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mybookplacenet · 2 months

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Author Interview: Julie Catania-Shady

Tell us about yourself.: Hi! I'm Julie! I'm a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit junkie; children's books literacy advocate, Author, spouse to a retired air force airman, and mama, who is simply making it through the day by the grace of caffeine and Jesus. I live in leggings and LOVE wearing dresses with sneakers! I have a degree in broadcast journalism and criminal justice from the University of Maryland in College Park. After college, I went on to work in television, specializing in crime TV, and then advanced to investigations for the federal government. My most favorite job has been being a mommy and Conversations With Colton are my favorite! I live in Oklahoma with my husband, son, and dog. Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?: I grew up in Maryland and I have to say that had a significant impact on my work. The state has a rich history, diverse population, and unique geography that can inspire creativity and shape one's perspective. For instance, the Chesapeake Bay and its surroundings can inspire stories of adventure, romance, and mystery. Maryland's proximity to Washington, D.C., also influenced my work, as politics and policy often come into play in the nation's capital. Do you have any unusual writing habits? I believe every writer has unique writing habits, that they follow to help them stay productive and creative. Mine is: I prefer to write at night. I'm more productive and enjoy a quieter more peaceful environment when writing. Do you have any advice for new authors? Read as much as you can! Nothing inspires an author like reading someone else's words. It's super common to hit roadblocks and get writer's block when you are immersing yourself in books! What is the best advice you have ever been given? The best advice I've ever received is to keep a pad of paper and pencil on my nightstand. You never know what ideas you may have in the middle of the night or while dreaming. What are you reading now? First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston What's your biggest weakness? Chocolate and Reality TV 😂 What is your favorite book of all time? Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo. It was the inspiration behind my son's name! When you're not writing, how do you like to spend your time? I enjoy spending my time with my family, reading and walking Rocky our family dog. Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you? My favorite series growing up was Nancy Drew. I wish I had fond childhood memories of enjoying books before middle school, but I don’t. I don’t have any memories where I enjoyed reading before the Nancy Drew series. I know my parents read bedtime stories to me. I read when it was required in school, but I didn’t love books, until I “met” Nancy and the gang. For those you don’t know, Nancy Drew is a fictional teenage amateur detective in an extended series of mystery books by Carolyn Keene. Nancy Drew’s intelligence, courage, and independence made her a popular role model for many generations of young readers. I may have been her #1 fan. I was obsessed with her investigative skills and loved the idea of solving mysteries. In hindsight, I believe she inspired me more than I realized at the time, but I owe Carolyn Keene the world because she is was sparked my LOVE of books. What has inspired you and your writing style? I write inspirational non-fiction. After suffering a miscarriage and a cancer diagnosis, finding out I was pregnant was an incredible miracle. But what happened next put my faith to the test, more so than the previous trials. How do you keep having faith when you are caught in a "storm?" Conversations with Colton will explore just that! Colton survived despite what doctors said, and conversations with him have made all the fear, faith, and doubt that got to this moment 100 percent worth it. What are you working on now? I am working on a coffee table book filled with life lessons from an 8-year-old. It will be filled with fun, comedic conversations, from a miracle baby's views on life. What is your favorite method for promoting your work? social media! I love Facebook and connecting with old friends and new ones! What's next for you as a writer? I would love to finish my 2nd book and start a children's book one day. How well do you work under pressure? My best work comes from having a firm deadline. How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing? I like to write as I talk. Connecting with my readers and allowing them into my world leaves them feeling like we are sitting at my favorite table at Starbucks having a conversation. If you could share one thing with your fans, what would that be? Be on the lookout and try not to miss them, the tiny miracles, because they are what will give you hope for the future. Julie Catania-Shady's Author Websites and Profiles Website Amazon Profile Goodreads Profile Julie Catania-Shady's Social Media Links Facebook Page Instagram Pinterest YouTube Account Read the full article

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hollymbryan · 3 years

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Blog Tour + #Review: 10 TRUTHS AND A DARE by Ashley Elston (w/ #giveaway)!

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the Rockstar Book Tours blog tour for 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston! The tour is running for the whole month of May, and I for one can’t wait to see my fellow participants’ reviews. Read on to find out all the book details, just how much I loved this book, and how to win one of three copies up for grabs during the tour!

About the Book

title: 10 Truths and a Dare author: Ashley Elston publisher: Disney-Hyperion release date: 4 May 2021

This companion to Ashley Elston's beloved 10 Blind Dates follows Sophie's high-achieving cousin Olivia as she juggles last-minute P.E. credit, end-of-year parties, and a secret new romance in the chaotic week before graduation.

It's Senior Party Week, that magical in-between time after classes have ended but before graduation, chock-full of gimmicky theme parties, last-minute bonding, and family traditions. Olivia couldn't be more ready. Class salutatorian and confident in her future at LSU, she's poised to sail through to the next phase of her life.

But when the tiny hiccup of an unsigned off-campus P.E. form puts Olivia in danger of not graduating at all, she has one week to set things straight without tipping off her very big and very nosy extended family. Volunteering to help at a local golf tournament should do it, but since Olivia's mom equipped her phone with a tracking app, there'll be no hiding the fact that she's at the golf course instead of all the graduation parties happening at the same time. Unless, that is, she can convince the Fab Four--her ride-or-die cousins and best friends Sophie, Charlie, and Wes--to trade phones with her as they go through the motions of playing Olivia for the week.

Companion Book(s):

title: 10 Blind Dates author: Ashley Elston publisher: Disney-Hyperion release date: 1 October 2019

Add to Goodreads: 10 Blind Dates Purchase the Book: **Only 99cents for Kindle right now!!**

Praise for 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston: 2020 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Top Ten Title

2020 Florida Teens Read Book List

"POSITIVELY DELIGHTFUL—all caps—from beginning to end."—NPR "This piece-by-piece romance doesn't need its Christmas theme to sell, but it makes it glitter all the more."—Booklist "A fun story of finding love, getting to know yourself, and getting to know your family."—Kirkus Reviews "In a funny holiday romance that has Sophie dog-sitting in a hockey rink, watching porn at a drive-in theater, and playing the Virgin Mary in a middle school Nativity, Elston cleverly reflects the family members' personalities through their choices of dates for Sophie."—Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Ashley Elston is the author of several novels including: 10 Blind Dates (a Top Ten ALA Quick Pick and the companion to this book), The Rules for Disappearing (a finalist in the Best Young Adult Novel category of the International Thriller Writers Thriller Awards), This Is Our Story, and The Lying Woods. She has a liberal arts degree from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and worked for many years as a wedding photographer before turning her hand to writing. Ashley lives in Shreveport with her husband and three sons.

