Quotes for Book Lovers (a Sunday post by Lexi)

Hello, Readers!!!

Today's post consists of quotes that us book lovers understand and love! So here we go...

Hope you liked these!!!!!

Till next time!!!

XOXO,

Lexi

"Faking Faith" (a religious review by Lexi)

Dear Readers,

Hello again! If you're new to this blog, welcome! You're all already our blog family once you clicked on any of our links!

Today's book is Faking Faith by Josie Bloss.

Summary: "Dylan Mahoney is living one big unholy lie.

Thanks to a humiliating and painfully public sexting incident, Dylan has become the social pariah at her suburban Chicago high school. She's ignored by everyone--when she's not being taunted--and estranged from her two best friends. So when Dylan discovers the blogs of homeschooled fundamentalist Christian girls, she's immediately drawn into their fascinating world of hope chests, chaperoned courtships, and wifely submission.Blogging as Faith, her devout and wholesome alter ego, Dylan befriends Abigail, the online group's queen bee. After staying with Abigail and her family for a few days, Dylan begins to grow closer to Abigail (and her intriguingly complicated older brother). Soon, Dylan is forced to choose: keep living a lie . . . or come clean and face the consequences." (Thanks, Goodreads!!!)

This book was very interesting! It was slow in one part, but mostly it was wonderful! I was into the book, not believing that there are families out there, girls out there, that were like the ones in the book. It made me feel very thankful for the friends and family I have.

The characters were whole with great background stories, and this book was completely believable. I loved how Dylan made a new persona and got to live a whole new life, because I know that, at one point or another, we've all wanted to do that. Her making it up after the big "uh-oh" in her life was understandable, as was her new obsession with certain blogs. Faith was the perfect new person to invent, and visiting Abigail was just what she needed in her life.

As for the ending, it was superb.

In Conclusion & Suggestions: Read it, especially if you've ever dreamt of a new life, and/or you want an inside look into a family like the Duggars (but even stricter and no acceptance). You'll end up comparing your life to the ones in the book, and you'll also compare both of the girls' lives, coming to conclusions on which aspects are good and which aren't. I recommend reading this on any day, really. It's a good, fast read!


Rating:

4.5/5 crosses


Till next time!

XOXO,
Lexi

"Reasons My Kid Is Crying" (a silly Lexi review)

Hello, Readers,

Today's book is amazing! It's based on a blog that a dad started, and it's great, so let's get on with it! It's Reasons My Kid Is Crying by Greg Pembroke.

Summary: "It all started when busy father Greg Pembroke posted a few pictures online of his three-year-old son, mid-tantrum, alongside the reason his son was crying: He had broken his bit of cheese in half. In Reasons My Kid is Crying, Greg collects together photos sent from parents around the world, documenting the many, completely logical reasons why small children cry.  Among them: “I let him play on the grass” . . . “He ran out of toys to throw into his pool” . . . “The neighbor’s dog isn’t outside”.  The result is both an affectionate portrait of the universal, baffling logic of toddlers—and a reminder for burned-out parents everywhere that they are not alone." (Thank you, Goodreads!!!)

This book was great! It kept me and my family laughing for awhile. Looking at each picture and seeing how toddlers are reacting to little things may be scary for those who don't have kids or have one on the way, but it's still hilarious. I can't say anything else, because it's just great. I'm speechless.

Rating:

5/5 screaming kids


Till next time!

XOXO,

Lexi

"Memento Nora" (a memorable Lexi review)

Our Dear Readers,

Today's novel was one that I read in physical form after my Nook crashed. (I now am using an old one of my mom's, and planning on getting an iPad mini...) It was the only novel that could catch my attention, and I finished it rather quickly. It's Memento Nora by Angie Smibert.

Summary: "On an otherwise glossy day, a blast goes off and a body thuds to the ground at Nora's feet. There are terrorist attacks in the city all the time, but Nora can't forget.

