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Welcome to Silly Sunday! Silly Sunday was created by Sandee of
Comedy Plus, and it's one of my favorite meme's because all you have to do is tell a joke, link up, and the best part? Have fun!!!
I hope you enjoy my contribution. Have a blast today!
There were five people aboard an airplane having engine trouble getting ready to crash, however, there were only four parachutes. Everyone wondered what should be done to determine who should get the parachutes. One person said that he was the smartest thing that hit the face of the Earth and that he was too smart to die. So, he took one of the parachutes and jumped out of the aircraft. The second person said that she was too important to die, she had children and a family to take care of, and they depended on her to care for them. So, she took one of the parachutes and jumped out of the aircraft.
The third person said that he was too important to die because his family depended on him for survival. He was the head of household and the sole bread winner. So, he took one of the parachutes and jumped out of the aircraft. Finally, there were only two people left and one parachute. One person was a 12-year-old boy, and the other was a 65-year-old man.
The old man said, "Well son, I have lived a good life, and you are too young to die, you have a long life ahead of you. So, you take the last parachute. The boy asked, "Why, Sir?" The old man said, "Well, there is only one parachute left." The little lad said, "Sir there are really two parachutes left." The old gentlemen asked, excitedly, "Yeah? How?" "Well," replied the boy, "you know that guy who thought he was the smartest and greatest thing that hit the face of the Earth? He grabbed my backpack."
Thank you for visiting A Nice Place In The Sun.
Today is the feast of St. Nicholas!
The tradition of leaving one's shoes out for St. Nicholas to fill on December 6th stems from a tale about a poor man who had three daughters. Since this man could not afford dowries for his daughters, they would have had to be sold into slavery. But during the night, St. Nicholas paid the house a secret visit, and the man woke to find coins in his shoes. This happened three times, providing the man with the needed dowry for his daughters, and they were spared from slavery. (Read more about St. Nicholas here and here.)
In my family, we celebrate St. Nicholas Day by leaving shoes out the night before, and waking to see what presents St. Nicholas has left in our shoes. It is a nice, anticipatory feast during Advent, and we look forward to it every year.
Now, since I'm a little under the weather with a head cold and I can't think of words to write an actual blog post, I'm going to post a Christmas story instead, one I wrote awhile back and never subbed because, honestly, it's not really publishable. Here you go!
CHRISTMAS IS:
CHRISTMAS IN FIVE SENSES
She tasted Christmas, in the sweetness of a sugar cookie. She sneaked icing, dough, and chocolate and let it all mix on her tongue. She decided, Christmas is hot cocoa and whipped cream stirred with a peppermint stick. Christmas is the taste of cold snow on her lips.
She smelled Christmas, the butter, sugar, and flour mixed in a bowl, cookies baking in the oven, and the clear, sharp smell of snow. She said, “Christmas is the smell of the pine tree in the corner, the aroma of lighted Advent candles, and the clean snowy breeze coming through that opened window.”
She felt Christmas, the cookie dough under her fingernails. She poked her palms on prickling pine needles, and fingered the rough, glitter-crusted lining on an ornament. Christmas, she thought, is the touch of snowflakes on my face, paint on my fingers as I help paint this nativity scene on the frozen windowpane. Christmas is the warmth of fire thawing my numb fingers, the touch of the chiseled, porcelain statues of St. Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, the sheep, and donkey, in my hands.
She heard Christmas, the crackle of wrapping paper as someone wrapped a present, followed by the snickof tape cut off a spool. She heard the clink of cookie cutters clattering on the counter. Christmas is "Silent Night” playing on the radio, a timer going off on the stove, a spoon racketing off the ceramic side of a mixing bowl. Christmas is the sound of wind blowing past the window and rattling the sills, of flames crackling on the hearth. Christmas is the sound of a teakettle whistling on the stove, ready to prepare a pot of hot chocolate. Christmas is the silence in the evening when the world goes still.
She saw Christmas. There was the decorated tree standing in the corner, lights blinking on and off on pine boughs and gleaming off the silver, blue, and red ornaments. She saw the Nativity scene painted on the windows, the Advent wreath wrapped in green ivy and red beads on the table. She decided Christmas is red and green garland strung in the entryway between the kitchen and living room, Christmas cards displayed on the decorated tree, snow piling in mounds in the yard, and snowflakes filling the sky with a kaleidoscope of diamond glints. Christmas was the snowmen standing in every yard, white lights illuminating houses on the block, Santa Claus’s ringing bells at every store.
