#FRC2015 #MMBBR Review: PRETENDING TO DANCE by DIANE CHAMBERLAIN @booksparks @D_Chamberlain

PRETENDING TO DANCE BY DIANE CHAMBERLAIN

Course Title: Intro to Social Work

Department: Women’s Fiction

Course Date: November 23

Description: 

Learn how to mediate adoption plans, family strife and birth parent relationships in this course from Diane Chamberlain

Diane Chamberlain is the USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author of 24 novels published in more than twenty languages. Some of her most popular books include Necessary Lies, The Silent Sister, The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, and The Keeper of the Light Trilogy. Diane likes to write complex stories about relationships between men and women, parents and children, brothers and sisters, and friends. Although the thematic focus of her books often revolves around family, love, compassion and forgiveness, her stories usually feature a combination of drama, mystery, secrets and intrigue. Diane's background in psychology has given her a keen interest in understanding the way people tick, as well as the background necessary to create her realistic characters.

Diane was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey and spent her summers at the Jersey Shore. She also lived for many years in San Diego and northern Virginia before making North Carolina her home.

Diane received her bachelor's and master's degrees in clinical social work from San Diego State University. Prior to her writing career, Diane worked in hospitals in San Diego and Washington, D.C. before opening a private psychotherapy practice in Alexandria Virginia specializing in adolescents. All the while Diane was writing on the side. Her first book, Private Relations was published in 1989 and it earned the RITA award for Best Single Title Contemporary Novel. 
Diane lives with her partner, photographer John Pagliuca, and her sheltie, Cole. She has three stepdaughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren. She's currently at work on her next novel.

Please visit Diane's website at www.dianechamberlain.com for more information on her newest novel, Pretending to Dance, and a complete list of her books.

Chamberlain has done it again!  She wrote another book that was hard to put down, so engaging and original, beautifully written, brilliantly set and woven together seamlessly!  She has a way that she writes that takes topics and makes you feel them with your full heart.  You care from the start and find yourself holding your breath, feeling the feelings and living along side the characters!  Such a wonderful story and another 5 stars hit!  Keep them coming Diane!  We love you! 

#MMBBR HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: Children's Book Round-Up @ThunderBayPress @FSBAssociates @NGKids

Coinciding with the new Rick Riordan Magnus Chase series and the Marvel Age of Ultron DVD, featuring Thor, comes a new look at Asgard and the timeless tales of ancient Scandinavia. 
Classic stories and dazzling illustrations of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters come to life in a stunning tableau of Norse myths, including those of the thunder god Thor, the one-eyed god and Allfather Odin, and the trickster god Loki. The lyrical storytelling of award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli dramatizes the timeless tales of ancient Scandinavia. This book is the third in the trilogy that includes the popular National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology and National Geographic Treasury of Egyptian Mythology.

MY REVIEW:
My son is going to go bananas when I give him this book for Christmas!  He loves mythology and this is the book to have for that topic!  All his favorite heroes are in this book with the historical connection to the comics of now! I love that the book lists the cast of characters, maps and has an index, so he can search things that interest him and he can read bits at a time!  This is an amazing book and I am so excited to read the first two books in the series!  5 stars

The concept is simple. Got a question? Well now you have an answer! 1,111 of them, in fact. Want to know why your snot is yellow? Flip to the human body chapter. What's on the inside of a turtle shell? The animal section's got you covered. What's in the deepest part of the ocean? Why doesn't Earth just float off into space? Check, check, and check. With hundreds of topics ranging from silly to serious, we've got the expert information you need in a fun and entertaining format that will keep kids digging for answers. Answers include all kinds of fascinating extra info like top ten lists, weird-but-true facts, explorer profiles, and cool activities. Now, go stump your parents!