In Nora's world you don't have to put up with nightmares. Nora goes with her mother to TFC--a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic. There, she can describe her horrible memory and take a pill to erase it so she can go onlike nothing ever happened. But at TFC a chance encounter with a mysterious guy changes Nora's life. She doesn't take the pill. And when Nora learns the memory her mother has chosen to forget, she realizes that someone needs to remember.With newfound friends Micah and Winter, Nora makes a comic book of their memories called Memento. Memento is an instant hit, but it sets off a dangerous chain of events. Will Nora, Micah, and Winter be forced to take the Big Pill that will erase their memories forever?" (Thanks, Goodreads!!!)

This novel was action-packed as well as heartfelt. It was a novel that I picked up at Half Price Books on a whim, and am so glad that I did!!! So the characters are very realistic and complex. I love their back stories and how they were introduced. The TFC was so realistic that I figure that it's a matter of time before it truly happens. I love the storyline, how every character truly develops into their own selves through help from eachother. I also love the ending, and I hope you guys do as well! If you like novels that cross over a few genres and are just good books, read this one!!!

In Conclusion: Read it!!!!! (Especially if you're into realistic dystopian-ish novels.)


Rating:

5/5 comic pages

Till next time!


XOXO,

Lexi

Real Names for Imaginary Friends: How Hence Got His Name by April Lindner (A SUPER SPECIAL GUEST POST!!!!!!!!)

Real Names for Imaginary Friends: How Hence Got His Name

I get asked a lot about “Hence,” the name I gave to the moody, rough-around-the-edges guitarist Catherine falls in love with in my novel Catherine.  Where did the name come from?  Since the novel draws inspiration from Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, why didn’t I simply name the male lead Heathcliff or, at least, Heath?  Is anybody in the world really named Hence? 

Well, the answer’s a bit embarrassing, because it reveals two things: how old I am and how weird I am. 

Back in the dark days before the Internet, I used to read the phonebook for fun.  Remember phonebooks?  They don’t really exist anymore…or at least I haven’t seen one in years.  But back when a thick copy of the White Pages landed on my doorstep, I would amuse myself by leafing through it for interesting names.  When I found a name I liked, I would jot it down, reasoning that someday when my son got a little older I might find the time to write fiction, and when that day came I would need good character names.

One day while browsing through the Cincinnati phonebook, I stumbled across a listing for Hence and Velva Eversole, and fell in love with their quirky, musical names.  I imagined they might be brother and sister, never married, or maybe living together after their spouses died.  I pictured Hence as a big middle-aged guy in overalls and Velva as a sweet-faced woman in a housedress.  I thought they might be from a small Ohio town but for one reason or another they had been transplanted to the big city where they were more than a little bit homesick.  I vowed I would write about them someday, but I never did.

Still, when the Cincinnati phonebook made its annual appearance on my doorstep, I would always look up Hence and Velva.  One year, Hence’s name disappeared and my heart broke for poor lonely Velva.  I moved away from Cincinnati, but I never forgot them.  And when I was working on Catherine, I thought of Hence and Velva, my old imaginary friends.

First, I needed a last name for Catherine.  Inspired by Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights, she’s beautiful, confident, impetuous, romantic, and a bit self-centered—the kind of girl who could inspire a love beyond reason.  What name could have suited her better than Eversole?  Change a couple of letters and you’ve got Eversoul—with its suggestion of eternity and soulfulness and maybe even of ghosts.  Eversole even starts with an E—like Earnshaw—and something about that satisfied the superstitious side of my personality.

Next, I needed a name for the boy Catherine loves.  Intense and brooding, with a past so brutal he refuses to speak of it, he reinvents himself by running away to New York City—to the front door of The Underground, the legendary nightclub owned by Catherine’s father.  Like Heathcliff, and like the rockstar he hopes to become, my character would go by a single name: Hence.  A little Googling taught me that the name is sometimes short for Henry…or maybe Henderson.  It’s a rare name, and probably mostly a rural one, which suited my character’s small-town past.  And it even starts with “H”—like Heathcliff. 

Sure, I could have named my character Heathcliff or Heath.  But I couldn’t resist the chance to name check my old imaginary friend Hence Eversole.  And some day, when the right character comes along, I hope to pay tribute to Velva as well.

