Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

Well 2008 has finally come to an end. And what a year it has been. I am dividing up the year in 4 categories: Books, TV, Movies, Sports. Books This year I read 242 books. While it doesn't top last year's 250+, it's pretty darn close! There were some goodies and some mehs. I don't think though I had any that I had to stop reading completely. I would say overall it was a good year for books. In no particular order, here are my top books that I read in 2008 (click for reviews) My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay America the Beautiful by Laura Hayden Blue Heart Blessed by Susan Meissner She Always Wore Red by Angela Hunt Daring Chloe by Laura Jensen Walker The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Ewen Forsaken by James David Jordan Sisterchicks Go Brit! By Robin Jones Gunn Blessed are the Meddlers by Christa Ann Banister The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner Bon Appetit by Sandra Byrd The Rook by Steven James In the Shadow of the Sun King by Golden Keyes Parsons Much Ado Ab...

Deck the Halls with Yada Yada From Thanksgiving and Christmas to rolling in the New Year, the Yada Yadas are "decked out" to celebrate the holidays! Turkey dinners, tree trimming, and decking the halls--it's that time of year again! And I, Jodi Baxter, can't wait to celebrate. My kids are coming home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then all of us Yadas are getting decked out for a big New Year's party. But God's idea of "decked out" might just change the nature of our party plans. A perplexing encounter with a former student, a crime that literally knocks me off my feet, a hurry-up wedding, and a child who will forever change our family...it's times like these that I really need my prayer sisters. This holiday season, we Yada Yadas are learning that no one can out-celebrate God. So let's get this party started! The Yada Yada Prayer Group books have been one of my favorite women's fiction series to read. They feature realistic wo...

I'm giving away a brand new copy of today's book! Leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Monday, January 5. US addresses only. Good luck! Every woman longs for change in some area of her life. Unfortunately, fear, fatigue, adversity, heartbreak, past failures, and even the choices of other people get in the way and make lasting change seem out of reach. Having been there herself, Karen Linamen knows exactly how to take readers from where they are to where they want to be. In Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight , she examines 52 powerful actions readers can apply to any change they long to embrace. Her insights apply to career, finances, personal health and fitness, relationships, faith—in fact, every facet of a woman’s life. Blending laugh-out-loud humor and sage advice, Linamen shows readers the link between dissatisfaction and transformation, how to remodel habits, the little-known trut...

FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've decided to join a few challenges this upcoming year. I figure, I'm going to be reading these books anyways so why not? This challenge, hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog , is to read 100+ books during 2009. This is a great challenge for me as I have, as of today, read 238 books for 2008. So my goal, since I'm taking more classes and having a wedding this upcoming year, is to read 200 books for 2009. I will be adding to this post as the year goes by with the books I have read. 1. The Duchess and the Dragon by Jamie Carie 2. Wagered Heart by Robin Lee Hatcher 3. The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter 4. The Fruit of My Lipstick by Shelley Adina 5. New Horizons by Lois Gladys Leppard 6. 3 Willows by Ann Brashares 7. Tender Grace by Jackina Stark 8. Healing Stones by Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn 9. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling 10. Be Strong and Curvaceous by Shelley Adina 11. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer 12. Healing Waters by Nancy Rue...

FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!! I've decided to join a few challenges this upcoming year. I figure, I'm going to be reading these books anyways so why not? This challenge, hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog , is reading to support your local library. And we all know what a HUGE fan of the library I am. Who needs a bookstore when you can get books for free from the library? You can chose from three options: ** The first is to read 12 books from your local library in 2009. ** The second is to read 25 books from your local library in 2009. ** The third is to read 50 books from your local library in 2009 I'm going to go for the max and say that I challenge myself to read 50 books from the library in 2009. I have a feeling this challenge might be fulfilled by June, if I'm lucky lol. I will be adding to this post as the year goes by with the books I have read. 1. The Duchess and the Dragon by Jamie Carie 2. Wagered Heart by Robin Lee Hatcher 3. The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter 4. Ne...

A Dekker novel women will enjoy Shauna McCallister has woken up from a coma with no memory of how she got there. The last six months have been erased from her mind. Friends and family say that she was in a car accident that left her brother severely brain damaged and that she had been hoarding drugs in her apartment. Her father is running for President and cannot deal with any scandal tainting his name. Therefore her stepmother wants Shauna having nothing to do with them during the campaign blaming her for everything. However things aren't beginning to add up and soon Shauna starts being suspicious. Then she discovers that she's gained a power that could solve the mystery behind her past. Every Ted Dekker book is an adventure to read and this one is no exception. This book is so unlike most of Dekker's other novels. I would say this falls more along the suspense/romance like Blink of an Eye. There's a great female lead and the plot is very well written and draws th...

An Old Fashioned English Christmas Miranda Carson has returned to England for another Christmas. This time she has someone to return to with her boyfriend Ian. Also she's hoping to reconnect again with her newly discovered family and praying that she will be accepted at last. She's worried most about the matriarch of the family, Margaret because she knows that her very presence will hurt her. Meanwhile Ian's father suffers a heart attack which puts worry that the traditional Christmas play will not be able to be performed as planned. Will someone else be able to fill Father Christmas' shoes? Are you lover of Christmas, an Anglophile and happen to be a Robin Jones Gunn fan as well? Well this book is perfect for you then. If you've always wanted to experience a British Christmas but funds are tight, this is the next best thing. I could totally picture myself in England, driving in the small town, seeing the play and having tea. The details in the description...

