Bout of Books 15 Sign-Up Post

It's time for another Bout of Books read-a-thon and I'm actually going to participate!! Woop woop! I missed the last one so I am highly looking forward to this one. 

Want to participate? Sign up here.  

Here's more info from their blog:

 The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 15 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

So what are you waiting for? Join us!!!

Vampire for Christmas by Felicity Heaton

Don't let the cover full you! This is more of a paranormal romance than an erotica. However, it does have a sex scene, so be aware.  

It was one last mission. Shannon, a demon hunter with the agency, is looking forward to leaving behind the small town and the vampire she's been stuck with for the past two years. Things are getting complicated fast and she wants out. A fresh start, free of her vampire partner, awaits her if she can survive their final mission and the lonely Christmas holidays.

It was one last mission. Rafe, a vampire doing time with the agency, watches it approach with dread weighing heavily in his stomach. Two years of working with Shannon has been difficult, especially since he started falling for her, but he doesn't want their partnership to end. He has barely a few days to make her face her feelings and stop her from leaving, and he intends to do just that.

Audiobook: Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

Here's the second Debbie Macomber book I listened to:

Read by Elyse Mirto
Duration: 4 hours 55 minutes

Harry Mills is a guardian angel on a mission: help twenty-four-year-old Addie Folsom get her life back on track—and, if the right moment strikes, help her find love. Posing as a teacher at a local college in Tacoma, Washington, Harry is up to the task, but not even he can predict the surprises that lay in store.

After trying to make it on her own, Addie has returned home to Tacoma for the holidays, but this time she plans to stay for good, enrolling in the local community college to earn her degree. What she doesn’t plan to do is run into Erich Simmons.

How the In-Laws Wrecked Christmas by Fiona Gibson

A funny, festive short story from bestseller Fiona Gibson. Just the thing to curl up with on a cold winter night.

Christmas in the country. What could be better? All you need is one country house, one gorgeous boyfriend and a liberal dusting of snow. Right?

That’s what Anna thinks and she can’t wait for the festivities to start. But then she meets her gorgeous boyfriend’s awful parents. And their drunk friends. And she starts to hear all about a certain ex-wife. Suddenly this doesn’t look like a very merry Christmas after all…

Amazon  *  B&N 

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

To all of you book lovers out there, I wish you a blessed day filled with love, joy, and warmth! May all your holiday wishes come true. 

Merry Christmas!!!!!

'Twas the Chihuahua Before Christmas by Esri Allbritten

Chihuahuas!!!! I love Chihuahuas!!! LOL!

Charlotte Baskerville, designer of small dog clothing, is asked if her Russian dog trainer will play Santa at the last minute. As she struggles to get him ready, an elf costume and other Chihuahua couture disappear from her workshop. This is a stand-alone story that features characters from the full-length mystery, 'Chihuahua of the Baskervilles,' published by St. Martin's Press.

B&N 

Audiobook: Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

I have seen Debbie Macomber's books everywhere but never had the chance to read them. I also did not know where to start since she had so many books. However, those who have read her books kept suggesting to read her holiday ones, so I picked up two Christmas audios. Here's one:


Read by Rebecca Lowman
Duration: 5 hours 21 minutes

Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author.

Audiobook: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Read by Orlagh Cassidy

Duration:   7 hours 22 minutes

 After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolut, Courtney Stone wakes up to find herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom or even in her own body, but inside the bedchamber of a woman in Regency England. Who but an Austen addict like herself could concoct such a fantasy?

Not only is Courtney stuck inside another woman's life, she is forced to pretend she actually is that woman; and despite knowing nothing about her, she manages to fool even the most astute observer. For her borrowed body knows how to speak without slaying the King's English, dance without maiming her partner, and embroider as if possessed by actual domestic skill.

Sign-up for the Audiobook Challenge 2016!!!

It is back for another year: The Audiobook Challenge 2016!!! This challenged is hosted by The Book Nympho & Hot Listens.

