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Sunday, April 30, 2017

Clean Sweep ARC Reading Challenge

Hi Everyone!

Stopping by to let you know about a fun reading challenge being hosted by the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Here is some of the information about it:
"It’s time once again to gather those ARCS, finished and gifted copies from publishers, NetGalley, Edelweiss and authors and commit to the May CLEAN SWEEP month long ARC challenge hosted here at Caffeinated. Come join us for the fifth annual Clean Sweep ARC Challenge."

More details here. 

Will you be joining?

Happy Reading!

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon!




It's here! Happy Start of the 24 Hour Read-a-thon!

What is it? From their blog...

For 24 hours, we read books, post to our blogs, Twitters, Instagrams, Litsy, Facebook, Goodreads and MORE about our reading, and visit other readers’ homes online.

Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon has been hosted by Heather and Andi of The Estella Society, with help from scads of volunteers since 2013.

Happy Reading!

Friday, April 28, 2017

Booknerd Bites: Warren the 13th



Book Nerd Bites is an original monthly feature created by some lovely book bloggers Becca, Cyra, Kristie, Natasha, and I as part of the Book Blogger Creativity Project hosted by Nori. Thanks to my team for coming up with a fun and creative way to satisfy both our book-- and actual appetites!  
Each month we will be sharing exciting recipes inspired by some of our favorite books. Feel free to join in, but please make sure you link your post back to us so we can enjoy your favorite bookish delights as well!

Don't forgot to use if you want to share your food inspiration with us on twitter or instagram!
********************Today for my post for this project, I will be featuring...Warren the 13th: The Whispering Woods!


Summary from Goodreads:

Warren the 13th is back in another lushly illustrated middle grade adventure.
This sequel to Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye begins soon after the first book's conclusion. Twelve-year-old Warren has learned that his beloved hotel can walk, and now it's ferrying guests around the countryside, transporting tourists to strange and foreign destinations. But when an unexpected detour brings everyone into the dark and sinister Malwoods, Warren finds himself separated from his hotel and his friends and racing after them on foot through a forest teeming with witches, snakes, talking trees, and mind-boggling riddles. Once again, you can expect stunning illustrations and gorgeous design from Will Staehle on every page along with plenty of nonstop action and adventure.


Warren is back and this time there is even more adventure! This book continues the tradition of the wonderful illustrations throughout his travels. This time Warren has to solve the clues to figure out the truth about what is going on around him. I enjoyed this book and I appreciated the vivid descriptions. In one passage Warren grabs "Sappy Cola" from the shelves. It made me think a bit about Homemade Sodas and I have come across so many fun ones.

Click the links to find out more!

50 Homemade Sodas Natural Cola Recipe
12 Soda Recipes

**FULL CREDIT to the authors of those links. They are not my recipes. I am sharing them because I think they look great!


Happy Reading and Happy Eating!

Thursday, April 27, 2017

#Readdessen Part2!



Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by to let you know about a readathon that is being hosted by the In Wonderland Book Blog.  The goal of this readathon is to read Sarah Dessen's books, so I am stopping by to committing to read two of them! :) I hope you will join too!

More Information:


2. April 14 – Someone Like You

4. April 28 – Dreamland


Rules:
"Not everyone has to read every book. And who knows maybe you just want to join in the conversation of the books that you’ve already read of hers. Maybe you want to make your own post and link it up to ours. Maybe you just want to comment about it. I’m being pretty flexible with this read along and am doing it for my own reading pleasure and to help me get back in the swing of reading. (hopefully baby Amelia will allow me to do that)"


Happy Reading!

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Waiting on Wednesday: Secrets in Summer



"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I am excited to feature a book that is from an author I look forward to each summer! *************** 
Secrets in SummerAuthor: Nancy Thayer
Release Date: May 16th, 2017

 
Summary from Goodreads:
The queen of beach books (The Star-Ledger) returns to the shores of Nantucket in a novel about one memorable summer when flirtations flourish, family dramas play out, and scandalous secrets surface.

Memorial Day weekend means that seasonal visitors have descended on the glamorous island of Nantucket. For year-round resident Darcy Cotterill, it means late-night stargazing in the backyard of the beautiful house she grew up in and inherited from her beloved grandmother. It s also Darcy s chance to hit the beach and meet her new summertime neighbors. But the last person the thirty-year-old librarian expects to see staying next door is her ex-husband, Boyz, along with his wife, Autumn, and stepdaughter, Willow.

