Lament

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Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

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So I got this again for a Daily Deal on Kindle... been ready a lot of sci-fi lately & thought I'd give this a go...

It had a story that held my attention, but it was weird & had spots that made no sense... & had spots that made it REALLy seem like a young adult book.  Some of the language, some of the dialogue... a little dumbed down

but then I felt dumb, because I didnt even know what was going on in parts.

Fairies, a queen that you dont really know much about till the last chapter, a friendship with James that could have been looked into more, a weird aunt that you dont ever know what happened to her, a grandma that had more of a story that you didnt really get into...

just weird stuff

& the end?  I'm not even sure what happened...

So this was just a disappointment.

Dont want to say I hated it because I kept reading, wanting to know what was going on... just didnt live up to expectations of what it COULD have been

My rating:  2 skeins

Heaven is for Real

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Book:  Heaven is for Real
Author:  Todd Burpo

This is the true story of Colton Burpo, the four-year old son of a small-town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven.

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I've heard so much about the book.  It was marked down on Kindle so I thought I'd give it a go.

The bad part of it?  Most of the book, I've already heard.  I've seen a lot of interviews with this child & all the stories were recapped for the most part.  So it wasnt anything shocking or new... that was disappointing.

It was nice to think this was all true though.  ... I'm a little skeptical. My grandson is 4 & I'm not sure he could be as "articulate" as this young man... I dont know ANY 3 or 4 yr olds that are.  That makes me leery... especially he being a pastor's child?  It would be easy for him to pick up on some cues that he hears his parents say...

I WANT to believe everything he said was true though

So I just enjoyed the read - whether I believe its all 'true' or not... its still encouraging.

The part where the little girl who died who was an artist & drew Jesus - that part really struck me though... I've seen the picture of Jesus that the little girl drew everywhere but didnt realize THAT was the picture she drew... that was the most believable part to me.

My favorite part of the book?  When the man from the church was getting ready to pass away & this little boy went back & told him "The first person you'll see is Jesus"... that just gave me chills & made me cry... that's exactly what I WANT to happen when I die...

This is a quick easy read... so whether you believe it or not, its worth picking up.

My Rating:  4 skeins

Dont Breath a Word

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Book:  Dont breath a word

Author: Jennifer McMahon

On a soft summer night in Vermont, twelve-year-old Lisa went into the woods behind her house and never came out again. Before she disappeared, she told her little brother, Sam, about a door that led to a magical place where she would meet the King of the Fairies and become his queen.

Fifteen years later, Phoebe is in love with Sam, a practical, sensible man who doesn’t fear the dark and doesn’t have bad dreams—who, in fact, helps Phoebe ignore her own. But suddenly the couple is faced with a series of eerie, unexplained occurrences that challenge Sam’s hardheaded, realistic view of the world. As they question their reality, a terrible promise Sam made years ago is revealed—a promise that could destroy them all.

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I dont normally read books like this, but it was a deal on Kindle & someone told me that she really enjoyed it... so I gave it a go.

One word comes to mind - FREAKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The book goes back to & forth to when Lisa disappeared to the current day with Phoebe dating Lisa's brother, Sam... & odd things start to happen.  They get a message that Lisa is back from the fairy land.

So what's real, what isnt... is the Fairy Land real?  What is the story behind it?

its FREAKY!!!!!!!!!!!

I've never really read a 'mystery' before but this held me till the end wanting to know what the truth was... & in the end, I was still like "WHAT?" ...

but I will say, I enjoyed the read.  It kept me on the edge of my seat - had me invested in the characters - had me wondering what was real, what wasnt... what the truth was...

What happened to Lisa... what did her cousin Evie have to do with it.... what was wrong with Lisa's dad.... was Sam involved.... & who are these people who keep coming in & leaving the Fairy King's symbol painted everywhere.... & does the Shadow Man really exist?

FREAKY!!!!

My rating:  3 skeins

Run to Overcome

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Book:  Run to Overcome

When Meb Keflezighi won the New York City Marathon in 2009--the first American to do so in 27 years--some critics questioned whether the Eritrean-born runner was "really" an American despite his citizenship status and representing the USA on two Olympic and several World Championship teams. Yet Meb is the living embodiment of the American dream. His family came to the U.S. to escape from a life of poverty and a violent war with Ethiopia; Meb was 12 at the time, spoke no English, and had never raced a mile. Yet he became an A student and a high school state and national champion. And when he stood on the platform as a silver medalist in the 2004 Olympics, Meb knew his hard work and determination had paid off. How could life be any better? Then it all came crashing down. Meb, a favorite for the Beijing Olympics, fractured his pelvis during the trials and was left literally crawling. His close friend and fellow marathoner suffered a cardiac arrest at the trials and died that same day. Devastated, Meb was about to learn whether his faith in God, the values his parents had taught him, and his belief that he was born to run were enough to see him through. "Run to Overcome" tells the inspirational story of a man who discovered the real meaning of victory, and who embodies the American spirit of overcoming the odds.
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I got this book as a Kindle deal of the day.  I love stories that inspire about running & gave this a go.

