Author: Michelle

What is the Book Expo/Book Con?

I received a lot of questions regarding the Book Expo last week and I am going to try to explain this as best as I can. Simply put, the Book Expo is for people in the industry (Hollywood, authors, agents, librarians, booksellers, educators, media/bloggers and book clubs). The Book Con is for everyone else that is a fan of books.

Book Expo of America

The Book Expo usually takes place every year in New York City (one year they were in Chicago) at the end of May. At the Expo, publishers showcase their upcoming titles for the year. This gives people that deal with books an opportunity to discuss business with publishers during this three day event.

The books available are generally ARCs. ARCs are Advance Reader Copies. These books are not the final copy. The editing is not complete. The cover and title may even change. This incomplete book is made available to readers that will either purchase the book in bulk, option the book (to be made into a film), or review the book and publish their review.

ARCs are not for sale. They are free copies.

At the Expo, they invite authors to attend for signings and to speak. Hollywood superstars like Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong’o, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, John Cena, George Takei and Alyssa Milano have attended the Expo in the past.

The more popular the book or the author, the more likely you will have to stand in a very long line to get your copy.

For more info on the Book Expo, click here. But before you do that, keep reading…

Book Expo for Bloggers

Now, for those thinking you have a blog or a Youtube channel, you can attend as a blogger…I’m going to put a stopper on this hope right now. The only group that is looked upon with much scrutiny is the blogger. There are several factors involved that will determine if you’ll get in. There are not many that are allowed in. I can count on two hands how many bloggers I saw at the Expo over these last few years.

First, the blogger is charged the most to get into the Expo. The registration fee depends on your business (as far as how you are affiliated with books). The reason why the blogger registration fee is so high is because it eliminates 99.999% of bloggers out there. Most bloggers can’t afford to go. Only the successful bloggers making money (or those with money) can get in.

You’re probably thinking WTF?!?!?!

A friend of mine at HarperCollins explained this to me. Luckily, he was one of the people that decided which bloggers were allowed to go. Back in 2015, the Expo welcomed the blogging community. They had panels that helped bloggers determine the next big reads and how to blog about books.

Well…for the serious bloggers, this was an incredible event. BUT there were problems. The attendees wiped out the publishers reserves, wrote BLURBS about the book (a couple of sentences, not a full review), and some even tried to sell the ARCs on Ebay prior to the book’s release date.

This really pissed off the publishers. So in 2017, they decided to be more selective with the blogger process. If I remember this correctly (I could be wrong), a group of individuals from the different publishing houses decided together who would be allowed to go to the Expo. So the hundreds of bloggers went down to about FIVE in 2017.

Oh, and the bloggers trying to sell on Ebay ended up in some legal trouble with each of the books’ respective publishing houses.

Which leads to…how in the world was Perfectionist Wannabe one of the ones allowed to go? 1) I actually blog full reviews about books, 2) I have a history of being a professional writer, 3) I have over 2,000 Twitter followers, and 4) one of the people deciding was a friend of mine I’ve known for over 10 years. I only learned what happened a year later. I didn’t even know he worked at HarperCollins.

How to Be Seriously Considered a Book Blogger

Like I mentioned above, you have to have full book reviews on your blog or vlog. A little blurb does not count. The only ones that can get away with this is Popsugar and other major media platforms. They have the numbers and can get away with doing lists with two sentences. Why? Because those lists generate major sales.

One requirement of bloggers is that you must submit your website’s numbers with your registration. One thing they are looking for is GROWTH. Your numbers must be constantly growing.

They do check your social media accounts. The number one thing they want to see on Twitter is that you have over 1,000 followers. That is their magic number. Only 3% of book bloggers have more than 1,000 followers on Twitter. [You also can’t cheat this number, they will check to see if your numbers are legit and not bought.]

Where are you posting your reviews? In this day and age, it is required to post your reviews not just to your blog, but to Goodreads and Amazon. Bonus points if you also post on Barnes & Noble. You also need to post something about the books on every single social media platform you have: Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Are you tired yet?

When you post reviews, you need to tag the author and the publisher in your tweet or Instagram post. This gets the attention of the publisher that you are actually serious about reviewing books.

Have you figured out this is all about how you are marketing that free book you received? How many hits can the publisher get out of you to promote their title?

So what do I discuss with publishers when I attend the Expo? This blog and marketing their titles. I want to know which titles they will be pushing aggressively. I want to know what they want from me as a blogger. I tell them what I would like to see from them as a publisher (because we are constantly growing and for true book lovers who want to see more books in people’s hands, we study how this is done and share intel on what is working).

What is also great is that publishers are well versed in what they would like to see from bloggers. They are more than happy to let you know what that is. This year, I learned that they want to see: 1) growth – are your numbers generating more hits and more followers?; 2) are you posting your reviews on Goodreads & Amazon?; 3) community – are you following other book bloggers/lovers? Are they following you? Are you talking to each other?; 4) are you consistent with your posts? [Publishers cite this as their #1 requirement.]

So for those thinking they can just start up a blog under the guise of going to next year’s Expo to get free ARCs, it’s not as easy as you think it is. There’s a lot of work involved to prove yourself worthy. But guess what? There is still a way you can do some of this stuff and not even be in the industry. All that is required is just a love for books.

The Book Con

The weekend following the Book Expo is the Book Con. It is a little bit like Comic Con, but scaled back. You will still be able to pick up free ARCs, get your books signed, sit in on panels, and even buy books. The lines are longer, people are a little crazier and there is way more excitement from the fandom.

The Book Con is generally cheaper than the Expo. You don’t have to be pre-approved by a group of people to get in. You don’t have to prove yourself worthy. You don’t have to put a lot of work into being accepted. You just have to love books!

The titles offered are sometimes different than the books offered at the Expo. There are also more books that are available for purchase.

Simply put, the Book Con is just crazier. The Expo is more the business side of books. The Con is just for the love of books for everyone else out there.

You can find info on the Book Con here. Their info will be updated early 2020. The event is in May. Early registration is a must.

Tips for Attending

The number one thing you need to do is bring a rolling suitcase. This suitcase is left at coat check (this year it was $4 to check your bag in; $2 each time to drop off your books into your suitcase and then re-check the bag in).

They give out free tote bags all around the event, so if you forget to bring one, they have you covered. But do bring the biggest, most durable tote bag you own. I highly recommend something that is lightweight and can take a beating.

When you fill up your tote bags (or they become too heavy), just drop the books off in your suitcase and go back for more books.

For those going to the Expo, bring your business cards.

Food at Javits Center can range between $10-$25 for food and drink. You can bring your own food/drink, but it’s not recommended. The Starbucks lines are insane, so bring your own coffee from outside.

When you need a break, make a point to sit in on a panel or five.

Make sure to pick up the Book Expo/Con guide (free), as well as the PW (Publisher’s Weekly). You can usually find them either when you pick up your badge or right before you enter the exhibit hall. There are usually people handing out PWs when you walk in. The guide is vital in finding out who, when and where authors are signing their books. It will help you plan out your day to make sure you get to the books/authors you really want.

When you stop at each publisher, stop by their information desk. They generally will have a flyer of events going on related to their titles, including galley drops (galley is another name for ARC, galley drops are when they are making the book available for pick up), author signings and their locations.

Do not show up to a galley drop or author signing right at the start time. Show up 15-30 minutes before the signing/drop. The line starts forming early. If you show up on time or too late, you may miss out.

Speaking of arriving early, arrive early to the Expo/Con. You’ll need to get to the coat check as early as possible. They fill up quickly and you can’t bring your suitcase onto the show floor.

Also, in order to check into the Book Con, that line can stretch a few city blocks. Get there super early on the first day when you pick up your badge. The Expo is different. You don’t have to show up super early to pick up your badge, but you will need to show up early to drop off your suitcase.

For those shipping their books home, do not use FedEx at the Javits Center. I recommend taking them either to a FedEx or UPS outside of the Javits Center. Take that as a warning.

For author signings that require tickets, I strongly urge you to purchase the Avid Readers Pass (this may only be available for the Expo, not sure about Con). Or you can wake up super early to get in line for the author signing tickets the day of (all free). They may limit you to the number of different tickets you can get. With the Avid Readers Pass, you pay to not have to wait in line to get the tickets, you get first pick, plus you get one Front of the Line pass. You’ll get the author signing tickets when you pick up your badge.

Not all author signings are ticketed events. Usually, the ticketed events are for the big names. For some in booth signings, if the author/book is very popular, they may require a ticket or bracelet. Check with the booth’s information desk to find out if the events you want to get in line for require a ticket. For instance, Disney/Hyperion requires bracelets for their big name signings (like Rick Riordan). Find out which events require this and when you can pick up your ticket/bracelet.

I hope that answers most of the questions people had. If you have more, ask them below and I’ll do my best to answer them all. It is a guarantee that if you have a question, someone else may have the same question too.

If you plan on going to the Expo in 2020, make sure you ping me after your registration is accepted. I’m considering doing a meetup. I do not attend the Book Con, because it’s a little too intense for me and 150 books over 3 days is plenty. ; ) Two more days would be overkill.

Book Review: Daisies and Devotion

I am a bit late getting this book review of “Daisies and Devotion” up. I do have a reason why. Last month, I won the most coveted award at my office, along with my team, for most outstanding work. While that’s all great, what goes with being “most outstanding” is triple the workload the very next day. What adds to this was the type of work I was doing was not fun or pleasant because I had to read about child sexual abuse. 300 cases. So being able to completely focus on a book review was just out of the question.

Since I haven’t had to read a case in the last two weeks, I can refocus on reviewing books. So let’s get to this story.

[Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of an unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links.]

Synopsis

Content Warning: D, M.

If you love Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, you will enjoy the latest novel from Josi S. Kilpack. “Daisies and Devotion” is the second book in the Mayfield Family Series. The first book in the series is “Promises and Primroses.”

You can read “Daisies and Devotion” without having read the first book, but all I can say is…WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT???? You would be missing out on such an incredible *sigh* worthy book!

Another reason why you should read the first book is that it goes more into detail with the marriage challenge being presented to the Mayfield siblings. It was first presented in the first book and it ended up working out very well, because Peter Mayfield found love. In book two, Timothy Mayfield’s response to his brother finding love before marriage is that it is simply unheard of. Imagine how modern the concept of love before marriage is!

Some elements of Book One are brought into the second book, but the book is written where even if you do not read the first book, you will be ok.

In “Daisies and Devotion,” Maryann Morrington has entered the London season looking for a husband. Her entrance into the season was delayed a few years because she was helping her mother while she was ill. Before her mother passed away, her sister married and later miscarried a child. Deborah moves to London with her husband, Lucas, and sponsors Maryann (now 22) while she is in London.

After her mother’s passing, Maryann comes into her very lucrative inheritance. With that information becoming public knowledge in London, the majority of men that knock on her door are only interested in her because of her money.

Deborah and Lucas decide to introduce Maryann to Lucas’s childhood friend, Timothy Mayfield. He is up front about his reasons for courting her – he needs a woman with a fortune. Oddly enough, Maryann appreciates his brutal honesty and begins to fall for him.

When Timothy’s uncle puts forth the marriage challenge proposal, guaranteeing a well off livelihood, he no longer needs to look for a wife with a fortune. He now has the freedom to marry any woman he chooses.

When he informs Maryann he is no longer obligated to find a wife with money, he tells her of his list for a perfect woman and it is everything she is not. She tells him this list is foolish, there is no such thing as a perfect woman. But Timothy insists on finding this kind of woman.

Brokenhearted, she parts ways with him after they have harsh words with each other. He does not even understand what he did, but feels remorseful he hurt her feelings, so he sends her daisies he picked himself, her favorite flowers.

The two finally come to an accord, agreeing to be just friends. Then they agree to help each other find the right match. Timothy introduces her to Colonel Berkins and she introduces him to Miss Shaw (the woman who is literally Timothy’s list).

The only issue is that Colonel Berkins is courting Maryann under false pretenses. When Maryann discovers the reasons behind his courtship, she decides to leave London and go back home. She is done with the season and the idea of looking for a husband.

This announcement shocks Timothy. Yet, it takes one dance to make the situation as clear as day for him.

Review

Like all of the titles from Shadow Mountain’s Proper Romance, this was another sigh worthy book. It may be a little slow getting into, but once that dance happens, you will have a hard time putting the book down. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I swear, this book was like looking into my own past and seeing the similarities, dissecting each issue to better understand it. Luckily for Maryann, when she ran, deciding to give up on love and move on with life, love followed her. It wasn’t ready to give up on her. Love was willing to fight for her…and that is what makes you sigh.

Part of me wishes that we still had London type seasons where if you are looking for a spouse, you attend all of these gatherings hosted by the same group of people who help people find matches. Everyone attends the same dinners, dances, events, etc. There are certain rules involved in getting to know people, as well as a certain decorum in how men and women should act towards each other.

I really enjoy Josi S. Kilpack’s books. They are G-rated. Believe me when I say that sometimes the best love stories are the ones without all the sex and heavy petting. When it comes to real love, you have to talk about matters of the heart, not the lust. Josi’s focus is telling the stories that go on from the heart.

We read about the fear that goes on inside of their minds and the self-doubt. There are the lies we tell ourselves that we are not good enough, pretty enough, or desirable. There are even the stories we tell ourselves that someone doesn’t like us, we are not their type. Or that we may have misunderstood what was happening, so we break our own hearts and move forward in life…and when they try to tell us we were right, we refuse to believe them.

