Heaven

What girl makes it through her teenage years without reading a V.C. Andrews novel? I’m not sure how popular her books are now but they were all the rage back in the 80’s and 90’s starting with the explosion of Flowers in the Attic. Andrews’s books seem to be brought up whenever the topic of guilty pleasures arises and they are certain one of mine, so today I chose review Heaven, the first book in the Casteel Family series. 

From Mind to Soul: A Review and Interview

"My feelings are unspoken without my voice." - Narinder Bhangu, In Search of Peace

I have a deep connection with poetry. I remember those years in high school and college where I would filling my notebook with thoughts and feeling creating poems. From Mind to Soul is a collection of poems written by Author Narinder Bhangu whos spirit you can feel as you read about life, death, spiritualism, social taboos, nature and more. For me, a good poem not only allows you to see the world as the poet does but it also gives you the opportunity to see that same world inside of you. When you can feel what the writer is feeling even though you have not experienced what they have, you know you are reading something special. I enjoyed From Mind to Soul and I found myself connecting with several poems. I had the chance to interview Bhangu and used that as my opportunity to further understand his love of nature and writing.

Fire in the Bones

"But if I say, "I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." - Jeremiah 20:9 NIV

Fire in the Bones is a wonderfully written coming of age novel by Mark R. Harris centering on main character Luke and his undying quest for love. Harris had a special way of using his third person narrative yet still allowing the readers inside Luke’s head, or rather in his heart feeling every bit of his frustration, sadness or happiness. You root for Luke to succeed and you feel for him when he doesn’t.

The Second Draft

I was in Spain on vacation with my husband recently when we decided to do one of those ultra touristy three countries in one day tours. I remember cutting through the Pyrenees mountains on our way to  Ax-Thermal, France and thinking this is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! Stretching more than 400 km it was easy to get an overwhelming sense of smallness. God forbid something were to happen to the tiny bus I was riding in, would I be able to find my way to the nearest form of civilization? Those feelings of being overwhelmed and alone is how I feel as I write the second draft of my novel. 

High Tide in Tucson

It was my first class at Marylhurst University, the general writing class every department requires you to take to ensure you've attained basic skills required to survive the remainder of college. Part of my required reading was Barbara Kingsolver’s High Tide in Tucson, a national bestselling book of personal essay from Now or Never.

A Writer Stuck in the Corporate World

Ever since I was a little girl, I had always dreamed of becoming a writer. I believe I was six years old when I started writing little stories and jotting down my thoughts in my Little Mermaid diary. 
Sometimes my diary stories would be true, my life but other times they would be products of my imagination. I was always a story teller and looking back now I wonder how anyone believed anything I said. I was bored of my every day life so I would tell these tall tales and even create a fictional family which made for a more interesting life. To say I had a wild imagination would have been an understatement. I spent a good portion of my time gazing out the window daydreaming, rather than focusing on the lessons being taught in class. 

How I Completed My First Draft in 2 Months

When starting a new project I always set a goal. My goal for my novel was to complete the first draft  consisting of at least 60,000 word (a YA novel) in two months, no later than December 31st 2015. I was currently on a break from my bachelors degree program therefore I wanted to get most of the book done prior to starting class again. That was when I came up with the idea to write 4,000 words a day. Keep in mind I'm also married, I work full time out of the house and have two young boys ages 5 and 8, but that was the goal and I was going to stick to it!

Revival - Stephen King

This was a book that I had been eyeing for a many many months, possibly a year. Then one day while walking up and down the isles of our local library I noticed it on the shelves. There were four copies actually all in hard cover and all with the same jacket. I decided it was time that I picked up the book. Revival is a novel that centers around main character Jamie Morton and the relationship he has with his childhood pastor Charles Jacobs. The novel spans 50 years of Jamie's life where he is many times reunited with Charles.

I have previously mention that I often find reading certain books to be more of an experience  and reading Revival was no exception. It's like watching someone grow up before your eyes and being present for the most important, pivotal moments. I grew to know Jamie, as if he was a person sitting right next to me during those hours I spent curled up some place comfy exploring his exploring his life. The draw back of Revival was throughout the book, it felt like it could have been four completely separate novels; his childhood, his teenage years, adults hood and older adulthood. However, as King says in the text, "life is a wheel, and it always comes back around to where it started."

Once you reach the last few chapters of you will come to understand why you taken on such a long journey. Each of those separate stories as I call them start to weave its away together and it all makes sense.

How did I find the book? Well this was not my favorite book, however I did find it enjoyable. While reading it I wasn't hanging on the edge of my seat but now that it's over, I am kinda sad if that makes sense. I miss Jamie, I will miss walking along side of him while he lives his life and I will miss being in his head.