She lived Christmas. Christmas is the glory of Midnight Mass, the candles and bells rejoicing Christ’s birth. Christmas is a drive home through a silent night, a stop at a gas station for coffee and a chocolate bar. Christmas is a couple hours’ sleep, an early morning vigil, huddled in blankets on the couch, excited gazes fixed upon a mound of presents beneath pine boughs.
Christmas is the lighted white Christ Candle, “Adeste Fidelis” sung around the Advent wreath, the Christ Child laid in His manger. Christmas is sausage and buns, orange juice, and chocolate. Christmas is a noise and fury, and joy. Christmas is digging through Christmas stockings, the excitement of opening the first present.
Christmas is the Babe in the manger.
Christmas is Christ’s birth.
God bless!
Cat
When I started my blog in 2008 I learned how to write one line of code so that I could add links to my reviews and have them open in a new window. Since then, I have been warily fascinated by computer programming and, being a parent, I have been also keeping an eye the growing number of ways in which writing code is a vital part of our economy. In 2013, in conjunction with Computer Science Education Week, code.org, the Hour of Code was launched. Code.org is a non-profit founded by Hadi and Ali Partovi that is dedicated to "expanding access to computer science, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color." Their vision is that "every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science" and that it should be a part of the core curriculum. While computer programming is now considered a "foundational field," in 2013, as Partovi noted, is was not being taught in 90% of American schools. The goal of the Partovis and Hour of Code, which has received widespread support from programmers and entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, along with President Obama, as well as massive crowdfunding support, is to get people to write short snippets of code. What I love most about code.org is the work they are doing in schools, with students, like most of mine, who might otherwise never even know what writing code is or what it looks like. Learn more about this great organization here. .
Code.org uses a kind of "Sneaky Chef" approach by using the visual programming language, Blocky, and partnering with cultural icons like Angry Birds, Flappy Bird, Frozen, Plants vs. Zombies and Star Wars. This year, through a partnership with Microsoft, Hour of Code features a Minecraft course! While I have watched my sons play it, I have never tried Minecraft, but doing my Hour of Code with Steve was really fun! By 2014, over 40 million students had takes the Hour of Code class. This year, over 191,000 Hour of Code events will be hosted worldwide.
Last year, I had a handful kids in the library coding and this year, I hope to have at least 30 kids a day starting and finishing an Hour of Code class, which you can try out here. We will even be having volunteers from our local Hewlett Packard fanning out all over the San Diego county volunteering in schools to help kids learn to code!
In honor of Hour of Code and Computer Science Education Week I will be reviewing books on the subject! I hope you'll read my reviews and then try Hour of Code, or other coding sites like Scratch and Tynker! Fueled by my passion for creating a Makerspace in my school library, I have purchased a few programming-related toys to try out on my 11-year-old then purchase for the library with a lovely grant I recently won. For reviews of these toys, check back here in January!
Today marks the 87th birthday of Rubeus Hagrid – everybody’s favourite half-giant!
Hagrid has had an eventful past. He was expelled from Hogwarts in his third year for his suspected involvement in the opening of The Chamber of Secrets, but Dumbledore’s trust in him thankfully made up for this injustice, being allowed to presume as Gamekeeper. His time is Azkaban in 1993 as a result of the Chamber being opened once again was – thankfully – short-lived.
Hagrid is known also for his role (for a small time) as Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, as a result of his interest in all manner of magical beings (Buckbeak the Hippogriff, Norbet(a) the Norwegian Ridgeback, Fluffy the three-headed dog and Aragog, the giant spider, to name a few of his friends), a Gryffindor and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
Hagrid delivered Harry’s letter to Hogwarts (after a spot of trouble with the Dursleys), and has been a close friend of his ever since. Albus Dumbledore himself said he ‘would trust Hagrid with [his] life’.
We hope Hagrid is enjoying a glass of warm celebratory Butterbeer by the fire with his friends. Join us here at Leaky in wishing him a very happy 87th birthday!
By: lynne,
on 12/6/2015
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1) Do you write books as a career, or are you currently still juggling your author time with a full or part time job?