Darcy must also navigate the highs and lows of a new romantic relationship with local carpenter Nash Forester even as she becomes smitten with handsome vacationer Clive Rush, a musicologist in town to write a book and visit family. And she finds herself pulled into the concerns of Boyz, Autumn, a charming elderly neighbor, and an at-risk teen.

As the season nears its end, Darcy must decide her next move: retreating to the comforts of her steady and secure island life, or risking it all for a chance at true happiness.


Happy Reading!

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Recap



So I realized that I am off a week on my TTT posts! Opps! 


In case you missed it last week, here is the 
(This week's topic) 

Sorry about that! 


Happy Reading!

Monday, April 24, 2017

Happy 50th Birthday to The Outsiders!


Hi Everyone!

Today is a very special day, it is the 50th anniversary of The Outsiders! I am here to let you know that and tell you a little about the book in case you have never heard of it. 


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Author: S.E. Hinton
 
Summary from Amazon:
50 years of an iconic classic! The international bestseller and inspiration for a beloved movie--now with bonus content.

This special edition of the groundbreaking novel contains:
Never before seen photos and letters from the publisher's archives

Original review clippings and media coverage
Photos from the author’s personal collection
A gallery of covers around the world
New material from the stars and director of the iconic film--including Francis Ford Coppola, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, and others
And much more!
 
Celebrating 50 years of the novel that laid the groundwork for the YA genre, this is the ultimate edition for fans of THE OUTSIDERS. A perfect way to honor this impressive milestone and a must-have for fans of all ages.
 

Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his friends. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a goo d time is beating up on “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far.

Happy Reading!

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Reading Recap



Hi Everyone!

It has been awhile since I have done a mini-recap, so I wanted to stop by with a couple of quick updates...


Someone Like You
This is the first Dessen book I have read and I really enjoyed it. I can understand why people enjoy her writing style. The book was easy to read and the characters were vivid for me. I read this as part of the #ReadDessen challenge. I look forward to more!

LumberJanes/Gotham Academy
When I first heard about the cross over, I was really excited. I really enjoyed how the two came together in a unique way! I felt the characters were able to remain true to themselves and I really appreciated that throughout this collaboration.

Searching for Sunday
In this book we get to go with the author as she reflects on her experience with the church and her perspective from the millennial point of view. I really appreciated her candor and the background that she provides on alot of topics that things that I think about. This book made me think and I appreciate the opportunity to read it!

LumberJanes Vol. 6
In the latest the Lumberjanes are back, this time in Sink or Swim. I appreciated this volume very much because of the golden nuggets tucked into it. There were some great panels with advice and information about the world around us. In its true fashion, I loved the illustrations and it had many laugh out loud moments.

What have you been reading lately?


Happy Reading!

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Dewey's Third Mini-Challenge





From their blog...


"What is Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon? For 24 hours, we read books, post to our blogs, Twitters, Tumblrs, Goodreads and MORE about our reading, and visit other readers’ homes online. We also participate in mini-challenges throughout the day. It happens twice a year, in April and in October.
It was created by the beloved Dewey (her blog is archived at the Wayback Machine).

The first one was held in October 2007. Dewey died in late 2008. We’re still saddened by her absence, but the show must go on. The read-a-thon was renamed to honor its founder in 2009.

Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon is hosted by Heather and Andi of The Estella Society, with help from volunteers."

The actual event will be taking place later this month, but in preparation they are suggesting that you spend two hours today reading! 

Will you be joining?

Happy Reading!

Friday, April 21, 2017

Guest Post: The Big Buddha Bicycle Race






Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by today with a guest post from author, Terence Harkin. I had the chance to ask about the inspiration for the book and this is what he shared with me. Thanks for coming by the blog today! 


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The Making of The Big Buddha Bicycle Race

It was rainy season in Ubon, Thailand, late in the Vietnam War.  We were cooped up in the editorial trailer of the 601st Photo Squadron and Air Force Radio announced an upcoming sightseeing tour to Big Buddha, one of the few sights worth seeing in Ubon Province at the time.  My boss, a former class clown, quipped that a bike race would be more sanuk than a bus trip, but that was the end of it.  That little germ of an idea stuck with me, however.  In 1972, the year after I returned from Ubon, South Vietnam nearly fell and four of the sixteen AC-130 gunships I had been working with—carrying crews of fifteen to eighteen men—were shot down.  It was a shocking reversal.  For two years gunships had operated with impunity, destroying as many as 30,000 trucks along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

I started asking a lot of “why” and “what if” questions, two big ones being “why were the North Vietnamese still able to mount a major offensive after we had decimated their supply convoys?” and “why did I survive and my friends die?”  And I started asking myself, “what if the race had happened?” I started seeing it as an allegory.  The United States went to war with good intentions, but it all went horribly wrong thanks to overkill that turned friends into enemies and thanks to a tragic misunderstanding of Asian culture and history.

