Jul 31, 2013

Through Cloud and Sunshine

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Book Details
Author: Dean Hughes
Release Date: Jun 2013
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Historical

I like to read the WHOLE book...including the preface and the author's notes. I find it fascinating what an author puts into a book.

I am always impressed with the amount of research an author must do to write about a different place and a different time.

Dean Hughes actually spent a season serving a mission in Nauvoo and pulls from those days for this book.

He also writes about how this is is 100th book. He has been "at it for thirty-four years." Sometimes he thinks about retiring as an author but says he is not ready "just yet."

He includes in this book about how the hardness of writing is the amount of information one can find now with the help of "Google." How much do you put in a book. How do you keep the book from being a historical text book vs. a novel.

I found this passage very interesting:

"I suspect that if Joseph Smith or one of the Apostles from his time were to preach in a worship service today, he might shock a modern congregation. For one thing, he would probably look unkempt. Men often owned one suit of clothes, cut and sewn with rough fabrics, and instead of sending those clothes to a dry cleaner, they brushed them off and kept wearing them. They surely looked rumpled, and they didn't bathe or shave as often as men do now. Their teeth were often bad, and as people grew older, they usually had spaces where teeth has been pulled. But more than anything, their sermons probably would have sounded strange to us. Not only did they speak for hours, but they often speculated, starting with an idea and developing it right on the spot. Joseph Smith was not as flamboyant as some, but he was full of surprises. Many of his speeches offered a new 'take' on the doctrine, and he liked homey analogies, humor, and sometimes a challenge to enemies of the Church."

 Dean Hughes also tells about the amount of drafts he goes through before his wife, his toughest critic, will say she really likes it. That is the most important endorsement he can receive.

And now you know a little more of what authors put 
into the books that we SO LOVE READING!

Book Description
Nauvoo was supposed to be the kingdom of God on earth, but Will and Liz Lewis are learning that it takes more than dreaming of Zion to make it a reality. Sickness, poverty, and just plain human nature add to the struggles for the Lord's people, but every now and then a glimpse of heaven shines through. Just when things are starting to get settled, though, the old problems start rearing their heads, leaving Will and others wondering if they will be there to reap the harvest they have so carefully sown.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Abby—in modern-day Nauvoo—are dealing with challenges of their own. As their newborn baby fights for his life, they must come to grips with their personal faith. Can they, like their ancestors, continue to trust in God when there seems to be no trace o Him in their trials?

Beloved novelist Dean Hughes skillfully interweaves the stories of two couples separated by five generations and 150 years, providing a unique perspective on Church history and showing how much we can learn from those who went before us.



This series continues to be an AWESOME story!

Book 1: The Winds and the Waves

About the Author
Dean Hughes has published books for readers of all ages, including the bestselling historical fiction series Children of the Promise. Dean holds a bachelor’s degree from Weber State University and master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Washington. He has taught English at Central Missouri State University and Brigham Young University. Dean and his wife, Kathleen Hurst Hughes, are the parents of three children and grandparents of nine, they live in Midway, Utah.


(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Jul 30, 2013

Summer Giveaway Hop w/ $15 Amazon Gift Card

13 comments


Participating blogs are offering a book related giveaway 
and we are all linked up together so you can easily 
hop from one giveaway to another.

Hop runs from Aug 1st - 7th


My Giveaway ~
$15 Amazon Gift Card (INT)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you have entered my giveaway...
hop to another giveaway from the list below :)

The Reluctant Blogger w/ Book Giveaway

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Book Details
Author: Ryan Rapier
Release Date: August 2013
Publisher: Bonneville Books
Genre: Drama

What an amazing, beautifully-told, inspiring story!
I LOVE the subtitle...When LIFE gives you LEMONS ~ make a BLOG!

You will be drawn in and follow the roller-coaster called life with its ups and downs and bumpy curves.

You will learn that family and friends are most important no matter what and along the way you will realize that faith and hope keep us grounded and that a truly loving Heavenly Father keeps us lifted.

Painfully evident are life's struggles, yet somehow we all get through them and move forward....

And it is okay if we sometimes need a little help from a psychiatrist or a blog.

When Todd Landry can't seem to get over his wife's death his Bishop suggests a visit to a psychiatrist.

But when Todd can't put his thoughts into words the psychiatrist suggests blogging as a way to get his feelings out onto paper.

