From Me to You ... Video, Photography and Book Reviews

Monday, December 19, 2011

Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Shellie Tomlinson

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

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"Let The Baby Grow Up This Christmas" by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

When I was a little girl, Christmas seemed to take forever to make its way back to our little house on the end of a dirt road called Bull Run in northeast Louisiana. We kids started counting down the days before the leaves ever began turning. Sure, the adults said it came once a year but I wasn't so sure. Once Santa Claus left our humble abode it seemed like light years before he found his way back to the Delta.

That was a child's perspective. I imagine it hasn't changed all that much for today's kids. On the other hand, I'm operating under a completely different time frame these days. It seems like it was just yesterday when I pulled the boxes down from the attic and began pulling out the nativity scene, the miniature lights, and the keepsake ornaments. And now, just that fast--Christmas Day is right around the corner. Soon the tree will be striped naked and the piled up presents will all be distributed. After a few more days, it'll be hard to remember who got what from whom, and once again, I'll start packing all the decorations away for another year.

I was thinking about how bare and cold the house always looks after the holidays when I realized that, sadly, this scene would play itself out in many hearts as well. A lot of people will have had expectations that weren't filled and many of those same souls will be left with hurts that don't seem to heal. Unless this year is remarkably different from past seasons, my bet is, the New Year will bring magazines full of articles on combating depression and the talk shows will have experts on offering ways to fill the long days ahead and cure the winter blues.

I'm no expert, dear readers, but I'd like to offer you a suggestion that will go far beyond the creature comforts of a nice warm bath or a delicious bowl of hot soup. Your heart doesn't have to be bare and naked after the holidays. Do you want to know the real secret? It's simple, really. Don't pack up Christ with Christmas! As beautiful and special as the Christmas story is, it's only a part of heaven's miracle. The Christ child grew into a man and the man became a Savior.

This year, may we be determined to let the babe from Bethlehem live on in our hearts. If we'll allow Him to become the Messiah He was born to be, the joy of Christmas can be ours all year long.

***
Shellie Rushing Tomlinson is an author, speaker, and radio host from Louisiana. Her latest release "Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy" was endorsed by Jeff Foxworthy as "laugh out loud funny!" You can find Shellie's weekly southern features, podcasts, video chats and more on her website. Make sure to get by her blog and read about the Super Christmas Giveaway that Shellie is hosting for her readers and secure your chance to win a Mort Kunstler print valued between $700 and $1,400!! www.allthingssouthern.com

12 Pearls of Christmas - Guest Posts : Margaret McSweeney | Suzanne Woods Fisher | Sibella Giorello | Sandy Ralya | Elizabeth Musser | Deborah Raney | Shellie Tomlinson | Tricia Goyer | Susan May Warren | Tracey Eyster | Debora M. Coty | Robin Dance | Rachel Hauck

Related Posts :

Guest Post :: Welcome to the 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas blogging series!	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Tricia Goyer	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Susan May Warren	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Tracey Eyster

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Deborah Raney

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

"The Snowflake Party" by Deborah Raney

The first snow of winter hasn’t fallen yet, but in our kitchen tonight we’re doing a pretty good imitation. The whole family is circled around the huge old oak table. The snip, snip, snip of scissors is background music as tiny scraps of white paper float down, making our floor look like a giant brownie sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Tonight has turned out to be the night for our annual Snowflake Party, a tradition that began when our children were toddlers. There has never been a date blocked out in red on our calendar, but one day we wake up and the brisk autumn air has turned bitter cold. Naked tree branches trace their stark calligraphy on a dull grey sky and we need a taste of the joyful promises of Christmas and snow. It’s the perfect time for a party.

On such a day, one of the kids will fly in the back door, fresh home from school, and declare “Hey, Mom! Tonight would be a good night for the Snowflake Party!” First we round up every pair of scissors in the house. This is one time when sharing is not a virtue. While the kids search for scissors, I cut white paper into squares and fold them caddy-corner multiple times. The resulting triangles are artfully arranged in a basket, awaiting the beginning of the party.