My 5-Star Review

Okay, I don’t know how I didn’t realize that 10 Truths and a Dare was a companion book to 10 Blind Dates until I started setting up this post, but I didn’t! I knew it had a similar title with the use of “10″ in numerical form, and I knew both covers had the “10″ in balloons, but somehow it didn’t occur to me that they were related, ha! But no matter, because while this is a companion, I can say as someone who did it that you can absolutely read this book without having previously read 10 Blind Dates. That said, I will absolutely positively be going back and reading 10 Blind Dates, because of how much I loved 10 Truths and a Dare!

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let me just say: I LOVED THIS BOOK. I literally read it in one sitting on Saturday, having no idea how completely I would get sucked in to Olivia’s graduation drama but so happy that I did! I was laughing out loud so much that both my son and my husband poked their heads in to see what on earth I was doing that had me giggling so loudly! (Are they not used to hearing me happy, or what?!) From the moment the book starts you meet Olivia’s large, loud, loving - and did I say large?? - family, which I just adored from the word go. To be honest, it was the kind of family I wanted growing up, because we had a similar family - definitely Southern, not Italian, but everything revolved around food; lots of cousins, though they were second cousins, because my father was an only child but grew up super close with his own cousins; in a very small Southern town - but my siblings and I were on the periphery because my dad was in the Air Force and we moved around a lot. Although I actually enjoyed being a military brat, I often wished that we’d been able to grow up closer to our cousins and be as tight as they all were. Anyway, you get that feeling of closeness and true family love - even for the cousins who seem not to like each other very much! - from the get-go with Olivia’s family, and I was all in.

Olivia’s plan to salvage her place as salutatorian and being able to graduate with her class instead of having to take a half-credit of PE over the summer is crazy and leads to some hilarious situations - it reminded me, in the best way, of the kind of plot you’d see in an episode of I Love Lucy! Her cousins Charlie and Sophie and their best friend Wes - they’ve dubbed themselves The Fab Four - are the best kind of friends, the ones who’ll do anything you ask and have your back at all times (just don’t ask Charlie to respond to Olivia’s mom’s questions about undergarments!). Clearly, hijinks will ensue, and Olivia will have to do everything in her power to keep her parents from finding out what’s really going on. (Side note: the text exchanges from Olivia’s mom had me howling at points!)

I love everything about this awesome family, and I am instantly going back and reading 10 Blind Dates (especially since it’s only 99 cents for Kindle right now!!). I am also down for future stories with the Messinas, and I wonder if there’s at least one in the pipeline based on allusions to “the other side of the story” from the Evil Joes. Anyway, long story short, pick this one up! 10 Truths and a Dare is such a delightful, quick, satisfying contemporary. I seriously needed this book right when it came to me and I’m so glad I read it.

Rating: 10 stars! (okay, 5...)

**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

About the Giveaway

Three (3) lucky winners will each receive a finished copy of 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston! This one is US only and ends 4 June 2021. Enter via the Rafflecopter below, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Tour

Here is the full tour schedule so you can follow along for all the great content!

Week One:

5/1/2021 - The Book View - Review

Week Two:

5/2/2021 - What A Nerd Girl Says - Excerpt 5/3/2021 - YA Books Central - Excerpt 5/4/2021 - Fire and Ice - Review 5/5/2021 - BookHounds YA - Excerpt 5/6/2021 - YA Book Nerd - Review 5/7/2021 - Lifestyle of Me - Review 5/8/2021 - Moonlight Rendezvous - Review

Week Three:

5/9/2021 - Jenguerdy - Review 5/10/2021 - Ficticiouswonderland - Review 5/11/2021 - Book-Keeping - Review **you are here! 5/12/2021 - Amani’s Reviews - Review 5/13/2021 - booksaremagictoo - Review 5/14/2021 - Eli to the nth - Review 5/15/2021 - Emelie's Books - Review

Week Four:

5/16/2021 - Kait Plus Books - Excerpt 5/17/2021 - Zainey Laney - Review 5/18/2021 - onemused - Review 5/19/2021 - Midnightbooklover - Review 5/20/2021 - amandainpa - Review 5/21/2021 - Geauxgetlit - Review 5/22/2021 - two points of interest - Review

Week Five:

5/23/2021 - Book Briefs - Review 5/24/2021 - Momfluenster - Review 5/25/2021 - Star-Crossed Book Blog - Review 5/26/2021 - michellemengsbookblog - Review 5/27/2021 - Rajiv's Reviews - Review 5/28/2021 - Do You Dog-ear? - Review 5/29/2021 - Books and Zebras - Review

Week Six:

5/30/2021 - My Fictional Oasis - Review 5/31/2021 - Popthebutterfly - Review

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mercerislandbooks · 5 years

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Romantic Reads for Fall

It is not February, but love is in the air. I’m blaming it on myself. I have been walking around with my head in the clouds, narrowly avoiding car accidents, and staring off into space when I should be writing. Reader, I’m going to marry him, I repeat to myself because my longtime boyfriend and I have, in fact, decided to get married.

Although of little consequence to anyone other than us and our family, it sparked the idea for this blog post. All summer I devoured contemporary romance novels, preparing myself for what I knew and hoped was to come (a proposal) and getting into a festively romantic mindset. Once properly proposed to, I decided to do a scholarly investigation into the history of the romance novel that would deepen the appreciation I already have today.

A couple years ago, my mom gave me a beautiful copy of the book The Prisoner of Zenda, telling me it was one of the first books that inspired the modern romance novel. Other than Jane Austen and Charlotte/Emily Brontë and George Eliot (more on that later), Anthony Hope’s The Prisoner of Zenda is a Ruritarian romance full of action and adventure. From this we think Cloud Atlas, The Great Race, North by Northwest, or The Princess Bride fantastic action-filled movies (and books) that wouldn’t know it, but found their start with the wild popularity of The Prisoner of Zenda. For this blog I decided to finally read it. and I was enchanted by our hero on page one. He’s sarcastic, witty, just a tiny bit pompous, and a complete doll. The story follows Rudolph Rassendyll, a man who has accomplished nothing in his life and thoroughly enjoyed the leisure afforded to him. On a whim, he takes a trip to Ruritania, where he is entangled in a plot to kill the king-to-be, who he looks exactly alike. He is convinced to take the place of the king at his coronation until the true king can be recovered. Hijinks and hilarious encounters ensue with a happy ending found by all (except the evil king-poisoner).

The Prisoner of Zenda came out post-Austen, actually influencing many dime novels of adventurous fiction. And though Austen is often lauded as creating the modern romantic story arc, I wondered if there was an agreed upon book in the western cannon that was the first romance novel. I stumbled upon Pamela or, Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson, published in 1740 (70 years before Jane published Sense & Sensibility). This is the first novel in the western cannon to take the point of view of a woman and focus on her needs, desires, and experiences, with a happy ending. It is also deemed the first romance novel because a woman’s needs and desires at that time were completely taken over by the need for a husband. I had intentions of reading this book, and was even drawn to the epistolary structure of the novel, but when it came down to flipping from page five to six of the novel, I couldn’t do it. Richardson’s portrayal of Pamela was helpless and simpering, an extreme contrast to the powerful women of the contemporary romance novels I read. It was so unappealing to me that I gave up.