Odd Holidays (a random Lexi post)

Hey, Readers!!!

Since I lost the books I was going to review, I've decided to go for a fun, random post!

Today's is all about this month's holidays! I chose a few fun ones to celebrate this week!

August:

• Admit You're Happy Month
• Family Fun Month
• National Catfish Month
• National Eye Exam Month
• National Golf Month
• Peach Month
• Romance Awareness Month
• Water Quality Month
• National Picnic Month

Weeks:

• One - National Simplify Your Life Week
• Two - National Smile Week
• Three - Friendship Week
• Four - Be Kind to Humankind Week

Upcoming Holidays:

• 9th - Book Lover's Day (This one's for us!!!)
• 10th - Lazy Day (YES!!!)
• 11th - Presidential Joke Day (So, so many...), Son & Daughter Day
• 12th - Middle Child's Day (Yay for me! lol)
• 15th - Relaxation Day (I'm good with this one.)
• 16th - National Tell A Joke Day
• 17th - National Thriftshop Day ("I wear your granddad's clothes, I look incredible...")
• 18th - Bad Poetry Day
• 20th - National Radio Day
• 22nd - Be An Angel Day, National Tooth Fairy Day
• 23rd - Ride the Wind Day ("I will run, I will fly, chase the wind, and touch the sky..." - Disney's "Brave")
• 24th - Vesuvius Day (Build a volcano!!!)
• 25th - Kiss & Make Up Day (*smooch*)
• 26th - National Dog Day, Women's Equality Day (I'm not liking that they're on the same day, lol)
• 27th - Global Forgiveness Day
• 28th - Race Your Mouse Day (Seriously???)
• 30th - Frankenstein Day (Build a human, maybe?), Toasted Marshmallow Day (A human made of marshmallows?)
• 31st - National Trail Mix Day (lots of M'n'Ms? Maybe cashews and candy corn? lol)

Have fun celebrating!!!

Till next time!

XOXO,
Lexi

"Just My Typo" (a grammar nazi review by Lexi)

Hey, our awesome readers,

Yeah, I've been gone for awhile. Between working and trying to find another job, it's been insanity. Then, my Nook crashed on me, which means I lost over 4,000 books. Yeah. I cried. But my mom can't use hers (eye problems), so I'm borrowing it until I decide whether or not I need to buy another Nook or go with a mini iPad. (If you have any suggestions, please comment or contact me.)

However, by August 25th, I start a new job (I get to be a nanny again!!! YAY!!!). This one has more flexibility, so while the little one naps, I'll be blogging (and searching for a job in my field). Then, I'll get to be off on weekends again, so that means even more time to blog!!! I'm so excited, and I hope you guys are, too! I PROMISE I'll be on here tons more.

Okay, so today's book is hilarious. I got through it all quickly, and had to share with my family (even though I'm the only grammar freak in this household). It's Just My Typo by Drummond Moir.

Summary: "From the sublime to the ridiculous, Just My Typo is a hilarious collection of typographical errors, slips of the pen and embarrassing misprints which, like any typo of any kind, should never have happened, cannot be excused, and must not in any way be glorified. Enjoy." (Thank you, Goodreads!!!)


Are you a grammar chick (or dude), like me? Do you hate it when people cannot spell, or maybe when they forget to pronounce the "r"s in "February" and "library"? I totally do. (If you do, don't tell those close to you, or they'll do it to annoy the crap out of you, lol.) Maybe you just like hilarious books? In any way, this book of funny typos and poor use of punctuation will make you belly laugh until you can't stand it anymore.

I have many favorites, one of them being from the UK's Evening Gazette "'They have been suggesting that for some time. It's all rubbish It's fiction.' His comments followed claims that the Prince has been secretly Mrs. Parker-Bowles for more than a decade, and as often as once a week." LMAO!!!

In Conclusion: Read this if you need a good laugh!

Rating:

5/5 grammar mess-ups


Till next time!!!

XOXO,
Lexi