Saturday, February 28, 2015

HAPPY RARE DISEASE DAY 2015!!! RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT RARE DISEASES! Come visit to learn more!


                           http://www.rarediseaseday.org

WELCOME! Thanks for coming by to visit for RARE DISEASE DAY 2015! You can celebrate this day EVERY day, too, not just today. You can click on the link above to go to the 'official site' as well as read my story, too!
I have the Official Video for Rare Disease Day 2015 and I would LOVE to share it with you! Here it is!



Rare Disease Day is celebrated every year on February 28th, and every leap year it is on February 29th!
You'll see a list of Rare Diseases in this video, but it's SO SHORT! It's only a small, partial list.
For the United States, you can visit this website HERE!
It's kind of sad. The US has 2 sentences of what can be done here, and that link takes you to a page has very FEW things we can do for Rare Disease Day here in the US. We can LIKE a Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter. Really though, what DOES that do in the grand scheme of things? Not much. I wish we did more, and it saddens me that we don't do more, however, it is outside of the box that usual medical care practices, which can be the absolute answer.

Oh! I have Stiff Person Syndrome. You'll notice on the video under "S" it says Stiff Man Syndrome. At least here in the US the official name is Stiff Person Syndrome. The women, (and 50% more women have this disease than men) all got together wanting to change the name to reflect the proper name! It's not 'just' men!
I have now had this rare disease for more than 11 YEARS now - TOO LONG! Yes, it was a bear to find the correct diagnosis, however, once I found the right doctor, he INSTANTLY KNEW what I had just by looking at me! It was AMAZING!!!! There is NO CURE. These rare diseases are EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO FIND A DIAGNOSIS FOR! DON'T GIVE UP!!!
The average time to find a correct diagnosis here in the US can be 7 years or longer! In my case, it was a total 3 to 3-1/2 years 'after' I was totally and permanently disabled by it, and unable to work, and suffered from it for several years already and being mistreated for so many other WRONG illnesses you would never BELIEVE all the wrong illnesses I was diagnosed with! The MANY DIFFERENT DOCTORS "STILL" could NOT find a correct diagnosis for what I had, and that I felt 'in my gut' was NOT the CORRECT diagnosis.
LISTEN TO YOUR GUT!!! THAT IS WHAT IT IS THERE FOR! See out the right doctors, such as a Neurologist to find out more! You CAN do it to help yourself along!
That is the KEY there! If you feel the diagnosis you have is wrong, keep going online and researching it. That is what I did. I kept getting told I had Osteoarthritis, then it was Sarcoidosis, and on and on and on! What NEVER added up was the severity of the muscle spasms I suffered from. NONE of them matched the definition of ANY OF THE DIAGNOSIS'! NONE OF THEM! Sure enough, I was RIGHT! Listen to your gut. I SWEAR by it! Continue to listen to it, too. You may have other problems caused by the disease which can throw the doctors off, but keep looking. You'll find the CORRECT Rare Disease EVENTUALLY! I PROMISE!                                                                                                  
Stiff Person Syndrome causes severe and unrelenting muscle spasms. It doesn't take much to set them off. I fight them ALL day, EVERY day. The muscle spasms are paralyzing. You cannot move, and you don't dare take a deep breath. They are horrid. SPS only affects 1 in every 1 MILLION people. It is extremely rare. It is NOT a fun disease to have, and in fact, it steals ALL your fun away. You can't do much, and sometimes to get around, you end up needing canes, walkers or wheelchairs. I need to use a wheelchair. I can do about 7 steps inside the house, and most of the time I cannot. Every day is different.
Here is an excellent link to a great article where you can read more about rare diseases HERE!  It is an excellent website to learn a LOT from.
PLEASE NOTICE - THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE US AND THE UK! Many people with socialized medicine in the UK found their diagnosis' FASTER than people HERE in the US with Individual Insurance policies. I can probably give you a LOT of answers as to WHY that it, too, but you will have to PM me at laurieisreading at gmail dot com to ask why. I don't want to go into all of that here. One thing I WILL state HERE is that it is SO HARD to get Referrals to see different doctors HERE! WOW!!!! Even now after I have been diagnosed, I give up on seeing some doctors because I wait and wait and wait forever to get a Referral form to be able to GO and see them, and sometimes they never come through. Patience is a virtue!