Kilpack does an excellent job of delving into the issues of love and learning how to love. She examines it, dissects it, learns from it and issues out the truths, no matter how difficult it is to accept. Seriously, where were these books 20 years ago? I could have used them then!

Rating: A-

What I Read in May and Content Warnings

Hey everyone! So May was a bit of a crazy month for me (as far as work goes), so I was not able to read everything I needed to read. I was not able to review a couple of books in my TBR pile for the site, so they are a bit late getting up on the blog. But no worries…I am reading them now!

I know that most avid readers read between 3-6 books a month. It is a bit unheard of for someone to read between 10-12 books a month (or more). Anything under 10 books is a bit of a slow month for me, especially when a couple of these were children’s books that I got through in about 20 minutes.

I will say that every book I read last month was great, except two. The Envious Siblings was morbid and I did not understand what I read. Behold the Sign was an old book I picked up at a library sale that I found interesting in the occult section. It’s that Supernatural girl in me that wants a bunker library like the Men of Letters do in the show. That’s why I picked it up.

Book Expo

So the annual collecting of my Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) took place over the last three days of May. I headed to the Book Expo, which is designed for industry people to meet with publishers and to discuss business. The Book Con takes place right after the Expo, and that event is for everyone else (i.e. all of the bibliophiles and book lovers out there).

I picked up over 150 titles. Yes, I will be busy.

Before the Expo, a mother of twin 10 year old girls told me about her dilemma with getting one of her daughters to read. She only reads comic books. It drove her mom crazy, because she wanted her to read books like her sister. But the girl’s response was, “But why would I give up pictures books?”

It made me think that maybe as bibliophiles we should not discriminate when it comes to how people choose to read. If comics and graphic novels get them to read, then we should be encouraging them to read more comics. Perhaps some comics will lead them to read books.

It’s keeping that in mind that I decided to expand on the types of reading material I review. I will be reviewing comics and graphic novels along with the other 150+ ARCs I picked up.

Content Warnings

Over the last few weeks, I began research to determine the direction this site should go. I spoke with publishers and readers to determine what they want. One thing I discovered is that we are in need of content warnings on books. Not everyone will agree with that, but the people who do need it agree with this concept profusely.

So I decided to blog about books differently. I want to start listing in my reviews warnings about books that may have triggers. I am going to try to use the warning system below to help those readers who need the warnings. Everyone else can just ignore the notations.

If there is a trigger not listed in the graphic above that you would like included, please comment below. I will do my best starting in the June reads and reviews to list these triggers so that you will have a better understanding of what you are getting into when you pick up a book.

May Reads

ADULT

What Should Be Wild – This book is literally a modern day Grimm’s fairy tale…the scary kind. This isn’t the kind of book where you can guess what the outcome will be or what is going on. You have to leave the details to the writer. Julia Fine masterfully tells this story from beginning to end.

It is a very strange tale, but this is the kind of story that will stay with you like most Grimm’s fairy tales stay with you (especially the scary ones). I enjoyed this book. I did find it to be a bit of a strange story, but my heart went out to Maisie. Imagine spending your life never being touched, hugged or held, because your touch could kill them. I am happy that the author at least threw her a bone and let her have a dog that did not expire when she touched him.

There are so many elements in this story that make it scary. It’s not just Maisie’s touch of death. It’s the woods, evil people, shadows, and the people that have gone off into the woods, never to return. Maisie is the one that has to navigate through all of that to cure the woods (and herself) of the curse that plagues them.

Rating: B

Content Warning: [A, AC, D, K, S and V]

The Gown – What a marvelous book! I really enjoyed this one. Set in post-WWII era, in a time when people are trying to move forward with their lives. We are introduced to three main characters: Heather (present day), Miriam Dassin and Ann Hughes (1947). Heather is the grand-daughter of Ann Hughes. When this story begins, Ann has just passed away and has left her grand-daughter a box containing old photos and embroidered samples (that upon further searches online, she discovers they are from Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown). She is perplexed as to why her grandmother had these things saved for her. Where did she get the samples? Surely it was not clipped from the gown itself.

Ann never told her daughter or her grand-daughter about her life in England or that she was one of the embroiderers of Princess Elizabeth’s gown. Heather seeks out help from the only known clue she has – a photo of Ann with the famous artist Miriam Dassin.

The book switches between present day and the past to explain the special relationship between two women during one of the most important moments in British history. But instead of focusing on just the big wedding day, the story focuses on the women who helped create the beautiful gown and their own personal challenges. The book was absolutely beautifully done. I loved it from start to finish.

Rating: A

[Content Warning: D, R]

Good Omens – I can’t begin to tell you how much I loved this story. I wanted to get through this book as quickly as I could because Amazon Prime was premiering the show on May 31. The book (and the show) did not disappoint. This is a humorous tale of an angel and a demon issuing in the apocalypse, only to discover they completely screwed everything up because they lost the anti-christ.

Who knew that an angel and a demon could become friends? They are on two separate sides, but then they realize that there is a third side…their own side, the one that loves their lives among the humans. If an apocalypse blows everything away, then all of the things they’ve grown to love about Earth will disappear. What a terrible universe that would be…for them.

They decide to ban together to save humanity, even though heaven and hell does not want that.

Rating: A+

The Ghost Manuscript – You may start to see a theme with some of the books I am reading these days. That theme has everything to do with King Arthur. This is a new title from Kris Frieswick. I really loved this book more than I thought I would. It’s like The Librarians meet Indiana Jones (and a female Indiana Jones at that). I also find it ironic that our heroine’s last name is Jones, so it adds to the Indiana Jones effect. There are a lot of strong female characters that put the men to shame in this book. It’s a nice change. I highly recommend this book. This is book one in a series.

Rating: A+

[Content Warning: D, S, V]

CHILDREN & YA

The Gilded Wolves: Loved this story. I loved being transported to Paris in an alternate 19th century where people can forge objects in a magical way. I loved the character struggles, each one developing independently. The adventure to restore Severin’s claim to House Vanth and new friendships from a patriarch that is in desperate need of friends, makes for an interesting tale. So much involved, but weaved together beautifully.

The ending though will rip you apart. I can’t wait for the next book.

Rating: A-

[Content Warning: A, AC, D, SH, V]

The Third Coin – This was an excellent story. I had a hard time putting it down. While Rick Riordan seems to have the market down on the gods and the demi-gods, J.A. Howard has opened up a new door to the Mists of Avalon/King Arthur world for young adults. What makes this series unique is that J.A. Howard focuses on young girls taking the lead in this story.

We see the caste system inside a girl’s school between the popular girls (Top Pops), almost popular girls (Almost Pops), the girls that focus on their expertise (i.e. science, musical talents, etc.), and then the outcasts. Bea, being new to the school, has got the Top Pops down and quickly works her way into the popular group. In her science class, she is teamed up with Nisha, the gypsy girl.

Nisha lives across the street from Bea. Her Aunt Faye runs a Fortune Teller shop. She tries to stay hidden and out of sight from the Horribles (i.e. the Top Pops) because they like to bully her. So when Bea discovers that she can communicate with Nisha without saying words, a door opens for them to become friends.

Which leads us to The Third Coin. Along with the weird skateboarder boy that tends to stalk the front of Bea’s haunted mansion, they set off on a doomsday adventure. They have until their 13th birthday (Bea and Nisha share the same birthday) to find the Third of Five Coins (the Coin that balances the other 4 coins) and return it to Avalon.

This adventure was so much fun to read. What I enjoyed the most were the strong female characters. I loved seeing a popular girl that is intelligent, loves science and books. I also loved the emotional side of Nisha. She is fearful, because she knows she is different. But a good friend will fight to be the light in that darkness. And then there’s Indy. I loved that the author chose that name, because it says a lot about the character. He’s like a younger version of Indiana Jones, so you know the story is going to be good (especially if you are a huge Indiana Jones fan). He is the person that binds the two girls together.

I highly recommend this book if you love Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series or J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. I can’t wait for the next books in the series.

Rating: A

Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories – This is one of the children’s books I read in May. I really liked this story. If your child likes scary stories, this is a cute set of tales they will enjoy.

The author’s introduction explains why he created these tales. He received a box with different object in it (as well as around it). The note was from the village children asking him to create a story based on each of the objects.

And that is what he does here.

This book is a nice segue into introducing them to Bunnicula and R.L. Stine’s books. It is a safe scary level for young children who love scary stories. [To Be Released: September 3, 2019]

Rating: A

The Envious Siblings – This is one of those books where I was completely perplexed as to what I was reading. Was this for adults or children? Like the title suggests, it is MORBID. I went ahead and handed this book off to a 4-year old girl that loves scary stuff. Maybe she will understand it and enjoy it. For me, because I was confused as to what exactly I was reading, I am going to have to give this a low rating. Maybe when the little girl gets back to me on what she thought, then maybe I can change this rating. [To Be Released: October 8, 2019]

Rating: D+

Two Books to Escape Into

I am a little late getting these reviews up. It all started with a horrible book.  I rarely if ever give a 1 star review, but this book received my second 1 star review I’ve ever written.  

As a book reviewer, it is difficult to publicly voice my thoughts when I believe the review (and my constructive criticism) should only go directly to the publisher and the writer.  But there are certain rules when it comes to receiving advance copies.  You have to post your review everywhere.

But for this site, I can be more selective with which book reviews I publish here.  I read 2-3 books a week.  You won’t always see my reviews for everything I read.  I am not even going to share the name of the book that received my 1 star review here.  I mean, why waste your time?    

The thing I do not like about horrible books is that it turns me off from reading.  It takes me some time to get back to wanting to read again.  That is why I try to be very selective with the books I read and the publishers I work with.  But every now and again, you give someone a chance and then you’re left angry with yourself for making a mistake.

I read the horrible book four weeks ago and I am still mad I read it.  But because I am a book reviewer, I pressed through and read titles from the tested and true publisher Shadow Mountain Publishing.  Their books helped me get back on track to reading 2-3 books a week. 

Today, I’m going to share two of their latest titles that I escaped into to try to forget that horrible book.  The first one is one I highly recommend, “A Song for the Stars.”  The other title, “Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed” was such a fun adventure and well done.  Both of these books got me right back on track and I’m here to share my reviews.  So here are a couple of books to escape into.

A Song for the Stars

Destination: Hawaiian Islands
Date: 1779

Rating: 5 out of 5.

*Sigh* This was an amazing story. If you are in need of a vacation, but can’t get away, I recommend reading this book. It sweeps you away to the Hawaiian islands. You can feel the warmth of the sun, the sand beneath your feet and hear the ocean brushing up against Hawaii’s shores. Paradise…still untouched by European colonization.

If you loved Moana, you will enjoy this story. I visualized Maile as a grown up version of Moana. I felt like I appreciated the story so much more imagining Maile as Moana.

Through this book, I learned so much about native Hawaiian traditions and their culture. The Hawaiian native’s life is so intriguing, especially as you learn about their love and understanding of nature. You’ll start to see nature differently, knowing how it tells us everything we need to know without our maps, books or technology.

With every book comes life lessons. In this tale, the most important lesson is about forgiveness and learning how to love your enemy. It’s also about learning to love again after you’ve lost someone you love.

I highly recommend this book. It really made me sigh…a lot. Maybe it was the love story part or maybe because it painted Hawaii so well…whatever it was, I’m glad I read this. Also, if you’ve read my previous reviews about ‘love stories,’ for me to say I sighed…that says a lot. This is coming from someone who doesn’t like love stories. I SIGHED A LOT! Perhaps Proper Romance has changed me.

Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed

Destination: Portland, Oregon and New York, NY
Date: Present Day

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I reviewed Wizard for Hire Book One last year. After that cliffhanger at the end of the first book, I could not wait for the continuation of the series. So when Shadow Mountain sent me the next book in the series, I was so excited to dive into this world of magic (or is it reality?) once again.

After reading Book Two, I have to say that I absolutely loved it. This is so much better than the first book. Obert Skye is really progressing into a better writer (practice makes perfect), making his stories even more enjoyable.

The constant banter between the 4 main characters is comical. I love Clark, the mechanical bird. I really do.

Book Two gives us one more piece to this puzzle of what is really going on with Ozzy and his family. Is Rin really a wizard? As much as I doubt it throughout the book, just like Ozzy, Sigi and Clark do, I am beginning to see that maybe Rin isn’t lying about being a wizard. Or is he? Skye likes to leave us with cliffhangers, which he does again in Book 2. And what a cliffhanger it was!?!?!

Book Three cannot come fast enough.

[Disclosure: I received a free copy of these books in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links.]

Book Review: Seven at Sea

Seven at seaEver feel like taking a chance in life and leaving your comfort zone for the great unknown?  Erik and Emily Orton decided to do just that.  They left their lives in New York City behind to spend a year on a sailboat with their five children and they tell their story in “Seven at Sea.”

Erik wasn’t even an experienced sailor six years before their trip.  Watching sailboats pass by as he looked out his corporate office, he decided he wanted to learn how to sail.  He signed up for classes at a nearby marina and began to learn.  Soon after, he realized it would be cheaper and easier if he enlisted his family to take the classes with him to become certified to sail.

Now, don’t think Erik and Emily are multi-millionaires and can do whatever they please whenever they please.  They are not rich.  They are just a normal middle class family with a dream to be free from the doldrums of the corporate world, and free to set their days as they please.