I have a full time job as a Therapist. So the writing is very much part time.
2) Have you always wanted to be an author, or did some time or event in your life set you on the path?
I can remember writing little stories when I was very young. One in particular was about a pony called Star. When we brought our daughters their first pony many years later he was already called Star.
3) Do you always write in the same genre, or do you sometimes like a change of theme? If you haven’t already, is there another genre you would like to write?
No my stories are for both children and adults. Some are fantasy, some paranormal, some romantic . I only do short stories though, I have no ambition to do a full length novel.
4) As a writer, what is the best thing that has happened to you, and what is that most exciting thing that could happen to you?
Being accepted by CCP. I would love one of my children’s stories to be made into a film
5) How do you view the promotion, book signings etc. Is it something you enjoy, or do you prefer the writing stage?
To be quite honest I have no time at all to do any promoting. I love the writing and seeing the books in print very much.
6) Could you tell us something about your published books, and let us know what they are about and where they are available?
I write Fairy Tales. Find me on Facebook, Crimson Cloak publishing , Smashwords, and Amazon.
Tha Magic World of Bracken Lea on Amazon
The Magic World of Bracken Lea on Smashwords
Thanks for taking part in my interview, Esma. Best of luck with your writing!
Lynne North.
By: Stacy Dillon,
on 12/6/2015
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Every now and again you come across a perfect book. Of course there's no such thing as perfection for everyone, but for you as a reader, the right book lands into your hands at the right time. This is how I feel about the Holm's Sunny Side Up.
It's 1976 and Sunny Lewin is being sent down to Florida to spend some time with her Grandpa. But where Gramps lives is no Disney World ... it's a retirement community where Sunny has to wear an ID at all times to prove that she belongs there.
Luckily, Sunny isn't the only kid in the community. The groundskeeper's son Buzz lives there as well. He is totally into comics and introduces Sunny to some of his favorites while she's in Florida. The two of them manage to make some money finding lost cats for the old ladies, and golf balls for the pro shop to fund their comic habit.
These all seems rather bucolic and idyllic on the surface, but readers learn through Sunny's flashbacks that there is a reason that she is spending time with Gramps far from home. It turns out her older brother is experiencing problems with addiction. Sunny doesn't understand what's really happening -- she just knows her brother isn't who she remembers him to be and he's causing all kinds of trouble for their family.
Handled deftly, Sunny's confusion and concern are heartbreaking. Based on true events, the authenticity in this title stands out. The push pull of Sunny's feelings for her brother are obvious and none of the characters are one note. Little things like the toilet roll doll and lifting buns from the early bird special may go over younger readers' heads, but are perfect for the setting and the time period.
I borrowed our copy from the library, but will be purchasing this one to live on my shelves. I can imagine future me pulling it from the shelf and shedding a tear or two each and every time.
Welcome to YABC's first annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Extravaganza! We're featuring some of the hottest titles of the year--perfect for the book lover on your holiday list!--with exciting prize packs every day for the first twelve days of December. Each giveaway will run for seven days. Giveaways are US only due to publishers' rights restrictions in other territories.
Are you ready to see the two fabulous prize packs of books for today's giveaway?
Today's giveaway is brought to you by Capstone Press. Click on each cover to learn more about that title and then enter the Rafflecopter giveaway linked below each prize pack.
Good luck, and be sure to come back tomorrow for another 12 Days of Christmas giveaway!
Craft-it-Yourself Prize Pack featuring titles from Capstone Press
RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM
Superhero Prize Pack featuring titles from Capstone Press
RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM
Read More
New Loot:
- How to be a Baby by Me, The Big Sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones
- Mark Twain's Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches, and Essays
- Mark Twain's Historical Romances: The Prince and the Pauper, The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Joan of Arc.
