Mockingjay - too violent?
Christmas Jars

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Shudder - Book Review
A Winter Solstice Celebration - Book Review

Which book reviewers do you trust?
Huge Giveaway
Staying Grateful
Mommy Brain
Get Comfortable
In need of blogging advice
The Black Madonna
One series wonders
Win the entire series - 39 Clues
Review - Defensive Tactics by Steve Westover

More Baby Pics
Young Adult Fiction?
English Trifle
City of Angels Giveaway
Phoenix Coats Checketts

Searching for that perfect book
Review and Giveaway - City of Angels

Review- Leaning into the Curves


Giveaway reminder and winner
Review and Giveaway - The Silence of God

Winner - The Mark
Summer Reading Fun
With summer upon us, many are planning how to spend their summer vacation. All too often, young people opt for making the couch and TV their best friends during their free time.
Instead they could be expanding their minds and developing their talents, talents that can help them live a much more fulfilling life.
“Canticle Quests” is a summer program that helps young people develop themselves and share their work with others. Participants read novels from authors who have contributed to the project and then create works of art, writing, music, and more in order to earn points.
The points gain them entries into a final drawing with prizes provided by local authors and businesses. The best submitted works will also be showcased on the website for all to enjoy.
To put it in simplest terms:
WHO: All people going into 5th - 12th grade
WHAT: A summer reading/activity program with a chance to be recognized and win prizes.
WHERE: Open to everyone in the U.S. and Canada.
WHEN: June 7th - September 15th 2010 (You may sign up before the official start)
WHY: Because Summer is too precious to waste
There are no costs associated with the program at any time.
Sign up today and get started!
Review and Giveaway - The Canticle Kingdom
Used Books?
Review - Broken Birds

World War II has long since ended, and yet Jaclyn and her brothers and sisters grow up learning to survive it. Having lived through the Holocaust on the principle of constant distrust, their mother, Channa, dutifully teaches her children to cling to one another while casting a suspicious eye to the outside world. When Channa dies, the unexpected contents of her will force her adult children to confront years of suppressed indignation. For Jaclyn and her siblings, the greatest war will not be against strangers, but against each other.
Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila, is Jeannette Katzir's achingly honest memoir of the enduring effects of war. From her parents' harrowing experience during the Holocaust to her own personal battles, Katzir exposes the maladies of heart and mind that those broken by war inevitably and unintentionally pass down to the generations that follow.
My Review:
The initial story of Broken Birds was amazing. Reading about how the author's parents each survived the holocaust broke my heart and completely captured me.
Unfortunately the rest of the book wasn't so engaging. The author shared her family history - marriages, jobs, babies, fights between siblings, etc.
It was sad to see the effect the Holocaust had on subsequent generations, but I wish the author would've focused more on her parents' experiences.
Review and Giveaway - The Mark by Marilyn Bunderson

Book Review - More than Conquerors by Kathi Macias

Review and Giveaways - The Pitch by Linda J. Lord

Prize 2: 2 $25.00 Amazon gift cards Prize 3: 2 copies of The Pitch
You will need to leave a comment (10 entries) or answer my soccer contest questions (25 entries) on my site. Or on any of the participating tour stop sites on the scheduled tour date to enter. And to finish off your entry, leave your email address in the post or send a message to lindalordonline@gmail.com.
The questions are (1) name 3 soccer rules, and (2) name 3 soccer positions.
One dollar from the sale of each book goes to the Hemophilia Society of Ontario, South Western Ontario Region.
Purchase copies of The Pitch from Amazon Click here
Purchase copies of The Pitch from Barnes & Nobile Click here
Good for 300 entries per book you purchase by using the links above. Email your receipt to lindalordonline@gmail.com.
Contest #2
Leave a comment on the blog anytime between now and May 22nd to win one of several copies of The Pitch.
Please indicate that you are entering contest #2 with your comment.
You must be a follower of my blog to enter.
For extra entries:
Two extra entries for sharing the contest on Twitter or Facebook.
Four extra entries for sharing the contest on your blog or placing it on your sidebar.
Lots of fun things to win today. Thanks for stopping by!
Results of April's Challenge
Imprints by Rachel Ann Nunes - Book Review

