Laura Jackson's Blog, page 8

Confessional Friday: A Day in the Life....

 I'm connecting with Leslie's blog over at http://www.blondeambitionblog.com/. So, Leslie suggested doing a day in the life of yourself for today's confessions. I confess that I feel bad doing this. Why? Because I've been a lazy bum this summer, and it's been FANTASTIC! And I know that most people don't get a summer off.  And while I know a lot of women my age are stressed and overwhelmed with working full time or caring for children, maintaining a house, having a relationship with a husband, it can be VERY lonely not having a husband and kids. God balances all stages of life with challenges and benefits.  So, while I want (and pray earnestly for) a husband and children, I'm enjoying this time God has given me to focus on Him and to rest. **There were several years of my life where I was teaching middle school, working two part-time jobs, and going to grad school.   I'm working on my debt snowball, so I haven't been doing anything exciting. But, I've been relaxing, napping, and reading.   I wake up between 9-10.I take my time getting up.I go to the gym from like 12:00-1:15. I eat lunch....learning to love kale and chard for my salads. I clean a bit and then get ready for the day.I hang out with friends and family. Or read. Or write. Or take a nap.I have Bible Study on Tuesday, church on Wednesday, babysitting on Friday nights. We're studying I Peter on Tuesday nights--love it! So good! Other than that, I try to hang out with friends or family another day or two a week.Tonight, my nephew came over so my sister and brother-in-law could go on a date.  I go to bed around 1:00-2:00 a.m.That's the life for a summer beach bum.   During the school year, I work 7:30-3:30/4:00 as a school librarian, which is fun but busy. The teachers drop off the kids for their conference period. So, this coming year, I'll see first-5th grade for an hour each day. It's hectic. I come home tired but happy. Getting off that early lets me have time to write, work out, hang out with friends, etc. It's a great job.   My life is fairly boring these days, but I'm thankful for the time off.  '

Captured by Love: A Review

   Back of the Book Summary:The British Army has taken control of Michilimackinac Island and its fort, forcing the Americans to swear an oath of loyalty to the crown in order to retain their land. Pierre Durant is a fur trader who returns after being away from the island for years, only to find the family farm a shambles and those he cares about starving and at the mercy of British invaders.

Torn between the adventurous life of fur trading and guilt over neglecting his defenseless mother, Pierre is drawn deeper into the fight against the British--and into a relationship with Angelique MacKenzie, a childhood friend who's grown into a beautiful woman. She now finds herself trapped by the circumstances of war and poverty, and the cruelty of her guardian, Ebenezer Whiley.

As tensions mount and the violence rages on, Pierre and Angelique must decide where their loyalties rest and how much they'll risk for love.
My thoughts:
I'm a Jody Hedlund fan, and I was looking forward to this book. As with all of Hedlund's books, you feel like you are there in history, living the events and feeling the emotions of the characters.
My heart hurt for Angelique--torn between the guy she's always had a crush on (Pierre) and the promise she made to his brother (Jean) to marry him when he returned from the war. She's a strong, fantastic character.

While I liked Pierre, I just didn't like the circumstances of their relationship. I hated that Angelique had promised to marry Jean because while Pierre and Angelique's relationship was fun and flirty, I couldn't root for them while Jean was off fighting in the war.

SPOILER AHEAD!




I appreciated how the author didn't kill off Jean just to have Pierre and Angelique together! That would have been the easy way out of the conflict, and while it seemed a little fast at the end, I appreciated how it was handled.

Overall, Captured by Love is a great historical read. Hedlund captures the time and emotions perfectly with interesting characters.

I received this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts are my own.

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It Had to Be You: A Review

 
Susan May Warren creates terrific characters, and this book gives us the lovely Eden, who is a mother hen to her hockey-playing brother. When she meets his teammate Jace, sparks fly, but Eden knows better than to fall for hockey's bad boy enforcer.

I love the Christiansen family that Susan introduced us to in book one, and it was fun getting to know Eden. I really liked her and her struggle of finding her way in a family of stand-out siblings. And even though Jace had fame, he was still struggling for a sense of family and belonging. They were cute together.

I really liked the side story of Jace's friend Sam, who is struggling to keep his business afloat and care for his daughter who is rejecting her heart transplant. It was a beautiful story of a father's love for his child, and I kinda wish Sam had gotten his own book.

Fans of Christian fiction will love this addition to the Christiansen saga. Can't wait for the next one!

I was given this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts are my own.
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Purple Moon: A Review

Summary from Amazon: Selena's life isn't turning out to be the fairy tale she imagined as a kid. 

That hope seemed to vanish long ago when her dad kicked her and her mom out of the house. This summer might finally hold the chance of a new beginning for Selena ... but having to live with her snobby cousin in Lake Lure, NC while waiting for her mom to get out of rehab wasn't how Selena was planning on spending her summer. She soon begins to wonder why she committed to give up her "bad habits" for this.