I wrote a fifty-page movie treatment for a professor at USC who had served with the OSI—the forerunner of the CIA—in Southeast Asia during WW II.  He urged me to do more research on Asian culture and flesh out the Asian characters.  I couldn’t do much at the time because I had just gotten into the camera union and was working sixty-hour weeks.  And then in 1976 an actor friend introduced me to the head of one of the top agencies in Hollywood.  The agent assured me that Vietnam was box office poison.

Apocalypse Now!, Deerhunter, and Platoon proved the agent wrong.  But my professor was right—those films were strangely provincial, all viewed through an American prism.  There were no Asian characters, just dark shadows shooting from the jungle.  And there was little sense of what I saw every day putting together briefing films—American air power devastating much of Southeast Asia while three million Asians died.

Big Buddha wouldn’t go away.  The story demanded to be told because we kept repeating the same mistakes elsewhere in the world.  It became a novel when I saw the direction the film industry was heading—toward feature films based on comic books and body-function humor.  Big Buddha also became a novel because once I returned to Thailand and started developing the story and characters, it took on a life of its own. It was no longer going to fit into 90-120 minutes of screen time.

I went back to Thailand for the first time in1987—mostly staying in Buddhist monasteries, but also meeting legendary CIA operative Tony Poe, Flying Tigers crewmen who had been in Asia since the 1940s, air controllers at Udorn and Ubon trained by the US Air Force, a restaurateur in NKP who started out as a base cook, and a Lao royalist officer in Nong Khai just released after ten years in a re-education camp.  I can still see his haunted eyes.

1987 turned out to be an important year in other ways as well.  Back in the States I was able to meet and interview Jack Kornfield, Ajahn Sumedho, Ajahn Anando and Joseph Kappel.  The year I was stationed in Ubon they had been training as monks under the revered forest master, Ajahn Chah.  And they ended up bringing Vipassana (Insight) meditation to the West. 

I also started meeting other veterans, joining a couple of groups and learning that Vietnam veterans were dying of suicide and self-destructive behavior at a shocking rate.  Today, more Vietnam veterans have killed themselves than were killed in action.  And a similar thing is going on with veterans from Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia.

The thing I couldn’t do in 1987 was get a visa to cross the Mekong River into Laos.  I finally got there in 2005—thirty years after the war ended.  Landlocked and traumatized by what they called the American War, Laos was still devastated—major bridges still down, highways and countryside still pockmarked with B-52 bomb craters.  Th big change was that US and Aussie teams were now diffusing unexploded ordnance. 

When I settled in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2014, I thought the book was in the pipeline to be published by Texas Tech University Press, their first work of Vietnam-era fiction.  But when they changed directors, overextended, and went into hiatus, they forgot to tell me.  Luckily, by the time I figured out I needed to get back to work pitching the book I had met a former comedy writer for National Public Radio living in Chiang Mai.  He pointed me to a group called Writers without Borders, and a wonderful string of coincidences began. 

One member was the daughter of a doctor who had headed USAID’s team in Laos during the Vietnam War and had grown up around larger-than-life characters like Tony Poe.  I’d done a lot of the writing back in the States, and she was able to catch a few lapses in my memory (like rice fields being golden not “emerald” in hot season).  Most important, she announced that Trasvin Jittidecharak, publisher of Silkworm Books, would be speaking at Alliance Francaise, the former French consulate. 

I knew Silkworm as a quality publisher of non-fiction—I had ten of their books in my library.  But my ears perked up when Khun Trasvin said that because of rapid changes in publishing, largely a result of Amazon’s ascendency, they were thinking about venturing into English-language fiction.  Needless to say, I was first in line to chat with her that night.  Big Buddha ended becoming Silkworm’s first English-language novel.    