Later, while the supper dishes dry on the counter, I recruit a volunteer to help me stir up a big pot of hot cocoa. For the next hour it will warm on the back burner, tantalizing us with its aroma.

Now the fun begins with careful cutting and snipping, shaping plain white paper into intricate works of art. Each snowflake we create seems as unique and spectacular as the genuine variety created by God himself. As each masterpiece is unfolded, collective oohs and aahs go up.

When the last dregs of our creative juices are drained, Dad oversees the vacuum patrol while I pour cocoa into generous mugs. We spread our handiwork on the floor around us and sit, quietly admiring our work while we dunk marshmallows and sip rich chocolate.

With empty mugs piled up in the sink, it’s time for the judging to begin. There will be awards for ‘prettiest’, ‘most unusual’, and as many other categories as we need for everyone to be a winner. Dad is the judge because he studied art in college. He also usually wins one of the top prizes––because he studied art in college.

Snowflakes deemed runners-up might be pasted in scrapbooks or hung on the refrigerator. A few even “melt” into the trash that very night. But the winners are taped proudly to the picture windows in the living room for passersby to enjoy while they long for the day when genuine snowflakes will color the world clean and white.

Our oldest daughter went away to college last September. She called just after Thanksgiving to tell me that her dorm window was covered with snowflakes. No, not the real thing, but the ones she remembers from her childhood––paper ones that she spent an entire evening cutting and snipping while sipping hot cocoa.

That’s the neat thing about traditions: They go with us no matter how far from home we travel.

***
DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Her books have since won the RITA Award, ACFW Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. After All, third in her Hanover Falls Novels series will release next spring from Howard/Simon & Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas. Their four children are grown now and having snowflake parties with their own children––and they all live much too far away. Visit Deb on the web at www.deborahraney.com.

12 Pearls of Christmas - Guest Posts : Margaret McSweeney | Suzanne Woods Fisher | Sibella Giorello | Sandy Ralya | Elizabeth Musser | Deborah Raney | Shellie Tomlinson | Tricia Goyer | Susan May Warren | Tracey Eyster | Debora M. Coty | Robin Dance | Rachel Hauck

Related Posts :

Guest Post :: Welcome to the 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas blogging series!	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Shellie Tomlinson	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Tricia Goyer	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Susan May Warren

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Elizabeth Musser

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

"Why I Decorate for Christmas" by Elizabeth Goldsmith Musser

An old cassette tape of Christmas carols—received in a package twenty years ago when we had first arrived in France as missionaries—fills our den with delightful piano music as I place one more ornament on the already over-laden Christmas tree. This one is a little white wooden rabbit with pink ears that move back and forth. It actually doesn’t look much like a Christmas ornament, but I bought it for our baby Andrew when my husband Paul was in seminary, and I was working for less than minimum wage in the library. This ornament was literally all I could afford.

As I hang it on the tree today, I get goose bumps and then a rush of warmth. And that’s why I decorate for Christmas. Not to impress but to remember. I remember those lean, lean years, and God’s faithful provision for us.

There are the cross-stitched ornaments I made our first year in Montpellier—for the boys (for by now we had two sons) and Paul and me. How I ever had time to do that, I don’t know. I remember our puny little tree—the kind they sold in France back then—in a pot so that it could be replanted later. We perched that tiny tree on a small table out of baby Christopher’s reach. I guess I watered it too much, because about halfway through December, it started smelling and then stinking, and it rotted there on Christmas Day!

I smile with these memories.

I look at the other ornaments on the tree. Many were purchased—one for each boy—when we attended conferences around Europe, and that makes me smile too. Getting to travel on a missionary’s budget to exotic places! There are the waxed red bear and red baby carriage from Wales, the brightly painted clay sun and moon from Portugal, the blue and white porcelain windmill and wooden shoes from Holland, the hand-blown glass Snoopys sitting on gondolas from Venice, and the delicately decorated eggs from Prague.