Unlike Richardson, many of the female authors of the 1800s brought to light the complexity of female desire into the marriage plot. Elizabeth of Pride and Prejudice knows she needs to get married in order to not become penniless, but she is stubborn, independent, and judgmental so the thought of her marriage doesn’t take over every waking moment of her life (though her sister’s possible marriage does). Austen, Radcliffe, and the Brontë sisters all invested energy into the expression of women’s individual desires, turning their books into an ultimately escapist form of literature for the time in which they were published.

Today, the romance novel has boomed into a genre of its own. Despite its literary beginnings, it is often dismissed for its formulaic plots and bodice ripping covers. I believe the genre is in the middle of a renaissance, as authors all over the world are writing diverse, complicated, and thought-out characters. Today the romance genre is a billion dollar market, made up of specific plot points: a dominant love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. The style of covers is changing to hand drawn characters, moving away from Fabio. I decided to read a couple new contemporary love stories to recommend to you from this fall, two adult and two young adult.

My favorite of all of them was Talia Hibbert’s new novel Get a Life Chloe Brown. This adult romantic comedy was touching, adorable, and so darn funny. Chloe Brown experiences a near-death experience pushing her to realize that she must get a life. Diagnosed with fibromyalgia over the past five years, Chloe realizes that she has let her chronic illness and anxiety around it keep her from participating in the excitement of life around her. She also needs to find new friends who will understand her lifestyle and admit her attraction to the superintendent that lives across the courtyard. I loved Chloe’s voice, the realistic depiction of chronic pain, and the complex characters that fall in love so sweetly. This is my new favorite for anyone who reads or wants to read a romance.

Next, I read Christina Lauren’s new Twice in a Blue Moon. This novel takes place half in England 14 years prior and half in California. Tate Jones is the daughter of a world-renowned movie actor (think Brad Pitt), kept in the shadows from paparazzi and the public eye. She meets Sam Brandis in London during vacation, their whirlwind romance crashing down when he sells out her identity and disappears. While Tate is able to become an actress with just as much heft to her name as her father’s (her secret life goal), she is heart-broken and bitter about the way her rise to stardom came to be. Fourteen years later, she steps on to a movie set for the film that is going to catapult her into award season and sees none other than Sam. This book took me through the full range of emotions, making me laugh, making me angry, and making me very happy. While I didn’t find Sam to be the most convincing love interest, Tate made up for it in spades. I loved her confidence, strength, and fragility. I didn’t really care who Tate ended up with, as long as she was happy.

As for the YA romances, I read Color Outside the Lines and 10 Blind Dates. They are vastly different! Color Outside the Lines is a collection of short stories edited by Sangu Mandanna about mixed-race couples. The stories ranged through all different cultures, worlds, and times in history. I personally adored the story written by Lori M. Lee about a Hmong girl who falls in love with a fallen star. The creativity and array of conflicts and interactions between the characters was refreshing. A great read for those who love short stories, fantastical worlds, and representations of race that celebrate and revel in each of their beauty.

10 Blind Dates was probably my second favorite book of the four that I read. Ashley Elston writes about a senior in high school from a big Italian family living in Louisiana. Sophie is ecstatic for her winter break because her parents are leaving to visit her pregnant sister and Sophie gets to spend one-on-one time with her boyfriend, alone. But all that excitement is flushed down the drain when she overhears her boyfriend say that he think she’s no fun and wants to break up soon. Sophie, devastated, takes refuge at her grandparents’ house and begins to reconnect with her extended family who she hasn’t seen consistently since the beginning of high school. To help her get over her lousy ex-boyfriend, they decide to set her up on ten blind dates throughout the break. Despite the silly premise, I absolutely adored the bond between Sophie and her family. They showed so much love and support, and Elston wrote a rich and beautiful backstory to Sophie’s friendships and relationships with family. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to smile, loves loud and goofy families, or a sweet love story about loving yourself before knowing who you want to love.

I hope you can find one or two books that speak to you! I certainly loved all of them, and there are so many more romances I’ve read that I could talk about. Come in if you want more recommendations!

Next week, Lori will be talking about her favorite books of 2019 next week.

--Kelleen

#romance #fall romance #island books #kelleen #kelleen cummings #the prisoner of zenda #color outside the lines #10 blind dates #twice in a blue moon #get a life chloe brown

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quietya · 5 years

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What’s Coming Up: Your Mod Went to Book Expo

Hello everyone! It’s your mod here and I want to talk about some of the titles that should be on your radar for the second half of 2019 (and some of 2020).

This year, as I have for the past several years, I was able to attend Book Expo and Book Con as press so I could learn about YA books and share that information with you all. And this year, I don’t really have another platform where I can do a recap like this one, so I thought I’d bring it here!

For those who don’t know, Book Expo is a professional publishing conference that happens every year - and most years it happens in New York City - where publishers preview their upcoming titles. Book Con is the more commercial side of the event, where it opens up to the public and focuses more on connecting readers with their favorite authors than showcasing new titles. I’ve been going to these events as media for I think three years now, but I also attended on a blogger badge for three years back when a blogger badge was more affordable.

ANYWAY, I generally do a lot of research into YA titles coming out each year before Book Expo and don’t learn about a ton of titles at the event, but I do get to pick up some books early, including some books that I wasn’t sure were my thing but somebody said something to change my mind.

So, on to the recap!

This year, I was at Book Expo briefly on May 29 (literally, like an hour) before heading to prep for Blogbound Con, then most of the day May 30 and May 31 and I was on the floor June 1 until An Intense Illness hit me (it’s been over a week and I’m almost? Recovered?) I picked up 28 full books, though some are adult and two are middle grade, so I’ll skip over those. Most of these aren’t out yet, but there are one or two that are out now that I’ll talk about.

The Map From Here to There by Emery Lord (January 7, 2020) - This is a companion/follow-up to Emery’s novel, The Start of Me and You. While there’s lots of adorable, nerdy romance in these books, it’s also very focused on a group of friends who’ve gotten each other through a lot of hardship together. The first book is set during their junior year of high school and the second book focuses on their senior year. I’m obsessed with Emery Lord’s books and so thrilled to have my hands on this new book.

Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor (October 15, 2019) - I don’t know a ton of details about this book besides the fact that it’s really queer sci-fi. There’s ace main characters, a f/f ship, a girl with an illegal clockwork heart, and a boy determined to catch her.

