MC (Mother of Ceremonies)

Hello again! Sorry for the hiatus (I had to Google that)--I have a ton on my plate right now. See?

This week I've launched my author blog (so exciting!!), emailed with ten authors who want me to beta read for them, and submitted my next answers for Read-to-Win. It's been pretty crazy. ;) Good crazy.

I want to take a moment to thank God for my mom. She is everyone's editor (and the voice in my head telling me, "Brevity, Kate. Brevity."); teacher (explaining math, facilitating job training, and reading aloud a book on public speaking); chauffeur (shuttling us to the library for a workshop on writing or vegetables of the world); chef; counselor; MC (mother of ceremonies); and everything else imaginable. Thanks, Mom!

Book Review: Water Princess, Fire Prince

"When the Lady Dragon does come,

Hold fast, do not fear, do not run. 

Your Water Princess will fight

Fire Prince will set all to right 

Each shall come from a fall 

Their Union will save you all. 

 Despite the fact that she's on track for competing in the Olympics, and he's practically raised his younger brothers since they lost their mom in a car accident, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are pretty much normal teens. They have normal hopes, normal dreams, and they live in a normal world. All this is torn away from them when they are thrust into another world and declared Water Princess and Fire Prince. With no experience ruling a country, meeting each other for the first time, and being expected to fight the Lady Dragon - an evil sorceress plaguing the world of Rizkaland - Clara and Andrew are underprepared and inexperienced. Unless they learn to work together despite their standing opposition, Rizkaland's hope will be lost. 

What is to come will change their lives forever." 

I read this book by Kendra Ardnek in a matter of hours; and, believe me, traveling to other worlds does really mess with your timeline! ; ) Here’s what I thought of my adventure…

The Setting:
Rizkaland (once I figured out how to pronounce it) was a very intriguing world. Just familiar enough to keep it from being confusing, but very original and fascinating! I loved the different colors of water, and the journey through the mountain.

The Characters:
My favorite character was definitely Andrew, with Clara as a close second (once she came around). They both had so much to learn, and I loved watching them grow. Jill Anna, Jasmine, and one surprise character (whom I can’t name) were also big favorites. I found Laura amusing and mysterious, and I look forward to finding out more about her.

The Story:
The whole story was a book nerd’s dream—tons of literary references from the start that added so much! (Who else begins their book with a hilarious take-off on Jane Austen’s famous beginning of Pride & Prejudice or throws Alice in Wonderland references in with the dialogue?!!) Quite the clever plot with lessons in trust, hilarious moments (like teaching medieval friends to play Monopoly!), great action, and even some mystery. (That was definitely my favorite!! Some big surprises.)

The Concerns:
Parent’s may want to have caution in considering this book for younger readers because of some feministic attitudes (that do come around some later in the book), SPOILER ALERT! strong romance between older teenagers (including awkward thoughts of physical affection and the actual thing mostly after an arranged marriage). There is also a scary dragon, intense action, teenage attitude (not including disrespect of authority), and a fantasy portrayal of God.

Altogether I found it to be a great non-magical (nearly) fantasy for older readers! Please excuse me while I go use the great seal of England to crack nuts. ; )

Don't forget to visit Homeschooled Authors to find out how you can be a part of Read-to-Win! Also, keep up on the posts since we authors will be answering some really great questions. ; )

Read-to-Win 2016 (or Dying and Going to Heaven)

Starting today, Homeschooled Authors is hosting their third Read-to-Win! Basically it's a chance for readers to buy these ebooks for 0.99 cents each at some point during the summer, write Goodreads reviews, and get entered in a giveaway for an $100 Amazon giftcard according to how many times you review. That's what I call awesome. ; ) There's something here for everyone--children's books, historical fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery...

I'm really excited about this for three reasons...

That's number one. ; ) My book is on sale all summer as an ebook thanks to a dear friend who formatted it for me! I'm really looking forward to more people getting to read it and hopefully some more reviews. It's not an action adventure novel; but it's definitely fun, kid-safe and a great read-aloud!