- The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Leftover Loot:
- Spell Robbers by Matthew J. Kirby
- The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
- Mio, My Son by Astrid Lindgren
- The Ultimate Guide to Grandmas and Grandpas by Sally Lloyd-Jones
- Steadfast Heart by Tracie Peterson
- Connect the Stars by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague
- The Odds of Getting Even by Sheila Turnage
- Hooray for Diffendoofer Day by Dr. Seuss
- The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss
- What Pet Should I Get by Dr. Seuss
- Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss
- A Spider On the Stairs by Cassandra Chan
- The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein
- Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
- How Many Sleeps 'Til Christmas by Mark Sperring
- The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon
- Finding Fortune by Delia Ray
- The Astounding Broccoli Boy by Frank Cottrell Boyce
- Confessions of an Imaginary Friend by Michelle Cuevas
- Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand
- The Year of Fear by Joe Urschel
- Bomb by Steve Sheinkin
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- The Tale of Hawthorn House by Susan Wittig Albert
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries© 2015 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Amy Huntington
https://amyhuntington.wordpress.com/
Album: Elastica
Year: 1995
Oh yeah, “Stutter.” What a refreshing blast of punk rock awesomeness.
Almost two decades after the first punk rock songs, somehow Elastica were able to write and record a song that sounded a ferocious as anything from the late 1970s, while still sounding fresh and new.
Plus it gave a reason for folks who were on the side of Oasis in the great Oasis vs. Blur battles (we really had no real problems in the mid-1990s) a reason to make fun of Damon Albarn of Blur.
So far as I know, nobody wrote a song about Liam Gallagher’s lack of sexual prowess. And “Stutter” is absolutely uncompromising in its lyrical depiction of a lover who is, um, not responding properly.
Is there something you lack,
When I’m flat on my back,
Is there something that I can do for you?
It’s always something you ate,
Or it’s something you hate,
Tell me is it the way that I touch you?
Have you found a new mate,
And is she really great,
Is it just that I’m much too much for you?
Oh, oh oh , ouah oh ah
It was probably the frank — female desire-oriented — lyrical content that kept “Stutter” from hitting the same popularity that other mid-90s punk revival songs by folks like Green Day, The Offspring or even Rancid did.
Sure the dudes in those songs were often pretty much the same loser that Justine Frischman was describing, but they were making fun of themselves for being losers, and not being utterly eviscerated by, gasp!, a woman.
Nevertheless, “Stutter” has aged a lot better than most of the songs that outpaced it back then.
Official video for “Stutter”
The post Certain Songs #386: Elastica – “Stutter” appeared first on Booksquare.
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The Tale of Hill Top Farm. Susan Wittig Albert. 2004. 286 pages. [Source: Bought]
Did I enjoy reading Susan Wittig Albert's The Tale of Hill Top Farm? Yes. It is one of the reasons I decided to host the
Edwardian Reading Challenge. (Not the only reason, mind you, but one reason.) What did I love about it? There were quite a few things that I actually really loved about it.
First, it's a cozy mystery.
Second, it's a cozy mystery set in England, at the turn of the century. It opens circa 1905.
Third, it stars Beatrix Potter, and, is very loosely based on her time in the country. (Not that I would ever mistake it for nonfiction. It is clearly fiction!)I like the rural village setting. I like the community focus. Plenty of quirky characters.
Fourth, it's a happy-cozy blend of human and animal narration. Readers meet animals of all sorts--big and small. Cats. Dogs. Sheep. Badgers. Guinea pigs. Mice. Rabbits.
The fifth reason? Do I really need a fifth reason to convince you to give it a try? Perhaps not, but I've got one anyway! I like multiple mysteries per book. Not every "mystery" is a murder mystery.
I would definitely recommend this book. I am looking forward to reading on in the series.
© 2015 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
By:
nicole,
on 12/6/2015
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the enchanted easel
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40% off a cheery little canary named
Sunshine....on this sixth day of December!
TODAY ONLY!
By: Terry Hooper-Scharf,
on 12/6/2015
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ComicBitsOnline.com
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Now,I have always said that I do not hide things when it comes to publishing and as the New Year deadline is approaching I thought I'd share sales stats for November-December 2015:
| 05-Dec-2015 | The Hooper Interviews | Paperback | Lulu | UK | 1 | £0.00 |
| 26-Nov-2015 | The Red Paper: CANIDS | Paperback | Lulu | UK | 1 | £3.72 |
| 06-Nov-2015 | The Truth About Spring-Heeled Jack | Paperback | Lulu | US | 1 | £3.59 |
| 06-Nov-2015 | Pursuing The Strange & Weird:A Naturalists Viewpoint | Paperback | Lulu | US | 1 | £7.21 |
The first item above is a present for a friend and as I bought it there is, obviously, no profit. Which works out as
Revenue GBP £14.52
It gets worse when you look at sales from January 2015-December 2015 with 40+ copies ordered but only 21 books sold for the entire year. The extra 20+ copies were ordered to send out as review books that, not surprisingly, were NEVER reviewed by the "reviewers" who requested them.
