Category Archives: News and Fun

Author Interview: Erika Castiglione Talks Inspiration and Love for Classic Literature

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I’m excited to share an opportunity I had to interview interview Erika Castiglione, author of The Hopper-Hill Family, a middle-grade book about a girl whose family cares for her three cousins after their parents’ unexpected deaths. If you missed my review of Erika’s heartwarming story, you can check it out here.

Erika CastiglioneA Little Bit About Erika Castiglione

Erika Castiglione was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and she has lived in Tennessee, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Georgia, North Carolina, and China. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in English. She’s an avid reader, a mother of three, a part-time English tutor, and a young adult fiction writer. (from her Goodreads Author Page)

Author Interview

A story is often inspired by a … Continue reading →

Mini Reviews: Never Never Part 1 and Reprieve

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Never Never (Part 1) by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn FisherNever, Never (Part 1) by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher / Hoover Ink

I stumbled across this series of novellas on Amazon. Of the three parts, I’ve only read Part 1. It basically seems like a novel broken into three pieces. The whole series is available as a bundle for $2.99, which is a pretty great deal.

In terms of the story, it was definitely a wild ride. There’s a lot of romantic tension and some sexual content (main characters watch a video that includes a sex scene, thought it’s dark and only sounds are described) and brief violence. I was really hooked by the idea that both characters have lost their memories and are scrambling both … Continue reading →

Review and Author Interview: Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti

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Anaiah Press Blog Tour for Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti

 Jacqueline by Jackie MinnitiJacqueline
Jackie Minniti
Anaiah Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When Jacqueline and her mother receive news that her father, a French soldier in World War II has been shot down, she refuses to give up hope that he’ll return home. She studies hard, prays to the saint in the book her father gave her, and visits the train yard where wounded prisoners arrive. As the Nazis who occupy her small French town begin to remove local Jews from the neighborhood, Jacqueline and her mother hide a boy in their home. Soon the Americans come to liberate France from German control, and Jacqueline … Continue reading →

Reading Recap and Plans for 2016

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The last two weeks of 2015 flew past me without a moment for blogging, and I’m only now beginning to catch up on the massive list of things I want to do around here. There are books to read, author interviews to post, exciting blog tours coming up, and of course, more books than I could possibly hope to read!

Coming Soon: Books I’ve Read to Review

To start, here are the books I have read but haven’t posted reviews for yet:

read_to_reviewI’m super excited about posting my review of Eleanor & Park. Rainbow Rowell is an author I’ve been meaning to read for a while. I had started Fangirl last summer, but just didn’t get into it. In E&P, she … Continue reading →

Stunning Teen Sci-Fi Novel: Inherit the Stars by Tessa Elwood

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Inherit the Stars by Tessa ElwoodInherit the Stars
Tessa Elwood
Perseus Book Group/Running Press Kids

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When an explosion during a riot leaves Asa’s sister in a coma, she vows to do what she must to bring her back. As the youngest daughter in a royal house on the brink of collapse, her choices are desperate. She impersonates her sister in a marriage alliance to the heir to another ruling family, a boy with tragic secrets of his own.

Every time Asa thinks she has made things better, she’s met with the bitter realization that she’s in fact only made her sister’s and her family’s situation more dire. War could come at any moment. War … Continue reading →

A Time for Giving Thanks

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t-dayAs I took time this week to pause and look at my life, I am filled with gratitude. Our refrigerator is packed with food. Our table is surrounded by family and friends. We have medical care which provides for our needs when we are sick (and we’ve all been sick this week!)

Though we had to say goodbye to both of our longtime pets – two cats we’ve had for more than ten years – we also adopted a new cat from a local shelter. He had a rough start, so he was fearful and skittish when we brought him home. But there was something in his face that made me believe he just needed an opportunity to love. It’s proven to be true. After just a … Continue reading →