Sunday, January 6, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Barn = Beauty
On the way to town this lovely red barn sits way back off the road and I have always thought it's one of the prettiest in our area. It was such a glorious day and the colors were so beautiful that I just had to stop and take a picture! Ok, I couldn't just take one because I love experimenting with my new camera. This one was taken on the "Painting" setting.
Then I zoomed in and was surprised to see so many textures. And look at that wreath hanging on the front! What a great idea :)
I'm looking forward to many days out and about, exploring God's magnificent creation this year, and documenting my explorations through photography.
Are you looking forward to anything special in 2013?
“The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to” (Deuteronomy 28:8)
Monday, December 31, 2012
Looking back ~ 2012 Book Favorites
2012 wasn't the best year for me in any area. When my oldest daughter, Amy, passed away on Mother's Day, life just sort of stopped for me. At least, reading and crafting did.
The first book I successfully finished was a re-read; Linore Burkard's Before the Season Ends. I love that story! I'm such a Regency Fan and it's so much like reading a Jane Austen novel. It was the perfect book to get me back in the swing of things, or at least partially back. Thank you, Linore!
In a comment I left on a blog post, I was bemoaning the fact that I couldn't hold a train of thought no matter what genre book I tried to lose myself in and one of the best pieces of advice came from author Kaye Dacus: Immerse myself in TV and movies. That was actually good advice! I watched a lot of great TV shows and movies over the summer and then felt like I was ready to read again in the fall.
The first book I successfully finished was a re-read; Linore Burkard's Before the Season Ends. I love that story! I'm such a Regency Fan and it's so much like reading a Jane Austen novel. It was the perfect book to get me back in the swing of things, or at least partially back. Thank you, Linore!After almost 8 months, there are days that I still struggle to accomplish anything, especially reading and actually writing a review. I still didn't get all the books read and reviewed that I had committed to and for that I offer my apologies to the authors and publishers.
That being said, I enjoyed all the books I managed to read and here are my favorites for 2012:
A debut novel that totally rocks the Regency Era!
Riveting suspense!
Oh yes, Bane is back!
Delightful characters!
Characters that sit down deep in your heart!
Superbly written, as always!
First-rate historical!
Awesome cover for an equally awesome book!
(beware...it's a cliff hanger of epic proportions but thankfully all the books in the series are in print and on e-readers so no dangling!)
Goodness, this was a great book!
Touching and emotionally driven!
Fantastic debut novel full of complex characters!
Breath stealing suspense!
Honorable Mention...
because it's not a newly published book but it would have been #1 on my list otherwise!
I hope each of you have had an exciting year reading and discovering new authors, as well as enjoying old ones! What's your favorite book from 2012? Are you looking forward to any particular book/s in 2013?
Happy New Year!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Short Review ~ A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano
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| Photo credit - http://jenturano.com/ Bethany House Publishers, Oct 2012 |
Insanely engaging!
This book was so much fun to read! As unbelievable as the events and characters' actions could be, I was thoroughly hooked from page one. A Change of Fortune has just the right amount of intrigue mixed in with the most fabulous sense of humor. I never would have guessed this is a debut novel!
There are so many fantastic characters besides the hero and heroine. They're the stars of the show of course and rightly so. Eliza is extremely fearless and adventuresome for a woman in 1880 but the author pulled it off well. Hamilton is, well...a truly dashing fellow!
I laughed and laughed. My fingers couldn't turn the pages fast enough! The writing style reminds me of Deeanne Gist, one of the best writers in Christian Historical Fiction.
I had to contact the author on another website that hosted her for an interview and ask if there will be more stories coming with the other characters in this book. Jen assured me there are THREE more books to come! YES!!! I can't wait :)
Don't miss out on this lively and extremely well-written novel. Grab a copy today!
Purchase links:
Amazon
CBD
**A novella, that's a prequel to this story, is available on Amazon and it's free right now (as of Dec 31,2012).
Author Bio
Jen Turano grew up in the small town of St. Clairsville, Ohio, where she spent an idyllic childhood riding her purple spider bike, ice-skating on a little pond and reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Beldon books in her tree house. High School was, surprisingly enough, fabulous as Jen spent time with her girlfriends. She headed off to college with no idea of what she wanted to be when she grew up, but settled on pursuing a career in fashion because she thought it sounded glamorous. Continue reading about Jen...
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