From January-December 2015 I have made around £21.00
| Now you do not have to be a financial genius to work out that, including postage to alleged "reviewers" I spent three times what I 'earned' in 2015. That, my friends,is a dead business by even the most Walter Mitty of imaginings! |
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| The ads and publicity for the books were on several of my blogs -all getting thousands of hits per day and I'm not forgetting Google+ and the large number of views there, nor the many thousands of views of feed from CBO. All resulting in 21 sales. |
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| It has not helped that comic events in the UK are far too expensive and seem closed to anyone but friends or the usual hangers on. But I've already said I am NEVER mentioning the UK 'comic scene' again. |
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If, covering all the genres with some incredible creators all I can muster is 21 loss making sales then I think the plan I announced earlier this year is the only option.
Comic fans -there are a few left- can't read about or see the books....well,I guess they are not amongst the several millions that have checked out CBO! |
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| I would like to 'thank' all of those comic book 'friends' whom I supported over thirty plus years, helping some out in bad times, who decided to turn their backs and NEVER even attempt to support me because it might "rock the boat" and upset the nasty little shits in comics who employ bully tactics. I would like to 'thank' the events organisers who took every bit of publicity and pushing they could get but then turned their backs. |
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| I simply cannot be bothered. Those who HAVE given even moral support: you I THANK and the rest of you, well,I'll leave that up to Grand Pappy Hooper..... |
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Charity Reading Challenge
Host:
Becky's Book Reviews Sign up Duration: January 2016-December 2016
# of books: 24 (I'm hoping for two a month!)
The majority of the books I read will have been purchased at my local charity bookshop which supports the local chapter of
Habitat for Humanity. A few may come from library book sales as well.
January's Charity Books:
February's Charity Books:
March's Charity Books:
April's Charity Books:
May's Charity Books:
June's Charity Books:
July's Charity Books:
August's Charity Books:
September's Charity Books:
October's Charity Books:
November's Charity Books:
December's Charity Books:
© 2015 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Edwardian Bingo Challenge; The Edwardian Era is 1901-1910 officially, or, unofficially 1901-1914
Hosted by
Becky's Book ReviewsSign up Duration: November 2015 - December 2016
Goal: My goal is to get at least two bingos on my card.
The 16 categories:
a British author,
a non-British author,
a book that you wish had been made into a movie,
reread of your choice,
a male author,
a female author, a book that has been made into a movie,
a movie set during the Edwardian era,
a book under 180 pages,
any book published 1901-1910,
nonfiction book about Edwardian Era,
an "orphan" book,
a book over 300 pages,
any book published 1910-1914,
fiction book set during the Edwardian era,
a fantasy novel.Becky's Fulfilled Categories
A Fantasy Novel:
The Wind in the Willows. Kenneth Grahame. Illustrated by David Roberts. 1907/1983. Simon & Schuster. 244 pages. [Source: Library]
A Female Author: (Beatrix Potter)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Beatrix Potter. 1902. [Source: Bought]
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. Beatrix Potter. 1904. [Source: Bought]
© 2015 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
World At War Reading Challenge
Host:
Becky's Book ReviewsSign up Duration: December 2015 - December 2016
Goal: My goal is to get at least two bingos on my card; I'd love to fill the whole card though!!!
The categories:
- Any book published 1914-1918
- Any book published 1918-1924
- Any book published 1925-1930
- Any book published 1931-1938
- Any book published 1939-1945
- A nonfiction book about World War I
- A nonfiction book about 1910s and 20s
- A nonfiction book about 1920s and 30s
- A nonfiction book about 1930s
- A nonfiction book about World War II
- A fiction book set during World War I
- A fiction book set 1918-1924
- A fiction book set in the 1920s
- A fiction book set in the 1930s
- A fiction book set during World War II
- A book set in the United States or Canada
- A book set in England, Ireland, or Scotland
- A book set in Europe
- A book set in Asia or Middle East
- A book set elsewhere (a country/continent not already read for the challenge)
- A book focused on "the war"
- A book focused on "the homefront"
- Watch any movie released in 1940s
- Watch any movie released in the 1930s
- Watch any movie about either war
Becky's Fulfilled Categories:
© 2015 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
We're thrilled to have Alexander Gordon Smith here to tell us about his latest novel THE DEVIL'S ENGINE: HELLRAISERS.
