"><span style="background: white;">“Creativists
in Dialogue: A Podcast Embracing the Creative Life,”</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: #242424;"> and its new series, “Innovators, Artists & Solutions.”
Plus, getting to know our adorable new granddaughter, Lucia!</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfhyphenhyphenvaCo3hRTa9myPxA71EdHvJRTcOjVMvnZucZ9xaAIOiFXUEJ1vE83WtOxinhHwd_YIGXjEDFdlJsUiHZ3tb3QlF8ZkQIA-jKdNu_gxCaf4t_3M-astySp8kvsWRdncjtWcBQiJp2yvhUBNBQZMBYfr3GDHnWZtbwW8tD9KK0H8RjCzKBRwu2Zd1uNK/s369/PoeticButton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="369" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfhyphenhyphenvaCo3hRTa9myPxA71EdHvJRTcOjVMvnZucZ9xaAIOiFXUEJ1vE83WtOxinhHwd_YIGXjEDFdlJsUiHZ3tb3QlF8ZkQIA-jKdNu_gxCaf4t_3M-astySp8kvsWRdncjtWcBQiJp2yvhUBNBQZMBYfr3GDHnWZtbwW8tD9KK0H8RjCzKBRwu2Zd1uNK/s320/PoeticButton.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background: white; color: #242424;"><br /></span></span><p></p>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-27763846245599108312024-03-11T00:00:00.013-04:002024-03-11T00:00:00.148-04:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Mar 11<p>Welcome to <b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> and <b>Mailbox Monday. </b></p><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from <a href="https://bookjourney.net/" target="_blank">Book Journey</a>. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Welcome back to Monday! Hope you had a wonderful week. We had a lovely week with the Lil' Princess, as she was on spring break. She flew back to North Carolina yesterday. We aren't sure if she is coming back home for Easter at the end of the month. The cost of flights is outrageous. We will definitely visit her in April for the dance show.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfpJd_0Bo7yypXfdAGQlog_Eg-ANc2RCD-vD1Abhla26kDqdGKscJENQ-CbRD6XIL4aGog2WGrBCzxwIdKg2ByhzPHKK_cWFsxIHmprDYCJej2Zcr0qZLfGcXlwo4Q_wnJQq_T8eDayL-2mrKBBsBUddpBEHGafN5eH2YMVh8is1yGQ4l9itDfsPrXo8n/s640/sarah%20and%20me.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfpJd_0Bo7yypXfdAGQlog_Eg-ANc2RCD-vD1Abhla26kDqdGKscJENQ-CbRD6XIL4aGog2WGrBCzxwIdKg2ByhzPHKK_cWFsxIHmprDYCJej2Zcr0qZLfGcXlwo4Q_wnJQq_T8eDayL-2mrKBBsBUddpBEHGafN5eH2YMVh8is1yGQ4l9itDfsPrXo8n/s320/sarah%20and%20me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Friday, I attended two events: the Springfield Chamber of Commerce Outlook 2024 and a celebration for our local Colleen and her court. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqNBbOCzYeBB-cn6RYqSeOV51RmxkwH8SsbryUHxUuG42rnth9oCdorGSXvN-av2hZk9oMiclDP-m8Ou4Mh8zkK7ZWNkJQ_F9RlepX_iOXInTnVLTOUUoawL9z9jsg88PLIlfdkFndDrxMNGOVrVLeF3ZiVNaHRD2cG1JhA1aS1qUQ2K46wryAut_KzB1/s640/spfld.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqNBbOCzYeBB-cn6RYqSeOV51RmxkwH8SsbryUHxUuG42rnth9oCdorGSXvN-av2hZk9oMiclDP-m8Ou4Mh8zkK7ZWNkJQ_F9RlepX_iOXInTnVLTOUUoawL9z9jsg88PLIlfdkFndDrxMNGOVrVLeF3ZiVNaHRD2cG1JhA1aS1qUQ2K46wryAut_KzB1/s320/spfld.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Great to see one of my real estate friends at Outlook 2024</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSslmDKZAIkxsbofjX0LyyYRBvQb7dvvpRkQe7DTf9IvoVBiDyBWFMeYT0lHN5aMW9kCrxB-BoqRlYBDx6K_y_xQB9n5iODYtnSvpk5cEyoeLCoQgmxdSMOoDMWHy-Vmk6nhXKXtfHIv6FWLKHofYShnYBAImpVUo8aS4VhlJMM2B1PeG6a8B0k1cbC9d5/s640/chicopee%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSslmDKZAIkxsbofjX0LyyYRBvQb7dvvpRkQe7DTf9IvoVBiDyBWFMeYT0lHN5aMW9kCrxB-BoqRlYBDx6K_y_xQB9n5iODYtnSvpk5cEyoeLCoQgmxdSMOoDMWHy-Vmk6nhXKXtfHIv6FWLKHofYShnYBAImpVUo8aS4VhlJMM2B1PeG6a8B0k1cbC9d5/s320/chicopee%202.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">HB Real Estate sponsored this fundraiser for the Colleen and her court</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTzakjnzhARzp_TVq9IZxfd2SV3xirMnaraeNWa3TTo7bpQMQI8Ml49RpJob94I_mSQaTUFjPoI9KQa8v_EK-NG7xbEA9ZWLsdsQcSMO7sr8Znf-YPz4OEPkvcFDUYo4CILOdsts7LzOCD2AgXOiIobpum7jQV-7oIOxz1QK5HksbWuY5qpANBQb-kIw8/s640/Chicopee%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTzakjnzhARzp_TVq9IZxfd2SV3xirMnaraeNWa3TTo7bpQMQI8Ml49RpJob94I_mSQaTUFjPoI9KQa8v_EK-NG7xbEA9ZWLsdsQcSMO7sr8Znf-YPz4OEPkvcFDUYo4CILOdsts7LzOCD2AgXOiIobpum7jQV-7oIOxz1QK5HksbWuY5qpANBQb-kIw8/s320/Chicopee%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We brought charcuterie boards with us</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Feeling more accomplished in my reading world. Finished this book for a May review. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqZnnzs3PIjnRsMbYgny5f2QXcQMYFusVG1o8j0ngyITKILoOcsV0kbEMsULOgwxeKwXPeJUjGP323ymRnijm3j6DJFT7Tu7LWqt2wz0eP3KzcYryhAxx0QDKLFliDwA3evakMrS8n-Vie80vi5joPZn07lolxdtLu0YZnZ4PvnC7Vtthh6wzhx1h29rx/s750/How-to-be-Resilient-in-Your-Career.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="537" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqZnnzs3PIjnRsMbYgny5f2QXcQMYFusVG1o8j0ngyITKILoOcsV0kbEMsULOgwxeKwXPeJUjGP323ymRnijm3j6DJFT7Tu7LWqt2wz0eP3KzcYryhAxx0QDKLFliDwA3evakMrS8n-Vie80vi5joPZn07lolxdtLu0YZnZ4PvnC7Vtthh6wzhx1h29rx/s320/How-to-be-Resilient-in-Your-Career.png" width="229" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finished the fourth book in the Love Comes Softly series. You can find my review <a href="https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/03/book-review-loves-abiding-joy-by.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_ywge6HIMmeLy_14pNh5aessv6LhobiTQm3oNCUfgI7zJ2_oDQhsp1ZVZHZQH6jz554-CEM8pp0vS0TNdojJyJQviD7AIUnT20TANun4imyeXGETT_OQtbZ_wC2ORuqkFFfCoB-l1TJ9QYrZ0_Mwgjaydxk1FCE48XY2nTD0gipvR3dPlNy227CT-rTL/s2410/joy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2410" data-original-width="1570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_ywge6HIMmeLy_14pNh5aessv6LhobiTQm3oNCUfgI7zJ2_oDQhsp1ZVZHZQH6jz554-CEM8pp0vS0TNdojJyJQviD7AIUnT20TANun4imyeXGETT_OQtbZ_wC2ORuqkFFfCoB-l1TJ9QYrZ0_Mwgjaydxk1FCE48XY2nTD0gipvR3dPlNy227CT-rTL/s320/joy.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Read and reviewed this on NetGalley. My review is at my <a href="https://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com/2024/03/09/the-dress-in-the-window-by-robert-tregoning" target="_blank">children's book blog</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Z3k939z4karhx4vjG2smwaTKWWfANZBl4hyko0iR7KCaAEEDucuszl6_7VsjxiXjA1J0q42BNui4mY3nuvvg7Zsnq5J4Z9pNAUjSzxzchht7Z4RaHrN3ng0EnYQXV-0tlc0ZoRZTUcqjqMOIgImvnZPRyzZzcD4cPYS2ECsseW7rsEdiI3iwSJBCy-YU/s1400/dress.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1199" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Z3k939z4karhx4vjG2smwaTKWWfANZBl4hyko0iR7KCaAEEDucuszl6_7VsjxiXjA1J0q42BNui4mY3nuvvg7Zsnq5J4Z9pNAUjSzxzchht7Z4RaHrN3ng0EnYQXV-0tlc0ZoRZTUcqjqMOIgImvnZPRyzZzcD4cPYS2ECsseW7rsEdiI3iwSJBCy-YU/s320/dress.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started this book on our drive to Logan International Airport in Boston yesterday. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YVFAk-h22oAM4VbTPXcDVxXBtfUGFxTrCOoOeYJpGvUToSpfgD3h46EXnyB38a0qp9C6PeU6XUqT1oMVodgIuSo2FxlEt1lPSWe5azC5xOqR6PEua7ufzXZYaIqtF9B0s9cvERAnZ_wciTmW5XEiLjTh_0PI3yQODEjHlMbSuCspyfXuFJDeX3rApNF6/s400/faith.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YVFAk-h22oAM4VbTPXcDVxXBtfUGFxTrCOoOeYJpGvUToSpfgD3h46EXnyB38a0qp9C6PeU6XUqT1oMVodgIuSo2FxlEt1lPSWe5azC5xOqR6PEua7ufzXZYaIqtF9B0s9cvERAnZ_wciTmW5XEiLjTh_0PI3yQODEjHlMbSuCspyfXuFJDeX3rApNF6/s320/faith.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been listening to this one on Audible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjppMphLMpogu-Jqa02Weh9ea5jvS1kv4IUv4Gc-TohVFXzgi1WmPlVwaev2uF4d3FwpPNfZGwMDCUE05FrZqa2MjZ6fAIxQKdbIJux3QMHH4cc5GCwgwE6XYTMnWTIZAC1IwkCCIa3EzBkGshjVNzQnWMUyZOKYEqyTqCfw16bQDNlMzg_MemI3re0aH/s400/book%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjppMphLMpogu-Jqa02Weh9ea5jvS1kv4IUv4Gc-TohVFXzgi1WmPlVwaev2uF4d3FwpPNfZGwMDCUE05FrZqa2MjZ6fAIxQKdbIJux3QMHH4cc5GCwgwE6XYTMnWTIZAC1IwkCCIa3EzBkGshjVNzQnWMUyZOKYEqyTqCfw16bQDNlMzg_MemI3re0aH/s320/book%204.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished this teen self-help book. My review will appear at this blog on Wednesday. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi730wXYywSVw7ksvePsAYcHXOyXuEj9rAfo2vVMIDIi5fWL1ua7p2_x-Yt6zUBxqtWY1EbltJcM6Owh-tPkmrMtu_zJ9izDeYBNCaX1QMtgXHJKeklf7VFviCyKN52QgNMibTuJFodex66QcYPs7PeYV_F8IDhRN7ikalf2ygK2Dy9EErhrv5yY9fsh8KC/s2250/mind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi730wXYywSVw7ksvePsAYcHXOyXuEj9rAfo2vVMIDIi5fWL1ua7p2_x-Yt6zUBxqtWY1EbltJcM6Owh-tPkmrMtu_zJ9izDeYBNCaX1QMtgXHJKeklf7VFviCyKN52QgNMibTuJFodex66QcYPs7PeYV_F8IDhRN7ikalf2ygK2Dy9EErhrv5yY9fsh8KC/s320/mind.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I didn't read any of this one at all, because it is not a review book. It does, however, fed my Little house fix. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2pjAsfKFjvSTutuQMHondfqytmSlELzojftIV2MxOqY5-8aSA3Ximi9pkGDw9sNMm2xE1k-bZoVB2TyReQZSvogk5dUu8d6AKC2sBiZfaPqkP0eoVrMdEs0RrSAokEW_AqQa27mm5jrx2wT2XnXqyG32fNHdgV7EKLyr2xhtK30j-2zlpXjkNo9Upccj/s400/LH%20Hacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK2pjAsfKFjvSTutuQMHondfqytmSlELzojftIV2MxOqY5-8aSA3Ximi9pkGDw9sNMm2xE1k-bZoVB2TyReQZSvogk5dUu8d6AKC2sBiZfaPqkP0eoVrMdEs0RrSAokEW_AqQa27mm5jrx2wT2XnXqyG32fNHdgV7EKLyr2xhtK30j-2zlpXjkNo9Upccj/s320/LH%20Hacks.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also need to review these two. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s500/calamity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s320/calamity.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItHNlqiENxkfSRew9h5YFTM3dprME2xsBjA26rkhKeZEnrJ-BytTTH83GlGV2BRHtX8GtWYMvL35VpPAsY36pJoKlQucpVU1hMC21R0GAr4s0gscKAW3w-ViHqQ8ac8ZkJIUrgbKhagz_aFFLkC2CMte0u1oDBBO3Qp-7vnpApgFWnTYwMuJ_Uy4Heu10/s1000/BookCover_My-Career-Journal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItHNlqiENxkfSRew9h5YFTM3dprME2xsBjA26rkhKeZEnrJ-BytTTH83GlGV2BRHtX8GtWYMvL35VpPAsY36pJoKlQucpVU1hMC21R0GAr4s0gscKAW3w-ViHqQ8ac8ZkJIUrgbKhagz_aFFLkC2CMte0u1oDBBO3Qp-7vnpApgFWnTYwMuJ_Uy4Heu10/s320/BookCover_My-Career-Journal.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I expect this one will be next. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FUm3cLTHwmZmyROCgpql0YGcOjjKDZiOGO1D8ZUzfRLWhYBtx_IzBwdTxxGQ16ZtpcRuY4lqtrgZjuO4YbXZZmYfG1YeL3IXgC3ekToQqB-RIMnvCGXZHk-Ef7hL_zLvTZU3ZvYRnPgTS7SIvS9VZ9eIYl5yW8FOP8WEFva1kO7iHtBh51293Jj8-d1Y/s350/Legacy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="235" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FUm3cLTHwmZmyROCgpql0YGcOjjKDZiOGO1D8ZUzfRLWhYBtx_IzBwdTxxGQ16ZtpcRuY4lqtrgZjuO4YbXZZmYfG1YeL3IXgC3ekToQqB-RIMnvCGXZHk-Ef7hL_zLvTZU3ZvYRnPgTS7SIvS9VZ9eIYl5yW8FOP8WEFva1kO7iHtBh51293Jj8-d1Y/s320/Legacy.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">Upcoming virtual book tours:</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories</i> by Elizabeth Bruce - Mar 12 (interview)</li><li><i>It Will Have Been So Beautiful </i>by Amanda Shaw - Apr 25 (review) </li><li><i>My Career Journal </i>by CareerTuners - May 1 (review) </li><li><i>Be Resilient in Your Career </i>by Dr. Helen Ofosu - May 16 (review)</li></ul><div>At <b>Christmas Year Round</b>, we talked about <a href="https://christmasyearroundccm.blogspot.com/2024/03/christmas-at-kentucky-kingdom-winter.html" target="_blank">Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom opening in November</a>. </div><br /><div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeczH_JyYUwaaRTNNDmX6sjhHPcieeTtkMRZUBRMkFl1VbWZ408xFSarq_uOUsmD4aYD0A4UQQHORDWTbOtIjD_uRTFzd1JEUVCSD4mtzR6QmTbNZQ-XhZnyJycImHM98k2EDAM5B1Gi4cx3CmKhIcwmZg15Y1X8KkgMDogwMa9YHpMTdV8LKST9t5HFII/s2000/spring%20mail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeczH_JyYUwaaRTNNDmX6sjhHPcieeTtkMRZUBRMkFl1VbWZ408xFSarq_uOUsmD4aYD0A4UQQHORDWTbOtIjD_uRTFzd1JEUVCSD4mtzR6QmTbNZQ-XhZnyJycImHM98k2EDAM5B1Gi4cx3CmKhIcwmZg15Y1X8KkgMDogwMa9YHpMTdV8LKST9t5HFII/s320/spring%20mail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Mailbox Monday</a><span style="text-align: left;"> is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not sure I like the spring mailbox I chose, but it is better than the winter one. My mailbox had one special present this week.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfrhfbOrvRkliHYmJZNrBkUMP2wypQGl30eVOAhO-a8-yPvtQ_LwM5bva1ZHmlGLLDgEWvG1Cz_3m79T-llA_VQHJiuB2F8LrfneBblMvUBPP90Pd90WR8ZK30ZeJpHeCeuDy3DNJikVNlWY4OQ4ZykrzCIqa7N-wPc80pGD5OsAdG0p85e8o13R0THyv/s751/song.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfrhfbOrvRkliHYmJZNrBkUMP2wypQGl30eVOAhO-a8-yPvtQ_LwM5bva1ZHmlGLLDgEWvG1Cz_3m79T-llA_VQHJiuB2F8LrfneBblMvUBPP90Pd90WR8ZK30ZeJpHeCeuDy3DNJikVNlWY4OQ4ZykrzCIqa7N-wPc80pGD5OsAdG0p85e8o13R0THyv/s320/song.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div>
From bestselling author Glenys Nellist comes a rhyming, whimsical, faith-building journey through the four seasons — for early readers who love nature and wonder and the beginnings of all things.<div><br /></div><div>For spiritual parents, grandparents, teachers, and educators who are looking for a spectacular creation book, Glenys Nellist offers <b><i>Song of the Seasons</i></b>, a book that celebrates the magnificent and complex way God created Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall, highlighting the intricacies of nature and earth. Illustrator C.B. Canga brings the natural world to vibrant life with rich colors and poignant detail certain to engage young minds and imaginations.</div><div><br /></div><div>Based on Psalm 98 and written in flowing rhyme, <b><i>Song of the Seasons</i></b> explores the idea that all nature sings praise to an Almighty Creator. As children wonder about creation, <b><i>Song of the Seasons</i></b> reveals the beauty found in every Summer, Spring, Autumn, and Winter. The reason for each season is to bring joy and reflect the many beautiful ways God has created the heavens and the earth. <b><i>Song of the Seasons</i></b> is the perfect book for discussing transition seasons, exploring how seasons are different, and learning how each season flows from one to another.</div><div><br /></div><div>From budding leaves to blooming flowers, falling leaves to ice and snow, children see how every changing season points to a marvelous and mighty Creator. This joyous book filled with biblical truth celebrates all four seasons and is ideal for children ages 3-8. The easy-to-read text makes it a perfect addition to any bedtime routine. Whether you buy this for your family or gift it to another growing family, it is sure to delight all the little ones in your life as an excellent gift for any holiday, birthday, or baptism.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's it from my little corner of the world. Hope you have a great week. </div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-44533391368230253932024-03-10T12:35:00.000-04:002024-03-10T12:35:43.746-04:00Book Review: Love's Abiding Joy by Janette Oke<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXHhlpKurOp4lBMtiBBUvW8Rt90usWre9xP0PxK_3NANsRWCXI_BoCFgYXwXUbliKdhfAKimYQT9zwfENxhWAzxlBy5Nubk5s29TQd4Y537KZikg7ZICr2U4ymzuPOgdwjaC5pRrp_Tj-qwjRa4vdg5BokP2IHjzQAsgDsBtAbRl0PALZ7FVQiz1qpKoW/s2410/joy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2410" data-original-width="1570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXHhlpKurOp4lBMtiBBUvW8Rt90usWre9xP0PxK_3NANsRWCXI_BoCFgYXwXUbliKdhfAKimYQT9zwfENxhWAzxlBy5Nubk5s29TQd4Y537KZikg7ZICr2U4ymzuPOgdwjaC5pRrp_Tj-qwjRa4vdg5BokP2IHjzQAsgDsBtAbRl0PALZ7FVQiz1qpKoW/s320/joy.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Welcome back to the Davis family saga with the fourth book in Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series, <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3TrPjIz" target="_blank">Love's Abiding Joy</a></i>.</div><p></p><p>Marty Davis has missed the oldest daughter she shares with her beloved husband Clark in the years since Missie married Willie LaHaye and moved farther west to start his cattle ranch. Letters aren't nearly enough to bridge the miles between them. But thanks to the Transcontinental Railroad and tons of support from their family, Clark surprises Marty with a birthday present of tickets to see their darling daughter. </p><p>The train ride seems like it will never end, but one day Marty and Clark get to see Missie, Willie and their grandsons, Nathan and Josiah, along with all the ranchers that have helped to make the LaHayes successful ranchers. </p><p>Clark and Marty settle in for a few weeks' visit, but when tragedy strikes, they must stay with the LaHayes longer than expected, bringing changes for the entire family. The Davis and LaHaye families must lean on their faith to get them through, and as tragedy turns to a renewed need to seek a closer relationship with God for the residents of this western town, Clark is called to help.</p><p>What a wonderful addition to this Christian historical series <i style="font-weight: bold;">Loves Abiding Joy </i>is. A parents' joyful reunion with their daughter and her family turns to tragedy when Clark is critically injured rescuing children. Oke portrays this family in crisis well: Marty and Missie's different approaches to praying for and helping Clark in the days after his accident; Clark adjusting to a different way to approach the physical aspects of his life; strong, silent Willie who bears a change in his family dynamic; and Missie's guilt over believing this tragedy happened because her parents were visiting. </p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Love's Abiding Joy </i>further strengthens Clark's personality as a strong man of faith guiding his loved ones as the patriarch of the Davis family. His thoughtful insights into situations viewed through the ever-loving grace of God also help members of the community Missie and Willie call home. And when Clark and Marty finally board the train back to their own hometown, it goes without saying that the entire community will miss them. </p><p>This book gave me greater insight into why the movie plots changed dramatically as the series continued. They are both great ways to enjoy inspiring Christian fiction.</p><ul class="a-unordered-list a-nostyle a-vertical a-spacing-none detail-bullet-list" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; margin: 0px 0px 1px 18px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Publisher : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bethany House Publishers; Repack edition (November 1, 2003)</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Language : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">English</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Paperback : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">240 pages</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">ISBN-10 : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">076422851X</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">ISBN-13 : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">978-0764228513</span></span></span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #0f1111;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111;"><i>I purchased this book in 2023. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.</i></span></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-8783163296294565692024-03-06T00:00:00.000-05:002024-03-06T00:00:00.138-05:00Book Review: 40 Days to a Deeper Walk with God by Kathi Macias<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmk5eJg8zm1dAmjeS8AvKtuVnvDue7Qcxic4vMEy4CiYPVm1G71fMbNclsKESPKbIqzrAISHTyBqX8eEVUSImWBOI-DBIwYGIiXvWxeZrAG_lvC-CllUbFwfOC1MBLL-fui7Kdo7Tl8CnZZ_eWY123KD8HloUEe90Sw7hA-85elKUIWp5z7KLosLF_pclr/s2560/God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmk5eJg8zm1dAmjeS8AvKtuVnvDue7Qcxic4vMEy4CiYPVm1G71fMbNclsKESPKbIqzrAISHTyBqX8eEVUSImWBOI-DBIwYGIiXvWxeZrAG_lvC-CllUbFwfOC1MBLL-fui7Kdo7Tl8CnZZ_eWY123KD8HloUEe90Sw7hA-85elKUIWp5z7KLosLF_pclr/s320/God.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking for a meaningful devotional sharing life lessons from the Bible? Look no further than <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/49UJPLC" target="_blank">40 Days to a Deeper Walk with God</a></i></b> by Kathi Macias. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this 2021 devotional, award-winning Christian author, Kathi Macias, brings the Scriptures up close and personal, sharing how they apply to life today. Each day starts with a portion of Scripture, followed by a story shared by the author. Some stories connect to Macias' life, while others are about friends or life in general. Each story, however, connects back to the portion of daily Scripture. At the end of each day, there is a "Make it personal" section with engaging comments and questions followed by blank lines for the reader to share their own thoughts and feelings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Macias has been one of my favorite authors since 2008. I've only read a handful of the more than fifty books she has written, but I added several books to my collection this year. She is one of a small group of authors whose books I keep, because I find myself talking about them time and again. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Though <i style="font-weight: bold;">40 Days to a Deeper Walk with God</i> is not a Lenten-specific devotional, I felt this season was the perfect one to embark upon this journey to a deeper, more intimate, relationship with my God and Savior. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you enjoy or are in need of a devotional, I highly recommend this one. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><ul class="a-unordered-list a-nostyle a-vertical a-spacing-none detail-bullet-list" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; margin: 0px 0px 1px 18px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Publisher : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. (December 1, 2021)</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Language : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">English</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Paperback : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">94 pages</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">ISBN-10 : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">1649494645</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">ISBN-13 : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">978-1649494641</span></span></span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #0f1111;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111;"><i>I received a paperback book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-37050077834545926942024-03-05T21:22:00.000-05:002024-03-05T21:22:17.772-05:00Devotionals from Our Daily Bread Ministries & Dayspring<p> These are the two devotionals I've been reading. I finished the first one today, and have a few more pages left in the second one. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlmvNlDq0sKJKGKeHCyhEipgDSz2rDes0K1DAIHlOz5m7ApBNc8_p6p0uEWPjOlGtItkHE2ehfi-Cxm91fqtGQDIjwNh1wxVBrnT3BljP4uKU91o8CEiUF5PYI1MyZE-GkfG63NIlAb0CNN3aQiptWtvWuyT905ODbTrSkpTic3aUJEefXMqX93BsO8uM/s640/daily%20bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlmvNlDq0sKJKGKeHCyhEipgDSz2rDes0K1DAIHlOz5m7ApBNc8_p6p0uEWPjOlGtItkHE2ehfi-Cxm91fqtGQDIjwNh1wxVBrnT3BljP4uKU91o8CEiUF5PYI1MyZE-GkfG63NIlAb0CNN3aQiptWtvWuyT905ODbTrSkpTic3aUJEefXMqX93BsO8uM/s320/daily%20bread.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://odb.org/" target="_blank">Our Daily Bread Ministries</a> probably mailed this to our house, but they have a monthly subscription with a donation of any amount or a quarterly subscription for free. They are also offering a special Easter edition on their website. Their devotionals are available in a variety of media. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For February 2024, there were daily devotionals and blank lined spaces to write down notes. The author then shared a longer devotional at the end about the monthly topic: humility. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Rh_CqWSTxWy7MRfhlubjGvkFHKQTV2YnH-1ycN6PrGu2ZVYWMloevrVoalZe4ntU4SxFAVVh2AroLGXK1aHGCAAvCpggiFtkClw2D5rxNXmYLjGxOjPKR2g_N4IRLdOpQ2f3NsLTmxx8SZSqPSPzasreGyj0JInY68y00pMFHIIQOqO6myJh9OZa0eYM/s1000/dayspring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="693" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Rh_CqWSTxWy7MRfhlubjGvkFHKQTV2YnH-1ycN6PrGu2ZVYWMloevrVoalZe4ntU4SxFAVVh2AroLGXK1aHGCAAvCpggiFtkClw2D5rxNXmYLjGxOjPKR2g_N4IRLdOpQ2f3NsLTmxx8SZSqPSPzasreGyj0JInY68y00pMFHIIQOqO6myJh9OZa0eYM/s320/dayspring.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I grabbed this at the grocery store checkout, but I also see it is available on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1514124588/dayspring-hope-encouragement-daily" target="_blank">Etsy</a>. These are very short devotionals along with beautiful artwork. Every few pages there is a writing prompt and blank space for capturing your thoughts. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Do you enjoy devotionals? Do you have a favorite?</div><br /><p></p>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-84725462811857611842024-03-04T04:00:00.001-05:002024-03-04T04:00:00.141-05:00Book Spotlight: Six Moons, Seven Gods by Robert A. Walker <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8n4YzO0-0YLTOnaXgpcoO9OgLF2fdGlY-ea_FCP8fkLt4g-t9FJiFIPocwAg2_5QWjLgbgO2LKkOfh7CY5dSPkX6qag-wCpwvrVooIQCbHvIKeILDeE953s6zld1nnh5B7DnlMWS_-3iP3PhA9Uy_Onpirihg3Fp6k5eSEDraZUUq8L90jrpbZWit_E8s/s1500/Sixmoons%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="938" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8n4YzO0-0YLTOnaXgpcoO9OgLF2fdGlY-ea_FCP8fkLt4g-t9FJiFIPocwAg2_5QWjLgbgO2LKkOfh7CY5dSPkX6qag-wCpwvrVooIQCbHvIKeILDeE953s6zld1nnh5B7DnlMWS_-3iP3PhA9Uy_Onpirihg3Fp6k5eSEDraZUUq8L90jrpbZWit_E8s/s320/Sixmoons%20cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div>“One must be careful practicing deception. The easiest to deceive will always be one’s self.”<div><br /></div><div>The skilled thieves of the Takers Guild plot to overthrow the kingdoms of Baelon, but when their
plans are thwarted by a prescient woman and her brooding daughter, they must turn to the
League of Assassins for assistance. Meanwhile, retired royal guard Rol
ft Aerns returns to the
palace of King Axil with an old score to settle. When they all cross paths
–
and swords
–
in the
dark shadows of Fostead’s south end, nothing is as it seems and the murder count rises quickly.
