Exploring

Today, I'm exploring. I'm supposed to be pulling together some resources for an impromptu science project, and that's happening, I'm just scattered today.

I've stopped in at CNN Student News. I know my economics teacher uses this as a warm-up every day. It's just a 10-minute covering of headlines in the day's news. The video clips used are all from CNN. There's a daily discussion guide and a newsquiz for each episode. There's also some extra resources (like PDF maps for yesterday's shows) . I think it's just good info, and I appreciate that there's an archive.

Heir to the Everlasting, by Janice Daugharty

The Pulitzer-nominated author of EARL IN THE YELLOW SHIRT turns her acclaimed talents to an epic story of three generations of Southern women at Big Eddy, the home place they love. HEIR TO THE EVERLASTING begins at the turn of the last century with the beautiful, determined Pinkie Alexander, strong-willed matron of the Alexander clan. Come Hell or the high water of the south Georgia river which gave Big Eddy its name, Pinkie will ensure the survival of her family on their beloved land--a place where the family cemetery guards the spirit of the past, and where secrets, as well as the dearly departed, are buried.

Follow the lives, loves, mysteries, deadly feuds and steely courage of the Alexander women through a full century of joys and sorrows. HEIR TO THE EVERLASTING showcases the culture, language and daily travails of their time and place with vivid storytelling skills and Janice Daugharty's love for "the working words."


A quintessential Southern home, but not the genteel South. The Alexanders from Big Eddy, are from the rural South. This part of Georgia was very likely never a place that Scarlett (a la Gone with the Wind) ever visited. Because of the deaths and young ages of the "men folk," this is a matriarchal society on the plantation. Pinkie is the declared leader of all things at Big Eddy, including it's trials.

Heir to the Everlasting is the story of a family as they work to maintain their home and existence without being dragged too far into the rest of the world. It's Pinkie's story of being the matriarch. It's May's story of growing up under the tutelage of a strong woman whose primary focus was family and keeping the family home. And it's Sara Ann's story, another granddaughter learning what home and family really entail. It's the story of family, relationships, and triumph in spite of it all.

It's not "easy" reading, but it's meaningful reading. It's rich and delicious in the way that it catches you up and satisfies you. I hated to have it end, and it has stuck with me for days. Truly a classic from an inspiring author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Bell Bridge Books through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Goddess Test, by Aimee Carter

EVERY GIRL who has taken the test has DIED.



Not it's KATE'S TURN.

It’s always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won’t live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he’s crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails...

I love anything that brings mythology into the modern world. And Carter has accomplished this beautifully. I never doubted that the Greek god Hades was looking for a new queen. It made perfect sense and the mythological world was seamlessly tied into Kate's world.

Appropriately fantastical, just realistic enough. This is a fun and really well done first novel. I'm impressed with how believable it all was, and that I was sad when the story ended--not that the ending wasn't happy, but that, sigh, it was over (until February).

The characters are strong, all of them. These aren't thin developments, you know the characters and their personalities. There's minimal teen angst, which is good. Not every book needs to be angsty, and this book wouldn't be nearly as good if Kate was falling apart.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from HarlequinTEEN through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Girl's Guide to Homelessness, by Brianna Karp

“If you saw me walking down the street, you wouldn’t assume I live in a parking lot. I am just like you, except without the convenience of a permanent address.”

Brianna Karp entered the workforce at age ten, supporting her mother and sister through out her teen years in Southern California. Although her young life was scarred by violence and abuse, Karp stayed focused on her dream of a steady job and a home of her own. By age twenty-two her dream became reality. Karp loved her job as an executive assistant and signed the lease on a tiny cottage near the beach.

And then the Great Recession hit. Karp, like millions of others, lost her job. In the six months between the day she was laid off and the day she was forced out onto the street, Karp scrambled for temp work and filed hundreds of job applications, only to find all doors closed. When she inherited a thirty-foot travel trailer after her father’s suicide, Karp parked it in a Walmart parking lot and began to blog about her search for work and a way back.

Karp began her journey as a home less person terrified and ashamed. Fear turned to awe as she con nect ed with other homeless people whose remarkable stories inspired her to be come an activist for the homeless community.

Deeply compassionate and darkly funny, this unforgettable memoir celebrates the courage and creativity of lives society would otherwise stigmatize.

I really can't find the words to describe how much this book amazed me. I've always been one to make assumptions about the lives of homeless people, even though my compassionate and Christian heart kept telling me I didn't know the whole story. We all know that there's a backstory, something we don't understand, but we don't always internalize that knowledge in our dealings with people.

This isn't a "fluff" read. It's not a literal guidebook. It's the reality of going from solvency to living day to day in a WalMart parking lot (because WalMart doesn't charge for overnight stays). Karp has shared a no holds barred telling of her daily life. It's gritty. It's dirty. It's unpleasant. And it made me hurt to read it. But it's a book that so many, not just those who find themselves suddenly homeless, can relate to.

This book isn't about adversity. It isn't about merely surviving in tough economic times. It's about living boldly. It's about thriving because of your circumstances--not letting your circumstances thrive.

I've never read a book and thought that everyone should read it. Until this one.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Harlequin NonFiction through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Restorer, by Amanda Stevens

NEVER ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEAD.


NEVER STRAY FROM HALLOWED GROUND.

NEVER GET CLOSE TO THE HAUNTED.

NEVER, EVER TEMPT FATE.

My father’s rules.


I’ve never broken them…until now.

My name is Amelia Gray. I’m a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I’ve always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.


It started with the discovery of a young woman’s brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I’ve been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims— lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

Amelia's father's rules aren't difficult ones. But under these circumstances, it's impossible to have a "normal" life. You can't get too close to anyone, and certainly not anyone being followed by ghosts. And your work as a cemetary restorer and historian can itself put you in some danger.

Amelia is an amazing character. She's interesting, she's intellectual, she's inspiring in a way. She's not creepy or spooky by any means, regardless of her line of work or history. She's just....interesting. There's so many dimensions, that I hope to see explored in the upcoming books in the series.

Again, the story isn't just in Charleston. Charleston and its history and culture are vital to the story. (Why do so many authors fail to do this? It's not enough to just mention a famous location.) There's twists, and turns, and details you have to have caught or the next few pages make no sense.

It's a great start to a series I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment of--November can't get here fast enough!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Harlequin through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”