The blog posts start to reveal some really interesting things going on in not only Todd's personal life, but also the lives of his family and friends....and he learns we all have struggles.

I LOVED this story!
I couldn't stop reading!
It has changed the way I look at people and I now try to understand more of what they are going through!

Are you afraid of talking about your struggles because you don't want to be seen as anything but perfect?

Cedar Fort has graciously agreed to give 
one of my blog readers a copy of 
The Reluctant Blogger!
Hard Copy OR eBook for US addresses
eBook for International readers
offer ends 8/13
a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author
Ryan Rapier is an Arizona native and through the course of his life has come face to face with a rattlesnake
more than once. For that reason alone, he would likely have left the desert behind years ago were it not for one thing—the luxury of year-round golf. When Ryan isn’t on the course or in front of a computer screen, he can usually be found chasing behind his four children or doing errands for his amazing wife in the isolated beautiful valley they have both called home forever. Ryan’s further thoughts and opinions that concern nobody but himself can be found at his website, www.ryansrapierwit.com.


(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Pretty Darn Funny Season 1: Episode 3

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The troupe has found a place to practice...
But they are trespassing...
Can they come up with some funny sketches without getting caught?

Have you ever trespassed?

The closest I come to trespassing is when I was a teenager and our neighborhood was filled with new housing construction. My friends and I would go into the houses to see all the fun floor plans.

Watch the comedy duel between Gracie and Ryanne
they must speak only in song titles
about stealing



Do you want to support good clean fun?
Go to this clip on YouTube and click "LIKE"

Watch Gracie and her team in their sketch called
Jane Austen Is My Homegirl (a Downton Abbey Rap) 
HERE

Watch Season 1: Episode 1 HERE
Watch Season 1: Episode 2 HERE

Reference to Ladies' Night~ 
Deseret Bookstores hold a Ladies' Night the 1st Saturday in April and the 1st Saturday in October from 6pm - 8pm. All items in the bookstore are 20% off and FREE prizes are given away throughout the night. There is also a special treat for the first 100 women at each location. To find a Deseret Bookstore near you click HERE

Jul 29, 2013

The Burnout Cure

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Book Details
Author: Julie de Azevedo Hanks
Release Date: August 2013
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Genre: Self-Help

Julie is doing a giveaway of 5 prizes!
$100 Amazon Gift Card, a signed book, a signed book on CD boxed set, and a phone consultation
Click HERE to enter



Have you ever felt weary in well-doing?

Have you ever felt less than someone else?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed and under appreciated?

Now you have 6 Emotional Burnout Cures in this WONDERFUL book!

Cures that will help you meet your emotional needs, accept your limitations, let go of the guilt and perfectionism, and help you learn to lean on the Lord.

Filled with personal stories, scriptural quotes and clinical stories this book dispels the myths that leave women feeling that we are 'never good enough.'

There are some REALLY GOOD HELPS in this book!
Every woman can benefit from reading this book!

Watch this AMAZING music video from Julie de Azevedo Hanks
You made wine from water
And raised up Jairus's daughter from her bed
Filled the empty fishing nets
And with some loaves and fishes fed
A hungry crowd
Make enough of me to go around



About the Author
Julie de Azevedo Hanks, MSW, LCSW is a self-care evangelist, relationship expert, media contributor, blogger, speaker, songwriter, and licensed therapist with 20 year experience counseling women, couples and families. In addition to owning Wasatch Family Therapy, LLC and serving as executive director, Hanks is an emotional health and relationship expert on TV and radio.

She is a regular contributor on KSL TV’s Studio 5 and has appeared nationally on TLC, Discovery Health, and FOX News Channel. Her down-to-earth advice has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, CNN, Women’s Day, Women’s Health, Real Simple, Parenting, and others. Hanks writes for Answers, Sharecare, DailyStrength, and PsychCentral websites.

As an award-winning performing songwriter, “Julie de Azevedo” has written dozens of songs, contributed to numerous projects, and produced 10 solo CD’s over the past 25 years. Her most recent CD “Masterpiece: The Best of Julie de Azevedo” is a collection of her best-loved songs.

Hanks most valuable experience has been “in the trenches” of family life as a wife to Jeff Hanks and mother of 4 children. In her “spare time” Hanks is earning her PhD in marriage and family therapy, taking long naps, and eating a lot of chocolate.