MY REVIEW:
Why are deserts hot and dry?  Why does the Earth have a moon?  What are black holes?  All the answers to these questions and hundreds more are contained in this AMAZING book that is a must for all children that are curious and want to know the answers to WHY???  My kids are going to love this book and I am sure that I will get quizzed on many of the questions inside this book!  It will be awesome to learn about all these things along side my children.  This will also be another memorable gift for the kids for Christmas!  5 stars

When words in verse are paired with the awesomeness of nature, something magical happens! Beloved former U.S. Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis curates an exuberant poetic celebration of the natural world in this stellar collection of nature poems. From trickling streams to deafening thrunderstorms to soaring mountains, discover majestic photography perfectly paired with contemporary (such as Billy Collins), classics (such as Robert Frost), and never-before-published works.

MY REVIEW:
Any child that has any interest in poetry and appreciates the beauty of nature needs this book!  It book has both breathtaking photos and the poems are just stunning!  I don't think that I can truly capture the absolute beauty that is in this book!  The photos...seriously...I can get lost inside them and the poems that accompany them take you even further into the beauty and splendor of nature!  5 stars!!

The natural world experts at National Geographic present the ultimate reference book on reptiles, design just for kids. Crawling with fascinating facts, lively text, and tons of cool, colorful, images of the weirdest and wackiest reptiles on planet Earth, it is sure to be their coveted, #1 reference.

Snakey, slimey, scaley, and sensational! Welcome to the amazing world of the most popular reptiles on Earth. With colorful photographs and fun facts, this easy-to-use encyclopedia profiles snakes, lizards, amphibians, turtles and tortoises, crocodilians, and tuatara. Profiles are accompanied by Did You Know? details and fast facts including scientific name, size, diet, and habitat.

MY REVIEW:

OMG, yikes!!!  I am glad my kids like creepy crawly things, because they will love this book!  The pictures of the reptile pals are completely jumping off the page....vivid detail and clear and concise information all all sorts of reptile friends...snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises, crocodiles and MORE!!!  I cannot wait for my kids to read and discover this book!  They will be hooked by the first page that features an introduction to reptiles! 5 stars

Get ready for even more zany weird-but-true fun with 1,000 all-new wacky facts, photos, and too-strange-to-believe stories in the newest book in the wildly popular series. It's the ultimate in weird-but-true awesomeness!  

National Geographic has packed 1,000 more ALL-NEW wild and wacky facts and photos into Ultimate Weird But True 3, making this the perfect gift for fact-loving tweens everywhere.

MY REVIEW:
This book is one of the BEST I have seen!  It is awesome how it is laid out!!!  It is like a vision sensation!  There is so much to look at and read!  I am sure that you could read this over and over and over and learn something new!  Here is a fun tidbit:  It is illegal for travelers to take more than $5 in pennies out of the United States and you can ride a ferris wheel underground in Romania!  Learn about so much awesome and wacky facts in this book!  It is jam packed with things that I find fun, interesting and oh so strange! My kids are going to love this book so much too!!  5 stars

Although it's not the "great American novel" written atop his doghouse, this book is pure Snoopy. The heart of the long-running, beloved comic strip Peanuts, Snoopy is an instantly recognizable character around the world. The pages in this comprehensive volume cover Snoopy's inspiration, first appearances, and his evolution into the lovable character from the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm we're familiar with today. Get the scoop on his relationships with his best friend, Woodstock, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the gang. Snoopy fans will treasure the collection of removable memorabilia and fun illustrations from the Schulz museum while enjoying the extensive knowledge of Nat Gertler, an expert on the subject of Peanuts. Fling yourself into this book and join in the happy dance!

MY REVIEW:
I am in LOVE with Snoopy and the whole Peanuts gang! This is THE BOOK to have for any fan of Snoopy.  It has everything you want to know about Snoopy!  I am still working my way thorough this book and savoring every word about the fun loving and adventurous beagle that I grew up loving and still love as an adult!  5 stars

Using one of the most famous works in classical music—Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony—here is the perfect way to introduce a young child to the world of classical music. This charming and interactive picture book with its panel of 19 sound buttons is like a ticket to a concert hall, taking readers on a journey from the exciting first moment when the musicians begin tuning up to the end of the first movement (attention newcomers: don’t clap yet!). At each step of the way, readers learn the basics of classical music and the orchestra: What is a conductor? What is a symphony? Who was Beethoven? The different aspects of music: melody, harmony, tempo, theme. And the families of instruments—strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

But the best part is that every critical idea is illustrated in gorgeous sound. The sound panel allows readers to hear the different parts of the symphony and voices of the music—the famous beginning of the Fifth, what a clarinet sounds like, the difference between a violin and a viola, what a melody is, and what harmony is. Kids will want to match their voices to the A note that tunes the orchestra, dance to the rhythmic passages—and, of course, sing along to da-da-da-daah!

