Accidentally Me by Kim Karras BLOG TOUR!

WANTED: Pretend stalker. No experience required. Tall, dark, and quirky preferred. Sabrina is desperate to go to her dream college, but her parents want her to stay close to home. If she wants to maintain her perfect child image, Sabrina must break rules that even her rebel sister keeps . .

About the author:
Kim Karras writes contemporary fiction for adults and teens. Follow her at kimkarras.blogspot.com for notes on life, writing, and motherhood..




Find reviews, interviews and other blogs on the tour here:

 Accidentally Me” blog tour schedule:
August 10: Singing Librarian Books | Literary Time Out
August 11: Inklings and Notions | Geo Librarian
August 12: Write, Writing, Written
August 13: Live to Read
August 14:
August 15: My Book a Day
August 16: Emily King | Getting Your Read On
August 17: Katie’s Clean Book Collection | Robyn Echols
August 18: Nicki Elson
August 19: Min Reads and Reviews | Mel’s Shelves
August 20: Writing Worm
August 21:
August 22: Novel-ties | My Little Sunshines
August 23: Emmy Mom | Wishful Endings
August 24: The Nice Thing About Strangers
August 25: Lisa Swinton
August 26: Mylissa’s Reviews and Book Thoughts
August 27: Blooming with Books
August 28:
August 29: Perfecting the Craft | Bookworm Lisa
August 30: Heidi Reads
August 31: Rockin’ Book Reviews | Totally Obsessed

CLICKOLOGIE ~ Elevating Your Photography From Beginner To Pro by Erin Summerill

Clickologie: Elevating Your Photography from Beginner to Pro by Erin Summerill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up this book and looked at all the pictures first, then started at the beginning to read the words. I couldn't stop reading. I don't remember the last time I wanted to read an instructional book from cover to cover. Erin hooked me from the very beginning. How could I put down this book with a definition like this:

Clickologie
2. The study of capturing life in photographic images that are so beautiful they could make the burliest grown man cry.

Excellent and FUN book about photography from the fundamentals to pro. Filled with vivid pictures, clear instructions and clever words, this book will teach anyone about shooting, posing and becoming the photographer they want to be.

I highly recommend this book if you want to take your photography to the next level.

View all my reviews

Persuasion by Rebecca H. Jamison Blog Tour!

I'm happy to be part of Rebecca Jamison's blog tour of her book PERSUASION!
I have a good friend who loves all things Austen so I invited her to be a guest reviewer today.
Take it away Mrs. LeBuck!

Rebecca H. Jamison's Persuasion: A Latter Day Tale was an easy, breezy read on a otherwise cold weekend.  Her story echoes Jane Austen's Persuasion well enough that I could easily anticipate the general story line, but the updated new twist kept it fresh as I read.  I especially enjoyed the "new" ways of getting the characters where they need to be.  For example, the accident at the beach was a pleasant surprise, as was the back story given to the character of William.
Jamison's version of Anne Elliot has her own modern issues to deal with, including her work, her car, her friends and roommate.  But the relationship issues Jane Austen gave her original heroine ring true in the modern version--her father's financial issues, her sisters' selfishness, and her own self-doubt.  Played out within an LDS morality, the romantic entanglements work very well too, even in the modern settings.  I could sense her longing for a husband and family life without seeing her as a sappy, unrealistic, washed-up spinster.  And Anne's attitude never felt defeated.
Overall, I appreciated the clean but still romantic  twist on a story I adore from Jane Austen.  Perhaps this new telling will hook younger readers into seeing the brilliance of the character driven novel without the need to spice it up and out of my personal rating's window.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			February
			1	2	3	4
			Bookworm Nation/ Six Mixed Reviews/ The Stubby Pencil/	Krazy Book Lady/ The Stubby Pencil/	A Book A Day/ Jacob’s Beloved’s Books/ Lisa is a Bookworm/	Misty Moncur/
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
Book Lover’s Paradise/	Book Spark/ Fire and Ice/	Tristi Pinkston/ Getting Your Read On/ Thoughts with Chris/	The Character Connection/ Le Vanity Victorienne/ LDS Women’s Book Review/	Neurotic Writer/ Community Bookstop/ My Book Addiction/	Hopeful Happiness/ Practical Frugality/	WV Stitcher/ Community Bookstop/
12	13	14
	Laurie LC Lewis/ Reading For Sanity/	Dearest Dreams/ WV Stitcher/

CARVING ANGELS by Diane Tolley

Papa Adam, the North Pole's oldest elf and Santa's former chief carver, has given up. Blind, frail, and feeling useless, he counts the minutes in every day as he waits to die -- until his youngest granddaughter challenges him to carve again. Together they prove that the most beautiful creations can come from the most unlikely sources and with the right love and encouragement, anything is possible.

First line:
"The old elf sat on the porch of his cozy little cabin and gazed sightlessly out at the world, feeling at once worn out and useless."


Sweet, heartwarming and uplifting Christmas story. One I recommend buying for your Christmas book collection.
A story of love, family ties, elves and a little bit of Christmas magic. 
 Papa Adam has given up on himself until his little granddaughter visits, asking for a wood carving like her cousins received from him. At first he refuses but soon his love for carving is rekindled and a sweet relationship between grandpa and granddaughter is forged.
Papa Adam finds he is still needed, not only by his granddaughter but also by Santa Claus.


Loved: 
Papa Adam
Amy
Symbolism
Dasher


I would LOVE to see this as a picture book somehow.


Rated: G



25% test (p. 29):

"Sometime later, the little girl set her carving down and began to scrape up her shavings.
Her grandfather turned toward her. “Getting ready to go, angel?” he asked.
“Yeah. The day-end whistle went,” she told him.
“Huh. I didn’t even hear it,” Grandpa said wonderingly.
“And I promised Mama I’d be home for supper.”
Advance
“Better scoot!”
She giggled. “Grandpa, you say the funniest
things!” She threw her arms around him. “Mmmm, you smell nice,”she said,“like fresh wood and peppermint.”
He laughed. “That's what grandpas are made of," he said, hugging her back. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Oh, yes, Grandpa! I want to finish this bird for
Mama for Christmas!”
“But Christmas is still months away!” “That’s okay!” “Well, all right then.” Another hug. “I love you, Grandpa!” “I love you, too, dear . . . so much!” And she was gone.
Grandpa carefully tidied up the room and threw a cloth over the tools set in regimental order on the..."