Other ornaments include the little pinkish shiny ball ornament with Paul’s name written in glitter—I think he made it when he was about six , and the little red velvet bows, bought at Michael’s after Christmas one year for a dollar. They bring a unifying theme to the tree. I say this, smiling, because our tree is, and has always been throughout the years, a hodge-podge of our life. And I like it that way. I don’t think I could ever have a ‘theme’ tree. Mine is a ‘memory’ tree.

The music plays softly in the background and I smile through tears, remembering God’s incredible faithfulness to call and keep us here in France for so many years. Heart-breakingly hard years, overwhelmingly joyful years—the same years, the same amazing God, our keeper.

Before we left for the mission field, I memorized Psalm 121 in English and in French, and over the years I have held on tight to those last beautiful words of the psalm: The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. (NASB)

Of course He will. He is God with us.

We decorate to remember Christmases past, our lives, our legacy, and mostly, for those of us who have embraced Christ, we decorate to honor and praise Him for coming to us—Emmanuel! We make our homes ready to receive the Christ Child, with soft music and candles burning and the sweet flickering of angel wings on an over-laden evergreen.

***
ELIZABETH GOLDSMITH MUSSER, an Atlanta native and the bestselling author of The Swan House, is a novelist who writes what she calls ‘entertainment with a soul.’ For over twenty years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions work with International Teams. They presently live near Lyon, France. The Mussers have two sons and a daughter-in-law. The Sweetest Thing (Bethany House, 2011) is Elizabeth’s eighth novel. To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, and to find discussion questions as well as photos of sites mentioned in the stories, please visit www.elizabethmusser.com and her Facebook Fan Page.

12 Pearls of Christmas - Guest Posts : Margaret McSweeney | Suzanne Woods Fisher | Sibella Giorello | Sandy Ralya | Elizabeth Musser | Deborah Raney | Shellie Tomlinson | Tricia Goyer | Susan May Warren | Tracey Eyster | Debora M. Coty | Robin Dance | Rachel Hauck

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Guest Post :: Welcome to the 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas blogging series!	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Deborah Raney	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Shellie Tomlinson	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Tricia Goyer

Friday, December 16, 2011

Made the Grade: That Old Black Magic Series, Book 3

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Kindle Edition - File Size: 425 KB | Release Date: September 2011 | Publisher: Samhain Publishing | Obtained: Jodi Redford

"Maximum Witch" [That Old Black Magic Series, Book 3] by Jodi Redford

My Book Summary : Willa has always been just a witch who would do anything for her friends, yet is known for her glasses and her job. Or so she thought .... Until she finds that, her life is on the line (along with the human race) and the woman who she always believed to be her Aunt (also the one who raised her) tells her otherwise. What is she to do and how will she defeat those who want to create a watery Armageddon on all humankind?

With the help of her new "underwater" friends and one deliciously handsome shark-shifter, they are about to find out.

My Book Review : 3.5 out of 5 stars, this delightfully funny, erotic, and adventurous book tells you about Willa, the secrets of her past, and the hot shark-shifter (Max) who's in her life. This book start out from where "The Seven Year Witch" left off, showing us what the consequences were for Willa when she went into the "leviathan’s domain" to help out Clarissa.

This book has plenty of funny and naughty moments going on throughout it too keep the reader going. I loved Max and how his relationship with Willa grows throughout the book. Plus, the added bonus of Willa dealing with her "nympho" ways. *hahaa*

I recommend this book to those who already enjoy the That Old Black Magic Series or Jodi's other books. Also, I recommend it to those who really like some good ol' spicy paranormal romance books. =0)

My Previous Interview with this Author : November 2011

My Previous Review(s) for this Series : Book 1

My Previous Review(s) for this Author : The Naughty List

Book Teaser(s) :