Warriors Don't Cry

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I was given this book by a teacher in high school. She wanted to start a book club and this was the first book she selected. Admitted my 17 year old self was extremely reluctant to read anything other than YM magazine (remember when that was around?) but after a few days of having this book lounging around my room I decided to pick it up and turn to the first chapter. I don’t remember what inspired me to read it, perhaps to keep Mrs. T happy but I did and I was happy that I did because it became an amazing, eye opening read.

Warriors Don’t Cry is a memoir written by Melba Plattillo-Beals recounting her experience during the first school integration in the south. A black girl integrating into a previously all white school proved to be a daily struggle for her and her 8 other peers who were walking the same path and experiencing the same hate and ridicule. Many parts of the story were difficult to read but there were loved characters that proved that not everyone carries hate in their hearts. Warriors Don’t Cry tells the tale of perseverance, survival and the human spirit that would not break.

Please read this book. If you do not like memoirs or non-fiction books I dare you to not like this. It is written like fiction to the point that you forget what you are reading is actually history. 

Purchase the book here: Warriors Don't Cry

How to Read More and Spend Less

It was early July the last time I purchased a book at full price. It was your basic book buying experience! The family and I went out for the day when we decided to stop into a big book store. That itch to pick up something new was real! I browsed the isles admiring the shelves and the neatly arranged books  until I found my next read. It was something I had seen on reviewed for a while, it had high ratings so I bought it. I proceeded to walk up to the checkout counter and pay full price. 

I try to read a new book a week, and with all the stuff I have going on, (work, kids, husband and school) one book a week seems to be about right. Some of you go through a lot more than that, and the cost of paying full price for books will certainly add up! With the average paperback costing around $15.99 CAD, if we multiplied that by 52 weeks, it would cost me $831.24 a year to keep up with my reading lifestyle! That is a round trip ticket to Europe!

So, how do I keep my costs down while still reading the books that I want?

Library: The library is my go-to place for all books. The town I live in has at least 4-5 libraries therefore it’s not too difficult to grab a hold of a book I want, even the recently released books. My library also has certain features online that allow you to download audio books right to your computer. The cost of this? Free.  

Value Village: I recently took a trip to VV the other day looking for some new vinyl to add to my record collection, when I stopped over at the book section to see what they had. This particular store had a lot to offer for very low prices, not to mention the day I stopped in also happened to be a book sale so I could get two book for the already low price of one. The most you will pay for a book is $4.99 according to their sign. I have purchases a few book from them in the past. With certain authors like V.C. Andrews they even bundle an entire series into a bag and sell them for like $6, which is what I believe I bought the Laundry series for.  They have a lot of new bestselling books and authors there as well. The only thing with VV is that every location is different and you have to keep checking back to see what they carry.

Target $1 section: From my experience this section has been good if you are interested in the classics. I bought Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin a few years ago. I have seen many other Austin books for sale along with classics like Oliver Twist, Treasure Island and Peter Pan.  

Walmart 40% off: Remember that book I bought at full price back in July? Well a few weeks later I found the same book for 40% off in Walmart! Walmart does a great job of selling new and popular books for 40% every day. I am not talking about a once in a while sale. This is where I bought The Girl on The Train (review is coming). 

BOGO: If you do go to one of the major book stores, and trust me I love to go myself, then look out for buy one get one sales. They usually have these all the time on select books.

These are all options. Sometimes the book we really want is not offered at the library or on a sale and if it’s a good book, it’s definitely worth more than $36.00 because to me, reading a great book isn’t just a hobby to pass time, an amazing book is an experience!

 

Writing Tips from Stephen King

Whether you are a Stephen King fan or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is the fact that he is one of the most recognized and accomplished authors of our time, with a longest lists of bestselling novels. Therefore, it only makes sense that an aspiring author would at least consider his advice.

In this quick video I found on YouTube, King gives the viewers a lot of take away statements which can be applied to our only writing styles. One statement in particular that caught my attention was his thoughts on keeping a writer’s notebook. 

“I think a writer’s notebook is the best way to immortalize bad ideas,” King says.

 Admittedly I do keep notebooks because my desire to write will strike at any time. I would write down lines that pop into my head, story ideas or blog post ideas. I had to do some serious reflection after hearing this. Was keeping notebook really working for me? Well the answer was no! The one book that I wrote and was able to finish, was never “immortalized” in a notebook. It was actually a based on a dream I had a few years ago and I thought it would make a wonderful story. Over the years I thought about it, tried to piece together the storyline in my head, and then I would forget about it and let time go on. As time went on there were certain aspects of the story that stuck with me until finally I decided to write my children’s book.  I wrote this story well before I watched this video. After watching I decided it was time to put away the notebook and simply focus on the good stuff!