(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

The 7 Principles of Fat Burning w/ Book Giveaway

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Book Details
Author: Eric Berg DC
Release Date: March 2010
Publisher: KB Publishing
Genre: Self-Help

I work in a bookstore and every day when I go to work I look around and feel so blessed to have so much good surrounding me!

How blessed we are to have so many good books!

How blessed we are to have so many authors share their knowledge and creativeness with us!

This is truly one of those books!

AMAZING information!

I LOVE this thought:

For years people have been told to lose weight to be healthy. The truth is, you need to get healthy to lose weight. 

And this book will show you HOW!

"The 7 Principles of Fat Burning is the handbook to the sensational Berg Diet that has empowered thousands of people to get healthy, lose weight and keep it off.

It shows how to activate your fat-burning hormones with a tailor-made eating and exercise plan for your body type.

The 7 Principles is a highly practical book that provides clear explanations-aided by dozens of charts and illustrations-of the principles of healthy weight loss.

Easy-to-understand health and nutrition information and simple tests to determine your correct body type are the keys to its success.

Knowledge is power and The 7 Principles of Fat Burning gives dieters the power to take command by eating the healthy diet that activates the fat-burning hormones for their body type.

Dr. Berg thoroughly educates readers and puts them right where they should be... in charge of their own weight."

  Tour Giveaway 
 3 copies of 7 Principles of Fat Burning 
 Open to US only 
 Ends 8/4/13
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author 
Eric Berg, DC, 47 years of age is a chiropractor who specializes in weight loss through nutritional and natural methods. His private practice is located in Alexandria, Virginia. His clients include senior officials in the U.S. government and the Justice Department, ambassadors, medical doctors, high-level executives of prominent corporations, scientists, engineers, professors, and other clients from all walks of life. He is the author of The 7 Principles of Fat Burning, published by Action KB Publishing in January 2010.

In addition, Eric Berg is widely published in trade magazines, including Chiropractic Today and The American Chiropractor, and in consumer publications such as First for Women, Men’s Exercise, New Beauty, Upscale and Let’s Live. Dr. Berg trains chiropractors, physicians and allied healthcare practitioners in his methods, and to date he has trained over 2,000 healthcare professionals.

He has been an active member of the Endocrinology Society, on the advisory panel for the Health Science Institute, and has worked as a past part-time adjunct professor at Howard University. Eric Berg’s nonprofit foundation, Health Technology Foundation, is currently being approved nationally for the purpose of providing research to substantiate alternative healthcare technologies, giving cost-effective solutions and result-oriented healthcare.

As a leader in natural health and food coaching, Eric Berg has appeared on many radio and television shows, including ABC, CBS, and as a monthly host on Channel 8’s Sports Talk. He has also had his own radio health show on WOL in 2005.
Website * Twitter * Facebook


(A review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Jul 26, 2013

Where Do I Belong

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Book Details
Author: Donna Lee Comer
Release Date: May 2013
Genre: Drama

Words cannot even describe how GOOD this book is!
I was captivated from the very beginning and read the ENTIRE day because I couldn't put it down. I HAD to know what the end results were!

So well told your heart will be completely wound around this story.

Event so unbelievable will be presented that you will wonder how this could ever happen.

And yet somewhere deep down inside you will know that things like this happen every day.

Your heart will never be the same again and you will vow to help anyone in this situation if you can.

You will fall in love with a teen-age girl and the woman who steps in to help her.

When Kara was three-weeks-old she was left on the steps of an orphanage by her mother. She was bounced back and forth between the orphanage and foster homes for the first 15 years of her life.

Then she was adopted by the Nolan's....a family see could see herself living with until she could live on her own.

Then one day Kara came home to find the police in her driveway. Fearing they would send her back to the orphanage she ran. When she is finally caught they charge her with the murder of Mrs. Nolan.

The events that unfold and the evidence brought against her are staggering.

Jane Matthews is called in to help.
But who will take the word of an orphan?

This book will change your life.
And you will see each day as the gift that it is.

I. LOVED. THIS. STORY!

About the Author
I was born and raised in south central Pennsylvania. I came from a family of eleven children. I have five brothers and five sisters. The first six of us were born in a small farmhouse on a 200 acre farm owned by our parents. Life was simple and fun for us.

My oldest sister, Gloria, died in 2005 from ovarian cancer. Our father,the strongest and wisest man I have ever known, died April 2009, and we miss them both. I have found that you have to appreciate the people you love today, for they may be gone tomorrow.

