Love Letters of a Lifetime

Love Letters of a Lifetime: Romance in America
By Dana Reeve; Hyperion 2001

Summary: The first book from Lifetime, Television for Women a lovely volume of the most poignant and romantic love letters collected from women everywhere.The tradition of writing love letters is almost as timeless as love itself. And in that spirit, in January/February 2001, Lifetime, the number one television brand for women, will celebrate its Love Letters of a Lifetime month, culminating in a special network television event. Together, these love letters reach beyond the ethnic, social, and economic boundaries to expose real love in all its forms. And to show that love endures, each letter is put into context of the current relationship with updates on the couples.

From bittersweet, old-fashioned letter-writing to cyber love the newest way to profess your love over the web this perfect gift for romantics everywhere crosses over from generation to generation and touches the heart.

My Review: This book melted my heart. It is a reminder that love does exist and that everyone's love story is something special. This is based on real life love stories and not some made up one.  It is a collection of love letters from couples, that they wrote to each other from when they first started dating until now. it gives background stories and the actual letters.

I thought this read to be inspirational and just plain adorable. I really want to start writing love letters for my future husband and when I am married I will definatly countine to write him love letters.  If you are looking for a good read, full of love then this is the book for you. 

The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree
By Shel Silverstein; HarperCollins 1964

Summary:                                  

 Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy.

So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated

 by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein.

Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. 

But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave.

This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return

My Review: Ever since I was a little girl I have enjoyed this book greatly. As I have gotten older I began to notice things about this book that I overlooked in my idolesent youth. The Giving Tree is a classic, sensitive parable about selflessness. Selfless love and giving is something to be admired. 

Most people who read this book take it in different way. Either they like it or they don't. Some think the boy is greedy and takes advantage of Mother Nature's resources. Others see the Giving Tree as beautiful for her selfless love, even though it was taken to the extreme. But what will you see? What will your child see?

 What do I see? I see a tree who puts the boy's needs above it's own, because it wants him to be happy. Putting someone else's needs above ones own is something we should all strive to do. I really admire this book. It is a beloved Children's book that everyone should read.

Dusty Britches

Dusty Britches
Marcia Lynn McClure; Distractions Ink 2001

Summary:“…Dusty’s heart panged a twinge with she saw the bullwhip strapped to the saddle of one of the horses tied to the corral fence. “Why today?” she wondered. Why was her memory tarrying on a young cowhand from five years ago? 

…Well…now,” a deep, masculine voice said from behind her, “if it ain’t Miss Dusty Britches!” 

Dusty felt the color drain from her face…felt the blood seem to drain from the rest of her body and puddle in her feet. She was dizzy and nauseated all at once. 

…There was only one person on the whole of the earth who ever called her Dusty Britches, and that was the cowboy who gave her the nickname in the first place. ...Dusty slowly turned around to see standing before her a man whose eyes were those belonging to a boy she’d once known—a boy who had grown into a man.” 

Angelina Hunter was seriously minded, and it was a good thing. Her father’s ranch needed a woman who could endure the strenuous work of ranch life. Since her mother’s death, Angelina had been that woman. She had no time for frivolity; no time for a less severe side of life. Not when there was so much to be done—hired hands to feed, a widower father to care for and an often ridiculously lighted-hearted younger sister to worry about. No. Angelina Hunter had no time for the things most young women her age enjoyed.

And yet, Angelina had not always been so hardened. There had been a time when she boasted a fun, flirtatious nature even more delightful than her sister Becca’s—a time when her imagination soared with adventurous, romantic dreams. But that all ended years before at the hand of one man. Her heart turned to stone…safely becoming void of any emotion save impatience and indifference.

Until the day her dreams returned, the day the very maker of her broken heart rode back into her life. As the dust settled from the cattle drive which brought him back, would Angelina’s heart be softened? Would she learn to hope again? Would her long-lost dreams become a blessed reality?

My Review: This is one of my favorites by Marcia Lynn McClure. With Valentines Day approaching, I felt the need to read some of my favorite romances. Dusty Britches is a refreshing novel and a tender romance. It is definitely an old western love story. I think that is why I like it so much. Cowboys, rolling in the hay, cattle,  wagon rides, and a bit of sparkin'.

 I think out of all the characters in her books, I relate the most to Angelina. She is suffering  from a broken heart and because of her broken heart she has become stern and hard.  Deep down she knows she can be happy and care free like her sister, but that would mean she would have to open her heart again and risk it being hurt again. As the book goes on, you can see her come out of that hole, and open up. I seem to be in the same type of situation. Where you are at a cross road. Deciding whether or not to open up your heart again or stay the same and not get hurt again. 

Ryder is a beast of a man. I am going to name one of my future children after him. He seems to be so patient with Angelina and helps her tear down the walls she has built. And his kissing abilities could make any woman swoon.

Overall I quite enjoyed this book and have read it many times. Hopefully you will like it too!

Watch Out For: Fighting, Kissing, some violence, and mild cussing.