(The following info retrieved from Hot Listens)

Challenge Details

2015 Audiobook Challenge: It's a Wrap!!!

I've been gone a while from my blog. I will be posting an update very soon! But here's my audiobook wrap-up!

 

The 2015 Audiobook Challenge was hosted by The Book Nympho & Hot Listens. 

I wish I could have listened to more book liked I planned at the beginning of the year but life just got in the way. I hardly did any reading the second half of 2015, print or audio, due to going back to school after 7 years to get my teaching credential. However, 2015 is not over yet and I hope to get a few more reads in before midnight on December 31st!!!

This is what I listened to in 2015:

Audiobook: The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain

Bad, bad, Vonnie! I am slacking off on my posts! I meant to write my review of this weeks ago. Grrr!!! Oh well...Here goes!




Read by  Kirby Heyborne, Arielle DeLisle, & Emily Durante 
Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Four years ago, 19-year-old Travis Brown made a choice: to raise his newborn daughter on his own. While most of his friends were out partying and meeting girls, Travis was at home, changing diapers and worrying about keeping food on the table. But he's never regretted his decision. Bella is the light of his life. The reason behind every move he makes. And so far, she is fed. Cared for. Safe.

But when Travis loses his construction job and his home, the security he's worked so hard to create for Bella begins to crumble....

Then a miracle: A job in Raleigh has the power to turn their fortunes around. It has to. But when Travis arrives in Raleigh, there is no job, only an offer to participate in a one-time criminal act that promises quick money and no repercussions.

With nowhere else to turn, Travis must make another choice for his daughter's sake. Even if it means he might lose her.

Audible  * Amazon * Overdrive 

2015 Audiobook Challenge 3rd Quarter

I had this post ready two weeks ago, but I forgot to post it. Whoops!

 

Welcome to the third Quarter Update for the 2015 Audiobook Challenge. This challenge is hosted by The Book Nympho & Hot Listens.

Even though I am back to work at the school and I have gone back to school to earn my teaching credential, I was still able to listen to a few fabulous reads. Of course, I would have wished that I have listened to more books (If only I remembered to push play, lol), but hey...life happens! I'm still proud of my numbers, though.

This is what I listened to:

Banned Books Week 2015

 

As many bibliophiles already know, it's Banned Books Week! 
This is the time that we exercise our freedom to read! Don't allow anyone tell you what not to read. 

Visit BannedBooksWeek.org or ALA's Banned & Challenged Books for more information.

Here are some of my favorite banned books:

Audiobook: Stranger in My Arms by Lisa Kleypas

*This is a historical romance that has explicit love scenes.*

Read by Rosalyn Landor

Duration: 10 hours 53 minutes

 

"Lady Hawksworth, your husband is not dead." With those words, Lara's life turned upside down. Hunter, Earl of Hawksworth, had been lost at sea. Or so she'd been told. Their unhappy marriage - with its cold caresses and passionless kisses - was over. But now a powerful, virile man stood before her, telling secrets only a husband could know, and vowing she would once again be his wife in every way. While Lara couldn't deny that this man with the smoldering dark eyes resembled Hunter, he was attentive and loving in ways he never was before. Soon she desperately wanted to believe, with every beat of her heart, that this stranger was truly her husband. But had this rake reformed - or was Lara being seduced by a cunning stranger?

 

Audiobooks.com

Visiting Vroman's for the First Time

So...September 7th was not only Labor Day this year, but it was also my birthday. Yup, my birthday!

On that day, I celebrated like any bookworm would...I visited a bookstore!

Now, I didn't visit any bookstore. I decided to go somewhere special. I decided to go to a place that I've never been and has been on my bucket list. 

I visited Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena!

Guess What September Is? It's Library Card Sign-up Month!

That's right. 

September is...

Library Card Sign-up Month !

 

Snoopy is Honorary Chair for Library Card Sign-up Month 2015!