Number two? Some of my favorite books are part of the sale. If you look closely, you'll see Gift from the Storm by Rebekah Morris in the sea of books. I wrote a rave review of it last year, so I'm really excited that now you'll be able to read it too! It's a really amazing mystery, and I love the story to pieces. Another book you'll see is Red Rain by Aubrey Hansen. One of the first books to introduce me to work by homeschooled authors and the sci-fi genre. It was so brilliant but super clean! Definitely a favorite. You can see in this exceedingly short review I wrote of it just exactly what I thought. ; ) And a third book featured this summer is one I read recently--Implant by J. Grace Pennington. It was really brilliant, time-wimey, and a super interesting read (for older readers). You can also read my review of this one on Amazon.

And number three... I'm looking forward to trying out a few books myself. ; )

So hop on over to Homeschooled Authors and stay tuned for great posts and great sales!

Long Time, No See (Literally)

What have I been doing? And what am I grateful for? I'm glad you asked!

I'm grateful for...

1. Bible studies. Our Evangelism training and Reclaiming Beauty studies ended earlier this month. It was sad to say goodbye to acquaintances who have become good friends, but we all agree that we should do something together again soon. ; )

2. House cleaning! Top to bottom deep cleaning. And yardwork. ; ) I got to organize our history bookshelves chronologically which was helpful to organize my own brain. (Believe it or not, I had the Alamo in the totally wrong mental place!)

3. Out of town guests. It was so much fun to catch up with friends we haven't seen in over a year! Balderdash, Chik-fil-a, thrifting, Studio C, a water fight, and just plain hanging out... Good times. ; )

4. Family. ; )

(The crazy sisters on the slide. We're screaming because we're falling of the end as Anna is taking the picture. And yes, that's all of us, Blue is just hiding next to Aimee's head.) ; )

5. Homeschooled Authors work. I'm now officially part of the team helping out with emails and keeping the booklist updated. It's been a ton of fun to work with the amazing Sarah Holman and all the other authors I come into contact with. ; )

6. Short story inspiration. A couple weeks ago Em and I spent a couple of days at Perry and Tyler's. During our nighttime talking time together, we told each other stories. I recently expanded my idea into a full short story which I hope to have up on Noble Novels soon. I had her and Blue read the finished version to give me their opinions. They enjoyed it and found a few continuity errors/missing words which was really special. ; )

7. More book related stuff believe it or not. ; ) I'm part of a summer reading program on Homeschooled Authors (more details Wednesday!). It was quite a bit of fun work to get my entries put together, and Anna helped me a ton by taking the pictures for me. ; ) We had a hilarious time together trying to pick poses. I'm a bit of a photographer's nightmare since I like to photobomb myself; but she did a good job, and we got it figured out. ; ) Here's one of my favorite pictures we took...

The necklace is one of my birthday gifts from Dad and Mom this year. I put it together from components from Hobby Lobby, and it's now one of my favorites. (Chum loves it too. He'd open and shut the locket for hours on end.) Since it's a bit whimsical, what book could be better to pose it with?

8. Library books. We are so funny when we go to the library. We usually hit the limit of books that can be checked out, which means both book bags are full and still everyone has to carry something. ; ) I'm enjoying reading all the juvenile fiction that is too adult for it's age group but is just perfect for mine. It's a lot safer and more fun than the adult section! 

9. A store. Em, Blue, and Pearly put together a little store of things they had made and invited us all to come browse through it. There was some pretty neat stuff; and, when all the shopping was done and the store was closing, they generously gave us all gifts. ; )

10. Nephews!!! Like I said, Em and I were over at their house a few weeks ago; and there's been visiting between our families a few more times as well. We also get the blessing of seeing them at church (and chasing them all around the play area--in medium-high heels!). I'll post some newer pictures of the little friends sometime.

11. Grace. We are weak, but He is strong.

So that's what I've been doing in a nutshell! (Not that I've personally been in a nutshell, but what I have been doing has... Oh, forget it. Grammar.) ; P

Keep Your Rebekah’s Straight

Last summer, this test reading maniac was supremely blessed. One of my author friends, Rebekah Jones contacted me again and asked me to test read her newest project “24 Days Before Christmas”. It was a huge book, but since there was a generous deadline I accepted heartily.