Alexander, what was your inspiration for writing THE DEVIL'S ENGINE: HELLRAISERS?There were a number of things that inspired this series, but I think the most important one was not being able to breathe. I've been asthmatic since I was a kid, and although I don't have it so bad now I vividly remember the horror of having an attack. It feels like drowning out of water. When I was a kid I think I would have done anything to find a cure for my asthma, especially as it meant sitting out on so many of the things I loved. Looking back now, I think it was sitting on the sidelines that made me turn to writing – when you can't do the things you love for real, you start to do them in your imagination. So I'm grateful to it, in a weird way!
So yeah, the asthma led to the creation of the main character, Marlow Green, who is also severely asthmatic. Like me (as a teenager, not now!), he's also a bit of a hellraiser – I was always getting into trouble at school. And like me, Marlow would do anything to get rid of his asthma. I wondered what would happen if there was a machine that could grant him his wish. That was the heart of the story right there. I've always loved the legend of Faust, the idea that you can sell your soul to the devil for anything you like. This is my modern take on that classic story, complete with all the other things I love in stories: demons, monsters, gunfights, explosions, chases, twists and turns, monsters, terrifying bad guys, kick-ass characters, oh, and monsters. I wasn't sure if I mentioned the monsters.
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By:
Monica Gupta,
on 12/6/2015
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समय का महत्व पल पल बेहद कीमती है पर क्या हम इसकी महत्ता समझते हैं …. आज एक जानकार के घर जाना हुआ. मुझे 6 बजे कही और जाना था वहां लगी दीवार घडी पर समय देखा. उसमे 6 बज रहे थे. अरे बाप रे !! मेरी घडी में तो अभी 6 बजने में […]
The post समय का महत्व appeared first on Monica Gupta.
Did you know that December 5th was National Ninja Day? I didn’t know either until I stumbled upon the #NationalNinjaDay hashtag on Twitter! What fun!
So even though I am a day late on celebrating this “stealthy” event, I think we all need to tap into our “inner ninja” and do some ninja-related reading and activities! Luckily, Corey Rosen Schwartz has some amazing activities, book suggestions and in her free National Ninja Day PDF.
Corey has two delightful ninja-ish books to her credit including the upcoming Hensel and Gretel Ninja Chicks
and NINJA RED RIDING HOOD.
I also learned that, thanks to Corey’s wonderful PDF, my ninja name is Ru-Ka-Ta 
Mia at Pragmaticmom has a list of the Top 10 Ninja Books for Kids Ages 4 through 16
The Magic Treehouse Classroom has some books extension activities for the Magic Treehouse book Night of the Ninjas.
Homeschool giveaway blog has some great ideas for All Things NINJA Resources ~ printables, crafts, recipes & MORE!!
Did you do something fun for National Ninja Day? Or did it “sneak” up on you? 
Note from Me: As the holiday season approaches, consider adding the gift of books to your shopping list. There are many wonderful booklists available for parents looking to give their child the gift of reading and adventure. A book makes a great gift because they are meaningful, beautiful, portable, appealing, and inexpensive and it’s a gift that can be opened again and again. Books are the perfect gift for any age and a gift that doesn’t require batteries or sizing instruction!
If you would like to get started on your family reading adventure, or would just like to add to your family bookshelf, Audrey Press has some special deals on their catalog of books to get readers and gift-givers on their merry way. From November 30th to December 15th, give the gift of reading, adventure and education at extra-special (and extended) Black Friday prices! Go here for the full scoop on the Holiday Book Love Sale!
The post Weekend Links- Recapping National Ninja Day appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
By: Terry Hooper-Scharf,
on 12/6/2015
Blog:
ComicBitsOnline.com
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Authors: Vehlmann & Bonhomme
Age: 12 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
Publication: October 2015
ISBN: 9781849182652
Price: £6.99 inc. VAT
Jean-Baptiste Poulain comes to Auvergne in central France to investigate the deaths of two young women. Both were killed one year apart in the same barbaric, ritual way, their bodies left near the Black Virgin Chapel ... and the day approaches when another victim could turn up. Unfortunately, he’s going to have to struggle against the locals’ superstitions, the hostility of the authorities, and the hatred all seem to direct at the neighbouring gypsies.
