Book Review: "Waterfall" by Lisa T. Bergren

Title:  "Waterfall"
Series:  The River of Time Series Book 1
Author:  Lisa T. Bergren
Publisher:  David C. Cook
Publication Date:  1/15/2011
Pages:  352

Book Description (PBS):

Maybe most American teens would love a Mediterranean vacation, but the Bentarrini sisters are stuck in Italy every summer with their archaeologist parents! Young Gabi is bored out of her mind . . . until she's swept into the 16th century and a whole new world filled with knights, horses, armor, swords, and great-looking Italian guys!


My Overall Feeling of the Book:

This book is the first in the River of Time Series and I've been impatiently waiting to get my hands on it.  I finally made it to first in line to get it from paperbackswap.com .  And quickly snagged it up.

I read this book as part of the Wicked Wildfire Read-a-Thon that ended Sunday night.  It was 10pm on Sunday and I had the entire book to read in order to meet my RAT goal.  I didn't have to get up early on Monday so I got my pj's on and snuggled in bed for a long night of reading.  I might have technically finished it in the wee hours of Monday morning but I'm counting it!   To me it was still Sunday night :)

I had no problem whatsoever staying awake to read this book.  It kept me captivated from beginning to end.  I absolutely loved it!


My Favorite Character:

This is a hard book to decide my favorite character because there were so many that I really liked.  I guess I'll have to go with Gabi, the heroine.  She had such spirit and determination.  She makes tough choices because she puts others ahead of herself.  Very uncommon for a typical 17 year old.  She seemed mature beyond her age.

My Favorite Scene:

Just one of my many favorite scenes, is when Gabi is transported back in time and climbs out of the tomb into the middle of a fierce battle.  At first she thinks it is a reinactment of sorts until she see the very graphic death taking place before her eyes.  Talk about a shock!

My Favorite Sentence(s)/ Paragraph:

Staring at the water below made me realize how badly I had to go to the bathroom.  I'd avoided it as much as I could at Castello Forelli, but there, as here, I could do nothing other than what the reset did--go to the pot.  I rose and winced--half from the pain in my thigh and half from worrying that I'd never find Lia.  Then, raising my skirts, I squatted over the bucket and did my business, dragging a piece of wood across the top when I was done to contain the smell.  "My kingdom for a flush toilet," I muttered.  For all our whining, Lia and I really had to idea how good we had it, even in an apartment decorated in seventies favorites.

Gabriela Betarrini, page 178

 

It Woud Have Been Better If:

I had Book 2 in my hands right NOW! 

Also, nothing major but, I have no idea where the title "Waterfall" came from.  I don't remember there being a waterfall anywhere in the book at all.  Just curious.


I Would Recommend This Book To:

YA, time-travel, and history lovers.  Those who have a sister or a single parent.  Anyone who has been drug as around as a kid by their parents on trips.  (I spent many a Saturday at the historical society while my Mom worked on geneology.)  Those who speak English, Italian and Latin.  And anyone who wants to be captivated by a book you can't put down.

Rating

5/5

On to the next book,

At the Table ~ Strawberry Fluff

This recipe for Strawberry Fluff is so simple and tastes delicious!  You can make it with any combination of jello and use fruit to garnish the top if you are taking it to a picnic or event.

Strawberry Fluff

2 packages strawberry jello
2 cups hot water
2 cups cold water
1 container Cool Whip

Mix the jello as per the directions on the box.

Refrigerate and allow to set up completely.

Beat the jello with a mixer to blend well.  (if you get a thick layer on the bottom of the bowl you want to remove that).

Add the Cool Whip and mix it thoroughly.

Put all the mixture in a large bowl (fancy if you're taking it somewhere) and refrigerate to let it set up completely again.

Here is a serving in a cute little bowl.

As I said you can make so many variations with the basic jello and whip cream base.  First, you can use any kind of jello.  Depending on the kind of jello you can then add cherries, oranges, marshmallows, etc.  You can mix it throughout or put it on top for garnish.

The kids and adults alike will love this :)



Tune in Tuesday ~ "Honey Bee" by Blake Shelton

I absolutely adore Blake Shelton.  We might be going to see him in concert in September!  I really hope we do .

This is just a feel good song and the video is too cute :)





Enjoy!