MY REVIEW:
This book is perfect and landed on my door at the right time, as I had just been at the symphony and my son was asking a lot of questions about that the symphony was and what instruments are included in it!  This book is so cool and I cannot wait to share it with him!!!  It has buttons to press that make the sounds of each instrument!  Plus a great story that goes with it!  This will be a hit under the tree this year!  5 stars! 

From the co-author of How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids, the book that started a conversation about the importance of positive interactions in schools and homes around the world, comes a timeless story about how to be healthy and create energy in our daily lives. Through a series of brief adventures, Poppy and Simon discover what it takes to recharge themselves and bring an entire village back to life. Based on the research and concepts in Eat Move Sleep, Tom Rath's latest New York Times bestseller,The Rechargeables is about the way small choices have a profound impact on the quality of each day.

MY REVIEW: 
What a fun book about being active, healthy and fun!  My little guy is a power house of activity, eats great and loves to take care of himself! He will LOVE this book and the adventure the characters goes through!  He will devour this book and will love to spread its healthy message!  5 stars!

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#MMBBR: The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel @sarablaedel

Sara Blaedel--Denmark's "Queen of Crime"--brings her #1 bestseller THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS to North America.

THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS

Four days later, Louise Rick still had no answers.

The body of an unidentified woman was discovered in a local forest. A large, unique scar on one side of her face should have made the identification easy, but nobody has reported her missing. As the new commander of the Missing Persons Department, Louise risks involving the media by releasing a photo of the victim, hoping to find someone who knew her.

Louise's gamble pays off: an older woman phones to say that she recognizes the woman as Lisemette, a child she once cared for in the state mental institution many years ago. Lisemette, like the other children in the institution, was abandoned by her family and branded a "forgotten girl." But Louise soon discovers something more disturbing: Lisemette had a twin, and both girls were issued death certificates more than thirty years ago.

Aided by her friend journalist Camilla Lind, Louise finds that the investigation takes a surprising and unsettling turn when it brings her closer to her childhood home. And as she uncovers more crimes that were committed--and hidden--in the forest, she is forced to confront a terrible link to her own past that has been carefully concealed.

OK, so this book was creepy, twisty and turny and hard to put down!  I love a good thriller and THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS had all elements that make for a great read...a great mystery, compelling characters that have mysteries of their own, a story that is perfectly plotted and unpredictable and just enough creepy to keep me uneasy the whole time!  What a GREAT book and one I recommend highly to lovers of great thriller/mystery mixes!!!  4.5 stars 

#MMBBR Blog Tour Host: The Coal Thief by Alane Adams @AlaneAdamsBooks @BookSparks

Brrr! Georgie wakes up to a freezing morning in 1920s Pennsylvania and gets the bad news that there is no coal to heat the farmhouse—and he knows there is no money to buy more, either. Just after he finds this out, along comes his friend Harley, who drags him off on an adventure to find some mysterious “black gold.” Before Georgie can catch his breath, he’s in a pile of trouble—all the way up to his ears! Take a trip back in time and join Georgie in this heartwarming tale of mischief made and lessons learned in America’s storied past.

This is an incredible, heart warming story about learning hard lessons and making tough decisions.  There are so many wonderful talking points throughout this book that make is great for parents to read to young children.  So much can be learned and felt with the heart when you read THE COAL THIEF.  I loved taking to my boys about the things that can happen when we blindly follow people and how talking it out with parents can turn a bad set of circumstances into wonderful learning and giving opportunity!  Plus, we talked about the power of giving to others in need.  Such a wonderful story for this time of year!  A must for a child's home library!  I just adored this book and rate it 5 stars!!! 