Slay by Brittney Morris (September 24, 2019) - This is perfect for fans of Ready Player One and Black Panther. Kiera is one of the few Black girls in her high school and, unbeknownst to anyone, the creator of a popular online role-play game inspired by Wakanda. Then a teen is murdered over an in-game dispute. It’ll be as hard-hitting as THUG and Dear Martin, but filled with the virtual conflict of Warcross.

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda (October 15, 2019) - Truthfully, I don’t know much about this one either. I was walking by when I saw they were putting this book out and there are dragons in the book? And I love dragons.

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper (February 4, 2020) - This one was sort of on my radar, but I wasn’t planning to pick it up. Then at Blogbound, they had copies available for everyone who went to the breakfast event, so...it happened. But it’s basically a queer, m/m romcom that’s contemporary, but heavily involves space because their two parents are chosen for a trip to Mars.

The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand (November 6, 2019) - HarperTeen, the publisher of this book, did a drop of two books, both involving teen pregnancy, and while I’m excited for both, I chose this one because I love Cynthia Hand. This is a dual narrative, featuring a girl who was adopted and wants answers about her biological family, and the letters a teen mother wrote to the child she was giving up.

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (October 22, 2019) - Ruta Sepetys is a master at historical YA, especially aspects that are generally ignored. This one is set in Madrid in 1957, during Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. It features an American boy who’s mother is from Spain and a girl who’s family was caught up in the Spanish Civil War and I’m so intrigued.

10 Blind Days by Ashley Elston (October 1, 2019) - This was pitched as perfect for fans of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which is totally my jam. Right before Christmas break, Sophie’s boyfriend breaks up with her. To help her heal, her family sets her up on a series of 10 blind dates - but her ex wants another chance too. This sounds adorable and fun and hilarious and I’m very excited to read it.

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett (October 29, 2019) - After her HIV-positive status gets out at school, Simone transfers to a new school for a new start - and she’s finding it. She’s even found Miles, who makes her melt. She knows she’ll have to tell him before things get too serious - but before she can, an anonymous note warns her that somebody knows she’s HIV-positive, and they want her to stay away from Miles or they’ll tell everyone.

Destroy All Monsters by Sam J. Miller (July 2, 2019) - Solomon and Ash were both traumatized when they were 12. As the years go by, these two best friends suddenly live in alternate realities - one lives in a world like ours, the other lives in a world full of monsters and beasties. But which one is the real world? And what happened that day when they were 12?

Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi (September 3, 2019) - After a year of college, Pablo is working at a deli, dodging calls from the student loans office, and unsure what’s next. Leanne has been successful her whole life, debuting her first #1 single at 15. Four years later, her whole life is a blur. They meet at random at 4 in the morning during a Brooklyn snowstorm and know it can’t be permanent, but long for a few moments of privacy that they’ll never have.

Shadowscent by P.M. Freestone (November 5, 2019) - Rakel is incredibly skilled with scents, but her scents can’t save her dying father. Ash is an imperial guard forced on a diplomatic mission to an outer province with the prince, who gets poisoned. By time Rakel and Ash make it to the field where the Empire’s rarest flowers grow, both hoping to save a life, they find the blooms on fire, and they’re the only ones around.

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson (July 9, 2019) - Magical crows are everything in Rhodaire until another empire invades and destroys everything. Princess Thia falls into a deep depression while her sister runs the kingdom - and is forced to arrange a marriage between Thia and the prince of the empire that invaded them and killed their parents. (Also, the first printing has a special cover under the dust jacket that’s GORGEOUS)

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh (October 8, 2019) - Here’s what I know about this one - the main character is a seamstress, it’s set in New Orleans in 1872, there are vampires, and there’s a murder mystery. And that’s all I want to know.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He (Out now!) - Hesina has no desire to rule, but when her father’s murdered, she’s forced into an unsteady queendom. While trying to stabilize her kingdom, she’s determined to catch her father’s murderer and does something illegal - hires a soothsayer, despite magic being outlawed. And with the information the sooth provides, she turns to convicted criminal who may be the only one who can solve the case.

Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo (October 8, 2019) - Ideal for fans of Six of Crows and Beneath the Citadel, four magical crooks have to work together after dark magic ends up in the wrong hands to save their city. But they can’t trust anyone, least of all each other.

There were other books that were on my radar, but I wasn’t able to pick up for one reason or another. If you’re interested in hearing about those, let me know and I’ll happily do another wrap up! But for now, I hope you learned about some new titles to pick up this year (or next year).

#this is your mod speaking #book list #ya books #quietya #wndb #mogai

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thesffcorner · 6 years

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This is Our Story

This is Our Story is a YA mystery written by Ashley Elston. It follows a group of 5 friends, who live in Louisiana, one of which is found shot during what appears to be a hunting accident. But as Kate, an intern for the District Attorney soon learns, maybe the accident wasn’t an accident at all, and one of the four River Point Boys might be a murderer. I don’t tend to read a lot of YA mysteries, but this one was recommended to me as having a similar atmosphere to the Raven Cycleby Maggie Stiefvater, so I decided to give it a go. I can’t say I agree with that; the comparison seems to mostly be that it’s also set in the South and follows one lead girl in a group of 4 boys. However, the book this reminded me of more was probably Black Cat, is it has a similar investigative/mystery tone, where it could be taking place at any time period, but the use of technology and the way the characters speak sets it firmly in our age. I would say that by far the best aspect of this book are the setting and the investigation. I really enjoyed the feel of the small town, how everyone knows everyone and everyone seems to be both connected to and indebted to everyone else. The DA handing over the case to an attorney that’s close to his retirement, the parents wanting to bury the case, against the family of the murdered boy, the private high school vs the public one, were all elements I really enjoyed. It created this atmosphere where both everyone seemed to know everyone’s secret and where secrets were dangerous, which made Kate’s investigation more suspenseful. I appreciated that Kate investigating was also believable; there was a plausible reason as to why she would be at the crime scene, or transcribing interviews or filing paperwork, since she was interning at the DA’s office. The fact that most of the characters were 18 also made all the partying, drugs and alcohol more believable and likely than in typical YA thrillers. I also really enjoyed the mystery itself. Because we don’t really spend much time with the boys, we don’t really know anything about them and their personalities that Kate doesn’t, so we get to know them at the same pace she does. This made the mystery of what happened to Grant more interesting, and I genuinely had no idea who dunnit until the actual reveal. There is another twist in the middle of the book which I absolutely did not see coming, and I thought the characters acted very realistically and sensibly when it occurred. Another really enjoyable aspect where the characters and their interactions. I really love books which have established friend groups, routines and history, because it makes for better developed characters and places that are lived in. Here it was no different; Kate has a group of friends that she hangs out with, she’s part of the yearbook and school newspaper clubs, she’s the school photographer and she seems to be a genuinely well adjusted and content girls. I can’t stress how rare it is in YA to follow a female protagonist who not only isn’t an outcast and bullies and lonely, but has a group of positive female friends! That she spends time with and actually contribute to the plot! Small details like Kate being friendly with the cheerleaders, being impressed at their routines, and being genuinely worried about characters who would otherwise be presented as either rivals or slut-shamed really warmed me to her characters. As for the characters, I can’t say much about the boys because a lot of what we find out about them, is a spoiler. I liked the one character we do get to spend most of the time with, though I almost wish we could have gotten to know the other boys better. For a book called Our Story, we don’t really get their story; it’s Kate’s story of how she discovered what happened to one of them. The adults in the book were also not only present, but acted like real adult figures. They weren’t overly sympathetic, but they were both supportive and encouraging when they needed to be, and strict and uncooperative when it made sense for them to be. I really enjoyed Pat as a character; he was my favorite of the adults. Kate’s best friend Regan was the best character here. Not only is she supremely encouraging and supportive of Kate, she also has her own subplots, opinions, talents and hobbies. She’s a fashion designer and tailor, she’s bubbly, she has a crush on her friend, she was the best. I also liked the other two friends Alexis and Mignon, but they are not as present as Regan. Finally Kate. I really liked her as a protagonist; she was proactive, brave and often clever. I didn’t get a distinct sense that she was detective material, and at least she admits that she’s bad at spying and stalking (that bit, where she likes a photo that’s 4 years old? I FELT THAT). I liked that she was suspicious of the development we get mid book (it’s really hard keeping this spoiler free), though I do think the lengths she was willing to go to solve the case were a bit ridiculous. The whole final scene was just so insanely dramatic that it honestly took me out of what had up until that point been a pretty solid, down to earth mystery. Overall, I definitely recommend this book. It’s fast paced, it has good characters and a solid hook of a mystery and I enjoyed it thoroughly. If you like Claire LeGrand or Holly Black’s writing style without the supernatural elements, I think you will too.

