I have many things to add, and many projects in the works. But with the help of a WordPress technician, my store finally shows up! Top of my page, click on “store”.
I am currently working on some amazing pine book boxes, painting book covers, and spines, of some classic novels. I am also painting book covers on canvas, 11×14 to start, until I get a good idea of what everyone is interested in buying.
I am homeschooling a 10th grader, have another going to public school in 7th grade, and another MBA class starting for me on September 22. I am editing a fantastic book that I cannot wait to introduce to the masses, and still reading for enjoyment to post some book reviews. Oh, and I work about 45-50 hours a week; did I forget to mention that?
I have the most understanding boyfriend ever, because my life is just crazy busy, and he accepts it! I am looking forward to Autumn, the most awesome time of the year! I will be holding a raffle for a couple of book bags with a great Halloween story, mug, hot cocoa or tea, and a smelly pumpkin type candle. Stay tuned!
Thank you for your support, your kind words, and your amazing stories!
Enjoying my 6 week break from college classes for my MBA!
Editing an awesome book by a new author and cannot wait to share it with you!
Creating great gifts for book lovers for my store!
My blog page has had some issues; i.e., I paid $299.00 for a business blog only to not be able to use all of the options. WordPress was amazing as always, and we worked it out.
The downside? I cannot get rid of the link in my blog to my store which no longer works…and I need to create a new link.
So what I am making right now are book boxes. I am working with paper mache as I look for a good supplier of wood products.
I have keychains, book bags, and book ends.
And I am holding a raffle in the Fall with a book bag, a fun Halloween themed book, some hot cocoa or apple cider mix, and something that smells awesomely pumpkin! I will be giving away a few of these! I love to share, and we are almost to my favorite time of year!
… I would go into all the details of where I have been and what I have been doing for the last 2 months, but it’s really rather boring and does not make a good story!
May your 2016 be filled with wonderful stories that take you on great adventures!
I have read more books than I could ever count (and would not even want to guess) but amongst all of those books, there were some that stood out.
The hardest book To read:
The Bible. Yes, it is hard to understand, at least the Old Testament is for me. I read it from front to back last year, and I try to read it every day. In my own personal opinion, everyone needs to read this book! 🙂
I had to share this picture: it cracks me up every time I see it!
A book I haven’t read yet but should have:
The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde (This will be read before summer is done).
Books I hated having to read in school, but I loved once I grew up:
1984 – George Orwell, Lord of the Flies – William Golding, The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne, Macbeth – William Shakespeare (Okay, I have to be honest here, I still do not like Macbeth, or anything else by Shakespeare; it’s just not my thing!)
A book I should have read sooner:
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck. The first time I read this book was about 4 years ago. I loved it!
Books I read at least once a year:
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee, The Shack – William P. Young, At least one of the 7 Chronicles of Narnia books – CS Lewis
Books I should never have read:
50 Shades of Grey, 50 Shades Darker, 50 Shades Freed – EL James. Okay, they weren’t horrible, but I honestly skipped over all of the so-called steamy sex scenes, they were too ridiculous to even get through.
My favorite books as a child:
Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators – Robert Arthur, Jr. I read these books over and again, and will still grab a few from the library on occasion to read them again!
Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath – Cornelia Funke. I loved these stories. My daughter will kill me for not saying Harry Potter, but honestly, it was a perfect series of 7 books that I do not think anyone else will ever be able to do again.
Books that should not have been made into movies:
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins. I liked the stories a lot. But by the time I saw the first part of Mockingjay in the theater, I found it to be beyond cheesy. Yes; I said it was cheesy!
Books that sucked me in:
The Twilight Series – Stephenie Meyer. These books sucked me in and I could not put them down. I read them over and over while I waited for the next one, and I read the whole series twice in a row after I had all 4 books. Should I be embarrassed to admit this? Probably. Am I? Not in the least. I loved these books 🙂
How about you? Did you have a book that was hard to read, or one you read over-and-over again? I would love to hear what your book facts are. Let me know!
This was a fast-paced read, with a lot of twists and turns. This is the second book I have read by Russell Brooks, and this one had a completely different feel to it. The whole style of writing seemed different than “The Demeter Code”, and it was spot-on for this story.
When Eddie has no one who believes in him and his dream of becoming a published author, his two friends convince him to try a publicity stunt to end all publicity stunts. Everyone knows it is a lot easier to sell your first novel when people have heard of you.
Eddie should have stuck to writing, and hired someone to get his name out to the public. What seemed like a harmless stunt turned into an unsuspecting, albeit sketchy, Governor being murdered. And the bodies seemed to pile up from there. With next to nobody believing in his innocent, Eddie and his friends begin a journey to clear all of their names. They manage to uncover corruption of the deepest kind while they are at it, while learning what they are truly made of.
