Posted September 30, 2016 in Life, Reading / 6 Comments
Things that Happened in September
- My life became utterly crazy.
- Grad school is crazy busy and I keep questioning my sanity about WHY I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?!
- Things at the school I work at have been just a wee bit insane (and by wee bit I mean totally and utterly).
- Basically, my life is crazy and it is surprising that I am finding any time to do this… Oh, wait, this is procrastinating because I should be writing a paper…
- My most visited post by far this month was on 11 Ways High-Functioning Depression and Anxiety are Present in My Life.
My Favorite Book of September
If we are going by not an assigned book for grad school:
The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen
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Tagged as Monthly Wrap-Up
Posted September 29, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
Christmas in Paris by
Anita Hughes Publisher: St Martin's Griffin (2016 - October 4)
eARC (288 pages)
Via: NetGalley Rating: Reading Challenges: Read 2016 Synopsis
Hughes will fill your heart with the sights, sounds, and flavors of new love, glamorous fashion, and decadent holiday cuisine.
Isabel Lawson is standing on the balcony of her suite at the Hotel Crillon as she gazes at the twinkling lights of the Champs Elysee and wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake. She was supposed to be visiting the Christmas tree in the Place de la Concorde, and eating escargots and macaroons with her new husband on their honeymoon. But a week before the wedding, she called it off. Isabel is an ambitious Philadelphia finance woman, and Neil suddenly decided to take over his grandparents’ farm. Isabel wasn’t ready to trade her briefcase for a pair of rubber boots and a saddle.
When Neil suggested she use their honeymoon tickets for herself, she thought it would give her a chance to clear her head. That is until she locks herself out on the balcony in the middle of winter. Thankfully her neighbor Alec, a French children’s illustrator, comes to her rescue. He too is nursing a broken heart at the Crillon for the holidays. With a new friend by her side, Isabel is determined to use her time in the city of lights wisely. After a chance encounter with a fortune teller and a close call with a taxi, she starts to question everything she thought was important.
Christmas in Paris is a moving and heartwarming story about love, trust, and self-discovery. Set during the most magical week of the year, the glorious foods and fashions of the most romantic city in the world are sure to take your breath away.
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
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Tagged as 4 star, Read 2016
Posted September 26, 2016 in Reading, Review / 2 Comments
Starflight by
Melissa Landers Series: Starflight #1 Publisher: Disney Hyperion (2016)
Hardcover (369 pages)
Rating: Reading Challenges: Read 2016 Synopsis
Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She's so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith.
When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world—and each other—the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe...
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
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Tagged as 4 star, Read 2016
Posted September 19, 2016 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments
Riley Unlikely by
Riley Banks-Snyder Publisher: Zondervan (2016 - September 22)
eARC (176 pages)
Via: NetGalley Rating: Reading Challenges: Read 2016 Synopsis
Riley Unlikely is the inspiring story of Riley Banks, who first traveled to Kenya at age 13, and has been back every year since bringing backpacks of school supplies and hygiene kits for young girls, developing relationships and friendships, and is currently, as a young millennial, raising money to build a complete learning complex in Kibwezi, Kenya for those who have nothing.
At age sixteen Riley learned that, because of a rare medical condition, she would never be able to have her own children. Devastating news to most young women, especially those who love children and have always dreamed of having their own family. But Riley’s response was: Kenya has given me a thousand children.
Riley’s stories of her trips to Kenya, her struggles to figure out how to best serve and care for these people she has fallen in love with, and her own unexpected health issues are funny, compelling and gripping. Readers will find that God writes surprising stories in the lives of those who follow Him. Hard to put down, Riley Unlikely will inspire you to pursue your dreams and make a difference in your own world—and around the world.
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
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Tagged as 5 star, Read 2016, World Youth Day
Posted September 12, 2016 in Reading, Review / 2 Comments
Six of Crows by
Leigh Bardugo Series: Six of Crows #1 Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (2015)
Hardcover (465 pages)
Via: Library Rating: Also by this author: Shadow and Bone,
Siege and Storm,
Ruin and Rising Reading Challenges: Read 2016 Synopsis
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.
Find the book: Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository
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Tagged as 4 star, Read 2016