Teaser Tuesday ~ 6/26/12

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title &; author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser for this week:

~"Sooo, I was right.  It was a skunk.  You may have gotten rid of the worst oder, but not all of it.  I think you got used to the smell.  You didn't smell terrible, just not good.  Didn't you notice the way people kept their distance with you?', Wes grinned.  'If I were you, I'd bury those clothes and buy new ones."~

"A Love of Her Own"
Series:  Heart of the West Book 3
Author:  Maggie Brendan
Page 123

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Happy Teaser Tuesday!

Book Review: "Wildflower Bride" by Mary Connealy

Title:  "Wildflower Bride"
Series:  Montana Marriages Book 3
Author:  Mary Connealy
Publisher:  Barbour Books
Publication Date:  5/1/2010
Pages:  320

Book Description (PBS):

Welcome to the wilds of Montana, where humor, romance, and suspense ride the range. Glowing Sun, a white woman raised by the Flathead tribe, has vague memories of her former life, including a name - Abby Lind. When she's forced to sever all links with her adopted Shoshone family, Abby wonders if she'll ever find a home again.

Tenderhearted Wade Sawyer, responsible for Abby's survival during the village massacre, convinces the knife-wielding woman to return with him to the Sawyer Ranch, never realizing danger lurks behind every corner. Can they survive long enough to fall in love?

My Overall Feeling of the Book:

This was the third and final book of the Montana Marriages series.  I read the first two books quite a while ago and finally finished out the series as part of the "All Series, All Summer 2012".  I also read this book as part of the Wicked Wildfire Read-a-Thon.

My feelings were contradictory with this book.  I enjoyed the book for the most part but felt at odds with Abby a lot.  I just couldn't quite come to love her character and attitude.  It felt a bit forced to me.

Even though I really liked the first two books in the series and enjoy when characters I've come to know make an appearance, I felt a bit like they were taking up too much of the story and away from Wade and Abby's story.

My Favorite Character:

My favorite character was Belle Tanner Harden and her daughters.  They were the main characters of the second book of this series, which supports my thoughts above.

My Favorite Scene:

My favorite scene is when Cassie Dawson (from the first book of the series) is trying to learn to throw her knife and can't make it stick in the bulls eye.  This again supports my thoughts above.


My Favorite Sentence(s):

"Belle, honey, I might need you to shoot a man."
"Now, Silas? Or can it wait until after lunch?"

Belle and Silas Harden page 128 

(also supports my thoughts above).

It Woud Have Been Better If:

I think you can tell by now that I think the book would have been better if it was more focused on Wade and Abby and a bit less on characters from previou books.  If I hadn't read the first two books of the series and picked this one up, I would have been lost.

I Would Recommend This Book To:

Western historical romance readers, tomboys, ranchers, horse lover, those with in-law problems.

Rating

3/5

On to the next book,

The Men in My Life~ Listiciles ~ 6/25/12

"10 Happy Memories of the Men in My Life"

I'll start with the earliest and work my way forward:

1.  My Dad swinging me high in the air.

2.  My Pap taking me to the store with him and buying me a little bag of Doritos or a candy bar.

3.  Tagging along with my brother and his friends.  He always let me :)

4.  My first kiss which happened to be with my husband :)

5.  Doug's proposal!  So romantic...sigh...

6.  My Dad giving me away at our wedding.

7.  Our honeymoon to Disney World in 2000.

8.  Doug when we had baby girl #1.  He said she was as purple as Barnie.

9.  Doug when we had baby girl #2.  He almost cried.

10.  Getting my Dad to go on the Lady of the Mist at Niagra Falls.  It took some fancy talking :)

There are so many more.  I could go on and on and hope to make many more happy memories!  Love you, guys!

Do you have 10 special memories of the men in your life?

Have fun!

Linking up to:

A Musing ~ Reading Goals ~ 6/25/12

Each week Miz B at Should Be Reading asks a bookish question to muse over.

This week's musing :

"Do you set goals for yourself, while reading? For example, “I want to get this book finished this weekend“, or “I will read __ pages today“, etc. Why, or why not?"

This questions comes at a great time!  I just finished the "Wicked Wildfire Read-a-Thon".  So for RATs I definitely set a goal of the number of books I want to read by the end.  In fact, as of last night at 10pm I still had 1 complete book to read to reach my goal.  I was determined to meet my goal and read until the wee hours of the morning to finish it.  Since I finished before I went to bed, I consider that yesterday :)  Goal accomplished.