In my opinion, I don't feel the US does enough like other countries do (take a look at HOW MANY other countries participate in today! WOW!!! (You need to go to the website in order to be able to see the other countries. I'm sorry but the graphics they have available there for us to download and use are not blog-friendly.
The US isn't even LISTED on that page of other countries that are participating!) I don't feel the US does enough for the people who suffer from rare diseases AND their CAREGIVERS, either. The Caregivers. They work their behinds off to take care of us! WOW!!! I look at my husband and ALL the running he does ALL week, every week, all for me. I feel guilty! He NEVER gets a break, NEVER gets a rest from doing things for BOTH of us, etc. That is the hard part! HE needs a break, but NEVER gets one.
Let's celebrate the Caregivers, too! Please, if you know of a Caregiver, go on over and give them a break so they can leave the house and do something THEY love to do! Take it from me! I know! The only problem is we don't have anyone to help my husband out. It's HARD.
As we celebrate, let's HOPE for MORE cures, too! Stem cell transplants 'seem' to be working on some people with SPS. We'll see!
Congratulations to everyone with a rare disease!!! IT'S RARE DISEASE DAY!

*********

After I finished writing this Post earlier, I have since come across THIS WEBSITE that has a lot of stories from people who have Stiff Person Syndrome, how we live with it, what it does to us on a daily basis, and/or how this disease insidiously moves into their/our lives and completely takes over our bodies, how how it affects us in the beginning as it takes over our bodies/our lives, and how we 'have' to live with it day to day for the rest of our lives. We can't make rhyme or reason how this disease moved in or WHY??? Why did this get us, and we can't figure out how it does this to us every single day of our lives and have NO control over it. That, is mind boggling. We will just be sitting here typing like I am right now, or reading, and the next thing we realize is SPS has taken over our entire bodies riddled with muscle spasms so severely, we are writhing in pain while consciously trying to figure out 'what have we done to cause this'? so we can TRY to avoid it from happening again. The answer is NOTHING! We've done nothing physical that makes sense for the severity of these muscle spasms to move in and take complete control of our bodies like this, so why is this is happening??? Reading about how it took over someone else's life is so familiar that it gave me the chills as I read some of the stories and could so relate to ALL of the people!                                                          
The first story - In tHeHe He washe beginning I have never fallen in the street, but then again there really aren't any streets where I would have needed to be crossing. I've also been smart enough to catch I was having problems immediately and since this disease hit me HARD AND FAST, I didn't have much time where I went through this. My husband recalls one time we went out to eat, and the waitress was going to sit us all the way in the back, and he felt my entire body stiffen. He said he could have taken a finger and pushed me over just like a statue. He was amazed at that. What had gone through my head at the time was I didn't think I would be able to walk that far without going down and into spasms AND in front of ALL THOSE PEOPLE!!! My DEAR husband (and I TRULY mean this!) told the waitress I had a walking problem and wouldn't be able to make it that far. She sat us right there! Thank God!
I could relate to EVERYTHING ELSE THIS WOMAN HAD GONE THROUGH! I LOVE this website!
There are support groups on Facebook, so we are not alone in fighting this!
When this disease hit me at it's hardest, it literally threw me INTO BED a second time, except this time was a little different. I couldn't get out. That was way back on August 16th, 2004. I'll NEVER forget that day and the months and first few years after that.
The ONLY thing that got me out of bed was a medication that is an antispasmodic/antispastic medication often given to people who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis called Baclofen. It did some miracles, and even to today keeps me out of bed. Bed - although I can no longer sleep 'in' a bed because I can't sit up enough or roll to get 'out' of the bed because my medication has worn off. I can only sleep in a recliner - in the living room, which really stinks!

The first article talked about agoraphobia. I don't have that, but I really don't get out of the house. I can't barely tolerate riding in a vehicle. Just the motion of the vehicle alone, the braking, turning, etc., causes a lot of stress on the core muscles of the body, so I really prefer NOT to go out anywhere.

Back to the bed - there are many beds that recline, but they also come with a huge price tag, too, so we are stuck like this, separate. I'm in the living room and he is in the bedroom. Maybe one day??? After Christmas I did find a set for about $2,500, but my husband wasn't happy with that price or the salesman on the phone. He was pretty pushy. He wanted a sale and ONLY a sale. (WHY salesmen who are older like that man is don't know by now that the "pressure technique" does NOT work, I'll NEVER understand! We were buying this thing sight unseen, unfelt, etc. HOW were we supposed to know how nice or NOT this bed was??? Come on! Everything had a restocking fee, too, even if we didn't like it, and given the fact we couldn't even try it out, WE definitely had our hesitations. The brand name of the bed was Craftmatic. Anyone have any experience with a Craftmatic bed before?