A few weeks later, my other Rebekah—Rebekah Morris—contacted me with a test reading emergency. One of her test readers had to drop out at the last minute. Could I read her manuscript in two weeks? If I did, my review along with my name and my book’s name could be on the back of her fifth Triple Creek Ranch book. I was screaming over here with delight!! Of course I would do it!!!

You can imagine what it was like after that. Two novel-sized (at least) books to read in a month. Add to that the fact that both authors have the same first name and their email addresses start with the same letter. ; ) (I never mixed them up, though!) My family probably missed me; but, aided by my trusty tiny laptop, I finished the jobs. Rebekah Morris published her book on schedule (review will be here after the new year), and Rebekah Jones began the long editing process to get her book ready for Christmas time.

Rebekah Morris asked for my help again this autumn with a request for hand-drawn snowflakes for her newest project “Through the Tunnel”. My siblings and I experimented with several different ideas and finally got them to her. It was so fun to be able to help with yet another book! ; )

Now, to make the Tale of Two Rebekah’s even more confusing, their books both came out this last weekend in time for Christmas! I'd encourage you to check out Rebekah Jones’ mystery and Christmas story 24 Days Before Christmas. I plan on reviewing it here this December, so stay tuned! ; ) Also be sure to look at Rebekah Morris’ book Through the Tunnel and let me know what you think of it. I’m very anxious to read it myself. ; ) But remember, keep your Rebekah’s straight! ; )

And yes, this test reading maniac is currently working on another project. It's pretty fun. ; ) Have you ever been a test reader? 

My Ebookshelf (Small Though It Be)

Wow, what a nerdy title! Only the 21^st century could present us with such an awkward, amazing thing. Paper books are definitely my preference, but giveaways and sales have given me a few of my own ebooks to talk about. Sorry--I had so much fun with my paper-bookshelf tour, that I couldn't stop there. ; )

Brothers and Betrayal by Sarah Holman

Sequel to Adventures and Adversities (Love the alphabetical!), I got this book through a giveaway. I really enjoyed reading it since I’m a medieval and Robin Hood junkie. The best thing about it, though, is that it’s those things redeemed. ; ) Robin Hood without the thievery. It does bring up some interesting moral dilemma discussions, but you’ll hear more about that when I post the full review sometime.

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

I picked this book up because it was cute-looking, famous, and free. I really enjoyed the letter format and the endearing, down-to-earth character of Judy. ; ) It is a product of its times, however, so there are some things I don’t agree with. (And I found the romance disappointing but I’m picky, so...) ; )

The Graham Quartet and the Mysterious Strangers by Rebekah Morris

I picked this up because it was free online, and I knew it would be good since I’ve read a lot by the author. ; ) My siblings and I all really enjoyed it since it’s an adventuresome mystery where the kids have their parents in on it and they actually call the police when they need to. We are so excited for the next book to come out! ; )

The Green Ember by S.D. Smith

My mom picked this up for free through a Famomook friend’s recommendation and asked me to preview it. Cute cover, probably Beatrix Potter-like, right? I decided to try it out to see if maybe the younger kids could read it. And I love it so much!!! It’s definitely a very favorite ever, as you can probably tell from the extended review I have on here. And I just read the prequel The Blackstar of Kingston. And I just found out there’s another book in the series coming next spring. Eeek!!

It Took a War by Emily Ann Putzke

This book looked really interesting, and since it was discounted for a summer reading program on Homeschooled Authors I thought I would give it a try. Very neat story concept, but I found the story to be a bit like a textbook sometimes and somewhat abbreviated with not much character development in some cases. Still an interesting read, but not exactly my taste.

Never by J. Grace Pennington

I won this book in a giveaway and was interested to see what it had to offer since I’d only read the author’s sci-fi works. It was a very well written complicated story, but I had trouble enjoying it because of the grunginess and the violence. I also wished the Christian theme had been stronger. Once again, a good book but not my taste. ; )

Waltz into the Waves by Sarah Holman

You know how when you have an Amazon giftcard and you squeeze as many real books onto it as possible there’s still those delightful little bits of money left over? Yeah, I found myself in that troubling situation. Coming across this short story, I decided to give it a try since it sounded really cute. ; ) It was a really cute. And a really clever Cinderella retelling. One problem though—too cute. The romance was more of the kind that gets into the characters' thought lives (i.e. Oh, wow, I want to kiss him.), and I try not to read much of that because it can affect my brain. ; ) So, I did enjoy it for its good writing, but it’s not something I’ll read again for a while. ; )

So, that’s my ebookshelf. As you can see it’s been collected mostly through giveaways, discounts, and the like which is exactly what Kindle is for, right? I want to publicly thank my brother for figuring out how to link my account with the family’s so we can have our books on the same Kindle. Pretty awesome, bro.

