I’m a little late on this one, so I’m going to post a little blurb and link some reviews for you. I haven’t had time to sit down and really read this book, and I want to read and review it fairly. I started it and am enjoying it. I have to say that the cover is BEAUTIFUL.
A mother who cannot face her future. A daughter who cannot escape her past. A timeless tale of loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland. Here Burns My Candle is based on the beloved Old Testament book of Ruth.
Here Burns My Candle got four- and five-star reviews on goodreads and amazon.
Look for my review soon.
I have one (1) copy of Here Burns My Candle up for grabs!
Rules:
USA only, no P.O. Boxes
runs March 31-April 30
I don’t e-mail winners, so become a follower or bookmark the link and check back. with that in mind, don’t leave your e-mail address. I mean, you can, I won’t delete your entry, but I won’t e-mail you either.
Leave a comment telling me what your favorite story in the Bible is. If you don’t know any Bible stories (????)….. look one up!
Thanks to Sarah at Pocketbooks, I have one (1) copy of Tempt Me If You Can by Janet Chapman to give away!
This sequel to THE MAN MUST MARRY features Ben Sinclair as he falls for a woman he never expected to love--and the son he never knew he had.
HE'LL PLAY BY HER RULES UNTIL SHE FALLS FOR HIM...HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER. When an anonymous letter stuns shipping magnate and confirmed bachelor Ben Sinclair with the news that he has a teenage son, he's determined to make good on the past. But Emma Sands doesn't trust him. The beautiful, fiery blonde has raised her nephew in the peaceful woods of Maine since he was five, and just because fifteen-year-old Michael is the spitting image of his tall, handsome father doesn't give Ben the right to march in and change their lives forever. Or so she thinks, until his return mysteriously unearths a dangerous small-town secret. With Michael's help, Ben will do whatever it takes to prove to fiercely independent Emma that he can be the fearless protector she never knew she wanted...and the passionate lover she always thought she could resist.
(Look for a review soon)
Rules:
USA Only, no P.O. Boxes
Fill out the form below or click here to fill out the same form.
I don’t e-mail winners, so become a follower or bookmark this link
I’m sorry. I’ve been busy. School is more important than blogging (much to my dismay) so my reviews have been few. But I’ll be back up once I get some of these darn tests done and essays written…
Nothing happened the first week. Sorry to disappoint. :[ Which is one of the reasons I didn’t do this post last Monday, I just combined two weeks.
Except that I realized that I can go to prom because I don’t have to buy a dress (and I can use the dress money for the ticket :D) because I already have one.
Here’s a (really craptastic) photo.
You can’t tell but it’s light leaf-apple-ish-green. I wore it to Easter Sunday last year…… got it at Twice As Nice :D only I put straps on it last year for church.
(Last year’s photo. Same dress. better example of the color ;) Now if only I would learn to STAND UP STRAIGHT HALEY!
Yesterday I went to Campbell University to visit :) Because that’s where I’m going. I also got to hang with Lanelle, Brooke, and Ian, my biological siblings. It was a blast!
On to better things.
Reviewed last 2 weeks: not much. had a busy week with school. Hence no funny stories.
This week I’ll read/review: (more than this if I can)
An Absence So Great
14 Days to Midnight
Tempt me if you Can
Here Burns my Candle
Received for review the past two weeks—don’t freak out on me thinking these all came at once! haha
The Caliphate
The Bridge: Between “Cell Block A” and a “miracle” is Psalm 91
In Plain Sight
Maid of Murder
13 Days to Midnight
The Life of Glass (reviewed)
This Little Prayer of Mine
Color by Kristin
60 Quick Knits
Hattitude
Imortalis, Carpe Noctem
Baily’s Day
The Bridegrooms
Bought, goodwill, or swapped (Library Book Sale!)
Boy Meets Girl
For Women Only
Portraits: dancing through fire
the complete works of Sherlock Holmes
Wuthering Heights (1947 edition!)
Lost in a good book
The House next Door
Spycatcher
First Daughter
Pretty Little Mistakes
Guilty Pleasures
High Fidelity
Little Miss Red and T-shirt! (I’d show you a picture but I’m not photogenic and none of them turned out acceptable. Forget good, I usually go for acceptable. Acceptable didn’t like me this time.)
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder Genre: YA, Romance Publication Date: Jan 8 2008 Rating:
Girl meets boy.
Girl loses boy.
Girl gets boy back...
...sort of. Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she's crazy, but she knows he's here. Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.