Even as a family of seven, they were able to find a way to make it work…this dream.  They got in as much training as they could, finding economical ways to rent boats, earning money while shuttling their friends around on excursions.  But the big step they wanted to take was to buy a boat of their own to take some time away from the city with their family to sail to parts unknown (to them).

It took six years to make that dream a realization, but they stuck to their goal together as a family.  Then one day, they bought a boat and their adventure began.

Review

What “Seven at Sea” teaches us is that we should all work towards our goals and dreams.  For the Ortons, it took a lot of planning, preparing and learning before their dream could even begin.  Even at the start, when they first arrived on their boat, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.  There was still more to learn and mistakes that needed to be made, because no matter how much you prepare, when you are in the thick of it, it is not necessarily what you envisioned.

With Erik micromanaging their schedule, he quickly learned that you can’t plan life or dreams.  You have to sort of go with the flow.  They spent the first few months in their first port of call, Sint Maarten (the Netherlands side – the French side of the island is Saint Martin).  Between fixing the boat and equipping it with the things they would need to make their journey, they were stuck on Sint Maarten/Saint Martin.

But it was a good thing this happened.  It allowed them to get their sea legs taking short jaunts to nearby islands, preparing them for the longer stretches.  They made friends with other families doing the same thing as them (always good to know you’re not alone).  Thanks to fellow sailors, he was able to learn how to fix his boat – a vital source of knowledge when you’re alone on the seas and no one nearby who can help.  These are all things he could only learn with hands on training.  Books and the internet can only get you so far.

I will admit, reading this book turned me off from that fantasy of learning how to sail.  It’s something I always thought about doing, not necessarily around the world, but maybe off the coast of New England or in the Mediterranean.  I’ll explain why I was turned off – learning how to fix your own boat, the problems that could arise, being stuck on a boat with other people – really, it was all of the technical details that turned me off from learning how to sail.  Then again, I would probably be the worst sailor of the group like Emily, so maybe someone else can sail and I can just be the matron.

At any rate, being on a boat allows you to have some soul searching moments.  Erik shared a lot of his thoughts in this book and they really rang true with how we should look at life, especially the dreamers.

“A lot of times people feel like, ‘Oh we have kids so we can’t do that until the kids are out of the house.’  The time to go is when you have your kids with you because you only have them for a short period.  There will be plenty of time to make more money.  There’ll be plenty of time to take it easy in retirement when you’re older, but the reason we’re going now is because we want to go while our kids are with us.  Let your kids be a reason rather than an excuse.”

I also appreciated Erik’s thoughts on having patience and playing the waiting game.

“For so many weeks, I’d been trying to push and force the situation.  I wanted the engine fixed on my timeline.  I wanted to hustle off to the BVI (British Virgin Islands).  I wanted to know when and where we would arrive in the Bahamas.  The truth is, there was no way of knowing.  I would have to let it emerge.  I could predict, plan, and hope, but in the end, the wind, sea, and a thousand other breezes would shape the unfolding events.  I had to wait, just like everyone else.  No amount of planning or willpower could make it otherwise.  I learned to become fairly zen about it.  “It will emerge” was the yin to the yang of “trial and error works every time.”  Tenacity has its place.  But so does waiting; engaged, curious, and resourceful, but patient.”

On fear and the uneasiness of taking the first jump:

“At the moment, Jane was happier to be at the top of the grotto, barefoot, hot, and scared, than she was to be in the cool, clear water below.  Her anxiety over what she could no longer see, and the fear of what it would take to get there, were more powerful than her will to jump.  We did our best to help her shift the balance, but it was up to her.  Only she could decide when she wanted to move and how she would do it.  She could climb back down or she could jump.  The push of her current situation, the pull of her new situation, her anxiety about her future, and her loyalty to her present were all shifting moment by moment.  We change when we’re more excited about getting the new thing than we are scared about losing the old thing.  I go through this same semiconscious process every time I face my own fears.  I think we all do.  It’s very personal. I internally weigh all these factors in the balance, and something happens or it doesn’t.”

Karina Orton, after being asked how she had changed on Fezywig (their boat):

“I don’t think I’ve changed,” she said.  “I’ve become even more myself.  I’ve gone further down the path that I was already on.”

Emily Orton on the ‘confidence that it will emerge’:

Erik – “Why do you think the last one is more important?”

Emily – “Because it lets us get started.  We don’t have to know everything.  We don’t have to control everything.  It lets us be patient while we’re figuring it out.”

***

Why you should read “Seven at Sea”:  If you’re a dreamer thinking ‘someday,’ this book will help give you the confidence to take risks and chase after that dream.  It is a raw look into how difficult it is to make your dreams come true.  From making excuses to planning and researching for that big day, it’s all about getting over that fear and taking the leap.  You have to have patience that the journey “will emerge.”  You can’t force it to happen on your timeline.  It will emerge on its own.

There are a lot of life lessons here for those who have dreams that want to make them come true.  This book is not just about a family who bought a sailboat and sailed from the Caribbean to New York City one year.  This is about living your best life and taking the chance to live your life to the fullest and the Ortons are here to inspire you to do so.

[Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.  This post contains affiliate links.] 

Curated Library: Waiting for Fitz Book Review

It is rare I come across a novel that astounds me.  That moment is so rare, I can probably count how many times that has happened to me on one hand. 

Enter “Waiting for Fitz.”  What makes this book so unique is that this story allowed me to see into the mind of teenagers with mental illnesses, and it was eye opening.  Yet, it was not just the story that astounded me.  It was the words and the way the author chose to share the lessons he’s learned about life. 

There were a lot of elements involved in my decision to curate this book into my personal library.  I like to look at my personal curated library as a place that if the end of the world came, and someone came across my library, they would learn so much about the world and humanity through that collection.  It’s not just about the story or whether it was well written that qualifies a book to be curated into my personal collection.  It is all about what I learned from the book and whether the philosophical lessons helped mold me into the human being I am today. 

That is what makes my curated library what it is.  It is a statement of who I am as a human being.  These are the books that helped mold my way of thinking or made me understand things in a new light.  These are the stories that become a part of me. 

So what is it about “Waiting for Fitz” that molded me? 


The Story

Addie is OCD…like really bad OCD.  She redefines what it means to be OCD.


Each morning before school, I’d walk to the bathroom, careful not to brush the wrong carpet thread when I reached the threshold.  I’d stand up and sit down three times before entering the bathroom.  I’d sniff two times with each step while also counting the tiles beneath each foot.  I’d make sure I blinked with my left eye before entering the shower.  Counting each time I tapped on the shower wall, each tap on the faucet, and each throat-clearing, I’d net two hundred and seven.  I’d do this seven times before exiting the shower.  Then I’d wash my hands forty-three times.  Those two numbers added together made two hundred and fifty, and the two and the five made seven, of course – my favorite number.  Finally, I’d dry off, sit on the bed, and count to eleven.  What a great number, eleven: it’s first place two times, or seven and four, which is nice.

These little ticks and rituals are one thing, but the moment when she really needs help is when she believes that if she did not do all of these things, those she loved (her mother or her dog) would die.

So her mother does what is best for her and admits her into a hospital to work with a doctor that can help her.  It is here that she meets other teenagers with mental problems, including Fitz. 

Fitz is schizophrenic.  He hears voices in his head and constantly talks to them.  He’s smart and witty, just like Addie.  The medication he’s on helps him to be more aware that the voices are there, but he is the one in control, not the voices.

Fitz and Addie develop an attraction to each other, mainly because of their love for words and witty banter as they constantly put a spin on words and phrases.

Yet, Addie can’t figure Fitz out.  He goes into moments of anger that are unexplained.  He walks away and refuses to talk to her for days.  She never knows what triggers his anger, but he always comes back and asks for forgiveness. 

Then one day, he slips a note under her door asking her to escape the facility with him.  This is not his first attempt.  The only thing she can get out of the other patients is that this has something to do with Quentin…and she is not sure if Quentin is a real person or a voice in his head.  All she knows is that Fitz is seeking forgiveness…atonement.

She decides to help and escapes with him, because one of the things she’s learning is that maybe if she focused on others by helping them, it will help her take the focus off of herself.  It will help her get to a normal stage where she’s focusing on others, rather than her own ticks and obsessions. 

With the help of the rest of the group, they are able to escape and go to San Juan Island, Washington.  She follows Fitz and lets him unravel his story piece by piece, never pressuring him to explain why they had to go to San Juan Island.  What Fitz reveals to her is heartbreaking, explaining who Quentin is and why his mother never visits him at the hospital.

As they make their return to the mainland, Fitz, being without his medication, begins to unravel and he loses control over the voices.  They take over and Addie is forced to seek help, because she is now in danger.


The Quotes

These quotes are the reason why I decided to curate this book into my library.

“A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do…I guess it’s time to start living the words instead of just reading them.”

“Behind her, a few candles burned low in their cups of wax, and I wondered what my life would be like: would I get blown out, or flicker and come back stronger?  We all flicker; it just depends on how willing we are to emerge again, and with how much light.”

“Like, something that is dead and gone can still light up our world.  What was can still be an is if we put ourselves in the right place.”  [This made me think of the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu.  Gilgamesh spent his entire life seeking a way to be ok again after Enkidu died.]

“I guess we all have an interior monologue, but for it to be so insistent and loud and populated would be impossible to ignore.  Maybe his life was a series of interruptions, and he lived in the space between.  He lived in the spurts and spats between the longer moments of conversing with the imaginary group that followed him everywhere.”

“Everyone wears a mask, but actors get to change theirs constantly.  I kind of envied the way they played different parts and got to live different lives.  They could empathize with so many types of people, of personhood.  If actors were the opposite of people, what did that make me?  A series of masks, maybe.”

“We dive as deep as we can and hope somebody is listening to our call across the deep waters.  All of us, at some point.”

“Because she’s amazing.  Because she knows how to love.  Because her heart has enough room for everybody and everything.”

“I thought of Aeolus opening up his bag of winds and how winds can take you everywhere you need to go, just like language can do great things, poetic things, but ultimately you can’t tell someone how much you love them because even that won’t adequately express how you feel.  All the winds except the one you want or need, I guess.”

“Truth is overlooked, ignored, searched for but never found, and only when we think the character can’t possibly make it out of the innermost cave alive, we witness a resurrection.”

“Hope is meant to surprise us.  Existence is meant to surprise.  Love is meant to surprise.  Love does not bow to the odds.  Never has.  Never will.”

On the meaning of Waiting for Godot:  “Because they had everything to wait for.  They had everything to show for it, as soon as that thing showed up…But life is just a series of absurd rituals until something or someone comes along to give it all meaning, right?  They were waiting for that thing.  For that person…Sometimes it doesn’t show up.  We’re lucky if it does.  But if it does, then we have something to live for.  We don’t always need to wait, but when we do…Well, it’s worth waiting your entire life for that one thing, that person, to come along.  It’s what gives life meaning.”

“I don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect.  If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.”  –  Tom Stoppard

Review

The quotes above are the reason why this book will stay with me for the rest of my life.  It was like taking various moments in my life, sprinkling a little gold dust over it, making the wounds heal a little faster.

As a writer, the quote from Tom Stoppard really made me think about the words I am writing in my own novel.  That is the ultimate goal of the writer, to nudge the world a little, just as Spencer Hyde has done in “Waiting for Fitz.” 

The words he chose to deeply contemplate the world around us were completely breathtaking and drove to the point.  This book is more than just a story.  It is a philosophical wonder that leaves the reader walking away with a deeper understanding to many of the obstacles we face in life, an angle we may not have considered.

As for the story itself, I don’t think I’ll ever use the term “OCD” lightly anymore.  I never really understood what mental illness looked like.  It is so difficult to step into the shoes of others who struggle every day to find normalcy.  What Hyde has done here is open up that gateway of understanding, so we can feel their struggle, fears, and desire to be okay again as they try to stop hurting those they love because their brain is not okay. 

More importantly, this book helps the reader to understand that people suffering from mental illness are not at fault for what they are going through.  There is that fear people who commit suicide do it because of a mental illness. Many are left asking why, not truly understanding the struggle.  Sure, we should have compassion, but I always wondered why.  I don’t have to ask that anymore. 

In terms of modern day works that I expect to become classical pieces of literature in the future, “Waiting for Fitz” is a novel that I believe deserves to be ranked amongst the greats.  It is unlike any other book I’ve ever read.  It belongs alongside the shelves of Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies, because it makes you explore the depths of the unknown and come out a better human being because of it.  That is what “Waiting for Fitz” does.  It should be on everyone’s list of Books to Read in this Lifetime.  Except, don’t just put it on a list.  Buy it.  Absorb the words and then curate it into your own library. 

[Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an unbiased review.  This post contains affiliate links.]

Book Review: A Monster Like Me

What if you had a tumor on your face?  That’s what young Sophie has, a hemangioma (a benign tumor birthmark) on her face.  People stare at her, so she tries to hide it behind her hair and her Big Book of Monsters.  When children see her birthmark, they call her a monster. 

It’s easier to beat the bullies to the chase and believe you are a monster before they call you one.  Better yet, it is better to believe everyone is a monster or a mythological creature so that you can feel like you are not alone, that this world you live in is filled with creatures that are either good or bad.

This is how Sophie copes with her monster mark.  But it doesn’t stop the bullies or reality from crashing in on her world.  Along with her fairy friend, Autumn, they collect pieces to create a magical amulet that will cure her from being a monster, making her human again.

What she finds in her journey is that a monster mark is not what makes you a monster, it’s what you do that makes you human.