Ernest Hemingway, Kurt Vonnegut, and Joseph Heller described the trauma of modern warfare brilliantly.  But I believe those writers suffered from what we now call PTSD.  The main treatment for more than a century was self-medication with drugs and alcohol and doomed relationships. But thanks to Jack Kornfield, Ajahn Sumedho, and their teacher, Ajahn Chah, I’ve been able to explore Vipassana meditation as a more effective means of healing.   Jack Kornfield became a clinical psychologist, writer, and meditation teacher when he returned to the States and has had a major influence on modern psychotherapy.  And now “mindfulness” is being widely applied to aid cancer and heart patients and other survivors of trauma in their recovery.

What makes Big Buddha different from other wartime love stories that have gone before it is the interplay of Eastern and Western cultures.  There is plenty of love and war in Big Buddha and the sequel, The Bronze Begging Bowl, but both books are also filled with the possibility of healing and redemption.

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LINKS:
Web site: taharkin.net

BIO:
Terence A. Harkin earned a BA in English-American Literature from Brown University while spending weekends touring New England with his band, Stonehenge Circus, opening for The Yardbirds, the Shirelles, the Critters and Jimi Hendrix. His play, Resurrection, produced during his senior year, was a winner of the Production Workshop Playwriting Contest. In the US Air Force, despite editing and writing for two underground GI newspapers—Pro Patria Mori and The sNorton Bird—he was asked to write the 1971 history of the combat photo unit he served with at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand.  He won a CBS Fellowship for his screenwriting while completing an MFA at the University of Southern California and went on to spend twenty-five years as a Hollywood cameraman. His credits include Goodbye Girl, The Legend of Billy Jean, Quincy, Designing Women, Seinfeld, Tracy Ullman, MASH, and From Here to Eternity. Working as a cameraman on MASH and the six-hour mini-series of From Here to Eternity had a powerful effect—in both style and scope—on the writing of Big Buddha, a wartime love story filled with the possibility of healing and redemption from the traumas of both love and war.

SYNOPSIS:
Brendan Leary, assigned to an Air Force photo squadron an hour from L.A., had it made—until the U.S. invades Cambodia and he is shipped off to an obscure air base in upcountry Thailand, but even then Brendan figures he’ll be working in an air-conditioned trailer editing film for the 601st Photo Flight, a useful detour on his way to Hollywood. Only Brendan is wrong… 

He soon finds himself flying at night over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in a secret air war that turns the mountains of Laos into a napalm-scorched moonscape. He realizes he is trapped, his heart and mind divided between awe at the courage of the warriors he flies with and pity for the convoys of Vietnamese soldiers he sees slaughtered on the ground. As his moral fiber crumbles, he is seduced by a netherworld of drugs, booze…and a strung-out masseuse named Tukada. The Big Buddha Bicycle Race is a last gasp of hope, a project he dreams up timed to match Nixon's arrival in China that can win over hearts and minds in rural Thailand—and make him and his underpaid buddies a pile of money.

As always! Please let us know of any questions - and I'd love to share the link with him once it goes live.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Adopt a Greyhound Month



April is National Adopt-a-Greyhound Month! 


This article from 2015 is worth sharing again. I know this is not a book topic, but it is one that is very important to me. I hope you will check it out!  If you ever know of anyone who has any questions on the topic, please feel free to send them my way! 

Adopting our dog was one of the best decisions we ever made. He is the most gentle, kindest puppy. I feel very fortunate every day for the fact that he is part of our life. :) 

Even if you cannot adopt, there are lots of ways to still get involved! You can volunteer or help get the word out about the breed. When they come off the race tracks, they need good homes. 

Thanks for your attention! 

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Waiting on Wednesday: No Saints in Kansas



"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I am excited to feature a book that looks interesting to me. 


No Saints in Kansas
Author: Amy Brashear
Release Date: November 2017

 
Summary from Goodreads:
A gripping reimagining of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and the brutal murders that inspired it

November is usually quiet in Holcomb, Kansas, but in 1959, the town is shattered by the quadruple murder of the Clutter family. Suspicion falls on Nancy Clutter’s boyfriend, Bobby Rupp, the last one to see them alive.

New Yorker Carly Fleming, new to the small Midwestern town, is an outsider. She tutored Nancy, and (in private, at least) they were close. Carly and Bobby were the only ones who saw that Nancy was always performing, and that she was cracking under the pressure of being Holcomb’s golden girl. The secret connected Carly and Bobby. Now that Bobby is an outsider, too, they’re bound closer than ever.

