Fall Into Reading 2011

I'm participating in this:

Sponsored by:  http://callapidderdays.com/2011/09/fall-into-reading-2011-start-reading.html

What is this?

You list the books you want and plan to read between September 23^rd to December 21^st and put them in a post.  There is MORE INFORMATION at the above link. 

There is NO TIME LIMIT TO WHEN PEOPLE CAN SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE IN “FALL INTO READING 2011”.   You are welcome to join at ANYTIME!!  Between NOW AND DECEMBER!  The deadlines mentioned in the prize/giveaways post are ONLY for prize eligibility!!  YES!!!  THERE ARE PRIZES!!

Go on over to sign up!!

Come back to MY blog here: http://lauriehere.blogspot.com/2011/09/fall-into-reading-2011.html  to come back to my blog to see what I am reading!!  (The books that are crossed out are books that I am done reading.)  


Here's what I am reading! Or, need to get read!

Never Knowing                                    Chevy Stevens            Goodreads!

Flat Out Love                                        Jessica Park                Crazy for Books Tour

Heiress                                                   Susan May Warren    LitFuse Tour

Josefina’s Sin                                      Claudia H Long            Publisher  3/4 the way thru!

Sins of the Mother                               Tara Hyland                 Publisher

Come Back to Me      Melissa Foster's***NEW!***Book Tour on 1-6-12

Baby, It’s Cold Outside                      Susan May Warren     LitFuse Tour

Unforeseen Fears                               H WilliamGruchow

Holy Ghost Girl               Donna M Johnson - Crazy for Books Tour

Farsighted                                    Emlyn Chand          -Novel Publicity Tour

Beatrice Munson                                Lorena Bathey

The Baby Boomer’s Guide to

    Chronic Pain                                   Dr Michael J Kaye

Anything                                              Michael Baron               NetGalley
Still More Stories from

    Grandma’s Attic  Book 3              Arleta Richardson

Treasures from Grandma’s

    Attic  Book 4                                    Arleta Richardson

Down From Cascom Mountain      Ann Joslin Williams

Northwest Angle                                William Kent Krueger

The Burning Soul                              John Connolly

The Lost Angel                                  Javier Sierra

Falling to Pieces, A Shipshewana

    Amish Mystery                              Vanetta Chapman            NetGalley

Beside Still Waters                           Tricia Goyer                      NetGalley

Along Wooded Paths                       Tricia Goyer                      NetGalley
The Healing - Kentucky Brothers Book 3   Wanda E Brunstetter      NetGalley

The Journey-Kentucky Brothers  Book 2  Wanda E Brunstetter      NetGalley

Lydia’s Charm                                   Wanda E Brunstetter      NetGalley

Money Secrets of  the Amish        Lorilee  Craker            BookSneeze

Something Old                                  Dianne Christner             NetGalley

A Prairie Christmas Collection      9 Different Authors         NetGalley

A Marriage Carol                   Chris Fabry&Gary Chapman  NetGalley

Easy and Elegant Beaded

    Copper Jewelry                            Lora S Irish                        NetGalley

Illustrated Guide to Sewing

    Garment, A Complete Guide

    For Fit and Fashion                     Peg Couch                        NetGalley

*Intoxications – Short Story           Tim Kizer

*The Black Chronicles:  Cry of

    The Fallen                                      Joel M Andre   ERROR - from Summmer


Books I forgot to list above and ARE INCLUDED IN THIS Challenge:
The Green River Killer: A True Detective Story  by Jeff Jensen and Jonathon Case 
      A Graphic Novel - (My first!)                                                 NetGalley         

*A Winter Discovery                           Michael Baron               NetGalley

*Any Color But Beige                         Catherine Larose         Tour Company                                               
                                                                                                             /Publisher


Books that ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS CHALLENGE, but received AFTER I posted this post that I will NOT get to till AFTER the Challenge.


*Naomi's Gift: An Amish Christmas Story  Amy Clipston    Publisher/NetGalley
*The Boy Who Flew With Eagles     Ben Woodard                Author - Middle Grade Book - This book is SUPER neat!  The author and I are doing an experiment with my son who HATES reading!!  This book is about a boy and an Eagle that soars.  I am to sit down with my son and we are going to read this book together and see what HE thinks!  I will let the author know.  My son is 14, but VERY immature for his age.  He is repeating the 8th grade.   He had ADHD and the medications he takes causes him to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder pretty bad.  He must touch EVERYTHING 4x ALL the time.  It is VERY frustrating for him. I feel SO bad for him because he has come crying to me asking me why does he HAVE to do this?  REALLY pulls at your heartstrings, huh?  UGH! I wish I could take it away!


*The Man in the Cinder Clouds     Rick Daley                    Independent Author
*This is another book in which, like the book above, it is about a very energetic boy and  Christmas.   I am going to do this SAME experiment above!!  I think this is SO cool to try out!! This is also a Middle Grade book!  
We'll see how my son likes doing this???  Eeeeks?  "TWO" books!!  He knows about the 
'1', but now I have added a 2nd one for him!!   That is okay, though, because this Christmas we are ONLY purchasing toys where he MUST sit still and play with!  This is intentional because he already knows he want to be a Marine.  He has an Air-Soft Gun ARSENAL!!!  He has SOOO many guns, and has asked for ANOTHER one for Christmas! I talked to my father-in-law, who happens to be dying, but introduced him to collecting Die-Cast Collectible cars and motorcycles!  My FIL, even though he is dying, is STILL collecting AND building scenes from his hospital bed of gas stations, car dealers, and some Airplanes!  How's that!  He is buying my son some Die-Cast collectibles for him to play with.  I WISH I had this photo as a digital photo, but, my FIL sent us money to purchase a shelving unit. We purchased a plastic one for my son.  It has four shelves.  EVERY motorcycle is perfectly stood up by it's kick-stand, and every car is perfectly placed.  He loves these!  Now, allow me to tell you "I" have knocked some of these over, and he takes the time to re-stand EVERY vehicle that "I" knocked over! ALL 4 shelves are FILLED!!  This will be the PERFECT Xmas gift!  I am also buying him a Wright Brothers Wooden Air Plane to put together!  I'm excited over this! I think he'll LOVE it!!
I will let you know how the experiments go, IF you are intersted!! 
         


