Miranda Atchley's Blog, page 47

Books Read In 2015

Last December when I made my New Year's goals, I decided that in the year 2015 I wanted to read fifty books I'd never read before. Fifty new books seemed challenging in the beginning, but my Kindle made that easier. I found tons of classics to download for free on Amazon and I signed up for BookBub, which emails you daily with a list of e-books at a discounted price or for free. I found a few great books through this and am pretty glad I found it. And even though I got a lot of reading in on my Kindle, I still read plenty of old fashioned print books. You can't go wrong with a good ol book.
Listed below are the books I read this year. At the end of the post I'll give you my thoughts on some as well as my top five. Note: If you click on each title, you'll be directed to their listing on Amazon should you feel inclined to read some of these picks.
JanuarySisterchicks On The Loose! by RobinJones GunnThe Notebook by Nicholas SparksPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenKilmeny of The Orchard by L.M.MontgomeryFebruaryAkin To Anne by L.M. MontgomeryJane of Lantern Hill by L.M. MontgomeryWuthering Heights by Emily BronteLittle House on the Prairie by LauraIngalls WilderStuart Little by E.B. WhiteDr. Gott's No Flour No Sugar Diet by Peter GottKate's Choice by Louisa May AlcottMarchLet Them Eat Cake by Sandra ByrdBon Appetite by Sandra ByrdPiece De Resistance by Sandra ByrdAnne of The Island by L.M. MontgomeryHow A Star Falls by Amber StokesFool's Gold by Melody CarlsonAprilPoppy's Return by AviAnne of Windy Poplars by L.M. MontgomeryPrince Caspian by C.S. LewisHarsh Pink by Melody CarlsonBitter Rose by Melody CarlsonMayThe Undertaker's Daughter by KateMayfieldThe Help by Kathryn StockettHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabanby J.K. RowlingWhat I Know For Sure by Oprah WinfreyMiranda, The Great by Elanor EstesJuneAlice In Wonderland by Lewis CarrollAnimal Farm by George OrwellWhen I Married My Mother by Jo MaederNorthanger Abbey by Jane AustenJulyWhat Katy Did by Susan CoolidgeThe Prayers of Jane Austen by Terry GlaspeyChop, Chop by L.N. CronkTo Kill A Mockingbird by Harper LeeAugustBig Fish by Daniel WallaceThe Other Side of Darkness by MelodyCarlson Beauty and the Beast Go Set A Watchman by Harper LeeSeptemberAmy Inspired by Bethany Pierce(previously read)When Patty Went To College by JeanWebsterOctoberJust Patty by Jean WebsterFrankenstein by Mary ShellyWhile You're Awake by Amber Stokes NovemberBlue Like Jazz by Donald MillerThe Christmas Joy Ride by Melody CarlsonDecemberThe Bronte Plot by Katherine ReayThe Christmas Cat by Melody CarlsonThe Christmas Dog by Melody CarlsonA Christmas Carol by Charles DickensPride and Prejudice and Zombies by SethGrahame Smith and Jane Austen
Obviously this was a year of classics, rightfully so as I had planned on reading more classics this year. I finally got around to reading one of the most famous novels ever written, To Kill A Mockingbird, and it did not disappoint. I also joined in history with the rest of the world by reading Go Set A Watchman which was a fantastic read as well.
Pride and Prejudiceand Wuthering Heights had been on my reading list for quite a while and they were lovely reads. Big Fish had been on my reading list, too, but I didn't enjoy it as much. I loved the movie, and the novel just didn't quite live up to my expectations. It was still a decent read though.
The Help was a delicious read that I just couldn't put down. My review can give you all the info you need to know of this sparkling novel.
I also read my first indie book this year. How A Star Falls was a great first indie read. A very sweet and fresh novella. And While You're Awake was another great read by Amber. I definitely think reading more indie books should be one of my goals for 2016.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy What I Know For Sure as much as I did, but it was a pretty good read. I think I read it in a day, which is unusual for me.
I found When I Married My Mother through BookBub and it turned out to be one of my favorites. It's heartbreaking, warm and hilarious. There's some adult content, though, so be sure to keep it away from youngsters. I also found Chop, Chop through BookBub and was surprised by how much I liked it. I found myself tearing through the book. It was a real page-turner.
This year I also read new books by old favorites. Melody Carlson's books have been with me since I was thirteen. I began reading her TrueColors series around that time and I finally finished the series this year. And as always, L.M. Montgomery is a constant in my life and I read some great books by her this year.
A few flops for me were Sisterchicks on the Loose!, The Notebook and Miranda, The Great. I picked up the latter because it had my name in the title and I rarely see that. It just didn't grab my attention. The romance in The Notebook was just too physical for me and I skipped around for the most part. Sisterchicks had some good moments, but overall was just not my cup of tea.
I re-read Amy Inspired this year. Upon my second reading of the book, I fell in love with this little gem and now consider it one of my favorite books.
My top ten books of 2015 are:Pride and PrejudiceWhen I Married My MotherTo Kill A MockingbirdGo Set A WatchmanAnne of The IslandThe HelpBlue Like JazzThe Undertaker's DaughterThe Bronte PlotAmy Inspired
So there you have it folks, the books I read in 2015. I hope you've enjoyed this list. What were some of your favorite books from 2015?