What does your ebookshelf contain? Do you like the adventure of trying out books or do you find it discouraging and maddening? Which do you prefer—paper books or digital ones? ; )

My Bookshelf of Oddities and Amazingities (Part Two)

Hello again, it's me. I'm crazy. Book crazy. (That's the good kind.) ; ) Anyone else excited to see the rest of my book collection? ; )

The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I’m collecting these, because I think every bookshelf should have ‘em. They are timeless. ; ) I don’t quite have the full series yet, but they’re everywhere so it’s coming. There are also a few “extra books” written by other authors in the spirit of the originals that I’d like to add to my collection too.

Dance at Grandpa’s

This is a picture book version of one of my favorite parts in Little House in the Big Woods. The paintings are so cute! ; )

Summer Days with the Moodys by Sarah Maxwell

Another book I picked up because I was out of things to read and this one would be safe. ; ) Dad and Mom got it primarily for me at the one of the Maxwells’ conferences, but it was for me to share with my siblings. ; ) We all enjoy them, but there not our very favorites.

The Heavens Declare by Perry Willis

Yeah, I know. She’s Perry Kirkpatrick now. I have one of the old versions. Sister privileges. ; ) (It’s signed too.) It’s a really fun book!! You learn science without knowing you are which is always a good thing. ; )

Light of the World by Perry Willis

Sorry, old version too. ; P This one is similar to the first one in writing style, but this time there’s something of a mystery and an amazing Gospel presentation. ; ) I love it.

Pearl’s Practice by Perry Kirkpatrick

There we have it—now she’s married. Phew. This book is so cute!! It’s the only pro-life, pro-baby, pro-Christ one I’ve seen of its kind. I love it.

The Treasure Hunt by Kate Willis

Oh, my, that’s me! I’m so happy to have my own little book on the shelf (can you see it in the picture?), and I couldn’t be more grateful for the awesome people who’ve made this dream come true. ; )

Hank the Cowdog by John Erickson

I have two of these fabulously weirdly funnily interesting books. I have the first one, because it’s the first one. And I have Lost in the Blinded Blizzard because it is the best ever. (Except maybe the fishhook one and the tornado one.) You’ll never look at a dog the same after reading these. ; )

Along Came a Dog by Meindert Dejong

This book is really slow, as is usual of the author’s style, but I like it a lot for that reason. Charming story, especially since I remember Mom reading it aloud when I was really little. ; )

Man O’ War by Walter Farley

My favorite horse book is King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry. That one and any other about an awesome horse always refers to their relative—Man O’ War. I was beginning to be frustrated that I had no idea what they were all talking about when I found this book at the thrift store. (Thrift stores are a bookaholic’s BFF.) It was really neat to finally know something about this famous horse, but I still think I prefer books about the Godolphin Arabian and Seabiscuit. ; )

The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes

Our ancient church library was not always complete in their series I bought this book myself to see what happened next. We like this series a lot, but there can often be ghost “sightings” and slight attitude throughout. ; )

Adventures and Adversities by Sarah Holman

Oh, the wonders of the Homeschooled Authors booth! I found this there too. ; ) I’ve already reviewed it on here before, but it’s worth saying again—it’s awesome!! ; )

Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally

This book—wow. Very helpful for the topic of boy/girl interactions and keeping a solid brain in Christ. My older sister gave me her copy when she got married. ; )

It’s (Not That) Complicated by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin

I got this book last year with book money (from the year before’s birthday). My relatives are so nice to me. *sighs happily* This book most definitely goes on the list of “very favorites ever”. If the book I mentioned before goes far in being helpful, this one goes even farther! You might see me quote it on her sometimes as it deals with everything from sibling relationships to interactions with young men, from social media guidelines to contentment in Christ. It covers all the bases. Wowzers. (I would recommend this book for older teenagers, and the other one for the thirteen to sixteen age group.) ; )

Babywise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, M.D.