The Review

This book is rather magical.  If we could only see the world the way that Sophie saw the world.  It is so much easier to see the world filled with monsters, witches and fairies to explain the good and evil that happens in the world, than to see that humans can be monsters.

Wendy S. Swore, the author, as a child

What makes us monsters?  Is it a disability or a birthmark?  Or is it the circumstances with which we live that can force us to lash out and hurt others because we are hurting inside? 

A Monster Like Me not only explores what it means to be a child that looks different, but it also takes a look at bullying in a way that helps bullied children understand why bullies are bullies. 

Sometimes when we dream so big and wish for something so great, it is hard for us to see anything but ourselves and our wants.  For Sophie, she learns to see what she has is a gift that not everyone has.  There are things we have in our lives that we take for granted that someone may wish they had themselves, like the ability to run around and play, instead of being stuck in a hospital bed.

It is not necessarily what you look like on the outside that makes you human, but what you do that defines your humanity.

This book is well worth the read, especially for young readers facing challenges in school.

[Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.  This post contains affiliate links.]

Book Review: Healing Hearts

For all of those lovers out there who need a little bit of Valentine’s Day reading, I would like to introduce you to “Healing Hearts.” This is the latest title from Proper Romance (Shadow Mountain).

If you are a fan of Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters, then Proper Romance should be your “go to” source for romance books. The books are PG-rated (so no blushing in public during the heated scenes).

The Review

“Healing Hearts” is a heartwarming story that will make you smile. When Miriam arrives in Savage Wells, she believes she is there to take a position as a new nurse. As the town whisks her into the local chapel, she realizes she was misled. Doctor Gideon MacNamara has requested a mail order bride, who can also serve as the town’s nurse.

When Miriam realizes she is supposed to marry Dr. MacNamara, she runs from the chapel.

Even though Gideon’s pride is hurt, he cares about the town more and is willing to let bygones be bygones and hires her on as a nurse. After all, it was not her fault that she did not know this was an arranged marriage.

With Miriam comes many dark secrets. These secrets eventually see the light of day as Dr. MacNamara and the town gets to know her. Even though she starts off on the wrong foot by not marrying the good doctor, the town grows to forgive her after she saves them from an epidemic that spreads like wildfire.

And when her past comes back to haunt her, the town rallies around her to save her.

You will enjoy this story from start to finish. There are parts that will leave you smiling with pure happiness. Then there are parts that will leave you at the edge of your seat, wondering just how bad things really are for Miriam…what is she escaping? And when you discover what she’s escaping from, it will leave you horrified.

Thoughts

I always say this about the Proper Romance books from Shadow Mountain, but I really love the stories they publish. Romance books that leave me blushing while I am reading on the train or on the bus are just not the type of books for me. The good old fashion stories from Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte where a simple kiss is all that is needed, as well as honesty at how one feels about another, are the perfect romance stories for me.

I enjoyed this story because I could see a little of myself in Miriam. When she says to the doctor that if he really knew who she was, he would find it a blessing he did not marry her, I know I’ve felt the same way time and time again. In a way, it’s rejecting yourself for the other person because you know they will reject you if they really knew you. It saves yourself from whatever heartache will follow.

Of course, in Miriam’s story, he didn’t care. But isn’t that what every person that rejects themselves wants? To be told everyone is broken somehow, so it does not matter?

One very important aspect of the story I found extremely interesting is insanity and how women were treated. It is only in the last few decades that we’ve treated illnesses differently. Women lost all individual rights and deemed insane if they had a seizure or had heavy or erratic menstrual cycles. They were committed to asylums to be forgotten by loved ones. People with dementia or Alzheimer’s were “treated” until they stopped showing any signs of life.

Can you imagine today being committed to an asylum and labeled insane just because you suffered from epilepsy or had a horrible menstrual cycle? These were the issues women faced back then.

“Healing Hearts” brings a lot of these matters to light. It will shock you to discover just how bad things were back then. Even though this is a work of fiction, what happened in asylums, especially to women, still rings true historically.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book. The love story will warm your heart. The part where you can’t stop turning the pages is when you discover what happened to Miriam. Stories like this will not only help you to understand the past, but to see that many of the issues that broken people face are still the same. It takes a lot to convince them that people will not hurt them and that they can actually trust people.

That’s the thing with this story, there’s proving to people that you are not what they think you are. You are better than their misconceived notions. You can change the way they think by being yourself. But it takes a lot to trust an entire community with your secrets that they will protect and save you and not turn you over to those who seek to do you harm.

Getting to that point that you can trust people…that is something that Miriam will make you ponder if you could do the same if you were in her shoes.

[DISCLOSURE: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of an unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links.]

What I Read in 2018 – All 84 Books

My 2018 New Year’s Resolution was to read 100 books.  I did not accomplish that goal this year.  I was 16 books short.  The prior year, I read only 64 books.  This year, I read 20 more books than the previous year for a total of 84 books.  That’s not bad.  That’s 1.6 books each week.  

If I keep this up, I’ll be able to finally reach my goal of 100 books in 2019. 

Along the way to my goal, I discovered the secret to getting in an extra book a week.  On Sundays, I choose an easy read that’s 225 pages or less and read it in one day.  Of course, I didn’t discover how this could help my numbers until I was 3/4 of the way into the year.  

In 2018, I became more selective with what I chose to read instead of reading whatever is sent to me.  I am fortunate that the books I read were the ones that helped me grow this year.  I learned so much from every single book, but more importantly, I learned more about myself this past year.  

All 84 of the books I read this year helped me to answer the questions burning inside of me.  They educated me.  I learned that everything happens for a reason, and books can find their way into your hands when you need them the most.  In May, I was asked to leave New York and travel the world indefinitely with this guy I’ve been crushing on for the last 7 years.  When I decided to stay, I realized what was really going on in the grander scheme of the universe.  This beautiful man was trying to wake me up and free me from the cage I had built around myself since the tumor was removed (2013).  I was blind to what I had done to myself out of fear.

As my crush left for Tibet, Tal Gur contacted me and asked if I would like a copy of his book to review.  I read it and thought to myself…WOW.  This was the book I needed in this moment.  I understood what I needed to do.  I needed to free myself so that the next time when the hottest guy I know offers me the world, I will be in a position where I can drop everything and run away with him, because in my heart, that’s what I really wanted to do.  

Publishers and authors sent their books.  As I read each one, I realized that each book isn’t just an escape from this horrible 2018.  It was also the universe’s guide book into helping me get back on my feet again, to seeing what I was doing to myself out of fear, but most importantly shining the beam of light to show me how to be me again.

Sometimes it was the entire story, or it was just a sentence or a paragraph.  All 84 of the books listed below were the words I needed in 2018.  

The Best of the Best

For those looking for some ideas on what to read, these are the books that I found to be the best reads of 2018.

The Books I Curated Into My Library: For the books I thought were the best of the best were very few.  It’s a given that I curate all autographed copies and classical literature into my library.  But the books that entered into my collection based on its own merits (i.e. the books I would want saved for mankind to read if there was some cataclysmic end) are as follows:  Slade House, Hag, The Air You Breathe, Melmoth, The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock, Scribe, Dietland, Neverwhere, Sommelier of Deformity, The Stuff of Stars, Everything Happens for a Reason, A Higher Loyalty, Anansi Boys, and The Tuner of Silences.

The Stuff I Learned from Self-Help:  This year was a tough year.  I literally fell apart.  My poor work husband spent most of this year trying to put me back together again.  When he wasn’t around, I read a lot of self-help books to try to get back to who I was.  Of all the books I read, I think The Abundance Project and Make Peace with Money were two of the most important books, because they speak my language.   At work, the Speed Reading book taught me how to perfect my craft (reading). 

What really helped me in understanding why everything was happening was Everything Happens for a Reason.  When one of my colleagues left to travel the world, Tal Gur contacted me about his book, The Art of Fully Living.  I made the difficult decision to not run off with my colleague.  While I do regret doing so, I thought…maybe my circumstances will change.  Gur’s book helped me to make the decision to free myself from the cage I built around myself that prevented me from running off with the hottest guy I know who was trying to give me the entire world. [Review: The Abundance Project]   

The Best YA/Children’s Books: When I tell publishers I read almost everything, that includes children’s books.  Oh, and I love YA.  Besides Brad Meltzer’s “I Am” collection (I curate all of his titles into my library, because he signs everything I have), I curated in The Stuff of Stars.  When I met the author, there was a moment between us when she asked me to read/review her book.  I haven’t written about her book yet, because I don’t know how to describe it beyond it being the most wonderful children’s book I’ve ever read.  It gave me goosebumps.  I cried at the end because it was so beautiful.  I thought…if I had a kid, this is exactly how I would feel telling them the story of how they came to be in my life.  It was just…I have no words.  The story took my breath away.  I feel like this book became a little secret in my life that I want to tell the world, but I don’t know how to accurately describe how this book made me feel.  So parents…pick up the book.  Read it to yourself and then decide. 

As for the others, Prince & Knight was beautifully done.  Loved it!  To finish off the year, I ended with Wundersmith, Book 2 in the Nevermoor series.  I love this series.  It sucks that I have to wait for Book 3 now.  [Review: Nevermoor]

Proper Romance Changed Me: I have a rule.  Or maybe I should say I had a rule.  I don’t do romance books.  But Shadow Mountain Publishing changed my mind about romance books when they launched their Proper Romance group.  The book that changed me was Promises and Primroses.  Lies, Love, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s followed.  They even have a steampunk series that I’ve been trying to finish (when I’m not trying to meet deadlines).  What I like about their stories is that it’s not mushy all unrealistic lovey dovey romcom books.  There’s no over the top “well this is just unrealistic” love stories.  It’s all PG rated.  None of that 50 Shades stuff I turn up my nose to.  In other words, it’s a clean romance.  It’s the way I like stories to be told (in a Jane Austen kind of way), especially because I am the type that will vomit after I say the words “be in a relationship with” or “get married.” [Review: Lies, Love and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Christmas by Accident]   

The Scary & the SciFi Books: I read a lot of the Cirque du Freak series this year.  I have two books left.  Neil Gaiman’s books are excellent.  American Gods is still my favorite, but Anansi Boys and Neverwhere were just as good.  Erik Therme’s Roam scared me.  Scribe was one of the best ghost stories I’ve read in a while.  Melmoth made my mouth drop.  It disturbed me so much, I had to text my brother (who never reads) about it.  Did I mention I curated Melmoth into my library?  Hag was excellent (my first book I’ve read that has roots in Scotland).   But the story that really scared me this year was David Mitchell’s Slade House (another curated book).  

The Best Stories:  The stories I really enjoyed in 2018 beyond the ones mentioned above are: Before We Were Yours, The Air You Breathe, The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock, Sommelier of Deformity, Dietland, The Escape Artist, The Girl You Left Behind, and The Other Side of the Bridge.

The Book Deserves Its Own Category: James Comey.  A Higher Loyalty.  The book was excellent…until the last 3 chapters.  This book helped me to understand my guys a lot better, because they used to work with Comey.  There’s so much about leadership that I recommend for all lawyers/public officials to read.  But the parts that really stood out to me is how he found a silver lining in life when he was faced with tragedy.  It made me understand the book Everything Happens for a Reason so much better. [Review]

Food:  Every single cookbook I read this year was so amazing.  I loved Siriously Delicious so much, I bought the book.  Then I found out Siri Daly was signing the book.  I showed up and told her who I was and she said she read my review and loved it.  Copycat Cooking from Six Sisters’ Stuff is also one of my all-time favorite cookbooks now.  The In N Out Burger and fries recipes were so much better than the real thing.  I can’t visualize a burger any other way now.  Glow 15 made me look at caring for myself differently now.  I take different vitamins now and eat differently because of it.  I recommend all 3 of these books.  [Reviews: Siriously Delicious, Copycat Cooking, Glow 15]

The Classics:  My work husband saw Villette sitting on my desk and he asked me about it.  He was a literature major in college, so naturally, he would ask.  I didn’t have the heart to tell him why I was reading it.  It’s a book you read when your heart has been broken.  It’s about unrequited love.  It took me most of the year to read it, but when I got to the end, I sat there heartbroken for Charlotte Bronte.  My friend was going through something similar where someone was in love with her and acting like M. Paul.  She couldn’t understand his crazy.  I explained to her what was really going on.  Men haven’t changed so much in the last 200 years. 

I finally read another monster classic: The Invisible Man.  I will say I was unimpressed.  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow read exactly like the Disney cartoon.  Kudos to Disney!  I don’t understand why Of Mice and Men is a classic.  I’m wondering if it has more to do with the language Steinbeck chose.  The highlight and uplifting classic of the year beyond Villette was T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets.  It had a very profound affect on me. 

I also finally read The Great Gatsby.  I read it alongside The Art of X-Ray Reading by Roy Peter Clark.  It helped me to really understand the depths of how beautiful this book is.  I do not recommend reading The Great Gatsby without Clark’s commentary (it’s only a chapter in X-Ray).  You will miss the importance of some of the elements used in the book, like color.    

Best Non-Fiction: Slave Stealers.  I learned so much about slavery then and now.  It’s not so different.  The providence at work for Tim Ballard and his team as they try to free children from the depths of hell just amazed me.  I remember sitting in bed, reading, exclaiming out loud, “No fucking way!”  Just amazing to see the Universe working to help people who are saving the innocents.  I highly recommend this book about real life work around the world to stop human trafficking (aka slavery).  [Review]

Below is the complete list of books I read this year.  If you’re interested in any of them, just click on the book and it will take you to Amazon where you can read more about the book and you can order it from there.