The long fingers of the Guild reach everywh
ere, and one overly ambitious thief is all it takes to
spark a chain of events that will haunt the world of Baelon for many years to come.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Six Moons, Seven Gods</i></b>
is book one in <i>The Legends of Baelon</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpJV9q0zNmOfKt-aTFnvGblDWAM2QDn0L2Rlf66Td_Y7HPWGMSw-6hgrjRK8bInPlFvJpqYGwRDyPs2NKIJ9eY-6KKATx-qVFeh52O9bAhpYPMvvi9IZN47ZlMTBSsjunVQq8bCfs4tLFvzAjBedS1unE08YBNYzkgr-0_0Be9mkweXgPV2NnsNChgPW3/s1920/Six%20Moons_%20Seven%20Gods%20Marketing%20Kit_Banner_Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1920" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpJV9q0zNmOfKt-aTFnvGblDWAM2QDn0L2Rlf66Td_Y7HPWGMSw-6hgrjRK8bInPlFvJpqYGwRDyPs2NKIJ9eY-6KKATx-qVFeh52O9bAhpYPMvvi9IZN47ZlMTBSsjunVQq8bCfs4tLFvzAjBedS1unE08YBNYzkgr-0_0Be9mkweXgPV2NnsNChgPW3/s320/Six%20Moons_%20Seven%20Gods%20Marketing%20Kit_Banner_Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><b><span style="font-size: large;">
EXCERPT</span></b><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b></div><blockquote><div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span>Sibil sat on a bed in a servant’s quarters, her head spinning. Had it not been for previous visits to
the palace with Princess Lewen, she would not have known where she was. The steward had
escorted her briskly to the room some time ago, leaving her to entertain herself.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>There seemed no end to the mystery surrounding her mother. Supposed premonitions of death
had been unnerving enough, but now... an audience with the king? At his request! It was surreal,
and Sibil’s wildest conjectures did not begin to explain it.
Her attempt to seize control of her own life seemed waylaid once again. She was imagining
herself a bit of flotsam from a shipwreck, at the mercy of the ocean’s currents, when the steward
returned, shutting the door angrily behind himself.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“Where is my mother?” she asked as he approached.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“With the king.” Without warning, the steward sat so close to her their thighs touched.
“I should like to see her.” Sibil started to rise.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“In due time.” The steward caught her arm and pulled her back to the bed.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“What are you doing?”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“If your mother were more forthcoming, you would not be so inconvenienced.”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“How do you mean?” Sibil’s eyes darted toward the door.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“The woman’s hiding something. Perhaps you’d like to tell me what that is.”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“My mother has nothing to hide from the king!”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“I could be convinced of that, I suppose.” The steward loosened his hold and placed a palm
against Sibil’s cheek. “There are many ways for you to prove your loyalty to the throne.” His
hand brushed her breast as he withdrew it. “Are you prepared to do so?” Before Sibil could
respond, he leaned in, his lips seeking hers.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Sibil pushed him away, struggling to stand. “How dare you!”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“Need I remind you where you are?” The steward rose, positioning himself between her and the
door. “Or who you’re talking to?”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“I mean no disrespect, m’lord, but if you—"</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“Take off your blouse.”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“What?!”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“Like mother, like daughter. Take off your blouse and let us see what you are hiding there.”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“I’ll do no such thing,” said Sibil breathlessly. “And if you lay another hand on me—"</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>The steward grasped her sleeve. Sibil twisted violently away, her blouse ripping at the shoulder
seam. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>The steward grinned. “You see? One way or the other!” He started to laugh, sobering quickly at
the sight of the dagger Sibil produced. “Put that away before you hurt yourself.”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“Take me to my mother!” Sibil waved the dagger at him.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“Did I not warn you about making demands?” The steward lashed out, recoiling as Sibil’s blade
pricked his arm. He swore loudly as he inspected the spot of crimson staining his white blouse.
“You’ll not soon forget what I’m going to do to you.”</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“Touch me and I’ll kill you!” Sibil lurched past the steward and onto the bed, clambering quickly
over it, but he intercepted her before she could reach the door. He kicked a stool separating them
toward her. Sibil grabbed it and flung it back at him. The stool sailed past the steward’s head and
crashed against the door.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>“Make all the noise you want,” the steward said. “No one cares!”</span></div></blockquote><div><span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>PRAISE</b></span><div><br /></div><div>"A fascinatingly detailed and murder
-
fueled adventure in a violent fantasy setting."
—
<b>Kirkus Reviews</b></div><div><br /></div><div>“In Robert A. Walker’s
<i>Six Moons, Seven Gods</i>, loyalty and treachery entwine, friendships are
tested, and dangerous secrets are held close to the heart... a brilliant, compelling narrative that
hooks the reader from start to finish.”
—
<b>Literary Titan 5
-
star Review</b></div><div><br /></div><div>"...an exceptionally rewarding fantasy. There are twists and turns that will keep you on the edge
of your seat, unable to stop reading.”
—
<b>Ronél Steyn for Readers’ Favorite, 5 stars</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>PURCHASE FROM <a href="https://amzn.to/3Iiq7hk" target="_blank">AMAZON</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199440750-six-moons-seven-gods" target="_blank">ADD TO YOUR GOODREADS SHELF</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQD_-icH1DCKA9xzcQJEg5NzRYzSHroEULvJmudq7j2vVmXeb6mYsaTMYiQ91YXW5-9BNofMaDUzzz0uvQdVSpt9WamQcLfcl-HInYuIjYekH2QqFX8mMLjasZ_2DG62d98Iym2bzw8li-rFThokJM5NP-eZIbUt8aOi283zu8emXfzWd61-S9bHTSTWS/s1024/Robert%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQD_-icH1DCKA9xzcQJEg5NzRYzSHroEULvJmudq7j2vVmXeb6mYsaTMYiQ91YXW5-9BNofMaDUzzz0uvQdVSpt9WamQcLfcl-HInYuIjYekH2QqFX8mMLjasZ_2DG62d98Iym2bzw8li-rFThokJM5NP-eZIbUt8aOi283zu8emXfzWd61-S9bHTSTWS/s320/Robert%202.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Award-winning author<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Robert A. Walker<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>grew
up in Northwestern Massachusetts. After graduating college, he packed his scant
belongings in a car with rusted-out floorboards and headed west. He’s lived in
California ever since, and now resides along the Pacific Ocean with his wife
and dogs. When not fabricating stories, he can be found roaming local tennis
courts or working on a never-ending list of DIY house projects.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website</b>: <a href="https://rawalkerwriting.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://rawalkerwriting.com</span></a></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Liu1RLiGFg6GtqKmEksV0UVCvih2mMUDKnBdyKg7IXw-eJYKR6xskTKUSQ4zt9mNTJ02GqeVnHH2R7a3NR8oTZhrXw3bB3a_TxoGkTANsSR645dkT5MqK-XfYhgOg6fbSY74VKddBwtW7J9TMAhUGEsjgGA0MjOsXg86pKEt6Z7-ZhXmY6__iHf4V1jq/s2240/Robert%20A.%20Walker%20blog%20tour%20(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="2240" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Liu1RLiGFg6GtqKmEksV0UVCvih2mMUDKnBdyKg7IXw-eJYKR6xskTKUSQ4zt9mNTJ02GqeVnHH2R7a3NR8oTZhrXw3bB3a_TxoGkTANsSR645dkT5MqK-XfYhgOg6fbSY74VKddBwtW7J9TMAhUGEsjgGA0MjOsXg86pKEt6Z7-ZhXmY6__iHf4V1jq/w400-h225/Robert%20A.%20Walker%20blog%20tour%20(1).png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWt48Y1kCEBGG_bZ922G-PvtOERqpo-AJa-S1VeGxhKKHp7NmuCeEABoxC8UIzlfds4gSY7wZPClJPNFMMxKftQuS1rjcvKYif-yr334O_vQeuo5DFdLVmkb0NPlydrppikLYo92LpwMTynBB347bzd-Aq1WhxOzvRoTCR-TU0dICh4G11NXtiBKpv-Hf/s1080/AME%20button.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWt48Y1kCEBGG_bZ922G-PvtOERqpo-AJa-S1VeGxhKKHp7NmuCeEABoxC8UIzlfds4gSY7wZPClJPNFMMxKftQuS1rjcvKYif-yr334O_vQeuo5DFdLVmkb0NPlydrppikLYo92LpwMTynBB347bzd-Aq1WhxOzvRoTCR-TU0dICh4G11NXtiBKpv-Hf/s320/AME%20button.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN">Author
Marketing Experts:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Twitter: @Bookgal<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Instagram: @therealbookgal<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-8326349295359679932024-03-03T22:47:00.001-05:002024-03-03T22:47:12.387-05:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Mar 4<p>Welcome to <b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> and <b>Mailbox Monday. </b></p><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from <a href="https://bookjourney.net/" target="_blank">Book Journey</a>. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Welcome to March! We are inching ever closer to spring, thankfully. Sunday's temperature was near 60.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was a crazy, thrilling week. We celebrated the grand opening of our new office. Here are a few photos.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JyGjA6Z9zuHtPL0DdU2RjRrsd94mp9pctFaWx8jBrH7ZIAPMgfO-E6OaoxMInGc4OlikWOv2W2U5DIUDq3y0PUBdDtyCjVWOjOtkeBnpeg-YxQmbmry-YJzqyPkM61cBlMBTNoJZ-clXfVAheDS7mWi3IODIeYK96owEhwM4royE1QBVaboD8_NcKVwk/s2048/Ribbon%20cutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JyGjA6Z9zuHtPL0DdU2RjRrsd94mp9pctFaWx8jBrH7ZIAPMgfO-E6OaoxMInGc4OlikWOv2W2U5DIUDq3y0PUBdDtyCjVWOjOtkeBnpeg-YxQmbmry-YJzqyPkM61cBlMBTNoJZ-clXfVAheDS7mWi3IODIeYK96owEhwM4royE1QBVaboD8_NcKVwk/s320/Ribbon%20cutting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ribbon cutting</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURBonbOlCIqeBiyas_C8fUFGoax3oUxqPeJxJA1YvpWWahl3mfberWLy3Q9J8gEhMZsX8Gr4RjyF04itCGgTBfOSNnVZrByw-zlWF1px6aTuuCkQzcZg27allP5u6jg8sZLBdlgoSj3X9ETucZVM2NRCJPsGxkZXmARVxD0HgQjI3uT971nCAe7OJGKjg/s2048/Victor%20and%20me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURBonbOlCIqeBiyas_C8fUFGoax3oUxqPeJxJA1YvpWWahl3mfberWLy3Q9J8gEhMZsX8Gr4RjyF04itCGgTBfOSNnVZrByw-zlWF1px6aTuuCkQzcZg27allP5u6jg8sZLBdlgoSj3X9ETucZVM2NRCJPsGxkZXmARVxD0HgQjI3uT971nCAe7OJGKjg/s320/Victor%20and%20me.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of our lending partners</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pr5FbiGr_MbyDCleV4W4TncJkSjUr5z2RnHSfqSX37v8u9LGOjCBltDfoQ-aMYWULBDkNBNqnA3HzBWeD8-Q9jZAewJ0lNHBN_KdaTBDZPu2KV5iEF2wfaQQCiDp6tZifafJ0vw1MTrB68fyoRkybwtuqMJtP4MGRsuadKeCn5OjNK-4cxQahqWQHr2y/s640/photo%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pr5FbiGr_MbyDCleV4W4TncJkSjUr5z2RnHSfqSX37v8u9LGOjCBltDfoQ-aMYWULBDkNBNqnA3HzBWeD8-Q9jZAewJ0lNHBN_KdaTBDZPu2KV5iEF2wfaQQCiDp6tZifafJ0vw1MTrB68fyoRkybwtuqMJtP4MGRsuadKeCn5OjNK-4cxQahqWQHr2y/s320/photo%204.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some of the gifts we received</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0VHoAW8av9JY22Cn1gW1LtYICqHMwcRA54eOhbyxoOvW91QXcYKUP9jcNjo62IiPHfQiMk25HZgERb4DDLD2aR76lE_Bpbc7Zgp-XVA68mThmhReuW8rbeSu-JHSZjRXI1M1ETW7g33-ujshUARjJuEw3mz56RHwnudkZWQRe0KIM5YR6KTYV2WU0yst/s640/rick's%20place.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0VHoAW8av9JY22Cn1gW1LtYICqHMwcRA54eOhbyxoOvW91QXcYKUP9jcNjo62IiPHfQiMk25HZgERb4DDLD2aR76lE_Bpbc7Zgp-XVA68mThmhReuW8rbeSu-JHSZjRXI1M1ETW7g33-ujshUARjJuEw3mz56RHwnudkZWQRe0KIM5YR6KTYV2WU0yst/s320/rick's%20place.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Friday, some of us from <a href="https://ricksplacema.org" target="_blank">Rick's Place</a> attended the opening ceremonies for The Western Massachusetts Charity Dance-A-Thon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That didn't leave a lot of reading time for this week, but I still managed to read from my devotionals. I also listened to this one in the car. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqZnnzs3PIjnRsMbYgny5f2QXcQMYFusVG1o8j0ngyITKILoOcsV0kbEMsULOgwxeKwXPeJUjGP323ymRnijm3j6DJFT7Tu7LWqt2wz0eP3KzcYryhAxx0QDKLFliDwA3evakMrS8n-Vie80vi5joPZn07lolxdtLu0YZnZ4PvnC7Vtthh6wzhx1h29rx/s750/How-to-be-Resilient-in-Your-Career.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="537" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqZnnzs3PIjnRsMbYgny5f2QXcQMYFusVG1o8j0ngyITKILoOcsV0kbEMsULOgwxeKwXPeJUjGP323ymRnijm3j6DJFT7Tu7LWqt2wz0eP3KzcYryhAxx0QDKLFliDwA3evakMrS8n-Vie80vi5joPZn07lolxdtLu0YZnZ4PvnC7Vtthh6wzhx1h29rx/s320/How-to-be-Resilient-in-Your-Career.png" width="229" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week, I hope to continue with these. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_ywge6HIMmeLy_14pNh5aessv6LhobiTQm3oNCUfgI7zJ2_oDQhsp1ZVZHZQH6jz554-CEM8pp0vS0TNdojJyJQviD7AIUnT20TANun4imyeXGETT_OQtbZ_wC2ORuqkFFfCoB-l1TJ9QYrZ0_Mwgjaydxk1FCE48XY2nTD0gipvR3dPlNy227CT-rTL/s2410/joy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2410" data-original-width="1570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_ywge6HIMmeLy_14pNh5aessv6LhobiTQm3oNCUfgI7zJ2_oDQhsp1ZVZHZQH6jz554-CEM8pp0vS0TNdojJyJQviD7AIUnT20TANun4imyeXGETT_OQtbZ_wC2ORuqkFFfCoB-l1TJ9QYrZ0_Mwgjaydxk1FCE48XY2nTD0gipvR3dPlNy227CT-rTL/s320/joy.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxuSvnd3yKbp8LJQlL_W1oJ6V2VltaYrI4wjN88c8vYcyU5hsQagEEq1QjSeTBnMKgzmdhmnBjgXZttDBwJDUJEIURwb-PAVFvF_oIlXWF3gTOntcTsqAiBcopjmCgWwdGJETIWcuK6AtulHN6Snp3zyPa9KsUg4xw0z8PEXUVTogJQ49kOHCZip3LKvV/s400/LH%20Hacks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxuSvnd3yKbp8LJQlL_W1oJ6V2VltaYrI4wjN88c8vYcyU5hsQagEEq1QjSeTBnMKgzmdhmnBjgXZttDBwJDUJEIURwb-PAVFvF_oIlXWF3gTOntcTsqAiBcopjmCgWwdGJETIWcuK6AtulHN6Snp3zyPa9KsUg4xw0z8PEXUVTogJQ49kOHCZip3LKvV/s320/LH%20Hacks.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi730wXYywSVw7ksvePsAYcHXOyXuEj9rAfo2vVMIDIi5fWL1ua7p2_x-Yt6zUBxqtWY1EbltJcM6Owh-tPkmrMtu_zJ9izDeYBNCaX1QMtgXHJKeklf7VFviCyKN52QgNMibTuJFodex66QcYPs7PeYV_F8IDhRN7ikalf2ygK2Dy9EErhrv5yY9fsh8KC/s2250/mind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi730wXYywSVw7ksvePsAYcHXOyXuEj9rAfo2vVMIDIi5fWL1ua7p2_x-Yt6zUBxqtWY1EbltJcM6Owh-tPkmrMtu_zJ9izDeYBNCaX1QMtgXHJKeklf7VFviCyKN52QgNMibTuJFodex66QcYPs7PeYV_F8IDhRN7ikalf2ygK2Dy9EErhrv5yY9fsh8KC/s320/mind.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next are these. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s500/calamity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s320/calamity.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEoXAvw-m3Q6YlDZUJh6bBhJokhurCayB15Mc29DUbrXEi_wXwJB_DhxPxPUKx5T4AakVb0r1dHoo3D5sWKeouImIUHngoDygnZr7zGzz9oynzp4aoCoW0GtlFJWuWy1e8rvBLJUBQZrMRPvfCzS-qa_enxK0CCl7Mw-aiLA8CnpHaRRjyBzlCLC1d_fC/s400/faith.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEoXAvw-m3Q6YlDZUJh6bBhJokhurCayB15Mc29DUbrXEi_wXwJB_DhxPxPUKx5T4AakVb0r1dHoo3D5sWKeouImIUHngoDygnZr7zGzz9oynzp4aoCoW0GtlFJWuWy1e8rvBLJUBQZrMRPvfCzS-qa_enxK0CCl7Mw-aiLA8CnpHaRRjyBzlCLC1d_fC/s320/faith.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">Upcoming virtual book tours:</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Six Moons, Seven Gods </i>by Robert A. Walker - Mar 4 (spotlight)</li><li><i>Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories</i> by Elizabeth Bruce - Mar 12 (interview)</li><li><i>It Will Have Been So Beautiful </i>by Amanda Shaw - Apr 25 (review) </li><li><i>My Career Journal </i>by CareerTuners - May 1 (review) </li><li><i>Be Resilient in Your Career </i>by Dr. Helen Ofosu - May 16 (review)</li></ul><div>At <b>Christmas Year Round</b>, we talked about <a href="https://christmasyearroundccm.blogspot.com/2024/03/three-things-to-do-in-march-to-help.html" target="_blank">Three Things You Can Do in March to Help Prepare for Christmas</a>.</div><br /><div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeczH_JyYUwaaRTNNDmX6sjhHPcieeTtkMRZUBRMkFl1VbWZ408xFSarq_uOUsmD4aYD0A4UQQHORDWTbOtIjD_uRTFzd1JEUVCSD4mtzR6QmTbNZQ-XhZnyJycImHM98k2EDAM5B1Gi4cx3CmKhIcwmZg15Y1X8KkgMDogwMa9YHpMTdV8LKST9t5HFII/s2000/spring%20mail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeczH_JyYUwaaRTNNDmX6sjhHPcieeTtkMRZUBRMkFl1VbWZ408xFSarq_uOUsmD4aYD0A4UQQHORDWTbOtIjD_uRTFzd1JEUVCSD4mtzR6QmTbNZQ-XhZnyJycImHM98k2EDAM5B1Gi4cx3CmKhIcwmZg15Y1X8KkgMDogwMa9YHpMTdV8LKST9t5HFII/s320/spring%20mail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Mailbox Monday</a><span style="text-align: left;"> is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">Though spring isn't here yet, I simply can't look at that winter mailbox any longer. My mailbox was empty this week, but since I've been buying books like crazy, that's probably a good thing.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">Hope you all had a nice week and read tons of good books. I look forward to visiting you. </span></div></div></div></div></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-72380550625439172222024-02-27T00:00:00.004-05:002024-02-27T00:00:00.133-05:00Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Covers/Titles with Things Found in Nature <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMnYd9cMjLGUc1ZIL5zQm1ONl8IVUISQMWfP5sIQHvyQKK0dI-F-zc6cQbajjf1VZtJqXIbU8GVO0j2yuOt-hCVP2fjciQ_mDh1B7f1qGIFGJLVO4E5ianMTJ1XfE__h62bbYT4KoonxYKffNrFp3mOofy6qBcU-CQpGw1-S12UNQcqhaNVyPXPsmcA/s768/New%20TTT.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="768" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMnYd9cMjLGUc1ZIL5zQm1ONl8IVUISQMWfP5sIQHvyQKK0dI-F-zc6cQbajjf1VZtJqXIbU8GVO0j2yuOt-hCVP2fjciQ_mDh1B7f1qGIFGJLVO4E5ianMTJ1XfE__h62bbYT4KoonxYKffNrFp3mOofy6qBcU-CQpGw1-S12UNQcqhaNVyPXPsmcA/s320/New%20TTT.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Top Ten Tuesday</b> was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a> in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome back to Tuesday! Missed this meme last week. Simply didn't have the brain power to come up with bookish superpowers that I wished for. I bet you all had some neat ideas. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This week, Jessica at <a href="https://jessica-agreatread.blogspot.com" target="_blank">a Great Read</a> suggested talking about covers or titles with things found in nature. Some of these will look familiar to people who have visited The Book Connection before. Here are my...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b>Top Ten Covers/Titles with Things Found in Nature</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9LPsuu6teZ8VVJpXXuX4fo9BKB-zILObVzFWgdKvisXna-_hmIJPiAAL7CzATqqNmofmmOC3triLu8uq_TIXdawUY99NCwZF3QJbotfxr2wIzsyUCQMrPue84cFQjcZZZ0P1FYu3O6Oqj0ynkNWcqNMtRgqQx4V_AO-3M_f2PVwFt6jb7xxvprW7vI8I/s475/book%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9LPsuu6teZ8VVJpXXuX4fo9BKB-zILObVzFWgdKvisXna-_hmIJPiAAL7CzATqqNmofmmOC3triLu8uq_TIXdawUY99NCwZF3QJbotfxr2wIzsyUCQMrPue84cFQjcZZZ0P1FYu3O6Oqj0ynkNWcqNMtRgqQx4V_AO-3M_f2PVwFt6jb7xxvprW7vI8I/s320/book%201.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These first two remind me of the mountains. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LCIxDJJkiLb2on0b8DaC1-1GXTL70zG_TSvy1NUG4kPdhRGpx_5XCAy2rqYnQ90Zchmmt4Hpnd3P12FGw92DlUdiyTMurRvdOlvyUapn-HFHewNNAImnGDTfOVzEjXJe_V1eXL4WhU_VHBEdvdzwqxen5Kb589pN9lYP8bT4O2S_NnJNhkxFDVVD5hhh/s400/book%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1LCIxDJJkiLb2on0b8DaC1-1GXTL70zG_TSvy1NUG4kPdhRGpx_5XCAy2rqYnQ90Zchmmt4Hpnd3P12FGw92DlUdiyTMurRvdOlvyUapn-HFHewNNAImnGDTfOVzEjXJe_V1eXL4WhU_VHBEdvdzwqxen5Kb589pN9lYP8bT4O2S_NnJNhkxFDVVD5hhh/s320/book%203.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpF2bwpGO2n2ZFrgg0dQuHDaHUJcUAsiT5huvgxv3dyhA7UmWQ5GRlK7Evnkp0b7MLB32y2HU2H6ZLjw37ltd6GM1fs1fDX4SjzYeyeybCg2RDJSlH1l4jufZwUV2x3l3IoRp7LKYody8Ge9POvt-esIhB3bHbXii5fyKfq3X2cHf-SCcYPg-eRrcWYyY/s475/book%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpF2bwpGO2n2ZFrgg0dQuHDaHUJcUAsiT5huvgxv3dyhA7UmWQ5GRlK7Evnkp0b7MLB32y2HU2H6ZLjw37ltd6GM1fs1fDX4SjzYeyeybCg2RDJSlH1l4jufZwUV2x3l3IoRp7LKYody8Ge9POvt-esIhB3bHbXii5fyKfq3X2cHf-SCcYPg-eRrcWYyY/s320/book%205.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Though we don't see water in this cover, it is eluded to by the title and the bridge.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXBeHQX0NG59eoEytPyXxlOOBSZvptEJeUvlOhA9m4uGpfWU_ty2ao10kddApQlurjUV6gtdyiFlOa-SGcebeCq_Hi_UHejTRD7bivyorWp6I-_tCjQfrdmpdzeB2POzH7JnXEjsx54ea7e6K4HbQqjomZ1Y4F8op69METVdB6MPgUGXl7shRe-8wRDlN/s475/book%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="291" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXBeHQX0NG59eoEytPyXxlOOBSZvptEJeUvlOhA9m4uGpfWU_ty2ao10kddApQlurjUV6gtdyiFlOa-SGcebeCq_Hi_UHejTRD7bivyorWp6I-_tCjQfrdmpdzeB2POzH7JnXEjsx54ea7e6K4HbQqjomZ1Y4F8op69METVdB6MPgUGXl7shRe-8wRDlN/s320/book%204.jpg" width="196" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More mountains, clouds, and prairie land.