Ha, ha! You can tell that this is definitely one of the books I’m not using right now, but I’m sure it will be good for the future. It’s what Mom used with me! ; )

To Train Up a Child by Michael and Debi Pearl

And this one too...no children to “train up” currently. ; )

Little Pilgrim’s Progress by Helen L. Taylor (not pictured because it’s on loan)

I love the story of Christian! Unfortunately, I’m not fluent in Middle English, so I really appreciate that this version is in regular English. ; ) It’s also awesome how in this version Christian is a child. Makes things a bit more relatable. ; ) I bought this book at a homeschool convention after enjoying my sister’s copy.

Evangelists in Chains by Elizabeth Wagler (also on loan)

Remember that Christmas I mentioned when I got the knock-knock joke book? This was my gift in the mail around New Years’. I love it so much!!! The whole theme of the story is “Our God, whom we serve, is able”. It will truly wow you and strengthen your faith! (And start some good discussions on non-conformity and non-resistance.) ; )

The Family Treasures Coloring Book by Breezy Brookshire

I love this!!! We all love it! Just enough detail and charm to be one of the good coloring books (that can keep even old people like me interested) without making it tedious to work on a picture. We especially love the family-centeredness of the scenes! ; )

Audrey Bunny by Angie Smith

I’ve screamed about this on here before, and I’m not hoarse yet so I’ll scream about it again. Take a tear-jerking story with Gospel overtones and hidden references to a true life tear-jerking story then have Breezy Brookshire illustrate it in full color. Yep.

Our Flag Was Still There by Tracy Michele Leininger (now Craven)

I love this story. And I love the pictures. One of the best patriotically-_geared books I’ve read.

Rosemary for Remembrance by Tasha Tudor

Mommy got me this gorgeous calendar treasury book for my birthday. I haven’t used it yet, but I love just looking and looking at the pictures. ; )

Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman

This book is awesome for now and awesome for later. I loved reading it for ideas, and I look forward to implementing it in my own household someday. One really excellent thing it did for me was to help me see motherhood as the exciting art, science, and ministry it really is. ; )

I’ve mentioned a few of the more notable books in my stack of sideways ones, but as you can see there are many more. If you were to browse through that part you’d find a knitting book, a Bible Bee workbook, picture books from my past and waiting for the future (though my little friends pull them out to enjoy once in a while), an old Highlights magazine (1975), full journals and empty ones, a book one of my little sisters made me, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, and cds full of old family photos. I have my two ultimate favorite audio dramas on there too—“Sir Knight of the Splendid Way” and “The Last Battle”. It’s time to listen to those again. ; )

Over on my desk are a couple more books. They’re mostly there because they are the pretty ones, but also you can probably see that I’m running out of space. *grins sheepishly* *adds another book to that Amazon wishlist* I like my desk to be pretty (and cluttered with projects, but that’s beside the point), so these ones got to go on top.

Prayer Devotional Bible by God (and whoever wrote the devotions)

My Dad bought me this NIV Bible a while back because I’ve always had an interest in prayer warriors and intercession (and because it is really pretty). Unfortunately, I don’t use it much because our church uses NKJV for services. Maybe it’s time to switch back to it though, because my regular Bible is super beat up. ; )

Sir Knight of the Splendid Way by W.E. Cule

Eeeeeek!!!!! I LOVE this one!!! It’s like a medieval (and you know I love medieval) version of Pilgrim’s Progress. Soooooo awesome!!! Life-changing. My Dad references “The Vision of the Face” when he’s encouraging us to keep our eyes on Christ. I can’t decide if it’s better in book or audio drama format—it’s probably better in both. ; ) A very favorite ever? Definitely. Very good birthday present.

The Lost Clue by O.F. Walton

Really great story! I don’t usually like the “our-main-character-is-the-long-lost-noble-something-of-wherever-and-that’s-the-reason-they-have-good-character” books. This book is half that and half not. (One of the only reasons it passed muster. The other reasons include a great mystery and a sweet Godly romance.) That “half not” part really made me love it. Marjorie is such an amazing character! She is really inspiring and encouraging. I love it. ; ) Another birthday present. Now I know why I was born—birthdays.