 

When not participating in RATs I don't set hard core goals.  I do however usually read 2-4 books a week with an average of 3.  I use my WWW Wednesday post as a "cut-off" to take a look at my week's reading accomplishments.

 

I might think to myself "I'd like to finish this book before bed" but I don't think I've ever set a page goal.

 

Well, now that REALLY I think about it, I do tend to find the middle page of a book and set it as a daily goal.  Just something about being "half-way through" gives me a sense of accomplishment before I turn the lights out for the day.

 

This question has really made me think about my reading goals and I guess I set more than I had thought!  I do try not to be overly rigid because that just takes the fun out of it :)

 

Do you set reading goals?

 

Musing along,

Cover Charactistics ~ Cats ~ 6/24/12

Each week Muggle will post a characteristic and choose 5 of her favorite cover’s with that characteristic. If you want to join in and share your 5 favorite covers with the weeks particular characteristic, create a post and go link-up:)

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This Week's Characteristic:  "Cats"

"Kittens in the Kitchen" by Ben M. Baglio

"Kitten in the Candy Corn" by Ben M. Baglio

 

"Cats at the Campground" by Ben M. Balio

 

 

"Tabby in the Tub" by Ben M. Baglio

 

 

"Kitten in the Cold" by Ben M. Baglio

This week I'm featuring book by Ben M. Baglio from the Animal Ark Series.  These books are what my 11 year cut her teeth on and started her love of reading.  She would only read books about animals and this series was perfect for her.

Ahhh...memories...

Have a great Sunday!

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ 6/24/12

Would you like to linger on the simple things...then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the everyday moments.  Click the button above to go the hosting blog.

FOR TODAY:

Outside my window...  are the dogs running around in the yard.  It is bright and sunny with a temp of 76 F.

I am thinking...  About taking a Sunday afternoon nap before I make food for the picnic later today.

I am thankful...  for being able to get the house cleaned yesterday and feeling more settled post-vacation.

In the kitchen...  I will be making a huge crock-pot of homemade mac-n-cheese and a dessert of some kind for the picnic.
I am wearing... jeans with the legs rolled up, a gray shirt with graphics, flip flops.

I am creating...  a Barley Cocoon for an etsy order.

I am going...  to fall asleep sitting here at the computer!

I am wondering...  If I will get my 4th read-a-thon book read before midnight.

I am reading...  "Waterfall" by Lisa T. Bergren for the above mentioned RAT.

I am hoping...  That Kaylee had a good time at Church Camp this week!

I am looking forward to...  getting the pool finished so we can swim!

I am learning...  that I need to be more consistent with my daily Bible study.

Around the house...  Summer is in full swing.

I am pondering...  How seemingly overnight, the house can go from clean to disaster area?

A favorite quote for today...  "What is your spiritual temperature?"

One of my favorite things...  Sunday afternoon naps :)

A few plans for the rest of the week:  We have Church Camp Meeting all week, so I will be back and forth from that.  I also have some baking to do as well and my regular routing housework.  Swim in the pool, hopefully.  Enjoy summer!

Good Sunday Afternoon!

Camera Critters ~ 6/23/12 ~ NELLY

Camera Critters is a Saturday meme hosted by Misty Dawn at Camera Critters  which is all about photos of animals/critters. 

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The first few days of our Florida trip, we spent at my Aunt Mary's in Daytona Beach.  We had 1 day to go to the beach.  I really just wanted my Mom and the girls to see the ocean.  Mission accomplished.

Then we drove the rest of the way down the Ponce Inlet to the Ponce De Leon Lighthouse.  (I had been there before on a previous trip and climbed all 203 steps to the top of the lightouse.  I even walked around on the deck.  It was amazing.  This time I stayed on ground level with Laken while the others climbed.)

We had to get our tickets for the tour by going through the gift shop.  We decided we would look around the shop on our way out.  As we walked out, there was a set of stairs directly to the right.

Lo and behold there was a kitty.  It seems like every vacation we take, we spend the whole time spotting animals.  I think because we miss our own while we are away.

On the way back in, the kitty was relaxing, sprawled out on the steps.

While looking through the gift shop for a few souveniers, you will never guess what I found.  So I'll show you.

 Apparently this cat that I was thought was just ordinary is actually a celebrity with her own book!  Imagine that!

"Nelly, The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Cat" written by Stephanie Szerdy and illustrated by Nathan Szerdy.