“Relax. I’m just trying to check out your ass.”
She stiffened. Oh hell no. He did not just say that. “Excuse me?”
His hands stilled and he went silent for an awkward moment before he cleared his throat. “Not how I meant it to sound.” The pads of his thumbs brushed near her tailbone, hitting a tender spot that hadn’t been there before. She sucked in a sharp breath.
“Does that hurt?”
Biting her lip to stall any further whimpering, she nodded.
He swore softly. ~ within Chapter 2

“This is a really crappy time to become a gentleman.” She trailed her nails over his tensed glutes, and his pupils dilated in reaction. If he thought there was any chance in hell he wouldn’t be buried inside her within the next five seconds, he was about to be proven wrong. “Up until now, you’ve had no problem sweet talking me into sex.”
“That was before...”
“Before what?”
His fingers glided over her bottom lip. “I knew who you were.”
This was about that? “You cannot be serious.”
“Willa, when I took my oath as sheriff, I swore to protect and serve you. Not fuck you.”
“Wow, was that actually written in the speech?” ~ within Chapter 13

For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Jodi, then please check out her Amazon Page.

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Feasted On: That Old Black Magic Series, Book 1	Feasted On: That Old Black Magic Series, Book 4	Interview with Jodi Redford	Spreading the Word: BLACK WINGS by Iryna K. Combs	My Book Reviews & Book Index: ~ R ~ Authors

Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Sandy Ralya

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

"Where is Comfort and Joy Found?" by Sandy Ralya

The year 2006 ushered unwelcome emotions into my life. My husband was unhappy in his job, two of my grown children were making poor choices, my mother-in-law was showing signs of Alzheimer’s, extended-family issues were surfacing, and I was writing a book. Things only got worse. Much worse.

Early in 2007, I was asked to represent the mentoring ministry for wives I founded, Beautiful Womanhood, and lead a women’s conference in Uganda, Africa. My husband wasn’t sure if traveling to Africa was a good idea, so we committed it to prayer. While we were listening for an answer, I sensed God asking me to fast from spending, except for groceries, for thirty days.

Sometimes you know that you’ve heard God’s voice because you’d never have come up with those words on your own. This was one of those times. I’d never heard of a fast from spending. Tom needed no convincing that a fast from spending came directly from the mouth of God. He still gets excited just thinking about it!

During the fast, it became clear I had used spending as a way to gain a comfort fix. When I was spending money, I felt carefree and lighthearted. Instead of dwelling on the unpleasantness in my life, I was thinking of my purchases and how they would bring me pleasure. Not until I stopped spending did I realize how short-lived the fix really was. During the fast, when I felt the urge to spend—to anesthetize my pain—I pictured myself running into the arms of Jesus, the Great Comforter. Oh, what comfort I received!

One night, I told good friends my experience of gaining comfort through the power of the Holy Spirit rather than money. I exclaimed that I had never felt so comforted. One friend then told us about a dream he’d had shortly after hearing about the invitation from Uganda. After the dream, he had awoken and recorded the following thoughts:

“. . . this is for Sandy. Christ’s redemption of women is beautiful. Beautiful Womanhood is a result of redemptive wholeness. The visuals the ministry uses on the books, etc., are like a piece of beautifully veneered furniture. There is something going on with the ministry to the brokenness of abused women. In Uganda, there are hurting, abused women, and something is connecting their need and Beautiful Womanhood. Though there is nothing wrong with veneer, it is only the topping—the covering, and without good structure it is shallow and will not hold up. It is time to add a new depth to the ministry.”

Then these verses came to my friend’s mind:

All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NL

When my friend was finished sharing, everyone in the room broke down in tears, praising God for His work in my life. I’d learned to listen and God had spoken. I’d obeyed, and He’d acted. When He acted, I was changed.

Needless to say, I packed my bags and experienced some of the best days of my life in Uganda—offering God’s comfort to His troubled women.