</div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoD8j_E19G5wc8zfWZr6OkRL_yBL9bQeoodI5-uIL5Uv0r76aR6Gh6XZxjLs8aCePKBEQCkk3ihqR1NjPWLuYOK9x8twMgGEiWXzWXbPQq-KBuxQeUBD1tNSPcs-rxB8G1gX8X9JSLBd7QeKuVVcd3g2R6mbafel-tr6dDFQUQxWwrQT-kkbyCswBtqKdp/s1511/book%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoD8j_E19G5wc8zfWZr6OkRL_yBL9bQeoodI5-uIL5Uv0r76aR6Gh6XZxjLs8aCePKBEQCkk3ihqR1NjPWLuYOK9x8twMgGEiWXzWXbPQq-KBuxQeUBD1tNSPcs-rxB8G1gX8X9JSLBd7QeKuVVcd3g2R6mbafel-tr6dDFQUQxWwrQT-kkbyCswBtqKdp/s320/book%203.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Love all the colorful flowers on this cover. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYGujEZpNN80rhqjZEPjl0-90bvr0Z76d1p5puwHijK0R-ibPZM4f_GZVXZTOMwHL7ppIV9mKHcXDNmqjvT0SKGrJGBs9TBTqDd8FoeQrIkh4DSmGcAZxSNxBFflXV-ALPdZ4cvw40xCxzR701C2CdKT_qa-7EKCGZ-Z-pflPb4SmCbmQnorx7enhFYQ0/s400/faith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYGujEZpNN80rhqjZEPjl0-90bvr0Z76d1p5puwHijK0R-ibPZM4f_GZVXZTOMwHL7ppIV9mKHcXDNmqjvT0SKGrJGBs9TBTqDd8FoeQrIkh4DSmGcAZxSNxBFflXV-ALPdZ4cvw40xCxzR701C2CdKT_qa-7EKCGZ-Z-pflPb4SmCbmQnorx7enhFYQ0/s320/faith.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The color of this cover and its prairie flowers are beautiful. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7a7TmOGUHMj3rkkBmFXCVMCdMQC6VXk7dJTAR1wwVFyda1hOF9MxhKEQzpyRkxBnhmZQ3d9QWdWhjjHoqGoxDT7FBJy1uwrS2iHaVpdZ72bGJUF7GPLbAh12v65QsJbApzjPz38dLhxGjHtKkFWR2FOyOdg63c_jj7dt7QJsXbL9b907uCpckbV0OA9-y/s1200/aaron%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7a7TmOGUHMj3rkkBmFXCVMCdMQC6VXk7dJTAR1wwVFyda1hOF9MxhKEQzpyRkxBnhmZQ3d9QWdWhjjHoqGoxDT7FBJy1uwrS2iHaVpdZ72bGJUF7GPLbAh12v65QsJbApzjPz38dLhxGjHtKkFWR2FOyOdg63c_jj7dt7QJsXbL9b907uCpckbV0OA9-y/s320/aaron%205.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Would love to be by the shore somewhere warm right now.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYq1EDvytyE6zWEura6FJ6zC4Euh12Kj1Lwmub_hMq5I_9ZhpvbVxDHbBC9EHhs66ARUvCu5FayrI3QvE2F91PolXoM3txd59BvyNvuSzOG2Tull_gItxgle6qX23dEcwx49tgfeNaEKGSm8H2ciPsrZ2NJrNsK5ZjnxDYc1DfAhu2fcOtjC1duTdjU3ng/s475/book%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="293" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYq1EDvytyE6zWEura6FJ6zC4Euh12Kj1Lwmub_hMq5I_9ZhpvbVxDHbBC9EHhs66ARUvCu5FayrI3QvE2F91PolXoM3txd59BvyNvuSzOG2Tull_gItxgle6qX23dEcwx49tgfeNaEKGSm8H2ciPsrZ2NJrNsK5ZjnxDYc1DfAhu2fcOtjC1duTdjU3ng/s320/book%202.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Love the bright yellow of the sun on this cover.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyG2MtBf91rdSMwRETX9sxGBz3qFI0yw6m4FfDZFMX-itXAGfEs3DRcuyHNbnNThqGbGpN3KtqB4KP76WCBQgyej-L-c1YGGJTtuaYpO7B7DJN8ILS73qsxfY_vZV497FwdLsLDwsec4MkLOTOG-kCpVCAREwZcAybewIkipjHlBHTE7CNj4sStmSmYuhN/s400/Prairie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyG2MtBf91rdSMwRETX9sxGBz3qFI0yw6m4FfDZFMX-itXAGfEs3DRcuyHNbnNThqGbGpN3KtqB4KP76WCBQgyej-L-c1YGGJTtuaYpO7B7DJN8ILS73qsxfY_vZV497FwdLsLDwsec4MkLOTOG-kCpVCAREwZcAybewIkipjHlBHTE7CNj4sStmSmYuhN/s320/Prairie.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fire: so comforting when inside a firebox, but deadly on the prairie.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZy6FFsxM2O6tvre62BCFz0pfXw0MYieBtx46FHkLq-jdAIYEHiQkdo3AM32sHfwK56-XvfMTikB01AKqev4hb-o-c-IMj5Qsgjp3UX0yaT_ySosBBNvn3UaYaZTpNT1L2fsjtdsiDaQhBysH1HorzgaPbHPnOaJQ4m7DjyBSYhSa1RYpM8RWsdqVIKoJ4/s475/book%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZy6FFsxM2O6tvre62BCFz0pfXw0MYieBtx46FHkLq-jdAIYEHiQkdo3AM32sHfwK56-XvfMTikB01AKqev4hb-o-c-IMj5Qsgjp3UX0yaT_ySosBBNvn3UaYaZTpNT1L2fsjtdsiDaQhBysH1HorzgaPbHPnOaJQ4m7DjyBSYhSa1RYpM8RWsdqVIKoJ4/s320/book%202.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More mountains, water, and a sunset.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hope you enjoy these. Looking forward to visiting your blogs. </div></span></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-44973655690368330662024-02-26T00:00:00.000-05:002024-02-26T00:00:00.127-05:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Feb 26<p>Welcome to <b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> and <b>Mailbox Monday. </b></p><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from <a href="https://bookjourney.net/" target="_blank">Book Journey</a>. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Welcome to The Book Connection! It's hard to believe this little blog has been going for close to 17 years. What a blessing to have met so many wonderful authors and bloggers along the way. When this blog hits 20, might be time for a party.</div><div><br /></div><div>This week, I continued to acclimate to my new brokerage. The new signs are in, and my office is almost completely furnished. I just need two more chairs. </div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQ3LUnHzlh8v-Cwnmb5qg3uKRo1VfWgVWfny00EzACgaQ9qpykcgwKG6RjFCn80FVbm01btNZBnHu8pzFnUkS0xHlEQy_1d1iopAYjgbC7P1huDqGEoll65roDzjwr0pogVLMQo_UntF_eOSbG4dcNbKVFqA9mN26n2a0HfPbylj76mIT7Hu2F7ioJRAd/s640/New%20signs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQ3LUnHzlh8v-Cwnmb5qg3uKRo1VfWgVWfny00EzACgaQ9qpykcgwKG6RjFCn80FVbm01btNZBnHu8pzFnUkS0xHlEQy_1d1iopAYjgbC7P1huDqGEoll65roDzjwr0pogVLMQo_UntF_eOSbG4dcNbKVFqA9mN26n2a0HfPbylj76mIT7Hu2F7ioJRAd/s320/New%20signs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I listed a historical home this week; the kind that if I had a bottomless wallet I would buy and restore. You can see it <a href="https://www.oldhouses.com/36117" target="_blank">here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKfX1MQ2Ivc8yOh_-WJQJ3GV_JiU8q3qg2T8vJsdVGOMqQjsibkSuHl4cGCfauNw0uR4ogios_3gX1ywJExAn6cwQBvlHl4LrP4yfVaxU58IprxfBQWZpaiG8Duq8b14aMPhLjCqZGPYZRs3Gm-AwsCKQXj13sSASeW2MkPO6hPG68Nei5hBMF8od8_F9/s640/mall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAKfX1MQ2Ivc8yOh_-WJQJ3GV_JiU8q3qg2T8vJsdVGOMqQjsibkSuHl4cGCfauNw0uR4ogios_3gX1ywJExAn6cwQBvlHl4LrP4yfVaxU58IprxfBQWZpaiG8Duq8b14aMPhLjCqZGPYZRs3Gm-AwsCKQXj13sSASeW2MkPO6hPG68Nei5hBMF8od8_F9/s320/mall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Eastfield Mall is now totally demolished. Makes me sad--at least we have our memories--but I am eager to drive by the new development as it progresses. Expecting a new shopping center by summer 2025. </div><div><br /></div><div>In my reading world, I finished this book and reviewed it <a href="https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/02/audible-book-review-knitting-circle-by.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyjEtGBJaZYMbXGDddMp-XFuuOxGG79S8TqyGAACgaRsa5w4cc5ozYSz_q8mI2XXJb-sLB642IIDpiLMO5wzQ2SjWK7hqV1hRHQYBqSQUUQfE-Ykb94YT2CGvmLJcgTxLtB8LjpAFn9wgGaJJa34k5gu8Y0AvmDueLuoxdjI19Twf-uXB02_OQNx2w6sT/s475/hood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyjEtGBJaZYMbXGDddMp-XFuuOxGG79S8TqyGAACgaRsa5w4cc5ozYSz_q8mI2XXJb-sLB642IIDpiLMO5wzQ2SjWK7hqV1hRHQYBqSQUUQfE-Ykb94YT2CGvmLJcgTxLtB8LjpAFn9wgGaJJa34k5gu8Y0AvmDueLuoxdjI19Twf-uXB02_OQNx2w6sT/s320/hood.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I continued with this devotional and two others for Lent. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVqocPPW653wSuigZvcDBwiZMIA9rcOGdVUqG0sdjQ4vs0ZMglTSgNLTR6KNHZ_Edpk0Ei0N-zlzUzYxia24yqJclS8uoVTpeqHWgd5LerfKAd0BqK6gaZ7cbqb7joi9zGElkBekBERAuD7XXRRBc4YgkJHPK60St7so_-wcDT3jHaIaMzmnbaYNG_dxB/s2560/God.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVqocPPW653wSuigZvcDBwiZMIA9rcOGdVUqG0sdjQ4vs0ZMglTSgNLTR6KNHZ_Edpk0Ei0N-zlzUzYxia24yqJclS8uoVTpeqHWgd5LerfKAd0BqK6gaZ7cbqb7joi9zGElkBekBERAuD7XXRRBc4YgkJHPK60St7so_-wcDT3jHaIaMzmnbaYNG_dxB/s320/God.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm reading these three.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_ywge6HIMmeLy_14pNh5aessv6LhobiTQm3oNCUfgI7zJ2_oDQhsp1ZVZHZQH6jz554-CEM8pp0vS0TNdojJyJQviD7AIUnT20TANun4imyeXGETT_OQtbZ_wC2ORuqkFFfCoB-l1TJ9QYrZ0_Mwgjaydxk1FCE48XY2nTD0gipvR3dPlNy227CT-rTL/s2410/joy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2410" data-original-width="1570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_ywge6HIMmeLy_14pNh5aessv6LhobiTQm3oNCUfgI7zJ2_oDQhsp1ZVZHZQH6jz554-CEM8pp0vS0TNdojJyJQviD7AIUnT20TANun4imyeXGETT_OQtbZ_wC2ORuqkFFfCoB-l1TJ9QYrZ0_Mwgjaydxk1FCE48XY2nTD0gipvR3dPlNy227CT-rTL/s320/joy.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxuSvnd3yKbp8LJQlL_W1oJ6V2VltaYrI4wjN88c8vYcyU5hsQagEEq1QjSeTBnMKgzmdhmnBjgXZttDBwJDUJEIURwb-PAVFvF_oIlXWF3gTOntcTsqAiBcopjmCgWwdGJETIWcuK6AtulHN6Snp3zyPa9KsUg4xw0z8PEXUVTogJQ49kOHCZip3LKvV/s400/LH%20Hacks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxuSvnd3yKbp8LJQlL_W1oJ6V2VltaYrI4wjN88c8vYcyU5hsQagEEq1QjSeTBnMKgzmdhmnBjgXZttDBwJDUJEIURwb-PAVFvF_oIlXWF3gTOntcTsqAiBcopjmCgWwdGJETIWcuK6AtulHN6Snp3zyPa9KsUg4xw0z8PEXUVTogJQ49kOHCZip3LKvV/s320/LH%20Hacks.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi730wXYywSVw7ksvePsAYcHXOyXuEj9rAfo2vVMIDIi5fWL1ua7p2_x-Yt6zUBxqtWY1EbltJcM6Owh-tPkmrMtu_zJ9izDeYBNCaX1QMtgXHJKeklf7VFviCyKN52QgNMibTuJFodex66QcYPs7PeYV_F8IDhRN7ikalf2ygK2Dy9EErhrv5yY9fsh8KC/s2250/mind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi730wXYywSVw7ksvePsAYcHXOyXuEj9rAfo2vVMIDIi5fWL1ua7p2_x-Yt6zUBxqtWY1EbltJcM6Owh-tPkmrMtu_zJ9izDeYBNCaX1QMtgXHJKeklf7VFviCyKN52QgNMibTuJFodex66QcYPs7PeYV_F8IDhRN7ikalf2ygK2Dy9EErhrv5yY9fsh8KC/s320/mind.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next are these. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s500/calamity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s320/calamity.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEoXAvw-m3Q6YlDZUJh6bBhJokhurCayB15Mc29DUbrXEi_wXwJB_DhxPxPUKx5T4AakVb0r1dHoo3D5sWKeouImIUHngoDygnZr7zGzz9oynzp4aoCoW0GtlFJWuWy1e8rvBLJUBQZrMRPvfCzS-qa_enxK0CCl7Mw-aiLA8CnpHaRRjyBzlCLC1d_fC/s400/faith.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEoXAvw-m3Q6YlDZUJh6bBhJokhurCayB15Mc29DUbrXEi_wXwJB_DhxPxPUKx5T4AakVb0r1dHoo3D5sWKeouImIUHngoDygnZr7zGzz9oynzp4aoCoW0GtlFJWuWy1e8rvBLJUBQZrMRPvfCzS-qa_enxK0CCl7Mw-aiLA8CnpHaRRjyBzlCLC1d_fC/s320/faith.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">Upcoming virtual book tours:</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Six Moons, Seven Gods </i>by Robert A. Walker - Mar 4 (spotlight)</li><li><i>Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories</i> by Elizabeth Bruce - Mar 12 (interview)</li><li><i>It Will Have Been So Beautiful </i>by Amanda Shaw - Apr 25 (review) </li><li><i>My Career Journal </i>by CareerTuners - May 1 (review) </li><li><i>Be Resilient in Your Career </i>by Dr. Helen Ofosu - May 16 (review)</li></ul><div>At <b>Christmas Year Round</b>, we talked about <a href="https://christmasyearroundccm.blogspot.com/2024/02/do-you-remember-christmas-club-savings.html" target="_blank">Christmas Club Savings Account</a>. Do you remember those? Did you ever have one?</div><br /><div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszdftsLcoW8m93KnfOTel4xxWuXhNpn6MXiTDybuD97GMPa51XE7zAF2XXN3zyNA7N-GA4mBSlkbZXYESQUmuPiOtycXyOvK86t9fulaisCc_63lQ9Rs3GQaBIAnzXT1p2kHpCkSjnRLbKjbxQMqmM6tgQ1P5GPj95a6Ub1B7oWsdcrEuxIk6YTyJad3N/s354/winter%20mailbox%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszdftsLcoW8m93KnfOTel4xxWuXhNpn6MXiTDybuD97GMPa51XE7zAF2XXN3zyNA7N-GA4mBSlkbZXYESQUmuPiOtycXyOvK86t9fulaisCc_63lQ9Rs3GQaBIAnzXT1p2kHpCkSjnRLbKjbxQMqmM6tgQ1P5GPj95a6Ub1B7oWsdcrEuxIk6YTyJad3N/s320/winter%20mailbox%203.jpg" width="203" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Mailbox Monday</a><span style="text-align: left;"> is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WVTWWhyphenhyphenFDhKfpNKsPOvfdY0jgfBKnVv8XfPKpCIuBjOyz_kpMclRapXMiBS3xCkKe08iD5saC_yNRyjeEknhQRbLVZRnPFAJHWPxjaTr9n50rHpd0RwXskyXjFs3JrxyJ___Y7ca-0TKCRKEK_zwS_SyyN7F75m7PP5dpwjG14gCWWkVm3YwoGO9MgzU/s640/Prairie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WVTWWhyphenhyphenFDhKfpNKsPOvfdY0jgfBKnVv8XfPKpCIuBjOyz_kpMclRapXMiBS3xCkKe08iD5saC_yNRyjeEknhQRbLVZRnPFAJHWPxjaTr9n50rHpd0RwXskyXjFs3JrxyJ___Y7ca-0TKCRKEK_zwS_SyyN7F75m7PP5dpwjG14gCWWkVm3YwoGO9MgzU/s320/Prairie.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These fours books are known as<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=a+prairie+legacy&qid=" target="_blank"> A Prairie Legacy</a> series by Janette Oke. They continue the Davis family saga with Marty and Clark's granddaughter, Virginia. I happened upon them while browsing for information on the fictional Davis family. Picked these up on eBay for only $10.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's it from my neck of the woods. Looking forward to visiting your blogs and finding out what you are reading and sharing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-83892642272775911302024-02-24T16:36:00.002-05:002024-02-24T16:36:28.260-05:00Listening to on Audible: How to Be Resilient in Your Career by Dr. Helen Ofosu<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9mBjcRmOpEZLCB_aC-Gf4mY-xBT-Ygi5iNirwbU-UcYjQ48CkVAdFfzPGYQXX6lw1sMjpFHDlkEW7aF3lLMUWuQn8-A8nqiD0hxPfe5WbyRTyYxyeFV5yD9CaDk6EQgsp5mpNHSIzHrIJb3WpnaErxW8rD11TG36KL95R9xcRO2EzElCv5Ah3lNOVdo/s750/How-to-be-Resilient-in-Your-Career.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="537" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9mBjcRmOpEZLCB_aC-Gf4mY-xBT-Ygi5iNirwbU-UcYjQ48CkVAdFfzPGYQXX6lw1sMjpFHDlkEW7aF3lLMUWuQn8-A8nqiD0hxPfe5WbyRTyYxyeFV5yD9CaDk6EQgsp5mpNHSIzHrIJb3WpnaErxW8rD11TG36KL95R9xcRO2EzElCv5Ah3lNOVdo/s320/How-to-be-Resilient-in-Your-Career.png" width="229" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
This book shares vital career advice to help professionals navigate common "internally disruptive" career experiences such as harassment and bullying, imposter syndrome, membership in an underrepresented group, toxic workplaces, discrimination, and more.<div><br /></div><div>Dr. Helen Ofosu draws on 20 years of helping employers acquire talent and coaching professionals through difficult career choices to unpack these layered and complicated issues in an easy-to-follow way. Dealing with the dark side of management, the book outlines various issues that can occur in the workplace or during a person’s career journey, and offers practical advice on how to overcome these obstacles and setbacks. Using her considerable HR experience, Dr. Ofosu also offers coveted insights from the employer’s point of view. For people who have already tried other options to resolve their complicated career issues, this book offers an essential guide that equips listeners with a knowledge base to make informed decisions around building and sustaining a thriving and resilient career.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/48zjPV8" target="_blank">How to Be Resilient in Your Career: Facing Up to Barriers at Work</a></i></b> is a reliable resource presented with nuance, depth, and specificity. Psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, and HR professionals who are looking for effective advice when supporting people struggling with these issues will greatly benefit from this book—as will early career professionals and established earners looking to resolve their career issues.</div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-81364269976369971632024-02-20T00:00:00.001-05:002024-02-20T00:00:00.132-05:00Audible Book Review: The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqPJAtksqWyvYqunuJCV4CBGFt0jChY4pS72LAp1UjX4YOXUSMwuLtJniHK94nsDizrDPtFPdvO5IZPrZZneTXagkduomqyjv1Yv3kMZacy-P9mn9eOr0zYiXp8mck3vmIuRfdqv-uEl7UEBl6Pol2ws75RIA24LvSO-xr1snQAzXuOJY7XcdFW9mAa8N/s475/hood.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqPJAtksqWyvYqunuJCV4CBGFt0jChY4pS72LAp1UjX4YOXUSMwuLtJniHK94nsDizrDPtFPdvO5IZPrZZneTXagkduomqyjv1Yv3kMZacy-P9mn9eOr0zYiXp8mck3vmIuRfdqv-uEl7UEBl6Pol2ws75RIA24LvSO-xr1snQAzXuOJY7XcdFW9mAa8N/s320/hood.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you appreciate and enjoy women's fiction filled with complex characters, then you'll want to pick up a copy of <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/49HrKAE" target="_blank">The Knitting Circle</a></i></b> by Ann Hood. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After losing her only child unexpectedly, Mary Baxter joins a knitting circle. Though unsure why she is there, Big Alice, Scarlet, Lulu, Beth, Harriet, and Ellen welcome Mary into their circle, each teaching her a technique. As these women share their talents, they reveal their own stories of love, loss, and hope. While these women's lives become woven together, Mary is finally able to share her own grief journey, which allows her to reclaim the love for her husband, face the hard truths about her difficult relationship with her mother, and find a spark of life again. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Knitting Circle </i>might be one of the most emotional books I have ever read. Drawing from her experience of losing her young daughter unexpectedly, Hood expertly crafts a heartrending story of a woman's grief journey: the roller coaster of emotions, the wanting to feel better while not knowing how, when nothing feels like it can ever be the same again, when happiness feels as distant as where the horizon meets the ocean while standing on the shoreline. Hood portrays well a couple in crisis, facing grief in their own ways, while struggling to stay connected as a couple. She creates complex backstories that cling to the reader's heart and refuse to let go. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Narrator Hillary Huber brought all these characters to life for me as I listened. The sultry, husky voice of Scarlet, the joy and hope of Beth, the hardened perspective of Harriet, and the sincere desire of Mary's mother to reconnect with her daughter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Knitting Circle </i>is not a book I can say I enjoyed. However, I appreciated the masterful storytelling of Hood, the expert narration of Huber, and the glimmer of hope found at the end. The material is tough to read about; maybe even tougher to think about. These characters endured a great deal, which is what makes this such an amazing read. When an author can push every character to their limits and still leave the reader satisfied with the story, she has done a fabulous job. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><p></p><table class="a-keyvalue a-vertical-stripes a-span6" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); border-collapse: collapse; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 22px; width: 716.594px;"><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;"><tr id="detailsListeningLength" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-span1 a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; float: none; font-weight: 400; margin-right: 0px; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 256.984px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Listening Length</span></span></th><td class="a-span2" style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin-right: 0px; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top; width: 459.609px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">9 hours and 50 minutes</span></span></td></tr><tr id="detailsauthor" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Author</span></span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-alias=audible&field-keywords=Ann+Hood&ref=adbl_dp_pd_auth" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #007185; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Ann Hood</span></a></td></tr><tr id="detailsnarrator" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Narrator</span></span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Hillary+Huber&search-alias=audible&ref=adbl_dp_pd_narr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #007185; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Hillary Huber</span></a></td></tr><tr id="detailsWhisperSyncForVoiceReady" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Whispersync for Voice</span></span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span id="aud_product_details" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Ready</span></span></td></tr><tr id="detailsReleaseDate" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Audible.com Release Date</span></span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">March 26, 2007</span></span></td></tr><tr id="detailspublisher" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Publisher</span></span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Blackstone+Audio%2C+Inc.&search-alias=audible&ref=adbl_dp_pd_publ" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #007185; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Blackstone Audio, Inc.</span></a></td></tr><tr id="detailsProgramType" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Program Type</span></span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Audiobook</span></span></td></tr><tr id="detailsVersion" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Version</span></span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Unabridged</span></span></td></tr><tr id="detailsLanguage" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Language</span></span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">English</span></span></td></tr><tr id="detailsAsin" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">ASIN</span></span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">B000OV13RE</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><i>
