Thursday, June 22, 2017

First Line Friday: David and Goliath Edition



Happy First Line Friday!

In the wake of VBS ending recently, I myself feel so invigorated after a fun but tiring week and am ready to confront some things head-on that need to be taken care of. I found this gem recently at a local Christian bookstore and am ready to get started. It is non-fiction, of course, relying on the David and Goliath narrative to help us conquer our own giants by "fixing our eyes on the size of our God, not the size of our giant(s)".

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 "The king ducked his head, shuffled outside his tent, and stared at the far hill that lay just outside his war camp."

I'm sure, given the context, you can guess which king and war camp is being discussed.

Let me know what you think of the line, and/or leave a line of your own. Then, visit my fellow First-Liners to see what they have this week.


If you want to join in on First Line Friday, let Carrie know!

Happy Reading!
Sarah
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Thursday, June 8, 2017

First Line Friday: Chuck Klosterman Edition


Happy First Line Friday!

This week my line is from one of my most favorite authors who is not a historian. Shocker, right?? This author very much writes of the here and now...or sports/music/pop culture-related events within the last couple decades or so. Give or take. Really depends on the essay.

Chuck Klosterman is MY. FAVE. I absolutely love his humor and writing style; if you have not read anything by him, I definitely recommend starting now. He has written for SPIN, The A.V. Club, WaPo, GQ, and Grantland, among many others.

My line this week comes from:

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"What is the most villainous move on the market?"

If you are new to Chuck Klosterman, please allow me to make a few recommendations.

599 is by far my most favorite. Start here if you have never read anything else by him. I just lied to you, however, because 597 is actually tied for my most favorite. Both are excellent and I have read them multiple times. 6462010 was Klosterman's first foray into fiction and I loved it. He has another fictional work, 10373933, which I did not like nearly as well. If memory serves (and really, it doesn't. I had a baby almost four years ago and my memory is still shit), I really did not like the main character. I mean, you weren't supposed to, but I REALLY did not like him. I will probably have to revisit this one and see if my memories are correct. 6386555 is another one I do not feel as strongly about. I don't know why, and I probably need to reread it again, too. I really liked 690186 and 24476. I am also currently reading 27068734 and 33353952 in addition to Black Hat.

So, there you go. Several recommendations in one post. Choose one and enjoy. You're welcome.

Let me know what you think of the line, and/or leave a line of your own. Then, visit my fellow First-Liners to see what they have this week.


If you want to join in on First Line Friday, let Carrie know!

Happy Reading!
Sarah
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Cover Reveal: Hearts Are Like Balloons

Cover Reveal!

Hearts are Like Balloons 
by Candace Robinson


This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The cover is designed by Jenny Zemanek from Seedlings Online (http://www.seedlingsonline.com/)

Hearts are Like Balloons
By Candace Robinson
Genre: Contemporary
Age category: upper Young Adult
Release Date: June 30, 2017

Blurb:
May Falkner’s past two years have been a rough road. When her father suddenly passes away, May needs to find a job to help out her mom and regain some control over her life. Working at the bookstore helps her heal, laugh, and hope again. It also leads her to cross paths with Nico Evitts, who begins as just a co-worker, but becomes so much more

When it all becomes perfect, because there is no perfect, life steps in to prove once again that it all can crash down harder than before. This is a story about finding yourself, love, and the things in life that are still here.

Hearts are like balloons. Sometimes they inflate… Sometimes they deflate…

You can find Hearts are Like Balloons on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34807723-hearts-are-like-balloons

Pre-order your copy of Hearts are Like Balloons for only $0.99 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hearts-Like-Balloons-Candace-Robinson-ebook/dp/B0722ZHDMP/

About the Author:
Candace Robinson is just your average hemiplegic migraine sufferer. Her days are spent writing, book reviewing and traveling through books. She live just outside of Houston, Texas, where it feels like the hottest place on Earth with the crazy weather. No, seriously, one day it's 30 degrees and the next it's 70 degrees! She resides with her husband and daughter.

You can find and contact Candace here:
- Website: https://authorcandacerobinson.wordpress.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/literarydust
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/literarydust
- Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16541001.Candace_Robinson
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Candace-Robinson/e/B06XR7CB7Z/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literarydust/
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Thursday, June 1, 2017

First Line Friday: Magna Carta Edition


Happy First Line Friday! It is also my first Friday of freedom, as school and teacher meetings/work days are also DUNZO. I am looking forward to making more progress on my own writing projects, but even more so to having a lot of awesome time with my baby girl. We have very busy summers filled with camps and museums and of course trips to the library.