**These are books I received AFTER I posted this post. These books are NOT a part of this Challenge!  It's a nice way to keep track of what I need to read!! I will 'try' to get to these books before 12-21, but it is doubtful.  That is NOT to say I won't try!!  I WILL try!!  I think some of these are going to have to go into the Winter Reading Challenge 2012!  By listing them here as I get them is a nice way to keep track of what I will need to read for the NEXT CHALLENGE, the Winter Reading Challenge 2012!


**Defending Jacob                            William Landay                      Publisher
        Release date: 1-31-12 

**She Had No Choice                        Debra Burroughs                 Author
**The Mercy                                       Beverly Lewis                        Publisher
**Unto These Hills                             Emily Sue Harvey                 Publisher/NetGalley
**Lilly's Wedding Quilt:
    A Patch of Heaven                        Kelly Long                             NetGalley
**Alison Wonderland                        Helen Smith                          Author
**The Wonder of Ordinary Magic  Lilli Jologren Day                Author
**Painted Jezebel                             Author                                    Author
**Longing                                          Karen Kingsbury                  NetGalley
**Smitten                                           Several Authors                    NetGalley
**Lilly's Wedding Quilt                   Kelly Long                              NetGalley








About the books:

A lot of the Amish books are from NetGalley.  NetGalley always seems to have a wonderful selection of Amish books.I've heard them referred to as, 'Bonnet Books'.  I had to laugh when I read that, but really, I guess they are in a way!  I belong to Amish Living, which you can find that by scrolling ALL the way to the bottom of this page, and you can find it on the top row in the far right column and click on the Icon!  We need to read a total of 15 Amish books within the year.  I am not sure what number I am on, and all the books I have read so far I have written reviews on, so they will be easy to find as they are here on my blog!  I 'do' need to catch up reading my Amish novels, and these should take me over 15, I believe.  The Amish books are such endearing reads.  They are about the simple life, but not about simple topics.  A topic that seems to have been addressed lately is the German Bible versus the English Bible.  Only the Bishops read from the :"German" Bible, leaving NO Bibles for the Amish folk.  The Amish rely completely on the Bishop's interpretation of the Bible since hardly anyone can read German.  Lately a LOT of Amish people have been purchasing English Bibles, which doesn't necessarily go over well with the other Amish families, which has made reading these books very interesting, to say the least!   I feel these are very enjoyable reads.  The books that do not have anything written as to where they are from are directly 'from' the Publisher.  The books marked with an * are directly from Indie Authors!  YEAH for the Indies!!!


STRUCK THROUGH BOOKS:   Are books I have read and written the reviews on!!  

Of course, I will be writing reviews on ALL these books, as expected!

I look forward to chipping away at this list!  All of these books sound SOOO good!

Thanks for reading!!
**Remember!!  YOU CAN STILL SIGN UP IF 'YOU' WANT TO DO THIS!!  Go to the LINK I provided above! Good Luck in ALL you do now and in the future! REMEMBER:  IT IS NEVER TO LATE TO SIGN UP!  HAVE FUN!
Laurie  

"Just My Type" by Simon Garfield

“Just My Type” by Simon Garfield   

Three different fonts here just in the title and this first sentence!  Wow!

Typefaces/Fonts can bee soooo much FUN!  Another font, did you catch this?  This one is Lucinda Sans.  Now going back to one of my favorites, of which happens to be Arial.  I happen to like the nice clean, easy-to-read crispness of Arial, yet according to this book, Arial is number ten on the worst fonts to use list!  Yet, on the next list which happens to be the top “Highly Visible” fonts to use, Arial is number five!  Me, oh my!  Do I use Arial?  In the next list of top ten ‘Least Favourite” (spelled the British way), Arial is number four on it!  I just don’t know what font to use!

So now I am switching to Comic Sans, however, Comic Sans is number eleven in the least favorite fonts to use.  At least I am not in the top ten anymore!

Now I just switched over to Futura.  I figure it is number three on the Top Ten list of fonts to use, but I don’t like it.  See how much fun fonts can be?

Switching over one more time to:  Futura.  This is good.

This book is SO much fun to read!  From the moment you open the front cover of this book, there is the “Periodic Table of Typefaces”.  It contains every font imaginable, so you think.  I happen to know there are even more fonts than this available.  Typefaces/fonts are OVER 560 years old.  There are so many different fonts available these days, especially as our times, hobbies, periodicals and more, change.  As time goes on, so does our fonts.

As you turn the pages more and more, there is a page that looks like an old newspaper page.  Turn the page and there is a comic and a page with a different font.  The next page has the cover of a book with another font type on it.  Turn the page again, and there are advertisements of all kinds of older TV shows and the different font types they have all used.  I have to add one more page.  A newspaper page!  I could go on and on about ALL the different fonts on all the different pages.  The author is showing us how much fun, how neat the different fonts are and how well they work for the different types of needs that arise.  I have to say this IS one of the most enjoyable, fun yet VERY informative books I have read in a long time!  Stock pages, email, love letters!  Wow!

Think of New York and Times Square.  Think of how we are inundated with all of the different fonts on ALL of the different flashing signs for advertising.  They are numerous.  They can be overwhelming!  Advertisers will use anything to get your attention, which is really, truly neat.

This book covers many, many different types of fonts, what they were and are used for, when they were used, and the most important uses of them.  He talks about what was used in the past and now in current times.  He even discussed how the Bible’s font was chosen.  A lot of thought goes into the process of choosing which font to use for anything you are going to choose to print.  There are formal fonts, casual fonts, even jazzy fonts. 

Now see, I just switched over to the default of Microsoft Word, which happens to be Times New Roman.  As you can see by how much fun I am having writing this review that IS how much fun this book is to read.  The enjoyment of this book never ends.  It continues all throughout the book to the very last page.  I was sorry this book did end.  To read this book is very informative while very enjoyable to read, if I haven’t said that already.  You ask how can a book about ‘fonts’ be enjoyable to read?  You have to see this book!  It is filled with photos of what I just described and so much more.  There are photos, examples of the different fonts that have been used for different things, what fonts have been chosen to use and why.  Signs, for stores, for businesses, as I just mentioned above, and there is even a chart full of a small sampling array of Zapf’s dingbats.  The history of fonts used is quite full and enjoyable with photos of old and newer printing presses.  He describes how they used to print and how they still print newspapers and books in the past and into the future.  Fonts are so much fun.