I grabbed a free copy of this book on Audible. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.</i>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-45759835277003985872024-02-19T06:00:00.000-05:002024-02-19T06:00:00.145-05:00Interview with Anique Sara Taylor, Author of Civil Twilight<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXmGEA6wUk4_xJAR8s6Y2Bnb578tnJ57HWRxCux83Nzij2I32UZ0W2Okids24oh2qechwULOsvaKNOcbxCOndNQOC4jBXYEP4X1VXAHxaswiv0Z1Ayk240yUc5pB2MdG7k-Pgr7rYELcIE3K0ZkV3DObrfIGYeKz2aGpOu1A7T9a-c6CsYUFVY1wPGBh9/s3150/civilAniqueInKnotweed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2096" data-original-width="3150" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXmGEA6wUk4_xJAR8s6Y2Bnb578tnJ57HWRxCux83Nzij2I32UZ0W2Okids24oh2qechwULOsvaKNOcbxCOndNQOC4jBXYEP4X1VXAHxaswiv0Z1Ayk240yUc5pB2MdG7k-Pgr7rYELcIE3K0ZkV3DObrfIGYeKz2aGpOu1A7T9a-c6CsYUFVY1wPGBh9/s320/civilAniqueInKnotweed.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><a href="https://aniquesarataylor.com/" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Anique Sara Taylor</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;">’s book </span><span style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Civil Twilight</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;"> is Blue Light Poetry Prize 2022. </span><span style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Where Space Bends</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;"> was published by Finishing Line Press 2020. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her chapbooks chosen Finalist in 2023 are: </span><span style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">When Black Opalescent Birds Still Circled the Globe</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;"> (Harbor Review’s Inaugural 2023 Jewish Women’s Prize); </span><span style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Feathered Strips of Prayer Before Morning</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;"> (Minerva Rising); </span><span style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cobblestone Mist</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;"> (Long-listed Finalist by Harbor Editions’ Marginalia Series). Earlier Chapbook Finalists: </span><span style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Where Space Bends</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;"> (In earlier chapbook form 2014 by both Minerva Rising & Blue Light Press.) and </span><span style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Under the Ice Moon</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;"> (2015 Blue Light Press). She holds a Poetry MFA (Drew), Diplôme (Sorbonne, Paris), a Drawing MFA & Painting BFA (With Highest Honors / Pratt) and a Master of Divinity degree. Follow her on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/anique.taylor" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Anique_Sara" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">X</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;">, </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/aniquesara/AniqueSara" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Instagram</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;">, </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anique-t-12235b2/Anique%20T" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LinkedIn</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;">, and her </span><a href="https://aniquesarataylor.com/blog-2/" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">blog</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;">. Sign up for </span><a href="https://aniquesarataylor.com/signup-form/" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #0071bb; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">her newsletter</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;">.</span></i></span></p><p></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Where
did you grow up?</b> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>d
think that would be a simple question, but it opens into what could be a
generational novel, or a commentary on social history in America. Here<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
the very short version: Connecticut. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
real answer. I grew up in a town in Connecticut that had something called a <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span lang="DE">Gentlem</span>en<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s Agreement.” There<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
a 1947 Gregory Peck movie about it. It<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s a real estate agreement to prevent
Jews from buying property or living in town. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My
grandparents had moved there from the Lower East Side, New York City in the
early 1900s. Both Yiddish speaking from Russia, they<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>d moved to the town before the town
was restricted. They ran the general store. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout
my school years, I tended to be the only Jewish kid in my class and grade.
Although I was never afraid of being beaten up, never ashamed, and always proud
of my heritage, from an early age I was aware of being different, set apart
from the others. This caused an experience of seeing the world on simultaneous
layers with a slight feeling of dissonance. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What
does this have to do with poetry? In short, I was an outsider. Whether one is
an outsider by history, parentage, experience, or character, it forces us to
question accepted perceptions. We continually experience what the majority
takes for granted, along with other layers only we are aware of. It is often a
creative<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
personal launch into becoming a poet. This questioning, this split vision is a
gift to a poet. It has been for me a precious learning I wouldn<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="IT">t trade.</span> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>When
did you begin writing?</b> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Writing
was an important part of my life from a very early age. But writing, as a
writer developed in different waves of becoming over the years. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
I was a toddler, my Grandma played 78<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s from decades long past. I loved and
memorized lyrics to early pop music. I memorized poems from poetry books that
were read to me. I started writing journals to myself in my head before I
learned how to write. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From
school writing assignments, I still have my first two books written in the
first grade. One is called <i>The Story of the Witch-Ghost. </i>In fourth grade
I remember writing a poem where every stanza finished with <span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span>A
woman<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
work is never done.” I wrote reflections and vignettes, first in notebooks,
then with typewriter through junior high and high school, and a book in letter
form to my parents my first semester away from home. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My
writing continued to weave through NYC years where I collaborated with writer
friends. I participated in readings throughout the East Village. I was active
in St. Mark<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
Poetry Project and studied in year-long courses with Alice Notley and
Bernadette Mayer. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My
personal writing distilled into a deeper commitment later when I took a night
school class at Sarah Lawrence. My teacher there introduced me to Drew
University’s<span lang="NL"> Masters in
Poetry </span>program. The force of the program<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s required study/writing/reading
deepened me in ways I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>d always hoped for but couldn<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>t
find on my own. Its community of exquisite poets and poetic thought tunneled me
into a passion I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>d always searched for. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Though
it was after graduation and later, that commitment to my Morning Practice,
brought growing change and fulfillment. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Why
did you choose short form poems?</b> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although
very long lines were characteristic of my inner voice, I was also experimenting
with merging short phrases from scientific research and personal experience. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
entangling life situations necessitated knowledge of many details, people,
steps that I had to keep track of, I feared issues would always crop up to
interrupt my progress in exploring and finishing creative work. I knew I needed
something. Even though I was a night owl, I set out to experiment with a plan.
I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>d
wake up at 5am and write for three uninterrupted hours, before offices opened
and I had to deal with business details. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This
dark-morning dreamtime work enabled me to spend longer times with a poem, so I
could try to bring it to the best level I could. I followed sparks of interest.
I <span lang="PT">experiment</span>ed.
Possibilities began to form from many directions, as did simultaneous projects.
I began to envision how scattered work could connect into groupings. One became
my first book, <i>Where Space Bends. </i>In long form poems, it follows a year
of aging in an enchanting mountain village, while dealing with symptoms of
long-term Lyme Disease. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While
working on longer poems, I was researching a variety of subjects that sparked
my interest. I explored information on the nature of galaxies, spirochetes,
Jewish holidays, Tarot, biology, geology and seasons, plus the history of Lyme
Disease. Within this exploration, I began to notice nuggets of fascination,
exciting diction, something alive at the bud within short phrases. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
continued to compose short poetic phrases that sometimes rang strange,
sometimes metaphoric, as their outer universe echoed my inner universe. These
collections grew. They filled computer folders over a few years. As I began to
feel the need for culmination, I think the form chose me. A short form
chapbook.</span></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi515OLcAciaGIEUQMnX5MTIsaU0eLBaL8zDnAimCFn0qCouKiNn5JEuvmwAXQVicSSJGMIzeKwgIy-XOeDP7CBTyevqPD95WL-buGLYuHEfbMvIxvMUXKETocgmd7PxEJPAzzAeRMb3uN0EVG_kddJ5S7xnX7hUdYyPfZ6cL66f7VZC9yfiQg5P0HviXW0/s2983/CivilTwilightCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2983" data-original-width="2071" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi515OLcAciaGIEUQMnX5MTIsaU0eLBaL8zDnAimCFn0qCouKiNn5JEuvmwAXQVicSSJGMIzeKwgIy-XOeDP7CBTyevqPD95WL-buGLYuHEfbMvIxvMUXKETocgmd7PxEJPAzzAeRMb3uN0EVG_kddJ5S7xnX7hUdYyPfZ6cL66f7VZC9yfiQg5P0HviXW0/s320/CivilTwilightCover.jpg" width="222" /></a></b></div><b> </b><p></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What
inspired you to write it?</b> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
continual need to create is at the center of almost all of my work. As I worked
in the ways I described, two feelings converged. One, the outer business
requirements felt like they were pulling me away from my necessary center. I
felt I was losing myself. Two, semi-finished work was piling up. I questioned
whether I could use my experimental pieces to deepen into a finished whole. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite
the life pull of family, health, business, houses or things that separate me
from a place and time aside, a dream-time quality was necessary for me to
write. And I needed a project to carry me through. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
needed to experiment with something new, even though I didn<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>t
know if it would work. With that I set a project goal with real-life deadlines.
A chapbook. A thirty-page book. I turned to my folders of metaphorical phrases,
short lines and personal work. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While
researching I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>d
been working on a non-fiction book. I discovered civil twilight was a specific
time designation. It was also the time of day my father had died swimming in
the Caribbean. Combining several numerical landmarks of people in my life, my
father<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
death and the poetic time of day, I created the form. Thirty poems, thirty
words, five lines each, with my father<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s ghost weaving through the book, also
as a metaphor for other losses in my life. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>d
never attempted a short-form project before. I hoped the challenge would carry
me through a complicated time, without knowing if I could create within it work
that would satisfy the poetic elements I desired. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Was
it possible for me to work within so tight a form? Within the thirty words, I
wanted imagistic nouns and metaphors that could push both meaning and
abstraction. I wanted surprise within a dream quality, assonance and
alliteration that could push poetic diction. I wanted the rhythm of the long
line.<b><o:p> </o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What
is this book about?</b> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Though
meaning can be the moving force of a poem, poetry is often about the use of
language to find ways to create surprise and delight. To create bright strands
of diction that stand on their own apart from meaning, with words as our<span lang="IT"> palette</span>. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
this book even with the challenge of cutting extraneous words, I was courting
the sprawl of the long line. The use of strong images to create metaphors that
could juxtapose the surreal and dream-like to the concrete. Metaphors to
crystalize illusive emotions into musicality within the short phrase. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
wanted to delve into emotions dealing with caution, risk, the ephemeral nature
of our lives, but also the sharp edge of beauty. Some themes that lace through
are mountains, rivers, wildlife, grief, loss, celebration, the fleeting nature
of outer seasons juxtaposed to our inner seasons, the macrocosm and the
microcosm, finding our own path, what haunts us, and what we continue to haunt.<b><o:p> </o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How
is it similar to other books in its genre? How is it different?</b> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There
are many short forms of poetry. Haiku. Tanka, Cinquain, Triolet, Sijo are some
of the smallest. Monostiches are a forcefully poetic one line that has the
scope of a full poem. Along with slightly longer poems like the sonnet or the
villanelle, there are hundreds of classical forms. And there are more recent
forms, along with countless forms being invented by poets even as you<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>re
reading this. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Micro-poetry
is being created to work within the various constraints of different <span lang="PT">social media platforms. It</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s often accompanied by wonderful new
and older acronyms, OMG like FOMO, GIF, PIN, and every sort of new invented
word. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many
forms count syllables. Many call for strict meter, rhythm, or line repetition
patterns. A form often contains a puzzle which can soften the process when
writing about painful subjects. The music of rhyme and repetition uses sound to
enhance the magic. There is so much beautiful work that<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s been done in form. If you search for
lists of forms or by individual name, you will find endless poems and books
with examples. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But.
There is danger in writing in forms, especially in early stages of developing
as a writer. Adhering to syllable counts, rhythms and especially end rhymes,
often forces a writer to sacrifice imagery, metaphor, irony, paradox or other
meaningfully deepening tools in order to serve the beat or the end rhyme. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Civil
Twilight</i><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><i><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span></i>s five-line, thirty-word quintains
were my own personal challenge. But I vowed I would not pursue it if I felt the
form hindered the magic, instead of deepening it.<b><o:p> </o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What
is the most important thing readers can learn from your book?</b><b><o:p> </o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There
is always something below the surface. There is something complicated within
the simple. Music in grief, life can unfold in ways we never expected. Even
though we may be surprised to learn that control is an illusion, it is
important to keep moving forward. To tend what we love. To sense exquisiteness
within all that is around us. To know ephemeral magic is always unfolding. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Where
can readers purchase a copy?</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3OQ4FUt" target="_blank">Amazon</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/civil-twilight-anique-sara-taylor/1143433146" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For
a signed copy, please visit the contact page of my <a href="https://aniquesarataylor.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. Include your name,
snail mail address, and PayPal email. I will send a $15. request, then mail you
a copy. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What
is up next for you?</b> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My
daily Morning Practice is always at the core of my work. As a creative person,
it keeps me connected to the center. I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>ve finished (again) <i>Feathered
Strips of Prayer Before Morning</i>, which has been chosen Finalist by Minerva
Rising and Harbor Review Press, in different early forms. A chapbook of thirty
pages, each poem is a prose poem and has seventy-seven words. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although
it is a finished piece, I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span><span lang="PT">m plan</span>ning
to use some of it toward a full-length book that incorporates other sections in
different, individual forms. After having just finished the chapbook, I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>m
working on individual poems that are much longer and don<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>t have specific forms. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span lang="IT">Cobblestone Mist, </span></i>a finished full-length
book, is being sent out to look for a home. Its poems center around a poet and
children<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s
performer on NYC<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>s Lower East Side in the 1980s, who is
trying to find her way and her creative center amidst frightening symptoms of
an invisible chronic illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>m
very involved with events. I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>m hoping to perform a piece on bears
and living in the mountains, for March Monologue Madness. I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>ll
be appearing with a wonderful group at The Poetry Barn for a performance from a
workshop on From Page to Stage. Community is so important.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>’</span>m
preparing to have teaching-point essays to send out from my Newsletter. All of
these will be listed on my website and in newsletters and social media. Those
interested can sign up at my website, <a href="http://AniqueSaraTaylor.com">AniqueSaraTaylor.com</a><a href="https://aniquesarataylor.com" target="_blank"> </a></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Is
there anything you would like to add?</b> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Though
we need to be individualists who follow our own path for our creative process,
learning from others is also powerful. It is important to always continue
learning from books, classes, workshops, and community groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
<span lang="IT">co</span>nsider
self-care a necessary part of being in the best place to work on my writing.
