Category Archives: News and Fun

Review: The Friendship Experiment by Erin Teagan

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friendship-experimentThe Friendship Experiment
Erin Teagan
HMH Books for Young Readers
Available November 1, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Middle school isn’t at all what Maddie hoped it would be. Not when her best friend has changed schools. Not without the calm, sure presence of her grandfather. If only friendships were as simple, as reliable as science. Though she finds herself surrounded by new potential friends, Maddie can’t help but think about all the reasons those students are wrong or annoying. To cope with her losses, she writes Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in her journal. When Maddie’s new would-be friends read some of the SOPs that features how to escape them, they feel hurt and betrayed. Maddie … Continue reading →

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters We Almost Named Our Cat After

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achillesFor most of my adult life, I’ve had two cats. Which made it extra terrible about eighteen months ago when we lost both to health problems within just a few weeks of each other. Losing a pet is never easy, but there’s something really awful about knowing they suffer and trying to figure out when it’s the right time to end their pain. Sorry. Didn’t mean to begin on such a down note.

The good news is that not too long after we lost our kitties, I fell in love with this handsome boy whom the rescue named Achilles, since he’d had a pretty serious leg injury as a kitten. Between my daughter’s love for Greek mythology and my husband’s love for Brad Pitt, it seemed … Continue reading →

Review: Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

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forbidden-wishForbidden Wish
Jessica Khoury
Razorbill
Available February 23, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

From Goodreads:

When Aladdin discovers Zahra’s jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn’t seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra’s very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time … Continue reading →

Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

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Crooked Kingdom by Leigh BardugoCrooked Kingdom
Leigh Bardugo
Orion Children’s Books
Available September 27, 2016

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About Crooked Kingdom

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will … Continue reading →

Review: Counterpart by Hayley Stone

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counterpartCounterpart
Hayley Stone
Hydra/Random House
Available October 11, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Counterpart

The machines believed their extermination of the human race would be over as quickly as it began. They were wrong. As the war against extinction intensifies, people are beginning to gain the upper hand.

Commander Rhona Long understands survival better than most. Killed in combat, she was brought back to life using her DNA, and she’s forged a new, even more powerful identity. Now the leader of the resistance, she’s determined to ensure the machines are shut down for good.

But victory is elusive. The machines have a new technology designed to overcome humanity’s most advanced weaponry. Despite Rhona’s peacekeeping efforts, former … Continue reading →

Hurricane Matthew: So This Is Happening

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Hurricane Matthew SuppliesTwo words: Hurricane Matthew.

I live on the east coast of Central Florida, not too far from where the eye of the storm may make a brief landfall early Friday morning (it’s Thursday as I’m writing this post). At this point, we’re as prepared as we can be. Both my husband and me are native Floridians, so we weathered the insanity of September 2004. That year our county got slammed with a major storm almost every weekend in September, the last being a Category 4 storm like Matthew is predicted to be.

We’re not worried. We’re concerned, definitely. This is a big storm and we don’t want to mess around. But our home is pretty new and we have … Continue reading →