goodreads

#this is our story #book review #this is our story review #moni talks

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khalilhumam · 4 years

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A Framework for Identifying the Sources of Indirect Health Effects of COVID-19

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/a-framework-for-identifying-the-sources-of-indirect-health-effects-of-covid-19/

A Framework for Identifying the Sources of Indirect Health Effects of COVID-19

Attention to the indirect health effects of COVID-19 is on the rise. Media stories, papers, and research reports are shining a light on the many knock-on health impacts of policies designed to respond to the pandemic. (We’ve been keeping an open inventory of these effects since early April.) In a policy paper released today, we introduce a framework for mapping out these indirect health effects at the country level, and show how it can shape our understanding of how COVID-related policies reverberate across all aspects of health. As we explain here, the framework can help policymakers move to a holistic COVID-19 response that accounts for the impacts of the pandemic and the measures implemented to fight it.

Framework overview

Our framework builds on a literature review of indirect health effects in the context of previous outbreaks and crises (Ebola, SARS, H1N1 outbreaks, and the global financial crisis), as well as the indirect impacts of COVID-19 collected in our inventory. It also draws upon a framework developed by Elston et al. (2017) following the Ebola outbreak, which we expanded to include environmental impacts, temporal considerations and link to the calculation of net health benefits. Because published studies and news reports often cover only a single health issue (e.g., maternal mortality, vaccination, HIV), our framework adds value by looking across the health sector and the various sources of disruptions that can occur during epidemics, so that the wider range of direct and indirect health impacts can inform adoption of appropriate mitigation strategies. The objectives of the framework are to (1) illustrate the complexity of these “indirect” impacts and (2) provide a simple structure for analysts interested in calculating the overall “net health impact” of the pandemic, accounting for indirect lives lost and saved as a result of the impacts. The framework is organized around four interrelated sets of considerations (economic, environmental, health systems, and social/behavioural), which we discuss below (a comprehensive review of the COVID-19 literature is in our paper). What causes indirect mortality is multifactorial. We also expect the impacts to be overwhelmingly negative, although there could be positive impacts for some conditions and causes of mortality (e.g., outdoor pollution or road traffic injuries). The impacts may also trigger losses (or gains) in health in the short, medium, and long term. For instance, losses due to lack of access to maternal health services may be fairly immediate, whereas losses due to lack of hepatitis B vaccination could take a generation to materialise. Figure 1. Framework for identifying indirect health impacts of COVID-19

Economic Impact

At the macro level, restrictions on movement, trade, and social distancing can lead to a collapse in economic activity which will affect livelihoods and access to basics (including food) and to education. COVID-19 has already been associated with increased unemployment, loss of income and increased poverty rates, and food insecurity, and has affected school attendance across the world. Extensive research has shown that each of those elements in and of themselves contribute to loss of health. Poverty is a major cause of ill-health because of food insecurity, housing insecurity, and access to hygiene and sanitation (which are expected to play an important role during the COVID-19 outbreak). Poverty will also affect access to healthcare services in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Environmental impact

Environmental impact will be greater in countries where restrictions on movement and other policies aiming at introducing social distancing are in place. The secondary health impacts of environmental changes are likely to impact both sides of the equation: with reduction in mortality stemming from road traffic and outdoor pollution and increases in mortality from indoor pollution. China, the UK, Turkey, and the US have all reported large reductions in road traffic due to COVID-19 lockdowns. In China, non-life insurers have reported a dramatic drop in claims. It is worth noting that LMICs are home to 93 percent of global road traffic deaths. Zambrano-Monserrate et al. found evidence of large impacts of the lockdown on outdoor pollution in China, Italy, Spain and the US. Chen et al. found that improvements in air quality during the quarantine might have saved 8,911 nitrogen dioxide-related deaths (from chronic pulmonary disease and cardiovascular diseases).

Social/behavioural impact

At the micro level, it is likely that individuals will modify behaviour in response to COVID-19 and response policies. Isolation or increasing economic vulnerability will no doubt increase anxiety and more generally contribute to a rise in mental health needs. In India, a rise in emergency visits for severe alcohol withdrawal was recorded. This could lead to an increase in death by suicide, a leading cause of death in younger populations, as well as child and domestic abuse. A report from UNFPA paints a grim picture on the impact of COVID-19 on gender-based violence, unwanted pregnancies, and child marriages.