Book Review: Christmas by Accident

Tis the season to get into the Christmas spirit with Camron Wright’s latest novel Christmas by Accident.  If you are looking for a book to inspire you or to gift for those who love Christmas, the author of The Orphan Keeper, The Rent Collector and The Other Side of the Bridge has written the perfect book for you. [The Other Side of the Bridge Review]

The Story

Christmas by Accident is a story about an insurance adjuster who is fired for embellishing his reports (instead of writing just the dry facts, he wrote the reports in a way that would make you think you were reading the latest thriller).  His last case involves an accident where the driver’s insurance was canceled.

When Carter inspects the car, he finds a photo of the driver, Abby, and he knows he just needs to meet her.  So he begs his coworker to let him deliver the cancellation letter to Abby (after he’s been fired).

Abby helps run the ReadMore Cafe, a bookstore owned by her Uncle Mannie.  On the day Carter arrives, Abby isn’t in, but something sparks his eye.  It’s October and they already have their Christmas display of books up.  He is not a fan of Christmas, but he has an epiphany that he could write a book about Christmas.  So he purchases every Christmas title to figure out the formula for writing a bestselling Christmas book.

Abby, meanwhile, is visiting her uncle in the hospital.  He refuses to tell her that he has a rare disease that is enlarging his heart and wreaking havoc on his organs.  The doctors give him only a couple of months to live.  All he wants is to make it through Christmas, Abby’s favorite time of year.  He doesn’t want to destroy the holiday for her.

When Carter and Abby finally meet, she’s knocking on his door trying to understand how her insurance could be canceled.  She has the canceled check in her hand.  Even though Carter no longer works for the insurance company, he offers to help her navigate the system.  He finds out she’s an editor and they make a trade off that he’ll help her and she can help him edit his book.

Their friendship leads to romance which leads to making important life decisions, choices that could jeopardize this new romance.

An accident brings them together, but it is also an accident that could rip them apart forever.

Thoughts

If you like Hallmark Christmas movies, this book is perfect for you.  What I loved reading about were the mouthwatering treats served up at the ReadMore Cafe.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered the Christmas inspired recipes were at the back of the book!!!

I am a fan of Camron Wright’s works.  This story reminds me a lot of The Other Side of the Bridge, but with a Christmas spin.  The thing about Camron’s stories is that you will never forget his tales.  There is always something that will strike a chord within your soul that will have you remembering his stories for the rest of your life.  That is the magic of his works.

For me, the accidents hit me hard, because it reminded me of the time I contemplated a life lived, at a time when I pondered if I was going to live or die after my surgery.  All of those questions we ask ourselves when our lives are hanging in the balance he covered well.    

I think I will always be asking myself if I will have a smile on my face when, at the end of this lifetime, I look back on the life that I lived.  Why?  Because that’s one of those little gems Camron poses that will stick with you for the rest of your life.

Everyone takes what they need from the books they read.  For me, this story made me think about life.  For others, they may see something in the love story and discover that love is the choice you make every time.  Some may even see their faults in trying to focus too much on selling that they forget the true meaning of what they are doing.  Others may see the power of family and being there to protect them, even long after they are gone.

Whatever you take from this book, it comes at just the right time as the holidays approach.  It helps us to re-evaluate the decisions we are making, so that we can focus on the things that truly matter in this life.  After all, isn’t that what the true power of Christmas is all about?

[Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of an unbiased review.  This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase the books in any of these links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.]

When Your Maine Coon Has Allergies

For those who know Matthew Lucifer, they know he is a very unusual cat.  Actually, he is just not a normal cat at all.  He is highly intelligent and understands everything.  He also knows how to communicate what he wants very effectively. We’ve been through some stuff, including dealing with Maine Coon allergies. Here’s what happened. Scroll to the 2023 Update at the bottom of this page, if you want to learn more about what we learned from Matthew’s allergies.

Surita’s Passing

Back in August 2018, I made the difficult decision to help Surita die.  She was 21 years old.  When I told Matthew it was time to let Surita die, he became so upset.  She was in the kitchen at the time.  He ran up to her, collapsed in front of her and started crying.  I was so worried he was going to tell her.  I wanted her last week of life to be a happy one.

Those two never got along.  Surita hated him, but he loved her.  

He wanted to be there when we euthanized her, but Surita did not want him there.  I didn’t want her to go into death seeing Matthew staring back at her, so I kicked Matthew out of the apartment.

Surita.

He cried on the other side of the door wanting back in.  That is unusual for him, because when he goes out into the hall, he runs around.  This time, he wanted to be there for her.  

I held her until I felt her spirit leave.  After she had passed, I let Matthew back in.  He sat down next to her, checking out the two strangers in his home.  Then we motioned to Surita and he looked down.

He said a few words, kissed her and walked away.  I asked him, “Is that all you are going to say to her?”  He responded in the affirmative.

They boxed her up and took her away.  My baby girl.  

He was depressed for a month.

Letting Surita go was very difficult for me. I think I struggled with if I made the right decision. I realized during that last week that she was asking me to help her die. She was in a lot of pain. I miss my baby girl.

These two never got along.  This is what happened when we received a Kitnip Box.  Matthew wants everything in the box.  Surita just wants the treats and maybe one toy.  All of the rest belongs to him.  And yet, that one toy I would give to Surita, he would manage to steal it back and that would be the only toy he would play with out of the entire box.  Christmas was no different.  He only wanted her gifts.

The Bloody Mouth

So Matthew Lucifer had a medical emergency.  He was showing signs something was amiss for some time, but it was hard to figure out if this was something serious.  

Saturday morning, he woke me up.  His kiss was a little wetter than usual and then I saw the blood on his chin.  I got out of bed to wash the blood off of my face.  When I turned to check on him, the blood was gone.

The rest of the day was fine. But when he showed up for bed that night, his mouth was bleeding again and it wouldn’t stop.  The animal hospital was closed for the night, so we had to wait until the next morning to call them.

I sat there watching him bathe himself in blood.  I just stared at him in shock and disgust thinking…this is why your middle name is Lucifer.  You bathe yourself in blood and you don’t care.

The bleeding continued after he fell asleep.  He woke me up at 3AM (like he does every night), shook his head and sprayed blood everywhere.  It was so bad, I had to change the sheets.  I started Googling what was wrong and the only thing that came up was that he had gum disease and possibly a bad tooth.  

When we got up a few hours later, his mouth was still bleeding.  I read that I should try cleaning the blood with a cotton swab, so I handed one to him.  He chewed on it like he normally does.  We did this three times and then the bleeding stopped.  

When I called the vet hospital, Matthew sat next to the phone waiting for the receptionist to pick up.  The second she did, he started talking into the phone.  I assume he was telling her what was wrong.  We made an appointment for that afternoon.

I had him take an early nap with me, because I knew this was going to be a long day for him, especially since the doctor visit was during his nap time.

When it was time to go, I put his coat on, made a little blanket cocoon in his stroller, and we walked the mile to the hospital, going farther away from home than he’s ever been.  He actually enjoyed this little adventure.  I could tell he was nervous, but excited.

At the vet’s office, we discovered that Googling at 3AM is not wise.  My baby did not have gum disease.  He was having an allergic reaction.

The vet noticed there were scabs on his back, which I knew were from a mosquito bite.  We had a few flying around a few weeks ago, and I know he started scratching right after we encountered them.  She double checked to make sure it wasn’t fleas and luckily, it wasn’t.  

That bloody mouth of his was all about that mosquito bite.  Add the fact it is allergy season, and he has allergies, it sent his body into a white blood cell tornado frenzy.  His lips were swollen (which I noticed right before his sister died, but couldn’t remember if this was normal for him). 

All of these different allergens were just too much for his body to handle, so that’s why his mouth started bleeding.

Come Monday morning, the doctor says his blood tests were fine, except he had anemia.  He’s three points below what was considered normal.  I asked if this may be because he bled so much the night before.  She replied that is what she thought, but the specialist said it was more likely due to a blood disorder or a parasite or…

I’m thinking, “Doomsday much???”

So we have to go back for more blood tests the day before Thanksgiving.  He has another round of steroid shots in a month.  He also has to take a daily medication (which he ironically likes to take via syringe) for the next 30 days. 

Luckily, he is responding very well to the steroids and medication.  His lips are no longer swollen (the swelling disappeared the next day).  He’s running around with more energy (good sign he is not anemic).  And he stopped scratching.  

Here were the warning signs something was wrong that was very hard to determine if something more serious was going on:

  1. The scratching (he scratched his face, ears and his back).  Scratching is not normal for him.  I could not determine if this was fleas, mites or something else because it was a new spot every time.  
  2. Swollen lips.  He had 2 little open pockets under his upper lip.  I could not remember if this was normal for him or not.  Ends up, it was not normal.
  3. Itchy nose and lips.  He would use his brush to aggressively scratch his nose and lips.
  4. Scabbing on his back (from the mosquito bite).

I am surprised Matthew started bouncing back so quickly.  He loves his medicine.  I explained to him that he needs to eat right after he takes his medicine or his stomach will hurt.  So he eats immediately after each dose. 

With this little guy, communication is very important.

He Brushes His Teeth

He heard the doctor and I talking about brushing his teeth daily and how he likes to brush his teeth himself.  I just have to hold the toothbrush for him. 

Matthew is extremely intelligent.  He understands everything.  Since the conversation about brushing his teeth, he now goes into the bathroom and tries to brush his teeth by himself without my help.

He still hasn’t mastered turning on the faucet yet, so I still need to help him.  

The Baby Gets Spoiled x10

As of right now, I think he likes all of the attention he’s getting.  He likes being told he’s a good boy and he’s doing a good job.  I think he’s taking advantage of all of this attention…you know, worrying the hell out of his Mama.  He is not eating right now because he knows it’s worrying me.  Loss of appetite is not a side effect for what is going on. 

The side effects for his medicine are actually eating more and drinking more fluids.  So I think this whole ‘loss of appetite’ is an attempt to get my attention.  Either way, I’m going to pick up his favorite Friskies (that he’s not had since his sister died, because they don’t sell them in individual size and god forbid the food come from the refrigerator) and Korean fried chicken for dinner tonight.  

When Surita was alive, I would get Korean fried chicken.  I ate the skin and gave the meat to Surita.  Matthew preferred the skin too, so he’d grab an entire piece of chicken from out of the box and go crazy.  He can eat three all by himself.  [He is a sugar fiend, so the sweet fried chicken is cat nip for him.]

So if Friskies and Korean fried chicken do not revamp his appetite, I’m going to have to let the doctor know he’s not eating anything except dry food and a few bites of wet food after his medicine.

Unfortunately, for Matthew, he’s medically grounded from going outside.  I broke the news to him this morning and he looked at me like…you’re telling me the doctor betrayed me?  

He’ll be able to get around that grounding by being confined to seeing the world through his stroller.

2023 Update

When I first published this back in 2018, this was just the beginning of Matthew’s allergies. Ends up, that bloody mouth was due to an allergic reaction to his food (plus, add in being allergic to mosquitoes and fall seasonal allergies). We switched him to a hydrolyzed protein diet, then slowly started adding foods back to see what he was allergic to. Ends up, he’s allergic to processed chicken and turkey, which seems to be the case with many cats and dogs these days.

He’s currently on a vet diet eating only Royal Canin PR and PD, along with Tiny Tiger and Sheba seafood. He gets Thrive Market’s wild caught tuna on Sundays. He also eats whatever I’m eating. He’s not allergic to chicken or turkey, unless it is processed. If you think about it, we have no idea what they are putting in processed foods.

His food may cost more than mine does, and it scares me if Royal Canin can’t get their food into the US (it’s sourced and made in France), but this is the only thing he can eat without turning into a bloody mess.

Another issue that came up for Matthew during this time was a swollen paw. It got worse and worse. It ended up being allergy related. When we moved, it healed within a month. So it is possible that the previous apartment was an environmentally bad place for us to live, as far as his allergies went. Moving someplace more modernized helped him completely.

He hasn’t had any major allergy issues since we moved. He doesn’t need steroid shots anymore. [Long term use of steroids is bad for him.] He’s still running around outside. He still has seasonal allergies in the fall, but luckily, he hasn’t ripped the hair off of his face. During the fall allergy season, every other day, I give him a little bit of local honey harvested from the bees in our area. That seems to help him a lot.

Some tricks I learned when the allergies got really bad: 1) use cornstarch to stop the bleeding (vet suggested this); and 2) use unrefined organic coconut oil on areas where they’re scratching a lot (especially, if there’s a wound there from the scratching). I need to stress that you need to use UNREFINED organic coconut oil. Refined coconut oil has stuff in it that can be potentially harmful to your animal.

Lies, Love, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Lies, Love and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  A young woman trying to make it in Hollywood as a film editor finds herself in a predicament.  She is a brand new employee at Portal Pictures and her boss is a drunk.  All of the work he was supposed to put into Sliver of Midnight fell upon her.  She ended up doing everything.

When it comes time for the final cuts, he is passed out on the couch and she needs to get final approval for the film.  She needs someone to take a look at it.  So when she runs into her friend and colleague from a rival studio at a club while she is trying to get her boss to go back to the office, she turns to him for assistance.

Silvia Bradshaw edited her heart out for this film and the executives realize that this could be an Academy Award winning film on their hands.  But it is her boss that takes credit for the film, even though the filmmakers know he did nothing.