I have to say that the art is almost a simplistic style but works very well. And the superb colouring style, using tones to set the various scenes, by DELF (cover credit, maybe? ) adds a great deal more impact. The story is VERY good. I'm not sure what I could write without having to add "SPOILER" beforehand.
It all seems to be the work of the Romani, of course....but just what is the priest's secret? Is he a "wrong 'un?" and will our hero survive being lashed to a tree in the freezing Winter with a killer's knife at his throat???
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIEEEEEE!
Sorry. Scared myself a bit there. Still, didn't wet my pants.
A very enjoyable read and my only gripe is that Colourist, Background Artist or Letterer -ALL need to be credited. Not doing so is an insult to their work -or just credit everyone on the inside page NOT the cover.
Victorian Reading Challenge
Host:
Becky's Book ReviewsDuration: January - December 2016
Goal: Get at least one bingo, five books minimum
Sign upThe categories:
- American male author
- Anthony Trollope
- Book That Has Been Adapted Into A Movie
- Charles Dickens
- American female author
- Book published 1871-1880
- Book about property, inheritance, economics
- Children's book of your choice
- Mystery, suspense, sensation
- Book published 1837-1849
- Book published 1881-1890
- Wilkie Collins
- Book by a European Author
- Book with a name as the title
- Book published 1861-1870
- Book published 1891-1901
- Book about courtship or marriage
- Book of your choice
- Speculative Fiction (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Time Travel, etc.)
- Book published 1850-1860
- British Female Author
- Fiction book set during the Victorian era
- Book or Movie about Queen Victoria
- Nonfiction book about the Victorian era
- British Male Author
Becky's Fulfilled Categories:
© 2015 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
Over the years, I have shared a lot of personal stuff with you, my dear writer-readers. Pets, tattoos, moves to Brooklyn, moves from Brooklyn, moves back to Brooklyn, and finally from Brooklyn for good (oy!). I mean, I still have people ask me about Sushi, a beloved cat I lost in 2011. It’s really been an honor to show up at the keyboard and share a bit of myself, a bit of my ideas, and a lot of my heart with you every week or so.
Now it’s time for me to reveal a very exciting personal development. Don’t worry, I’m still writing here. (They can wrench this domain name from my shriveled hands in 50 years!) I’m still working with my stable of amazing freelance editorial clients, and I couldn’t be happier. But in 2016, my family is finally growing with the addition of a baby in March! The gender will be a surprise.
This news is incredible for my husband and I, because of the road we took to get here. Everyone has struggles, and this was, unfortunately, one of ours. I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember. Growing up an immigrant only child in a single-parent household was very lonely, and I always imagined that I’d one day fill my home with children, the more the merrier! But then we wandered into what I can only call hell: infertility.
I have made many lifestyle changes over the years to put my health first. I’m pretty young. I’m motivated. Every single time we failed to conceive, it felt like an incredible failure of body and spirit. When infertility is suspected, the burden usually falls on the woman because a whole lot more can go “wrong” in our systems as far as reproduction is concerned. There’s basically one test for men, while women sometimes spend years investigating the equipment. Every month, I sunk into a despair that words can’t exactly describe. This went on for two and a half years. That may seem like a blip. But when a child is what you want most in the world, and deep in your heart is the fear that you may never get to have that irreplaceable human experience, time almost seems to move backward. And since all of our tests came back perfectly normal, we didn’t even have a good explanation, which was maddening.
After cycling through half a dozen doctors (“You’re young! Just keep trying! Are you sure you’re doing it right?”), tens of thousands of dollars of tests, kits, and procedures (insurance becomes real scarce as soon as they hear “infertility”), acupuncture, therapy, yoga, even chakra-alignment (I’m from San Francisco, guys, and I was desperate…), we finally washed like ragged castaways on the shores of a fertility clinic. There, they administered an easy $300 test that nobody else would do because failing it was so unlikely. And we finally had our answer: my husband has a fluke sperm issue, so rare it doesn’t have a name, and so significant that we literally have a 0.0% chance of conceiving naturally. What are the odds!