Health systems impact

Health system impact can be categorized as funding, supply chain, health workforce, infrastructure, service provision, patient access, and “covidisation.” As we explain in our paper, covidisation refers to the phenomenon of “focusing economic, environmental, health, and social policies and research funding on the impact on COVID-19 (global level), and/or changing social and behavioral constructs in response to experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic” (the term has been sparsely used in research as in here). Those sources of disruptions occur at the macro, meso, and micro levels. At the macro level, policies such as suspension of vaccination campaigns have impacted access by populations. At the meso level, entire facilities (including hospitals) have been repurposed to care for COVID-19 patients. At the micro level, individuals may avoid seeking care because of fear of contracting the virus. Health impacts are also often thought of in terms of supply of health services. However, we know from other outbreaks that the individual response (changes in demand) can be very strong: in France, emergency visits have dropped 26 percent, including for conditions such as appendicitis or strokes, which are unlikely to have declined during the outbreak. Restrictions on movement (discussed above in the case of Uganda), fear, and stigma can results in patients avoiding visiting facilities, even for life threatening conditions. In our paper, we develop a more comprehensive sub-framework for health systems impact to support countries in the design of effective mitigation strategies.

A successful COVID policy should not be measured solely by the number of COVID deaths averted: We urgently need to adopt a whole of health perspective

With so many other health and non-health outcomes at stake, estimates of how strategies impact the trajectory of COVID-19 must not be the sole metric informing a “successful” COVID-19 policy response. Different policy responses to COVID-19 will also trigger different levels of disruptions of the economy, social interactions, and the health system, which will lead to different indirect health effects. Contextual factors, including the redesign of health or economic policies, will also be critical to map those indirect health effects. An appropriate strategy to address COVID-19 requires a holistic approach to health, assessing how the pandemic and various response measures will impact the wider range of health needs across the population, with attention to net health impacts of policy options and explicit consideration of trade-offs across health objectives. We hope that our framework, alongside our net health impacts calculator, will contribute to a broader assessment of the indirect health impacts of COVID-19 and bring those to the fore when assessing the merits of a given policy strategy in the ongoing pandemic response.

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the-martymar-love · 4 years

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Great day serving the community with fellow MCAS Board of Trustee Member, Theresa Edwards, and her Drifter sisters!! #communityservants (at Elston Middle School) https://www.instagram.com/p/CASFb-bhaEm/?igshid=ad9k9ulk6ky8

#communityservants

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hellosabrinavetter-blog · 5 years

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dance friends <3

This is my by far most important blog that I will be sharing on this page. whether you only take weekly or monthly dance classes or you are apart of a team. Friendship is the one thing that continues to provide the dance community with the love and support we needed to continue to grow our community and welcome in everyone and anyone.

I have made some amazing memories in the world of dance and for that I am forever grateful, some of my friends have been life long dance partners competing on the same rec teams growing up through middle school to then compete on the IHSA state stage in high school together and continue onto the worlds stage with me in Orlando as part of a traveling competitive program, other friends have been from all over the place and a little studio in Huntley helped bring us together allow us to compete in some amazing places like Dallas, Orlando, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, and many other venues, and some of my dance friends have been those living a very different lifestyle in the city meeting up twice a week in a little dance studio of Elston and Addison in Chicago to do the thing we both love most, dance without judgement and cheer each other on.

I guess what I am trying to sway is even though all dance classes or teams help you benefit by advancing your dance skills don’t forget to look into the more beneficial parts of the sport: the friendships we make throughout this sport that we all love so much.

I wanted to show you some of the amazing friends and experiences I have gotten to take in through the sport. Of course the vlog I posted on my earlier feed but I wanted to attach something that would show you just how real these friendships are to me as a dancer and how much closer I feel to the sport thanks to my best friends.

I’m planning on attaching another vlog, this vlog does not belong to my account but it does belong to my coach. I am attaching it so that you may see throughout a whole team how close all of us began to be thanks to the friendships that were created during the season.

I will be posting the vlog and a choreography video of my crew that was created in my next vlogs hopefully you enjoy! :)

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whimsiesofanerdgirl · 5 years

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October 2019 | New YA Book Releases

OCTOBER YA BOOK RELEASES

***Please note I am an affiliate for all the following Amazon and Books-A-Million links found below. If you click the corresponding links and choose to purchase a product I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. If you decide to buy anything from my referral links I thank you for supporting me and my website Whimsies of a Nerd Girl! If you want to learn more please visit my Disclosure Policy page which can be found by clicking here. Also note that I have added some other books of different age groups, but you will find that the majority are YA (Young Adult) books and due to the nature of the publishing industry some releases may have been moved to earlier or later months.***

Title: 10 Blind Dates, Author: Ashley Elston, Publisher: Disney-Hyperion, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Contemporary, Romance, YA Contemporary, YA Romance, YA Contemporary Romance

Title: All the Things We Do in the Dark, Author: Saundra Mitchell, Publisher: HarperTeen, Publish Date: October 29, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Thriller, Horror, Mystery, LGBT, YA Horror, YA LGBT, YA LGBT Horror

Title: Angel Mage, Author: Garth Nix, Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, New Adult, Fantasy, YA Fantasy, NA Fantasy, Standalone

Title: The Beautiful (The Beautiful #1), Author: Renee Ahdieh, Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, Publish Date: October 8, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, YA Paranormal Romance, YA Historical Fiction, YA Vampires, Forbidden Romance, New Orleans, If You Like Vampire Diaries

Title: Beyond the Black Door, Author: A.M. Strickland, Publisher: Imprint, Publish Date: October 29, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, YA Fantasy, YA Fantasy Romance, YA LGBT, YA LGBT Fantasy, Ace, Asexuality, Ace Rep

Title: The Burning Shadow (Origin #2), Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout, Publisher: Tor Teen, Publish Date: October 8, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Aliens, YA Paranormal Romance, YA Paranormal, YA Aliens

Title: Cold as Marble (Weeping Willow HIgh #2), Author: Zoe Aarsen, Publisher: Simon Pulse, Publish Date: October 8, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Paranormal, YA Paranormal, Fall Reads, Light as a Feather series

Title: Crier’s War (Crier’s War #1), Author: Nina Varela, Publisher: HarperTeen, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, YA Fantasy, YA Fantasy Romance, YA LGBT, YA Fantasy LGBT

Title: Crownbreaker (Spellslinger #6), Author: Sebastien de Castell, Publisher: Hot Key Books, Publish Date: October 22, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy

Title: Cupid’s Match (Cupid’s Match #1), Author: Lauren Palphreyman, Publisher: Wattpad Books, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Mythology, YA Paranormal Romance, YA Mythology, YA Fantasy

Title: Cursed, Author: Thomas Wheeler, Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy

Title: Fireborne (The Aurelian Cycle #1), Author: Rosaria Munda, Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, Publish Date: October 15, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, YA Fantasy, Dragons

Title: Heart of the Moors: An Original Maleficent Mistress of Evil Novel, Author: Holly Black, Publisher: Disney Press, Publish Date: October 8, 2019; Genres + Tags: Middle Grade, MG, Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Retellings, MG Fantasy, MG Fairy Tale Retellings