***
Sandy and her husband Tom have been married since 1980 and live near Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have three adult children and a growing number of grandchildren. When not writing and speaking, Sandy enjoys shopping at yard sales for vintage clothing, cooking, traveling, and drinking really good coffee (black is best) with her husband. For more information, contact Sandy at sandy@beautifulwomanhood.com. Subscribe to Sandy’s blog at www.beautifulwomanhood.com/blog. Find Sandy on Facebook at Beautiful Womanhood. Follow Sandy on Twitter @MentoringWives.

12 Pearls of Christmas - Guest Posts : Margaret McSweeney | Suzanne Woods Fisher | Sibella Giorello | Sandy Ralya | Elizabeth Musser | Deborah Raney | Shellie Tomlinson | Tricia Goyer | Susan May Warren | Tracey Eyster | Debora M. Coty | Robin Dance | Rachel Hauck

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Guest Post :: Welcome to the 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas blogging series!	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Elizabeth Musser	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Deborah Raney	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Shellie Tomlinson

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Sibella Giorello

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

"Advent" by Sibella Giorello

Consider the bride's walk down the aisle. We all know where that woman in the white is going but somehow waiting for her to arrive at the altar is an essential part of the ceremony. In fact, the waiting is so essential that even cheapskate Vegas chapels include wedding marches.

Why?

Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.

At Christmas time, we tend to forget this essential truth about anticipation. We're lost to shopping malls and checklists, rushing toward December 25th so quickly that we forget the quiet joy of the month's other 24 days -- and then we wonder why we feel so empty on the 26th, amid ribbons and wrapping paper and our best intentions.

Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.

And that is why Advent is so important to Christmas.

I'm as guilty as the next harried person. This Advent was particularly tricky because just six hours before it started, I was still trying to finish a 110,000-word novel that was written over the course of the year -- written while homeschooling my kids, keeping my hubby happy, and generally making sure the house didn't fall down around us.

It's an understatement to say my free time is limited. But waiting adds meaning, and Advent is crucial to Christmas, so I've devised several Advent traditions that are simple, powerful and easy to keep even amid the seasonal rush.

When my kids outgrew the simple Advent calendars around age 7, I stole an idea from my writer friend Shelly Ngo (as T.S. Eliot said, "Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers steal." Indulge me.)

Here's how it goes: Find 24 great Christmas books, wrap them individually and place then under the tree. On the first day of Advent, take turns picking which book to open. When we did this, we would cuddle under a blanket and read aloud -- oh, the wonder, the magic! We savored "The Polar Express," howled with "How Murray Saved Christmas," and fell silent at the end of "The Tale of The Three Trees," (note: some of the picture books I chose were not explicitly about Christmas but they always echoed the message that Jesus came to earth to save us from ourselves and to love us beyond our wildest imagination. In that category, Angela Hunt's retelling of The Three Trees definitely hits the Yuletide bull's eye).

This Advent tradition lasted for about five years. It gave us rich daily discussions about the season's real meaning, without being religious or legalistic, and it increased family couch time. But like the lift-the-flap calendars, my kids outgrew the picture books.

Because the wait adds meaning, and Advent is crucial, I prayed for another way to celebrate anticipation of Christmas. By the grace of God, last year I found an enormous Advent calendar on clearance at Pottery Barn. Made of burlap, it has large pockets big enough to hold some serious bounty.

But my husband and I didn't want the kids focusing only on the materialist stuff for Advent -- we already fight that on Christmas day. We decided to fill the daily pockets with simple necessities and small gift cards. We also printed out the nativity story from Luke 2:1-21 in a large-sized font and cut each verse out. From Day 1 to Day 21, there is one verse to read aloud. The kids memorize it, then get to open their present (again, on alternating days for each person). Then we tape the verse to the wall in order. By Day 22, all the verses are on the wall, in order, and the kids now try to recite the entire nativity story from memory. That's not as difficult as it sounds because they've been memorizing one verse each day. Still, the entire recitation -- verbatim -- usually requires Day 23 and Day 24. Whoever does memorize the entire thing -- without mistakes -- earns a bonus gift of $25.