Determined to clear Bobby’s name, Carly dives into the murder investigation and ends up in trouble with the local authorities. But that’s nothing compared to the wrath she faces from Holcomb once the real perpetrators are caught. When her father is appointed to defend the killers of the Clutter family, the entire town labels the Flemings as traitors. Now Carly must fight for what she knows is right.

Have you heard about this book?


Happy Reading!

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Topics That Make Me NOT Pick Up A Book




Hi Everyone!

Happy Tuesday! I hope you are well. This weeks TTT is Topics That Make Me NOT Pick Up A Book.  This one was a bit hard for me, but I wanted to share some ideas. Of course there are always exceptions to this, but in any case...here we go.

1) Horror-That said, I read a book last year that was of this genre and I actually really liked it. I just don't like gore all that much...


2) Animal Violence-This is awful. I just can't if I come across this. Even to make point. I just don't want to read about it in the books I read. 

3) Other (Human) Violence. I am not a big fan of the thriller that outlines the details...nope, no thanks. I don't like abuse and I am really sensitive to topics that discuss this. I know they have a place, but its very hard to read. 

4) Books written in Old Style language-I love the idea of these stories, but I never learned to read it so I struggle. Can someone teach me how, so I can read these? I would love to be able to say I have, but its just not something I have done! 

5) Pirates-never really been my thing.


What other things should be on my list? 
Are there any books I am missing out on based on my list?


Happy Reading! 

Monday, April 17, 2017

Bookmark Monday: Cat



Hi Everyone!

Just stopping today with a the new book meme that I learned about recently:  Bookmark Monday! This is hosted by: Guiltless Reading.

Here is what you do:
Do you have a bookmark you want to share? Just take a photo and link up in the linky!

Sounds pretty easy right?

I am excited to share with you this bookmark that I just think is really cute :)


Happy Reading!

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Guest Post: Stan Robinson



Hi Everyone!

Please help me by giving Stan a warm welcome to the blog. Stan is the author of Blessed be me-There is a God. He has shared with me the following guest post.

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At age 14 my grandfather was dying and he said “If you pray every day, I will take care of you”. And he certainly has done a wonderful job. This book “Blessed be me, There is a God” are my lifelong experiences resulting from my guardian angel. There are 28 episodes in war, disease and danger that could have eliminated me. In addition my wife passed away a year ago and there has been a litany of experiences with angelical encounters. To provide a few samples my wife is currently living as an angel in my apartment. Angels when within your vision and they notice your attention will evaporate before your eyes. In order to overcome this complication my wife appears as an angelical lantern floating in the air from morning to night. I always wave to her as she floats by. She joins me in the shower, breakfast, dinner and even when I am in bed. There are times when the lantern goes into the covers and she will poke my arm with a finger several times but totally invisible. The lantern goes out under the pillow.
            In the area of danger, war and disease I will relate three encounters. In WWII I volunteered in 1943 at age 22 in the US Navy. I served in both the Atlantic and Pacific campaigns. On one occasion I was up in the rigging of the ship I slipped and fell through the air to be crushed on the deck. In the middle of that event while falling a rope was placed in my hand and stayed there as though glued. Immediately I pulled myself to safety with both of my hands. Out of nowhere there was a solution to avoid death. In 1956 my wife and I were living in upstate New York and there was a severe epidemic of polio. I became ill and diagnosed as having polio. They transferred me to a contagious ward in Syracuse, New York. Upon entry I asked the nurse “What do you do about polio?” she answered “Nothing”. The next morning I awakened completely paralyzed on my right side and I said to myself “If I leave here as half a man, I will shoot myself”. At that moment the doors opened and a female doctor walked in with white coat and stethoscope. She walked up to my bedside and stated “I understand you have a problem”. An amazing comment considering that I had not spoken to anyone. After a little manipulation and questions she departed saying “You will be alright”. As she walked out the regular nurse walked in and I asked her “Who was that female doctor that just left”. She responded “We have no female doctors in this hospital”. I pondered over that communication and was surprised when in a short time I went home cured. The female doctor obviously was an aid sent by my guardian angel grandfather.
            A final story pertains to a situation of danger while in the Pacific on a naval vessel. In that particular year there were deathly hurricanes in the broad ocean. Ships were breaking in half and the danger was slowly moving towards us. We were constantly listening on the radio of damage and death. From my experience I told the leaders that there is such a phenomenon called “The eye of the hurricane”. In description it would be an area approximately 2 or 1 mile diameter that was peaceful like a piece of glass. As we talked we realized that we didn’t know the location of the eye. It was a wonderful thought but impossible to engage and we might as well put it out of our minds. Soon there was a ruckus in the bow (forward end) of the ship. We ran to that point with fear as to what we were about to face. Instead we were already in the eye of the hurricane. My grandfather brought safety to our ship and its content. We circled for 2 days on the glass surface until the hurricane subsided. A miracle indeed. As part of the preface of this book there is an affidavit from the Polygraph Company who at my request tested me. The affidavit provides evidence as to the veracity of “Blessed be me, There is a God”.   **************

Thanks Stan for stopping by today!
 