Title: I Hope You Get This Message, Author: Farah Naz Rishi, Publisher: HarperTeen, Publish Date: October 22, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Science Fiction, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopia, Dystopian, LGBT, Alience, YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA Sci-Fi, YA LGBT

Title: Into the Crooked Place (Into the Crooked Place #1), Author: Alexandra Christo, Publisher: Feiwel and Friends, Publish Date: October 8, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fiction, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Magic

Title: The Light at the Bottom of the World (Light the Abyss #1), Author: London Shah, Publisher: Disney-Hyperion, Publish Date: October 29, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Dystopian, Romance, YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA Dystopian, Cover Art Love

Title: The Memory Thief, Author: Lauren Mansy, Publisher: Blink, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Romance, YA Fantasy, YA Romance, YA Fantasy Romance, If You Like Stardust

Title: Mooncakes, Author: Suzanne Walker, Publisher: Lion Forge, Publish Date: October 15, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics, LGBT, Shapeshifters, Witches, YA Comics, YA Graphic Novels, YA Paranormal Romance

Title: My Hero Academia: School Briefs, Vol. 3: Dorm Days (My Hero Academia Light Novel #3), Author: Anri Yoshi, Publisher: VIZ Media LLC, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Graphic Novels, YA Graphic Novels

Title: The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World #1), Author: Rin Chupeco, Publisher: HarperTeen, Publish Date: October 15, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, YA Fantasy, YA Fantasy Romance, YA LGBT

Title: Ninth House (Ninth House Series #1), Author: Leigh Bardugo, Publisher: Flatiron Books, Publish Date: October 8, 2019; Genres + Tags: Adult, New Adult, NA, Fantasy, Paranormal, NA Fantasy, NA Paranormal

Title: Our Year in Love and Parties, Author: Karen Hattrup, Publisher: HarperTeen, Publish Date: October 8, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Contemporary, Romance, YA Contemporary, YA Contemporary Romance, YA Romance

Title: The Princess Beard: The Tales of Pell (The Tales of Pell #3), Author: Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne, Publisher: Del Rey Books, Publish Date: October 8, 2019; Genres + Tags: Adult, Fantasy, Humor, Adult Fantasy

Title: Resurrection Girls, Author: Ava Morgyn, Publisher: AW Teen, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal

Title: Reveal Me (Shatter Me #5.5), Author: Tahereh Mafi, Publisher: HarperCollins, Publish Date: October 8, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Dystopian, Short Stories, Romance, YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy, eBook

Title: A River of Royal Blood (A River of Royal Blood #1), Author: Amanda Joy, Publisher: Putnam, Publish Date: October 29, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, YA Fantasy

Title: Scare City, Author: Paul Jenkins, Fred Pham Chuong, Veronica R. Lopez, Publisher: Humanoids, Publish Date: October 29, 2019; Genres + Tags: Children’s, Coming of Age, Comics, Fairy Tale, Folklore, Graphic Novels, Legends, Mythology, Fantasy, Mystery

Title: Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia, Author: Marc Favreau, Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Historical Fiction, YA Historical Fiction

Title: Tarnished Are the Stars, Author: Rosiee Thor, Publisher: Scholastic Press, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBT, YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA LGBT, YA Sci-Fi LGBT

Title: Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All, Author: Laura Ruby, Publisher: Balzer + Bray, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Historical Fiction, YA Historical Fiction

Title: The Vine Witch (Vine Witch #1), Author: Luanne G. Smith, Publisher: 47North, Publish Date: October 1, 2019; Genres + Tags: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Witches, Paranormal Romance

Title: War Girls (War Girls #1), Author: Tochi Onyebuchi, Publisher: Razorbill, Publish Date: October 15, 2019; Genres + Tags: Young Adult, YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Science Fiction, Cultural Diversity

#book releases #ya book releases

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hyaenagallery · 6 years

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Erasmus Darwin (1731 – 1802) was an English physician. One of the key thinkers of the Midlands Enlightenment, he was also a natural philosopher, physiologist, slave-trade abolitionist, inventor and poet. Darwin was born at ElstonHall, Nottinghamshire near Newark-on-Trent, England, the youngest of seven children of Robert Darwin of Elston, a lawyer and physician, and his wife Elizabeth Hill. The name Erasmus had been used by a number of his family and derives from his ancestor Erasmus Earle, Common Sergent of England under Oliver Cromwell. He was educated at Chesterfield Grammar School, then later at St John's College, Cambridge. He obtained his medical education at the University of Edinburgh Medical School. Whether Darwin ever obtained the formal degree of MD is not known. Darwin settled in 1756 as a physician at Nottingham, but met with little success and so moved the following year to Lichfield to try to establish a practice there. A few weeks after his arrival, using a novel course of treatment, he restored the health of a young man whose death seemed inevitable. This ensured his success in the new locale. Darwin was a highly successful physician for more than fifty years in the Midlands. George III invited him to be Royal Physician, but Darwin declined. In Lichfield, Darwin wrote didactic poetry, developed his system of evolution, and invented amongst other things, a carriage steering mechanism, a manuscript copier and a speaking machine. Darwin married twice and had 14 children, including two illegitimate daughters by an employee, and, possibly, at least one further illegitimate daughter. Darwin's personal appearance is described in unflattering detail in his Biographical Memoirs, printed by the Monthly Magazine in 1802. Darwin, the description reads, "was of middle stature, in person gross and corpulent; his features were coarse, and his countenance heavy; if not wholly void of animation, it certainly was by no means expressive. The print of him, from a painting of Mr. Wright, is a good likeness. In his gait and dress he was rather clumsy and slovenly, and frequently walked with his tongue hanging out of his mouth." #destroytheday https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqkb188hW-N/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=12vgolt3sjl71

#destroytheday

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the-martymar-love · 4 years

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Serving the community this morning with my son, Malik, volunteering at the Mobile Food Pantry!! #communityservant (at Elston Middle School) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQU4l0j3sF/?igshid=1vnbybg3xibhb

#communityservant

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haleyfury · 5 years

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Summary (from the publisher): Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.

Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents’ house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That’s when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.

When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she’s started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available.

This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever… or is it?

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Ashley Elston’s 10 Blind Dates made my TBR radar earlier in 2019 thanks to its holidays-inspired premise. As many as you know, I love when books incorporate one of my non-bookish faves. And Christmas is definitely a favorite interest of mine. I am proud to admit though that I have been fully embracing fall and Halloween this year by decorating my dorm room and purposely buying a Halloween costume. But never fear, my Christmas decorations are at the ready. Anyway, I also wanted to read 10 Blind Dates because I wanted to read more of Ashley Elston’s work. Although I enjoyed it, I wasn’t a super fan of her This Is Our Story as much as I hoped to be given the hype. However, I was really excited to embrace her first true contemporary story.