That was the best/worst appointment of my life. The best, because we finally had closure, and a game plan. Luckily, IVF and a related procedure (ICSI) are made for exactly this scenario. The worst, because don’t nobody tell me I have a 0.0% chance at anything! Unfortunately, this one was bigger than my stubbornness. And it turned out that we tried for those two and a half years completely in vain. This was a tough pill to swallow. On the bright side, we ended up doing IVF in June, had a brilliant response, and I got a positive pregnancy test on my birthday in July!
Now, as I near the third trimester, we feel so lucky. I mean, infertility was basically the worst thing I’ve ever been through, and I’m still grieving the fact that, whenever we want to have a child, we have to roll up to a clinic with our wallets open instead of doing it the old-fashioned way. In fact, because I’ve had such stunningly bad results, I no longer believe that babies happen after unprotected sex! 
But there are those who have much more complex issues, who struggle for much longer. Our one IVF cycle (costing as much as a new car out of pocket), believe it or not, was pretty much the best case scenario in the advanced reproductive technology big leagues. (Most insurance counts infertility treatments as non-essential, sort of like a boob job, unless you have a great plan. But my husband is a small business owner and I’m a freelancer, so we pay handsomely for our minimal coverage.)
Now that I have that off my chest, I really waffled about writing this next part of the post. I’ve always seen my role in your lives as a guide and friend. It feels wrong to ask for anything in return because of the rich personal rewards that my work brings me every day. But I’m humbly reaching out to you now with a request:
Books are why we’re all here. And I would love to welcome our baby with a library of classic and contemporary children’s books that builds on what I’ve collected over my career. With IVF and my husband’s dream of opening a restaurant coming true this year, we simply can’t feather our literary nest. I want to flood this child’s life with love and beauty and letters. I want to greet them with good vibes (and good books) from the community I’ve created. This baby has been the dream of my heart for as long as I can remember, and now he or she is finally coming. If you have any new or pre-loved books, for any childhood stage, that you’re compelled to send along to us, it would mean the absolute world. I would personally be so grateful. Please write a note inside so that you can become a part of our story.
Baby Macdonald
3109 West 50th Street, #348
Minneapolis, MN 55410
If material things, well, aren’t your thing, I was recently reminded by a freelance editorial client of my passion for the work of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where I used to volunteer while living in San Francisco. I just started training as a volunteer for the Minnesota chapter. Already, this baby has inspired so much positive change and hope in our lives. In the same spirit, maybe he or she will inspire you as we head into the holiday season, to share some joy with a few extra hearts. You can find Make-A-Wish volunteer information and links to your local chapter here.
ETA: Because somebody asked, you can find our baby registry here.
Also, I feel obligated to add that, while many options for growing a family exist, I felt very strongly, being an immigrant with only three living blood relatives in this or any other country, that I wanted to try for biological children. It’s a deeply sacred, personal choice that every aspiring parent makes differently. For example, newborn adoption costs about as much as a round of IVF (or more) and there’s a lengthy approval process that could’ve added years to our journey.
By: Terry Hooper-Scharf,
on 12/6/2015
Blog:
ComicBitsOnline.com
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Authors: Dorison, Nury & Rossi
Age: 15 years and up
Size: 18.4 x 25.7 cm
Number of pages: 56 colour pages
Publication: September 2015
ISBN: 9781849182614
Price: £7.99 inc. VAT
After the SPOOKS’ difficult mission in Cuba, Morton Chapel has accepted Kathryn Lennox’s help in attempting to treat his daughter, Megan. The girl has been catatonic since she witnessed her father shoot her demented mother Madeleine. But Chapel speaks of possession rather than insanity; an hypothesis the rational Kathryn finds it difficult to accept. And Madeleine’s father, a mining industry mogul, intends to exact his revenge from the SPOOKS leader.
If there is one thing any reader of
Spooks should have learnt by now it is that
nothing is ever clean-cut or easy and that cover is very haunting but doesn't prepare you for the story! And the art by Christian Rossi is just superb and I really want to find out whether this is water colour, ink wash or....gods forbid -art done on a computer!
I think that the only thing you need to write about this book is "Spooks". Its been fun and grim from 1-5 so looking forward to future stories! Big moustaches. Cannot go wrong with big moustaches.
BUY BUY BUY BUY -but not big moustaches. Those you have to grow.
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