Update: What is Vonnie Up To?

Hello, everyone!

Perhaps you have noticed that it's been a little quiet over here in my reading corner and maybe you were wondering what was happening. Maybe... ;)

Well, so much has happened this month.

First, I went to Florida for almost a week at the beginning of August. I went there to participate and work at Ahmed Hussien's annual dance camp. I had a lot of fun.

Next, our school system started on August 12th, which meant I had to return to work. The school year is going well so far, and my assignment is easier compared to my last two cases (I work with children with special needs). 

And finally...I have started school at California State University, Fullerton. Yes, after 7 years, I am back at school! It was time that I finally got focused in receiving my teaching credential for special education. 

With that said, school has me very preoccupied lately that I have not done any personal reading this month. I have no idea when I'll be able to do so. So, my blog will be silent for a while as I try to get used to the swing of things again. 

In the mean time, I wish you guys lots of love, happiness, and reading time. Wish me luck!!


 Vonnie

Children's Book: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

I am back to work since our school system started last week, which means that I'll be reading many children's books again! :)

Late one winter night a little girl and her father go owling. The trees stand still as statues and the world is silent as a dream. Whoo-whoo-whoo, the father calls to the mysterious nighttime bird.

But there is no answer.

Wordlessly the two companions walk along, for when you go owling you don't need words. You don't need anything but hope. Sometimes there isn't an owl, but sometimes there is.

Amazon

Review: Five Enchanted Roses (Fairy Tale Collection)

Here's the second set of fairy tales, companion to Five Glass Slippers:

 A ship bearing the souls of sinful sailors drifts upon a ghostly sea. An abbey looms as the final defense between mortals and ghouls of the underworld. In the stillness of a throne room, statues stand forever frozen in a moment of terror. Monsters and men stalk their prey deep in the jungle’s shadows. A rose blooms in the dead of winter, sheltered in the ruins of an ancient Scottish castle.

And only true love can free the Beast from his prison.

Amazon  *  B&N  *  Rooglewood Press

  

Teaser Tuesdays #113

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

• 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!

My Teasers:

Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

I read this book as a read-along :)

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Gansey is different. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been told by her psychic family that she will kill her true love. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Amazon  * B&N 

Teaser Tuesdays #112

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

• 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!

My Teaser:

Audiobook: Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

Read by Tracie Bennett
Time: 3 hours 18 minutes (Abridged)

Meet Bridget Jones -- a 30-something Singleton who is certain she would have all the answers is she could:

a) lose 7 pounds
b) stop smoking
c) develop Inner Poise

Here is the laugh-out-loud daily chronicle of a hilarious year in the life of the devastatingly self-aware Bridget Jones; a year in which she resolves to: reduce the circumference of each thigh by 1 1/2 inches, visit the gym three times a week not merely to buy a sandwich, and form a functional relationship with a responsible adult.

Bridget struggles to keep her life on an even keel -- or at least afloat. Whenever her plans meet with disaster, she manages to pick herself up, go out on the town, and tell herself it will be all right in the morning, when life will definitely be different this time and totally alcohol, calorie, and perverted-misogynist free.

Amazon 

The Beautiful Cerritos Library

Image from City of Cerritos

I am lucky to leave 20 minutes away from one of the most amazing libraries: 

The Cerritos Millennium Library
(or simply...The Cerritos Library)

The Cerritos Library was built in the 1970s with the latest technology in Cerritos, California. Remodeling of the library began in 2000 and was completed to the astounding library that it is today in 2002. According to Wikepedia, "It was the first building to feature an exterior clad with titanium panels in the United States." It has a wonderful garden with fountains outside, has themed rooms, high quality artwork, and other eye-pleasing architecture. 

Five Magic Spindles Creative Writing Contest!

 

For all of my writing peeps:

For the third time, Rooglewood Press is holding another writing contest! They held a creative writing contest for the fairy tales Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. Now it's time for Sleeping Beauty!