If you have to read a book on fonts and you are dreading it, don’t.  Not with this book.  This is one of the most entertaining books I have read so far.  It has honestly made something I never would have thought of as fun and entertaining, unless I was in the printing business.  This book makes fonts enjoyable for everyone to read about.  If you want a truly fun, enjoyable informative book to read, I highly suggest this book!  If I were in the bookstore and happened upon this book, I would snatch it up in a second just from flipping through it.  It is very helpful in deciding what fonts to use for different projects, papers, signs, advertisements, books, Scrapbooking, Journaling, Crafts, and more!  Fonts ARE fun, fun, fun!

This book is a definite MUST-HAVE for everyone’s library.  I could not see my library without this book.  I will use this book now and in the future to help me decide what font I want to use for whatever project I am using it for.  Perhaps I want to Jazz up my Blog?  This font would be perfect!  This font is Jester. 

Have you ever wondered what font you should use for whatever reason?  This book will definitely help you to decide, while entertaining you as well.  I LOVE this book!  It is a 5-star rating in my book!  I “HIGHLY” suggest EVERYONE have this book in their own library!

Now what you need to do is go to your local Independent Bookstore, online, or wherever books are sold and pick up your copy today!  I had a lot of fun reading this book, and a lot of fun writing this review!  I’m sure you can tell!

I received this book for “FREE” from Gotham Books (Microsoft Word did not have a font I could find to match the Publisher’s Print, or else I would have used it!) and through http://www.crazybooktours.blogspot.com, through their Book Reviewer’s Program in exchange to read and write a review about this book.  It is NOT required for my review I write to be either positive or negative, but, “of my own opinion.”  I was NOT provided with “ANY” monies to accept this book, “NOR” to read it, NOR were “ANY” monies given to me to write the review for this book.  All that was ‘expected’ of me was to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it.  Again, the opinions expressed for and about this book are ‘of my own opinion’.  I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

This book IS available through Amazon.com.  You can click on the Icon below and to the left.  It will take you directly to the page where you can purchase it!  You have GOT to get this book!  You will LOVE it!  I am sorry it ended.  I will have this book though, in my library to refer back to over and over again.  You've GOT to get this book!

lauriehere: BANNED BOOK WEEK!!!

Click THIS LINK:  http://lauriehere.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html
This link takes you to the Giveaways Page where the Banned Book Week Giveaway Entry Form is!
Please scroll down to my previous post to read "What I Think About Banned Books!"

Please scroll down to the previous post!!!  It has an article I wrote all about Banned Books and what "I" think about them, Censorship, and Parental Censorship/Supervision.  It's controversial, but so are Banned Books!  It is MY opinion, to which I am entitled to!!!  Hope you enjoy it! Have FUN hopping around entering ALL the contests!!  There are a LOT of Blogs who are participating!

BANNED BOOK WEEK!!!

  $15 Amazon Gift Card/Book Depository (INTL)!!!
    (intl - check to see if Book Depository ships to your country for free)


CLICK ON THE GIVEAWAYS TAB ABOVE in the LEFT SIDE COLUMN!!!
or, click on this link:  http://lauriehere.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html  Scroll down! There are other giveaways!  More coming up through the week!
Please read the following post I have written of 'my opinion' of banning books, censoring, and keeping kids 'sheltered' from real life, which all ties into Banned Books. 


What do I think of Banned Books?  
I think there should NEVER be ANY Banned Book!  You may think what I have to say is controversial, but isn't EVERYTHING and ANYTHING in life today controversial?  YES!  IT IS!!!
I have a relative, an Aunt, who censored EVERYTHING my cousin watched on TV AND READ!  We used to go INSANE when it came to Birthday time or Christmas because we didn't know WHAT to buy for him???  One year we bought him the VHS tape "Roger Rabbit".  OH!! Was that a mistake! 