-Miranda Atchley

Top Ten Posts of 2015

I got waaaay more blogging done in 2015 than I ever thought I would and I am very happy about that. I think this is a very good thing. The more I write, the better I feel. I really hope that I can continue to blog more in the new year. One of my goals is to write 200 posts in 2016. If I continue at the momentum I've been building since August, I can totally manage that. Excited!
Since 2015 is coming to a close, I thought I'd compile a list of my top ten blog posts from the year. Enjoy!
An Ode To AnneLately 12/8/2015Book of The Week #21 Blue Like JazzMy Top Ten Favorite BooksThank You, GodBook of The Week #1 The Joke That We Play On The WorldWhy I Self-PublishIt's A Great Big WorldThe End of NaNoWriMoLibrarians, Gilbert Blythe and Gilmore Girls
And there you have it; my top ten posts from the year 2015. I want to thank all of you for reading along with me this year. It means a lot anytime someone takes the time to read something I've written. Here's to another year full of blog posts.

-Miranda Atchley

Book of The Week #26 "The Bronte Plot"

The Bronte Plotby Katherine ReayLucy Alling loves stories. Really, stories are ingrained her. Her father loved telling stories and would animatedly do so for her as a child until he left when she was eight-years-old. Now Lucy is nearing thirty and working in an antique store for home designer Sid as a rare and antique book seller. When the handsome James stops by the shop in search of the perfect gift for his grandmother Helen, sparks fly as Lucy shows him a rare copy of Jane Eyre, which James knows his grandmother will love. The two begin to date and things go well until James discovers one of Lucy's secrets. Though the secret has torn she and James apart, it's bringing her closer to Helen, who also has some secrets that tie into Lucy's past. The two plan an antiquing trip to England where they both hope to leave their pasts.
The Bronte Plotisn't quite what I'd expected. I was kind of thinking it would be loosely based on one of the Bronte's books, or maybe that it would be about a woman that leads a similar life as one of the Bronte's led. But it isn't. It's about a woman who loves the Bronte's and the Bronte's books help her to see things about her life in a different light. So now I finally understand fan-fiction! Haha.
This was a lovely book. Admittedly, there were a few places where it felt a bit lagging, but there were great places in the book that really made up for it. There are tons of golden nuggets of beautiful words in The Bronte Plot and I highlighted so many phrases in this book on my Kindle. I love the setting, as it mainly takes place in England, a place I've always wanted to go. The characters are very down to earth and relatable. A lot of us bookworms can relate to Lucy, Helen and Lucy's dad's love of stories. It's just a great book. I am definitely looking forward to reading Katherine's other books, which are fan-fictions of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.
The romance in this book was okay, I just didn't much care for James, and I think that's what keeps me from giving it five stars. James was a bit of a grump in my opinion. I realize that he was upset when he learned of Lucy's secret and really can't blame him, but he seemed pretty grouchy before the fact. That was my main beef with the book.
I will throw it out there simply for honesty's sake that I won a Kindle version of this book from a contest I entered on Rissi's blog Dreaming Under The Same Moon. But, no one paid me to review the book or even asked that I review it. I wrote this simply because I enjoyed the book and wanted to review it and all of the opinions I have given are my own.
All in all, The Bronte Plot is a lovely contemporary book that fans of classic literature will definitely relate to.