Meanwhile, Silvia’s feelings for her former colleague, Ben, starts to blossom.  But he has a girlfriend already.  Or does he?  

The danger lies in anyone finding out Ben worked on this film.  It could jeopardize their relationship and careers forever.

The Verdict

The real story goes much deeper than just a romance and a girl trying to make it in Hollywood.

Silvia has a disability.  She lost her eye to cancer when she was a child.  Audrey Hepburn died the day she lost her eye.  So she imagined Audrey as being her angel and protector while she battled cancer.

When she received her first prosthetic, she called the eye ‘Audrey.’  

Overcoming this adversity adds to the difficulties women go through in Hollywood just to be accepted.  Silvia is supposed to be a heroine in this story, fighting for recognition.  Yet, she has to bend to her male boss.  He is the one that will take all the credit for her work, because that’s the way it is.

The author’s dedication is really symbolic to the message she is trying to share in Silvia’s story.  “To all the women who work in Hollywood, and in other creative endeavors, who are making the changes needed to have their creativity and voices heard and recognized.”

There’s also the ghost of change in this book, Audrey Hepburn.  What Silvia knows about Audrey mostly comes from her films.  She never really saw how Audrey lived her life.  When she learns how inspiring and meaningful life can be by being the change, she decides to follow Audrey’s example of how she lived her life.

What this book ultimately represents beyond a romantic comedy is inspiring change for women trying to make it in a boy’s club world.  The author seeks to inspire women to live inspirational lives (like Audrey), but also to fight for their work.  

If you’ve put in all the work, don’t let someone else take credit for it.  Fight for your right to get your name put on it.  Get exactly what you worked hard for.  Speak up for yourself.

There’s also the need to have more representation in these industries.  Women, as well as men, should help to encourage other women to enter these sectors.  Even if she’s dating the guy you’re in love with, help her get her foot in the door, because the world needs women in the business.

You have to uplift each other, not sabotage each other’s efforts.  In other words, we’re all in this together with the same mission in mind…more equal representation.

The book is inspirational and a fun read.  I enjoyed it because it talked a lot about Audrey and movies, two subjects I love.  Even moreso, I am happy the book discussed Audrey’s life works beyond movies.  It helps give you the road map on how one should live their life.

4 out of 5 stars.

The November To Be Read Book Stack

As promised, here is my TBR book stack for November.  There are a mix of books coming out in November, as well as a few that came out last month. 

I can’t possibly get through this entire stack in one month, so this is my wish list I plan on reading from this month.  I haven’t chosen my classic novel yet.  I will probably peruse my library this weekend to figure out which book I plan on reading.

As for the stack, here is what is in it…

November Releases

Lies, Love and Breakfast at Tiffany’s from Julie Wright (November 6, 2018)

Synopsis from Amazon:

The Lie
Women in Hollywood are just pretty faces. But Silvia Bradshaw knows that’s a lie, and she’s ready to be treated as an equal and prove her worth as one of Hollywood’s newest film editors.

The Love
She and Ben Mason had worked together as editors before Silvia got her big break, so he’s the perfect person to ask for feedback on her first major film. But even as their friendship begins to blossom into something more, a lawsuit surfaces, jeopardizing both of their jobs—as well as their fledgling romance. Audrey Hepburn once said: “The most important things is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it’s all that matters.” Silvia agrees. Or she used to. It’s one thing to risk her job and her heart, but can she really risk Ben’s too? Does she have the right to make decisions for her own happiness when they affect so many other people?

The Breakfast
With everything to lose, Silvia meets Ben for breakfast at his favorite diner, Tiffany’s, for one last conversation before the credits roll on true love.

Vita Nostra from Marina and Sergey Dyachenko (November 13, 2018)

Synopsis from Amazon: 

While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerless to refuse when this strange and unusual man with an air of the sinister directs her to perform a task with potentially scandalous consequences. He rewards her effort with a strange golden coin.

As the days progress, Sasha carries out other acts for which she receives more coins from Kozhennikov. As summer ends, her domineering mentor directs her to move to a remote village and use her gold to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. Though she does not want to go to this unknown town or school, she also feels it’s the only place she should be. Against her mother’s wishes, Sasha leaves behind all that is familiar and begins her education.

As she quickly discovers, the institute’s “special technologies” are unlike anything she has ever encountered. The books are impossible to read, the lessons obscure to the point of maddening, and the work refuses memorization. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures; instead, their families pay a terrible price. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences which are nothing she has ever dreamed of . . . and suddenly all she could ever want.

A complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy that probes the mysteries of existence, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility, this astonishing work of speculative fiction—brilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey—is reminiscent of modern classics such as Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Max Barry’s Lexicon, and Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale, but will transport them to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds.

The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey

Currently Available

Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Golden Samovar by Olga Wojtas

Synopsis from Amazon:

Never underestimate a librarian. Comfortably padded and in her middle years, Shona McMonagle may look bookish and harmless, but her education at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls has left her with a deadly expertise in everything from martial arts to quantum physics. It has also left her with a bone-deep loathing for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, that scurrilous novel that spread scandalous untruths about the finest educational institution in Edinburgh. Her skills, her deceptively mild appearance, and her passionate loyalty make Shona the perfect recruit for a new and interesting project: Time-travel to Tzarist Russia, prevent a gross miscarriage of romance, and – in any spare time – see to it that only the right people get murdered. It’s a big job, but no task is too daunting for a Head Girl from Miss Blaine’s.

The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams

Synopsis from Amazon: 

New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams brings us the blockbuster novel of the season—an electrifying postwar fable of love, class, power, and redemption set among the inhabitants of an island off the New England coast . . .

In the summer of 1951, Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island as a schoolgirl from the margins of high society, still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War. When her beautiful mother marries Hugh Fisher, whose summer house on Winthrop overlooks the famous lighthouse, Miranda’s catapulted into a heady new world of pedigrees and cocktails, status and swimming pools. Isobel Fisher, Miranda’s new stepsister—all long legs and world-weary bravado, engaged to a wealthy Island scion—is eager to draw Miranda into the arcane customs of Winthrop society.

But beneath the island’s patrician surface, there are really two clans: the summer families with their steadfast ways and quiet obsessions, and the working class of Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers who earn their living on the water and in the laundries of the summer houses. Uneasy among Isobel’s privileged friends, Miranda finds herself drawn to Joseph Vargas, whose father keeps the lighthouse with his mysterious wife. In summer, Joseph helps his father in the lobster boats, but in the autumn he returns to Brown University, where he’s determined to make something of himself. Since childhood, Joseph’s enjoyed an intense, complex friendship with Isobel Fisher, and as the summer winds to its end, Miranda’s caught in a catastrophe that will shatter Winthrop’s hard-won tranquility and banish Miranda from the island for nearly two decades.

Now, in the landmark summer of 1969, Miranda returns at last, as a renowned Shakespearean actress hiding a terrible heartbreak. On its surface, the Island remains the same—determined to keep the outside world from its shores, fiercely loyal to those who belong. But the formerly powerful Fisher family is a shadow of itself, and Joseph Vargas has recently escaped the prison where he was incarcerated for the murder of Miranda’s stepfather eighteen years earlier. What’s more, Miranda herself is no longer a naïve teenager, and she begins a fierce, inexorable quest for justice for the man she once loved . . . even if it means uncovering every last one of the secrets that bind together the families of Winthrop Island.

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally & Nick Offerman

Synopsis from Amazon:

Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman reveal the full story behind their epic romance–presented in a series of intimate conversations between the couple, including photos, anecdotes, and the occasional puzzle.

The year: 2000. The setting: Los Angeles. A gorgeous virtuoso of an actress agreed to star in a random play, and a basement-dwelling scenic carpenter said he would assay a supporting role in the selfsame pageant. At the first rehearsal she surveyed her fellow cast members, determining if any of the men might qualify to provide her with a satisfying fling. Her gaze fell upon the carpenter, and like a bolt of lightning the thought struck her: no dice. Moving on.

Yet, unbeknownst to our protagonists, Cupid had merely set down his bow and picked up a rocket launcher . . . that fired a love rocket (not a euphemism). The players were Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, and the resulting romance, once ignited, was . . . epic. Beyond epic. It resulted in a coupling that has endured to this day; a sizzling, perpetual tryst that has captivated the world with its kindness, athleticism, astonishingly low-brow humor, and true (fire emoji) passion.

How did they do it? They came from completely different families, ignored a significant age difference, and were separated by the gulf of several social strata. Megan loved books and art history; Nick loved hammers. But much more than these seemingly unsurpassable obstacles were the values they held in common: respect, decency, the ability to mention genitalia in almost any context, and an abiding obsession with the songs of Tom Waits.

Eighteen years later, they’re still very much in love and have finally decided to reveal the philosophical mountains they have conquered, the lessons they’ve learned, and the myriad jigsaw puzzles they’ve completed. Presented as an oral history in a series of conversations between the couple, the book features anecdotes, hijinks, photos, and a veritable grab bag of tomfoolery. This is not only the intoxicating book that Mullally’s and Offerman’s fans have been waiting for, it might just hold the solution to the greatest threat facing our modern world: the single life.

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

Synopsis from Amazon:

Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.
Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.

Illuminating life’s heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, EVERY BREATH explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties–while asking the question, How long can a dream survive?

Cherry Blossoms from Kim Hooper

Synopsis from Amazon:

From the author of the critically-acclaimed debut People Who Knew Me comes the story of one man’s determination to abandon his will to live.

Jonathan Krause is a man with a plan. He is going to quit his advertising job and, when his money runs out, he is going to die. He just has one final mission: A trip to Japan. It’s a trip he was supposed to take with his girlfriend, Sara. It’s a trip inspired by his regrets. And it’s a trip to pay homage to the Japanese, the inventors of his chosen suicide technique.

In preparation for his final voyage, Jonathan enrolls in a Japanese language class where he meets Riko, who has her own plans to visit her homeland, for very different reasons. Their unexpected and unusual friendship takes them to Japan together, where they each struggle to make peace with their past and accept that happiness, loneliness, and grief come and go—just like the cherry blossoms.

Haunted by lost love, Jonathan must decide if he can embrace the transient nature of life, or if he must choose the certainty of death.

Unsheltered from Barbara Kingsolver.  {Note: This is also one of the November Book of the Month options that you can get for $14.99 from Book of the Month [You can also get an extra book for free using code: FRIENDSGIVING.]}

Synopsis from Amazon: 

The New York Times bestselling author of Flight Behavior, The Lacuna, and The Poisonwood Bible and recipient of numerous literary awards—including the National Humanities Medal, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the Orange Prize—returns with a timely novel that interweaves past and present to explore the human capacity for resiliency and compassion in times of great upheaval.

How could two hardworking people do everything right in life, a woman asks, and end up destitute? Willa Knox and her husband followed all the rules as responsible parents and professionals, and have nothing to show for it but debts and an inherited brick house that is falling apart. The magazine where Willa worked has folded; the college where her husband had tenure has closed. Their dubious shelter is also the only option for a disabled father-in-law and an exasperating, free-spirited daughter. When the family’s one success story, an Ivy-educated son, is uprooted by tragedy he seems likely to join them, with dark complications of his own.

In another time, a troubled husband and public servant asks, How can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it? A science teacher with a passion for honest investigation, Thatcher Greenwood finds himself under siege: his employer forbids him to speak of the exciting work just published by Charles Darwin. His young bride and social-climbing mother-in-law bristle at the risk of scandal, and dismiss his worries that their elegant house is unsound. In a village ostensibly founded as a benevolent Utopia, Thatcher wants only to honor his duties, but his friendships with a woman scientist and a renegade newspaper editor threaten to draw him into a vendetta with the town’s powerful men.

Unsheltered is the compulsively readable story of two families, in two centuries, who live at the corner of Sixth and Plum in Vineland, New Jersey, navigating what seems to be the end of the world as they know it. With history as their tantalizing canvas, these characters paint a startlingly relevant portrait of life in precarious times when the foundations of the past have failed to prepare us for the future.

The Library Book from Susan Orlean

Synopsis from Amazon:

On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?

Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.

Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves.

Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever.

House of Gold from Natasha Solomons

Synopsis from Amazon:

The start of a war. The end of a dynasty.

Vienna, 1911. Greta Goldbaum has always dreamed of being free to choose her own life’s path, but the Goldbaum family, one of the wealthiest in the world, has different expectations. United across Europe, Goldbaum men are bankers, while Goldbaum women marry Goldbaum men to produce Goldbaum children. Jewish and perpetual outsiders, they know that though power lies in wealth, strength lies in family.

So Greta moves to England to wed Albert, a distant cousin. Defiant and lonely, she longs for connection and a place to call her own. When Albert’s mother gives Greta a garden, things begin to change. Perhaps she and Albert will find a way to each other. 

But just as she begins to taste an unexpected happiness, war is looming and even the influential Goldaums can’t alter its course. For the first time in two hundred years, the family will find themselves on opposing sides and Greta will have to choose: the family she’s created or the one she was forced to leave behind.

A sweeping family saga from a beloved and New York Times bestselling author, House of Goldis Natasha Solomons’s most dazzling and moving novel yet.

Christmas by Accident by Camron Wright

Synopsis from Amazon: 

Carter is an insurance adjuster whose longing for creative expression spills over sometimes into his accident reports.

Abby works for her adoptive father, Uncle Mannie, in the family bookstore, the ReadMore Cafe.