I don't know if any of you know what this movie is/was?  It was a regular movie with a cartoon rabbit edited in.  It was one of the first movies to go computerized I believe in 1988.  It was really cool!  This is going WAY back!  YEARS back! Yes!  I'm showing my age!!  
My cousin, 11 at the time, my brother, 16, and I, 20, were in my bedroom hanging out getting ready to watch a movie while the adults were in the kitchen and living rooms having boring adult and family conversation.  Boring!  I was the oldest and had a TV and a VCR in my bedroom.  I was LUCKY!  Not many teenagers/young adults had this!  I was already working by this age.  (I used to tape my Soap Operas, All My Children, in particular, which went OFF  the air today, and I honestly cannot stop crying! This shows you HOW long I watched the show! Since I was 8 years old! I know I'm off the subject here, and if you would like to read more about ME and All My Children, keep reading to the previous post down below!)
My cousin.  We put 'our' VHS tape of Roger Rabbit in my VCR to watch it.  My cousin couldn't WAIT to watch this/HIS new movie!!!  We started watching it.  There is a female bunny, Jessica Rabbit, who was 'very' curvaceous through the movie.  She sang a solo.  This is what my aunt was against my cousin watching.  She flipped OUT!  UGH!  This is a MOVIE!!!  NOT real life!  Kids DO know the difference!  If they do not, this is where the parent NEEDS to step in!  Where are you, parents?
So when my Aunt and my cousin would go shopping in the mall, or even in the grocery store, and a woman had on provocative clothing, what did she do?  HOW could SHE control my cousin when other people wore these clothes or did bad things?  NOTHING!  EXCEPT TO TEACH HIM WHAT IS RIGHT FROM WRONG!  
She had SO many hang-ups!  She censored EVERYTHING!!!  So much so, I often wonder if this is how he ended up in prison?  Was he SO naive about the bad, he didn't know right from wrong because he was so sheltered from it that he couldn't determine right from wrong?  His mother did NOT teach him about REALITY!  Every child needs to be taught what reality is!  If they don't, it's a disservice because there can be so many bad things out there!
I know my parents taught me when things like this came up, what was right and what was wrong.  I think my aunt did my cousin a disservice by NOT teaching him this because she sheltered him so much.  
In my opinion, I don't think ANYTHING should be censored EXCEPT XXX movies and books.  I DON'T agree with Pornography NOR do I EVER think a child should get it in their hands.  This is the ONLY thing I think SHOULD be censored.  
My aunt, his mother, flipped OUT about him watching the movie and we had to turn it off!  Come on!
I often wonder if my cousin really KNEW what real life was like, if his future would have turned out differently than the way it did?  Now, after a long time in prison, he is out and working hard through a government job.  He is trying to make amends with his children and ex-wife.  He's having a very hard time.  I remember when he was in prison and his ex-wife would come to the family functions.  I had two younger children of my own at the time, and pretty much was a single parent at that time, as my 'then' husband traveled so much.  I 'could' relate to her, however, my husband 'would come home eventually'!  Hers was NOT.  Hers was behind bars, though, because of another woman.  
It often makes me wonder if my cousin had NOT been SO censored/sheltered, if his life would have turned out differently than it had.  Would he know right from wrong better?  Could he have mingled into Society better than he had?  Would he have been so easily influenced into doing such wrong things?  If everything had NOT been censored I honestly think he would have turned out differently.  Take his brother who came along 10 years later.  He was NOT censored at all.  He is a normal, ordinary, functioning person who CAN develop normal, good relationships with people.    
Could my cousin possibly have learned about things to prevent pregnancy?  He had two children before he was twenty and before prison.  He had NOTHING to do with them after awhile.  He got into SO much trouble.  He drank alcohol and took drugs a lot, crashed his car, and thankfully hit a tree and NOT people!  IF he had been exposed to all life has, like my kids have been, would all that not have happened?  I think it would NOT have happened!
My kids have never been censored against anything.  They WILL come across it in real life, and I would much rather they ask me about it rather than keep it secret until they don't know what to do with it once they do see or learn about it.  
I have two very well-rounded children who were NEVER sheltered/censored.  They have NOT committed crimes.  They take life as it comes.  They lead very good lives.  They are "Realists".  Neither one wears rose-colored glasses.  I NEVER wanted them to, which is exactly why I never stopped them from reading or seeing things that may not have been age appropriate.  I would, of course, be careful to make sure things were age appropriate, but once they were old enough, I was NOT sheltering them still!  They do know what is out there.  Had I sheltered them, there would be more of a desire in them to want to know what is out there in life.  I am happy with the decision to NOT censor what they watched on TV or read in books.  My children are Realists, and they know life is NOT a bowl of cherries.  You see, one day they WILL come across these things.  They KNOW what is and is NOT right!  Why put it off when they can learn from ME, their parent, which is the BEST way to learn?!  This is my position on censorship.
Another fact of censorship.  Children WANT to see what they are being denied them!  Parents' sometimes make the mistake of overreacting when things they want to censor their child from something that catches the attention of their child.  They WILL seek it out.  It will either be through a friend or someone else who is less than wanted in their lives.  They WILL show them.  
I feel it is right to let them learn as they come by things naturally.  I don't mean to put it down right in front of their noses.  I am talking about allowing life to flow, to go along as it is meant to be.  I have had no problems with this.  I DO have a problem when I have made a big deal out of something.  I have come across some things when my children were younger that I really didn't want them to see, or be a part of, however, most of it has been out of my control.  If I kept them away from it, or made a big deal out of it, this is when they really want to go all out to find out about what I didn't like about something!  Try that on your own children and I guarantee they will try to find what they are being denied them!  I say to take everything in stride.  
Banned books.  A LOT of these books used to be required reading in High School, and now they are being pulled from library shelves across America from angry mothers, usually.  Sorry, but it's true!  It's not often you find the Dad's involved in this.  Just stating a fact from my observations.  I have read these books.  The things in them happen.  Deal with it!  This IS real life!  Catcher in the Rye.  The Outsiders.  Heck, The House Without a Christmas Tree is BANNED because of '1' word in it!  The word is:  damned!  Come on!  What IS this?  I had that book and LOVED it when I was a kid!  I bought it through Scholastic Book Club in Elementary School!  They made a TV movie out of it!!!  So it's banned???
This is why I don't agree with Banning Books!  I NEVER caught the word 'damned' in the book!  Perhaps I didn't even know it was a swear word, as my parent's did NOT swear.  It had NO damaging effects on me!  
Life happens.  You cannot 'control' life.  Why fight it?  ALL people, children included, should know there are controversial subjects in life out there.  This helps to make children well-rounded adults.  If they don't know there are controversial subjects in life, what if they get into one of the controversial subjects?  I'm going to say it again, keep them away from it, you only tempt them to find out more about it.  
Another thing to ponder.  So were ALL these High School kids who DID read these Banned Books before they were banned, turn out bad?  I don't think ONE Banned Book caused many bad things to happen!  Most of the subjects in these Banned Books were about real life.  I don't believe any kids acted out because of them.  At least in newscasts or in the newspapers there were NO quotes that said "The Banned Book made me do it!!!"  LOL!  
Let's have an open mind, people!  PLEASE!  Most of these Banned Books are CLASSICS!  They have withstood the 'test of time'.  Doesn't 'that' tell you anything?  It tells me a LOT!  ALL Banned Books are NOT BAD books!  They are something ONE parent starts an uproar about, or does not like, tries to get others involved, then they work to get it 'banned'.  I DON'T agree with this.  I keep my opinion to myself, they should keep their opinion to themselves, keep it away from their children so MY children CAN read these books and get them out of the PUBLIC LIBRARY!  I want them to be able to, and everything will be fine, and we would NOT have this problem!  There are a LOT of things that many of us don't agree on.  The 'things' that stand the test of time are books.  Movies, TV shows are here today, gone tomorrow.  Books are with us forever.  Let's leave these authors who have had the strength to write these books on controversial subjects alone and let them spread their message the way they want to!  After all, it is an ammendment.    
In all seriousness, I believe children should NOT be censored in anything except what I mentioned above.  LIFE WILL HAPPEN!  YOU CANNOT STOP IT!!! 
LET'S CELEBRATE THE BANNED BOOKS WEEK!!!  ENJOY THIS WEEK!!!  I WILL!
Now go on over and enter my Giveaway!!!  http://lauriehere.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html  Good Luck!!!


