A family lifestyle blog
It is officially Feb. 1. Please tell me somebody else still has their Christmas tree up! THIS is why I normally take ours down on December 26. Once I head back to school in the new year, I just don’t have the energy to do anything else. So, our tree is still set up, and not in a cute we-have-trees-up-all-year kind of way. On the flip side, I have this great new cookbook to enjoy! Check out Hong Kong Food City by Tony Tan!
Wow! There were so many elements to this story that I already want to read it again, just to catch what I might have missed. The extent of my artistic knowledge can be traced back to Bob Ross videos, so I actually learned a lot about styles, techniques, media, and the like. Beyond that, though, I really liked the main character Sabine. She was so vulnerable yet determined. It was hard to watch her struggle through difficult days, and even more difficult to see her make decisions that would impact her life. I wanted to mother her!
[Read more…]Sometimes a reader comes across a book they never knew they needed. Then, all of a sudden, the stars align for a moment and they realize what a breath of fresh air that book provides. That’s how I felt with Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business!
(I tried to get a picture of my dog sitting with the book, but it didn’t quite work out. My cat decided to stand in instead.)
Disclosure: Post contains affiliate or referral links; if you make a purchase, I may earn commission. Opinions shared are mine.
On Tour with Prism Book Tours
I didn’t read the first book in this series, so that set me back a little in getting fully into Spent Identity. I do love a good family-secrets mystery, and this didn’t disappoint in that regard!
Disclosure: I received discounted product. Post contains affiliate links; if you make a purchase, I may earn commission. Opinions shared are mine.
Whether you’re a blogger or just enjoy posting on social media, you may come across the need for a pretty background at some point. Last month, I shared my favorite new photo help — SnapIt Boards — but I realize that not everyone is ready to invest in a more expensive item like this. For around $10 – $20, you can easily create your own portable backdrop with a few simple materials. Here’s a hint: peel-and-stick paper is your friend!
Disclosure: This sponsored post is brought to you by College Prep Science.
Though I enjoy my teaching career, there have been times in my life when I craved the freedom a homeschool curriculum allows. I’ve dreamed of being able to travel with my family, taking advantage of educational opportunities around the country and the world. It just wasn’t written in the stars for us, but it could be for you! One obstacle I’d face would be the difficulty in teaching subjects that aren’t my strength. Fortunately, homeschooling students now have the option to complete an online homeschool anatomy curriculum.
This post is sponsored by College Prep Science. Copyright 2020 by Greg Landry.
On Tour with Prism Book Tours
We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops
you’ll find snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:
Launch – Note from the Author
Welcome to Grace-by-the-Sea, a Regency spa village where everything is designed for your comfort and delight. Just don’t look too closely at those who pass silently in the night. . . [Read more…]
Exit Stage Right may appeal to teens who aspire to a career in dance. The artsy people I’ve known in life tend to have a passion that others barely understand. The desire to perform, excel, and become immersed in their art can overwhelm a quiet soul.
I didn’t feel connected to the main character Coco or the events of Coco’s story. Coco was rather bratty, and I honestly thought she was lucky that her high school friends gave her the time of day. As the story went on, Coco’s growth and maturity improved only slightly.
My favorite characters of the story were Coco’s friends Amy and Mike. Coco’s parents were also decent. They showed grace, forgiveness, and love over and over. The deeper connection between Coco and the prodigal child was clear.
The story’s setting swivels between a small town and an elite school for the arts. This setting creates a symbolic distinction between the two phases of Coco’s young life. Many readers will relate to the twists and turns Coco experienced. Though Coco’s father is a minister, evangelism doesn’t play a strong role in this story.
Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for the Exit Stage Right by Jennifer Wilcock, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
Title: Exit Stage Right
Author: Jennifer Wilcock
Publisher: Word Alive Press
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: November 30, 2019
She wants to dance, and she’s willing to sacrifice everything, everyone, to get it.
Coco Bradley is a talented ballet dancer, and when an opportunity arises for her to audition for the prestigious Spencer School of the Performing Arts, she’s not about to let anyone stop her— including her parents, her friends, and any of the prima donnas of the art school. A pastor’s kid, Coco has grown up serving God and people, but gaining entry to Spencer means leaving behind all the expectations that come with growing up in the pastorate, as well as the dead-end town of Wyattsville.
Coco lives by the creed “Ballet First,” but she’s about to find out in a painful way that there’s more to life than dancing.
Opportunities, fame, and love all come calling as Coco chases her dream. But in going after what she wants, will she lose the things that matter most?
Jennifer Willcock grew up telling herself stories in the middle of the night to keep away the monsters that lurked in the dark. Once she realized there weren’t any real monsters, she kept telling stories. A voracious reader, Jennifer reads many different genres, but she never outgrew young adult fiction. A degree in English Literature enabled her to keep her love affair with reading and writing alive. A blogger, speaker, and writer, she belongs to the MOPS Network of Speakers and the Word Guild of Canada.
Jennifer studied ballet through the Royal Academy of Dance during her teen years and into adulthood. She has taught in private and community settings and choreographed productions for her church over the years. In 2017, Jennifer decided she was brave enough to try and write fiction and joined NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. She “won” it, writing 50,000 words in thirty days. The result is Exit Stage Right, a dream she thought was impossible to achieve. In 2019, the novel made the shortlist of the Word Alive Press fiction writing contest.
Besides being a mom to two sons, she is married to Mark, a pastor. She works part-time in the local library, where she’s inspired every day to write a book that will one day be on the shelves. The family’s pet dwarf rabbit, Whiskers, is her muse as he sits at her feet while she writes. She’d love for you to connect with her online.
*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.
Disclosure: Post contains affiliate or referral links; if you make a purchase, I may earn commission. Opinions shared are mine.
I’ve mentioned before that my son is a reluctant reader. It takes a lot of cajoling to convince him to crack open a book, let alone finish one. When these Ripley’s Believe It or Not books arrived, though, he couldn’t keep away from them. He keeps peeking at the covers, perusing the pages, and telling me about facts he learned from them. These titles are terrific for kids who hate to read as well as those who LOVE to read!
US * 3 winners
Ends July 15
Ends July 30 (book only)