He's Just Not That Into You

He's Just Not that Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys
By Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo; Simon Spotlight Entertainment

Summary: Everyone can use a daily wake-up call.

Now in bite-size mantras, the abridged empathetic wit and wisdom of the number one New York Times bestseller He's Just Not That Into You will recharge and inspire your dating outlook one wake-up call at a time. 

For ages women have come together over coffee, cocktails, or late-night phone chats to analyze the puzzling behavior of men. Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo are here to say that —despite good intentions— you're wasting your time. Men are not complicated, although they'd like you to think they are. And there are no mixed messages. 

The truth may be, He's just not that into you. 

He's Just Not That Into You —based on a popular episode of Sex and the City— educates otherwise smart women on how to tell when a guy just doesn't like them enough, so they can stop wasting time making excuses for a dead-end relationship. This book knows you're a beautiful, smart, funny woman who deserves better.

My Review: I found this book in a thrift store recently. I adore the movie and I watch it quite often. So I thought why not give the book a try. And it was everything I hoped it would be.

 I found it to be pure inspiration for those who have dealt with men who are just not into you.  This book  helps serve as a reminder that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and love.  It was a nice slap in the face too. Sometimes that the man you like, doesn't like you.  If  he likes you, you will know it. Woman are constantly making up these ideas in their head and always fantasying. We all need to just calm it down.  You will learn to recognize the idiots from good guys. It was a humorous read.

Watch Out For: Language and Sex.

A Clip from the Movie:

Untethered

By Marcia Lynn McClure; Distractions Ink 2012

Summary: As Cricket lay in the soft comfort of her bed, continuing to let her mind nest on thoughts of how truly wonderfully attractive Texas Ranger Thibodaux was, she giggled, thinking that looking at him was more refreshing than swimming naked on a summer Sunday afternoon. He was a tall drink of water—far taller than most of the other men in town—and his shoulders were as broad as the state of Texas itself. Sky-blue eyes, bronze skin, square jaw, and dark hair—and that smile! In truth, Cricket had only seen Heathro Thibodaux smile three or four times, but each incidence was something she’d never forget. His smile was bright and white, and the gold tooth he owned on the upper-right incisor of his smile only embellished the richness of it.

That one tooth. Cricket’s smile faded as she thought of it. Oh, no doubt the flash only added to the splendor of his smile. Yet it also served as a reminder to anyone who had ever read or heard of what had happened in Texas one year before. No doubt it was a powerful remembrance to Heathro Thibodaux himself—a visual indication of true barbarity, pain, and loss. 

In that moment, Cricket wondered—when Heathro looked in the mirror each morning and saw that tooth, did he think of eight dead girls buried in the bottom of a bleak and barren canyon? Did he think of the eight dead girls that he, for no fault of his own, had been unable to save?

My Review:  Right on Marcia! Right on! I don't know how she does it every time, but she can just set my little heart a fluttering with giddiness. Love her and loved this book. This has made it to my top five favorites of Marcia Lynn McClure books. 

First of all the main character Cricket was such a lovable character. She was a do-gooder with a kind heart. Her love for people and her bravery was a  great  example to all. Especially me. 

Now to Heathro! What a delightful man. Good heavens, he was  such a beast. He knew how to treat a woman and be a man. He was one of my favorite male characters. He was strong and fought for what he wanted.

I thought this was one of Marcia's best. It didn't feel like the same ole Marcia. It was better. Trust me Marcia Fans, you will want to read this one!

Watch Out For: fighting, kidnapping, and  passionate kissing scenes

Divergent

Divergent

By Veronica Roth; Katherine Tegen Books 2011

Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series--dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

My Review: OMIGOSH! While I was gone away to a foreign country for a year this marvelous book came out and I just barely got around to reading it. I couldn't put it down. I was so addicted and drawn to this book. Way to go Veronica Roth! I was really interested in the five factions and how people were divided. It kinda made me think about which faction I would choose. The training and decision process the kids went into to find their faction was beyond fascinating. I seriously enjoyed every minute of it.

 Beatrice/Tris has made it to the list of heroines who kick trash! She is a tiny not so pretty girl who has this determination about her. She is determined to succeed and do her best to prove her self. To prove that she is not weak or like anybody else. She is someone people can really look up too. At times she really doubted herself, but she uses her bravery and selflessness to protect others. 

 This is an exciting dystopian thriller which has a sense of originality and it way addictive. Read it if you dare!

Watch Out For: Some kissing, drinking, violence, death, fighting, assault, and one incident of  suicide.

The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero
By Rick Riordan; Hyperion 2010

Summary: Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.

Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god.

My Review: 

Yes, indeed it is yet another Rick Riordan book! I cannot get enough of him or his books. The Percy Jackson Series, Kane Chronicles, and now The Heros of Olympus Series. 