I am married with four grown children and six grandchildren. My husband Robert and I make our home in Red Lion, Pa.

I began reading as an elementary student and have not stopped. I can get lost or even lose a few hours of time and wonder where the time went, just by reading a good book!

I love mystery, reality fiction..... but never dreamed I could write one.

Pretty Darn Funny Season 1: Episode 2

0 comments
Gracie and Ryanne hold auditions for their all-female comedy troupe.

Have you or a friend ever auditioned for anything.

I have been in many musical groups where I had to auditon.
I get SO NERVOUS.
I think I can sing...but do they?
Happily I can say I have been accepted into every group~

Right now I am singing with the Logan Towne Singers :)

Sometimes you "must sift through some real comedy bombs 
to find a few diamonds in the rough"



Do you want to support good clean fun?
Go to this clip on YouTube and click "LIKE"

Watch Gracie and her team in their sketch called
Jane Austen Is My Homegirl (a Downton Abbey Rap) HERE

Watch Season 1: Episode 1 HERE

Jul 25, 2013

I Belong With You w/ TWO eBook Giveaways

20 comments
Book Details
Author: Shannon Guymon
Release Date: July 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance

OH. I. LOVE. THIS. SERIES!
Fun, fun romantic novels.
Filled with depth and mystery too.

Sisters helping one another.
Love triangles.
Sabotage.
All served up with the best bakery sweets there are.

You will turn every page, soak up every word, sigh with every breath.

You will gasp at plot twists and want to wring a few necks.

And in the end you will know you just read another really wonderful book that you will want to share with everyone!

In book ONE, You Belong With Me, you met the three sisters and the inheritance of their grandmothers bakery. You also read about Layla.

Now it is Kit's turn!
She has always been a little on the wild side.
She loved the night life and dating was just for fun.

But now as she is watching her sister get married, she is wondering if there is someone out there who is special just for her.

She has had her eye on Rob since she first moved to Fircrest.
And now Hunter has shown up on the scene.

They are both gorgeous men.
Rob owns a restaurant that Kit supplies the bread for from her bakery.
Hunter is a computer game nerd, but shows her the best in herself.

And then there is her Dad. What is she going to do with him?

So many questions.
What is a girl suppose to do?

Her heart will be broken.
She will be attacked.
Her bakery will be put on the line.
Her sisters will stand by her side.
And in the end you will hear her say to that one special person "I Belong With You!"

LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!

(You can read my review of You Belong With Me HERE)

Shannon has graciously agreed to do an 
ebook (Kindle) GIVEAWAY
of BOTH of her books in this series!
TWO forms ~ TWO winners

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author
Shannon is the author of twelve books - so far.
She enjoys the outdoors, reading and being with her children. She is a HUGE believer in happy endings. Scarlett really should have been happy with Rhett, and it's a shame Leo and Kate didn't float safely into New York on the Titanic.


(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)


Jul 24, 2013

Rising Sun, Falling Star w/ $25 Amazon OR PayPal GIVEAWAY

1 comments
Book Details
Author: Vickie Hall
Release Date: June 2013
Genre: Historical

The thing I love most about books is that they can take you to a different time and a different place. And this book does just that in such a heart-wrenching, yet most amazingly wonderful way.

So beautifully written you will relive the time and the place.
You will cry for the people and wonder how this could have ever happened.

You will embrace their journey and make it your own.
And in the end you will pray that something like this will never happen again.

Kenji and Aiko Onishi are living in California when Pearl Harbor is bombed.

Because they are of  Japanese descent they are ripped from their home and placed in an internment camp.

Life will never be the same.

Based on true and tragic events during WW II!
This book will touch your heart!