Things don't seem too bad, though. Especially when Selena gains the attention of the cute neighbor next door. But when her best friend back home in Brooklyn desperately needs her, a secret that's been hidden from Selena for years is revealed, and when she becomes a target for one of her cousin's nasty pranks, she finds herself having to face the scars from her past and the memories that come along with them. Will she follow her mom's example in running away, or trust that God still has a fairy tale life written just for her?  My review: I liked Selena. For me, the main character makes or breaks a book, and I felt for Selena. Her past--a pastor father who kicks her and her mom out of the house and a mom who is an alcoholic--has shaped her into a girl with a hard shell. But, underneath, she's still wanting her prince to come and save the day like they did in the stories her dad told her grow up.  I loved Austin and the other friends Selena makes at the youth group camp. I really liked that Selena still struggled after her salvation--the point was made that salvation is when you believe with a belief that changes you, not just words you repeat to make someone else feel good or thinking life will be perfect afterwards.  Through the mishaps, the struggles, and the hurts, Austin helps Selena see that the prince is Jesus and He's been there all along.  I hope there's a second book because some details like Selena's relationship with her dad and her friend Hilarie's problem seemed unresolved. Fans of Christian YA will enjoy this book. '

Confessional Friday

 1. I confess I was a nerd growing up--still am. I was a kid who didn't tell you it was 8:45, I told you it was 8:43. My friend posted this picture for Throwback Thursday, and I had totally forgotten about my calculator necklace!! I was rocking....
[image error]2. I confess I would totally move into my grandma's nursing home if I could--delicious meals, cleaning crew, laundry service. What more could you want? We had family night there this week, and they had a line dancing group. Those old people know how to have fun![image error][image error]3. I confess I took a nap every day this week. 1-4 is my preferred time. I'm not sure how I'm going to adjust when school starts again. Thankfully, I still have a while before then.


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A Broken Kind of Beautiful: A Review

   Summary from Amazon: Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four year old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she’s learned a sacred truth—appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows—so when it starts to unravel, she’ll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother’s bridal wear line—an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white. 
There are authors who tell a great story, and there are authors who write beautifully. Then, there are authors who do  both. Katie Ganshert is one of those authors. Her words and light and airy while packing a punch if that makes sense.

Ivy Clark is gorgeous and aloof, but Ganshert makes her likeable even when she's being a brat. Davis is wounded but strong. I enjoyed the journey each character took on themselves, and although I liked Davis and Ivy together, I thought perhaps the best part of the story was the relationship between Ivy and Marilyn as they each found in the other the mother/daughter relationship they'd always wanted.

Ivy's journey is broken and messy and sometimes sad, but it was beautiful.

I was given this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts are my own.
  '

Confessional Friday on a Saturday

 Connecting with Leslie at http://www.blondeambitionblog.com/. So, yes, in my summer slump, I didn't get this done Friday. Why, you may ask? No reason other than I was a lazy bum all week. :)  1. I confess that I would prefer year-round school. I like a schedule, and the idea of going to school a month or 6 weeks and then getting a week or two off is perfect to me.  2. I confess (and celebrate) that I crossed the 31k mark in debt paid off! Woot! My debt snowball is gaining speed. **I was looking through Microsoft's royalty free pictures for a snowball and found this picture. Nothing to do with the point, but it made me happy....love trees and cold weather.  3. I confess I do not have a security procedure--at least that's what my sister told me. She came over the other day and set off the alarm. I was still sleeping but apparently came out of my room asking questions of the intruders instead of hiding. It makes for a funny story when she's telling it. I shook all day. 4. I confess I went to the gym four times this week--two BodyPump classes and two sessions on the elliptical--and was a little down that I only lost 1 pound, especially since I tried hard to eat healthy. Like the debt snowball, losing weight is a slow journey. I can do it though! 5. I confess that I bought frownies on Amazon. You can find them here. Has anyone used them? I have little wrinkles between my eyebrows, and these are supposed to help you while you're sleeping. My skin gets crunched up on the pillow, and I wake up with them. We'll see what happens.   6. I confess I stayed up until 2 a.m. reading this book. It was like catching up with old friends. Love Robin Jones Gunn. '

Thirty Sunsets: A Review

 
Forrest can't wait to escape to her family's beach house for the summer--until her brother's girlfriend tags along and secrets unfold left and right.

I like this book for the most part. I read it on my kindle and had to check on Amazon to see it's 240 pages because it felt very short, probably because there were so many major things going on the last half of the book like huge life-changing events.

But, overall, it's a good YA read. I thought the main event that happens to Forrest was handled well, and although she was frustrating at times, I liked her.

It's a fast summer read. I recommend it to fans of contemporary YA authors like Sarah Dessen.

I was given this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts are my own.
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Claiming Mariah: A Review

I've never read anything by Pam Hillman before, but I enjoyed this book. I read it in one day because the plot trotted along and the characters were great.

Mariah works tirelessly to run the ranch her dad left her, but when Slade shows up with a deed showing his father as the owner of the ranch, she's at his mercy for a place to live.

Even though I knew the outcome from the first page, it was a fun ride. Slade is a strong but wounded hero, and I liked him from the start--defending his family from an abuse, drunk father. Mariah was strong too, but they didn't seem to overpower each other.

The minor characters of Buck and Mariah's grandmother add to the story, and I loved little Jim, who is going through the same things Slade endured.

I hope the author has a sequel to this book because I'd love to see Buck find a sweet girl to love him for him. (And, I hope it's Amanda.)

Fans of Christian historical fiction will enjoy this book.
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The Divorce Papers: A Review

   When criminal lawyer Sophie steps in to cover an interview for a client seeking a divorce, she's soon involved in her first divorce case.Told through emails and court documents, readers take a journey as Sophie deals with her own feelings growing up as the child of divorced parents and learns the ropes of handling a divorce case.  I like this idea for telling a story, and I really liked Sophie, Mia, and Mia's daughter Jane. I loved the different point of views and found them unique and entertaining. I wanted the two women to find love and happiness, and while the end of the book had a satisfying conclusion, it left me wanting more.  I guess it's because the heart of the story often got lost in the shuffle of paperwork--literal paperwork. Like pages of court document that I finally just skimmed because I wanted to enjoy the story.  I'm not sure what to rate this book because while I enjoyed it, it was hard to overlook the tedious interruptions to the story.  Overall, I do recommend it to readers who don't mind some legal jargon in the middle of their story. Sophie and Mia are great characters and worth the effort. I received this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts are my own.      '