WINNERS OF PREVIOUS GIVEAWAYS:


**BACK TO THE BOOKS GIVEAWAY $20 AMAZON BOOK GIFT CARD:  To:  Temara Sheppard  Her Blog address is:  http://www.tamara-anythingandeverything.com
For this GIVEAWAY, I had 221 people do 2,310 entries!!!  WOW!! That was a RECORD!

**500 Followers:  Have not heard back YET, but it might be:  Karen Senoo and her Blog address is:  http://www.bookingpromos.blogspot.com

**Winner of the book:  "Fairer Than Morning" by Rosslyn Elliott is:  Malia Palea and her Blog address is:  http://www.livinthemommylife.blogspot.com

**Winner of the book:  "After the Party" by Lisa Jewel is:  Marci Clark.  She does NOT have a Blog, but, you CAN find her at Twitter! Her addy is @marciclark88

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY WINNERS!!!!!!!  AND, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS ENTERED THEM!!!

Today, Friday, September 23rd, 2011 was the END of "All My Children", a SAD day in Television Soap Opera History

Today, Friday, September 23rd, 2011, marks the END of one of the first Television Soap Operas, "All My Children".

  
Due to the fact that the Big-Wig Executives at ABC Daytime TV, made the decision to cancel 2 Soap Operas that run on their Network-ABC, All My Children, and One Life to Live.  
"All My Children" ran their LAST episode today.  So, so , so sad.  
They are replacing it with ANOTHER TALK SHOW!!! 'The Chew'.  So, chew it up and spit OUT All My Children?  
Next in line is "One Life to Live", scheduled to go OFF the air in January.  I don't know the exact date?  
Again, this show is being REPLACED WITH ANOTHER TALK SHOW!!!
Honestly, HOW MANY TALK SHOWS DO WE NEED?  
I am SO sick and tired of talk shows!  Thank GOD I read the written word!  
I will NEVER forgive ABC for removing these two Soap Operas.
I have watched "All My Children" for the last 37 YEARS!!!  When I was not able to watch it, I taped it.  Now we Tivo it, or DVR it.  What is so bad about that?  
On Facebook, there has NOT been ONE GOOD WORD about the new talk show that is replacing "All My Children".  The fans of this Soap Opera do NOT want it replaced, they WANT our SOAP, like me!!!
I started one month ago, crying here and there.  You may think it silly of me, but for the last 37 YEARS, I have watched this Soap Opera.  It has gotten me through thick and thin.  Through happiness, through sadness, through life's ups and downs.  Thankfully, MORE UPS, than downs.  When I was pregnant with my first child, and feeling so sick, I'd get through the day at work, knowing at home I had "All My Children" waiting for me!  I would lay in bed watching Tad and Dixie at that time!  I watched Jenny and Craig, Jesse and Angie from teenagers to now!  There is SO much life I watched onscreen and lived off.  I depended upon that show daily.  I KNEW it would be there!  it WAS A CONSTANCY!  There was NEVER even a THOUGHT of taking it off the air!  Unfortunately, today, NOTHING is a constant.  Back a couple decades ago there was even Ryan's Hope, and another Soap that took the place of that one for a while.  "All My Children" survived ALL of that!
From today, forward, WHO will I share watching All My Children with?  What do I have to look forward to watching during the day?  Or recording it?  Nothing.  NO CONSTANCY of ONE show to watch that I LOVED!!!  41 YEARS of the same thing, every day!  It was such an escape from my own life, that I will truly miss it!  I looked forward to seeing this show EVERY day!
Now ABC Executives claim the ratings aren't there?  They couldn't be MORE wrong!  From ALL of the fans on Facebook and Twitter tweeting how MUCH they will miss this show, NO ONE can tell me the ratings were NOT there!  So they ARE keeping General Hospital??  WHAT????  A show about gangsters and the mafia?  I don't CARE about that soap!!!  I WANT ALL MY CHILDREN AND ONE LIFE TO LIVE!!
One Life to Live is scheduled to go OFF the air this January 2012.  Another GREAT soap! GONE! Why??  To be replaced with ANOTHER TALK SHOW!!!!  ABC WILL BE CONTINUOUS TALK SHOWS ALLLLLL DAY!!!!
I can tell you one thing.  I will NOT be watching talk shows!!  NOR recording them!  HOW MANY TALK SHOWS THAT ARE REDUNDANT DO WE NEED?  I'M ALREADY SICK OF TALK SHOWS!  I DON'T WATCH THEM!
In my humble opinion, I think when Oprah went OFF the air on ABC, it killed them!  They HAD the viewers, until Oprah left!  Now Dr OZ is moving from NBC to ABC.  HE is supposed to be filling Oprah's old spot.
I'm SICK AND TIRED OF DR OZ!!!  HE IS AN ALARMIST, in my opinion!!!  He'll bring up a subject and tell you you are dying of this or that!   YOU NEED this supplement or to live this way of life.  DUH!  I KNOW THAT!!!  ALL of these shows seem to be Alarmists anymore!  Come on!
Personally, I have boycotted watching ABC during the daytime!  I REFUSE to watch that station.  ABC Nighttime is cancelling "Desperate Housewives".  There are a lot of people upset about that.  I can't agree with them about that show.  "All My Children" was NOT about sleeping around constantly, NOR did they wear sexy bedtime outfits tempting neighbors to sleep with them.  NOR was Desperate Housewives on television for 41 YEARS!!!
Today is the SADDEST DAY IN THE HISTORY OF SOAP OPERAS WITH "ALL MY CHILDREN" BEING REMOVED FROM ABC DAYTIME.
Today I watched "The View" who did a commemorative show about All My Children.  I balled my eyes out!  So did the writer, Agnes Dixon!!!  She MUST be in her 70's!  SHE was sad!!!  It was a truly heart-breaking site to see HER crying!  HER CREATION!  GONE!  At 1:00pm today, I watched the VERY LAST show of All My Children.  It was the SADDEST DAY OF MY LIFE!  All the years of this program, GONE.  No more.  NEVER again.  The characters from Pine Valley - GONE.  I'm SO sad.  I've been moping around ever since.  Breaking out in tears.  NOT a good day.  Life has changed after 2:00pm.  After the LAST show of All My Children.  I don't know what I will do now.  This show touched on many controversial subjects.  They addressed situations that SHOULD have been touched upon.  They handled it VERY well!  I will miss them dearly!
These actors on these Soap Operas work HARD!  They are on TV EVERY day!  The have to work EVERY day!  There are NO VACATIONS, NO TIME OFF!  NO SEASONS!!! THE STORY MUST GO ON!  WHAT DEDICATED PEOPLE!!  WHO ELSE IS AS DEDICATED?  Perhaps this is one of the reasons I was so dedicated to watching the show!  NO OTHER SHOW WORKS LIKE THIS!
It IS a SAD day in history.  I'm trying to move on.  Come Monday at 1:00pm, I can't tell you how I feel.  I can only guess I will be VERY sad!  I WON'T BE WATCHING THE NEW TALK SHOW!!!  REMEMBER, I AM BOYCOTTING ABC!!!  ANY show on ABC, even Extreme Home Makeover, which I LOVE, I WON'T be watching!
I have ONE thing to say to ABC Exec's:  get your heads out of your blanks and do what's right!  Put our show back on and KEEP THEM ON!!!  It's YOUR faults for NOT ADVERTISING THE SHOWS!!!  HOW'S THAT TRUTH?????
Susan Lucci, in her new Autobiography SLAMS ABC Chief Brian Frons when she found out AMC was being CUT as part of a cost-cutting initiative!!!  Read the article for yourselves at: http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2011/09/05/susan_lucci_slams_abc_chief_over_all_m   YES!!!  SUSAN LUCCI!!!