Carter can barely tolerate Christmas; Abby loves it. She can’t wait past October to build her favorite display, the annual Christmas book tree stack, which Carter despises.

When an automobile accident throws Carter and Abby together, Uncle Mannie, who is harboring secrets of his own, sees a chance for lasting happiness for his little girl. But there are so many hurdles, and not much time left. Will this Christmas deliver the miracles everyone is hoping for?

Bridge of Clay from Markus Zusak (author of “The Book Thief”)

Synopsis from Amazon:

The breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance.

At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge—for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle.

The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome?

Written in powerfully inventive language and bursting with heart, BRIDGE OF CLAY is signature Zusak.

The Collector’s Apprentice from B. A. Shapiro

Synopsis from Amazon:

It’s the summer of 1922, and nineteen-year-old Paulien Mertens finds herself in Paris—broke, disowned, and completely alone. Everyone in Belgium, including her own family, believes she stole millions in a sophisticated con game perpetrated by her then-fiancé, George Everard. To protect herself from the law and the wrath of those who lost everything, she creates a new identity, a Frenchwoman named Vivienne Gregsby, and sets out to recover her father’s art collection, prove her innocence—and exact revenge on George.

When the eccentric and wealthy American art collector Edwin Bradley offers Vivienne the perfect job, she is soon caught up in the Parisian world of post-Impressionists and expatriates—including Gertrude Stein and Henri Matisse, with whom Vivienne becomes romantically entwined. As she travels between Paris and Philadelphia, where Bradley is building an art museum, her life becomes even more complicated: George returns with unclear motives . . . and then Vivienne is arrested for Bradley’s murder.

B. A. Shapiro has made the historical art thriller her own. In The Collector’s Apprentice, she gives us an unforgettable tale about the lengths to which people will go for their obsession, whether it be art, money, love, or vengeance.

The October Book Stack

Today, I am introducing a new feature at Perfectionist Wannabe.  I will be showing you at the end of each month the books I read that month.  At the beginning of each month, I’ll show you my To Be Read pile.

The To Be Read pile is usually advanced copies of books coming out that month I need to get through.  I try to read at least one classic and whatever looks good on my shelf I’ve been meaning to get to.

So let’s get to the current October stack.  I tried to read as many scary books as I could.  Six of the eight books featured are, at the minimum, about a ghost or a witch.

I did not include below “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, because the story is part of a collection of stories.  I will include that when I finish Irving’s book. 

The October Stack

The Air You Breathe

The Air You Breathe is my favorite book this month.  This is one of my Book of the Month subscription picks and I absolutely love it.  The story takes place in Brazil.

A young girl, Dores, is a kitchen servant on a sugar plantation.  She’s been there since she was born.  During the lean years, when sugar prices bottom out, she remains on the plantation with the head cook, when the sugar baron’s family leaves for the city. 

But then the next sugar baron in the family arrives with his family.  Their child, Graça, is around the same age as Dores.  They do not get along in the beginning, but soon Dores becomes Graça’s playmate.  They do everything together.  

Graça’s mother realizes that unlike her daughter, Dores is intelligent and absorbs everything she is taught. She offers Dores the same opportunities given to her own daughter, but with limitations. 

One day, she introduces Dores to music and her world changes. 

Music is what shapes this story of the two girls growing up together on a sugar plantation.  They later escape to Rio de Janeiro to try their luck at fame and fortune.  One girl is the beauty and the voice, the other has the smarts and the talent with words. 

Their story is filled with love, loss and obsession.  You’ll learn how these girls help make samba a revolution, and how Hollywood changes their lives forever.  This is a story that will whisk you away to a time before the great war.  You will fall in love in Brazil, and you will grow to appreciate the world of samba.

Hag

Hag is a witchy tale that starts off in Scotland and transports you to Colorado and then London as we follow Alice, the descendant of the Cailleach (an ancient witch who takes residence in the Scottish cliffs). 

As Alice grows up and tries to understand the weird things she can do, she has no idea her daughter will bring all of the Cailleach ancestors of witches together, bringing the story of the Cailleach full circle. 

What I liked about this story is that I saw a lot of myself in Alice.  For people that know me very well, they know there are a few things I can do that is just not explainable.  I used to tell my dad that if we were back in the 15th or 16th century, he probably would have had me burned at the stake for being a witch. 

After reading this book, I think I became a little more accepting of who I am.  Sometimes people have a better intuition than others, or as my friend says, I am better in tune to the universe than most people.  I think maybe back in the day, I would have been labeled a witch. 

In this book, I believe the author was well versed in the subject of witchcraft and what it has evolved into today.  Not all witches are brewing potions or practicing magic.  Some are just regular people living their lives, but are a little bit more in tune with the universe and the universe responds.

The Witch of Willow Hall

The Witch of Willow Hall is my favorite scary read this month.  Speaking of women trying to understand who they are, the weird things they can do and thinking that back in the day, they would have been burned at the stake or hung by the neck.  It is 1821 and right outside of Boston in a town called New Oldbury, Lydia and her family have relocated to Willow Hall to escape the embarrassment her family endured in Boston thanks to her older sister Catherine and brother Cyrus. 

Willow Hall is filled with ghosts and secrets, which makes it a perfect place for the Montrose family. 

Lydia and Catherine are always at odds.  When they lose Emeline, the youngest Montrose, the family begins to completely fall apart as Catherine’s sins unravel before them. 

Lydia is not aware she is a witch.  She can see ghosts and notices storms brew when she becomes upset.  It takes her mother being on her death bed to reveal Lydia’s true ancestry. 

For this story, it’s the ghosts that will scare you.  What will make your stomach turn is how evil Catherine can be and how she will do everything she can to destroy her sister’s happiness.  Oh, and there is a bit of a love story in there, blackmail, incest and scary dead witches…but damn, if this isn’t a great book.

The Clockmaker’s Daughter

The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a ghost story.  This book is a popular new release for the month of October.  I stood in line for a long time to get this book. 

I will warn you right now that I had a hard time getting through the first 60% of the book.  It kept putting me to sleep.  But the last part of the book, I could not put the book down.  I kept thinking…why in the world was I having a difficult time reading this book in the beginning?  Maybe because she saved the best part for last? 

This story jumps between the present and the past.  We follow the story of Elodie in the present day.  She discovers a leather satchel with a sketchbook and a photograph.  One of the sketches reminds her of a story her mother used to tell her before she died.  She becomes so obsessed with the picture that she starts to investigate the truth of its origins. 

We are then transported back to a different time…around 1862.  A group of artists spend the summer at Birchwood Manor.  What happens in Birchwood changes their lives forever. 

Over the next 150 years, a ghost haunts the old manor.  It is her story that is being told and it is up to Elodie to unravel the mystery of Birchwood Manor.  The ending is well worth it.

Violin

Violin is another ghost story.  This time it comes from the queen of vampires, Anne Rice.  Believe it or not, it has taken me a few years to get through this book.  I started it years ago and then put it to the side.  I decided to finally finish the last 150 pages. 

It was time to find out what becomes of Stefan, the evil fiddler and the woman he is haunting. 

I did not expect that Triana would become a world class violinist that mesmerizes her audiences with the haunting violin that actually does not even exist.  This violin was destroyed back when Stefan was alive, but in death, he took the essence of the violin with him and made it real.  He made himself (and the violin) real again to those who could hear his hypnotic melodies.  So when Triana steals it from his grasp, the violin transforms her world.  Stefan will do anything to get his violin back…but how far will he go?

Villette

Villette is a classic tale from Charlotte Bronte.  I love Jane Eyre  so when I got my heart broken, I decided to read this book.  It was recommended for people with broken hearts. 

This is a somewhat true story of Charlotte’s life…about unrequited love. 

It is funny how I saw the things happening in my life, as well as my friends, echoing what I read in this book.  Men act funny when they are in love with someone they know they cannot have.  It seems that things still have not changed 170 years later. 

One person on Twitter told me that she noticed there are a lot of people that have a difficult time with this book because of the ongoing misogyny.  But if you press on, you’ll really enjoy how the book ends.  I have to agree with her on that.  It was very difficult to not want to reach into the book and punch Monsieur Paul, but you’ll find as you continue that he has some redeeming qualities. 

Bronte is supreme at writing.  What I appreciate about Jane Eyre continues in her writings here.

Cirque du Freak: Hunters of the Dark

Cirque du Freak: Hunters of the Dark is a continuation of Darren Shan’s adventures as the Vampire Prince (book 7). 

The rise of the Vampaneze Lord brings Mr. Tiny to Vampire Mountain to issue a new prophecy and a quest for Darren and Mr. Crepsley.  They return to the Cirque du Freak to have their first of four encounters with the Vampaneze Lord. 

I’m probably going to spoil the next few novels, but my guess is that the Vampaneze Lord is Darren’s best friend from the time when he was still a mortal.  This friend is the reason why Darren became a vampire to begin with…to save his life. 

Don’t tell me…I want to figure it out myself in the next few novels.

Waiting for Tomorrow

Waiting for Tomorrow is a very sad tale about a family torn apart.  The story takes place in France.

Anita is an immigrant from Mauritius who meets her husband at a New Year’s Eve party in Paris.  They have a child together and decide to move to the country where Anita freelances as a journalist and Adam is an architect. 

When Adele, another Mauritius immigrant, enters their lives, she turns their lives around.  She helps care for their home and their daughter.  But she has this magnetic pull about her that inspires Adam to be the painter he always wanted to be and Anita to finally write the novel she’s been dreaming of.  But the strange thing is that the subject of their work is Adele. 

As the novel goes on, we find Adam is in prison and their daughter is in a wheelchair.  But why?  What happened?  I will say that I never saw the ending coming.  It was very surprising. 

This is a quick read.  Only 176 pages.

The Curated Collection

Each month, when I finish reading the books for that month, I try to decide which books will be curated into my library.  This month, I decided to keep Villette (I like to keep all classic novels), The Clockmaker’s Daughter (signed), The Air You Breathe and The Witch of Willow Hall (signed).  Generally speaking, if the book is signed, I will keep it.  For books not signed, it has to be an exceptionally good book in order to be placed in the curated collection.  The Air You Breathe was really that good and deserved to be placed on the shelves.

3 Ways to Use Lemons in the Home

Every year I order a box of Meyer Lemons from Birch-Hill Organics.  It is a little treat I enjoy every year, because I love lemons and all things sour.

When I order a box, the question always is: what do I plan to do with all of these lemons?  Here’s what I do…

Lemon Preserves

The main reason why I buy a box of Meyer Lemons is to make lemon preserves.  These lemons tend to be sweeter than the regular lemons you pick up from the grocery store.  They are also juicier!  

Here’s how you make preserves:  you will need canning jars and salt (along with the lemons).  Make sure to wash all of the lemons well to remove any chemicals or pesticides.

  1. Cut each lemon in half (start with five). 
  2. Add salt to the bottom of the canning jar. [I use sea salt.]
  3. Press each lemon half into the bottom of the jar, squeezing out as much use as you can.  [Note: Leave the rinds in the jar.]
  4. Add salt. 
  5. Continue adding lemon halves, pressing them down into the jar, adding salt each time you add a lemon half. 
  6. Proceed to add lemons until you fill the entire jar. 
  7. Seal the jar and place on a shelf (without direct sunlight) for 3 months.

Lemon preserves are used in many French and Moroccan recipes.  Yes, you eat the entire lemon in these recipes.  Meyer Lemons are very pleasant to use as preserves in these dishes as compared to their counterparts, because they are not as bitter.  

I make lemon preserves because all of my favorite French and Moroccan recipes call for them.  These preserves are not so easy to find in stores.  That is why I make my own.  It is so simple to make.  Plus, you are the one that has control over what goes into the preserves.  You are not forced to guess what someone else is putting in store bought preserves.

A Green Cleaning Solution

For those who like to green their cleaning and keep toxic chemicals out of your home, this is how I make my own cleaning solution.

I keep a canning jar on my counter at all times and add citrus rinds to it.  Instead of tossing used rinds into the trash, I remove the pulp from the citrus and add the rinds to the jar.  I add white vinegar about a quarter or halfway up the jar.  Then as the weeks go on, I continue to add the citrus rinds to the jar. 

When it fills up, I wait two weeks before using the vinegar solution in the jar.  I just remove the rinds (you can toss them at this point, but wait until you read the next section) and put the solution in a spray bottle.  You can now use this as an all-purpose cleaner.  

I would like to experiment with other citrus rinds (oranges and grapefruit) in the future to see what type of scent the solution gives off.  Note: I do add lime rinds to the lemon rind jars too.  

A Mosquito Repellent?

A little something I discovered recently is that this cleaning solution can actually work as a mosquito repellent, especially if you have a problem mosquito inside your home.

Just place the rinds in a bowl, along with a little bit of the vinegar solution, and keep the bowl in rooms where mosquitoes may roam. Change out every few days so as to not attract fruit flies.  

So far, this has worked for me.  Because this has been working, I keep the rinds in the solution in the jars.  It is not mandatory that you have to remove the rinds from the jar and toss them.  You can keep them in there as long as you like.  

Someone suggested spraying the solution on your body before bed to maybe deter the mosquitoes from biting you.  I haven’t attempted this yet, but if you do try this, make sure to dilute the vinegar solution with water before applying. 

I think I would rather spray the bedding before applying the solution to my skin.  But maybe one weekend I will try this, because I have read that vinegar helps with skin issues and balances the pH.  