This week's line is from a book I really like, by an author you may have seen me mention once or twice. 

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If you are either unsure what Magna Carta is or why it actually matters, definitely give this one a read. You might be surprised that what you thought you knew about this document is not entirely accurate. Jones does a fantastic job explaining the true meaning of it; you won't be disappointed.

"Eight hundred years after it was first granted beneath the trees of Runnymeade, by the fertile banks of the river Thames, the Magna Carta is more famous than ever. This is strange."

Just why it is strange is something you will have to find out for yourself!

Let me know what you think of this line, and/or leave a line of your own. Then, visit my fellow First-Liners to see what they have this week.


If you want to join in on First Line Friday, let Carrie know!

Happy Reading!
Sarah
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Monday, May 29, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there's a new topic and who doesn't love making lists? It's also a fun way to meet other book bloggers and find new books to add to that ever-unwieldy TBR list.

I am super excited about this one because it is all about future releases that I can't wait to get my hands on. Seriously, I am practically dying over here.


May 30: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books for the Second Half of 2017

While you will find a far shorter list than usual, I am so very psyched to read all four of them. Here they are, in order by release date.

Seriously. Dying.

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Publication Date: May 17th

I am kind of cheating a little with this one because it was actually just released here in the US, in what is still the first half of 2017. But you may know by now I tend to bend the rules a lot so, you're welcome. I know my fair share about Alfred the Great, but know much less about his children. Once again, my little Eleanor is lucky I discovered Eleanor of Aquitaine before Boudicca, or now Aethelflaed.



Publication Date: September 1st (UK)

(The author has informed me that while there is not yet a US date set, it will be released here eventually. In the meantime, he did also let me know that The Book Depository does FREE worldwide shipping, so...)

I always enjoy a good argument for whether or not Richard III ordered his nephews to be murdered. I used to unequivocally believe that yes he was the culprit. I still believe so, but now am much more open-minded about other possibilities. This book explores not the death of the princes, but the possible LIFE they might have had instead. What if they were not murdered at all, but managed to survive both the fall of the Plantagenets and rise of the Tudors?


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Publication Date: September 7th (UK), September 19th (US)

Duh.

My stomach does flip-flops just thinking about this one. I had to include both covers here, as I prefer the UK one (left) to the US one. I. CAN'T. WAIT. I am especially looking forward to it because there seems to be so much utter garbage popping up lately AGAIN about the so-called Templar caves and other rubbish. Hopefully people pick this one up to help them differentiate between fact and fiction.


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Publication date: August 15th (UK), November 1st (US)

I just stumbled across this one by accident and am so glad I did. While I have a pretty good knowledge base about Henry VII, I don't know nearly as much as I'd like to about his mother, father, and uncles - or any of his extended family.

What books are you most excited for? Let me know what you think of my choices and leave me a link to your TTT as well.

Happy Reading!
Sarah
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Friday, May 26, 2017

First Line Friday - Bannockburn Edition



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Happy First Line Friday and last day of school!

I am super late in posting this, but here it is now, short and sweet and a line from a book about a battle fought in a country I love so dearly.

"2014 sees the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, one of the few events that genuinely changed the direction of Scotland's history. Its outcome was far from inevitable, indeed it was a remarkably unlikely victory."

Let me know what you think of this line, and/or leave a line of your own. Then, visit my fellow First-Liners to see what they have this week.


Happy Reading!
Sarah
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Thursday, May 18, 2017

First Line Friday - Picture Book Edition


Happy First Line Friday. I am so very excited for the book I am sharing this week, because though it is not about Eleanor of Aquitaine, it is about another Mighty Girl who I absolutely adore.

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Not only do I adore Ruth Bader Ginsburg - or Notorious RBG, as I like to call her - but here is a book that I can use to introduce her to my own Mighty Girl. Here is the first line(S):

"You could say that Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life has been one disagreement after another...Disagreement with creaky old ideas. With unfairness. With inequality. Ruth has disagreed, disapproved, and differed. She has objected. She has resisted. She has dissented. Disagreeable? No. Determined? Yes. This is how Ruth Bader Ginsburg changed her life - and ours."


Notorious RBG, please live forever.

Let me know what you think of this line, and/or leave a line of your own. Then, visit my fellow First-Liners to see what they have this week.


Rachel - Bookworm Mama




Lauraine - Lauraine's Notes

Andi - Radiant Light


Robin - Robin's Nest


Kathleen - Kathleen Denly



Jeanette - CJaneReads


Molly - Molly's Cafinated Reads (Disclaimer: purposeful misspelling)

Happy Reading!
Sarah
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