Makes me think the "Advertising dollar" was NOT there because now Oprah is GONE!!!
There is a LOT of talk about All My Children being aired online come January 2012.  I SURE hope this IS true!  If there is anyone out there that knows about this, please COMMENT BELOW and tell me WHERE and WHAT WEBSITE IT WILL BE ON???  I don't know 'where' it is to be aired online???  I appreciate it!!!  Thanking you ahead of time!
I also THANK ALL MY CHILDREN FOR ALL THE YEARS OF WORK YOU DID AIRING EVERY DAY!!!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU FOR PUTTING JOY INTO MY LIFE EVERY DAY FROM PINE VALLEY!
This is how I feel and I had to write what I feel about this HORRIBLE day in the History of Soap Operas, and in my life.
Thanks for reading!  Remember, anyone know about this January 2012, and ONLINE "NEW" shows of All My Children, please leave a comment if you know the link to where it is supposed to be online, PLEASE COMMENT!!!  THANKS!!! 

The First Victim

"The First Victim” by JB Lynn

Brilliant! Captivating! This should be a Book-To-Movie! This book was so engaging. I could feel what the main character felt. I could relate to her emotions, they were so well described. I could relate to her fear, yet at the same time, relate to her newfound strength of being able to control situations. The main character, Emily, had previously been kidnapped by “The Baby Doll Serial Killer” when she was a young child. She was saved by a friend who happened to be in the area of where she was trying to escape from. She had always felt a deep felt gratitude towards him for helping to save her life. About fifteen years later, she is called back home because her father is hospitalized and she needs to take care of her sister who lives with her father. Reluctantly, she returns home. She was never at ease. While back at home, “The Baby Doll Serial Killer”, or so the police think, has struck again. He is back and doing what he did to her. Is this a coincidence? She is terrified because whoever this is must know her. Why else would he have killed and left behind the body of her sister’s friend in front of her father’s house. This can’t be a coincidence. Not only is ‘she’ in danger, but her little sister is in danger as well. What did she do by coming home? What did she cause? Is this her fault? This book was a page turner for me. I was so involved in this story, I never expected things to turn out the way they did. The author did an excellent job developing the characters, making them believable, and the storyline was easy to follow great twists and turns. This was a very intriguing book to read, fast paced, did not want to put down, hard to solve, suspenseful mystery. Just when you thought you might have an idea as to who this killer might be you are wrong. As I said in the beginning of this review, I think this book would be a great ‘on the edge of your seat’ movie thriller. I received this book for “FREE” from Carina Press through NetGalley, through their Book Reviewer’s Program in exchange to read and write a review about this book. It is NOT required for my review I write to be either positive or negative, but, “of my own opinion.” I was NOT provided with “ANY” monies to accept this book, “NOR” to read it, NOR were “ANY” monies given to me to write the review for this book. All that was ‘expected’ of me was to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. Again, the opinions expressed for and about this book are ‘of my own opinion’. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Laurie

To purchase this book from AMAZON, CLICK THE ICON BELOW!  ONLY $3.99!!!
EXCELLENT PRICE FOR A GREAT READ!!

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this back in High School or in my early 20's. I saw this on Goodreads today and added it to my books!  I remember it!!  I checked for it on Amazon, and I had 'this' copy, and it is now going for, READY FOR THIS?  $1,775 !!!!  YES!!!  If ONLY I had hung onto it, huh?  This books was a really good book. I don't remember all the details exactly, but I enjoyed this immensely. It was an amazing transformation for Charly.

View all my reviews

Review & GIVEAWAY OF "After the Party" by Lisa Jewel

Review & GIVEAWAY!

"After the Party" by Lisa Jewel

Lisa Jewel catches the very essence of real, every day life with children and a relationship to a “T” in this sequel book to “Ralph’s Party”.  You do not need to have read the first book in order to read this book.  If I did not read that this book was a sequel, I would never have known it.  It is an excellent stand alone book.  Lisa Jewel has written a ‘jewel’ of a story!

We are introduced to Ralph and Jem in the beginning of this story by finding out they are now together for eleven years, and at this stage in Ralph and Jem’s relationship, life has changed so drastically for them that their relationship is drifting apart from each other.  Are they, or have they fallen ‘out of love’?