Because of a history of chronic illness, I became a life coach specializing in
creativity and natural health. For creatives in this society, it is important
to learn what is necessary for us to be in what I call the Good Zone. Whatever
is in our lives, something always seems to come up to pull us away from our
work, therefore the concept of being<span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span> “</span>in
training” for the Good Zone has been a huge support for me. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For
me self-care involves a clean, high-nutrition diet, exercise, QiGong, Yoga,
meditation and a community of creative friends, which are all at the core of
maintaining a place in the Good Zone. This is where I create the best. I find
that health inspires inspiration, and inspiration inspires health. </span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For
me, these are all a part of the brocade of a creative practice.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Take
heart. Sometimes it requires persistence, resilience and faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Follow
what you love. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Purpose
is a tonic.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="Default" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjUPc3-ixhyphenhyphenyxtlMUbV228VDdVbEu3LCjX5tcu1VAXhxfhkeR1ro5LbPNsspRlMvA_kvst_EdF5fCrbokkjbskCOyv9brx3jKjM0BXOD47AHMGm9Sb3nBG8C1UjHFwHnFKyCg6rhpnG9_SreeSVP2hCd7j3WbQ7vbAI71QjZHv2aQLKTZtifMQpMAd6ZJ/s369/PoeticButton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="369" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjUPc3-ixhyphenhyphenyxtlMUbV228VDdVbEu3LCjX5tcu1VAXhxfhkeR1ro5LbPNsspRlMvA_kvst_EdF5fCrbokkjbskCOyv9brx3jKjM0BXOD47AHMGm9Sb3nBG8C1UjHFwHnFKyCg6rhpnG9_SreeSVP2hCd7j3WbQ7vbAI71QjZHv2aQLKTZtifMQpMAd6ZJ/s320/PoeticButton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e;"></span></i></span><p></p>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-87733655088741051132024-02-19T00:00:00.030-05:002024-02-19T00:00:00.149-05:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Feb 19<p>Welcome to <b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> and <b>Mailbox Monday. </b></p><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from <a href="https://bookjourney.net/" target="_blank">Book Journey</a>. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Welcome back to Monday! Hope you had a great week. Here are a few pictures from my week, which included a real estate event, lots of good food, and animal antics.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_kqLC9pyMiqurr9scfydp9y4SBLx2D7j_0Z-l3jkAXcqDxq2hNjS7KVxfcZWyMYfX32bXYk9rwxDYi7tmnLxJmO07hTa4D0ChpR4JrdHQtUg2T4jrGZrxC-OTwvy_O3hIfB-2LyJmDrMVsUCcyqvVG0zLkyMDipvZCln7_s3N-UnBzqOd35mWs94yf3J/s640/photo%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_kqLC9pyMiqurr9scfydp9y4SBLx2D7j_0Z-l3jkAXcqDxq2hNjS7KVxfcZWyMYfX32bXYk9rwxDYi7tmnLxJmO07hTa4D0ChpR4JrdHQtUg2T4jrGZrxC-OTwvy_O3hIfB-2LyJmDrMVsUCcyqvVG0zLkyMDipvZCln7_s3N-UnBzqOd35mWs94yf3J/s320/photo%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Saw some friends at awards night. Took home the Gold for my sales and service. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVoNlHWYnad0YrRPLRxj8kjbq0_W0QMyDrqs3rK1ro0tttIPNouyCcnZG4Ueb7_OUyab4KIMXbz18huvmGrNvcrEw7mgpC3vWaHbBRtVkbXXNRaKnLADZNVdJ2JAI7XNZENvcMJZftpHoJ8-6Yzf8kfEOh8OnNWxiaSicBDJ5zlJmU1LalRyZFuxtGoU4/s640/photo%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVoNlHWYnad0YrRPLRxj8kjbq0_W0QMyDrqs3rK1ro0tttIPNouyCcnZG4Ueb7_OUyab4KIMXbz18huvmGrNvcrEw7mgpC3vWaHbBRtVkbXXNRaKnLADZNVdJ2JAI7XNZENvcMJZftpHoJ8-6Yzf8kfEOh8OnNWxiaSicBDJ5zlJmU1LalRyZFuxtGoU4/s320/photo%202.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Made a slow cooker picadillo for the family.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNNdC0Zf7HKDazx25Pyzla2qob30yLOFsKRU5x6boFpkPxxPHk2LQz6xraEPcWjnel6EgAj7D569LB0_N411Yl1cCPFHBtDWm7cEmhRQJcIM0yBNgMNKIhc_9Y1MARM3uExlBDXjZFFeFLxnr0WH5WdXW-oW_-clavpAsP4XM7nTfduyrExs_CcCd8-dD/s640/photo%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNNdC0Zf7HKDazx25Pyzla2qob30yLOFsKRU5x6boFpkPxxPHk2LQz6xraEPcWjnel6EgAj7D569LB0_N411Yl1cCPFHBtDWm7cEmhRQJcIM0yBNgMNKIhc_9Y1MARM3uExlBDXjZFFeFLxnr0WH5WdXW-oW_-clavpAsP4XM7nTfduyrExs_CcCd8-dD/s320/photo%203.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gift from a friend.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDTMWPXHizoyvSvzqQWM0DYuvwSDE1DA7Xes0hHU3dnEyW2voZQArx9nbSRjDk-VyHb5Iy8BkNcnDJ9hg8ybkm_xk9A-DoUyBmBWm7hOiFiPlOP8VYze5rwfd4tDpD5KxZxttVeLm9T2jJUCmO8oHiE29YnCXPKNWYY-zkHrGOnEMkf1zDdOtqmTbOkQ-/s640/photo%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDTMWPXHizoyvSvzqQWM0DYuvwSDE1DA7Xes0hHU3dnEyW2voZQArx9nbSRjDk-VyHb5Iy8BkNcnDJ9hg8ybkm_xk9A-DoUyBmBWm7hOiFiPlOP8VYze5rwfd4tDpD5KxZxttVeLm9T2jJUCmO8oHiE29YnCXPKNWYY-zkHrGOnEMkf1zDdOtqmTbOkQ-/s320/photo%204.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Theo is a Lamb Chop fan.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7Q01mKev1NEbbirPTaYblKsUINzKb5zYT4HMgEl7w5dLhEiGliwSQjZHJuD_ippd4lHu17xOL54KoE1DbFZd-eveHef4AJ9_2Sowa6x389aV_KKGEOJnp_EW1ibF0uRb0E39PL9ZHS6xA0v-y5xh7NUOrvaOkr0arjrSpMklrbQR3QMa76Qfbjl83NLJ/s640/photo%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7Q01mKev1NEbbirPTaYblKsUINzKb5zYT4HMgEl7w5dLhEiGliwSQjZHJuD_ippd4lHu17xOL54KoE1DbFZd-eveHef4AJ9_2Sowa6x389aV_KKGEOJnp_EW1ibF0uRb0E39PL9ZHS6xA0v-y5xh7NUOrvaOkr0arjrSpMklrbQR3QMa76Qfbjl83NLJ/s320/photo%205.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Can't open a closet around here. Do you see Travis' eyes?</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQtwYWVnYxz3zI4vbxRPOAZrJ_ipggPQ08-8_gy-pBnQL0nrvLfPMkwzm0QQJ89Dp78032BvmxhmQMApdZCDgMWhDd0VW2OmJuq9K0Q9RqKicjiUhZeroinJ_Ikm8iFelG-GJZfYKeIbUZvYwiJjomW_FXCMEhs1m0n9r7aVo6Ytqnes-quI_L_P4EEYn/s640/photo%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQtwYWVnYxz3zI4vbxRPOAZrJ_ipggPQ08-8_gy-pBnQL0nrvLfPMkwzm0QQJ89Dp78032BvmxhmQMApdZCDgMWhDd0VW2OmJuq9K0Q9RqKicjiUhZeroinJ_Ikm8iFelG-GJZfYKeIbUZvYwiJjomW_FXCMEhs1m0n9r7aVo6Ytqnes-quI_L_P4EEYn/s320/photo%206.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dwight wasn't fast enough to get away from the Lil' Diva.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For Lent, I am reading this book and two other devotionals. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVqocPPW653wSuigZvcDBwiZMIA9rcOGdVUqG0sdjQ4vs0ZMglTSgNLTR6KNHZ_Edpk0Ei0N-zlzUzYxia24yqJclS8uoVTpeqHWgd5LerfKAd0BqK6gaZ7cbqb7joi9zGElkBekBERAuD7XXRRBc4YgkJHPK60St7so_-wcDT3jHaIaMzmnbaYNG_dxB/s2560/God.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1696" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVqocPPW653wSuigZvcDBwiZMIA9rcOGdVUqG0sdjQ4vs0ZMglTSgNLTR6KNHZ_Edpk0Ei0N-zlzUzYxia24yqJclS8uoVTpeqHWgd5LerfKAd0BqK6gaZ7cbqb7joi9zGElkBekBERAuD7XXRRBc4YgkJHPK60St7so_-wcDT3jHaIaMzmnbaYNG_dxB/s320/God.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started the next book in the Love Comes Softly series on Saturday because I can read it when I'm in the tub. All the others are e-books, and that might not end well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_ywge6HIMmeLy_14pNh5aessv6LhobiTQm3oNCUfgI7zJ2_oDQhsp1ZVZHZQH6jz554-CEM8pp0vS0TNdojJyJQviD7AIUnT20TANun4imyeXGETT_OQtbZ_wC2ORuqkFFfCoB-l1TJ9QYrZ0_Mwgjaydxk1FCE48XY2nTD0gipvR3dPlNy227CT-rTL/s2410/joy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2410" data-original-width="1570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_ywge6HIMmeLy_14pNh5aessv6LhobiTQm3oNCUfgI7zJ2_oDQhsp1ZVZHZQH6jz554-CEM8pp0vS0TNdojJyJQviD7AIUnT20TANun4imyeXGETT_OQtbZ_wC2ORuqkFFfCoB-l1TJ9QYrZ0_Mwgjaydxk1FCE48XY2nTD0gipvR3dPlNy227CT-rTL/s320/joy.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am also reading this one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxuSvnd3yKbp8LJQlL_W1oJ6V2VltaYrI4wjN88c8vYcyU5hsQagEEq1QjSeTBnMKgzmdhmnBjgXZttDBwJDUJEIURwb-PAVFvF_oIlXWF3gTOntcTsqAiBcopjmCgWwdGJETIWcuK6AtulHN6Snp3zyPa9KsUg4xw0z8PEXUVTogJQ49kOHCZip3LKvV/s400/LH%20Hacks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxuSvnd3yKbp8LJQlL_W1oJ6V2VltaYrI4wjN88c8vYcyU5hsQagEEq1QjSeTBnMKgzmdhmnBjgXZttDBwJDUJEIURwb-PAVFvF_oIlXWF3gTOntcTsqAiBcopjmCgWwdGJETIWcuK6AtulHN6Snp3zyPa9KsUg4xw0z8PEXUVTogJQ49kOHCZip3LKvV/s320/LH%20Hacks.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished this one yesterday. This is the <a href="https://www.modernprairie.com" target="_blank">Prairie Pages Book Club</a> selection for March. A well-written novel, it is an emotional read. Look for my review soon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmecd2HUYeFYyje87awJqWXCUvSYb2UQdf3vHM7Z-MvOVMVjIHtCCx1Okwuw_WBt2fEKiYCwLrYMuPzecQdoby4dyCTczZpwha8h3NSV1GxJOimI2RD_qdUYX1l79_htqZWDVgRRmhMlCmPS4sgwgs9LZWmToQdUCCFlbXjX_s_2JiR1cmHxy0lYpbB5d/s475/hood.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmecd2HUYeFYyje87awJqWXCUvSYb2UQdf3vHM7Z-MvOVMVjIHtCCx1Okwuw_WBt2fEKiYCwLrYMuPzecQdoby4dyCTczZpwha8h3NSV1GxJOimI2RD_qdUYX1l79_htqZWDVgRRmhMlCmPS4sgwgs9LZWmToQdUCCFlbXjX_s_2JiR1cmHxy0lYpbB5d/s320/hood.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next are these three. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s500/calamity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s320/calamity.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7_NVQUj9Sokoh_g03lY2UVLIOm8USOJomTU0kH61v9M3A6FN8OBxpB03NAxB0xecpl4YoqTgpmtNmVuareGM2AT2f_eF2-njs93hIre1W9TmHSbIi1e9oLvev0DwglOjENxzrurW98JY32Ky-uehk8dFxVMWybVYKOJ6oUX46hm0l1hu9Whwwx3NAjq9/s2250/mind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7_NVQUj9Sokoh_g03lY2UVLIOm8USOJomTU0kH61v9M3A6FN8OBxpB03NAxB0xecpl4YoqTgpmtNmVuareGM2AT2f_eF2-njs93hIre1W9TmHSbIi1e9oLvev0DwglOjENxzrurW98JY32Ky-uehk8dFxVMWybVYKOJ6oUX46hm0l1hu9Whwwx3NAjq9/s320/mind.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEoXAvw-m3Q6YlDZUJh6bBhJokhurCayB15Mc29DUbrXEi_wXwJB_DhxPxPUKx5T4AakVb0r1dHoo3D5sWKeouImIUHngoDygnZr7zGzz9oynzp4aoCoW0GtlFJWuWy1e8rvBLJUBQZrMRPvfCzS-qa_enxK0CCl7Mw-aiLA8CnpHaRRjyBzlCLC1d_fC/s400/faith.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEoXAvw-m3Q6YlDZUJh6bBhJokhurCayB15Mc29DUbrXEi_wXwJB_DhxPxPUKx5T4AakVb0r1dHoo3D5sWKeouImIUHngoDygnZr7zGzz9oynzp4aoCoW0GtlFJWuWy1e8rvBLJUBQZrMRPvfCzS-qa_enxK0CCl7Mw-aiLA8CnpHaRRjyBzlCLC1d_fC/s320/faith.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">Upcoming virtual book tours:</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Civil Twilight </i>by Anique Taylor - Feb 19 (interview)</li><li><i>Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories</i> by Elizabeth Bruce - Mar 12 (interview)</li><li><i>It Will Have Been So Beautiful </i>by Amanda Shaw - Apr 25 (review) </li><li><i>My Career Journal </i>by CareerTuners - May 1 (review) </li><li><i>Be Resilient in Your Career </i>by Dr. Helen Ofosu - May 16 (review)</li></ul><div>At <b>Christmas Year Round</b>, I shared some of the Christmas fiction in my TBR Pile. You can see that list <a href="https://christmasyearroundccm.blogspot.com/2024/02/christmas-fiction-in-my-tbr-pile.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><br /><div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszdftsLcoW8m93KnfOTel4xxWuXhNpn6MXiTDybuD97GMPa51XE7zAF2XXN3zyNA7N-GA4mBSlkbZXYESQUmuPiOtycXyOvK86t9fulaisCc_63lQ9Rs3GQaBIAnzXT1p2kHpCkSjnRLbKjbxQMqmM6tgQ1P5GPj95a6Ub1B7oWsdcrEuxIk6YTyJad3N/s354/winter%20mailbox%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszdftsLcoW8m93KnfOTel4xxWuXhNpn6MXiTDybuD97GMPa51XE7zAF2XXN3zyNA7N-GA4mBSlkbZXYESQUmuPiOtycXyOvK86t9fulaisCc_63lQ9Rs3GQaBIAnzXT1p2kHpCkSjnRLbKjbxQMqmM6tgQ1P5GPj95a6Ub1B7oWsdcrEuxIk6YTyJad3N/s320/winter%20mailbox%203.jpg" width="203" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Mailbox Monday</a><span style="text-align: left;"> is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nothing new this week. I needed to stop the book-buying binge, and I haven't made it to the library lately. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking forward to visiting your blogs today. </div></div></div></div></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-62253394198729889102024-02-15T02:00:00.001-05:002024-02-15T02:00:00.246-05:00Blurb Blitz & Giveaway: The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor by Charlene Bell Dietz<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifM6oiV9XaUoGkgt7J6VH7WxHjm8R9iCbimAMsdKxItHjMKgf73vvdc9hA1P8cbiufQM8cGTJg3IssfqhkLNSTdTblRxTYip8v5ApZvvjUZ3IYHZQI7DH1OOA4ad8hKQ9q3Ikf3Ws4Td75B2Uw19AiozdCcBS0jMVm47296i2Lx-0wQqRX9xoDiWununHY/s2700/the%20Spinster%20RebelGovernor2ndEd%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifM6oiV9XaUoGkgt7J6VH7WxHjm8R9iCbimAMsdKxItHjMKgf73vvdc9hA1P8cbiufQM8cGTJg3IssfqhkLNSTdTblRxTYip8v5ApZvvjUZ3IYHZQI7DH1OOA4ad8hKQ9q3Ikf3Ws4Td75B2Uw19AiozdCcBS0jMVm47296i2Lx-0wQqRX9xoDiWununHY/s320/the%20Spinster%20RebelGovernor2ndEd%20cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>
Move over Susan B. Anthony. There’s an unsung woman asking for the vote 224 years before you, and murderous rebels and bigoted gentlemen can’t prevent spinster Lady Margaret Brent from wielding her power to defend Maryland settlers from plunder and obliteration.<div><br /></div><div>Lady Margaret Brent, compelled to right wrongs, risks her life by illegally educating English women, placing her family at risk. She fights to have a voice, yet her father and brothers exclude her from discussions. Worried the kings’ men may know of her illegal activities, she flees to the New World where she can enjoy religious tolerance and own land, believing she will be allowed a voice. Once in Maryland, she presents cases in provincial court where she’s hired as the first American woman attorney, but there she uncovers perilous actions, prompting her to build a fort to shield those within from being murdered. Can Margaret Brent’s integrity and ingenuity protect Maryland from being destroyed?
</div><div><br /></div><div><b>EXCERPT</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Their cousin Cecil, the second Lord Baltimore, addressed the
men. “I’ve spoken of colonization before. You’ve listened politely, but your
loyalties remain with your king and England. I understand, as do mine.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Then you’ve no need to speak more of this.” Edward said. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“But I do.” Cecil narrowed his eyes. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Richard said, “You forgot something rather important, my
friend.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cecil hesitated. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You must consider the king’s act that restrains the
popishly bred from going beyond the seas and the punishments for those who
assist.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Giles looked up from the map. “Popish—the hell. King Charles
can’t even bring himself to say Catholic.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Silly. Everyone but those of us who are says ‘popish.’”
Margaret now waited for her father to reprimand her, but he said nothing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“A serious point, my friend. Dangerous times, indeed,” said
Cecil. “King Charles’s wrath increases and will come down on those who refuse
to conform to the Church of England.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fulke shut his eyes a moment before saying, “You’re a kind
gentleman, sir. But if you pursue this, you will certainly lose everything you
and your father have acquired. Even your mentioning this to us puts you in
jeopardy.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Every second of every day puts us all in jeopardy. Today
and the weeks forward, your family may suffer destruction beyond your
imagination.” He took several paces then stopped and studied each of the men.