Happy Reading!

Saturday, April 15, 2017

National Library Week


Hi Everyone!

I know that I am catching this on the tail end, but I wanted to give a shoot out for National Library Week this week. I hope you had a good one!


Libraries are more about doing than borrowing – more about connecting than simply plugging in – and your local librarian is your expert guide. Whether you want to get involved in your community, find a job, start a business or build your digital literacy skills, your library is the key to your transformation. 

Visit  www.ilovelibraries.org for more information

Happy Reading!

Friday, April 14, 2017

Guest Post: Peanuts and Egg Cups




Hi Everyone!

I am excited to be here today to bring you a guest post from author Sara Mendes da Costa. She has a book out that I haven't read yet, but it looks great! 

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Exes and whys – Sara Mendes da Costa
My take on moving forward from relationships and what to do if you bump into an ex.

Have I ever gone back to an ex? In short….no!!
OK, well…I’ve had those ‘to’ing and ‘fro’ing times when I’ve known I should leave but maybe it seemed: a little too soon - or too worrying - or too definite to leave. I’m talking about the times when perhaps the two of you know it’s over but can’t quite say the words; there may be an ending, a row, then an “OK, let’s give it one more try” …but for me, once I’m truly done and out that door, I’m done. Why? I’ve likely spent way too much time being unhappy…now it’s time to start living again.

I know when something’s wrong. It might take me a few weeks, months, even years to do anything about it, but I will end up doing it. If I can’t be happy in a relationship, I’d much rather be on my own.  I think women in particular can be extremely good at breakups - I’ve written on this subject in previous articles - and we do seem to have a wonderful knack of being able to reinvent ourselves – to start afresh; to get excited about pastures new. To have a new hairstyle, new clothes and to see the positive. I know situations aren’t always easy at the start, but reinvention does seem to be a healthy trend amongst many of the women I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. It’s like we’ve found our freedom, realised we’re OK on our own – better than OK - and for now, whether we’re looking around for Mr or Mrs Right (again) we’re pretty darn fine if we do or don’t find them!

I’m lucky enough to be good friends with most of my exes but there are exceptions. Personally I feel life’s too short to hold grudges (takes a bit of practice!!) and, however long it takes, I think it’s wonderfully therapeutic, wonderfully liberating to be able to forgive – yourself and your ex. We’re all feeling, loving, emotional, souls underneath and whatever you’ve said or done and whatever your ex has said or done, in the end, if we can get to that place of forgiveness, it’s a great weight off our shoulders and we can start living again. I came across two rather wonderful sayings some years back – “Resentment is like drinking poison and expecting it to kill your enemies.”; …and: “As long as you don’t forgive, that person will occupy rent-free space in your mind.” It can, understandably take a while to get to these realisations for many of us, but once you’re able, you can literally let the other person go to move on and to be happy in their life, and you are free to do the same.

Hmm…top tips when bumping into an ex for the first time.
Run!!!
Only joking (ish!) I guess if you’re lucky enough to have split amicably, great. It may be a little uncomfortable the first time you see them – particularly if either of you turns up with a partner (or both of you!) - but as long as you put on your most dazzling smile and are nothing but ‘genuine’ sweetness and light, I imagine you’ll do fine.
If you did the leaving…be nice but not too nice – no point in giving false hope. Keep a little distance be friendly but assertive and move off as quickly and compassionately as you can. It’s kinder and better for you both in the long run.
For the more acrimonious encounters when you were the ‘leavee’ …I always say, whatever you do, however you act, always make sure it’s something you’ll feel comfy about the next day. So, if they left you and you’re heartbroken, refrain from begging your ex to tell you “WHY??” (again), from going over old ground and asking what it was “I did wrong”. You may have been playing the very same conversation in your head for weeks, but actually you’ll stand a much better chance of inner resolution if you can get to the point that you’re OK with it all. Look at the facts. Take the emotions out the way and consider this: Your ex left you, they told you why and they’ve said that’s it. The emotions around the facts are what keep you stuck in the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘whys’ – they basically stop you moving forward – so as soon as you can, get some distance from things and turn your attention to a new, exciting and brighter future.