I Heart You You Haunt Me … is a little odd. It’s hard to describe it, really. Ava is so attached to Jackson, she loves him so much, yet hanging on to him is becoming more trouble than it’s worth. I was torn between wanting her to hang on to him in his ghost form, and wanting her to move on.
However in the whole scheme of things, it seemed just a little redundant, repetitive, and silly. It was painful and sad and sweet at times, but also a little absurd at times. I can’t really say if I liked it.
I did, however, like the end. What needed to happen, did happen. It had a pretty strong conclusion, though I felt almost like the author went one or two pages longer than she needed to (It was written in verse).
Content/Recommendation: clean, some kissing. Ages 12+
The Language of Secrets by Dianne Dixon Genre: Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction Publication Date: March 23, 2010 Rating:
Justin Fisher was just an ordinary guy—he was a manager of a hotel, married with a son, and a great future ahead of him. But he decides that he must go back to his home, because he hasn’t spoken with his family in years.
When he arrives, his parents are dead—and his gravestone is beside theirs.
Justin embarks on an amazing terrifying journey of mystery, self discovery, and secrets to try to fix his broken past—or at least figure out who he is.
The Language of Secrets was powerful, ironic, and profound. I was instantly swept away by Dixon’s prose and illustrations. My jaw literally dropped as I read the opening paragraphs, the writing was so fluid and descriptive. It was all written in third person, but switched perspectives every few chapters.
Near the middle I felt like I was in the middle of two separate stories, and I wasn’t sure how they connected, but I knew they did because they were about the same characters. Watching the story unfold in almost a mystery-novel way was incredible: it was a complex series of events woven together expertly so that you can’t even find the seams.
I loved the ending. The Language of Secrets finishes up the story, concludes it, leaves you satisfied, and then throws something at you in the very last paragraph of the very last chapter that you didn’t expect. It sent my eyebrows to the ceiling and my jaw to the floor. I think my eyeballs are still rolling around on the ground somewhere.
The Language of Secrets was amazing—it’s staying on my shelf for a definite re-read.
Content: medium language, some violence, mention of sex but no details, mention of rape but no details.
I feel so loved!! I’ve gotten a ton of awards over the past month and have forgotten (or been too busy) to post them. That being said I didn’t fufill the full number for some of them, and some that I’d gotten before I didn’t do at all, I just posted them up here… so don’t be mad at me…….here they all are :)
I got this one from Reading Extensively, who by the way is having a GIVEAWAY for 3 ARCs! Ends March 31st.
1. Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love! 2. Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award. 3. Every Prolific Blogger must link back to This Post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award. 4. Every Prolific Blogger must visit this post and add his/her name in the Mr. Linky, so that we all can get to know the other winners.
Although I’ve gotten it before, I’m posting it anyway because I just got it again :D I got this one from the Crazy Book Nook!
10 weird things about me:
I hate anything that crawls, flies (except butterflies :D) or looks like it can bite
My mom had to force me to get my driver’s license because I HATED driving.
I was also forced to get my ears peirced. One of my old ballet teachers wanted me to wear matching earrings with the tutu.
I lose everything.
I keep my books organized, but everything else is a MESS.
I’m always cold. Like, always. My hands are always numb for no reason in particular.
I love tea. But I could seriously live on coffee.
I’m allergic to chocolate but I eat it anyway
I talk to my characters from my books that I write. It freaks my sister out. I’ll be just standing there listening and say something like “Shut up, Michael.” or “Brett you’re stupid.” and Hannah is looking at me like I’m crazy. Such is the life and lies.
I’ve never worn a bikini (out of the dressing room. lol. I just had to try one on once. felt horrible.)
Um……I don’t remember where I got this :( So if it was you please let me know!
seeing my friends at random times and random places
watching stupid videos with my brother on youtube
peppermint tea
Chocolate, chocolate cake, and cupcakes in general (because, really, I make the best cupcakes ever, and those cupcakes in that picture are making me hungry)
I’ve gotten this one before too, but I just got one lovely blog award from Fingers in the pie!
I have to pass this on and tell you 7 things about me: (Y’all are gonna learn a lot about me tonight)
I have written a three-book series, and am working on the sequel. All of them are about 50,000 words at least. Yes, I’m long winded. but you knew that ;)
I lived in California for 12.5 years
My eyes used to be cobalt blue but turned green when I was like, two.
When I was thirteen, I wrapped my toes in fabric and stuffed them into my ballet slippers, then danced en pointe. I got a massive blister on my big toe. Served me right (btw—NEVER DO THAT. it’s bad for you.).