“Please, friends, decide to take my offer. It takes time and special
negotiations to arrange a safe passage for you. Remember, a most disagreeable
mood has overtaken England concerning passengers who refuse to take the oath of
allegiance and acknowledge the king’s supremacy. We need to be clever so as not
to be entrapped.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A tap on the door stopped the conversation. Mary glanced at
her father, then rose, and opened it. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pursell stood waiting to be acknowledged. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes?” said Richard. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sir, supper will be served within the hour, and also
there’s a man at the back door. He’s asked to speak with you.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Cecil, good friend,
will you join us in a late supper?” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s past time for me to be on my way to Ilmington. Please
consider what we’ve discussed. I’ll send word where we may engage in a private
meeting.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Pursell,” Richard said, “have Dary see Lord Calvert’s
carriage and horse are brought forth.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lord Calvert strode to the table. He placed with great care
what must have been his cherished map on top and slid the stack into a
burgundy, embossed leather folio. Gathering his cape and hat and in good cheer,
bowed his farewell. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her father squinted at his servant. “Tell me, what brings
this fellow to our door at this hour?” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“He says his name is John Coates, sir. It seems a young girl
saw Lady Margaret talking with his son earlier this afternoon. His son has gone
missing, and the sheriff has found a dead man.”</span></p></blockquote><p><b>Purchase from: </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://apbooks.net/srg.html">http://apbooks.net/srg.html</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w2OHnTeTf2IFwhz7O0apiWDl1ZjEySoBkn1dRBRy2tXIZoEas4T-NLv1TSt6dSB1EZlx3CUQtbiVEKcWK7eKWoEvR5e5PkHIibaBJ_O8gDaSlzOmMRsdPFqF7UkoRbOhvf-aaot6Chm5tMnqZoBo3O50ghRpzEraZ3Z1mLdp8XujigMxJ3AfJYuh_cqT/s2121/The%20Spinster%20author.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2121" data-original-width="1740" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w2OHnTeTf2IFwhz7O0apiWDl1ZjEySoBkn1dRBRy2tXIZoEas4T-NLv1TSt6dSB1EZlx3CUQtbiVEKcWK7eKWoEvR5e5PkHIibaBJ_O8gDaSlzOmMRsdPFqF7UkoRbOhvf-aaot6Chm5tMnqZoBo3O50ghRpzEraZ3Z1mLdp8XujigMxJ3AfJYuh_cqT/s320/The%20Spinster%20author.jpg" width="263" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><b></b></div><i>
Charlene Bell Dietz lives in the central mountains of New Mexico. She taught kindergarten through high school, served as a school administrator, and an adjunct instructor for the College of Santa Fe. After retirement she traveled the United States providing instruction for school staff and administrators. Her writing includes published articles, children’s stories, short stories, and mystery and historical novels.</i><div><br /></div><div>Email: chardietzpen@gmail.com</div><div>Website: <a href="https://inkydancestudios.com">https://inkydancestudios.com</a> </div><div>Char Bell Dietz @CharBellDietz </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Charlene Bell Dietz will award a randomly chosen</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">winner </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">a $25 Amazon/BN gift card</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f4821" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4821/" id="rcwidget_zih3ubfv" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVfj-PDOcEFcz6IYj9ZMVdrkPd-l1hyphenhyphenjUrg5s1-owJRQ-APC1iHj7PPY7aMa3rS7OV7W66q8q1ln5CRwjNmqmCupuAAaFLSqJG-p6jlnPp0VEgAsl-Pd9BFZZRc1Q149e5QuseebJF0DkJ9Scp4A0CmfbZBtOouE1TSEEQEudQtkQMGdX1lvQVc5YB-c7/s1200/The%20Spinster,%20the%20Rebel,%20the%20Governor%20banner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVfj-PDOcEFcz6IYj9ZMVdrkPd-l1hyphenhyphenjUrg5s1-owJRQ-APC1iHj7PPY7aMa3rS7OV7W66q8q1ln5CRwjNmqmCupuAAaFLSqJG-p6jlnPp0VEgAsl-Pd9BFZZRc1Q149e5QuseebJF0DkJ9Scp4A0CmfbZBtOouE1TSEEQEudQtkQMGdX1lvQVc5YB-c7/s320/The%20Spinster,%20the%20Rebel,%20the%20Governor%20banner.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-25698054775025746142024-02-13T00:00:00.002-05:002024-02-14T21:25:11.300-05:00Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Romantic Comedies With Over 1,000 Reviews That I've Never Read<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMnYd9cMjLGUc1ZIL5zQm1ONl8IVUISQMWfP5sIQHvyQKK0dI-F-zc6cQbajjf1VZtJqXIbU8GVO0j2yuOt-hCVP2fjciQ_mDh1B7f1qGIFGJLVO4E5ianMTJ1XfE__h62bbYT4KoonxYKffNrFp3mOofy6qBcU-CQpGw1-S12UNQcqhaNVyPXPsmcA/s768/New%20TTT.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="768" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMnYd9cMjLGUc1ZIL5zQm1ONl8IVUISQMWfP5sIQHvyQKK0dI-F-zc6cQbajjf1VZtJqXIbU8GVO0j2yuOt-hCVP2fjciQ_mDh1B7f1qGIFGJLVO4E5ianMTJ1XfE__h62bbYT4KoonxYKffNrFp3mOofy6qBcU-CQpGw1-S12UNQcqhaNVyPXPsmcA/s320/New%20TTT.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Top Ten Tuesday</b> was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a> in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome back to Tuesday! It's a snowy one here. I expected a love freebie this week for <b>Top Ten Tuesday</b>, so I was prepared early. Gasp! Try not to be too shocked. Keeping in mind I'm not overly creative, this week I will share some romantic comedies I've never read, despite their popularity. It's possible I'll give them a chance in the future, but they haven't made it into my TBR Pile yet.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>Top Ten Romantic Comedies With </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>Over 1,000 Reviews That I've Never Read</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #cc0000; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSO_WflwJT4JfxeCy5vtl38op3p_n0_oceBh8PxmEU7Jjc2Zpi5RWsY2N9LNlWYAaamydMrq_xrJvQiwaTetAR2XFM0aazsxX4lGJroXTwCFaIKgOW9J8bMGvVeEFIncQH6acDYfJjKN8bc2wZH4biebGPvQm5KedHQt9y3tNtSmkwf0NGJLAulrC3tIU/s2700/Book%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSO_WflwJT4JfxeCy5vtl38op3p_n0_oceBh8PxmEU7Jjc2Zpi5RWsY2N9LNlWYAaamydMrq_xrJvQiwaTetAR2XFM0aazsxX4lGJroXTwCFaIKgOW9J8bMGvVeEFIncQH6acDYfJjKN8bc2wZH4biebGPvQm5KedHQt9y3tNtSmkwf0NGJLAulrC3tIU/s320/Book%201.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #cc0000; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I should get a pass with this one because it just came out at the end of last year. Little known secret: I used to be a hockey mom and, through I rarely read them, I love sports romances. I will probably read this at some point.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfB-6iElquU1SB0N8QY7T5neIz_putfCiwLDP_Q7X5eVV_ZWiAnCFwgCJfhvf0KnapKrtb2a2AVfd0qdwZnlLY8dJIC3L1DxIkx2wQvuOZnTiNuKNX-jX6XxPtUmR-22ZYe6nG3EZhKtPnv_wp-B7b5yyzKqn1lBL3IkTQScXUaCNRwY1Ep6K0cvNzK0t/s2000/book%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1287" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfB-6iElquU1SB0N8QY7T5neIz_putfCiwLDP_Q7X5eVV_ZWiAnCFwgCJfhvf0KnapKrtb2a2AVfd0qdwZnlLY8dJIC3L1DxIkx2wQvuOZnTiNuKNX-jX6XxPtUmR-22ZYe6nG3EZhKtPnv_wp-B7b5yyzKqn1lBL3IkTQScXUaCNRwY1Ep6K0cvNzK0t/s320/book%202.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This fresh take on <i>When Harry Met Sally </i>probably won't ever hit the TBR Pile. I haven't even seen <i>When Harry Met Sally</i>, but I know the plot. This book is a called a steamy enemies to lovers romance, which doesn't entice me at all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHq9t33zYDTUi0Cs1uRKFTAgyRJMp0V3ULXHKDXgVG7H7s6IURViijMuGV6vHdVj6H9bmAhimk4jiGApXmzBB_058EvsvJTwx982BnB6IDSqDpw_lKYwo-t58BL5JDdjtKkPuoUfIgId6Fn5NQBEfeBCf2PhmjBMBOeqCnuv410hbliotI8R-m4DMyLaJp/s1368/book%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHq9t33zYDTUi0Cs1uRKFTAgyRJMp0V3ULXHKDXgVG7H7s6IURViijMuGV6vHdVj6H9bmAhimk4jiGApXmzBB_058EvsvJTwx982BnB6IDSqDpw_lKYwo-t58BL5JDdjtKkPuoUfIgId6Fn5NQBEfeBCf2PhmjBMBOeqCnuv410hbliotI8R-m4DMyLaJp/s320/book%203.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is one that might weave it's way into the TBR Pile. The like the twist on this trope with the female lead character as the bodyguard. Hannah Brooks is protecting Hollywood heartthrob Jack Stapleton from a stalker. When Jack needs to go home because of a family emergency, they pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend so nobody knows about his stalker. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-J_sQP2SnQy-YFZBlGi2rsVUt09vSuo-VhNCtTNwhbMMy_qgjQIUZXVEnkm_9SgfMPxA7JliDSXzb5sckTPsy9swv82_J8QAT6uDJcubLnq6ZiNbjx0OoGXQ_zzt6fOEIS2TgSjK4qLNFFyMbXKhfMc_BGI1G3Qb6AXFb1YaRBWcV-G0OlJ_kEI8Ryoie/s2100/book%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-J_sQP2SnQy-YFZBlGi2rsVUt09vSuo-VhNCtTNwhbMMy_qgjQIUZXVEnkm_9SgfMPxA7JliDSXzb5sckTPsy9swv82_J8QAT6uDJcubLnq6ZiNbjx0OoGXQ_zzt6fOEIS2TgSjK4qLNFFyMbXKhfMc_BGI1G3Qb6AXFb1YaRBWcV-G0OlJ_kEI8Ryoie/s320/book%204.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This will probably put me in some minority of readers, but misunderstood rich boy romances aren't my favorite; well unless they are rakes. In this novel, Henry Locke's mom wills her fortune to her dog, Smuckers. Vicky, who had agreed to take care of Smuckers after his owner dies, had no idea the pooch would inherit the woman's estate, which puts Henry and Vicky immediately at odds. We've also already discussed my dislike of enemies turned lovers stories. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0pJltcy4sviNlo0_RuBg50xNUMeqXCK_7NBVSuXb1eUlifKYqX-cckd0ly2uagpRqGcCP592iI8zp4mkxM1To_I4AxHFJbuxP3SQueDdeyGjZIfHEEe-i3o-PXaBX6TiAFexkSbbkKQRI1O-HQvDdHSL5GCudTHSz8MVhdA6YR4gRVA7ZVska8ALJsk-/s2475/book%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0pJltcy4sviNlo0_RuBg50xNUMeqXCK_7NBVSuXb1eUlifKYqX-cckd0ly2uagpRqGcCP592iI8zp4mkxM1To_I4AxHFJbuxP3SQueDdeyGjZIfHEEe-i3o-PXaBX6TiAFexkSbbkKQRI1O-HQvDdHSL5GCudTHSz8MVhdA6YR4gRVA7ZVska8ALJsk-/s320/book%205.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I recall wanting to read this book when it came out. I'm going to guess I skipped over how the male lead is kind of a jerk. It seems like fake romance is more of this book than enemies to lovers, so I might still give it a shot. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwqCuOxwl1U20grfcwj_tKttMthBeVYlks7EG012CyshHPu1ft1VyQvRxEt-YyjRUHSvJqylWGEngbgTUCqhUm8uOA9aNpImV4T9rwM1vJ7-301wLfj8CcguqYXGdWSVfKo9Ih92axPmkIpARuc0a6A-8TXadJfOmxCfYjmNM9CkJCXcr4PRgq8xmFwX6/s500/book%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwqCuOxwl1U20grfcwj_tKttMthBeVYlks7EG012CyshHPu1ft1VyQvRxEt-YyjRUHSvJqylWGEngbgTUCqhUm8uOA9aNpImV4T9rwM1vJ7-301wLfj8CcguqYXGdWSVfKo9Ih92axPmkIpARuc0a6A-8TXadJfOmxCfYjmNM9CkJCXcr4PRgq8xmFwX6/s320/book%206.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This fake relationship romantic comedy involves being snowed in around Christmas. That means it is bound to make it into my TBR Pile at some point. I'm pretty sure I could simply read holiday romances for the rest of my life and be totally happy with that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtatQ25llt1jMhgW_tCQyrkStIbrtNzoHIImzv7aw26KxIw6HDF-CVFcl-KkBR09_IVHJZy6VM7-BpvrG3jvAmJrRvHWnO6H5SEYWOcv9hQgYvwsmGnHJynaIp-o78GwPFUrDkFW1RXJ-uDxYRsFrAvHO7lSt6eMTN2c0V004S3Bj9I_dv2ELcZBIJE3x/s2475/book%207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtatQ25llt1jMhgW_tCQyrkStIbrtNzoHIImzv7aw26KxIw6HDF-CVFcl-KkBR09_IVHJZy6VM7-BpvrG3jvAmJrRvHWnO6H5SEYWOcv9hQgYvwsmGnHJynaIp-o78GwPFUrDkFW1RXJ-uDxYRsFrAvHO7lSt6eMTN2c0V004S3Bj9I_dv2ELcZBIJE3x/s320/book%207.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">August is a cynical young adult who has decided she is better off living alone. That is until she meets Jane on the subway. Then August discovers Jane doesn't just look like a an old school punk rocker, she's displaced from the 1970s. Time travel romance is something I enjoy, so this one could end up in my TBR Pile. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqIpvGuoG9ROeD4IvCctQPfBQpTAFV0bxthkHVSEMNInR4SC0aT_znNMKuSzwpGo0gVeHR8DJMU8C5jEGUG04PUGBwzNufymkkZ_NXgDiuuOVQPisIPUrob85BwsKjeiYyTSaQN-Jz76027arYRh2QNbm8WQBd5pPAtQxCG7ijyLf9LJZX4KVCvHyfCpM/s400/book%208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqIpvGuoG9ROeD4IvCctQPfBQpTAFV0bxthkHVSEMNInR4SC0aT_znNMKuSzwpGo0gVeHR8DJMU8C5jEGUG04PUGBwzNufymkkZ_NXgDiuuOVQPisIPUrob85BwsKjeiYyTSaQN-Jz76027arYRh2QNbm8WQBd5pPAtQxCG7ijyLf9LJZX4KVCvHyfCpM/s320/book%208.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This one is destined to join the other books in my TBR Pile awaiting my time. Shy and bookish Lily Greene has been corresponding with her favorite fantasy author, which turns into a friendship, until he ghosts her. Determined to find a date for her sister's wedding, she asks her new neighbor. Nick has always used a pen name for a reason, and he's fairly certain that Lily is the fan he's been emailing. Setting her up with someone else would be so much simpler if he could just get her out of his mind. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjV_VFa1FA1DTLWvNFyAolv4m2WBoyAFg-e2rKY1qCRHgHNhZtoD5HQpNZn0_BLDn2z2YXNgtoZqTm2ssMcuJXE5JCsc_thA2AVgsZtPT3geu99-H3soOm0tbY64NcIED5lpR_IQEQQC3oHi2T-1E2qn2uPIyOWf0lLbXu54aX_EslNaEvvJI28d1MbR7/s2006/book%209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2006" data-original-width="1292" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjV_VFa1FA1DTLWvNFyAolv4m2WBoyAFg-e2rKY1qCRHgHNhZtoD5HQpNZn0_BLDn2z2YXNgtoZqTm2ssMcuJXE5JCsc_thA2AVgsZtPT3geu99-H3soOm0tbY64NcIED5lpR_IQEQQC3oHi2T-1E2qn2uPIyOWf0lLbXu54aX_EslNaEvvJI28d1MbR7/s320/book%209.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The fact that I've wanted to read this book since it came out makes no sense based upon my earlier comments about enemies to lovers romances. Maybe it's the tropical setting. Maybe it has to do with the fact that there is a wedding. I'm really not sure. It seems like this would be as much fun as Nellie Oleson marrying Albert Ingalls if <i>Little House on the Prairie </i>were set in Maui during Willie Oleson's wedding to Rachel Brown. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvolsKupZr2DYDENrQ80N_Ampc-8croUq76o5eih13WyK4SSIv0KqA-DanbFvBtrlCAmXfEFQ4illb1cZT3_9_EOPSLYBTCl-Bc_SH9txYHwA9kldl78eqcCGGpmUN0ksMzVIUWV4hNuRPQ-7J9rlkm4FuGIprWC3cpuDx2yfPgA1V5TeROFkiG72LGngn/s500/book%2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvolsKupZr2DYDENrQ80N_Ampc-8croUq76o5eih13WyK4SSIv0KqA-DanbFvBtrlCAmXfEFQ4illb1cZT3_9_EOPSLYBTCl-Bc_SH9txYHwA9kldl78eqcCGGpmUN0ksMzVIUWV4hNuRPQ-7J9rlkm4FuGIprWC3cpuDx2yfPgA1V5TeROFkiG72LGngn/s320/book%2010.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I age, romances featuring more mature (at least chronologically) capture my attention. This one sounds like a blast. Evie Gallagher quickly regrets her hasty move into a care home, so she sets off on an adventure across Europe. Her son Brendan and his wife follow a trail of puzzling messages to bring her home, but it will become clear to them that Evie hasn't given up on life and love. I need to add this to my TBR Pile right now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have you read any of these? Hope you had fun putting your list together. I look forward to seeing how you approached this week's freebie. </div></div></span></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-42191816423914951602024-02-12T06:00:00.000-05:002024-02-12T06:00:00.132-05:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Feb 12<p>Welcome to <b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> and <b>Mailbox Monday. </b></p><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from <a href="https://bookjourney.net/" target="_blank">Book Journey</a>. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Welcome back to Monday! Hope you had a lovely week. I'm back into the swing of regular work activities; had a closing on Friday and met with a client about listing their home. The newspaper ad hits this week announcing our new office, and a grand opening is planned for the end of the month. </div><div><br /></div><div>Does anyone have special Valentine's Day plans? The husband and I don't celebrate it, but we usually buy the girls a small gift: stuffed animals, chocolates, flowers, etc. </div><div><br /></div><div>We are expecting our next snowstorm on Tuesday. It will be a "plowable event," according to the weather people. I'm kind of done with winter and am looking forward to spring. </div><div><br /></div><div>In my reading world, I'm feeling productive. My review of <i>Little House in the Big Woods </i>was posted on my Laura's Little Houses blog. You can read it <a href="https://lauralittlehouseontheprairie.blogspot.com/2024/02/book-review-little-house-in-big-woods.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLTgIPvVD9K4ftNmlBT6tT9gAAYMg1Sm6YS5vLSbsOYnCAeIe0vKEmYXnKZzUni5KWNUi3cFaXAEWMPQtNOVg_W8625nOXbm8eQEmam0oA83iRph5nnPkvyv3pPPVPYLT9Yo8NsmcnSoEQGnQJVP0yW9YYnAw_kJpxDd7ZDrirek-f9u5_sbZnkqBDGeN/s475/lhbw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLTgIPvVD9K4ftNmlBT6tT9gAAYMg1Sm6YS5vLSbsOYnCAeIe0vKEmYXnKZzUni5KWNUi3cFaXAEWMPQtNOVg_W8625nOXbm8eQEmam0oA83iRph5nnPkvyv3pPPVPYLT9Yo8NsmcnSoEQGnQJVP0yW9YYnAw_kJpxDd7ZDrirek-f9u5_sbZnkqBDGeN/s320/lhbw.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished this book on Audible. You can read my review <a href="https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/02/audible-book-review-your-next-five.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLc_6eTJnzOxNIsflOcqMvVNT833WyEnp8Cl0EX0PcamyLqAdzOxQthmhyGTtaHsBX9KxTYyP8p37YdhYGV3ldKwkKfwnt4S0TdOfFp9K4o14dU1q3NTA3DpV0LDuxND2-bxijvHYj7WkOFVBdLLUe8-rOBRieYxkMpOIx4Ta-ty4PrR2fd8OBxAcylYcB/s2125/book%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2125" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLc_6eTJnzOxNIsflOcqMvVNT833WyEnp8Cl0EX0PcamyLqAdzOxQthmhyGTtaHsBX9KxTYyP8p37YdhYGV3ldKwkKfwnt4S0TdOfFp9K4o14dU1q3NTA3DpV0LDuxND2-bxijvHYj7WkOFVBdLLUe8-rOBRieYxkMpOIx4Ta-ty4PrR2fd8OBxAcylYcB/s320/book%206.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last Monday, I posted my review of this beautiful picture book. You can read it <a href="https://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com/2024/02/05/when-the-red-bird-flies-by-courtney-reames-haydell-giveaway/" target="_blank">here</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSp76QqJ5_0_CmKw8lpkjb9g_R9O_VwR_oAkHG8rlLN5uByYVlIf8xnpZYrqfLD6tqtDJO9CZ6unC-E5Pij7WwPxjIhyphenhyphen7DMvV-qEpElxNniICUGuw4cLmYJnNjoH8CI8KHpE5xuWFKdfYLM73pbMnSSaDb35LFpq_iL-HTvsV8fpyaqZxiXrXC44nhNe3N/s1507/Red%20Bird.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1507" data-original-width="1208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSp76QqJ5_0_CmKw8lpkjb9g_R9O_VwR_oAkHG8rlLN5uByYVlIf8xnpZYrqfLD6tqtDJO9CZ6unC-E5Pij7WwPxjIhyphenhyphen7DMvV-qEpElxNniICUGuw4cLmYJnNjoH8CI8KHpE5xuWFKdfYLM73pbMnSSaDb35LFpq_iL-HTvsV8fpyaqZxiXrXC44nhNe3N/s320/Red%20Bird.jpeg" width="257" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finished this one yesterday. My review appears <a href="https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/02/book-review-miracles-at-promise-lodge.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREdj6pzGfT0iLb2nHLgTFsC25vZaqxa84Gt6BPgsTJeyNuoenJqkv-Bv1FGbGU56vvcJp7m_11FqVmhlVFNOUC7FwmBAUAk242cFLvYcXKeWRaFNpf5xuewQUHNHfUBsHHfMR9IxHscL9p0eRDYR1b7yCEfT2Hw8IIRcWe6pPtGd0g_yH0Fw6CzdW378y/s416/Miracles.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREdj6pzGfT0iLb2nHLgTFsC25vZaqxa84Gt6BPgsTJeyNuoenJqkv-Bv1FGbGU56vvcJp7m_11FqVmhlVFNOUC7FwmBAUAk242cFLvYcXKeWRaFNpf5xuewQUHNHfUBsHHfMR9IxHscL9p0eRDYR1b7yCEfT2Hw8IIRcWe6pPtGd0g_yH0Fw6CzdW378y/s320/Miracles.png" width="196" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am reading these two. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxuSvnd3yKbp8LJQlL_W1oJ6V2VltaYrI4wjN88c8vYcyU5hsQagEEq1QjSeTBnMKgzmdhmnBjgXZttDBwJDUJEIURwb-PAVFvF_oIlXWF3gTOntcTsqAiBcopjmCgWwdGJETIWcuK6AtulHN6Snp3zyPa9KsUg4xw0z8PEXUVTogJQ49kOHCZip3LKvV/s400/LH%20Hacks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxuSvnd3yKbp8LJQlL_W1oJ6V2VltaYrI4wjN88c8vYcyU5hsQagEEq1QjSeTBnMKgzmdhmnBjgXZttDBwJDUJEIURwb-PAVFvF_oIlXWF3gTOntcTsqAiBcopjmCgWwdGJETIWcuK6AtulHN6Snp3zyPa9KsUg4xw0z8PEXUVTogJQ49kOHCZip3LKvV/s320/LH%20Hacks.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmecd2HUYeFYyje87awJqWXCUvSYb2UQdf3vHM7Z-MvOVMVjIHtCCx1Okwuw_WBt2fEKiYCwLrYMuPzecQdoby4dyCTczZpwha8h3NSV1GxJOimI2RD_qdUYX1l79_htqZWDVgRRmhMlCmPS4sgwgs9LZWmToQdUCCFlbXjX_s_2JiR1cmHxy0lYpbB5d/s475/hood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmecd2HUYeFYyje87awJqWXCUvSYb2UQdf3vHM7Z-MvOVMVjIHtCCx1Okwuw_WBt2fEKiYCwLrYMuPzecQdoby4dyCTczZpwha8h3NSV1GxJOimI2RD_qdUYX1l79_htqZWDVgRRmhMlCmPS4sgwgs9LZWmToQdUCCFlbXjX_s_2JiR1cmHxy0lYpbB5d/s320/hood.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next are these two. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s500/calamity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s320/calamity.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7_NVQUj9Sokoh_g03lY2UVLIOm8USOJomTU0kH61v9M3A6FN8OBxpB03NAxB0xecpl4YoqTgpmtNmVuareGM2AT2f_eF2-njs93hIre1W9TmHSbIi1e9oLvev0DwglOjENxzrurW98JY32Ky-uehk8dFxVMWybVYKOJ6oUX46hm0l1hu9Whwwx3NAjq9/s2250/mind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7_NVQUj9Sokoh_g03lY2UVLIOm8USOJomTU0kH61v9M3A6FN8OBxpB03NAxB0xecpl4YoqTgpmtNmVuareGM2AT2f_eF2-njs93hIre1W9TmHSbIi1e9oLvev0DwglOjENxzrurW98JY32Ky-uehk8dFxVMWybVYKOJ6oUX46hm0l1hu9Whwwx3NAjq9/s320/mind.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I would like to continue with the Love Comes Softly series after that. I haven't signed up to review anything else to review after May 1. I'll see if I stick to that. :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibi7hWL_V3JybDC557Z8594HlQDpFOtDo2I_Vl46D8qKAEgGZJTg8mMEw5h1UpLSZ9eQylCcwqtCuvyMEZTfvlj5MWVA02YrgBD-a6ll-6b83nh21rdIe29tZGtDU0vmvuT34e1bxK5K5gALB6j2QtA03HXoOWMQeLhCkFFk8slSvSrJVFKH1BL3e3Ybr4/s2410/joy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2410" data-original-width="1570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibi7hWL_V3JybDC557Z8594HlQDpFOtDo2I_Vl46D8qKAEgGZJTg8mMEw5h1UpLSZ9eQylCcwqtCuvyMEZTfvlj5MWVA02YrgBD-a6ll-6b83nh21rdIe29tZGtDU0vmvuT34e1bxK5K5gALB6j2QtA03HXoOWMQeLhCkFFk8slSvSrJVFKH1BL3e3Ybr4/s320/joy.