I give this book a 4 out of 5.

Merry Christmas

Sorry I've been M.I.A this week. I had plans for blogging this week, but I've been sick since Sunday night. Anyway, as soon as I'm on the mend, I'll be back to posting more regularly and wrapping up the year. Can't believe 2016 is only 8 days away!

Merry Christmas to you all. I hope you and your families have a wonderful day.


-Miranda Atchley

God Can Use a Cartoon

When I was in elementary school I loved the show Hey! Arnold. Last year I found the entire series at Walmart for $20 and bought if for nostalgia's sake. There's only one Christmas episode in the entire series and tonight I decided to watch it.
In the episode, Arnold along with his grandparents and all the people that live in their boarding house draw names for secret Santa. Arnold draws the name of his quiet neighbor, Mr. Hyunh. Not knowing what to get him for Christmas, Arnold goes over to visit with Mr. Hyunh in hopes of getting an idea for a gift. As he talks to Mr. Hyunh, he finds that Christmas is a very hard time for the man because it reminds him of the daughter he had to give up during the Korean war. As Mr. Hyunh tells Arnold the story, it shows him as a young man handing his only daughter over to a soldier on a plane that had room for but one passenger, hoping she'll have a better life away from the turmoil they were currently living in. It's a pretty sad thing, especially for a kid's cartoon. But as I watched Mr. Hyunh handing over his daughter, it made me think of God and Jesus. God did the very same thing thousands of years ago around this time of year. How hard that must of been, to give away the most perfect person God ever made. But He did it willingly and He did it so we could have better lives. How wonderful a thing.
God is mentioned nowhere in this episode. Christmas is described as a day on which we are to do good will toward men and put others before ourselves; and honestly, I think that's right because that's what Jesus does. But it isn't the real meaning of Christmas. Yet even so, with the illustration of Mr. Hyunh giving his daughter away, the writers and creators of Hey! Arnold demonstrated the love of God and the reason Christmas isn't simply the 25th of December.

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God can use a cartoon that never acknowledges Him to point you back to Him and I'm glad He does.

Book of The Week #25 "The Christmas Dog"

The Christm as Dog by Melody Carlson
Betty Kowalski hates her neighbor. Perhaps hate is a strong word, but she really can't stand to see the way Jack Jones has torn the beloved home of her longtime friends and neighbors apart after they had taken such pride in its appearance. And when the little dog that's been spotted in Jack Jones's yard starts coming over for visits, Betty really is ticked. She is so upset that she's almost made up her mind to sell her house after the holiday season. Yet when her missing granddaughter Avery takes refuge at Betty's miles from her home in Atlanta, Avery grows attached the little dog that keeps coming to Betty's. Perhaps she shouldn't be so hasty in her decision to leave.....
The Christmas Dogwas a nice story. I think I enjoyed it the most out of all of Melody's Christmas books I have read thus far. It's similar to The Christmas Cat in that the dog is used to bring people together, yet that is where the similarities end. This is not a romance novel. It focuses more on Betty's life and her relationships with her family and neighbors. It's quite a relatable novel as a lot of people dealing with the loss of a loved one or other family members simply not being there can cause one to feel like a Scrooge. Yet it is nice to see how Betty takes her cares to God and that God brings her granddaughter, a loving little dog, and a misunderstood neighbor into Betty's life just in time for Christmas.
All in all, The Christmas Dog is a nice, heartwarming story that anyone looking for an uplifting holiday read would enjoy.

I give this book a 4 out of 5.