Comfortable Troubles by Elizabeth Prentiss

When you’ve enjoyed Stepping Heavenward and Aunt Jane’s Hero you naturally want more. I was so excited to see that Lamplighter Publishers had reclaimed another one of her books and even more excited to see it on the scratch and dent table at a homeschool convention. It came home with me, and I loved it as I did the others. In a way, it’s actually very different from them; but good all the same. I don’t tend to recommend it for younger readers, just in case they pick up on the wrong worldview the main character moves from.

So, that’s my bookshelf! Thanks for stopping by and bearing with my wanderings! ; ) If I know you in person, I’d love to loan you something; and, if I don’t, I’d love to meet you! ; )

What are your favorites? I’m not sure what mine are but you can judge that for yourselves from my descriptions. ; )

My Bookshelf of Oddities and Amazingities (Part One)

This weekend I've gotten to go with my family to help our aunt set up her yardsale (and do some awesome "pre-shopping"); help my siblings make a storm of snowflakes to go in this book; attend a concert by Sam Rotman; listen to a fabulous sermon on true religion (from the book of James); and yesterday I got to go celebrate Chap's birthday. ; ) So many blessed and blessing adventures!

One of the other blessings I've noticed recently, as I've gotten to loan out books to various friends from church, is just how overflowing my bookshelf is! So many relatives (especially Dad and Mom!!) have helped me collect them all, and the amazing authors make it all possible. ; ) God has truly blessed me by giving me something to share. 

Would you like a tour? Here goes...

My bookshelf is an odd collection of a little of everything. My favorite mystery serieses (??) from when I was 13…Bible study books…picture books…books for the future on teaching babies to sleep…audio dramas…adventures—ordinary and extraordinary…an amazing coloring book…an old-fashioned cookbook…even a board book… Like I said, a little of everything. ; ) My tastes and my standards have changed through the years, so not everything is always super recommendable or applicable to the stage of life I’m in right now.

Still, since I’m so book crazy (that’s actually my reviewer name on Amazon), I’ve decided to give you a quick tour of everything on there. Oh, don’t worry. This won’t take all day--I'll split it into two parts. ; )

The Mary Frances Cookbook by Jane Eayre Fryer

I spotted this book ages ago in a quilt store along with the rest of the series. I’ve always been interested in cooking and was excited to see cooking lessons in story format. The different utensils in the kitchen are teaching the little girl how to use them. ; ) Seeing my interest, my dad so sweetly picked it up for me. Unfortunately, it’s an old book so the utensils and methods are too antiquated for our kitchen; but I’ve kept it anyways since it’s so cute. ; )

A Man Called Peter by Catherine Marshall

After watching the amazing movie version of this story, we were excited to find that some friends of ours owned the book and borrowed if from them. Partway through the story, I found that it was going to be one of my “very favorites ever” and (having book money on hand) decided to purchase it. ; ) Mom finished reading this book aloud from the copy I bought, and it truly is amazing!!! Even better than the movie in some ways!!

Bonnie Prince Charlie by G.A. Henty

I got this book for Christmas when I was ten or eleven. At that time, the typical-of-Henty pages of straight history at the beginning were too much for me; but I was fascinated by the Jacobite revolution/resistance and delighted that there was next to no romance in the story. ; ) I still enjoy the story, but it’s not the best ever.

At Agincourt by G.A. Henty

Love the espionage and disguises, hate the astrology and feminism. Sigh. Very interesting, not bloody (always love that!) look at the times; but once again not super awesome.

Calico Bush by Rachel Field

This story is one of my most favoritest historical fiction books ever. (Right up there with “Carry On, Mr. Bowditch”!) Just enough history, realism, romance, and excitement for me! My Mom read it aloud to us a while ago, and she did find a few parts to skip for younger listeners (Really sad pioneer-like accidents); but we loved the story!!