Does that sounds extravagant?

It is.

Because we want our kids to understand that God came down and humbled himself and taught us about love right before He suffered and died on behalf of the undeserving -- which is every one of us.

"That's" extravagant.

And in the waiting, we find even more meaning.

***
Sibella Giorello writes the Raleigh Harmon mystery series which won the Christy Award with its first book "The Stones Cry Out." She lives in Washington state with her husband and children, and often wishes there were 36 hours in a day.

12 Pearls of Christmas - Guest Posts : Margaret McSweeney | Suzanne Woods Fisher | Sibella Giorello | Sandy Ralya | Elizabeth Musser | Deborah Raney | Shellie Tomlinson | Tricia Goyer | Susan May Warren | Tracey Eyster | Debora M. Coty | Robin Dance | Rachel Hauck

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Guest Post :: Welcome to the 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas blogging series!	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Sandy Ralya	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Elizabeth Musser	Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Deborah Raney

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Feasted On: Clockwork by Paige Shelton

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Kindle Edition - File Size: 257 KB | Release Date: August 2010 | Publisher: Penelope Publishing | Obtained: B. Button (Beatrice)

"Clockwork" by Paige Shelton
(Originally published as "SNEAKS," which is what it was called when this reviewer read it.)

My Book Summary : Kally just turned sixteen-years-old and is from the year 2184. Where she is from it's a dreary time for everyone. Growing up guys and girls are meant to be separated up until their 18th birthday, which is when they get the choice to either marry someone who is selected for them (which could end up being an older person who was either preciously widowed or divorced) or end up single with a lousy job position. Kally would rather be single but with the way, the economy is she may not be given a choice. However, since she's only sixteen, for the moment, she wants to avoid the "BIG DECISION" at all costs and she's almost positive she never wants to get married.

On her 16th birthday she is fixing a clock, something that is found illegal by her government, and finds a necklace that has a pendent of a globe showing the "old world" on it. As jewelry is illegal as well, during her time, she decides to try it on, as she wouldn't normally get the chance, and finds herself being shoved to somewhere else---18th Century Scotland.

Once there she finds people who become her first friends that she's ever had, along with some young love along the way. However, there is someone who seems to be trying everything to keep her out of that time period and although she finds she really, likes being there she does miss her mother. Will Kally decide to go back home and stay there or will fate decide for her??

My Book Review : 4.5 out of 5 stars!! This story was a bit confusing at times but with the way the storyline flows and since it's only from Kally's POV it makes this story one that creates the reader to feel the way she does about the issues going on around her. The storyline in this book is really entertaining and creative in the way the necklace is used, all of the rules that go along with it, and how Kally tries to deal with the changes going on around her. Plus --- the characters are great!! There are some who you can never get a good feel on until the book is about 75% of the way through but it's that more interesting because of it! In addition, I LOVED the romantic relationship that Kally gets into.

I recommend this book to all those who like YA (veering on New Adult) time travel romance novels!!!

Side Note (written when the title was listed as "Sneaks") :: Now that I think of it when I read the title of this book again, "Sneaks," I can't stop but think of the sneakers that Kally couldn't stop wearing. *hehee*

Book Teaser(s) :

Teaser #1

“Kally, I’ll apologize to ye now for my behavior.”
I wanted to ask which behavior he meant – the ride on the horse the day before or his sourness out on the hillside – but I still didn’t trust my voice. Plus, an apology was an apology. I nodded again. “Thank . . .” I coughed. How was he breathing so well?
“Aye. Weel, when ye’re feeling better, we’ll start over, and I’ll attempt to show ye that I can be something other than a horse’s arse.”
I huffed a laugh and then coughed, but this time with less body wracking violence.
“Perhaps ye were destined to save me, Kally Bright, from faraway,” he said.
“I don’t think I saved you.”
“Aye,” he said thoughtfully. ~ within the story as there isn't any chapters

For more information on this book and/or any other books by Paige, then please check out her Amazon Page.