A Book Tour + GIVEAWAY "The Bartered Bride" by Lena Goldfinch

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you're all doing well. I know Monday gives many people the blues, but I have a little something to brighten your day. Lena Goldfinch is releasing her new novel The Bartered Bride! It's the third book in her Bride series, a collection of inspirational Western romance novels.
About the bookJem Wheeler has always been a survivor. He just wants to make a fresh start in Colorado Springs after the loss of his wife. But then he happens upon a young mute woman being sold off to the highest bidder. He wasn’t looking for a mail-order bride. He wasn’t looking to rescue anyone either. But desperate circumstances can drive a good man to do things he hadn’t planned on doing...

When Jem steps into Annie’s life, she’s not expecting anyone to save her. Mute from birth, she’s just using all her wits to survive. All she’s ever really wanted is a family of her own. For someone to see her. To look at her long enough to hear the things she can’t say.

Can a rescued bride who can’t speak communicate her love for a grieving widower and his little girl? Will her love ever be returned?
Excerpt from The Bartered BrideJem took the apple core from his daughter and passed her one of the remaining crackers with a piece of cheese on it. Mae munched that down and looked to him immediately for another, the last one.
He gave it to her, then showed her his empty hands.
She frowned. “More?”
“No more,” Jem said, and showed her his empty hands again, making a bigger gesture out of it, as if the little girl was accusing him of hiding some.
If Annie weren’t so intent on eating her share of cheese and crackers she might have smiled at the sight of them, one of the most dangerous men she’d ever seen sitting side by side with that tiny little girl. They made quite a mismatched pair.
Mae looked over at Annie, at the last cracker in her hand and the last bit of cheese.
Annie gulped down the mouthful she was chewing. She looked down at the last of her meal and back at the little girl. To her shame, she didn’t want to give up her last cracker. She could barely remember the last meal she’d eaten.
“That’s Annie’s food,” Jem admonished the little girl. “You’ve had yours.”
Mae bit her lip. She glanced down at her lap, then back at Annie again.
I can share, Annie attempted to tell Mae with her eyes alone. She snapped her cracker in half—simply unable to bear parting with the whole thing—and passed it across to the little girl. Mae took it and popped the whole thing in her mouth, making Annie smile.
“Mae!” her father said.
She looked at him wide-eyed, her mouth full of cracker. “Whaf dafdda?” she said, muffled, spraying a few cracker crumbs onto his trousers.
He closed his eyes briefly and brushed them off. “You didn’t have to give her any,” he said to Annie, “but thanks.”
Annie grunted, her way of saying she didn’t mind that much. She looked down quickly and finished her last bit of food. The crackers had been crispy and the cheese silky and smooth. They’d tasted like heaven.
“You must be thirsty,” he said. “Do you mind sharing?”
She shook her head and automatically lifted two fingers.
“Two’s no?” he asked.
She nodded, pleased, and lifted one finger. She’d grown up sending signals through the floor of the Ruskins’ house, one stomp for yes, two for no. It came natural as rain now.
“And one’s yes,” he said, catching on quick.
Annie drank deep when he passed her the flask of water, amazed he’d let her drink from it. She tried her best to pour it down her throat without touching her lips to the flask, so he wouldn’t regret giving it to someone so dirty. She wished she could tell him thanks, but after Mae had her fill and he took his own swallow, he was back under his hat, likely going over the events of the day.
How he’d stuck himself with her.
How he probably regretted even stepping off the train at the last stop.
She couldn’t say she blamed him.
She hadn’t much wanted to marry a stranger herself.
About the author


LENA GOLDFINCH writes sweet Historical Western Romance / Inspirational Romance and books for teens. She’s always been a sucker for a good old-fashioned romance, whether it’s a novel or short story, young adult or adult, fantasy or realistic, contemporary or historical. Lena has been a finalist in several national writing contests, including the RWA Golden Heart and ACFW Genesis contests. She enjoys life in a quiet, small town with her husband, two kids, and two very spoiled Black Labs
Find Lena at:www.lenagoldfinch.comFacebook ProfileFacebook AuthorPageTwitterPinterest
Book links:The Bartered BrideAmazonNookKoboiTunes/iBooks
The Unexpected BrideAmazonNookKoboiTunes/iBooks
Sleigh Bells and MistletoeAmazonNookKoboiTunes/iBooks

