I’m sorry

I’ve been off gallivanting around the real world and forgot all about my pretty little blog.

Things haven’t been too exciting for me lately, but we did move into a new apartment on the other side of town. It’s nice to be back in our old neighborhood and around familiar things. My next goal is to find a job. I’ve applied at some places and just waiting for some calls.

I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading lately. I just finished The Hunger Games series last night and I have to say I was highly impressed. These books are amazing. If you haven’t read them, you need to. I will warn you that there is a lot of emotions tied to these and you will feel all of them. There is a lot of deaths of children and that was something I had a hard time with. However, the stories as a whole were so intriguing and incredibly written. Check them out for yourselves.

There is a Hunger Games movies coming out next year and I’m highly excited. The casting was done pretty well and I’m excited to see what they do with the books. Like any novel turned movie, I know there will be some discrepancies, but it’s to be expected. I just wish writers and directors actually let fans sit in on the drawing board and say what they’d like to see. Wishful thinking on my part.

I know I’ve read other things but I just can’t think right now.

I’ve been a bit obsessed with Tumblr lately. I spend A LOT of my time sitting and scrolling. If you don’t know what Tumblr is. Don’t find out…lol. You will be sucked in and lose all sense of time.

Anywho, that’s what you’ve missed in the life of Manda. I’ll try to be around more, but I can’t guarantee anything. I have a ton of books I need to read and review, but I’ll get there eventually.

Thanks for sticking with me. Love you.

I have been a bit negligent these last couple weeks. We moved into our new house the weekend before last and it was crazy during the weeks before the move. Since we’ve moved it’s been even MORE crazy.

We got a new roommate. He’s pretty awesome. We get along great! Thank God for that!

Sunday was pastor appreciation. That was good times!

Since Sunday after church, Kaitlynn has been here. She’s staying until this Sunday. We also had McKenna over one night and Marley is over tonight. (They’re all our youth kids, in case you’re confused.)

So, yeah it’s been good, but busy, times.

I haven’t finished unpacking. Major fail on my part. I just can’t seem to get motivated. Probably has something to do with having a Wii now!

Yup, we got a Wii! We also got a hard drive with 147 games, so I’m hooked. I’ve been trying to get at least SOMETHING unpacked before I get sucked into playing, but I’m not always successful. If I could focus I could probably rock a lot out pretty quick.

Next week is camp! YAY! I’m so excited. I made up an AWESOME theme and we’re going to have a great time. I can’t wait. I wish Mikey was going, but maybe next year. I’ll put up some pics when I get home. I always end up taking a TON.

Ok that’s all that’s going on with me. I got a couple books from the library that I’ll read and hopefully review and I still have quite a few books that I need to read and review. So hopefully I’ll have some after camp!

Ok see ya!

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by M.A. Stacie

Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House

Synopsis:

Elle is an energetic, independent woman with a successful business and new start in the big city. The bustling streets of New York are not what she expected, yet she finds the freedom exhilarating. One interaction at the mailboxes with her shy, strikingly handsome neighbor is all it takes to turn the strong- willed young woman into a bumbling mess.

Jonah Quinn is withdrawn for good reason; he harbors a dark secret. He lives his life in the shadows, playing his music in late night bars and hiding himself from everyone but Elle’s cat. His tattoos bear his pain while his music is his outlet, but it is his silence that keeps his shame at bay.

Can one night of passion between the two of them lead to more than casual glances exchanged at their mailboxes? Will Elle be strong enough to help Jonah with his personal demons. And will Jonah break his silence regarding a past that haunts him?

The Rules for this relationship are Unwritten.

Unwritten Rules by M.A. Stacie

Review by Me!

4.5 Squees/ 4.5 Squees

First off I have to say, if you don’t fall in love with Jonah Quinn, there is something wrong with you. Or you are a heterosexual male. Seriously though, he is the perfect combination of sweet, sexy, dark and troubled. The author couldn’t have made him more amazing.

I love Ellie too. She is an awesome leading lady. Her character was written, so well. She was a strong female lead (swoon) and she had some great lines.

In all honesty, all the characters in this book were pretty amazing. I can tell M.A. Stacie really spent time building her characters and getting to know who she really wanted them to be.

There’s a lot of squee moments in this one too. Like I said before, I absolutely adore Jonah. There is also quite a few naughty bits, so this one isn’t for the kiddies.

All in all, this was a great read and I highly recommend it.

By A.M. Hayward and L.J. Holder

Publisher: The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House

Synopsis:

Mistakes…

Everyone makes them.

We are only human.

Some of our mistakes are small…

like the times you stay up till 2 am studying for a test that you end up failing because you are too tired to think.    

