If We Were Having Tea…#9

hotcoffee_2

If we were having tea… I would tell you that I decided to take a blogging break during Christmas to spend it with the family and the few post that went up were all scheduled posts.

If we were having tea… I would tell you that 2016 is here and that I wish you a very Happy and Joyous New Year and all the best for the year.

If we were having tea… I would tell you that I am excited for Monday to come so that we can get back into the regular routine of things again. I love the break but its time.

If we were having tea… I would tell you that Tina from BookShipper and myself have begin the new year with doing an Affirmation Jar so that we can keep track of all the good things that happen to us in 2016. I will probably do a little post on that this upcoming week.

If we were having tea… I would tell you that since my last If We Were Having Tea post that I went to the movies to see Joy and the boys went to see Star Wars. I really enjoyed Joy. Have you seen it yet?

If we were having tea... I would tell you that I am working on colouring every day and I managed to complete two already. I am starting small and then gradually working up to the bigger images.

If we were having tea… I would tell you 2016 is going to be the year that I try to eat healthier and get into shape. I am not going to stress about dieting but make the effort to eat more healthier.

If we were having tea… I would tell you that it was great seeing you again this week and that I can’t wait until next week. I hope you have a good week.

Review/ This Is Where It Ends

by Marieke Nijkamp
Published by Sourcebooks Fire Goodreads
Genres: Action & Adventure, Bullying, Social Issues, Survival Stories, Violence, Young Adult

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

10:00 a.m. The principal of Opportunity, Alabama’s high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve. 10:02 a.m. The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class. 10:03 The auditorium doors won’t open. 10:05 Someone starts shooting. Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student’s calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

I think this has to be one of my favorite books that I picked up at #BEA15 last year. Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. It grabbed a hold of me from the first page and it still sits with me today. Just be prepared if you pick up this book to read you will need a tissue. This is a fantastic debut novel.

This Is Where It Ends is told in the point of view of Claire, Tomas, Autumn and Sylv. A new semester has started at Opportunity and the Principal Trenton is giving her regular speech that the kids all know pretty much by heart.

Claire is not in the school for the assembly because she is part of the track team and she is out running the track with her team mates when the sound of gunshots forces them to stop. They try to get into the school but its locked so she comes up with a plan to find out what is going on so she puts everyone in groups.

Inside the school Tomas and his friend Fareed are also not in the assembly because they are breaking into the principal’s office trying to find out some information on a kid named Tyler who has left the school and is due to come back. They are in the office and when they realize something is up the go and look out in the hall way and that is when they hear gun fire. Quick thinking they decide to call the police. They are told to get out of the school but Tomas can’t leave because his sister Sylv is in the assembly. He will do anything to protect her.

I don’t want to give to much away about the book because you know what its about. Everyone is surprised at how the shooter is and I think had there been a little more to the story before hand you might have had the chance to figure it out.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

 

 

First Book of The Year 2016

firstbookof2016

It seems like I am always struggling with what I want to read on a normal day so you can image how hard it was for me to pick out my first book that I want to start 2016 with? Do you struggle with that as well?

This is my 3rd year doing this and I have decided on:

In the spirit of Station Eleven and The Age of Miracles, this exciting literary debut novel imagines the consequences when four ordinary individuals are granted a chance to continue their lives in genetically perfect versions of their former bodies.

Would you live your life differently if you were given a second chance? Hannah, David, Connie, and Linda—four terminally ill patients—have been selected for the SUBlife pilot program, which will grant them brand-new, genetically perfect bodies that are exact copies of their former selves—without a single imperfection. Blemishes, scars, freckles, and wrinkles have all disappeared, their fingerprints are different, their vision is impeccable, and most importantly, their illnesses have been cured.

But the fresh start they’ve been given is anything but perfect. Without their old bodies, their new physical identities have been lost. Hannah, an artistic prodigy, has to relearn how to hold a brush; David, a Congressman, grapples with his old habits; Connie, an actress whose stunning looks are restored after a protracted illness, tries to navigate an industry obsessed with physical beauty; and Linda, who spent eight years paralyzed after a car accident, now struggles to reconnect with a family that seems to have built a new life without her. As each tries to re-enter their previous lives and relationships they are faced with the question: how much of your identity rests not just in your mind, but in your heart, your body?

The reason I picked this book was because it was sent for review and I would like to keep on top of my review books that are coming in and it sounds like its going to be a really good read.

Review/ Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

Review/ Starry Night by Debbie MacomberStarry Night by Debbie Macomber
Format: Hardcover
Published by Random House on November 21st 2013
Pages: 272
Goodreads

Perfect Christmas women's fiction from international bestseller Debbie Macomber.'Tis the season for love and second chances ...Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge first: Carrie must score the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author.Living in Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a bestselling book about surviving in the wild. But he stubbornly declines to speak to anyone, and no one even knows exactly where he lives. With her career at stake, Carrie sacrifices her family celebrations and flies out to snowy Alaska. When she finally finds Finn, she discovers a man both more charismatic and more stubborn than she expected. And soon Carrie is torn between pursuing the story of a lifetime and following her heart.

I have to admit right from the beginning that I have never read anything by Debbie Macomber before reading Starry Night. I have to thank my friend, Jennifer for introducing this author to me. I really enjoyed reading Starry Night.