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">Upcoming virtual book tours:</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Tales of the Yankee Clipper </i>by Jonathan Weeks - Feb 12 (interview)</li><li><i>Civil Twilight </i>by Anique Taylor - Feb 19 (guest post)</li><li><i>Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories</i> by Elizabeth Bruce - Mar 12 (interview)</li><li><i>It Will Have Been So Beautiful </i>by Amanda Shaw - Apr 25 (review) </li><li><i>My Career Journal </i>by CareerTuners - May 1 (review) </li></ul><div><br /></div><div>At the <b>Christmas Year Round</b> blog last week</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://christmasyearroundccm.blogspot.com/2024/02/christmas-in-february.html" target="_blank">Christmas in February</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszdftsLcoW8m93KnfOTel4xxWuXhNpn6MXiTDybuD97GMPa51XE7zAF2XXN3zyNA7N-GA4mBSlkbZXYESQUmuPiOtycXyOvK86t9fulaisCc_63lQ9Rs3GQaBIAnzXT1p2kHpCkSjnRLbKjbxQMqmM6tgQ1P5GPj95a6Ub1B7oWsdcrEuxIk6YTyJad3N/s354/winter%20mailbox%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszdftsLcoW8m93KnfOTel4xxWuXhNpn6MXiTDybuD97GMPa51XE7zAF2XXN3zyNA7N-GA4mBSlkbZXYESQUmuPiOtycXyOvK86t9fulaisCc_63lQ9Rs3GQaBIAnzXT1p2kHpCkSjnRLbKjbxQMqmM6tgQ1P5GPj95a6Ub1B7oWsdcrEuxIk6YTyJad3N/s320/winter%20mailbox%203.jpg" width="203" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Mailbox Monday</a><span style="text-align: left;"> is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found an unused Barnes & Noble gift card in the desk drawer, so I grabbed these three.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVjm0p8nJ5KvWvYVEBtlpPPJNIJ5OWpKtR0_T8hvyIgzGjGPdQcRBTkvjC4WfQqYW7I2KAST9QRlwTTuZyn8-FSdKO5EazujX6GFTqytq54TsmWjmJiHoc9K5FO7ij1sL5E0eUq9lPR9ooLpNJwlO_w-sTQKGfLmy3JEqvnoGs7dcHj95Z7-pY-YoYwyT/s400/LH%20Hacks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVjm0p8nJ5KvWvYVEBtlpPPJNIJ5OWpKtR0_T8hvyIgzGjGPdQcRBTkvjC4WfQqYW7I2KAST9QRlwTTuZyn8-FSdKO5EazujX6GFTqytq54TsmWjmJiHoc9K5FO7ij1sL5E0eUq9lPR9ooLpNJwlO_w-sTQKGfLmy3JEqvnoGs7dcHj95Z7-pY-YoYwyT/s320/LH%20Hacks.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwve_IdqedSrM7DJBP_CW3Dd6ICgEps5hqgpXRmJubyKw87Iiut-WJCKwXhzqhkwd93vBySOQvXowqfoXcLRQxfhUn7MTyB6XAEeslemq3AobNRKp2h-iTWO2TkD9Yllst1-C9iPZUh8LFYZgqZMED00JhFH4nFsbeakxBk4CEX7Q8mQr2TsqmbdDZxvnI/s2775/hand.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="1838" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwve_IdqedSrM7DJBP_CW3Dd6ICgEps5hqgpXRmJubyKw87Iiut-WJCKwXhzqhkwd93vBySOQvXowqfoXcLRQxfhUn7MTyB6XAEeslemq3AobNRKp2h-iTWO2TkD9Yllst1-C9iPZUh8LFYZgqZMED00JhFH4nFsbeakxBk4CEX7Q8mQr2TsqmbdDZxvnI/s320/hand.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFTyIeA8K38CsfkPeBwrtplbAHVwkMUXDZd0AmheBbe0hOpACPfe7Mm7-5gK4H-Opdfb8Ui76iWPSlTEPENP7g_2xXhzuWpaVP57O0gxYFfah1qQfWFmj2V0b0QT8jf1-P4h6GvsnBBvjVSgKPRZ0Uxezu7Nxb-OH5yVjEytzySpDWcT1L1kMQ91hwed8/s400/balm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFTyIeA8K38CsfkPeBwrtplbAHVwkMUXDZd0AmheBbe0hOpACPfe7Mm7-5gK4H-Opdfb8Ui76iWPSlTEPENP7g_2xXhzuWpaVP57O0gxYFfah1qQfWFmj2V0b0QT8jf1-P4h6GvsnBBvjVSgKPRZ0Uxezu7Nxb-OH5yVjEytzySpDWcT1L1kMQ91hwed8/s320/balm.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I received a printed copy of this book as a gift. I reviewed the digital copy <a href="https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/02/book-review-quilt-room-secret-by-lisa.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRErVpgLExeAHl6KvpFwuGVe0L9c3YiDoeSipzqfRTq-Lm-5lmX9HnpxhFpH1c3A_DVLonisq_jHschxgwMM-nBBvj6AiUPxL2dOcxngCeDN1Glug3DNNtMyCWPdi6yZA-u_5BencfuR9CnmIaSjWhyphenhyphenZfSMwC8_QPIh_lDpd4NKYvB2_kR2Jri4HRlUHy/s1500/quilt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="985" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRErVpgLExeAHl6KvpFwuGVe0L9c3YiDoeSipzqfRTq-Lm-5lmX9HnpxhFpH1c3A_DVLonisq_jHschxgwMM-nBBvj6AiUPxL2dOcxngCeDN1Glug3DNNtMyCWPdi6yZA-u_5BencfuR9CnmIaSjWhyphenhyphenZfSMwC8_QPIh_lDpd4NKYvB2_kR2Jri4HRlUHy/s320/quilt.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I downloaded this one on Audible. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfdimC0CMnQwUQat2Lf3c6JPKKEmuk6DUybiwsI5NGXY9DawHDHIRVr5vWVOPu5qrgl2VgRaBz3LZAKZJjwaJtZbYvUqyxgdwV7ar62aNnr4OtnXxqXCzBjI1iCW0wCN3egQz9iY6ndzpG7z-Gp7N5Z2DpeFSrxX3ERh9oTQYlign816fM1TCtKBqsMxv/s475/hood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfdimC0CMnQwUQat2Lf3c6JPKKEmuk6DUybiwsI5NGXY9DawHDHIRVr5vWVOPu5qrgl2VgRaBz3LZAKZJjwaJtZbYvUqyxgdwV7ar62aNnr4OtnXxqXCzBjI1iCW0wCN3egQz9iY6ndzpG7z-Gp7N5Z2DpeFSrxX3ERh9oTQYlign816fM1TCtKBqsMxv/s320/hood.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think that wraps it up for me. Looking forward to visiting your blogs today. </div></div></div></div></div></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-79684738478221821752024-02-12T03:00:00.001-05:002024-02-12T03:00:00.135-05:00Interview with Jonathan Weeks, Author of Tales of the Yankee Clipper<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUjuPntD22okP1Cmq032dxF-rckJbXhDE6jK5Ijh-hG6d-u26Ar3Xo2pyELMHstFZ4zoe3TtDBWDm1CL0w5DJwqVghuu5n1i81ENXexnNku1SOUZbqOhRXUt5gj3DrIv2FZlbw3bNNSFAVtQ3boMB0EIALgjnYLA3zDlsxjhZ6hEx3bbCnAQxyspY7xMf/s2700/Yankee%20Clipper%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUjuPntD22okP1Cmq032dxF-rckJbXhDE6jK5Ijh-hG6d-u26Ar3Xo2pyELMHstFZ4zoe3TtDBWDm1CL0w5DJwqVghuu5n1i81ENXexnNku1SOUZbqOhRXUt5gj3DrIv2FZlbw3bNNSFAVtQ3boMB0EIALgjnYLA3zDlsxjhZ6hEx3bbCnAQxyspY7xMf/s320/Yankee%20Clipper%20cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Jonathan
Weeks has written several sports biographies and two novels, one of which was a
posthumous collaboration with his father. He grew up in the Capital District
region of New York State and currently works in the mental health field. </i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>BLOG:</b>
<a href="http://www.jonathanweeks.blogspot.com">http://www.jonathanweeks.blogspot.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>GOODREADS:</b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5862273.Jonathan_Weeks">https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5862273.Jonathan_Weeks</a></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Where did you grow up?</b><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal">I was born and raised in Schenectady, which is in the Capital
District Region of New York State. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>When did you begin writing?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I can actually remember the first book report I did for
school. It was in second or third grade and it was on the Great Pyramid of
Egypt. The entire report was just one hand-written page glued inside a manila
folder. On the cover of the folder, there was a diagram of the pyramid, which I
drew myself. That was the first research project I ever completed. I’ve always
been interested in history. And I’ve always been the kind of person who looks
stuff up to gather facts. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What is this book about?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s a biography about the life and career of Joe DiMaggio,
who is considered to be one of the greatest players in baseball history. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What inspired you to write it?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been a baseball fan since I was seven or eight years
old. I went to my first New York Yankees game in 1976 and I was blown away by
the experience. Before then, I had been following the Boston Red Sox and
Cincinnati Reds. But that visit to Yankee Stadium turned me into a lifelong fan
of the team. The DiMaggio biography completes a trilogy I have been working on
for the last three years. I started with Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. I debated
doing the third book on Lou Gehrig, but it seemed that DiMaggio was a bit more
intriguing as a person—More mysterious. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Can you share an excerpt?</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">THE MEANING BEHIND MRS. ROBINSON </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Among the most popular folk-rock duos of the 1960s, Paul
Simon and Art Garfunkel began writing songs together when they were in grade
school. By the time they embarked upon solo careers during the 1970s, they had
won ten Grammy Awards. Some of their highest charting hits included “Bridge
Over Troubled Water,” “The Sound of Silence,” and “Mrs. Robinson.” The latter song, which contains multiple
lines about Joe DiMaggio, deeply offended the Yankee idol until he understood
the meaning of the lyrics. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Released in 1968, “Mrs. Robinson” was written in reference
to Eleanor Roosevelt, who Simon greatly admired. The tune was actually entitled
“Mrs. Roosevelt” until the popular duo changed the name to make it fit the
Academy Award-winning movie it was being featured in (The Graduate, starring
Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft). “Mrs. Robinson” was a smash hit for Simon
and Garfunkel, peaking at number-one on the Billboard charts and remaining
there for several weeks. The four-minute musical masterpiece, which is about
better days gone by, suggests that DiMaggio faded from the spotlight at a time
when the American public needed him most. When the retired Yankee slugger heard
about the lyrics, he believed that Simon was making him out to be some sort of
deadbeat and threatened to sue. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As fate would have it, the two American icons had a chance
encounter in Lattanzi’s restaurant on West 46th Street in New York. Simon, who
was a lifelong Yankee fan, had heard about Joe’s beef with the song. Upon
spotting the legendary Hall of Famer at a nearby table, he worked up the
courage to say ‘hello.’ DiMaggio invited him to sit down and immediately
started talking about Simon’s lyrics. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“What I don’t understand,” said Joe, “is why you ask where
I’ve gone. I just did a Mr. Coffee commercial. I’m a spokesman for the Bowery
Savings Bank and I haven’t gone anywhere.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I don’t mean it that way,” Simon explained. “I mean, where
are these great heroes now?” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When DiMaggio realized that Simon considered him a hero and
that the song was actually about how much he meant to people, he was flattered.
The two shook hands and remained in each other’s good graces from that day
forward. Interestingly, Simon was forced to explain himself to Mickey Mantle
while taping an episode of The Dick Cavett Show. Mantle, who was actually
Simon’s favorite player while growing up, asked the singer why he hadn’t used
his name in place of DiMaggio’s. Simon explained that Mickey’s name had the
wrong number of syllables.</span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How is it similar to other books in its genre? How is it
different?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well, like most biographies, it takes you through DiMaggio’s
life and career chronologically. But I divided the book into two sections. The
first section carries you through DiMaggio’s boyhood, playing career, and life
after baseball. The second section
features shorter, stand-alone anecdotes, which can be read individually or as a
larger whole. I tried to include as many humorous stories as I could. DiMaggio
was a serious guy. But some of the people he played with were real
characters. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What is the most important thing readers can learn from your
book?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most baseball fans know a little about DiMaggio. He’s one of
the most iconic figures in Yankee history. But there are aspects of his life he
kept hidden from the public. He was a very private individual. And he didn’t
trust the people around him—especially in his later years. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Where can readers purchase a copy?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Almost any online bookseller: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, the
Lyons Press or Rowman and Littlefield websites (etc.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What is up next for you?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve completed a book about the World Series that will be
released next spring. And I’ve already started another new project. But that
one’s a secret. LOL<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Is there anything you would like to add?</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yes. I’d like to thank you for hosting my tour and for
taking an interest in my work. I greatly appreciate it. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jonathan Weeks will award a randomly drawn winner </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>a $25 Amazon/BN gift card.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"> <a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f4818" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4818/" id="rcwidget_axfz9ptt" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnofRB8NTWUlFu6a5EiTh-pYP6q_BJvg1NyJIKvNi_QQcmWbxTvSWvTIphGDQAMlgHPuFZDilKPNLbvLRGUGj0Dv8r-_o5Ty0_u7yHu_ySQND4lcJNAM2tNo7TW5gXAhNv54KycCh0w-yEcVogRmz9fDN6StEVoT0VYjRN4pRIymFvFPt6rHDqPeh7vVc/s1200/Yankee%20Clipper%20banner.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnofRB8NTWUlFu6a5EiTh-pYP6q_BJvg1NyJIKvNi_QQcmWbxTvSWvTIphGDQAMlgHPuFZDilKPNLbvLRGUGj0Dv8r-_o5Ty0_u7yHu_ySQND4lcJNAM2tNo7TW5gXAhNv54KycCh0w-yEcVogRmz9fDN6StEVoT0VYjRN4pRIymFvFPt6rHDqPeh7vVc/s320/Yankee%20Clipper%20banner.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-76224307719616917032024-02-11T23:45:00.000-05:002024-02-11T23:45:15.823-05:00Book Review: Miracles at Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupw405kcPo8jrtiXAmfgPz5K6wZe2ZwMeh95HNyVJTJGwBIvc7k-WaNqECHlvmnHCLCglkJkSgGyLGhlbhslxz1WdjtlTFCFO_oV11-s7-BtRpEA37lEF-LiBXVG3t8_e9Omyd9SxsZzPYHVqc47uCAiiCuwDEBohHmDXi_h6_ED5BmKHe4JcAWqpFuMH/s416/Miracles.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupw405kcPo8jrtiXAmfgPz5K6wZe2ZwMeh95HNyVJTJGwBIvc7k-WaNqECHlvmnHCLCglkJkSgGyLGhlbhslxz1WdjtlTFCFO_oV11-s7-BtRpEA37lEF-LiBXVG3t8_e9Omyd9SxsZzPYHVqc47uCAiiCuwDEBohHmDXi_h6_ED5BmKHe4JcAWqpFuMH/s320/Miracles.png" width="196" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Return to Promise Lodge, an Amish community in Missouri, where mothers-to-be are anticipating the arrival of their little miracles, one young man's life takes an unexpected turn, and a former Promise Lodge resident's return creates disruption.</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3UAUtTo" target="_blank">Miracles at Promise Lodge</a> </i>by Charlotte Hubbard is another fascinating Amish novel about family, faith, forgiveness, and the joy of being surrounded by a supportive community.</p><p>Isaac Chupp arrives at Promise Lodge to interview with Dale Kraybill as a store clerk. But his bad boy reputation has preceded him. The youngest son of the overbearing bishop from Coldstream caused a great deal of harm to Rosetta Wickey, Christine Burkholder, and Deborah Peterscheim when they all lived in Coldstream, but Dale is willing to give him a chance since it seems like Isaac is trying to turn over a new leaf. </p><p>Upon his arrival, Isaac meets Vera Brubaker, who has come to help her aunt, who has been put on bed rest in the hopes of avoiding another miscarriage. He is quickly taken by the sweet, shy Vera, who sells her pottery in Dale's store. But when she catches the eye of Ezra Overholt, Isaac's overreaction causes issues that could ruin the new image he's working toward. </p><p>When Maria Zehr returns to Promise Lodge in a panic, the Kuhn sisters do their best to help her. However, Maria hasn't changed since she left Promise Lodge to open her bakery in Cloverdale, and it creates friction for the residents of the Lodge. When another kindred spirit decides to step in, he might just get the chance to find his purpose. </p><p>Wow! This is such wonderful addition to the Promise Lodge series. There is a ton going on with young couples in love, weddings, babies, newcomers, family challenges, Isaac trying to rebuild his reputation, and Maria returning to Promise Lodge. But under Hubbard's masterful hand, all these plots and subplots are woven together seamlessly to create an engaging story that has the reader turning page after page. </p><p>Fans of the Promise Lodge series will be thrilled to see the continued growth of this tight-knit Amish community in <i style="font-weight: bold;">Miracles at Promise Lodge. </i>Favorite characters' storylines continue, while new characters' stories unfold. The must read Epilogue wraps up some storylines, but leaves room for future ideas. And, readers are treated to more yummy recipes from the Promise Lodge kitchen.</p><p>Though <i style="font-weight: bold;">Miracles at Promise Lodge </i>can be read by itself, I encourage fans of Amish fiction, family-focused fiction, inspirational fiction, and those who enjoy masterfully-told stories to invest time in reading the entire Promise Lodge series. </p><p>Heartwarming romance at its best is what you can expect from Charlotte Hubbard!</p><ul class="a-unordered-list a-nostyle a-vertical a-spacing-none detail-bullet-list" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; margin: 0px 0px 1px 18px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Publisher : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Zebra (February 20, 2024)</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Language : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">English</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">Mass Market Paperback : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">352 pages</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">ISBN-10 : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">1420156276</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700 !important;">ISBN-13 : </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">978-1420156270</span></span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 5.5px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-list-item" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #0f1111;">This book releases on February 20th. You can pre-order it now from <a href="https://amzn.to/3urR3YF" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or your other favorite online retailer. </span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1111;"><i>I received a NetGalley copy from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way. </i></span></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-61240733255036547912024-02-10T20:33:00.000-05:002024-02-10T20:33:45.458-05:00Audible Book Review: Your Next Five Moves by Patrick Bet-David<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALhvbrjdDo5KAjLb0tXZxMxCfI5SO3IcFEFeblQrxHM7Ulk5D-kiX__nB6IZW2Ys3lwS1UP_iG42kpc4EeTtFNwltKaXoZrf4Xw6rPf9CsvTg8nOdiGEjT9hLwGbSiPIzK-cTk3pJKC_hJCCb9hGcHspd7U9Ph2F_5sPVz8bsdR5cgmZvc0J5eHEpIPfa/s2125/book%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2125" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALhvbrjdDo5KAjLb0tXZxMxCfI5SO3IcFEFeblQrxHM7Ulk5D-kiX__nB6IZW2Ys3lwS1UP_iG42kpc4EeTtFNwltKaXoZrf4Xw6rPf9CsvTg8nOdiGEjT9hLwGbSiPIzK-cTk3pJKC_hJCCb9hGcHspd7U9Ph2F_5sPVz8bsdR5cgmZvc0J5eHEpIPfa/s320/book%206.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With one of my Audible credits, I picked up a copy of <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3HW55F2" target="_blank">Your Next Five Moves</a>: Master the Art of Business Strategy </i>by Patrick Bet-David. As his online biography states, before Bet-David had turned 30, he had served in the U.S. military, embarked upon his business career, and launched an insurance sales, marketing, and distribution company. His YouTube channel, Valuetainment, has more than 5.2 million subscribers. Bet-David uses it to teach "about the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and personal development while inspiring people to break from limiting beliefs or other constraints and achieve their dreams."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In <i style="font-weight: bold;">Your Next Five Moves</i>, Bet-David has created an outstanding guide to help you think more clearly so that you can accomplish even the boldest of your business goals. While Bet-David provides a fair amount of his personal history, it flows nicely throughout the chapters. It is quickly clear that he is the perfect person to guide you on how to master the art of business strategy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bet-David encourages you to understand what drives you, so that you know what you want and who you want to be.<i style="font-weight: bold;"> Your Next Five Moves </i>will help you learn how to develop better reasoning skills and how to think on your feet. Bet-David's goal is to help you learn how to grow your business despite what outside influences might be throwing your way. <i style="font-weight: bold;">Your Next Five Moves </i>also<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>helps you develop the skills to build the right team based on strong values. If you want a better understanding of the book, I suggest watching this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKYfEWsJFUU" target="_blank">video</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the most interesting chapters for me was Bet-David's insight into how individuals in organized crime approach situations. While not condoning such a business, he shows what entrepreneurs can gain from studying them. With references from <i>The Godfather </i>movies and noting interviews he has had with mobsters such as Frank Cullotta and others, Bet-David proves his point. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So much of what Bet-David says in <i style="font-weight: bold;">Your Next Five Moves </i>resonated with me. You need to know yourself and what you want and work on developing your skills, before you can understand how to build the right team and set your business up for sustained growth. I plan to visit the book's website for the resources cited in the book.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're an entrepreneur, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Your Next Five Moves </i>should be on your reading list.