It definitely was interesting - but I know if I knew nothing about running, I'd be a tad lost.

But the story of Meb's journey to the US & his family's attitude & strength on making a better life was inspiring.  I LOVED how God was center of this family & their faith is shone throughout the story.

Lots of names I am familiar with running... it was neat to see how they are friends & support each other.

Also loved to hear the story of the Olympic games that Meb placed a silver medal in Athens.

If you dont care anything about running, most of the book, you'd skip over -but its still inspiring.  I always love a good real-life inspiring story.

And I'll definitely be cheering Meb on from now on with my other favorite runners :)

My Rating:  3 skeins

Breathless

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When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school by her distant father and overbearing mother, it doesn’t take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She’s smart, she’s cute, and she’s an Olympic-bound swimmer who has a first class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what her new friends, roommate, and boyfriend don’t know is that Katie is swimming away from her past, and from her schizophrenic older brother, Will, who won’t let her go. And when he does the unthinkable, it’s all Katie can do to keep her head above water.

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I was drawn into this story because I wanted to see how the lives would turn out for Katie & for her brother Will... it definitely wasnt a story-book ending that you expect with every story.  I appreciated that.

It was a story though of a young girl trying to hide her past, while relying on her strength of swimming & starting a "new life" in a new place... making new friends.

I did enjoy the characters... from Katie's room mate that you can never put your finger on, to her boyfriend who I appreciated the story having a Christian character that wasnt TOO much a joke.  He kinda was in parts, but the story did keep him as a Christian.

It was a view in the things that make it so hard to grow up... family issues, friendships, relationships, pressure from sports, the "mean girl"... growing up is tough.

The story didnt blow my mind... but I did want to keep reading to see how Katie's life would end up.

I also loved the ending went & showed "10 years later"... I always like that - to see a little deeper into the story.

My rating:  3 skeins

Letting Go

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Book: Letting Go

Author:  Victoria Watson

Letting Go is a collection of eight short stories from Victoria Watson. Each of these tales has a twist that the reader won’t be expecting. Regret, and how just one moment or snap decision can change your life forever are key themes in each of these stories.

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I got this for a free download on my Kindle. 

Its a quick read.  I read the whole thing in one day.  And some of the stories, we interesting.  One or two, I really enjoyed.  One or two, I thought was totally boring & not grabbing my attention.  So it was a fun, easy read... & getting one or two that I really enjoyed for free - not a bad deal.

My rating:  3 Skeins

Prisoners in the Palace

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Book:  Prisoners in the Palace

Author:  Michaela MacColl

Liza is expected to make her debut in 1830s London, but when her parents die suddenly, she is left penniless and must instead enter service. Through fortuitous connections, she gets a position as a lady’s maid to 17-year-old Princess Victoria, who lives with her mother in the neglected and tension-filled Kensington Palace. Liza begrudgingly adjusts to this new role and slowly comes to care for the temperamental, haughty, and pitiable princess even while she rejects lewd advances from Sir John, the household’s powerful secretary. Ultimately, Liza befriends a young boy and a newspaperman (who soon becomes a love interest) in order to confront the public slander surrounding the princess. This novel is full of historical detail, vivid settings, and richly drawn characters, and themes of friendship and romance give the story teen appeal; Liza is a brave yet conflicted young adult with whom readers will identify. The author takes liberties with some historical facts (clarified in an afterword) to create a tale of espionage, romance, grief, and hope

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I got this book with the Kindle Deal of the Day.  That always makes me leary, but I do love all things "Royal" so I thought I'd give it a go.

I was so glad I did.

This was an easy read & so enjoyable.

What made me love it even more, in the end, I researched some of Queen Victoria's history.  There were most of the names that were involved with the book.  And even cooler, the diary entries from Victoria were legit diary entries that are in historical records. 

I love that the author turned the facts into a fictional story... it makes sense that it could really happen.

While not a "deep" novel, it was interesting to get a glimpse of history & a different time period & an idea of what Victoria may have been like as a teenager.

And ultimately, the story is about Liza, the maid that once was "higher esteemed" until her parents died.  To see her grief & journey through life & see the woman she would become as she's helping her friend claim the throne as Queen, that's the real story... a story of friendship, of a young lady becoming her own person in the world.

I really did enjoy this book...

My Rating:  4 skeins