Epic! Simply Epic! There are brand new characters, a new quest, and one heck of an adventure in the world of Greek and Demigods. The new demigods Jason, Piper, and Leo are my favorite! Even better than Grover, Percy, and Annabeth.  At first I was really nervous to read this book because of my love for the Percy Jackson Series.  But as always, Rick does the treat and sets my mind at ease and pulls me into this incredible world. Gosh! He has a dang good imagination. I simply loved it!

While reading you feel as if you are getting a little history lesson of Greek mythology. Both the Greek Gods and Heroes.  The back stories of the Gods, demigods, and the heroes are awesome. I simply love Greek Mythology and the idea on having powers and weapons.

Two thumbs up! It's remarkable and I highly recommend it!

Watch Out For: Flirting, attacks, fighting, kidnapping,supernatural, and mentioning of  deaths.

Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl  # 1

By Cecily von Ziegesar; Little Brown Books 2002


Summary:Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I live, go to school, play, and sleep--sometimes with each other. 

S is back from boarding school, and if we aren't careful, she's going to win over our teachers, wear that dress we couldn't fit into, steal our boyfriends' hearts, and basically ruin our lives in a major way. I'll be watching closely...

You know you love me, 
gossip girl


My Review:
 To be quite honestly I did not like this book at all. I found it rather trashy and disappointing. I was into the first few pages and I was like o no I know right now that I am not going to like this book, but I give every book a chance. 


The story takes place in Manhattan young, rich, and fashionable. Where the characters Serena, Blair, Nate, Chuck, and others throw parties, fall in love, and try to get into Ivy League colleges. The story is narrated by the characters and the online site Gossip Girl. No one knows who this Gossip Girl is, but she knows and sees everything.


 I am not into the snobby rich girl scene, where they just party every night, steal each others boyfriends, and keep up or ahead of the fashion treads. And yet hundreds of young girls want to be like them. They want the popularity, the money, the fashion, and the boys.And yet how to these girls feel about characters such as these? Do they want to be like them? Do they hate them? Do they feel sorry for them? Do they envy them? Something to think about.


But overall I didn't really like it and I don't plan on finishing the series. What will your opinion be?


What Out For: Sex, strong language, smoking, drinking, rumors, and gossip.

InkHeart

Inkheart

Cornelia Funke; Scholastic  2003

Summary: Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service. 

Characters from books literally leap off the page in this engrossing fantasy. Meggie has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. He can "read" characters out of books. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and released characters into the real world. At the same time, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story. This "story within a story" will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters.

My Review:  I love the Inkheart series! There I said it. Have any of you ever wanted to journey into your favorite book? Well I have. Can you imagine being able to read the words and just like that a character or object comes out from the book? O I just love it!

 Mo is such a great Dad and cares so much for his daughter Meggie. I swear I want his job. He gets to be with books all day and gets to fix them up and put them into great shape. Meggie is a lover of books and has good taste. She is also a skilled writer. And then there is Dustfinger who I have a crush on. Even though at times he is cowardly he still has a heart of gold. 

 In this book at the beginning of the chapters there are quotes from different  children's books that really add to the overall appeal of this book. I love it when authors do this because he leads you into the chapter and then you figure out why they chose that quote.

I honestly fell more deeply in love with books after reading Inkheart. The literary references make this book worth reading. This is also a great book to read-aloud with children.  I give it two thumbs up!

Watch Out For: Fantasy, threatening, kidnappings, and weapons.

Oh.My.Gods.

Oh. My.Gods. 
By Tera Lynn Childs; Speak 2008

Summary:When Phoebe's mom returns from Greece with a new husband and moves them to an island in the Aegean, Phoebe's plans for her senior year and track season are ancient history. Now she must attend the uberexclusive academy, where admission depends on pedigree, namely, ancestry from Zeus, Hera, and other Greek gods. That's right, they're real, not myth, and their teen descendants are like the classical heroes: supersmart and superbeautiful with a few superpowers. And now they're on her track team! Armed only with her Nikes and the will to win, Phoebe races to find her place among the gods.

My Review: Oh. My. Gods. And interesting take on modern day Greek Mythology. Dealing with the facts that the Greek Gods have descendants who develop powers. I am always up for a good modern day Greek mythology novel. I loved the Percy Jackson Series  and I actually enjoyed this one. 


The thing that bothered me the most was that there wasn't  much fantasy.  The kids all seemed pretty normal and acted like teens. Occasionally there would be a zap of powers, but nothing quite as drastic as Percy Jackson stuff (fighting evil, etc...). 


I thought Phoebe to be a determine little thing and a well rounded character. She would push herself to the limit in running. I really envied her for her running abilities and awesome Nike gear. I felt really sorry for her at the beginning because she had to leave America, her friends, and school to go live with a new step father, on an island, and go to a school full of Gods. So I imagine it was a little rough for her. But then  cross country, Griffen, and other friends make a difference. 


I would say it is an ok book. Not bad, but not great. If you like Greek Mythology and just a regular ole YA novel then this is ideal for you.

Watch Out For: Supernatural powers, some kissing, mild profanity, and Greek Mythology.