The Viking Quest Series by Lois Walfrid Johnson

I’ve already reviewed this series on here before, but I’ll say a little about them again. They have had a huge impact on my life both for good and for ill. I ran into them at a time when I need to learn to forgive others and trust God. They helped me a ton in that! Unfortunately, the romance was too much for my fourteen-year-old brain, so I don’t loan them out to younger readers now. Instead, I keep them for old times’ sake and older readers. ; ) My favorite book in the series has got to be The Invisible Friend, but the others are awesome too. ; )

Dreamlander by K.M. Weiland

Frequent readers on here will remember me screaming about how awesome this book is about six months ago. I still love it. Someone make a movie of it. I will pay you. I have chocolate. I make brownies.

Gift from the Storm by Rebekah Morris

And this one. I keep these two next to each other because they are both gorgeous, I got them at the same time, and they go on my list of “very favorites ever”. I recently loaned this one to some friends, and they love it too. So it’s not just me. ; )

The Triple Creek Ranch Series by Rebekah Morris

Oh, wow! Same author as the last one. Since I bought the first book a year and a half ago at Perry’s Homeschooled Authors booth, I’ve been loving and collecting this series. The four books I currently own have been enjoyed by approximately seven people, and I think that whoever opens them next will love them just as much. ; ) God-centered, exciting, non-violent westerns—what could be better? More.

Little Miriam of Galilee by Edith Martin

I found this book through one of the Mennonite catalogs we order our school curriculum through. It’s one of my earlier ones, so the reading level and content are great for younger readers. I’ve always loved stories set in Bible times, and I really appreciate how the author didn’t try to portray Jesus and fall short. ; )

The House with Two Grandmothers by Rebecca Martin

Another from the same company, this one is about a family during the Great Depression. It wasn’t the best story or style ever so it hasn’t become one of my favorites, but it served the purpose of giving me something safe to read. ; )

Tanya and the Border Guard by Anita Deyneka

I bought this book after reading the sequel Alexi’s Secret Mission from our ancient church library and really enjoying it. It isn’t as amazing as the second book and has a bit more attitude, but it was neat to know backstory of what I had read first. ; )

Flat-Out Awesome Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids by Bob Phillips

We were snowed in with friends for Christmas, and the mail had stopped until New Years’. Some of our Christmas presents wouldn’t be on time, but Dad and Mom gave us what they had on hand. This little book was one of my gifts, and that’s why I keep it. I’m not a kid comedian anymore, but my younger siblings like pulling it out once in a while. ; )

The Farm Mysteries Series by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen B. Castleberry

My oldest sister is five years older than me, so I used to get a lot of my reading recommendations from what she had read when she was little. Hearing about this series, I asked for it for my thirteenth birthday and my parents got it for me. (They are so supportive of my obsession.) ; ) I accidentally found out what I was getting before it was time, but that didn’t spoil my reading appetite. I read all nine books in maybe two weeks! Then the next siblings down the line read them, and I wrote a letter to the authors telling them how much we enjoyed them and that my brother and my younger sister had started their own detective agency just like the characters’. They sent me the tenth book since it had just come out. You can imagine how pleased I was. ; ) I can’t wait to share them with my littlest sister when she can read well enough. ; )

The Scripture Slueth Books 3 & 4 by Matt Halverson

I’ve always loved mysteries, and nothing shows that better than this part of my bookshelf I suppose. My Dad purchased book 3 for me at a homeschool convention and I loved it! (Still do, actually.) Mysteries you solve yourself using clues from the Bible then reading the ending to see if you were right. What could be better? Like I said earlier—more. ; ) My brother and I ordered more (I got book 4 this time) making sure to have them signed by the author. We spread the joy to a friend and between all three of us we have the complete series. ; )

Janette Oke’s Animal Friends by Janette Oke (what a surprise!)

I got these two books at a Christian bookstore when I was say, nine or ten. (All I remember about that day was that I got confused about how much money I had and Dad came to my rescue by adding a little.) ; ) These aren’t the best books ever, but they are fun for young readers. ; )

The Three Cousins Detective Club by Elsbeth Campbell Murphy

Dad and Mom got me two of these books for my eleventh birthday and signed them with really sweet messages. ; ) Four days later, we flew up to the Greatest Northwest that ever was to consider moving there. I read one of the books on our flight and saved the other to read on our trip. Since then I’ve been collecting as much of the series as I can. A few here and there for birthdays, one for a quarter at a library booksale, and so on. At first it was for me, and in a way it still is, but now it’s mostly for the younger family members and friends I share them with. I always love it when I find a safe series for that 8-12 age when it’s hard to find anything. ; )

Next time I'll tackle the next shelf... ; )

Happening Now

This is seriously what is happening right now as I write this blog post. ; ) (And I actually wrote this last night, so don't worry--I didn't have spaghetti for breakfast.) ;)  Hope you enjoy!