Lots of Kissing for a Good Cause Annie is dating Tony. They've been dating for a while and he's begun to put pressure on her. Pressure that she doesn't know how long she'll be able to hold off. Then there's Dan, Tony's older brother who's everything he's not. Secretly Dan's always admired Annie for a far but hasn't said anything. Then a horrific incident happens that will change the three lives forever. Annie starts to see both Tony and Dan in different lights. Tempers begin to flare. Rumors being to spread. Hearts get broken. It's become a fight with brother vs. brother. Who will Annie choose? Lots of smooching! That was my first thought when I read this book. This book has more kissing in it than half my Christian fiction collection! However it's kissing that pertains to the story which I got drawn in very quickly. This is a fast easy read but it leaves a major imprint on you that you will think about for days to come. I could rel...

~~~~~~~~~~~~Contest closed~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'm giving away a brand new copy of today's book! Leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Monday, December 29. US and Canada addresses only. Good luck! It is time to play a Wild Card ! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour . Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Linore Rose Burkard and the book: Before the Season Ends Harvest House Publishers (December 1, 2008) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Linore Rose Burkard lives with her husband, five children, and ninety-year-old grandmother in southeastern Ohio. She homeschooled her children for ten years. Raised in New York, she graduated magna cum laude from the City University of New York (Queens Co...

It's the 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour! This is the very last Teen FIRST tour as Teen FIRST has merged with FIRST Wild Card Tours. If you wish to learn more about FIRST Wild Card, please go HERE . Mike Hamel and his book: The Sword and the Flute (Matterhorn the Brave Series #1) Amg Publishers (January 22, 2007) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mike Hamel is a seasoned storyteller who has honed his skill over theyears by telling tall tales to his four children. He is the author of several non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles. Mike and his wife, Susan, live in Colorado Springs, CO. Their four children are now grown and their two grand children will soon be old enough for stories of their own. From His Blog's About Me: I am a professional writer with sixteen books to my credit, including a trilogy of titles dealing with faith and business: The Entrepreneur’s Creed (Broadman, 2001), Executive Influence (NavPress, 2003), and Giving Back (NavPress, 2003). I also edited...

*Although the books I review on my blog are almost always Christian fiction, there will be a few spotlighted regular fiction titles I will review from time to time.* This year the mothers have a big surprise in store for Emma, Jess, Cassidy, and Megan: They've invited snooty Becca Chadwick and her mother to join the book club! But there are bigger problems when Jess finds out that her family may have to give up Half Moon Farm. In a year filled with skating parties, a disastrous mother-daughter camping trip, and a high-stakes fashion show, the girls realize that it's only through working together—Becca included—that they can save Half Moon Farm. Acclaimed author Heather Vogel Frederick captures the magic of friendship and the scrapes along the way in this sequel to The Mother-Daughter Book Club, which will enchant daughters and mothers alike. This was one of the most refreshing teen books that I have read this year. I'm totally not the target age of this book, but I so enj...

Well all good things must come to an end. And the Fall Reading Challenge is now over. How'd I do? Well I read all the books (18) on my list PLUS 31 more for a grand total of 49 books in 3 months !!!!! Here's the list of the books I read for the challenge. Here's a breakdown of the OTHER books that I read Christian Fiction Waiting for Daybreak by Kathryn Cushman Rally 'Round the Flag by Jane Orcutt Spring is in the Air by Jane Orcutt The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner The Spirit of the Season by Dana Corbit Bon Appetit by Sandra Byrd The Pawn by Stephen James The Rook by Stephen James Out of Her Hands by Megan DiMaria Mystery at the Inn by Carolyne Aarsen Whisper Along the Rails by Judith Miller An Uncertain Dream by Judith Miller Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins All I Have to Give by Melody Carlson Going Going Gone by Jolyn and William Sharp In the Shadow of the Sun King by Golden Keyes Parsons It's Not About Me by Michelle Sutton Longings of the Heart by Bonni...

FINISHED!!!!! Well it's that time of the year again! Katrina at Callapidder Days is issuing out the command to get our reading lists out and done! "As a quick refresher, the purpose of this challenge is for us to establish some goals for our reading this Fall and then work toward them. Whether you have a pile of books that you've been intending to read but just haven't yet, or you need a gentle prod to finish some books that you started but then abandoned, or you would just like a little accountability as you work through your reading stack, this is the place for you. Whether you're reading for fun, reading to learn, reading to be inspired, or reading to your kids, you are welcome here!" So without further adieu is here is my list for the challenge! . Note: These are all my library books, which means these MUST be read by the end of the challenge or face the wrath of fines! I haven't listed books I own because I don't know if I'll get around to...

Daniel Craig IS Bond. I know I had my doubts when the announcement was made but he has totally silenced them and made me a fan. Craig's Bond is not a womanizer, or a cheeky bloke. Gone are the cliched one liners (thank Goodness!!) and the smarmy winks. In place is a man bent on revenge and looking to clear the name of the woman he loved. I really liked his acting this movie. Top notch, totally the best acting done by a Bond ever. Did you notice that he never says the trademarked "Bond, James Bond" in this movie? Also the gun barrel sequence is only shown at the very end. It's a great way to distinguish themselves away from the cheesiness of the older movies. The villain in this movie is not disfigured or abnormal in anyway (although he does scream like a girl). Dominic Greene is more about smarts than just tricks. However I felt he was one of the weaker villains in the series. He is though part of Quantum and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in th...