That's all for now! I hope I taught you a lot about Rare Disease Day 2015! If you ever want to learn more, give me a shout, and I'll try to help you out! Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Sunday, February 22, 2015

The #NYTimes Top 15 (20) #Bestsellers #ebook + #print for week ending 2-22-15/Blog Updates/FLASH #GIVEAWAY!


Welcome! It's been another week of GREAT books! I've read some amazing books lately, and I hope you have, too! This post is always up by NOON every Sunday, and most of the time earlier! It's the weekend! You never know what's going to happen!

Blog Updates: No 'new' blog hops or giveaways this week, however, you'll be the first to know if that changes!
I know last week I said I had reviews to write, and they are partly written, but I want to change a few around!
Like MANY of you, I have been trapped in this BELOW ZERO ARCTIC AIR! I don't know about you, but I have been reading and reading, all bundled up in blankets! I'll be honest with you here, the thought of coming out from under this little cocoon and putting the laptop ON my lap exposing my arms to the ICE COLD FRIGID AIR has not sounded appealing at ALL! How about you?

FLASH GIVEAWAY!!!Whoever is reading this, if YOU are or have been stuck in this BELOW ZERO ARCTIC AIR BLAST that has been hanging onto us for OVER the last 3 WEEKS NOW, (Anyone reading this can leave a comment for a chance to win!)
1 WINNER!
1 ebook VALUED at $3.99 or less! 
HOW?
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with the info needed below this!
1. Tell us your name
2. What is your email address?
3. Where do you live
4. What was the coldest day and night temperatures - even if it's WARM out!
5. What are you reading? TITLE and AUTHOR? Don't forget to ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS! Make sure to mix it up like this: laurieisreading at g mail dot com so the robots don't pick it up! Good luck!
ENDS SATURDAY FEBRUARY 28th AT MIDNIGHT!

Okay! Let's hit the books!

FICTION: COMBINED EBOOK AND PRINT
All links take you to the ebook. If you want a different version, look in the area which shows the different versions and click on that link and it will take you there! Have FUN!                                                                                                

1.  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
ebook: $  8.99
print:   $16.17



2. Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James
ebook: $4.99
print:   $8.97



3. Obsession in Death by J D Robb
ebook: $10.49
print:   $20.68



4. Motive by Jonathan Kellerman
ebook: $  9.99
print:   $21.17



5. 50 Shades Darker by E L James
ebook $4.99
print:  $9.57



6. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
ebook: $10.99
print:   $15.57



7. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
ebook:$11.99
print:  $16.20



8. Fifty Shades Freed by E L James
ebook: $4.99
print:   $8.98



9. Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
ebook: $14.99
print:   $27.99



10. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
ebook: $4.00
print:   $6.38



11. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
ebook: $12.99
print:   $16.79



12.  Private Vegas by James Patterson
ebook: $  9.99
print:   $12.49



13. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
ebook: $  3.99
print:   $16.16