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table class="a-keyvalue a-vertical-stripes a-span6" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); border-collapse: collapse; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 22px; width: 716.594px;"><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;"><tr id="detailsListeningLength" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-span1 a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; float: none; font-weight: 400; margin-right: 0px; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 257.609px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Listening Length</span></th><td class="a-span2" style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; float: none; margin-right: 0px; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top; width: 458.984px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">8 hours and 6 minutes</span></td></tr><tr id="detailsauthor" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Author</span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-alias=audible&field-keywords=Patrick+Bet-David&ref=adbl_dp_pd_auth" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #007185; text-decoration-line: none;">Patrick Bet-David</a></td></tr><tr id="detailsnarrator" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Narrator</span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-alias=audible&field-keywords=Patrick+Bet-David&ref=adbl_dp_pd_narr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #007185; text-decoration-line: none;">Patrick Bet-David</a></td></tr><tr id="detailsWhisperSyncForVoiceReady" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Whispersync for Voice</span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span id="aud_product_details" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ready</span></td></tr><tr id="detailsReleaseDate" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Audible.com Release Date</span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">August 18, 2020</span></td></tr><tr id="detailspublisher" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Publisher</span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-alias=audible&field-keywords=Simon+%26+Schuster+Audio&ref=adbl_dp_pd_publ" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #007185; text-decoration-line: none;">Simon & Schuster Audio</a></td></tr><tr id="detailsProgramType" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Program Type</span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Audiobook</span></td></tr><tr id="detailsVersion" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Version</span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Unabridged</span></td></tr><tr id="detailsLanguage" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Language</span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">English</span></td></tr><tr id="detailsAsin" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th class="a-color-secondary" style="background-color: #f0f2f2; border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; padding: 7px 14px 6px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">ASIN</span></th><td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(187, 191, 191); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 7px 14px 6px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">B084B2X9TX<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><i>This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.</i>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-7959127666563297052024-02-06T00:00:00.001-05:002024-02-06T00:00:00.235-05:00Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Quick Reads<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMnYd9cMjLGUc1ZIL5zQm1ONl8IVUISQMWfP5sIQHvyQKK0dI-F-zc6cQbajjf1VZtJqXIbU8GVO0j2yuOt-hCVP2fjciQ_mDh1B7f1qGIFGJLVO4E5ianMTJ1XfE__h62bbYT4KoonxYKffNrFp3mOofy6qBcU-CQpGw1-S12UNQcqhaNVyPXPsmcA/s768/New%20TTT.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="768" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMnYd9cMjLGUc1ZIL5zQm1ONl8IVUISQMWfP5sIQHvyQKK0dI-F-zc6cQbajjf1VZtJqXIbU8GVO0j2yuOt-hCVP2fjciQ_mDh1B7f1qGIFGJLVO4E5ianMTJ1XfE__h62bbYT4KoonxYKffNrFp3mOofy6qBcU-CQpGw1-S12UNQcqhaNVyPXPsmcA/s320/New%20TTT.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Top Ten Tuesday</b> was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a> in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to the first Tuesday of February. How are we even here already? This week's <b>Top Ten Tuesday </b>topic is such a good one, because sometimes you don't have a ton of time to read, which makes a quick book so enjoyable. Here are my...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Top Ten Quick Reads</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GDFIAkL9k3Kd6xzFCpZp6OBuUVa_yt6Bp_H3OwFpeFUwaQPycBil-MezZM8PWLF-Yfltti6oOAtt5F92yUat48s8-cGPB-ihdBwCFJS6ynvsVYw88OQjeKav2gB0jh7Sl1tQ0-qFYNDnwXrXNIiVEz3uMBF4fKFk1dfMUKxoXPtUZXYb9bLUT4w9Jx5U/s5501/exits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5501" data-original-width="3750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GDFIAkL9k3Kd6xzFCpZp6OBuUVa_yt6Bp_H3OwFpeFUwaQPycBil-MezZM8PWLF-Yfltti6oOAtt5F92yUat48s8-cGPB-ihdBwCFJS6ynvsVYw88OQjeKav2gB0jh7Sl1tQ0-qFYNDnwXrXNIiVEz3uMBF4fKFk1dfMUKxoXPtUZXYb9bLUT4w9Jx5U/s320/exits.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktHrJAVEjQPFgHwFEchnoRtQ796nZapDzqEJJRzcXZUsqz52UFc160r-p9KVJ40ltzaNmGNm9t2iXaUe2bmLdci2ZcZBsfPHVoJEzXAo5PnKSnEuKdJej-0GaqIe365nTZCDm0fnl6tVZW11UmvJkryJ7Zrw_OGhFghy94ByUZwt_Q_gY8tFQnRGfsd8p/s500/Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktHrJAVEjQPFgHwFEchnoRtQ796nZapDzqEJJRzcXZUsqz52UFc160r-p9KVJ40ltzaNmGNm9t2iXaUe2bmLdci2ZcZBsfPHVoJEzXAo5PnKSnEuKdJej-0GaqIe365nTZCDm0fnl6tVZW11UmvJkryJ7Zrw_OGhFghy94ByUZwt_Q_gY8tFQnRGfsd8p/s320/Final.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTgVBFkS9FMjyedSoYhKV1aRLJ0VKnk7_ISDqG6qv3NSVTrbzr1Z-VBoBL3SJHKjdX_KsbPRX8_haIOuHSevbDd4sO86tnEuDL78TVPuEssQl8LtPLp4D5QtdOhyphenhyphenCFxJ_2EwbmRCgFHWkxS4Q-4M3_O7qS4SSnFAQbOO_wCT21EwQIUNb8KkMjIvBBz9h/s450/sales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="272" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTgVBFkS9FMjyedSoYhKV1aRLJ0VKnk7_ISDqG6qv3NSVTrbzr1Z-VBoBL3SJHKjdX_KsbPRX8_haIOuHSevbDd4sO86tnEuDL78TVPuEssQl8LtPLp4D5QtdOhyphenhyphenCFxJ_2EwbmRCgFHWkxS4Q-4M3_O7qS4SSnFAQbOO_wCT21EwQIUNb8KkMjIvBBz9h/s320/sales.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwK4HfYU7KAfFDNS5cQUTULWPei4mvY65_CrVKfvg0Y4yPezVsGkSDteU0AYlRKcegUa2g_NNGImfpEOK-7CtNXHwaRbR07f5Dt6ltW1z42tYmQ-M_3sAUlCXkkbShNLRKv8UBUlaD-bUEe7Stsf3hKFr3hEdJilz6mT8WnWj_oAZGLQE1scHsV-zCV3S/s465/book%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwK4HfYU7KAfFDNS5cQUTULWPei4mvY65_CrVKfvg0Y4yPezVsGkSDteU0AYlRKcegUa2g_NNGImfpEOK-7CtNXHwaRbR07f5Dt6ltW1z42tYmQ-M_3sAUlCXkkbShNLRKv8UBUlaD-bUEe7Stsf3hKFr3hEdJilz6mT8WnWj_oAZGLQE1scHsV-zCV3S/s320/book%204.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpIgPP6kUSSeEuiK1QmeClUooKVutS8teCjubjblv_vF4M1MgcJLFnukRlYufWGvkvgJjb5E175miMu-7IHz5GkVtKp5eQj3iyu004XRHj3pbccOc25Kqaq0wpEH4imhi7Au6zTWx_0beoqiJ6WX3dWOKQHJLHW6W9XTve__PEd644s70blXDpk99Zi1c/s406/book%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="247" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpIgPP6kUSSeEuiK1QmeClUooKVutS8teCjubjblv_vF4M1MgcJLFnukRlYufWGvkvgJjb5E175miMu-7IHz5GkVtKp5eQj3iyu004XRHj3pbccOc25Kqaq0wpEH4imhi7Au6zTWx_0beoqiJ6WX3dWOKQHJLHW6W9XTve__PEd644s70blXDpk99Zi1c/s320/book%201.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WYjjHM5SLnGvgb1nmNXckFk7HyYQwCABONekCLv4uuadRnKxmZZkmJOpNfOTMweWJEzGDOTMKhN110ztlRYqcz4RY1kdVDugGObcCTBtAKiuSLVJRfImqZbvCSY21OJcTs-v101XDBwhOyqqnea-UPLQYKSxy4pfyd_PMKc1Sag-mK4YcoJgfl4Ylyz4/s1002/books%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WYjjHM5SLnGvgb1nmNXckFk7HyYQwCABONekCLv4uuadRnKxmZZkmJOpNfOTMweWJEzGDOTMKhN110ztlRYqcz4RY1kdVDugGObcCTBtAKiuSLVJRfImqZbvCSY21OJcTs-v101XDBwhOyqqnea-UPLQYKSxy4pfyd_PMKc1Sag-mK4YcoJgfl4Ylyz4/s320/books%203.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhhDTSiJ3oq6-tnAa9uMbH9rRFn5VfZ9zPZfTtb2YhNhY3r73Grtl5gJfOBQB6QGpUjcvIrv_eIef2S747nymqagi_AqcbIAQXIUt4rW45KovGmCENhuY2iv0deTjU8Mr2NY769mCuR6PAC7bpRK3Z6NBUfvsklyKqZMJQ4BvrXuYrk4pVvpwN7LdiB_z/s400/christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhhDTSiJ3oq6-tnAa9uMbH9rRFn5VfZ9zPZfTtb2YhNhY3r73Grtl5gJfOBQB6QGpUjcvIrv_eIef2S747nymqagi_AqcbIAQXIUt4rW45KovGmCENhuY2iv0deTjU8Mr2NY769mCuR6PAC7bpRK3Z6NBUfvsklyKqZMJQ4BvrXuYrk4pVvpwN7LdiB_z/s320/christmas.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzGtjM0Xn8FYrHuGGyWUCAu5ZVrhAX_c1pXlGW0qfGLLLqocEC-xbGTV19j7uckRQuj-EEMxFsOwU2M6opqcHNER4zMo9pjPeH_M0e-8IbYUUJHS7xmDc8xuzWct1kcyDPe0AGVfPHOrqDSDqS0aPtVPllFYH6_rlXc6feUOLxQ4-W6Iz4e21ML6Ez2B2/s400/cowboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="254" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzGtjM0Xn8FYrHuGGyWUCAu5ZVrhAX_c1pXlGW0qfGLLLqocEC-xbGTV19j7uckRQuj-EEMxFsOwU2M6opqcHNER4zMo9pjPeH_M0e-8IbYUUJHS7xmDc8xuzWct1kcyDPe0AGVfPHOrqDSDqS0aPtVPllFYH6_rlXc6feUOLxQ4-W6Iz4e21ML6Ez2B2/s320/cowboy.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1f1YuzkPQrgoQW3wryWuzLKzoTaRIHekRlEUekx6agRn0Rg2cPq-q_a8LnkhwMh7d3iQHohYRPHtgg0j9WSziV0PSohBHsQ39C9Ls6XbEQWgm6WvPy8HnUZhRmvarY2hYDi1vddRUvtbJwuy4lve_l2GFJgXwdDJ-HvlZnKZkR3qNvId-0AMoq_URQl7/s400/Loves%20Comes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="257" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1f1YuzkPQrgoQW3wryWuzLKzoTaRIHekRlEUekx6agRn0Rg2cPq-q_a8LnkhwMh7d3iQHohYRPHtgg0j9WSziV0PSohBHsQ39C9Ls6XbEQWgm6WvPy8HnUZhRmvarY2hYDi1vddRUvtbJwuy4lve_l2GFJgXwdDJ-HvlZnKZkR3qNvId-0AMoq_URQl7/s320/Loves%20Comes.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjAb8-E3k0qHBerEY8goNXgE4CXM67QTJKRRy5oOBqVJVxbjUS-0T4aIBg4eU1ZTNr-NZ-8hstDL1OlZqbSBi6GEefm-YslK6D18A5VkI981_q0jJwaPvoPAg2XbafNGV2am35IMdJ5B262Sx5nrpLFcTVI-h-Ab9Apr6fQP8eWQ6tO1LhyV8jvLIkJyx/s445/old%20Time%20radio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="297" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjAb8-E3k0qHBerEY8goNXgE4CXM67QTJKRRy5oOBqVJVxbjUS-0T4aIBg4eU1ZTNr-NZ-8hstDL1OlZqbSBi6GEefm-YslK6D18A5VkI981_q0jJwaPvoPAg2XbafNGV2am35IMdJ5B262Sx5nrpLFcTVI-h-Ab9Apr6fQP8eWQ6tO1LhyV8jvLIkJyx/s320/old%20Time%20radio.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have you read any of these quick reads? What quick read from your list if your favorite?</div></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610315916146710519.post-19819505530106832742024-02-04T23:51:00.002-05:002024-02-04T23:51:39.181-05:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Feb 5<p>Welcome to <b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> and <b>Mailbox Monday. </b></p><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LK562iwd841ceyz6WhF-gZKkkQE4MZ8PNfHH4JJz1VBmOKx_VGmLRLh9YhISBEgwuv3UM_HHdw2p5rkxTElEGnx8DoqtrJGvVCdTP-kho8_ws56FIU-DUIotz0vj2ff72Tmw3Cb8mGzh/s1600/It%2527s+Monday%2521+What+Are+You+Reading.jpg" /></a></div><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>It's Monday! What Are You Reading?</b> is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from <a href="https://bookjourney.net/" target="_blank">Book Journey</a>. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the <a href="https://thebookdate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Book Date</a>. </div><div><br /></div>My, my, my, welcome back to Monday! How did we get back here so quickly? Hope you had a great week.<div><br /></div><div>Lots going on in my world. I announced on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CherylCMalandrinosrealtor/posts/pfbid0iUSDNkakwzrBzHZor8sxBRpbML1awqVSn6kSPwcyyuoygG6mDk4QYvt5oP7WBujel" target="_blank">social media</a> that I have switched real estate brokerages. I am grateful for the 9.5 years spent with my Real Living/BHHS Realty Pros family. I'm also excited to see what the future holds at <a href="https://www.hbrealestate.net/agent/cheryl-malandrinos/" target="_blank">HB Real Estate</a>. I've been moving into my new office and making plans. </div><div><br /></div><div>Bonus room clean up continues, and I've started meal planning on Sundays so I can be better prepared for the week's meals. This has allowed me to make a dessert once a week, like this <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022963-flourless-chocolate-cake" target="_blank">flourless chocolate cake</a>. I've gone back to time blocking--which I despise--and have added three days on the Peloton into my schedule. I enjoy being more organized, so hopefully the time blocking sticks. </div><div><br /></div><div>In my reading world, you will find my review of this children's picture book today at <a href="https://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">TC&TBC</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz63d72h-9s_F1s_L7HnSKIh4ZXR84LUWhm1ciK7PAKPdq9fkxh1f4wh0ip3FVnioLmdWoiCquLUhEanTxXnvSIkqycCdcAPqfhPJx0Il7mKs-agPKHFYWCqhrP6I1atPbzYUPGPpttSZeX-8w8iiWSP6Ew2KOEGyh-cUQvnqaTccy-S84F3qlKgMwHu3-/s1507/Red%20Bird.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1507" data-original-width="1208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz63d72h-9s_F1s_L7HnSKIh4ZXR84LUWhm1ciK7PAKPdq9fkxh1f4wh0ip3FVnioLmdWoiCquLUhEanTxXnvSIkqycCdcAPqfhPJx0Il7mKs-agPKHFYWCqhrP6I1atPbzYUPGPpttSZeX-8w8iiWSP6Ew2KOEGyh-cUQvnqaTccy-S84F3qlKgMwHu3-/s320/Red%20Bird.jpeg" width="257" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My review of this book appeared <a href="https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/02/book-review-quilt-room-secret-by-lisa.html" target="_blank">here</a> on Sunday. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jIjlAWxKFqJM3_HX2Ks7NUn7a00QAKMboMj3Qm_Sg0uSQeBasIfVIOn6pbBLhGXWXyPo7GTPCRvx3GAudi_cJKm6z21yYRbiuNrTuFkBmqYs-Rbqx7Q_VdGZjFB0B0uyn2gWFtNtikIZc-pNKaTWsaQtC1tz7Zk2_YEwzUUbx8V9xX7KWqDTyjvcGOBg/s1500/quilt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="985" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jIjlAWxKFqJM3_HX2Ks7NUn7a00QAKMboMj3Qm_Sg0uSQeBasIfVIOn6pbBLhGXWXyPo7GTPCRvx3GAudi_cJKm6z21yYRbiuNrTuFkBmqYs-Rbqx7Q_VdGZjFB0B0uyn2gWFtNtikIZc-pNKaTWsaQtC1tz7Zk2_YEwzUUbx8V9xX7KWqDTyjvcGOBg/s320/quilt.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A review of this book appeared <a href="https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/02/book-review-loves-long-journey-by.html" target="_blank">here</a> on Friday. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OLf_qZI2vVEJDS3IX8RvPCkqVRd7PYGcgfhoGuiHGy-Q4Mk2WBZyQ1WgTLEx0N1W40PYnOJE4KFDZdn0nXLKKl4mIqnheV0zb8eeLoSQiiQu2x17jwbCT5otxevcBKheAIyYChnY1f55yZ7uX466CfC5tSIgxVdK0r4APcq2vc4quWEbmhxeif82bOeb/s1600/love's%20long%20journey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1040" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OLf_qZI2vVEJDS3IX8RvPCkqVRd7PYGcgfhoGuiHGy-Q4Mk2WBZyQ1WgTLEx0N1W40PYnOJE4KFDZdn0nXLKKl4mIqnheV0zb8eeLoSQiiQu2x17jwbCT5otxevcBKheAIyYChnY1f55yZ7uX466CfC5tSIgxVdK0r4APcq2vc4quWEbmhxeif82bOeb/s320/love's%20long%20journey.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At <a href="https://www.modernprairie.com/" target="_blank">Modern Prairie</a>, our first book club choice is <i style="font-weight: bold;">Little House in the Big Woods</i>. I'm about halfway through it. I have a similar edition, but my copy was only $1.50 in the States and $1.70 in Canada. Yes, I'm that old. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLTgIPvVD9K4ftNmlBT6tT9gAAYMg1Sm6YS5vLSbsOYnCAeIe0vKEmYXnKZzUni5KWNUi3cFaXAEWMPQtNOVg_W8625nOXbm8eQEmam0oA83iRph5nnPkvyv3pPPVPYLT9Yo8NsmcnSoEQGnQJVP0yW9YYnAw_kJpxDd7ZDrirek-f9u5_sbZnkqBDGeN/s475/lhbw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLTgIPvVD9K4ftNmlBT6tT9gAAYMg1Sm6YS5vLSbsOYnCAeIe0vKEmYXnKZzUni5KWNUi3cFaXAEWMPQtNOVg_W8625nOXbm8eQEmam0oA83iRph5nnPkvyv3pPPVPYLT9Yo8NsmcnSoEQGnQJVP0yW9YYnAw_kJpxDd7ZDrirek-f9u5_sbZnkqBDGeN/s320/lhbw.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Audible, I am listening to this one and loving it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLc_6eTJnzOxNIsflOcqMvVNT833WyEnp8Cl0EX0PcamyLqAdzOxQthmhyGTtaHsBX9KxTYyP8p37YdhYGV3ldKwkKfwnt4S0TdOfFp9K4o14dU1q3NTA3DpV0LDuxND2-bxijvHYj7WkOFVBdLLUe8-rOBRieYxkMpOIx4Ta-ty4PrR2fd8OBxAcylYcB/s2125/book%206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2125" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLc_6eTJnzOxNIsflOcqMvVNT833WyEnp8Cl0EX0PcamyLqAdzOxQthmhyGTtaHsBX9KxTYyP8p37YdhYGV3ldKwkKfwnt4S0TdOfFp9K4o14dU1q3NTA3DpV0LDuxND2-bxijvHYj7WkOFVBdLLUe8-rOBRieYxkMpOIx4Ta-ty4PrR2fd8OBxAcylYcB/s320/book%206.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I need to read these next. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s500/calamity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlGu0QsDsYPeQtWdq9JSzuQnfWIQaA3CUOzVse04X-crheeTeFz1Gk9h3pNb-x4hb0XZZJPERrW0iKXT6dxMXI1noqsws2-xw72NI1_4l_zJRGTJ6VHUDEbnuErtmS3FvgV2fOPQLDKh8Yi4-aJoUEOEZJZX371Xfl7svT7nmJM2IH1qLV3eP5u0U3DzV/s320/calamity.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTIw-oOodyeqxkZh3aDkbvAssnXfQUwijXj75Cwmve8GIRG4yjNxvvbn1-jvdj-sfXEEyDYBUKt3edSuhP_Tmb-n1sKRdam4dlGC3T13-q_ji1bWNLaf_w1VZJil3ugiRLkkBkNyu8KHB3zp0Wvr-jbcx7xF5HP3nmvHNZfM-a2lQdGdOM2G_gu1KimJi/s416/Miracles.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmTIw-oOodyeqxkZh3aDkbvAssnXfQUwijXj75Cwmve8GIRG4yjNxvvbn1-jvdj-sfXEEyDYBUKt3edSuhP_Tmb-n1sKRdam4dlGC3T13-q_ji1bWNLaf_w1VZJil3ugiRLkkBkNyu8KHB3zp0Wvr-jbcx7xF5HP3nmvHNZfM-a2lQdGdOM2G_gu1KimJi/s320/Miracles.png" width="196" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7_NVQUj9Sokoh_g03lY2UVLIOm8USOJomTU0kH61v9M3A6FN8OBxpB03NAxB0xecpl4YoqTgpmtNmVuareGM2AT2f_eF2-njs93hIre1W9TmHSbIi1e9oLvev0DwglOjENxzrurW98JY32Ky-uehk8dFxVMWybVYKOJ6oUX46hm0l1hu9Whwwx3NAjq9/s2250/mind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7_NVQUj9Sokoh_g03lY2UVLIOm8USOJomTU0kH61v9M3A6FN8OBxpB03NAxB0xecpl4YoqTgpmtNmVuareGM2AT2f_eF2-njs93hIre1W9TmHSbIi1e9oLvev0DwglOjENxzrurW98JY32Ky-uehk8dFxVMWybVYKOJ6oUX46hm0l1hu9Whwwx3NAjq9/s320/mind.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibi7hWL_V3JybDC557Z8594HlQDpFOtDo2I_Vl46D8qKAEgGZJTg8mMEw5h1UpLSZ9eQylCcwqtCuvyMEZTfvlj5MWVA02YrgBD-a6ll-6b83nh21rdIe29tZGtDU0vmvuT34e1bxK5K5gALB6j2QtA03HXoOWMQeLhCkFFk8slSvSrJVFKH1BL3e3Ybr4/s2410/joy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2410" data-original-width="1570" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibi7hWL_V3JybDC557Z8594HlQDpFOtDo2I_Vl46D8qKAEgGZJTg8mMEw5h1UpLSZ9eQylCcwqtCuvyMEZTfvlj5MWVA02YrgBD-a6ll-6b83nh21rdIe29tZGtDU0vmvuT34e1bxK5K5gALB6j2QtA03HXoOWMQeLhCkFFk8slSvSrJVFKH1BL3e3Ybr4/s320/joy.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">Upcoming virtual book tours:</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>When the Red Bird Flies </i>by Courtney Reames Haydell - Feb 5 (review at <a href="https://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">TC&TBC</a>)</li><li><i>Civil Twilight </i>by Anique Taylor - Feb 19 (guest post)</li><li><i>Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories</i> by Elizabeth Bruce - Mar 12 (interview)</li><li><i>It Will Have Been So Beautiful </i>by Amanda Shaw - Apr 25 (review)</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>At the <b>Christmas Year Round</b> blog last week</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://christmasyearroundccm.blogspot.com/2024/02/favorite-kitchen-appliances-that-help.html" target="_blank">Favorite Kitchen Appliances That Help Me Prep for the Holidays</a><br /></li></ul></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszdftsLcoW8m93KnfOTel4xxWuXhNpn6MXiTDybuD97GMPa51XE7zAF2XXN3zyNA7N-GA4mBSlkbZXYESQUmuPiOtycXyOvK86t9fulaisCc_63lQ9Rs3GQaBIAnzXT1p2kHpCkSjnRLbKjbxQMqmM6tgQ1P5GPj95a6Ub1B7oWsdcrEuxIk6YTyJad3N/s354/winter%20mailbox%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszdftsLcoW8m93KnfOTel4xxWuXhNpn6MXiTDybuD97GMPa51XE7zAF2XXN3zyNA7N-GA4mBSlkbZXYESQUmuPiOtycXyOvK86t9fulaisCc_63lQ9Rs3GQaBIAnzXT1p2kHpCkSjnRLbKjbxQMqmM6tgQ1P5GPj95a6Ub1B7oWsdcrEuxIk6YTyJad3N/s320/winter%20mailbox%203.jpg" width="203" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Mailbox Monday</a><span style="text-align: left;"> is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The new brokerage has a Little Free Library, and people drop off books all the time. I grabbed these for now:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUAh-3UMCwN4tMgs1fpj0RhGL3-yV-24C_D9KuCHQXGgM0DxxVZHBc6FuFfbVEt6iUf0Rl6sHWwXVEajIiWctvyV0Iy4NoyE2ExrhXjGttB8n7S6vGoi7i8do2wgsZ8MBkzJbvQCZZybQE4-pUWZ0PSsHvTrLjVGYyaj5HmLiO1OWpY7cT86lrzxn4Yc0/s156/ranch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="156" data-original-width="100" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUAh-3UMCwN4tMgs1fpj0RhGL3-yV-24C_D9KuCHQXGgM0DxxVZHBc6FuFfbVEt6iUf0Rl6sHWwXVEajIiWctvyV0Iy4NoyE2ExrhXjGttB8n7S6vGoi7i8do2wgsZ8MBkzJbvQCZZybQE4-pUWZ0PSsHvTrLjVGYyaj5HmLiO1OWpY7cT86lrzxn4Yc0/w205-h320/ranch.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKJvDAk5YhzyHUrFwGmXWy_tmgx3JC8kYe6QbBqNRFAufAVd772s6_StKMj-iDJlO7tNWK_xCSWnwMyjMNFfVi7ns5cOa0oXp0AqQVDiHQrs9wAb3rtkId-Xt6C3GQ3hhC1fKgTrapna57VbR6gGGTROeNzLFXegQ3LEPcFYYKuDhOu636uuTjUyinIGd/s499/cult.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKJvDAk5YhzyHUrFwGmXWy_tmgx3JC8kYe6QbBqNRFAufAVd772s6_StKMj-iDJlO7tNWK_xCSWnwMyjMNFfVi7ns5cOa0oXp0AqQVDiHQrs9wAb3rtkId-Xt6C3GQ3hhC1fKgTrapna57VbR6gGGTROeNzLFXegQ3LEPcFYYKuDhOu636uuTjUyinIGd/s320/cult.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSSQ4WV-ie0GcZ7ucyzqGCE9RModzPG2bg7cVnODkoJTtZzRfexB_2IuTEesEIcJq33EatsPORZOfx0OYIiRrDzCxxceS9DpI7bjyojZ26FM6iNqbz1dlwIS-mH_-sPtpXGYN_2MQslT_hkKadEzzhGiPkInNPCukFL-ihpx7ncGUs1jEzMgSuI05Nst1q/s400/heroines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSSQ4WV-ie0GcZ7ucyzqGCE9RModzPG2bg7cVnODkoJTtZzRfexB_2IuTEesEIcJq33EatsPORZOfx0OYIiRrDzCxxceS9DpI7bjyojZ26FM6iNqbz1dlwIS-mH_-sPtpXGYN_2MQslT_hkKadEzzhGiPkInNPCukFL-ihpx7ncGUs1jEzMgSuI05Nst1q/s320/heroines.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HdPrp0IT2O63Llbh9KSvXlfXsHUovz0xnOERH5d7ADC-9AhV7Yq-DicKezpVqR1cW9VrDSkRW4CBKAizG4EJWHadpz3O-lk-5y-eBd4Wf-LvENFiDsTG7EoCls6EJ03R26q_n5RYRV8byfVZH_KY_7WkA6Xiue_RoNr7MeL1kEH9nmNxaazPn3afwMx9/s400/south.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HdPrp0IT2O63Llbh9KSvXlfXsHUovz0xnOERH5d7ADC-9AhV7Yq-DicKezpVqR1cW9VrDSkRW4CBKAizG4EJWHadpz3O-lk-5y-eBd4Wf-LvENFiDsTG7EoCls6EJ03R26q_n5RYRV8byfVZH_KY_7WkA6Xiue_RoNr7MeL1kEH9nmNxaazPn3afwMx9/s320/south.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I enjoy history, even the tough parts. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's it from me this week. I hope to be checking in with your blogs early in the day. Hope you enjoy your week. </div></div></div></div></div></div>Cherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.com5