Winner - Texas Roads
Review - No Greater Love by Kathi Macias

Almost Super
No TV and No Treats
The Raindrop by Brian D. McClure - Review

The Raindrop by Brian D. McClure (Author), Buddy Plumlee (Illustrator)
"I am just a raindrop, I am smaller than small. What am I doing here? I have no use at all..." So begins the story of The Raindrop. In this adventurous journey, many Truths are uncovered which help the Raindrop remember the higher purpose of his life. This simple and heartfelt story, allows children and adults of all ages to remember the Truth of who they are.
I loved the message of this story. We all have a mission. We're all important in our Heavenly Father's plan. It's a truly beautiful book - both the illustrations and the words.
I read the book then decided to take it to the important audience - my three sons. They all crowded onto my lap or the edge of the chair and listened intently throughout the story. When I finished I asked, "So what did you think?"
"Read it again!" my three-year old demanded.
"I liked it," my seven-year old said (he's my man of few words).
I turned to my oldest (eleven) before beginning the re-reading for the little one. He cocked his head to the side and said, "I think it's got a great message. It's kind of . . . serious, but it's something every kid should read and think about."
So there you have it. It's a serious book about an important issue and each of my children enjoyed it. In fact, I've read it to the three-year old over and over again. He loves how the raindrop learns to laugh.
I would definitely recommend it for your children and for you.
Win a $50 gift certicate
No TV for a week?
My sons have declared a No-TV week. Of course I took it a bit further and decreed that no one in our family is utilizing any multi-media device April 19-25 (we had to make it the weekend also, my boys said to prove that I’m mean). What does no multi-media mean to us? No video games, television, movies, computer, games on Daddy’s cell phone. We’re returning to 1950. I’m going to sew me a cute apron and bake all week (great idea if I could sew). Maybe I’ll actually catch up on that stack of books and magazines piled on my dresser. I will be posting a review on Brian McClure’s book to this blog on the 20th, but I promise I will write it before and set up the automatic posting feature.
I’m thrilled to turn off electronics for a week. The boys won’t even have to ask, “Can we play video games?” 90% of the time the answer to that is no, this week it will be 100%. Yeah, for family bonding. Here’s a list of some of the fun things I hope we can fit in.
- Sports - our favorites are playing catch with a football, wrestling on Momma’s bed (ups the risk of injury), kicking a soccer ball around, and practicing baseball or basketball
- Hide and seek
- Playing board games - my boys' favorites are Monopoly, Sorry, and Risk (notice I said the boys' favorites, not mine!)
- Reading stories together - we love chapter books. Lately we've devoured the Dragon Slayer’s Academy series by Kate McMullan, Chickens in the Headlights by Matthew Buckley, and the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull.
- Going on a bike ride or walk. I enjoy the actual walk and bike ride, but my boys love making it to the park or finding a river to throw rocks into.
- Cleaning - We draw out of a jar the name of one room in our house. Then the boys and I clean that room from top to bottom - blinds, baseboards, drawers, everything. You'd think this would be miserable but it actually turns out pretty great. The boys work hard because I'm working alongside them and we get some wonderful chatting time in. Sure, it’s not their favorite activity but sometimes they have to do what Mom wants to do.
- Visiting our elderly friends
- Going to the library or bookstore (two of my favorite places on earth). I love giving my boys extra jobs so they can earn money to buy new books.
- Craft projects - I am horrible at hands-on projects, but Parenting magazine will often have fun and easy ideas that I can handle.
- Making magic potions or baking together – messy stuff, but so much fun.
- Setting up an obstacle course in the basement or backyard
- Building forts out of blankets
- Jumping on the tramp
- Playing in the sand (especially if water is involved)
- Having battles with Playmobils or Imaginext knights and pirates
- Chasing for a kiss - the boys run around screaming, if I catch them I get to kiss them.
- Dancing to music
- Making a band with pots, pans, and cooking utensils
- Letting them earn a dollar and then taking them to the dollar store to spend it - again, their favorite, I'd prefer they save their money or spend it on books.
- Playing silly games like airplane on Mom's feet or horse rides on Mom's knees or holding their leg and hand and spinning until we lose our equilibrium.
I’d love to hear from all of you. Please share some of your favorite family activities.
I think the best part of No-TV week is just spending more quality time together as a family. I won’t be sneaking in my office to work, Dad won’t be lounging in his theatre watching sports (he’s going to miss the NBA playoffs, yikes), and the boys will be forced to play with each other. I’ll let you know if we make it through the week without any serious injuries.
Fun Giveaway - The Pitch
Coming up on May 5th I'm reviewing and giving away several copies of The Pitch by Linda J. Lord. Linda is also doing a fun giveaway in conjunction with her blog tour. Here's how it works:
Prize 1: 1 $50.00 Amazon gift card
Prize 2: 2 $25.00 Amazon gift cards Prize 3: 2 copies of The Pitch
You will need to leave a comment (10 entries) or answer my soccer contest questions (25 entries) on my site. Or on any of the participating tour stop sites on the scheduled tour date to enter. And to finish off your entry, leave your email address in the post or send a message to lindalordonline@gmail.com.
The questions are (1) name 3 soccer rules, and (2) name 3 soccer positions.
One dollar from the sale of each book goes to the Hemophilia Society of Ontario, South Western Ontario Region.
Purchase copies of The Pitch from Amazon Click here
Purchase copies of The Pitch from Barnes & Nobile Click here
Good for 300 entries per book you purchase by using the links above. Email your receipt to lindalordonline@gmail.com. Not valid on past purchases.
The Pitch Tour Schedule
May 3-Interviewed and book giveaway at Working Writers May 4-Interviewed and book giveaway Jens Book Talk May 4-Interviewed and book giveaway Author Exposure Club May 4-Interviewed on Catch That Book Radio May 5-Interviewed and book giveaway at Cami’s Books May 6- Book spotlighted at Womenhomebusiness May 9-Book Review and book giveaway at Between the Pages May 10-Interviewed and book giveaway at Chitlit Club May 11-Interviewed and book giveaway at Reading At The Beach May 12- Interviewed and book giveaway at Mymompreneur.com May 12-Interviewed on Moms Empowering Moms Show May 17-Interviewed and book giveaway at The Cajun Book Lady May 18-Interviewed on The Renee Bobb Show May 19-Interviewed on The Business Woman May 19-Interviewed on The Chris Treece Show May 20-Book Review at Soccerphile May 24-Book Review and book giveaway at Readaholic May 25-Book Review at The Book Guru
May 26-Guest Blogger at The Life Success Mindset May 29- Interviewed on BookDivasOnline
June 2-Interviewed on Book That Author Radio
Book prizes open to international readers.
RULES AND LEGAL DISCLAIMERS
The contest ends on June 3 at 11:59 pm Central and the winners will be contacted via email. You will receive your prize directly from the author. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR FIRST AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME as well as a valid email where we can contact you. REMEMBER the more things you do, the more entries, the greater the chances of winning. PLEASE ALLOW THIRTY DAYS to receive your prize BEFORE EMAILING US.

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