"Dandelion Summer" by Lisa Wingate
"All her life, Epiphany Jones has been tossed like a dandelion seed on the wind. Now, with the death of Mrs. Lora - the family friend who took Epie into her home - the sixteen-year-old must move to Dallas to live with her indifferent mother and new stepfather. Trapped in the low-rent area of Blue Sky Hill, Epie doesn't fit in - and soon finds herself on the wrong side of the law. To make restitution, she's sent to work in another place she's not wanted: a home on the upscale streets of the Hill.
When J. Norman Alvord learns that his daughter has hired a teenager to stay with him in the afternoons, he's determined to nix the arrangement. Widowed and suffering from heart trouble, Norman wants to be left alone. But in Epie's presence, Norman finds a mystery. Deep in his mind lie memories of another house, another life, and a young black woman, a housekeeper, who saved him...
As summer comes to Blue Sky Hill, two residents from different worlds will journey through a turbulent past and find that with an unexpected road trip through sleepy Southern towns come a life-changing friendship... and the clues to a family secret hidden for a lifetime."
I really enjoyed the twists and turns of this book. On the second chapter, I was a little lost until I realized that the book moves from Norman's first person view to Epiphany's first person view. Once that was established, it was smooth sailing. It was interesting to see the type of relationship Norm and his daughter had. It was equally interesting to see the relationship between Epie and her mom. I love mysteries and this was a unique way of twisting real life with unanswered questions and clues. A++ is my rating!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Book Review: SPIRAL
"Spiral" by Paul McEuen
"In this Riveting debut thriller by one of the leading researchers in nanoscience, the race is on to stop the devastating proliferation of the ultimate bio weapon.
When Nobel laureate Liam Connor is found dead at the bottom of one of Ithaca, New York's famous gorges, his research collaborator, Cornell professor of nanoscience Jake Sterling, refuses to believe it was suicide. Why would one of the world's most eminent biologists, an eighty-six-year-old man in good health who survived some of the darkest days of the second World War, have chosen to throw himself off a bridge? And who was the mysterious woman caught on camera at the scene? Soon it becomes clear that a cache of supersophisticated nanorobots - each the size of a spider - has disappeared from the dead man's laboratory.
Stunned by grief, Jake, Liam's granddaughter, Maggie and Maggie's nine-year-old son, Dylan, try to put the pieces together. They uncover ingeniously coded messages Liam left behind pointing toward a devastating secret he gleaned off the shores of war-ravaged Japan and carried for more than sixty years.
What begins as a quest of answers soon leads to a horrifying series of revelations at the crossroads of biological warfare and nanoscience. At this dangerous intersection, a skilled and sadistic assassin, an infamous Japanese war criminal, and a ruthless US government official are all players in a harrowing game of power, treachery and intrigue - a game whose winner will hold the world's fate literally in the palm of his hand."
I joined a book clue! Can you tell by the type of book this it? It isn't my typical read; however I did find it very interesting and sort of cool to read. It talked alot about science and DNA. Transforming DNA strands to make a 'new' thing. The book was very unpredictable. I didn't read the above excerpt before I read the book. So I was very surprised to see that Liam got killed so soon into the book and even MORE surprised at how it happened. I suggest this book to all!
"In this Riveting debut thriller by one of the leading researchers in nanoscience, the race is on to stop the devastating proliferation of the ultimate bio weapon.
When Nobel laureate Liam Connor is found dead at the bottom of one of Ithaca, New York's famous gorges, his research collaborator, Cornell professor of nanoscience Jake Sterling, refuses to believe it was suicide. Why would one of the world's most eminent biologists, an eighty-six-year-old man in good health who survived some of the darkest days of the second World War, have chosen to throw himself off a bridge? And who was the mysterious woman caught on camera at the scene? Soon it becomes clear that a cache of supersophisticated nanorobots - each the size of a spider - has disappeared from the dead man's laboratory.
Stunned by grief, Jake, Liam's granddaughter, Maggie and Maggie's nine-year-old son, Dylan, try to put the pieces together. They uncover ingeniously coded messages Liam left behind pointing toward a devastating secret he gleaned off the shores of war-ravaged Japan and carried for more than sixty years.
What begins as a quest of answers soon leads to a horrifying series of revelations at the crossroads of biological warfare and nanoscience. At this dangerous intersection, a skilled and sadistic assassin, an infamous Japanese war criminal, and a ruthless US government official are all players in a harrowing game of power, treachery and intrigue - a game whose winner will hold the world's fate literally in the palm of his hand."
I joined a book clue! Can you tell by the type of book this it? It isn't my typical read; however I did find it very interesting and sort of cool to read. It talked alot about science and DNA. Transforming DNA strands to make a 'new' thing. The book was very unpredictable. I didn't read the above excerpt before I read the book. So I was very surprised to see that Liam got killed so soon into the book and even MORE surprised at how it happened. I suggest this book to all!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Make Your Life Goals Happen
"What does it take to reach those important goals in life? Simply put, it takes active daily involvement specifically focused on the mission at hand. In short, getting what you want out of life demands daily strategic action toward that objective. The link between what you want and what you do is critical to getting things done. Let me offer you a simple example:
If you place a pen on a table and then slowly push it with your finger to the edge of the table, what will happen to the pen? It will fall to the floor of course. Why? Because you’ve done everything necessary for that to happen. This leads me to today’s reflection. Are you doing everything necessary to make your life goals happen? If not, today’s the perfect day to increase your active involvement. If you don’t, it will never get done! What you do determines what you get.
Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare"
Love this article... simple and to the point!
If you place a pen on a table and then slowly push it with your finger to the edge of the table, what will happen to the pen? It will fall to the floor of course. Why? Because you’ve done everything necessary for that to happen. This leads me to today’s reflection. Are you doing everything necessary to make your life goals happen? If not, today’s the perfect day to increase your active involvement. If you don’t, it will never get done! What you do determines what you get.
Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare"
Love this article... simple and to the point!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
What is in a word???
com·pla·cent [kuhm-pley-suhnt]
adjective
1.
pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied: The voters are too complacent to change the government.
2.
pleasant; complaisant.
Now excuse me if I am misunderstanding this term. I was thinking this word meant more like.... resigned to the situation... no real feelings. I guess I need another word to mean that.
adjective
1.
pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied: The voters are too complacent to change the government.
2.
pleasant; complaisant.
Now excuse me if I am misunderstanding this term. I was thinking this word meant more like.... resigned to the situation... no real feelings. I guess I need another word to mean that.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Book Review
"Call Me Irresistible" by Susan E Phillips
"R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year.. Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former United States president. Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.
One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible - Ted Beaudine - the favorite son of Wynette, Tx. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache.
But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say "I don't." Meg becomes the most hated woman in town - a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom. Broke, stranded and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all..."
I really could not get enough of this book. It had so many twists in it, you never knew what to think about any of the characters. It was a great read. Not a book I would keep at home, considering it's love scenes, though. Never the less, an awesome book that I do recommend. Ted is adorable and frustrating at the same time and I felt myself relating to Meg's troubles.
"R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year.. Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former United States president. Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.
One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible - Ted Beaudine - the favorite son of Wynette, Tx. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache.
But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say "I don't." Meg becomes the most hated woman in town - a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom. Broke, stranded and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all..."
I really could not get enough of this book. It had so many twists in it, you never knew what to think about any of the characters. It was a great read. Not a book I would keep at home, considering it's love scenes, though. Never the less, an awesome book that I do recommend. Ted is adorable and frustrating at the same time and I felt myself relating to Meg's troubles.
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