BONUS: If you are bitten by a mosquito, apply Vicks VapoRub (or a similar medicated rub) to the bite.  This actually helps keep the bite from being itchy.  Make sure to apply each night until the bite is gone.  Usually takes 2-3 days.  Also, just a FYI, it takes about 30 minutes for the relief to set in.  

The Paperless Post

You can create your own holiday cards to send to all of your family and friends.  It can be as personalized as this Halloween card I sent out to my friends of my fur monster, Matthew Lucifer.

You can choose from designers like Kate Spade New York (pictured here), Rifle Paper, Sugar Paper, Charlotte Olympia, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta and many more.  

You also get to customize the background (note the marble background) and the envelope liner.

This is a SPONSORED post.

So after playing around with Paperless Post, I have to admit, I find their offerings to be very beautiful, simple and unique.  While I love paper, I do like the upgrade from the Evite era of invitations.  You can send out really cool invitations and get RSVPs back via email.

You can try them out here.  How does it work?  You purchase coins on their site to create and send out your Paperless Post.  From wedding invitations to party invites and announcements, you can create it all at Paperless Post.  In this virtual world we live in, this is the way to go.

A Tool for Bloggers

As a blogger, I see a different type of opportunity that Paperless Post should explore.  Using their designs to create unique and beautiful blog posts, they could serve as a major tool for bloggers who want to pretty up their content.

This is actually something I’ve been looking into all summer long…a way to pretty up blog posts beyond just the boring white backgrounds you see on blogs.  With Paperless Post, I can see how a short blog post or a recipe can be written out on their products.  

I tried to feature what I would love to do with Paperless Post’s design offerings for my site (see the first card), and realized they are missing out on a unique revenue stream from bloggers.  While this is a sponsored post, I have permission to showcase their product offerings.  But to continue using their product for purposes of this site, I can only say they would be missing out on a unique financial stream from bloggers who want to follow suit and write out entire blog posts using their tools and designs.    

So Paperless Post, you should consider developing content specifically for bloggers and business owners that want to pretty up their online content.  I can see how this can be a lot like Canva, but better.  They would definitely have me as a loyal customer if this can be developed.  

Oh, and I’m warning everyone on my Christmas card list…I’ll be sending out that ‘Tis the Season’ card this year.  It is perfection.

DISCLAIMER: This is a sponsored post.  I received free product for purposes of an unbiased review.  

Book Review: Slave Stealers

There is a new book out that I believe everyone should read.  It’s called “Slave Stealers” by Tim Ballard.  This is one of the most phenomenal stories I’ve read this year.  In a way, Ballard’s story represents a lot of what this site is supposed to be about…sharing the stories of people who are making the world better than it was yesterday.

And that is where we start, Ballard telling the story of yesterday in order to learn from our past to create a plan to save innocent children from slavery.

Did you know American children are kidnapped and sold into the sex slave trade?  Within 48 hours of that child being taken, they are sold many times to complete strangers for sex.  These children are raped by pedophiles again and again.  A child could be raped up to 50 times every single day by complete strangers until they are rescued.  Sometimes that can take years (or until they become too old to be of use – mainly around 18 years old).

Out of the 20-30 million people enslaved, “close to six million…are children.”

“Human trafficking brings in an estimated $150 billion annually and is the fastest growing criminal enterprise on the planet.  With thousands of children currently forced into the commercial sex trade in the US, and thousands more children smuggled into the US annually for the same purpose.”

The Super Bowl is the “largest single trafficking event in the world.”  Surprised?  I was.

Children are sold over again and again to rapists and pedophiles at the Super Bowl.  It happens right under our nose, on our very own soil.  These children are in the sex SLAVE trade on American soil, and until recently were legally sold on the internet thanks to a legal loophole that Congress had to change.  [See CDA 230.]

How do we stop this?  How do we save the children that are in captivity?  The answer is Operation Underground Railroad.

Operation Underground Railroad

Tim Ballard was one of the first members of Homeland Security’s child crimes/countertrafficking group in the early 2000s.  This was a relatively new agency (that came out of 9/11/01), as well as a new unit focused on saving children.  Saving children from the sex slave trade is a difficult task.  You have to go into the deepest, darkest pits of the criminal underground world to save these kids…and that means pretending to be a pedophile.

There were a lot of trainees that could not stomach this.  As they role played in class, there were men that had to leave the room to throw up or just couldn’t hack being in this unit, because they were fathers, too.  To say they wanted to have sex with a young child, that could have been a child the same age as their own, disgusted them.

But the thing is in order for this unit to work, they had to say the things they had to say in order to get access to the kids to free them.  They had to put up a wall that separated themselves from that dark world with that loving family they have at home.

Since this was a relatively new field for this Homeland Security group, they had to come up with tactics to free these child slaves.  Ballard decided to read up on the Underground Railroad and slavery.  This led him to Harriet Jacobs.

She is one of the first slaves that ever wrote a book.  Her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, gave Ballard the tools he needed to understand slavery and how to get people out.

When he came across Guesno Mardy’s story, Ballard’s time with Homeland Security came to an end.  Why?  Because he saw that he could not limit himself to just America anymore.  He had to help everyone.

Guesno Mardy’s son was kidnapped and sold two weeks before the earthquake crippled his country, Haiti.  When Ballard read Mardy’s story, he knew he had to help.  He invited Mardy to California where they sat down to talk about what happened.  Ballard made a promise to him that he would help him find his son, but he could not do that as long as he was working for Homeland Security (due to jurisdictional issues).

So he left Homeland Security and started Operation Underground Railroad so that he could help everyone around the world combat human trafficking.  This is where he would be able to make the biggest impact in saving children from the slave trade.

Harriet Jacobs

In order to understand slavery today, Ballard decided to take a look at the way slavery was in America during the 1800s.  Harriet Jacobs served as his guide as she told her story of what it meant to be a slave in her book “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.”

Her story of life as a slave, and later as a liberator for those in the Underground Railroad, helped Ballard understand what he needed to do to help these kids.  She helped provide the framework he needed on his missions to save trafficked children.

Jacobs is a strong woman that needs to be commended for standing up for herself when her master tried to have his way with her when she was still young.  She put safeguards up to protect herself from him, no matter how many years he pursued her.  He was obsessed with her, even offered to put her up in her own cottage, so long as she would be his mistress.  The obsession grew even more each time she ran away.

His need for Harriet was not in controlling his property.  His obsession with her was that he could not control her as a slave, as property or as a woman.

There were people helping her all along her journey, but her greatest fear was that her children would be subjected to the same abuses (or even worse) that she was trying to escape from.  She needed to do whatever she could to keep them safe, even if it meant staying close to them by staying in a cramped attic space for almost seven years battling the elements of extreme heat and cold, and being unable to move around freely.

[amazon_link asins=’0486419312,1503277941,0465092896,194518602X,1976474671′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’us-1′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e54b33a5-b51d-11e8-9185-01af81c70a8a’]

Why I Care and Why YOU Should Care

There is a reason why I feel strongly about this book and want people to read it, as well as watch the documentary “I Am Jane Doe.”

When I was 18, my mother was in tears when she told me her greatest hurt and secret…she was sold into slavery when she was eight years old.  She lived in servitude for seven years before running away to Bangkok.  At 21, she married the first GI that paid attention to her (my father) and disembarked to America where her children could not be sold into slavery.

My best friend in high school’s mother waited until her daughter was in her 20s to tell her.  Actually, her aunt told her the truth…that she had an older brother.  Her mother had been sold into the sex slave trade to serve as a concubine.  She was 13.  At 15, she gave birth to a son and was immediately turned out of the home where she was forced to live and work in a brothel.  She later married a GI and escaped to America so that her children could not be sold into the sex slave trade as she had been.

My cousins from Thailand call my mother to tell of their issues finding work.  People approach them about new trafficking schemes where they can go to X country to work.  All they have to do is pay a fee for the plane ticket and placement.  There are many human trafficking schemes and this is one of them.  It happens all of the time.  Promises of jobs in other countries, when in fact the job is really a position as a slave.

The slave trade is one of the most lucrative criminal enterprises in all of the world.  It never stopped.  No matter how many laws the world can come up with to banish slavery, it still exists in one form or another…and people are making billions of dollars from it.  For as long as they are making money from selling human beings, they are not going to stop.

Believe it or not, the demand to have child sex slaves is popular in America.  The biggest clientele are Americans.  What does that say to you?  Pedophilia is an even bigger problem than you can imagine.  What better way to get away with it than to use child prostitutes that no one is looking for?  Or if their parents are looking for them, how best to hide them?

When you see a huge culmination of missing children (like in Washington, DC), you have to question if they are being trafficked.  After all, DC was one of the main hubs for slavery when it was legal.  Just because it is illegal today, it does not mean the slave trade ever stopped.  They just changed the way they did business, catering to a whole new clientele.

If they are making $150 billion annually, selling and reselling the same person over and over again, don’t you think there is a problem?  After all, selling a person once nets you only so much money.  Selling them up to 50 times a day, every day, for years will net more money…and to them, this is about money, not human lives.  As long as there is a demand, they will keep enslaving people and selling them.

If you watch “I Am Jane Doe” (on Youtube, Netflix, etc.), you’ll see this happens to American families.  One woman’s daughter was kidnapped right from soccer practice while her mother was sitting in the parking lot waiting for her.  Within 48 hours of her disappearance, she found her daughter for sale on the internet.

This happens in American communities.  It happens in inner city neighborhoods.  This happens when children survive disasters (like the Haiti earthquake) and find they do not have parents anymore.  If we could put a stop to this, how could we?

The Pittsburgh Steelers Team Up With O.U.R.

How do we stop this?  That is the question this book asks.  How do we stop the chaos happening in America?  Maybe joining together for a common cause will help put an end to the slave trade in America.

If Americans cared enough about the children, maybe we could ban together to save all of them and create a world where people will not buy children for sex.  Instead of allowing politicians to normalize pedophilia, we must take a strong stance against it, unified in that cause to protect children.

That is where the Pittsburgh Steelers come in.  The forward to this book was written by Coach Mike Tomlin.  He is working with O.U.R. along with the Steelers to help educate the community about the need to end modern day slavery.  Considering the Super Bowl is the biggest single sex trafficking event in the world, having a NFL team step in to end it says something.

With everyone burning Nikes, protesting the flag, taking the knee, etc., we can take a moment to all agree that we need to help save the kids being trafficked to games for someone’s sexual pleasure.  The 13th Amendment is supposed to protect them, but the criminal world seeks to defy our freedom to be truly free from slavery.  These kids are not free human beings and are unable to have the opportunity to burn their Nikes or protest in some manner.  When they take a knee, it’s for a reason none of us wants to imagine.  That is not a world any child should be living in.

O.U.R. and the Pittsburgh Steelers hope is that we, as a nation, can come together to help liberate those in America that are in chains.  We can put our political differences aside and focus on saving humans that are trafficked in America.  It does not mean building a wall, because not all sex trafficked victims are coming in from Mexico.

Sex trafficked victims are Americans.  They are from other countries.  The criminal network finds ways to bring them into our country.  They will find ways to snatch your children up right in front of you.

Conclusion

I highly recommend reading this book.  Understanding slavery in the past is an insight into how we can deal with modern day slavery.

My favorite parts in this book all deal with Providence (i.e. God is winking back).  When you are doing something as crazy as leaving a stable job to start a non-profit, you’re going to need all of the providence you can get.  Those little winks keep happening over and over again as Tim Ballard races to save the day with his team.

The things that have happened over the course of O.U.R. is incredible.  My favorite story is of the videographer that decided one officer should wear a Go Pro camera on his helmet.  He was adamant on which officer should wear it.

When the raid goes down, an officer sees a girl running away.  He follows her into a sex den where they are keeping the other girls and finds men raping these young girls.  He grabs the men from off of them and slams them into the walls.  The men gather up their clothing and flee.

When the officer comes out with the girls with him, he tells them that the rapists got away.  But guess which officer found the girls?  The only officer with the Go Pro camera on his helmet.  They were able to identify each of the men in the video and prosecute all of them.

How is that for providence?

I am hoping that others discover “Slave Stealers” and “I Am Jane Doe,” because they talk about modern day slavery.  “I Am Jane Doe” changed CDA 230, the law allowing for the sale of humans on the internet.  Congress changed the law because of the Jane Does.

If something as simple as a few former child sex slaves begging for change could bring about change on Capitol Hill, then a group like O.U.R. and Americans wanting to keep slavery out of America for good can change the narrative in America.  We can end the slave trade in America and around the world.  If there’s no demand or money in selling humans, then this criminal enterprise will end.  It’s up to all of us to create that change together.

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[Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of an unbiased review.  This post contains affiliate links.]

Roam

If you want a new thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, read this book from Erik Therme.  Erik is one of my favorite authors that always keeps me at the edge of my seat.  His first two novels, Mortom and Resthaven are both excellent reads.  Just when I think I’ve figured out what is going on, Erik always changes things up and it will leave you guessing all the way until the last page.  When you get to the last page, you are always left thinking, “THAT’S IT???”  He leaves you screaming for more.  

Glow 15

If you are a woman looking for a lifestyle that will help you in your 40s and beyond, you should try Glow 15.  Glow 15 is packed with information on how you can live a healthy, glowing life from the inside/out.  You are introduced to autophagy and how it can help your body rid itself of harmful pathogens (like cancer).  You’ll learn how to eat, create beauty products, and live a healthy, invigorating life.  I highly recommend this book.  You can read more in my review HERE. 

The Year of Less

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