Released: November 17, 2015
Publisher: SparkPress
Genre: Childrens, Historical
Hardback: 32 pages
Rating: 5
Find out more about this book and author:

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About the author:

Alane Adams grew up in an old Quaker town called Whittier in Southern California. Adams attended Whittier High School and was active in every possible sport including basketball (proudly claiming the nickname Breakaway Adams!) and swimming and diving. For college, Alane attended the University of Southern California where she wanted to be an English major, but family convinced her to become an accountant to help run a family business. After spending the next few decades helping to build one of the largest recycling companies on the West Coast, Alane left the family business behind to pursue her writing career. Before launching into writing full-time, Alane began teaching full-time at a local university. Finally, the Legends of Orkney series was born when her then 12-year-old son challenged Alane to write a book he could read. She hasn't stopped writing since that day.

Alane's favorite books include any story involving folklore, fantasy and fairytales. When Alane is not writing or teaching, she is hanging out with her three boys, each who have grown up having adventures to rival those of her characters. 
~*~
* Book tour sponsored by BookSparks @booksparks

#MMBBR Review: The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris @KrisMcmorris

From New York Times bestselling author Kristina McMorris comes an ambitious and heartrending story of immigrants, deception, and second chances.

On a cold night in October 1937, searchlights cut through the darkness around Alcatraz. A prison guard's only daughter--one of the youngest civilians who lives on the island--has gone missing. Tending the warden's greenhouse, convicted bank robber Tommy Capello waits anxiously. Only he knows the truth about the little girl's whereabouts, and that both of their lives depend on the search's outcome.

Almost two decades earlier and thousands of miles away, a young boy named Shanley Keagan ekes out a living as an aspiring vaudevillian in Dublin pubs. Talented and shrewd, Shan dreams of shedding his dingy existence and finding his real father in America. The chance finally comes to cross the Atlantic, but when tragedy strikes, Shan must summon all his ingenuity to forge a new life in a volatile and foreign world.

Skillfully weaving these two stories, Kristina McMorris delivers a compelling novel that moves from Ireland to New York to San Francisco Bay. As her finely crafted characters discover the true nature of loyalty, sacrifice, and betrayal, they are forced to confront the lies we tell--and believe--in order to survive.

Wow, Just WOW!  What an unbelievable book!  What a treat!!!  This is one of those books that will resonate with me for such a long time!  It was so well researched, well written and detailed and so completely engaging.  McMorris wrote two connecting stories with such brilliance!  I was completely captivated the whole time and was sad when the book ended.  There was such depth in the story and I was taken right into the book!  5 HUGE stars!

#MMBBR Review: Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams @bcwilliamsbooks

An epic story of star-crossed lovers in pre-war Europe collides with a woman on the run in the swinging '60s, in another riveting historical novel from the New York Times-bestselling author of A Hundred Summers and Tiny Little Thing.

Each of the three Schuyler sisters has her own world-class problems, but in the autumn of 1966, Pepper Schuyler's problems are in a class of their own. When Pepper fixes up a beautiful and rare vintage Mercedes and sells it at auction, she thinks she's finally found a way to take care of herself and the baby she carries, the result of an affair with a married, legendary politician. 

But the car's new owner turns out to have secrets of her own, and as the glamorous and mysterious Annabelle Dommerich takes pregnant Pepper under her wing, the startling provenance of this car comes to light: a Nazi husband, a Jewish lover, a flight from Europe, and a love so profound it transcends decades. As the many threads of Annabelle's life from World War II stretch out to entangle Pepper in 1960s America, and the father of her unborn baby tracks her down to a remote town in coastal Georgia, the two women must come together to face down the shadows of their complicated pasts. 

Indomitable heroines, a dazzling world of secrets, champagne at the Paris Ritz, and a sweeping love story for the ages, in New York Times bestselling author Beatriz William's final book about the Schuyler sisters.

I really enjoyed this novel.  I feel like this is what historical fiction is really all about!  There were compelling characters, stories woven together brilliantly, mystery and twists and turns.  The novel takes you on a journey and leaves you guessing until the end!  Another amazing read by a gifted storyteller! 4.5 stars