I liked this story a lot, and highly recommend it. It has action, suspense, romance, and a couple laugh-out-loud moments as well.
To learn more a bout Russell and his stories, be sure to visit his website at: http://russellparkway.com
This was my first read of a Russell Brooks novel, and I have already started on the second of 4 of his books that I purchased.
The Demeter Code is a fast-paced book, with lots of action and details. You definitely need to devote all of your attention to the story while you are reading it, as there are numerous characters involved, and the action moves from one set of people to another. I do not mention this because I found it to be a problem, I simply mention it because you probably do not want to read this with the television being on next to you, kids running in and out (welcome to my home!), or anything else that could likely divert your attention from the storyline.
Do you have concerns about the quality of the food you eat, the chemicals added to it, or the various GMO’s used virtually everywhere? If you do, this story is one you will want to read.
Do you like lots of action, plus detailed weapons and scientific information? Then this story is for you as well.
Do you have an interest in travel, and other countries? What about politics and government? If so, this story will capture and keep your interest as well.
I try to not give away any spoilers, or too much about a storyline in any of my reviews. The same holds true for this review. I will say that it is focused on Dr. Nita Parris, Ridley Fox, and a host of other secondary characters that round out the storyline and plot nicely. There seems to be a ticking time bomb that will bring devastation to the world like nothing ever seen before. It is up to Dr. Parris and Ridley to figure out who is involved, and put a stop to the plan before it is too late; too late for everyone.
You can find this story as well as Russell’s other novels on Amazon.
The Miracle of Zobéide – When a Christian and a Muslim cannot agree on the power of God, one offers a challenge to the other. Is it really God at work, first making the turtle called Zobeide larger, and then smaller until she disappears all together? Or is it a splendid trick and the Christian never catches on? This is a great short story that will stop and make you think; about the power of influence, and the strength of one determined to defend his beliefs, in a clever, non-criminal way.
VILLIERS DE L’ISLE ADAM
The Torture by Hope – A man condemned because he refuses to renounce his religion sees the opportunity to escape on the eve prior to his (and 43 others) scheduled execution. His escape does not go as planned, and one might even suspect the opportunity to escape was intentionally provided, just to torture one by hope.
EMILE ERCKMANN- ALEXANDRE CHATRAIN
The Owl’s Ear -A man, appearing to be a hobo, bum, vagabond, is arrested for no good reason other than he refused to tell the town constable what he was doing in that deep, dark cistern.
Full of despair in prison for only part of a night, the hobo hanged himself. Only later would the cousin of the constable discover the true meaning of what the hobo was doing. Out of anger at such a brilliant life and mind cut short, he refused to tell the constable the truth, or ever visit him again.
The Invisible Eye – What I would consider a bit long for a short story, this one was definitely a bit strange and disturbing. What appeared to be a haunted room at the local Inn was capable of driving each of its guests to hang themselves from the outside crossbeam before morning light. A painter who lived across the street seemed to be the only one to take notice of the local hag, called Fledermausse. Being convinced it was her driving these victims to suicide, the painter kept a close eye on her, until he saw the opportunity to even the score, and stop the curse. He was able to give the hag a taste of her own medicine, which was the last taste of anything she would ever have again.
The Waters of Death – a quick read about a cavern of mineral water that seems to have healing powers; yet after skeletons of various animals, and humans, are purged from the cavern, no one dares drink or swim there again. Except for one unlucky soul. I found this story okay enough, but more boring than what I had previously read.
There are a few more stories in this book, and I will share those that I find of interest. There are a couple I have read that are not worth mentioning, but all-in-all, I am pretty happy with this book!
Such an amazing, powerful story! The movie is just as good as the book, and for me to say that is pretty much a miracle!
I love reading books that are based around religion (I am of the Lutheran faith, a denomination of Protestants). This story really touches home on how to save a marriage, when most are willing to go to the lawyers, sign some papers, and try to make it disappear.
A firefighter is losing his marriage; his wife is done with being ignored, and he is done with her not taking care of him. So his father gives him a pact to follow for a month, no matter what. Do what this journal says, and if it doesn’t work, then you should probably get divorced.
We watch as he does everything required, yet is met with brick walls from his wife. He has a major issue with his mother anyhow, so he is curious to see how his father made this work.
I am not one big on giving spoilers, but when he realizes his mother was actually the one to give this “contract” to his father, he finally understands some of the many components of making a marriage work.
This book is a must read; it is not filled with religious overtones if that is not your thing. It definitely shows you the important things in life. How to live your life, how to forgive, and how to be great!
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