Austen in August Hosted by The Book Rat

Hey guys! Here's something exciting:

Are you fans of Jane Austen? Have you ever wanted to try one of her books? Well, it's that time of year again when Misty from The Book Rat hosts her annual event: 

Austen in August!

This year the event runs from August 18-31. 

Audiobook: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Read by  Julia Whelan & Kirby Heyborne

Time: 19 hours 22 minutes 

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer?

Overdrive  *  Audible

Teaser Tuesday #111

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

• 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!

My Teaser:

Blog Tour Review: Sons of the Sphinx by Cheryl Carpinello

Okay...a book set in Egypt! Now I could not pass this up!

This book is part of The Quest Books series and it's YA Historical Time Travel.

Check out the synopsis, my review, and the giveaway at the bottom!

---

Two souls

Separated by three millennium

One with a gift that is more like a curse

One on an almost impossible quest

Destinies entwined; one seeks to find herself while the other seeks his lost queen. To succeed, the pair must right the injustices 3,000 years in the past.

Only together can they fulfill The Prophecy, but in the process they must defeat the Pharaoh Horemheb.

Dishonor and death are the fate of the defeated.

AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON KINDLE CA – AMAZON KINDLE UK – AMAZON PAPERBACK – BARNES & NOBLES PAPERBACK – GOODREADS – SHELFARI

Review: Ophelia by Lisa Klein

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!! 
I finally finished this book!!!
*Does happy dance* 
It only took me four months, but hey! I read it!!!! That's another book off of my TBR mountain. 
Woot Woot!

(I actually finished the book a week ago. I'm barely getting to the review)

He is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; she is simply Ophelia. If you think you know their story, think again.

In this reimagining of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queen's most trusted lady-in-waiting. Ambitious for knowledge and witty as well as beautiful, Ophelia learns the ways of power in a court where nothing is as it seems. When she catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and Ophelia's happiness is shattered. Ultimately, she must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life. In desperation, Ophelia devises a treacherous plan to escape from Elsinore forever . . . with one very dangerous secret.

Teaser Tuesdays #110

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

• 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!

My Teasers:

Books Not Bullets!!!

July 12th was Malala's 18th Birthday!!!

Malala is an extraordinary girl who I admire tremendously. I recently listened to her book I am Malala and can not help but be in awe on how courageous she is.

What is even more admiring and absolutely wonderful is that on her 18th birthday, Malala opened the Malala Yousafzai All-Girls School in Lebanon.

Audiobook: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

Read by Archie Panjabi

Time: 9 hours 53 minutes

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Review: Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

This book was discussed over at my online book club, Bibliophile Reading Group. Come on over to check it out. :)

On the eve of her wedding, Georgia Ford discovers that her beloved fiancé has been keeping an explosive secret. So she escapes to her family’s vineyard, where she discovers that he isn’t the only one with something to hide.

Set against the lush backdrop of Sonoma’s wine country, Eight Hundred Grapes is a heartbreaking, funny, and deeply evocative novel about love, family, wine, and the treacherous terrain in which they all intersect. Pour yourself a glass and allow bestselling author, Laura Dave, to transport you this summer.

Teaser Tuesdays #109

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

• 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!

My Teasers:

Audiobook: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Read by Blair Brown
Time: 2 hours 47 minutes

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.

Overdrive

2015 Audiobook Challenge 2nd Quarter Update

 

Welcome to the second Quarter Update for the 2015 Audiobook Challenge. This challenge is hosted by The Book Nympho & Hot Listens.

Okay, this time I did better. I listened to more audios for the second quarter. It's not the number I was aiming for, but I got to "reading" again. :)

This is what I listened to:

Audiobook: Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres

Read by Ellen Degeneres
Time: 3 hours 8 minutes

 I've experienced a lot the last few years and I have a lot to share. So I hope that you'll take a moment to sit back, relax and enjoy the words I've put together for you in this book. I think you'll find I've left no stone unturned, no door unopened, no window unbroken, no rug unvacuumed, no ivories untickled. What I'm saying is, let us begin, shall we?