The book was beautifully written and the artwork was amazing.  I wish I had bought it.  I might still yet.  You can click on the book or down on the title to go to the Lighthouse shop where you can purchase it.

One kitty, such an awesome memory!

Have a wonderful Camera Critters day!

Stacking the Shelves ~ 6/23/12

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I don't have even close to as many books this week as I did last.  It is a good thing becaue stacking those 15 from last week has made my pile precariously high and the slightest bump could send them falling.  I have some heavy duty reading to do this summer.  So exciting!

Here's what I stacked my shelves with this week:

"Big Sky Country"
Author:  Linda Lael Miller
Series:  Parable Book 1

"Deeply Devoted"
Author:  Maggie Brendan
Series:  The Blue Willow Brides Book 1

"Raider's Heart"
Author:  Marcia Gruver
Series:  Backwoods Buccaneers Book 1

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This Week's Bookish Posts

-Cover Characteric ~ Necklaces
-All Series, All Summer 2012
-Musing ~ No Covers
-Teaser Tuesday
-Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon
-WWW Wednesday
-Desperately Wanting, Wishing and Waiting
-Review:  "Within My Heart"
-Throwback and the Review Pile
-TGIF ~ FF ~ BBH
-Review:  "The Man Who Loved Jane Austen"

I'm also linkup up to Mailbox Monday hosted this month by Burton Book Review.

Lovely reading!

 

TSMSS ~ "Jesus Friend of Sinner" by Casting Crowns

I've woke up EVERY single day this week with "Jesus Friend of Sinners" on my mind.  So, I had no difficulty deciding what song to feature on this week's TSMSS.




Have a blessed weekend!

Book Review: "The Man Who Loved Jane Austen" by Sally Smith O'Rourke

Title:  "The Man Who Loved Jane Austen"
Author:  Sally Smith O'Rourke
Publisher:  Kensington
Publication Date:  1/1/2009
Pages:  320

Book Description (PBS):

When New York artist Eliza Knight buys an old vanity table one lazy Sunday afternoon, she has no idea of its history. Tucked away behind the mirror are two letters. One is sealed; the other, dated May 1810, is addressed to 'Dearest Jane' from 'F. Darcy' - as in Fitzwilliam Darcy, the fictional hero of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". Could one of literature's most compelling characters been a real person?

 

More intriguing still, scientific research testing proves that the second, sealed letter was written by Jane herself. Caught between the routine of her present life and these incredible discoveries from the past, Eliza decides to look deeper and is drawn to a majestic, 200-year-old estate in Virginia's breathtaking Shenandoah Valley. There she meets the man who may hold the answer to this extraordinary puzzle.

 

Now, as the real story of Fitzwilliam Darcy unfolds, Eliza finds her life has become a modern-day romance, one that perhaps only Jane herself could have written.

My Overall Feeling of the Book:

I love just about all things Austen but for some reason this book just was not what I expected.  The blurb makes the book sound like a great romance but it just didn't quite make it there for me.

I read this book as part of the Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon.  Book #2 of 4:  check!

My Favorite Character:

It is funny, but my favorite character was Darcy's friend Harv Harrington.  He was pretty much a playboy looking for a rich wife but he had such great one-liners and charisma!  I thought he was hilarious.

My Favorite Scene:

My absolute favorite scene is when Eliza just bought the vanity and got it home.  She sits on the floor to look it over and discovers the letters!  I was holding my breath.  It was so exciting!  If only that would happen to me!


My Favorite Sentence (s):

Harv ignored the remark and, clearing his throat, contintued in a mournful tone, "I struck out in the marriage bowl.  My sister hasn't fared any better and continues to hope that Fitz will reconsider his stand and marry her.  But the only way that might happen is to get him blind drunk so he forgets how obnoxious she is long enough for us to whisk him off to Juarez or someplace where they still perform fifteen-dollar weddings without a blood test."

Harv Harrington, Page 193

 

It Woud Have Been Better If:

I just didn't get how Eliza thought she could be falling in love with Darcy when all he did was tell her the story of how he fell in love with Jane Austen.  There wasn't enough interation between Eliza and Darcy to make it believable.

I Would Recommend This Book To:

Auten lovers, hopeless romantics, antiquers, museum goers, history buffs, and those of us who do wish that Fitzwilliam Darcy was a real person and that Jane Austen had a great love.


Rating

3/5

On to the next book,

Thirty Five by 35 ~ Update ~ 6/22/12

My quest to complete 35 tasks

by the time I turn 35 on March 24, 2013.