My ancestors were kicked out of Kansas. Great-great-great(etc) grandpa Mathiot was a chicken thief. I am so not making that up.
For Christmas, I (with the help of my sisters and even my brother) made my parents a quilt.
I own over 30 pairs of Grishko Elite pointe shoes. I used to burn through two pairs a month when I danced. No I don’t throw them away!
Answer the following questions with Single Word answers.
Your Cell Phone? shared Your Hair? brown Your Mother? sweet Your Father? hilarious Your Favorite Food? chocolate Your Dream Last Night? none Your Favorite Drink? coffee Your Dream/Goal? Secret ;) What Room Are You In? mine Your Hobby? dance! Your Fear? bugs!!! Where Do You Want To Be In Six Years? earth Where Were You Last Night? here Something That You Aren't? short Muffins? nom nom nom Wish List Item? Grishkos! Where Did You Grow Up? CA Last Thing You Did? drive What Are You Wearing? Leotard :) Your TV? yuck Your Pets? stupid Friends? <3 Your Life? preordained Your Mood? sour Missing Someone? duh Vehicle? Diamondback (bike!) Something You Aren't Wearing? socks Your Favorite Store? goodwill Your Favorite Color? GREEN! When Was The Last Time You Laughed? two seconds ago! Last Time You Cried? recently :( Your Best Friend? Ian One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? School :\ Facebook? Constantly Favorite Place To Eat? Almondtree
It signifies all the bloggers out there who constantly work hard to keep an updated and insightful website. They aren’t afraid to take a bite with their honest reviews and enjoyable content. You amaze me, you inspire me so I call you a blog monster.
The Life of Glass by Jillian Cantor Genre: YA, Romance Rating:
Melissa’s father died almost two years ago. She has been struggling, but is surviving with the help of her best friend Ryan. But through a series of events, her world gets turned upside down. A new girl comes to school and befriends her immediately, for some unknown reason. Ryan gets a girlfriend. Melissa’s mom is dating some guy. Ashley, her older sister, is… well just being an annoying older sister with problems. And in the middle of it all, Melissa still has unsolved mysteries about her father, her desires, and herself.
The Life of Glass is a fast read—I tore through it in a matter of hours. I wasn’t particularly sure why I couldn’t stop reading it. Maybe it was the easy language, maybe it was the characters, maybe I was just in the mood for a good romance novel and that was what was on my shelf. Either way, I didn’t stop reading until my sister turned the light out on me.
I liked the characters a lot (though some of them I despised) and others remained mysteries until later in the book; they were those “oh I had no idea they were that kind of person” characters, and I liked the mystery of their personalities. They were relatable and likeable, the ending was nice. It wasn’t perfect, but it was nice.
That being said, there was nothing hugely spectacular about The Life of Glass: nothing that will make it a long lasting fantastic memory or escape for me. I enjoyed it and I won’t forget it, but it won’t be one of those “second reads.”
This was part of the 1 ARC Tours for Bloody Bad. Click Here for the rest of the tour and other reviews.
For those of you who don’t know (sillies!!!) Dawn of the Dreadfuls, the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was released yesterday.
Thanks to Anna at FSB I have a trailer for you, and you can read Chapter 1 for free right here!
And I have to say… this trailer is HILARIOUS. but disgusting!
Chapter 1 by Steve Hockensmith, Author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
Walking out in the middle of a funeral would be, of course, bad form. So attempting to walk out on one's own was beyond the pale.
When the service began, Mr. Ford was as well behaved as any corpse could be expected to be. In fact, he lay stretched out on the bier looking almost as stiff and expressionless in death as he had in life, and Oscar Bennet, gazing upon his not-so-dearly departed neighbor, could but think to himself, You lucky sod.
It was Mr. Bennet who longed to escape the church then, and the black oblivion of death seemed infinitely preferable to the torments he was suffering. At the pulpit, the Reverend Mr. Cummings was reading (and reading and reading and reading) from the Book of Common Prayer with all the verve and passion of a man mumbling in his sleep, while the pews were filled with statues -- the good people of Meryton, Hertfordshire, competing to see who could remain motionless the longest while wearing the most somber look of solemnity.