They have suffered two miscarriages, and now finally have two young, beautiful children.  Scarlett is three, and Blake is four months old, yet Ralph does not feel fulfilled the way Jem does.  Although Jem feels very happy and fulfilled and almost complete with her children, she has not been happy with her and Ralph’s relationship, as she does not feel Ralph has been pulling his weight around the house with her and the kids.

Jem is back to work part time as a Talent Agent, and trying to juggle everything, right down to taking Scarlett, her daughter, to nursery, and dropping Blake, her son, off at the sitters.  Ralph could help here.  Jem feels like she does everything and Ralph just sits up in his studio painting away, perhaps hiding, as if nothing has changed.  She feels disconnected from Ralph.  What is his problem?  Why doesn’t he help her more?  Can’t Ralph see all she goes through every day?

Jem does feel resentment towards Ralph for not doing more, and leaving it all to her to do, he feels resentment as well.  The children get all her attention and he is definitely last when it comes to anything, even when it comes to their non-existent sex life.  Blake now lays claim to Jem’s breasts, not Ralph.  They both bring issues to the table, and it seems Ralph, more so, than Jem.

Ralph decides, out of the blue, to take a vacation away from their home in London, and go to California to visit an old friend of his.  Jem is livid but tries not to let Ralph know how much.  Who does HE think he is?  Leaving her here at home with two young children?  If at anytime, why now?  Does he feel the need to capture his single life again?  Yet Ralph has his mind made up and he goes.

Jem.  Jem is left at home, alone, with the two children, all to fend for themselves.  Jem befriends a man, Joel, who is a single parent to a little girl the same age as Scarlett.  The two girls play together at the local playground, but things start to go a little bit further than the playground.  Just how far, and how the rest of this story turns out is left for you to find out.

Lisa Jewel’s writing is so engaging that you feel as if you know these characters, or even more, you may possibly relate to these characters in your own life.  Most of us in a relationship who eventually have children know what an impact children can have on our own relationships.  Children change the dynamics of relationships completely.  Some of us need to grow up a little more, while some may need to change the way we look at life and handle things differently now.  A relationship alone is not easy and needs tender loving care, let alone add children into the picture whether you think you are ready or not, and things can become even more complicated, as Jewel describes so very well.

Lisa Jewel’s writing is extraordinary and fluid.  It read so easily and smoothly I flew through the pages glued to the situations that arose.  It was pure enjoyment to read.  It is truly a book you don’t want to put down as her writing is truly very spectacular.

This IS one of the top 10 books of 2011 for me.  I “LOVED” this book!  I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who loves chic lit/contemporary romance.

One thing I do think this book needs is, and I have to laugh at myself about this part, is a little glossary in the ‘front’ of this book with the definition of some of the British slang that was used!  Lisa Jewel is a British author, and some of the British slang she used left me hanging!  I could not figure out what some of the words meant!  For the most part I caught on, as I have heard most of the terms before, but not all of them.  Even so, this did not detract from this story in any way, yet made it that much more interesting.

“5 stars” from me!

Interesting information about Lisa Jewell:

She has a website which is a riot of FUN!  Here is the address:   http://www.lisa-jewell.co.uk/  Just like Lisa’s writing, her website is just as great!  You must check it out!  Everything you ever want to know about her, her books, reviews, how to get published, and MORE, is there!

Visit Lisa Jewel on her FACEBOOK PAGE at http://www.facebook.com/lisajewellofficial

If you want to just BUY THE BOOK, in the UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER, next to the title, THERE IS A LINK TO AMAZON!  CLICK ON IT AND PURCHASE IT!  “ALL” PROCEEDS GO TO SUPPORTING THIS BLOG AND FUTURE GIVEAWAYS LIKE THESE!  I sincerely thank you for your support!  Without it, I could not do these giveaways!

Okay!  I have “1” copy of this book to GIVEAWAY TO YOU!  All YOU need to do is SCROLL DOWN AFTER THE RULES AND ENTER THE FORM BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK!!!  http://lauriehere.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html 

You have until Monday, September 19^th, till 11:59pm to ENTER!  Good luck, and to whoever wins this book, ENJOY IT!!! Make SURE you watch the following YouTube videos about the book as well!

YOU Tube Videos about AFTER THE PARTY by Lisa Jewel, Part 1!!! And, Part 2! And, one more video! Do we really want to call this Contemporary Romance 'Chic Lit'? Watch and listen to Lisa Jewel discuss this subject! AND, Lisa gives US advice on HOW TO WRITE A BOOK!!  
Hope you enjoyed these videos!
Laurie

TRIVIA!!!

TRIVIA!!!  Let's play a GAME!!!
Who watches Rizzoli & Isles?  I LOVE this show!!!  The Season Finale was on last night! Who watched it?  I want to ask a trivia question about the show, and if you know the answer, please leave a comment!  To all the people who get this answer correct, you will go into a drawing, and random.org will choose the winner!  I have a surprise Mystery to give away!
OKAY!!  Here's the question:  In the show last night, the Monday, September 12th Season Finale, there was a nightstand with a ____________ on it.  What was it?  If you know what it was, then PLEASE EXPLAIN  EXACTLY WHAT WAS ON THE NIGHTSTAND!
If you know, you will know what to write down! ___________   ___________.  Yes, there would be two sets of words!
Hint:  What is my Blog about?
So there would be 2 parts for the answer to this question, right?  Right!
GOOD LUCK!!!

*WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FOR THE 'BACK TO THE BOOKS GIVEAWAY' THIS THURSDAY!  I WILL POST THE WINNERS NAME AND BLOG!  (I want to apologize for it taking me longer to be able to get to this.  KIDS!!!  Does that answer the reason why?!!!  My kids returned to school the day AFTER Labor Day!  My son was over the entire weekend, and he and I had a BALL!  That did leave me neglecting my Blog, but I am SURE you understand!  I'll see you Thursday!)

*WINNER FOR GOING OVER 500 FOLLOWERS WILL ALSO BE DRAWN THIS THURSDAY AS WELL!!!  I WILL POST THEIR NAME AND BLOG, TOO!  (Same reason as above!)