Excerpt from the book:

“Mama, what’s wrong?”
“Come with me,” she ordered. “Hurry.”
Meri pulled hard against her mother’s tightened grasp. “Mama, what’s happened? Where are we going?”
“You see,” she said, breathless with her quickened steps. She made a beeline to the telephone pole by the post office. Meri followed, a look of dread splashed across her face as they came to a stop in front of the sign. “Tell me what say,” she said, pointing.
Meri cradled her books in her arm and stared up at the sign. She began to read and her eyes widened. “Mama,” she gasped, “we’re being evacuated!”
Aiko’s stone-like face never flinched as she absorbed the news. “What else it say?”
Meri spun toward her mother. “Where are they sending us? What’s going to happen to us?”
Aiko lifted her chin toward the sign. “Read more.”
Meri blinked back tears and turned to face the sign. “A responsible member of the family must report tomorrow to the Civil Control Station for further instructions between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.”
Aiko motioned to Meri’s books. “Write down what it say.”
“Mama—”
Aiko touched her daughter’s arm. “We be fine,” she said, adding a soft smile. “Write down.”
Meri’s hands were shaking as she took out a pencil and opened her notebook. She wrote down all of the instructions posted on the sign in careful detail. When she had finished, she looked at her mother with beseeching eyes. “Oh, Mama . . . this is horrible. It’s not fair!” Meri exclaimed, coming alongside her mother. “It’s just not fair!”
                Aiko could see the desperation in her daughter’s expression and brushed Meri’s cheek with the back of her fingers. “Meri, fallen blossom cannot return to branch. We pick up pieces and wait for new blossom.”   


Tour GIVEAWAY
$25 Amazon OR PayPal
ends 8/11

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author
Vickie Hall lends a new voice to the market.Her characters fill the pages with depth and emotion while the riveting plot keeps the pages turning to the very end. Her love of writing is evident in her masterful blend of story-telling and deep emotion. Readers will be richly satisfied and left wanting more.

Vickie is also a musician and composer. She has been writing music since she was 13 years old. Her music has been recorded by the Westminster College Women's Choir.


(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Jul 23, 2013

Lazy Days of Summer w/ $15 Amazon Gift Card

5 comments
HOSTED BY BURGANDY ICE AND I AM A READER, NOT A WRITER

Participating blogs are offering a book related giveaway 
and we are all linked up together so you can easily 
hop from one giveaway to another.

Hop runs from July 24 - Aug 4


My Giveaway ~
$15 Amazon Gift Card (INT)




a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you have entered my giveaway...
hop to another giveaway from the list below :)

Whisper Island w/ eBOOK GIVEAWAY

2 comments

Book Details
Author: Anola Pickett
Release Date: July 2013
Publisher: Sweetwater Books
Genre: Middle Grade Historical

What a sweet, tender, amazing book!
I sat down to read it and didn't get up until it was finished it was so captivating!
A story told from the heart with all the passion of a young girl trying to make it in a man's world.

Primmy Hopkins just wants to help people and make a difference.
She wants to follow in her father's footsteps and be a part of the US Life Savers Service, for Primmy longs for the adventures of the sea and the seashore. She also wants to help those who have been shipwrecked.

But it is 1913 and women can't do that! Everyone just wants her to learn how to cook and clean and take care of her future husband and future babies.

When an invitation from her estranged mother comes asking for Primmy to visit, Primmy has to make some very grown up decisions.

And when a large storm hits the island Primmy has a chance to make new friendships and prove to everyone just what she is made of.

I LOVE this quote:

"Mama Lu believes the events of life often bring lessons when we most need them. I ponder this as I look at our yard crowded with family and friends. Filled with hugging and clapping and laughter. What lessons have recent events brought me?"

Take time to read this book...you will be glad you did!

Anola has graciously offered to do an 
eBOOK GIVEAWAY
of her book for MY readers :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author
Anola Pickett is a former teacher and school librarian who writes for both children and adults. She began composing stories as a busy third grader, and her most recent book, Whisper Island, is now available.

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, she has traveled throughout the United States and the world, often to visit her son, Gerry, and his wife, Kara, who currently live in Hong Kong. She has found inspiration as nearby as the block where she grew up and as far away as the streets of Abu Dhabi.

She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustratorsand Heartland Writers for Kids and Teens. Her first children's book, Old Enough for Magic, was published in 1993 by Harper & Row; her short fiction and articles have appeared in dozens of publications across the United States. A teaching resource manual she co-wrote, Multiple Intelligences and Positive Life Habits, was published in 2001 and Wasatch Summer, her first historical young adult novel, was published in 2011.

Anola holds a master's degree in inner-city education and has taught at urban schools in Chicago and Kansas City. She lives in Kansas City with her husband, Peter.

(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)


Jul 22, 2013

Pretty Darn Funny Season 1: Episode 1

0 comments
Pretty Darn Funny all started because a group of people wanted to

"Empower women and families in creating authentic alternatives to contemporary entertainment."