14. One Night Unveiled by Jodi Ellen Malpas
ebook: $  4.74
print:   $12.75



15. Twelve Days by Alex Berenson
ebook: $11.99
print:   $21.13



Thank you SO much for stopping by!
I do have one thing to say.
How many MORE people out there have not YET bought and read the entire '50 Shades' trilogy besides myself? (I won't be purchasing these.) I ask this because ALL 4 BOOKS made it onto the Bestseller list yet AGAIN!!! Why? (Probably because of the movie.)
I am so sorry, but I am SO tired of these books taking up to 4 spots AWAY FROM OTHER BOOKS/AUTHORS - AGAIN. Books/Authors whose books will NEVER GET A CHANCE TO HAVE THEIR BOOKS SHINE! There is not a way to measure these, either, given it ALL depends upon their popularity.
I have a serious question because maybe I'm missing out on something since I have not bought ONE of these books and I will NOT be going to see the movie, nor renting it when it comes out - are/were ALL 3 or 4 of these books, plus the movie worth the money you have shelled out for it all? Will you be picking up ALL 3/4 books again to read them ALL cover to cover? Are you sorry you purchased ALL of this? So ARE the 50 Shades books that good, looking back now, that you WILL pick them up on a rainy day? Are they are destined to be books you'll be proud to own into the future? 'Can' these be the type of books you CAN/WILL pick up in front of your kids?
The NYTimes Bestseller list is based on the publics' "sales" of books. To learn even more about how the list is determined/reported sales, etc., please click HERE - scroll ALL the way to the bottom of the page to find the explanation. In essence, the public is voting for sex with this/these books, and since I don't read Erotica (many women do and do not), I feel it's a shame when there are so many other better (this is MY opinion) books out there to choose from, especially when what I rely on reading is generally from this list.
I guess I have really learned a LOT about this list this week over the weeks/months/years that I have been writing this Post, and seeing some of the books that have hit this list. One is just having the title of being a "New York Times Best Selling Author" no longer means very much at all to me as it did at one time in the past because it is ALL based on POPULARITY. (Gee, just like back in High School! This is WRONG!) If there was a book I just loved and it did hit this list, many people loved the book as well BUT THAT WAS "ONLY" DURING "ONE WEEK"! Half those people could have liked that book one week, and the other half the second week, they just ALL didn't buy and read that ONE BOOK during that ONE WEEK! I feel this POPULARITY CONTEST back in High School! This "LIST" IS WRONG/UNFAIR/UNJUST. I could go on, but I'll spare you. Also, books I just LOVE/LOVED may very well NOT EVER have hit this list, and that is okay! It definitely appealed to myself, (and that IS what matters when you are reading!) but not everyone in ONE certain week of time. Over time, a book may sell MORE copies than a book that does hit this list, just not at the same time as one that hit the list in ONE week, and that is okay! One book may not be on this list now because it may not have appealed to a LOT of people one week, and not another, and then three weeks later but that book was only 'popular' at one time, not that it made an impact on people's lives, or made a difference in the world - YET! (Yes, I very much do believe Fiction CAN make a HUGE impact upon the world!)
It is time to QUIT RELYING ON THIS LIST TO FIND BOOKS - or to make one book look better than another! This list is just a list to watch and have FUN with! Time to find BETTER lists! Lists like that last a month or longer! Time to talk to some author friends of mine to find out the lists THEY think are the BEST!
Here are the rest of the books that should be higher up on the list (in my opinion)
If you are going to write a COMMENT about this section, please WRITE #2 BEFORE YOU WRITE YOUR COMMENT! THANKS!!!





  • BLOOD INFERNAL, by James Rollins (Morrow)
  • STILL ALICE, by Lisa Genova (Pocket Books)
  • CRASH AND BURN, by Lisa Gardner (Dutton)
  • GRAY MOUNTAIN, by John Grisham (Doubleday)
  • THE ESCAPE, by David Baldacci (Grand Central)
  • Sunday, February 15, 2015

    The #NYTimes Top 15 (20) #Bestsellers in #Fiction in combined ebook and print week ending 2-15-15!


    Welcome! Another week has gone by, and I'm anxious to see the NEW RELEASES! This Post is always up every Sunday by NOON, and sometimes earlier!

    HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY WEEKEND! I hope you and your loved one(s) got to spend some wonderful time together! You have today, the ENTIRE DAY LEFT to celebrate! I hope it's the BEST!

    This last week at the blog ALL of the Giveaways have ended! Now I have a LOT of reviews to write now! Here is one of them from Friday, Feb 13th:

    #REVIEW - The Commitment Test (Book Two of the Marin Test series) by @AmandaAksel

    This coming week at the blog: #REVIEWS ARE COMING!
    I am SO behind on writing these, get ready! I have to catch-up with my Challenges and the Review Archive, too! Also, pick a random winner from the Hop that just ended! I'll review it ALL with you next Sunday!

    As for now . . . let's hit the books!

    FICTION: COMBINED EBOOK AND PRINT
    All books link to the Kindle version. If you want a different format, just look for the type you want while at the book's page! Click on it and it will take you there! Here we go!

    1.   The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
    ebook: $  8.99
    print:   $16.17



    2. Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James
    ebook: $2.99
    print:   $8.97



    3. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
    ebook: $14.99
    print:   $16.79



    4. Crash and Burn by Lisa Gardner
    ebook: $11.99
    print:   $20.93



    5. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
    ebook: $11.99
    print:   $16.20



    6. Private Vegas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
    ebook: $  9.99
    print:   $12.36



    7. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
    ebook: $4.99
    print:   $6.29



    8. Fifty Shades Darker by E L James
    ebook: $4.99
    print:   $8.96



    9. Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
    ebook: $14.99
    print:   $27.99



    10. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
    ebook: $  3.99
    print:   $16.16



    11. Fifty Shades Freed by E L James
    ebook: $4.99
    print:   $8.98



    12. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
    ebook: $6.99
    print:   $7.99



    13. Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren
    ebook: $ .99
    No print version . . . yet



    14. THREE, TWO, ONE (321) by JA Huss
    ebook: $  3.99
    print:   $13.59



    15. Gray Mountain by John Grisham
    ebook: $  9.99
    print:   $14.48


    Thanks for coming by again! Hope you liked the books this week! LOTS of '50 Shades' book variations. Wow. Here are the rest of the books, and I hope to see you all back here again next week! Have a GREAT one!!