This contest had long since been forfeited by one party in particular: Mr. Bennet's. Mrs. Bennet couldn't resist sharing her (insufficiently) whispered appraisal of the casket's handles and plaque. ("Brass? For shame! Why, Mrs. Morrison had gold last week, and her people don't have two guineas to rub together.") Lydia and Kitty, the youngest of the Bennets' five daughters, were ever erupting into titters for reasons known only to themselves. Meanwhile, the middle daughter, fourteen-year-old Mary, insisted on loudly shushing her giggling sisters no matter how many times her reproaches were ignored, for she considered herself second only to the Reverend Mr. Cummings -- and perhaps Christ Himself -- as Meryton's foremost arbiter of virtue.
Mr. Bennet followed her line of sight. What he saw was a luxury, hard won and now so easily taken for granted: a man about to be buried with his head still on his shoulders.
That head, though -- wasn't there more of a loll to the left to it now? Weren't the lips drawn more taut, and the eyelids less so? In fact, weren't those eyes even now beginning to --
Yes. Yes, they were.
Mr. Bennet felt an icy cold inside him where there should have been fire, and his tingling fingers fumbled for the hilt of a sword that wasn't there.
Mr. Ford sat up and opened his eyes.
The first person to leap into action was Mrs. Bennet. Unfortunately, the action she leapt to was shrieking loud enough to wake the dead (presuming any in the vicinity were still sleeping) and wrapping herself around her husband with force sufficient to snap a man with less back-bone in two.
"Get a hold of yourself, woman!" Mr. Bennet said.
She merely maintained her hold on him, though, her redoubled howls sparking Kitty and Lydia to similar hysterics.
At the front of the church, Mrs. Ford staggered to her feet and started toward the bier.
"Martin!" she cried. "Martin, my beloved, you're alive!"
"I think not, Madam!" Mr. Bennet called out (while placing a firm hand over his wife's mouth)."If someone would restrain the lady, please!" Most of the congregation was busy screeching or fleeing or both at once, yet a few hardy souls managed to grab Mrs. Ford before she could shower her newly returned husband with kisses. "Thank you!" Mr. Bennet said. He spent the next moments trying to disentangle himself from his wife's clutches. When he found he couldn't, he simply stepped sideways into the aisle, dragging her with him.
"I will be walking that way, Mrs. Bennet." He jerked his head at Mr. Ford, who was struggling to haul himself out of his casket. "If you choose to join me, so be it."
Mrs. Bennet let go and, after carefully checking to make sure Jane was still behind her, swooned backward into her eldest daughter's arms.
"Get her out of here," Mr. Bennet told Jane. "Lydia and Kitty, as well."
He turned his attention then to the next two girls down the pew: Elizabeth and Mary. The latter was deep in conversation with her younger sisters.
"The dreadfuls have returned!" Kitty screamed.
"Calm yourself, sister," Mary said, her voice dead. She was either keeping a cool head or had retreated into catatonia, it was hard to tell which. "We should not be hasty in our judgments."
"Hasty? Hasty?" Lydia pointed at the very undead Mr. Ford. "He's sitting up in his coffin!"
Mary stared back at her blankly. "We don't know he's a dreadful, though.
But Elizabeth did know. Mr. Bennet could see it in her eyes -- because now she was staring at him.
She didn't grasp the whole truth of it. How could she, when he'd been forced to keep it from her for so long? Yet this much would be obvious to a clear-thinking, level-headed girl like her: The dreadfuls had returned, and there was more to be done about it than scream. More her father intended to do.
What she couldn't have guessed -- couldn't have possibly dreamed -- was that she herself would be part of the doing.
"Elizabeth," Mr. Bennet said. "Mary. If you would come with me, please."
And he turned away and started toward the altar. Toward the zombie.
The above is an excerpt from the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
Author Bio Steve Hockensmith is an award-winning novelist and reporter. His debut mystery, Holmes on the Range, was a finalist for the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony awards. Critics have hailed the novel and its sequels as "hilarious" (Entertainment Weekly), "dazzling" (The Boston Globe), "clever" (The New York Times), "uproarious" (Publisher's Weekly), "wonderfully entertaining" (Booklist), and "quirky and original" (The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). He lives in Alameda, California, with his wife and two children. For more information, please visit www.QuirkClassics.com.
Young Bess by Margaret Irwin Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: DNF
While I was reading this book I had my moments where I was thinking “this is nice…this is cute…” the writing was very eloquent and good. However the plot was just… nonexistent. By page 85 not much had happened. I had no urge to continue reading and even though I enjoyed it while I was reading it, I had to force myself to sit down and read it. And you should never have to force yourself to read a book (except for school). I felt the same way about The Midnight Charter. Both of these were similar in that they both had a bit of politics in them.