Hachette Book Group  *  Overdrive

Book Blitz for Palace Secrets by Ravyn Rayne (Giveaway)

Okay, I'm a sucker for pretty books and this one caught my attention because of it. Luckily, Palace Secrets by Ravyn Rayne sounds promising. I am looking forward to reading it. 

  
Be adviced...This book is a Romantic Erotica. You MUST be 18+ years to read it!

Here's more information on the book:

Teaser Tuesdays #108

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

• 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!

My Teasers:

Debut Book: Roses Are Red by J.B. Kantt

Hello readers!

I've been introduced to a new debut novel by J.B. Kantt. I know I've mentioned that I will not be accepting as many books for review this year, but this one caught my attention.

What also makes this exciting is that I've been following this person's blog before she published this book. I am highly looking forward to it!

Here's what it's about:

Children's Book: Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

Hello Readers! 
I would like to share another great children's book for people of all ages.

From the best-selling author of Because of Winn-Dixie comes the moving story of an eleven-year-old-boy, Rob Horton, who finds a caged tiger in the woods behind the hotel where he lives with his father. With the help of his new friend, Sistine Bailey, Rob must decide what to do with his discovery and at the same time come to terms with his past.

Rob, who passes the time in his rural Florida community by wood carving, is drawn by his spunky but angry friend Sistine into a plan to free a caged tiger. 

Amazon  *  B&N

Audiobook: Bras & Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski

Here's a fun young adult audiobook:

Read by Ariadne Meyers
Time: 8 hours 11 minutes

What if all your wishes could come true? Blink your eyes, drink a fizzing pink potion, and poof! Life is perfect. That's Rachel's situation. Except she's not the one who suddenly has magical powers. Her younger sister is. And as Rachel would tell you, spellbooks are wasted on the young!

Yes, yes, of course world peace and cures for horrible diseases are important. But so is dancing without looking like she's being electrocuted, winning back her best friend, stopping her dad's wedding, and finding a date for Spring Fling. Rachel's not bewitched. Yet. . .

Overdrive

Inside Hana's Suitcase- Documentary & Interactive Website

I first encountered Hana's story by reading the book, Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (check out my review here). I was completely captivated by her story that I began to search for more information about her. I soon came to learn about the documentary and the online experience of the book.

Here are my thoughts on both the film and the online interactive website:

The Documentary

Teaser Tuesdays #107

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

• 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!

My Teaser:

Audiobook: Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Read by Jenna Lamia & Holter Graham
Time: 6 hours 48 minutes

In the beginning, there was an apple - And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker's head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal. Just when Eve thinks she will die - not from her injuries, but from boredom - her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy. Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?

Audible

Children's Book: Hana's Suitcase- A True Story by Karen Levine

When new books arrive from Scholastic, I simply cannot resist them.  :)

In March 2000, a suitcase arrived at a children's Holocaust education center in Tokyo, Japan. Hana Brady was written on the outside. Children who saw the suitcase on display were full of questions and the director decided to find the answers.

Amazon  *  B&N

Pay It Forward: Young Reader's Edition by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I read this book last month, and I'm finally getting around to writing my thoughts on it. ;)

The internationally bestselling book that inspired the Pay It Forward movement is now available in a middle grade edition.

Pay It Forward is a moving, uplifting novel about Trevor McKinney, a twelve-year-old boy in a small California town who accepts his teacher’s challenge to earn extra credit by coming up with a plan to change the world.

Trevor’s idea is simple: do a good deed for three people, and instead of asking them to return the favor, ask them to “pay it forward” to three others who need help. He envisions a vast movement of kindness and goodwill spreading across the world, and in this “quiet, steady masterpiece with an incandescent ending” (Kirkus Reviews), Trevor’s actions change his community forever.

Amazon