Friday, December 23, 2016

Book Review: An Elegant Facade

An Elegant Facade
Kristi Ann Hunter
Bethany House Publishers


Georgia needs to find a husband.

To be exact, Georgia needs to find a titled husband that will allow her to live a comfortable life with the protection that a well established man can give to her. Plagued by flaws that the rest of the world can’t see, she knows that only the best match will keep her reputation intact. Colin is a shrewd businessman who owes his own success to his hard work. He may find himself surrounded by people with titles, but he is merely a gentleman with his own insecurities. Both Colin and Georgia have their own fears to conquer. As their friendship deepens, will these fears keep them from realizing they may be the best match for each other after all?

I have to admit something. It took me a long time to read this book. I LOVED the first book, A Noble Masquerade, and I thought I would love this book as quickly as I loved the last. However, Georgia annoyed me a little at first. I couldn’t figure out why she had such a need to be perfect. So….I stopped reading. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to give Georgia another chance.

A great storyteller entrances their audience by creating a powerful story with captivating characters and storylines. However, an excellent storyteller knows how to shock their audience. When I realized WHY Georgia acted the way she did, it all fell into place. And I felt shocked. So much so, that it made me realize how much the author truly developed the character so that you almost had to dislike her at first so that you could truly understand the depth of her facade.

So, long story short, I would definitely recommend this book. I look forward to the next book in this series, and I know you will, too!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Book Review: From This Moment


From This Moment
Elizabeth Camden
Bethany House Publishers


Romulus White is the publisher of a well known scientific magazine and the only thing that would make his magazine even better is the artistic skill of Stella West, a famous artist living in England. Despite his many offers, Stella hasn’t had a reason to come to the United States to work for him. However, when her sister dies under mysterious circumstances, she finds herself in the same city as Romulus hoping to prove that her sister was murdered.

I was very amused by both Stella’s and Romulus’ personalities as they are both stubborn, ambitious, and proud. What have easily been annoying traits were obviously written by a talented author who knew how to develop well rounded characters. Even though they thought they were strong on their own, Stella and Romulus needed each other to break down their pride and open themselves up to grow. The issue of pride was a major theme throughout the book, and we saw this not only with our two main characters, but also with Evelyn and Clyde (who are the stars of their own novella, Summer of Dreams. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone wanting an amusing, historical novel with a touch of mystery. Well done, Elizabeth Camden!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.

School's Here! Celebrate with Reading

Well, for a majority of the United States, school is starting back again! It's an exciting time for teachers, kids, and parents. Back to early mornings, forming friendships, learning, and (my favorite part) more reading!

If you haven't already, I would highly recommend running to your nearest bookstore or library to get your kids a back to school book. Reading is such a vital part of a child's development, and my hope is that your kids will come back from the first day of school and be ready to dive back into a regular reading schedule.

Whether it's five minutes, one chapter, or one picture book per night, reading will positively impact your child's life and will create lasting memories!

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Book Review: Her One and Only

Her One and Only
Becky Wade
Bethany House Publishers

When Dru Porter is assigned as protection agent for NFL player Gray Fowler, she knows that she will have her hands full. Dru is determined to move beyond her past mistakes, but that might prove tricky with this particular assignment. Gray is self assured, infuriating, and not too worried about the threats that he has been getting lately, which means he is not too happy that his agent is a spunky, headstrong woman who is determined to control his every movement. Dru just wants to keep her assignment safe. Gray just wants to play football and move on. But they might just find that protecting Gray will change both of their lives forever.

This is the fourth book in the Porter family saga and did not disappoint! I especially loved the themes that resonated throughout the book. The most impactful theme that I noticed in this book was forgiveness and moving beyond your past. Both Dru and Gray had issues from their past that shaped their characters and both had to come to a point of surrender in order to move forward. This truth just seemed to resonate throughout the book, and it was really interesting to see these characters evolve. Another bonus of this novel is that I loved that readers will also get an opportunity to catch up with the characters from Wade’s other Porter novels!


I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Summer Reading Programs!

SUMMER is the best. It really is. It's a break from the normal. We have more energy (mostly because it doesn't get dark at 3:00 in the afternoon anymore) and it always seems like there is more time in the day during summer. That being said, there is definitely one thing that you should do for your kids: sign them up for a local summer reading program. 

I mean seriously, there's no reason not to. Your kids get an opportunity to keep working on their reading skills AND there are usually prizes. I mean, who doesn't love getting free prizes??

So, look up a local library and sign your kids up. It's summer. And in my opinion, books always make summer 10 times more fun!

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Book Review: Until the Dawn

Until the Dawn
Elizabeth Camden
Bethany House Publishers

Sophie van Riijn is quite content manning her beloved weather stations at the Vandermark mansion. Now an attraction for tourists, its owners have left it alone for years due to an unspeakable tragedy. At least, they did leave it alone until Quentin Vandermark returns to tear it down. Sophie and Quentin have very different ideas for the future of the Vandermark estate. But will the mystery of the mansion bring these two together or will past hurts and stubborn hearts tear them apart?

I have read quite a few of Camden’s novels and I am always impressed by her character development. I’ve read many books where authors are unable to create unique identities separate from their other novels. In Until the Dawn, I liked Sophie’s passion for her weather station and her ability to persevere despite so many obstacles. Additionally, I was especially impressed by the mystery and darker feel to this book, which was not what I was expecting. For anyone who has read any of her previous novels, I would consider this novel a solid addition to Camden’s collection.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.


Life after the edTPA

For those of you out there currently going through the edTPA process, stop right there. Take a few minutes and just relax. This isn't a blog with all of the answers to what you are going through. What I am going to do is give you the advice I wish I had before I went through it a few months ago.

 It's been a few weeks since I've officially passed the edTPA and it still seems like a surreal experience. I don't think I've ever wanted to pass a project like I wanted to pass the edTPA. Knowing that this project had such an impact on my future as a school librarian was daunting. At times, it was stressful. And yet, it is something that I count now as one of my biggest academic accomplishments.

So here's my list. Here's what I wish I had known. Maybe it will encourage you throughout the process and remind you that there is a great career at the end of this project. The best job in the world is waiting for you. Good luck!

5 Things I wished I knew throughout the edTPA:

  1. Start from the end. What do you want your students to walk away with? I focused so much on building each week that I never really felt like the unit was solid. I think by envisioning what the end result should be, I could have better focused on creating a unit that made a little bit more sense.
  2. Use the knowledge of others. Right now, you have the full attention of an experienced teacher. USE IT! I wish I had shown my teacher my ideas earlier and more often. I think I didn't want to really bother her with it at the beginning stages, and I should have used her knowledge and experience.
  3. Devote a little time everyday to the edTPA. Whether it's time you devote to editing or just reflecting, it will help you in the long run. I wish I had better managed my time earlier on so that I didn't feel rushed at the end. 
  4. Take notes!!  There are a few times that I really wished I had taken notes immediately after a lesson. Spending about five minutes reflecting on what worked and didn't work will be really helpful when going to put together your portfolio.
  5.  Don't forget to enjoy the time you have with your students in the class you are using for the edTPA. There were times that I was so focused on the things I needed them to accomplish for my project that I didn't take the time to really slow down and enjoy teaching them the way that I was able to with other classes. SO SLOW DOWN! Ultimately, it's about them. They are the reason we are doing this.