I did like the characters (Loved Tom Seymour!) and the writing, again, was great. But nothing made me want to keep reading.
I didn’t get far enough into the book to be able to say what content was in it.
Young Bess was re-published by Sourcebooks March 1st. Please know that I am in the minority for those who didn’t like/finish it. See other reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
I’m feeling frustrated because I am a note taker for my school. There is this kid with a learning disability and he can’t take notes so he’s supposed to listen in class and then I leave the photo copies of his notes in the ASC.
But he sleeps through class. And then never picks up the notes I take and copy for him.
Which makes me feel like I’m wasting my time. I mean, I’d have to take the notes anyway because I need them for myself. And it’s cool because I get paid $100 at the end of the semester just for dropping off my notes.
But it still frustrates me.
Don’t mind me I’ve had a rough week. Between school and deadlines and knees dislocating (the “good” knee this time) and boys, I’ve just about had enough. Hence the no blogging for three days thing. I didn’t want to like, scare everyone away from me because I was in a bad mood.
Anyway.
I know I didn’t post a meme this sunday, mostly because there was nothing to say but also because I’m lazy. But there will be four or five reviews coming this weekend. You can look at my schedule if you want dates, or you can just hang tight.
Y’all know I wrote a book series called “Agent Smith Smith.” The main character is Lindsay, the secondary character is Brett Hudson.
Brett Harris looks like Brett my character.
I found this out when I posted a review to amazon and saw a book trailer and he was there. And I like, flipped. because that’s like, weird. because Brett Hudson is a piece of my imagination. and to see him in the flesh is… like… AAAAAGH!! Same name and everything…
*breathes*
Sorry.
Hey, you’ve known from the get-go that I’m random and weird. This shall serve as a reminder.
Start Here by Alex and Brett Harris Genre: Youth and Christian Living Rating: 5
Click the cover to buy)
(From Goodreads)
You want to do hard things. But you don’t know where to start. You are changing the world around you. But you are tired and burned out. You feel called to do the extraordinary for God. But you feel stuck in the ordinary.
Do Hard Things inspired thousands of young people around the world to make the most of the teen years. Now Alex and Brett Harris are back and ready to tackle the questions that Do Hard Things inspired: How do I get started? What do I do when I get discouraged? What’s the best way to inspire others? Filled with stories and insights from Alex, Brett, and other real-life rebelutionaries, Start Here is a powerful and practical guide to doing hard things, right where you are. Are you ready to take the next step and blast past mediocrity for the glory of God? START HERE.
I found Start Here to be very inspirational. The Harris’ get down to the point quickly and concisely.
Start Here is a light easy read, but then how can a Christian living book be light? They talk about pride and sin and giving glory to God, they talk about peer pressure and stress and fears and the Father of Lies. But they also encourage teenagers to get out of the box that our society has put them in. It’s light and easy in that it’s an easily understood page-turner.
The Harris’ first book, Do Hard Things, was about encouraging teens to do just that—to do hard things—for God. In Start Here, they talk about how to go about doing those hard things, what to do when you encounter fear, press, or peer pressure, and answer all the tough questions.
One of the points that they make is that your hard thing may not be to sail around the world at age sixteen or to make a movie or to start a nonprofit organization or anything else big. Your hard thing might be what some people consider a small thing, and it may be something that nobody even knows about. But God wants you to do that hard thing because in the long run, it changes your heart for the better. At the back of Start Here is a list of 100 things that people have contributed too, and I want to share a few with you:
Sold all the clothes I didn’t need and gave the money to charity
worked up to 100 pushups in four weeks
saved my first kiss for my wedding day
read a book out loud to my younger siblings
let my brother win an argument
Babysat for a single mom who could not pay me much
Set a budget and stuck with it.
Maybe these people aren’t going to be front page news… but their hard things are pretty important.
Start Here will encourage, inspire, and help you through whatever it is that God has for you, whether you know about it right now or not. Consider it a handbook, and use it side by side with your main instruction manual (The Bible).
Recommendation: Ages 11+ Adults do hard things, too! They also will benefit from this book.
**I have a giveaway for One copy of START HERE. See the sticky post up top for the link.**
All content is property of Haley Mathiot except where otherwise noted.
No reviews may be copied or reprinted except to quote, or with permission.
FTC
I do not post a disclosure on every blog post, I post them beside the title on my Reviews page. Click here for my Disclaimer. See Sources to see my suppliers of review copies.
to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was released yesterday. 