10 Blind Dates follows Sophie’s holiday break at her grandparents’ house in the next town over, after deciding to stay home while her parents visit her very pregnant sister three hours away in South Louisiana. Sophie couldn’t wait to get some alone time with her long-time boyfriend, Griffin- until she’s overhears him talking at a party about breaking up with her. With a big family who wants nothing but happiness for Sophie, her cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles set Sophie set her up on ten blind dates.

One of my favorite parts of 10 Blind Dates was of course Sophie’s crazy extended family. There are a lot of family members, but Ashley Elston does a really nice job of reminding readers who is who and focusing on the ones who are most central to the plot. Sophie’s Nonna was my favorite family member, creating the blind date idea and having homemade cannolis ready at the go. Living with her grandparents also allows Sophie to reconnect with her childhood best friends and cousins Charlie and Olivia (not to mention their best friend and neighbor, Wes).

As expected, Sophie finds herself on both good and bad dates. They provide a lot of light-heartedness to the story, while also allowing Sophie to explore her pre-Griffin self and spend more time with her family. 10 Blind Dates is a fun and fluffy read that is the perfect mood read for the holiday season. However, while this might just be me, 10 Blind Dates was a bit too cheery at times in the sense that the story became very predictable. I think some of this might have to do with the writing style, as it was very simple and matter-of-fact as told from Sophie’s narration. I’m all for fluff and light-heartedness, especially in a holiday read, but I think I wanted a tad more maturity on Sophie’s part.

Even though I usually save my holiday-inspired reads for November and December, I think 10 Blind Dates is such a great read for when you’re in need of the Christmas spirit, regardless of the time of year.

This review is based on an uncorrected advance proof. By no means did this affect my thoughts or opinions.

My Most Anticipated Christmas Movies

As mentioned above, 10 Blind Dates has sparked my 2019 Christmas spirit. The movie has also encouraged me to start complying my must-watch Christmas movie list. Thankfully, there have recently been so many Christmas films announced!

Last Christmas- The most anticipated movie on my list, I cannot wait for Last Christmas featuring Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding (aka one of my celebrity crushes since seeing Crazy Rich Asians)! It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Christmas movie in theaters, and I already love the cast, not to mention that one of the producers is Emma Thompson.

Release Date: November 8

Let It Snow (Netflix)- I feel like we have all been waiting forever for the adaptation of John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson’s Let It Snow! I’m pretty sure that I first read this book in middle school (if not the 4th or 5th grade!) and I’ve definitely re-visited it over the years because it is one of my favorite holidays reads. I doubt I will be able to because of school, but I’d love to sneak in a reread before seeing the movie. I’m really interested in seeing the book featuring three interconnected stories come to life on the screen.

Release Date: November 8

The Knight Before Christmas (Netflix)- The Princess Switch was another one of my Netflix-Christmas watches last year, starring Vanessa Hudgens. Vanessa Hudgens is returning to Netflix’s holiday world again with The Knight Before Christmas. This one is definitely in the super-cheesy Christmas movie category, but again also in the must-watch category.

Release Date: November 21

Sugar Rush: Christmas (Netflix)- Although it’s not at all a movie, I cannot help but mention the upcoming Christmas-inspired Sugar Rush. This timed baking competition is for sure a Netflix favorite of mine, so combine that with my love for holiday-esque baking shows, and you’ll likely know what I’ll be watching on November 29th.

Release Date: November 29

A Christmas Prince: Royal Baby (Netflix)- Everyone needs a least one three cheesy/Hallmark-esque Christmas movies on their watchlists. My friends and I binge-watched the first two Christmas Prince movies last November, which obviously means we’ll just have to watch the third.

Release Date: December 5

Is 10 Blind Dates on your TBR? What holiday-inspired books and movies will you be reading & watching? Share in the comments!

HOLIDAY MOOD: 10 Blind Dates Review & Most Anticipated Christmas Movies 2019 Summary (from the publisher): Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin.

#10 Blind Dates #Ashley Elston #Christmas #holidays #Netflix

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gutsywomenwin-blog · 7 years

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The Secret of Why I Wrote the Book or How to Make Your Dream a Reality

Since my book, Gutsy Women Win, has been published, I have had many people ask me “Why did you write a book?” They never asked me why I wrote this specific book, or why I wrote on this specific topic. No. They were yearning to know my why, my deeper vision and what was strong enough to keep me looking forward through a long and sometimes very tedious process.

I think in my answer they are hoping to find their own answer to writing their own book that they’ve been dreaming of writing.

Here’s my primary why.

I was born and raised on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois. My Mom and Dad never made it to high school and although they would voraciously read the newspaper and news magazines, the only books I recall in the house was the Encyclopedia. From a very young age, I loved to read and when I was old enough to cross the busy streets by myself, I would head to the Mayfair Public Library on the corner of Lawrence and Elston.

This was a one-room library with shelves made of wood filled with glorious books along three walls, tables and chairs on the inside of these shelves, and the large wood card catalog with little drawers filled with index cards (how you found where books were shelved) was in the middle of the room. I loved the Dewey Decimal System. It always felt like solving a mystery when I located the book.

Gutsy Women Win on the Foster City, CA library shelf

The fourth wall was the entrance and the librarian’s desk.

When you opened the door the smell of seasoned wood and musty books that were filled with knowledge and creativity and travels and humor and life stories would hit you. I always remember that feeling of anticipation for what I would find there. What new worlds and possibilities and visions would open up to me.

Even on beautiful sunny days in Chicago one of my favorite things was to spend hours in the public library reading and imagining all about the adventures I would someday go on or the people I would someday meet or even the person I would someday become.

It was a sacred, safe and peaceful place for me.

I always thought that writers were brilliant, imaginative, and creative people and that had a huge impact on me. I assumed it impacted others in the same way. There was something magical to me about having a book with your name on it on a library shelf. It commanded a certain respect for the author for writing a book and sharing their words with others and maybe, just maybe, change a person’s life, or dreams, or perspective.

And that’s what I wanted.

I wanted a book on a library shelf that had my name on it.

That’s why I finally wrote the book.

And, even though I had to walk into my own library and ask them to buy a book (instead of it being in all public libraries all over the United States as was my vision), there is a book, sitting on a library shelf, waiting to be picked up and read, and with humbleness and hope, impact the reader.

Am I more brilliant, imaginative, and creative now that I have a book on a shelf in a library?

No. But, I did make a childhood dream come true.

And that’s why I wrote the book.

Pat Obuchowski, CEO Chief Empowerment Officer

867 Hercules Lane Foster City CA 94404 Phone: 650.245.0321 Fax: 650.577.0277 Email: [email protected]

Website: gutsywomenwin.com

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