I always think splitting up with a partner is the perfect time to do some real self-analysis. The wonderful thing about being at this empowering stage is that you are in such a great position to know what it is you want! You’ve spent, weeks, months even years knowing what it is you don’t want from a relationship, so now it’s time to look at the flip side and work out what it is you do want! After all, the opposite is always there to enjoy…may as well try it out. You might then find that exes become a thing of the past.

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Thanks  Sara for this post!! 

More Information
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Peanuts and Eggcups
For Maggie Parsons there’s only ever been one man: the stunningly delicious Luke Henderson. Unfortunately, he left her, without explanation, after their ‘first night’ together …breaking her heart in the process. 

Now ten years on, without any contact, he’s back and going to her school reunion. Great! And, to confuse matters…so is his suave, sexy, brother Tony who makes a major play for Maggie, then turns up with his insufferable - supposedly ex – fiancĂ©e! 

Via the reunion, a black eye, getting the sack (as a result) a madcap girlie holiday and juggling her confused emotions around the two alluring brothers…Maggie starts to build a picture of what she really wants in life. 

Trouble is, Maggie’s a pawn in a game she doesn’t even know she’s playing …and things are about to get a whole lot more complicated.

Available from
Amazon UK




About Sara Mendes da Costa
Sara Mendes da Costa is the voice of the BT Speaking Clock; the fourth person to hold this prestigious title since 1936.

A successful, world-renowned voiceover artist, her dulcet tones are easily recognisable on television, radio, film and across countless media.

Never far from the press, she’s known for her appearances on BBC Breakfast, ITV This Morning, Children in Need, Wake up to Wogan and The Today Programme, and balances her prolific voiceover career with her passion and commitment as a novelist.

Peanuts & Eggcups, her debut novel - hotly anticipated by the industry - is “The perfect & highly addictive reading companion for women’s fiction fans”. `

A lover of laughter, creativity, great storytelling and a wee dram, Sara adores writing novels and seeks to entertain, uplift and inspire. 

Her upcoming novels: Time & Time Again & Maggie Ever After, are expected in 2017.

Visit:
www.saramendesdacosta.com

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Sarah Dessen Read Along

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by to let you know about a readathon that is being hosted by the In Wonderland Book Blog.  The goal of this readathon is to read Sarah Dessen's books, so I am stopping by to committing to read two of them! :) I hope you will join too!

More Information: 


Schedule:
1. April 7 – That Summer
2. April 14 – Someone Like You
3. April 21 – Keeping the Moon
4. April 28 – Dreamland
5. May 5 – This Lullaby
6. May 12 – The Truth About Forever
7. May 19 – Just Listen
8. May 26 – Lock & Key
9. June 2 – Along for the Ride
10. June 9 – What Happened to Goodbye
11. June 16 – The Moon and More
12. June 23 – Saint Anything
13. June 30 – Once and for All


Rules:
"Not everyone has to read every book. And who knows maybe you just want to join in the conversation of the books that you’ve already read of hers. Maybe you want to make your own post and link it up to ours. Maybe you just want to comment about it. I’m being pretty flexible with this read along and am doing it for my own reading pleasure and to help me get back in the swing of reading. (hopefully baby Amelia will allow me to do that)"

 
Happy Reading!

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Waiting on Wednesday: It Started With Goodbye



"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I am excited to feature a book that looks really good to me. 

It Started With Goodbye

Author: Christina June
Release Date: May 9th, 2017
 
Summary from Goodreads: 
Sixteen-year-old Tatum Elsea is bracing for the worst summer of her life. After being falsely accused of a crime, she’s stuck under stepmother-imposed house arrest and her BFF’s gone ghost. Tatum fills her newfound free time with community service by day and working at her covert graphic design business at night (which includes trading emails with a cute cello-playing client). When Tatum discovers she’s not the only one in the house keeping secrets, she finds she has the chance to make amends with her family and friends. Equipped with a new perspective, and assisted by her feisty step-abuela-slash-fairy-godmother, Tatum is ready to start fresh and maybe even get her happy ending along the way.


Have you read/heard about this one?


Happy Reading!