It is a web-series.
Completely FREE.
Designed for the whole family.

Have you ever walked out of skit, play, movie because it didn't meet your standards?

I have...
We had taken the kids to see a 'funny' movie.
We had heard glorious praises for this movie.
We sat through about 15 minutes of the movie with little language except swearing.
I pulled my family up and walked out just like Gracie does in this clip.

Why do you think they add this kind of language in?
Do you feel empowered to do something about it?


Watch as Gracie takes things into her own hands



Do you want to support good clean fun?
Go to this clip on YouTube and click "LIKE"

Watch Gracie and her team in their sketch called
Jane Austen Is My Homegirl (a Downton Abbey Rap) 
HERE

Jul 19, 2013

Heaven's Just a Prayer Away w/ Book Giveaway

0 comments

Book Details
Author: Diony George
Release Date: July 2013
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Genre: Inspiration

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK!
So inspiring!
So wonderful!

A good reminder that we need to be praying with all our hearts all the time!

A good reminder that our Father in Heaven is always there for us no matter what!

We need Him!

Through prayer we can reach Him!

Through answers to our prayers He can reach us!

We matter to Him!

Amazing stories and scriptures about prayer and answers to prayer!

Put this book on your gift-giving list!
Everyone needs to read this book!

From the Author
With the help of this book you will:

• Learn that nothing is too small or unimportant to discuss with Heavenly Father
• Find peace and contentment through daily communication with God
• Gain a better understanding of why some prayers seem to go unanswered
• Develop a greater knowledge of the power of prayer
The inspirational and enlightening experiences found within these pages will change your life forever by strengthening your relationship with God and filling your life with peace, teaching us that heaven really is just a prayer away.

Diony George has graciously agreed to do a GIVEAWAY 
of her book for MY readers :)
US address only please

About the Author
Diony George is a wife, stay-at-home mom of seven, grandmother of three, motivational speaker, and the author of four books.

Through her writing and public speaking she loves helping others draw closer to God. 

An avid reader whose favorite genre is romantic suspense, Diony also loves to travel, sew, and bake—especially pies and homemade bread. 

Born and raised in Alaska, she currently resides in Salt Lake City with her husband and family. 

Mrs. George can be reached through her personal website at http://www.dionygeorge.com



(I review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion : )

Jul 18, 2013

Western Roundup Giveaway w/ Peace River Giveaway

0 comments

Second Annual Western Roundup Giveaway Hop

Hosted by MK McClintock

July 19th – 31st 

Participating blogs are offering a book related giveaway
and we are all linked up together so you can easily 
hop from one giveaway to another.

My Giveaway Details:
1 copy of Peace River
(will send INT from The Book Depository)

The police didn’t understand the danger—but she did. Her father had always been abusive, but now, with a ten million dollar Thoroughbred farm on the line, and a powerful bookie leaning on him, her father had become out of control. 

But how do you get away and take a world famous stallion with you? Carrie was getting desperate when a handsome and honorable but thoroughly cynical rodeo cowboy from Wyoming happened to show up with a horse trailer. 

He didn’t ride a white horse, but he was definitely a knight in shining armor. He’ll protect her from the mob, but can she survive falling in love with a bull rider?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you have entered my giveaway...
hop to another giveaway from the list below :)

The End Begins: Sudden Darkness w/ BOOK GIVEAWAY

2 comments

Book Details
Author: Margot Hovley
Release Date: September 2012
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Genre: Dystopian

What a story!
What would you do if all the lights went out...for days on end?

What would you do if all of the electronic devices didn't work...like cars, phones, computers, games?

What would you do if you were asked to walk across the span of multiple states?

This story makes you really think about your life and what would happen if everything just quit and you were asked to leave it all behind.

SO AMAZINGLY GOOD!

Tragedy and war have filled the newspapers.

But, to Amelie life goes on as normal...
Well, as normal as her life gets anyway.

Then her world really falls apart.
Her father is whisked away to some unknown mission.

Her job and school get put on hold.
They have no electricity.
A
nd now they have been asked to leave everything behind and move from Washington to Utah.

Life is complicated even more when all the gasoline is stolen and they have to walk the entire way.

Walk this journey with her as she encounters, gunfire, kidnapping, terrorist threats, missionary moments, friendship, and love.

This is a story that will stay with you long after you have finished that last page.