In celebration of The Bartered Bride's release, Lena is giving away some amazing prizes to three lucky winners.
The third place prize is all three books in The Brides series (open internationally).Second place prize is a paperback copy of The Bartered Bride (open to US residents only).And the grand prize is a $25 gift card to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, or Google Play (winner's choice!) + all three ebooks in The Brides series (open internationally).To enter the giveaway, just fill out the information in the Rafflecopter form below. Winners will be chosen after the end of the blog tour on December 19, 2015.




a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck to all those entering the contest and thank you all for reading!
I'd also like to thank Lena and Amber for organizing this book tour and allowing me to take part in it. It's been great fun! God bless the both of you in all your endeavors.

-Miranda Atchley

Favorite Word Friday #9 "Adieu"

Adieu

noun \ə-ˈdü, a-, -ˈdyü\

:an expression of good wishes when someone leaves

Adieu is almost a sad word, isn't it? We typically think of it as French for "goodbye" but I like the way Merriam Webster describes it; an expression of good wishes. That sounds so much nicer than simply goodbye, doesn't it?

I really love the sound "adieu." It just rolls off the tongue in a lovely way, as much of the French language does. I especially love hearing it in the Eisley song "Ten Cent Blues."





Thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend!


-Miranda Atchley

Definition taken from the Merriam Webster online dictionary.

Writing Confession #3 I Stink At Poetry

I love poetry. I think it's so beautiful and makes you feel something deep down that's just lovely. I don't read poetry as much as I'd like because I get distracted by pretty sounding novels, and let's face it; nothing can compare with a novel. But I still think poetry is a beautiful thing.
I wish I could write poetry. I've tried to a lot, but my poems always sound silly. But maybe they're supposed to? Art is subjective, right?
I think that should be one of my New Year's goals; to get better at poetry. Because I've always wanted to write a collection of short stories and poems. And there's no time like the present to try to do something you've always wanted to.
Hope you're all having a wonderful week. Thanks for stopping by.

-Miranda Atchley

Lately 12/8/2015

No snow here in Arkansas, but I'm read for some.
Hello everyone. I hope you're all doing well. I decided to share a post about some of my favorite things at the moment. It was a fun post to write. Nothing complicated about it and it took a lot pressure off because it's just for fun. It kind of helped me to remember how fun writing can be. I think I'd like to do one of these post once a month.
Anyway, here's what I've been up to lately.
Listening: Christmas music wise, the main thing I've been listening to is Project 86's "This Time of Year". It's really different, sort of Goth rock, something I would imagine Tim Burton listening to at Christmas. Other songs I'm loving are: Now I'm Silver by Merriment, Why When Love Is Goneby The Like, I Could Be There For You by Eisley, Wonderwall by Oasis, Tonight,Tonight by Smashing Pumpkins, Rushmole Ruffians by The Smiths, Hero by Family of The Year.
Watching: Downton Abbey, Adventure Time. Pretty typical of me. I finished Gilmore Girls last month and cried bitter, ugly tears. That is the best show ever. Reading: Psalms, The Christmas Dog. I'm trying to read some new Christmas books this year and wrapping up my year of reading. My goal was to read 50 new books and so far I'm at 46 books for the year, one of which I had previously read, so I'd like to read 5 more by the end of the year. I want to read A Christmas Carol the week of Christmas. I'd also like to finish Pride and Prejudice and Zombies before the end of the year. Then I would just need to read two more books, which I think is very doable.
Loving: Coloring. I got one of the small grown up coloring books the other day and I love it. It really is a great way to relax. You just focus on coloring the pages and kind of get lost and stop stressing and worrying. It's awesome. And there are so many pretty ones out there. Really, they're all pretty, I think.
Other things: I'm feeling sort of lost now that NaNoWriMo is over. I've been working on blog posts and brainstorming ideas for new novels, but I miss my NaNo project. I'm ready to start revising in January! I'm also thinking of a few goals for 2016 that I would like to accomplish. It seems so surreal that the year is coming to an end.
So that's what has been going on in my life lately. What's new with you, friend?
-Miranda Atchley