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Teaser Tuesdays: Clockwork	Best Book Couples -- Happy Valentine's Day 2012	Made the Grade: Incredible Dreams by Sandra Edwards	Feasted On: Return of the Rose by Theresa Ragan	My Book Reviews & Book Index: ~ S ~ Authors

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Lothaire

Today's "Waiting On" Wednesday by Jill - click here

"Lothaire" [The Immortals After Dark Series, Book 12] by Kresley Cole
Expected Publication Released Date: January 10, 2012

Author's Book Description:

The Man. The Myth. The Monster. Evil finally has a name.

ALL FEAR THE ENEMY OF OLD

A DEADLY FORCE DWELLS WITHIN HER

CENTURIES OF COLD INDIFFERENCE SHATTERED

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Guest Post :: 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

"A Christmas of Kindness" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

"You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving." Amish proverb

I do it every year.

I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by Christmas Eve---I'm exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-to-make traditional Swedish meal to honor my husband's relatives (think: Vikings), it's time to head to church. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the last few Christmas Eve's, I have sent my husband and kids head off without me. The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong as a magnet.

It's odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn't you think that Christmas would be simpler? Instead, it's just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share the grandbaby with the in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the best time of day for them, dancing carefully around recently divorced family members whose children are impacted by the shards of broken relationships.

The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify people. We are just a complicated bunch.

Here's where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It's easy to get distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there's so much more to learn from these gentle people if you're willing to look a little deeper.

Yes, they live with less "stuff" and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered life. But it's the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create margin in their life. Not just empty space but space that is available to nourish family, community, and faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours or mine, but what they do fill it with is---oh so right.

Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of the holiday, as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room corner. A few modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place settings, covered by a dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke. Waiting until after a special breakfast has been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give the signal that the time has come for gifts.

Later, if Christmas doesn't fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will gather for another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon will be filled with ice skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an abundance of good food. Faith, family, and community. That is the focus of an Amish Christmas.

And it's also how the story begins for "A Lancaster County Christmas," as a young family prepares for Christmas. A winter storm blows a non-Amish couple, Jaime and C.J. Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An unlikely and tentative friendship develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol hold most dear disappears and then---. Ah, but you'll just have to read the story to find out what happens next. Without giving anything away, I will say that I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season. Mattie knew inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones and little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.

Creating margin probably means that I won't get Christmas cards out until the end of January, and my house won't be uber-decorated. After all, something has to give. But it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his Alzheimer's facility. And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-crowded event. And time to invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it will mean that my energy won't get diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda. Only by God's agenda the essence of true simplicity.

And that includes taking time to worship Christ's coming at the Christmas Eve service. You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.

***
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of "The Choice," "The Waiting," "The Search," and "The Keeper," as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including "Amish Peace." Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Christy Award nominee and is the host of an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

12 Pearls of Christmas - Guest Posts : Margaret McSweeney | Suzanne Woods Fisher | Sibella Giorello | Sandy Ralya | Elizabeth Musser | Deborah Raney | Shellie Tomlinson | Tricia Goyer | Susan May Warren | Tracey Eyster | Debora M. Coty | Robin Dance | Rachel Hauck

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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Teaser Tuesdays: Clockwork

Today's Teaser Tuesdays by MizB - click here

"Clockwork" by Paige Shelton
(Originally published as "SNEAKS," which is what it was called when this reviewer read it.)

Book Teaser:

They suddenly sounded disappointed. The letter would have either said I’d be able to choose a husband from someone never married or someone previously married, perhaps a divorcee or a widower. The women got to choose – but as my Granny would say: It’s the Govment’s, those SOB's, way of making you think you have a choice, but bad choices are as awful as no choice at all, maybe even worse.
In two years I’d marry someone who’d already been married. ~ within the story as there isn't any chapters

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