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My last update was on 6/1/12.  Now that I'm back home and getting settled in, hopefully I'll be able to update on a weekly basis.

I am able to cross a few things off the list this week.  So exciting!

Without further ado, here is my Thirty Five by 35 update:

1.  Lose 65 lbs.
Well, sadly, I gained 5 pounds over our 2 week vacation.  I really don't know how seeing as the the walking and sweating I did.  It felt like we walked 500 miles total.  I guess those desserts with lunch and dinner did me in :(

But, I have lost 3 of those gained pounds over the past week!  2 more and I'll be back at my starting point.  I'm going to have to really buckle down on this one.

I have been walking 2 miles in the morning before it gets hot.  So hopefully that combined with good eating habits will put a dent in this goal.

2.  Go to Disney World.
I'll post a pic when I get them loaded.

3.  Establish a once a month date night with the hubby.

I went through my calendar and scheduled a date night once a month!

4.  Only trim my hair when necessary.
So far so good!

5.  Get the house organized.

6.  Plan and go on a Romantic Getaway for our Anniversary 9/17.
I scheduled the dates.  September 21-23.  We still need to decide where we want to go.

7.  Plan and go on a Girls' Getaway with long-time friend(s) from school.

8.  Read 10 non-fiction books.
          1.  A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith

9.  Get Laken to sleep in her own bed.

10.  Plan and hold a Girls' Night In.

11.  Reach 1000 Sales in my Etsy shop.  Currently at 559/1000.
Now at 571!

12.  Paint our Kitchen and Dining Room.

13.  Find and purchase a comfortable bike.

14.  Teach Kaylee to ride her bike.

15.  Get into a "Early to Bed/Early to Rise" routine.
Really slacking on this one but I've decided that I HAVE to set my alarm or else I'll sleep in every day.

16.  Walk a 5K.

17.  Go to the ocean.
Daytona Beach, FL!  6/6/12

18.  Survive Laken's first day of Kindergarten.

19.  Re-arrange Craft Room/Office.

20.  Take Kaylee to play Tennis.

21.  Take the hounds for walks.

22.  Read through the New Testament.

23.  Plant flower bulbs around the house.

24.  Refresh my Spanish with some kind of Spanish for Beginners.

25.  Find a long-term Pen Pal.

26.  Re-make my Dining Room centerpiece.

27.  Make Apple Dumplings.

28.  Go berry picking.

29.  Bake a turkey.

30.  Make my own candle.

31.  Eat oatmeal at least once a week.
Slacked a bit over vacation but am back on track.

32.  Get routine bloodwork done.

33.  Make a dentist appointment and keep it.

34.  Find a facial moisterizer that doesn't make me oily.

35.  Set my Thirty Six by 36 list.

Holding at 34,

I'll be linking up to Homemaking Linkup and Friday Fitness.

High Five Friday Fragments & Favorite Things ~ 6/22/12

  

5 Highlights from the past week:

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1.  We're home from our Florida vacation.  It was great seeing my family in FL and we had a wonderful time at Disney World, but it was so good to sleep in my own bed.  We drove straight home only stopping for bathroom and food breaks.  It took us approx 16-17 hours and we got home about midnight.  I flopped straight on my bed and sleep solid until morning.

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2.  It was so good to be back in Church!  We mised 1 Sunday and 2 Wednesday night studies while we were gone.  I really missed the fellowship and feel of family.

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3.  I'm participating in the "Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon".  It is a 5 day RAT and I set my goal at 4 books.  I've already read 2 and have 2 more to go!

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4.  I had 13 books waiting at the Post Office for me when I got home!  You can see all of them on my Stacking the Shelves post but I was really excited about getting a book a had ordered while at Disney World.  It is "Off Balance" by Dominique Moceanu.  I remember when she was in the Olympics and I saw a recent interview clip about her book and life.  It looks amazing and I can't wait to read it as part of my "35 X 35" goal to read 10 non-fiction books before I turn 35.

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5.  I haven't even downloaded my pictures from our trip yet, but we met Merida from the movie "Brave".  She was wonderful and taught the girls how to do a Scottish dance.  So naturally we will be going to see our good friend's debut movie this evening.  We're going to have dinner out and then on to the movie!  Here's a trailer of our new BFF's movie:





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I look forward to reading everyone's highlights from the week!

Have a great weekend!