Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Clash of the Titles - Vote on Recognized Pairs

Your Clash Hostess:  Gail Pallotta


Clash of the Titles has a great selection of books in our give away this week. Shelley Adina will donate a copy of Lady of Devices, Keven Newsome offers a choice between a signed print copy of Winter OR two e-books, one of Winter and one of Aquasynthesis. James Rubart gives away a copy of The Chair
Wow! Vote in order to enter. You'll find the voting box below. You can also leave a comment on any COTT post or on our Facebook page. Multiple entries encouraged!


Many times we hear a word or phrase and another comes to mind. The two go together so well we can’t think of one without recalling the other. Some easily recognized pairs come from life experiences, others from songs, books or movies.


Here are a few to complete just for fun.
A  song:  “Love and Marriage.”
“Love and marriage, love and marriage go together like a  _____ and _____.”  According to Wikipedia, this tune was introduced by Frank Sinatra in the 1955 television rendition of “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. It aired on Producers Showcase.
Something we eat.Hot apple pie and ____ _____. No one eats apple pie without it, do they?
Movie stars often cast together: Doris Day and _____ ______.
Three of their 1962 movies, “Pillow Talk,” “ Lover Come Back” and “Send Me No Flowers,” are available today in a romance collection.
From Books and Television:
The Hardy Boys / _____ ______. This series was based on two series published by Edward Stratemeyer.
A heroine in a book. Her name is in the title. ______ of Green Gables. This book was published in 1908 by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Originally written for all ages, recently it’s been considered a  children’s book. Since publication it’s sold 50 million copies, and is taught to students  worldwide. It’s been adapted to film, television and stage.
The prey in a tale of the sea.  Captain Ahab and the great white_____. Published in 1851 by Herman Melville, this is  one of the great American novels. It tells the story of Ishmael, a sailor on a ship named  Pequod.
A character in a novel.  Miss Scarlett in _____ _____ ___ _____. Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer prize for the  novel in 1936. The movie, considered a classic epic film today, premiered in 1939.


Answers: 1. Horse, carriage  2. Ice cream  3. Rock Hudson  4. Nancy Drew  5. Anne 6. Whale  7. Gone with the Wind


That was fun. Now vote for your pick in the cover and book blurb Clash.
When we read the blurbs, do the images on the front of the books come to mind and vice versa? If so, which of these go together best? Later when you think of what the book blurb has to say, will you see the cover in your mind’s eye?   


Please vote for one.
Cover and Blurb A
We're all freaks. It's just a matter of perspective. 
Winter Maessen didn’t ask for the gift of prophecy. She’s happy being a freak – but now everyone thinks she’s crazy. Or evil. Goths aren’t all the same, you know. Some are Christians…
Christians to whom God sends visions.
Students at her university are being attacked, and Winter knows there’s more than flesh and blood at work. Her gift means she’s the only one who can stop it – but at what price?


Cover and Blurb B

                                                               
London, 1889. Victoria is Queen. Charles Darwin’s son is Prime Minister. And steam is the power that runs the world.
At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire’s talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head.
It’s not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices . . .
When she meets Andrew Malvern, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents may encompass more than the invention of explosive devices. They may help her realize her dreams and his . . . if they can both stay alive long enough to see that sometimes the closest friendships can trigger the greatest betrayals . . .
Cover and Blurb C
                                                  
If someone gave you a chair and said it was made by Jesus Christ, would you believe them?
When an elderly lady shows up in Corin Roscoe's antiques store and gives him a chair she claims was crafted by Jesus, he scoffs. But when a young boy is miraculously healed two days after sitting in the chair, he stops laughing and starts wondering . . . could this chair heal the person whose life Corin destroyed twelve years ago?
As word spreads of the boy's healing, a mega-church pastor is determined to manipulate Corin into turning over the chair. And that mysterious woman who gave him the piece flits in and out of his life like a shadow, insinuating it's Corin’s destiny to guard the chair above everything else. But why?
Desperate, he turns to the one person he can trust, a college history professor who knows more about the legend of the chair than he'll reveal. Corin's life shatters as he searches for the truth about the artifact and the unexplained phenomena surrounding it. What’s more, he's not the only one willing do almost anything to possess the power seemingly connected to the chair.


Please vote below, and don't forget to enter to win one of these great books.


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Saturday, April 7, 2012

CarryUsOffBooks Presents MY CLEAREST ME by Gueh Yanting Claudine

        


'My Clearest Me' is a children's picture book on self-discovery, understanding and personal heroism. When Wynn overhears his teacher saying that he is very quiet, and that he might have no friends or let Dreams pass, the six-year-old wonders if he ought to be a different boy to fit the crowd.


Wynn climbs out of his room into the big night-world, and asks the stars and Moon if they have ever felt the need to be 'amongst the crowd, the rowdy heap?'


The night sky creatures send their opinions and advice to being one's clearest self. Wynn likes it, but worries that other children might not like his clearest self. So he tries to join them in making loud music ...


Will he be able to make friends with his clearest self? Will this quiet boy let his dreams pass? What if one of his biggest dreams is to play in the crazy circus? Will he fit?


