Sunday, April 8, 2012

The Sunday Salon April 8, 2012

The Sunday Salon.com

* Happy Easter Everyone!

* Today would have been my Great Aunt Dorothy's 81st birthday but she passed away last year. Tomorrow is my Uncle Michael and my birthday. I will be 29. The years are going by so quick now and more relatives are passing away. It makes me sad to think about it. How often do I take life for granted? I vow to make the most of every day and tell everyone how much they mean to me.

* In the reading front I just finished the first two Waverly Bryson books by Maria Murname. They are mainstream Chick Lit. They were overall good but I am not a fan of drinking alcohol and casual s*x in my books. The general plot line was cute. A single woman's adventures in life kinda like an American Bridget Jones. I want to read the third one when it comes out to see what happens next to Waverly.

* This will be a short work week for me. I am leaving Friday to go to New Orleans with my Mom, Stepfather, Mimi, and Uncle Patrick. We are going for the French Quarter Festival. I can't wait. I am so excited. We went to the International Festival in Lafayette, LA, last year and I loved it. Mom said we are also taking a trolley to the Garden District. The hotel has a heated pool. I may not want to come home Monday. lol

* The menu for the work week is vege egg muffins for breakfast, tuna salad for lunch, Crock pot dry rub BBQ chicken and mashed cauliflower for dinner. I have put on way too much belly fat so after vacation I am going to do another Whole30. I am eating way too much ice cream and nuts. My blue jeans and scrubs are too tight. I worked way too hard getting it off to keep putting it back on like this.

* I hope everyone has a great week and lots of reading time. :)

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Cooking the Books by Bonnie Calhoun (Review)



This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Cooking The Books
Abingdon Press (April 2012)
by
Bonnie S. Calhoun




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



As the Owner/Director of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Bonnie has helped use the 220+ blogs of the Alliance to promote many titles on the Christian bestseller list. She also owns and publishes the Christian Fiction Online magazine which is devoted to readers and writers of Christian fiction. She is the Northeast Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). At ACFW she was named the ‘Mentor of the Year,’ for 2011, and she is the current President of (CAN) Christian Authors Network. Bonnie is also the Appointment Coordinator for both the Colorado Christian Writers Conference and the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference.



In her spare time she is an avid social media junkie, and teaches Facebook, Twitter, Blogging and HTML as recreational occupations. She also has a novel coming out in the Abingdon Quilts of Love series. Her novel Pieces of the Heart will publish August of 2013.



Bonnie and her husband Bob live in a log cabin on 15 acres in upstate area of Binghamton, New York with a dog and cat who consider the humans as wait-staff.





ABOUT THE BOOK



After her mother dies from a heart attack, Sloane Templeton goes from Cyber Crimes Unit to bookstore owner before she can blink. She also "inherits" a half-batty store manager; a strange bunch of little old people from the neighborhood who meet at the store once a week, but never read books, called the Granny Oakleys Book Club; and Aunt Verline, who fancies herself an Iron Chef when in reality you need a cast iron stomach to partake of her culinary disasters. And with a group like this you should never ask, “What else can go wrong?”



A lot! Sloane begins to receive cyber threats. While Sloane uses her computer forensic skills to uncover the source of the threats, it is discovered someone is out to kill her. Can her life get more crazy?



If you would like to read the first chapter of Cooking The Books, go HERE.



Watch the book video:







If you'd like to read interviews with Bonnie, try these:

Everbody Needs A Little Romance

A Christian Writers World

Novel Rocket

ACFW - Fiction Finder


My Review:
I thought this was a good debut book. I read it in one day. There are many lol moments in it. I love romantic suspense/mystery books. I am looking forward to reading another Sloane Templeton adventure. :)

Cool Contest!

SWFhousekeeping kit giveaway

Monday, April 2, 2012

It's Monday What Are You Reading? April 2, 2012

This is a weekly meme hosted by Shelia at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books.
http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/

What I read last week:
- Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
- I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
- Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James (part on Kindle app on I phone)
- Cooking the Books by Bonnie Calhoun

What I am currently reading:
- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (on audio in car)
- Love by the Book by Cara Lynn James
- Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis
- True Devotion by Dee Henderson (rereading on my Nook)
- Her Lone Star Cowboy by Debra Clopton

What I am reading next:
- Her Family Wish by Betsy St. Amant
- I Blame Eve by Susanna Foth Aughtmon
- Her Restless Heart by Barbara Cameron

Monday, March 26, 2012

The Chase by Diann Mills


This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Chase
Zondervan (March 27, 2012)
by
DiAnn Mills




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:





DiAnn Mills believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure.” She is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels. Her books have won many awards through American Christian Fiction Writers, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005, 2007, and 2010. She was a Christy Award finalist in 2008 and a Christy winner in 2010.



DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and is the Craftsman Mentor for the Christian Writer’s Guild. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops.



DiAnn and her husband live in Houston, Texas. Visit her website or find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/diannmills





ABOUT THE BOOK



To the FBI it's a cold case. To Kariss Walker it's a hot idea that could either reshape or ruin her writing career. And it's a burning mission to revisit an event she can never forget. Five years ago, an unidentified little girl was found starved to death in the woods behind a Houston apartment complex. A TV news anchor at the time, Kariss reported on the terrifying case. Today, as a New York Times bestselling author, Kariss intends to turn the unsolved mystery into a suspense novel. Enlisting the help of FBI Special Agent Tigo Harris, Kariss succeeds in getting the case reopened. But the search for the dead girl's missing mother yields a discovery that plunges the partners into a witch's brew of danger. The old crime lives on in more ways than either of them could ever imagine. Will Kariss's pursuit of her dream as a writer carry a deadly price tag? Drawing from a real-life cold case, bestselling novelist DiAnn Mills presents a taut collage of suspense, faith, and romance in The Chase.



Watch the book video!







If you would like to read the first chapter of The Chase, go HERE.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Missing by Shelley Shepard Gray (Review)


This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Missing
Avon Inspire; Original edition (March 20, 2012)
by
Shelley Shepard Gray




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Since 2000, Shelley Sabga has sold over thirty novels to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Harlequin, Abingdon Press, and Avon Inspire. She has been interviewed by NPR, and her books have been highlighted in numerous publications, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.



Under the name Shelley Shepard Gray, Shelley writes Amish romances for HarperCollins’ inspirational line, Avon Inspire. Her recent novel, The Protector, the final book in her “Families of Honor” series, hit the New York Times List, and her previous novel in the same series, The Survivor, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Shelley has won the prestigious Holt Medallion for her books, Forgiven and Grace, and her novels have been chosen as Alternate Selections for the Doubleday/Literary Guild Book Club. Her first novel with Avon Inspire, Hidden, was an Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.



Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She now lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. Shelley is married, the mother of two children in college, and is an active member of her church. She serves on committees, volunteers in the church office, and currently leads a Bible study group, and she looks forward to the opportunity to continue to write novels that showcase her Christian ideals.



When she’s not writing, Shelley often attends conferences and reader retreats in order to give workshops and publicize her work. She’s attended RWA’s national conference six times, the ACFW conference and Romantic Times Magazine’s annual conference as well as traveled to New Jersey, Birmingham, and Tennessee to attend local conferences.



Check out Shelley's Facebook Fan page





ABOUT THE BOOK



In the first book in her new Secrets of Crittenden County series, Shelley Shepard Gray delivers another page-turning romance set in Amish country



Perry Borntrager had been missing from the quiet Amish community of Crittenden, Kentucky, for months when his body was discovered at the bottom of an abandoned well. Everyone had assumed Perry left Crittenden on his own, seduced by the wider world he discovered during his rumspringa, but now the truth has thrown this once-peaceful town into chaos. The first death from mysterious circumstances in Crittenden in more than two decades has invited the scrutiny of the outside world: a police detective arrives to help their local sheriff with the investigation. His questioning begins with Lydia Plank, Perry’s former girlfriend, and Perry’s best friend, the Englisher Walker Anderson.



Lydia and Walker know they didn’t have anything to do with Perry’s death, but they both hold secrets about his final days. Do they dare to open up about the kind of man Perry had become? In the oppressive shadow of these dark times, they discover strength in a most unlikely companionship that offers solace, understanding, and the promise of something more.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Missing, go HERE.

My Review:
I thought this was a great start to a new series by this author. I have read all of her Christian fiction books. They are not typical Amish books. The characters and plot were well written and carried me along. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. Recommended. :)

Monday, March 19, 2012

Spring Reading Thing 2012 My List


This is a great reading challenge hosted every year by Katrina at Callapidder Days. This is my fifth year participating in it. I love her buttons, details on the challenge, and the low key inspiration to finish some books! Please visit her website to learn all about it and sign up. :)
http://callapidderdays.com/

My List:
* Cooking the Books by Bonnie Calhoun
* Fairer than Morning by Rosalyn Elliot
* Night Road by Kristen Hannah (on audio)
* The Maid of Fairbourne by Julie Klassen
* The Shadow of Your Smile by Susan May Warren
* Disaster Status by Candace Calvert
* Code Triage by Candace Calvert
* The Paleo Answer by Loren Cordain
* My Own Worst Enemy by Janet Davis
* Wheat Belly by William Davis Phd

This list is subject to change. I will definitely read more than this just not sure what they are yet. lol One of my main things this year is reading from my shelves whatever gets my attention. :)

Classics Club Spin 18

My Classics Club Spin List for August This is a hodgepodge of books left on my list I made in 2017 for the Classics Club. Tomorrow the clu...