Seeing...my computer screen ; ), my lovely family, and a pile of dried leaves my mom bought home from her Oregon trip.
Hearing...music by the Willis Clan. (Not us, but we do sing along when we can.) ; )
Smelling...starch from spaghetti noodles. (My sisters will tell you I have a weird sense of smell.)
Tasting...starch from spaghetti noodles. ; P
Needing...sleep.
Wanting...more books to read. I just finished The Blackstar of Kingston last night.
Regretting...that that book is over.
Feeling...happy. ; ) ; ) ; ) (And itchy from bug bites. Happy summer. Oh, wait, it's autumn!)
Wishing...that Rebekah Morris' newest book was already out.
Thinking...about this blog post, the gorgeous music I'm listening to, the conversations going on around me...
Laughing...over an awesome family inside joke. ; )
Recovering...from putting my foot to sleep. (Wow, do I have big problems!)
Believing...that God is good all the time.
Anticipating...maybe getting to watch a Gregory Peck movie with the olders in my family. ; )
Dreaming...about the future.
Praying...that I would learn to trust the Lord even when fear seems to completely overwhelm me.
Reading...nothing. Oh, dear!!
Singing...nothing right now, though I was humming a little. You can't exactly sing fiddling. ; )
Wearing...my super old, super faded (but only in some random places) blue jumper and a long-sleeved red t-shirt. (I'm constantly pushing up the sleeves, and I think I stretched them out.) Quiet evening at home clothes. ; )
Preparing...this post for tomorrow. I shouldn't write a blog post about what I'm doing when I'm writing the blog post because then that's what it's about.
Remembering...that tomorrow we may go to PE.
Trying...to concentrate. ; )
Questioning...pacifism vs. revolutionaryism. (Wow! New word!) We discuss really fun things over here.
Fearing...relational conflict.
Loving...my family.
Googling...nothing. I haven't done it in a while, actually. Though I do need to figure out which way the glass goes when you shoot the window out of a moving vehicle. Yeah, story stuff.
Choosing...peace and trust. (That's funny after talking about shooting out windows.)
Working...on getting this done because I've neglected this blog for two weeks.
Emailing...nobody today, but I emailed both Rebekah's yesterday. (Yeah, I'm blessed to have more than one.) ; )
Sewing...sewing??? I haven't done that in ages. Argh.
Texting...not that either.
Considering...whether or not I'll be doing anything at PE. Sports are not my thing, but I probably should get the exercise.
Turning...into a pumpkin because I'm getting tired. (You know--like Cinderella's coach at midnight? Get it?)
Longing...to publish, to get married, to have children, to go to heaven. ; )
Suffering...from slight allergies.
Recognizing...that I have a letter to reply to that is at least two weeks old.
Checking...Amazon just to see if my favorite authors have anything new. I know, I'm hopeless.
Organizing...well, today I did some laundry, does that count? ; )
Reckoning...myself blessed indeed!!
Smiling...over how a baby boy I know says my name. I taught him to say "Katie" in a sing-song voice and his version became "Ti-ti". So sweet. ; )

Firsts

I'm very excited to be giving away two books this week! : )

The first is over at: http://edensevaluations.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-treasure-hunt-review-giveaway.html My friend Eden was so kind to write this sweet review for me and host this giveaway. Go on over and join the fun! Thank you, Eden!

This one is really fun as well. I got to do my first interview and giveaway with these awesome people who are always turning out awesome books. (Fancy that!)

http://homeschoolauthors.blogspot.com/2014/09/interview-with-kate-willis.html

Another first for me (as an author) is that I sold my first copy on Amazon! Truly this is a great adventure, and I very grateful to everyone who is helping me along. : )