Enjoy your life now...for you never know when or where 'the end begins...and you will find yourself in 'sudden darkness.'

OH! SO! GOOD!
DON'T MISS OUT ON READING THIS BOOK!


Margot has graciously offered a GIVEAWAY 
of her book to MY readers :)
US Addresses ONLY please


About the Author
Margot Hovley was raised in rural Washington State, where she worked as a girl pig-herder and champion produce boxmaker. She now lives and plays in Utah with her big family. When she’s not storytelling, she’s hanging out with family, teaching music to the somewhat willing, and fooling with techy gadgets. She loves hiking, traveling, and concocting adventures.

Ten FUN things to know about her :)
1. I was raised in the country in southeastern Washington, not too far from where Sudden Darkness is set.

2. Getting emails from readers is my favorite thing in the world.

3. Several things from my own life are "hidden" in the book.

4. Despite being a grandma I play basketball twice a week. (Most people can't believe that!)

5. I once played the piano in front of President Hinckley and have accompanied the Tabernacle Choir for a funeral. (TERRIFYING!!)

6. I teach a weekly teen writing class that I adore.

7. I'm obsessed with Scandinavia and am writing a fantasy set in a pretend medieval Denmark.

8. I also write a self-reliance blog that gets 1000 hits per day, called Old School. (www.mynewoldschool.com)

9. I love antiques but at the same time I love techy things. My adoration of my MacBook Air is a bit extreme. :)

10. I'm a 8-year cancer survivor. Having hair again is awesome!


(A digital review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

The Day the Crayons Quit

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Book Details
Author: Drew Daywalt
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Release Date: June 2013
Genre: Children's Picture Book

A new FAVORITE children's book!
So CUTE!
So AMAZING!
So WONDERFUL!
So NEED TO READ!

Duncan just wants to color...
But when he opens the crayon box they have some news for him!

Red want to QUIT! Because Duncan uses him the most~ coloring fire engines, apples, etc. And he has to work holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day. He NEEDS A REST!

Purple knows he is Duncan's favorite color and is called on frequently to color grapes, dragons, and wizard's hats. But he is COMPLETELY LOSING IT!

Gray complains "YOU'RE KILLING ME!" He always has to draw the big animals like elephants and HUMPBACK WHALES. He is so tired!

Pick up the book to see why beige, white, black, green, yellow, orange, blue, and pink have written letters of complaint...YOU WILL LOVE IT!

And wait until you read about the peach crayon...the one that is now embarrassed because Duncan peeled off his paper wrapping...SO FUN!

CUTE CUTE ending as Duncan finds a way to handle 'the day the crayons quit.'


WONDERFUL illustrations by Oliver Jeffers~
Oliver Jeffers is an artist, designer, illustrator and writer from Northern Ireland. He graduated from the University of Ulster with a degree in Visual Communication.

From figurative painting and installation, to illustration and picture-book making, his work has been exhibited in New York, Dublin, London, Sydney, Washington DC, and Belfast.

He is widely known for his picture books for children, published by HarperCollins UK and Penguin USA. How to Catch a Star debuted in 2004 to critical acclaim, and Lost and Found (2005), won the Nestles Smarties Book Prize Gold Medal 2006, the Blue Peter Book Award 2006 and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal the same year. The Incredible Book Eating Boy (2007) won the Irish Book Awards Children's Book of the Year, and his fourth Book The Way Back Home was released in September 2007 and The Great Paper Caper will be publlished in September 2008.



Jul 17, 2013

Pretty Darn Funny Web Series w/ Jane Austen Rap

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Pretty Darn Funny is getting ready for Season 2 and I was able to attend a pre-screening event last night

Let me tell you I am excited for Season 2!

They are taking it in a slightly different direction this season and I am so looking forward to it!

You will still see the comedy troupe but you will also see more of Gracie's life as she tries to have it all, be it all, enjoy it all....and you will see she is pretty funny trying to do it all :)

I was able to watch 2 episodes...SO GOOD!

I was also able to watch a music video...
FUN! FUN! FUN! and FUNNY too!

Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting Season 1 in preparation for Season 2

For now sit back and enjoy this really fun comedy sketch/music video brought to you by the cast of Pretty Darn Funny!




Do you want to support good clean fun?
Go to this clip on YouTube and click "LIKE"

Watch Season 1: Episode 1 HERE
 

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