Others are so catastrophic that they change your life…. forever….

Maddison regrets not listening to her parents, not being a ‘good girl’ and not staying at home like she was supposed to instead of sneaking off with her friends for a Spring Break getaway.

How she wishes she could turn back time; then maybe she wouldn’t be in the nightmare she is in now. Kidnapped and taken to a different country unaware of where she is or what these men want with her.

Maddy’s parents can’t help her, in fact they aren’t even aware she is in Mexico. Who can save her? Or can she save herself?

Mistakes by A.M. Hayward and L.J. Holder

Review by Me!

5 Squees/ 5 Squees

I’m pretty sure I’ve never read a book like this. I am one to usually read happy, fluffy books and the darkest I ever go is vampire and werewolf stories. This book was intense. I had a hard time with it because it is so real and there was some moments that were hard to read.

This book was amazing though.The writing was so perfect that I was enthralled the whole time. I had to know what was coming next and I had to continue on to know how Maddy was. I usually don’t like books where women are abused, but this one was something that needed to be read. So often we’re quick to ignore things that happen to people because we don’t want to know it. Human trafficking is real and this novel made it even more so for me.

The authors made me love Maddy in the beginning and weaved this warm happy story from the start. Everything was good and light and fun, and then it wasn’t. Things got bad suddenly and though I knew it was coming from reading the synopsis, I was not prepared.

This book was hard and it will be hard for anyone to get through, but it is worth the read. It reminded me a lot of the movie Taken, but it seemed more real to me. I was drawn in to this book a lot more than I was into that movie.

The ending was awful though. Ok, it actually was pretty brilliant, but I have to wait for the next book to see what happens. I hate being left in suspense. This is definitely a must read, but only if you can handle tough situations. I wouldn’t recommend this for the faint of heart or weak minded. This is an emotional book. I cried, a lot.

I can’t wait to get my hands on book two.

by Katie Crouch

Publisher: Hachette Book Group

Synopsis:

When her free-spirited mother dies in a tragic accident, sixteen-year-old Alexandria Lee is forced to leave her West Coast home and move in with a wealthy grandmother she’s never known in Savannah, Georgia. By birth, Alex is a rightful if unwilling member of the Magnolia League-Savannah’s long-standing debutante society. But white gloves and silk gowns are a far cry from the vintage t-shirts and torn jeans shorts she’s used to.

Alex is the first in decades to question the Magnolia League’s intentions, yet even she becomes entangled in their seductive world. The members enjoy youth, beauty and power…but at what cost? As Alex discovers a pact between the Magnolias and the Buzzards, a legendary hoodoo family, she discovers secrets-some deadly-hidden beneath the glossy Southern veneer.

The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch

Review by Me!

3 Squees/ 5 Squees

I’ve read a bunch of reviews of this book and I even read a couple BEFORE reading the book. When I first received this book, it sounded interesting enough, but I had other things I wanted to read first. Everyone seemed really into this book, but I just didn’t feel the same way. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t my favorite.

I didn’t mind the character of Alex. As a character, she was a pretty strong person and was great to read about. You all know how I feel about strong female leads, so I was very pleased with how she handled herself. That was in the beginning though and during some points throughout the book.

I didn’t like how things played out in this novel. Everything was very random and jumpy to me. I felt like things were happening that didn’t make a whole lot of sense and didn’t really fit into the flow of the book. I also didn’t like how Alex just goes along with things at a point even though she fought them so much. I also didn’t like the time lapses. I felt like time went by so fast and so much detail was left out of those time gaps.

I also didn’t feel like the secondary characters were developed enough. Thaddeus could have had a lot more depth to him. He just seemed like he was there to fill the “male” role and not really anything else.

I enjoyed the plot though. I like the concept of a debutante “secret” society of women. I also liked the mixed in stuff with the hoodoo. I wish that the Buzzard family was brought in and explained a bit more. There was just too many gaps and unexplained things going on for me to be really drawn in.

I plan on giving Katie Crouch a second chance and reading the next book in the series. If it’s as mixed up and random as this one though, I won’t be reading on. All in all there was a great opportunity here and a great plot line, but there was just to many holes for me and too many “why” moments. I hope to see things explained and a more even flow in the rest of the series.

by Amy Fellner Dominy

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Synopsis: 

Jewish girl. Christian camp. Holy moley.

Ellie Taylor loves nothing better than a good argument. So when she gets accepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp, she’s sure that if she wins the final tournament, it’ll be her ticket to a scholarship to the best speech school in the country. Unfortunately, the competition at CSSPA is hot-literally. His name is Devon and, whether she likes it or not, being near him makes her sizzle. Luckily she’s confident enough to take on the challenge-until she begins to suspect that the private scholarship’s benefactor has negative feelings toward Jews. Will hiding her true identity and heritage be worth a shot at her dream?

OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy

Review by Me!

4 Squees/5 Squees

This book was a fairly simple read. It was a cute story about a Jewish girl going to a Christian day camp and her experience. I like that it dealt with prejudice and racism that is still happening in today’s society. It may not be as extreme as it used to be, but it still happens.

I like Ellie, the main character. She was a strong character who was dealing with herself and who she really was. Her strong-willed religious grandfather was an amazing character. I liked that he was very sure of who he was and very outspoken about what he felt. He was there to challenge Ellie and he did just that. I don’t know how I felt about Devon. He was an ok male lead, but I don’t feel like he was as strong as he could have been.

There was a good balance between the old way of thinking, the grandparents, and the new way, the kids. There was a definite obvious difference between how they both viewed religion and how they lived their lives. I like that it was so real to the way things are now. The older generations are more open to how they feel, while the younger ones are more worried about fitting in.

The ending to this one was obvious, but still great. I was proud of Ellie and I enjoyed watching her reach her decision and in doing so, become an independent person.

This whole story was very believable and I enjoyed it. I would have like to see more depth to Devon, but otherwise a great read for middle grade readers.

My husband and I are youth leaders at our church. We are raising money to send our kids to camp! We have a lot of kids and lots of money to raise. All donations are extremely helpful!

We have a Shoot-A-Thon coming up on the 22nd and I need sponsors! You can sponsor me per free throw I make, out of 50 or you can click the donate button below and sponsor me with a flate rate. The more sponsors we get, the more kids we can send to camp!

Thank you and God Bless!

by Eilis O’Neal

Publisher: Egmont USA

Synopsis: 

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia has led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when she learns, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city, her best friend, Kiernan, and the only life she’s ever known.

Sent to live with her only surviving relative, a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. Then she discovers that magic runs through her veins – long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control – and she realizes that she will never learn to be just a simple village girl.

Sinda returns to the city to seek answers. Instead, she rediscovers the boy who refused to forsake her, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor’s history, forever.

The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal

Review by Me!

5 Squees/5 Squees

So, I have to admit, when I finished the last page of this book, I sighed. OUT LOUD! It was that perfect of an ending.

I loved this book all the way from the beginning. It was such an interesting storyline and had so many interesting features. I was enthralled through the whole thing.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I was going to like this one. I actually put off reading it for quiet a while. I’ve had a hard time with books not set in modern times lately and I also didn’t really want to read a princess story. This is NOT a typical renaissance period princess and kingdom book. There is princesses and there is kingdoms, but it was so much more than that. Without giving anything away, you will be shocked by the twists and turns this book takes. I actually found myself yelling and gasping at certain points.

I adored Sinda, the false princess. She is a very strong character, though she doesn’t always believe it, and her personality is just amazing. I was humored by her and felt connected to her the whole time. There is romance mixed in too, but it isn’t overwhelming and will keep you very satisfied.

I loved the mystery in this too. I love that Eilis O’Neal wrote so many themes into this story that will draw in many types of readers. I was very pleased with this one and actually regret waiting so long to read it. Definitely Squee worthy!

by Megan Bostic

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Synopsis:

Austin Parker is on a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life.

Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go.

But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life. So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits every person in his life who touched him in a special way. He journeys to places he’s loved and those he’s never seen. And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin’s life.

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic

Review by Me!

First off, I didn’t give this one a squee rating because I didn’t feel that it was appropriate.  There is too much emotion and real life in this book to give it that sort of rating.

When I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I was going to have a hard time with it. This is definitely not one for the faint of heart and I would recommend having a box of tissues near by.

The pain and heartache that the characters go through is so intense that I found myself in tears throughout the whole thing. I also knew that sadder moments were coming, so I had to brace myself.

You will cry reading this. If you don’t, then I worry about you. Having experienced the death of loved ones, I’ve contemplated how I’d spend my last days. Austin did exactly what I would do if given the chance to know my time was up. The people he reaches out to and the changes he tries to make are strong and emotional. I knew right away there was going to be an emotional moment with Kaylee and it came for sure.

This was a tear jerker and hard read for me, but I recommend it. This book will make you think about the people in your life and the impact you have on them. You’ll feel pain, guilt and loss just like I did. I felt connected to Austin and Kaylee, which made the end so much harder to read. Being a avid YA reader, I’m used to so much fluff and happy stuff. This book is not the case. I wouldn’t recommend this one if you’re currently dealing with grief, but it is worth the read.