This was the year that I really got into reading Christmas themed books and I think that was due to the fact Jennifer passed on so many great books to me. I have to start off by saying that I loved the cover of the version I had and it was the glittery Starry Night that hooked be as I try to avoid reading what the book is about. I love going into a book not knowing what its about.

I was hooked into the story right away and I practically read this in one sitting which says alot about the book for me. It had all the right things I love about a book. I love when I book hooks you in right away and there is enough action, suspense and love to keep you into finding out more.

Carrie is a reporter for the Chicago Herald. She loves where is she is working but is getting tired of writing for the society page. When push comes to shove she goes into her bosses office and basically says she wants another position or she is prepared to leave there all together. I love Carrie and her determination to move forward with her career because she knows what she can and can’t do.

Her boss tells her if she wants to advance she must score a exclusive interview with the famous author Finn Dalton. Finn has never given any kind of interviews or been photographed since his book has become the best seller. Every reporter has tried to locate him and none has been successful until Carrie comes along. Carrie is determined to find him and heads to Alaska to begin her search.

Finn has made it his mission to basically remain out of the spot light and hidden away. No one knows who he is and he probably could be walking beside you and you wouldn’t even know it. So needless to say he isn’t happy when his friend drops Carrie off outside his cottage in Alaska. His actions let Carrie know she isn’t wanted around and as soon as the storm clears she is on a one way ticket back home.

As the story progress you can see that both Carrie and Finn are breaking down the walls and they are both starting to develop feelings for each other. Will they be able to live apart knowing that Finn wants nothing to do with the city life? Or will their love be enough to overcome that?

If your looking for a fun clean read then I highly recommend this book. Its the perfect holiday read in my opinion.

 

The Book Nerd Quiz

the book nerd quiz

A little while ago I spotted this over on Florinda’s The 3 R’s Blog and it looked like a lot of fun so I thought I would share with you guys and please let me know how you did in the comments below.

INSTRUCTIONS: Just go down the list below and add one point for every statement that applies to you.

  • You currently own more than 20 books. +1
  • You currently own more than 50 books. +1
  • You currently own more than 100 books. +1
  • You amassed so many books you switched to an ereader +1
  • You read so much you have a ton of books AND an ereader. +1
  • You have a book-organization system no one else understands. 
  • You’re currently reading more than one book. 
  • You read every single day. +1
  • You’re reading a book right now, as you’re taking this book nerd quiz.
  • Your essentials for leaving the house: wallet, phone, keys, and a book. +1
  • You’ve pulled an all-nighter reading a book. +1
  • You did not regret it for a second and would do it again. +1
  • You’ve figured out how to incorporate books into your workout.
  • You’ve declined invitations to social activities in order to stay home and read. 
  • You view vacation time as “catch up on reading” time. +1
  • You’ve sat in a bathtub full of tepid water with prune-y skin because you were engrossed in a book.
  • You’ve missed your stop on the bus or the train because you were engrossed in a book. 
  • You’ve almost tripped over a pothole, sat on a bench with wet paint, walked into a telephone pole, or narrowly avoided other calamities because you were engrossed in a book. 
  • You’ve laughed out loud in public while reading a book. +1
  • You’ve cried in public while reading a book (it’s okay, we won’t tell). +1
  • You’re the one everyone goes to for book recommendations. +1
  • You take your role in recommending books very seriously and worry about what books your friends would enjoy. +1
  • Once you recommend a book to a friend, you keep bugging them about it. +1
  • If your friend doesn’t like the book you recommended, you’re heartbroken. +1 (but I understand not everyone will like the same books)
  • And you judge them. A little bit. +1
  • In fact, whenever you and a friend disagree about a book you secretly wonder what is wrong with them.
  • You’ve vowed to convert a nonreader into a reader. +1
  • And you’ve succeeded.
  • You’ve attended book readings, launches, and signings. +1
  • You own several signed books. +1
  • You would recognize your favorite authors on the street. +1
  • In fact, you have. +1
  • If you could have dinner with anybody in the world, you’d choose your favorite writer. +1
  • You own a first-edition book.
  • You know what that is and why it matters to bibliophiles. 
  • You tweet, post, blog, or talk about books every day. +1
  • You have a “favorite” literary prize.
  • And you read the winners of that prize every year.
  • You’ve recorded every book you’ve ever read and what you thought of it. +.5 (I do document what books I have read but not my thoughts. I save that for the blog)
  • You have a designated reading nook in your home. +1
  • You have a literary-themed T-shirt, bag, tattoo, or item of home décor. +1
  • You gave your pet a literary name.
  • You make literary references and puns nobody else understands. 
  • You’re a stickler for spelling and grammar, even when you’re just texting. 
  • You’ve given books as gifts for every occasion: birthdays, Valentine’s Day, graduations, Tuesdays… +1
  • Whenever someone asks what your favorite book is, your brain goes into overdrive and you can’t choose just one. You end up naming twelve books. +1
  • You love the smell of books. +1
  • You’ve binge-read an entire series or an author’s whole oeuvre in just a few days. +1
  • You’ve actually felt your heart rate go up while reading an incredible book. +1
  • When you turn the last page of a good book, you feel as if you’ve finally come up for air and returned from a great adventure. +1

 

Total points available: 51
My score: 32.5