"A Lancaster County Christmas" by Suzanne Woods Fisher/LitFuse Publicity Tour/Prizes!

         "A Lancaster County Christmas" 
             by Suzanne Woods Fisher 


            IPAD Giveaway & MORE!
         Sponsored by LitFuse Publicity! 
              Come join in the FUN!

It's Christmas in September! 
iPad Giveaway and aFacebook Party!  Go Enter 9-7 to 9-26!

It’s Christmas in September!

It’s Christmas in September!
To celebrate the release of her first "Christmas book", Suzanne Woods Fisher has teamed up with her publisher, Revell, to bring you the "Christmas in September" iPad Giveaway! The winner will be announced on 9/27 at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party! Details below. Tell your friends and join in the fun (9/7-9/26).

**Oh and be sure to follow the blog tour here:  http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13425768  Many of the bloggers have copies of the book to giveaway! 

THE ABOVE ICON OUTLINES THE CONTEST RULES AND POLICIES.
TO ENTER THE CONTEST, CLICK ON ONE OF THE '3' ICONS BELOW (EMAIL, TWITTER OR FACEBOOK)!  Hurry! The contest ENDS on 9-27!

ALL the Prizes:
Suzanne and Revell will be presenting one merry winner with a Christmas Prize Pack (valued at over $600):

• A Brand New iPad 2 with Wi-Fi
• $25 gift certificate to iTunes
• A copy of A Lancaster County Christmas

To enter, click one of the icons BELOW!!  Facebook, Twitter, Email. But, hurry the giveaway ends on 9/26.

**But, wait! There's more! The winner will be announced at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party on 9/27 at Suzanne's author page. During the party she'll be revealing something *BIG* - you won't want to miss it. She'll also be hosting a book chat, trivia contest and giving away a few early Christmas presents! Hope to see you there.

Tell your friends and join in the fun (9/7-9/26).  
Facebook party on 9-27.

***ABOUT THE BOOK***

From the Publisher:

Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life as most couples do--in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But four years later they've drifted apart and are almost ready to call it quits.

Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for--news that a baby was on the way. But as usual, she is disappointed. The holidays bring an acute awareness to Mattie that her dream of a big family isn't likely to become a reality.

Then a winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home--and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?

With her trademark plot twists and attention to detail, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers readers a beautiful Christmas story of love, forgiveness, and what truly matters in life.

My Review:

“A Lancaster County Christmas” by Suzanne Woods Fisher

It is the day before Christmas Eve.  A large snowstorm is brewing outside and the first snowflakes are starting to fall and stick to the ground.  Everyone who is out only wants to get home before this snowstorm hits, and hits hard.  These two couples are brought together by fate, or God; a plain couple and an Amish couple, while at the local doctors office.  As the young married woman is about to leave the doctor’s office, the doctor asked her a simple question.  Could she please return the toy owl whistle that the little Amish boy who was there forgot in the doctor’s office?  Their farm is not to far away from the office, he explains.  Hesitantly she agrees, even though it doesn’t quite fit into her schedule.  Oh, she has so much to do.  It’s almost Christmas Eve and she and her husband will be meeting her father to go on a Caribbean cruise.  Ugh.  After the doctor explained to her how losing a toy like this for a child is a horrible event, and for her to please understand, so she does decides to do it.

This young woman and her husband go to the Amish couple’s home to deliver this wooden owl whistle.  A series of events occur, which leave this young couple stranded at this Amish families’ farm overnight.  Ugh. 

Little does each woman know, each of them has separate but similar problems to work out in their marriages.  How can a “plain” couple and an Amish couple have similar marital problems?  Two couples, from completely different backgrounds, have something in common, much more so than they could ever have imagined.

During their many discussions together, more mayhem occurs.  They both continue and encourage each other about very important things in their lives.  While talking, they both find answers from the other’s problems.  This is truly amazing to each of the two women, not that they will readily admit this.

The men are continuing to take care of the mayhem while their talks continue.  This story is about these two women.  What they don’t know is they are learning from the other as time and more discussion goes on.

This book is a short read, only about 208 pages enjoyable.  It is the perfect Christmas read!  It is a comfy, cozy, but adventurous story at the same time.  Two very different couples living under one roof for a couple days brings all of them together, despite their differences.  What they take from each other is priceless.  What happens and how this book ends is truly a miracle.  It is the miraculous work of God.  Christmas is a time for miracles, after all!

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wonderful novelist.  I enjoyed this story in one sitting.    All of her novels are always so enjoyably delicious!

You need to get yourself a copy of this book as a Christmas present for YOU!  I would also suggest this as a wonderful gift for a friend or two, to top your Christmas off with this GREAT read!  I give it 5 out of 5 star Holiday Reading, or anytime reading!

A quick note from me:  I LOVE to read Christmas stories all through the year!  It helps to keep the Christmas spirit alive all through the year!  When Christmas is here, all the hustle and bustle of Christmas prevents us from enjoying these types of books.  Sometimes I think when we see a Christmas book we think we can’t read it because it’s not Christmas time.  I HIGHLY disagree!  ANYTIME is a WONDERFUL time to read a Christmas story, and maybe more so throughout the year than ‘just’ at Christmas.  I know you will love this story immensely.

ENJOY!!

I received this book for “FREE” from Revell, a Division of Baker Publishing Group, through LifFuse Publicity, through their Book Reviewer’s Program in exchange to read and write a review about this book.  It is NOT required for my review I write to be either positive or negative, but, “of my own opinion.”  I was NOT provided with “ANY” monies to accept this book, “NOR” to read it, NOR were “ANY” monies given to me to write the review for this book.  All that was ‘expected’ of me was to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it.  Again, the opinions expressed for and about this book are ‘of my own opinion’.  I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

About Suzanne:

Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research. Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don't have to "go Amish" to incorporate many of their principles--simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily-- into your life. When Suzanne isn't writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne's way of thinking, you just can't take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth.
Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

THIS IS ANOTHER LINK YOU CAN CLICK ON TO TAKE YOU TO THE ENTRY FORM:  http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13425768