Wynn's journey is written in rhymes and accompanied by brilliant paintings. Children aged 5-8 will love exploring his introverted yet bold world.





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Age 4 & up (Read-together); Age 5-8 (Read-alone)
Or a child of any age on a self-acceptance journey.


Picture
CarryUsOff Books



Author Gueh Yanting, Claudine


We dream of making beautiful books for children:
books of stories and art that inspire a spirit for imagination and adventures,
and love for love, heroism, honesty and humour in our culture.


As of now, we have an excellent series of ABC books and learning cards for children between ages 2-4, and we are working on coming up with more books of stirring Stories and Art.


If you like our books and cards, please help us spread the word, and support us to go on
to our next book,
our next story,
our next mad dream!


We'd love to have you on our mailing list and Facebook.


My Thoughts


This book is about self-acceptance.  Wynn a sweet six year old boy overhears his teacher say he is quiet and does not fit in with the other children.  So he goes on an emotional journey to discover himself.  He tries to figure out how he can fit in with the noisy rowdy classmates.  Maybe, just maybe he can join in on their games and still be himself.  I feel as if the story shows instead of him being traumatized by the comments made about him he analyzed his situation and overcame with flying colors.


This was a touching story about learning to fit in with the world but yet remain  true to yourself. The illustrations clarified the story of this child's journey into the world of his peers.  I loved this story. 


 Some of us are just introverts.  I don't think it means we have some disability.  It just means we are big thinkers.  We can learn a lot about ourselves by interacting with others.   It doesn't have to mean we loose who we are.   


I highly recommend this book.


I rated this book

Disclosure
I received a purchased a copy of this ebook for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review it is my own opinion.


Thursday, April 5, 2012

Treated Myself To A Few Trilogies

I decided to share with you some Trilogies
 I bought for myself.  

I don't know when I will get to read them 
but I am sure all of you avid readers
understand where I am coming from.  

Does hoarding sound familiar? 

These are in print I have even more
 for my ereader  ;o)

A Stitch In Time   Promise Brides

Charles Towne Belles Trilogy   Texas Fortunes Trilogy

Sagebrush Brides: Love Rules the Ranch in Four Complete Novels   Rekindled/Revealed/Remembered (Fountain Creek Chronicles 1-3)

Wish me luck reading all of them this year 
or next according to my schedule.

What are you hoping to read this year
 that is not on your schedule?

DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Review: Hope of Refuge (Ada's House series #1) by Cindy Woodsmall

About Cindy

Cindy Woodsmall is a veteran homeschool mom. As her children progressed in age, her desire to write grew stronger. After working through reservations whether this desire was something she should pursue, she began her writing journey. Her husband was her staunchest supporter as she aimed for what seemed impossible.

Her first novel released in 2006 to much acclaim and became a Christian Book Association best seller. Cindy was a 2007 ECPA Christian Book Award finalist, along with Karen Kingsbury, Angela Hunt, and Charles Martin.

Her lastest book, When the Morning Comes, hit the New York Times best-sellers extended list and the Christian Book Association best-sellers list.

Cindy’s real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families enrich her novels with authenticity.




The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall (Chapter 1)




About Book

Published August 11th 2009 by WaterBrook Press
ISBN 1400073960 (ISBN13: 9781400073962)
series Ada's House #1
literary awards Christy Award Nominee for Contemporary Series, Sequels, and Novellas (2010)

Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life.

Completely opposite of the hard, untrusting Cara, Ephraim’s sister Deborah also finds her dreams crumbling when the man she has pledged to build a life with begins withdrawing from Deborah and his community, including his mother, Ada Stoltzfus. Can the run-down house that Ada envisions transforming unite them toward a common purpose–or push Mahlon away forever? While Ephraim is trying to do what he believes is right, will he be shunned and lose everything–including the guarded single mother who simply longs for a better life?




My Thoughts

This is the second time I have read this book.  I am sharing my review from the first time I read the book.

This is book one of three from the Ada's House Series about an Amish community.


Cara was abandoned as a child after the death of her mother and ended up in foster care. She never stopped searching for answers to her past. She blamed God as so many people do when her prayers are not answered according to their wishes. God has a plan and it is sometimes hard to reason with the path He chooses for us. When Cara was a little girl she decided there must not be a God because He didn't seem to here her prayers.


Cara is a young widow with a little girl named Lori. Cara has had to jumped from one place to another to get away from a stalker of her youth. She is forced by fear to find a safe place for her child and takes off, with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a backpack, to search for her a place she only remembers in bits and pieces. It is a happy safe place from her early childhood memories and of playing with a sweet young boy. She tends to wonder if it isn't just a figment of her imagination. She finds this place which is an Amish community and she is not wanted there. One person, Ephraim, stands up for her and helps her to find her answers only to jeopardize his standing in the Amish community.


It touched my heart reading about this pour young woman trying to find a safe place for her and her child. If you believe in God's will, for your life and following the path He sets before us, you will enjoy this book.


I highly recommend this book


I give this book a 5 out of 5.


Disclosure:
I purchased this book for my personal reading pleasure. In no way was I compensated for this review. This review is my own opinion.