  • THE ESCAPE, by David Baldacci (Grand Central)
  • HERO, by Samantha Young (NAL)
  • TRIGGER WARNING, by Neil Gaiman (Morrow)
  • DARK PLACES, by Gillian Flynn (Broadway)
  • ORPHAN TRAIN, by Christina Baker Kline (Morrow/HarperCollins)


  • Friday, February 13, 2015

    #REVIEW - BUZZ BOOKS 2015 SPRING/SUMMER ADULT VERSION AND BUZZ BOOKS 2015 YOUNG ADULT SPRING VERSION by PublishersLunch


    ADULT VERSION



    YOUNG ADULT VERSION


    5 STARS!!!
    I LOVE these books! I eagerly wait for these books to come out twice a year since they were released about four years ago on NetGalley! They release two of these every year now, actually four are released because 2 are the Adult Versions, which is the version I get, and the other two are the Young Adult Versions, which I do not get only because I don't enjoy Young Adult as much as I enjoy Adult.
    The BEST part about these books is you can request the titles featured in these books right from your Kindle! Unfortunately, not ALL titles are available for review. Bummer! I've read a few chapters from a few amazing authors, such as S J Watson and Chevy Stevens that are NOT available! Ugh! I WISH!!! I'd LOVE to read them NOW! I guess I'll have to wait!
    The Adult version book has about 40'ish books, and is set up with a Table of Contents, an Introduction, The Spring/Summer Publishers, Buzz Books Authors Appearing at Winter Institute, Excerpts by Publisher, About NetGalley. There is Part One: Fiction. Part Two: Debut Fiction and Part Three: NonFiction. Copyright and The End.
    Oh! The books! You have GOT to take the time to read this book! You will be salivating at some of the books that are coming! You are going to find yourself requesting books to read/review, and your TBR list at NetGalley is going to GROW, and quickly! Remember, not all books are available for review (bummer!!!). I wrote down the books I requested on my calendar according to their release dates. Most books seem to come out in June, but there are some that release sooner. A calendar to keep track is a MUST HAVE!
    Enjoy!! I sure did, and now I get to start reading!!!

    The Young Adult version is most likely set-up the same.
    I received this book for FREE from the Publisher's Lunch and NetGalley in exchange to read and write a review about it. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but of my own honest opinion. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. 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.


    #REVIEW - The Commitment Test, A Novel, (Book Two of The Marin Test Series) by Amanda Aksel


    The Commitment Test
    (The Marin Test Series: Book Two)
    By: Amanda Aksel
    Release Date: February 4th, 2015
    Publisher: Elephantine Publishing
    Genre: Women’s Fiction

    Available Now on Kindle Nook iBook Kobo

    Synopsis:

    When a Valentine’s Day proposal doesn’t come with an engagement ring, Marin Johns begins to wonder if she and James will ever get married. As her closest friends begin to move forward with their lives, she refuses to be left behind.
    Hope is restored as she devises a plan to get James down on one knee by becoming the ideal mate. Everything seems to fall into place until her college boyfriend resurfaces after a decade with his own ideas about their future. Will Marin be forced to choose between the man of her dreams and the diamond ring she’s always dreamed of?

    Amanda Aksel Bio


    Amanda Aksel is an author with an affinity for love. Becoming a couples therapist was her “backup” career, and after completing her BA in Psychology she was on her way to solving love’s most complicated quandaries one couple at a time. Now she plans to solve love’s most complicated quandaries one novel at a time. 

    Social media links
    Twitter: @amandaaksel
    Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Q2ibz

    Link to buy Amanda's first novel The Man Test (The Marin Test Series: Book One) on sale for $.99!

    MY TAKE:
    5 STARS!
    The Commitment Test is book 2 after the first book, The Man Test, and this book completes this perfect duo. You don't need to read Book One, but it sure does make this story better if you do. This book continues on with Marin and James' love story, although it seems rocky at times, especially when James doesn’t propose on Valentine’s Day, the day Marin is positive he is going to propose, about a million things go through her head. Everything is perfect for them, especially after The Man Test, so what happened? What went wrong? Why did he not propose?
    You don't know what's going to happen when along comes her old college boyfriend up in HER town! This was pretty amazing!
    There is some fun humor written in this book, but it is greatly needed at times for poor Marin, who doesn’t think she’ll ever get engaged, let alone get married! Shall we say Type A personality?! Marin likes things to go as planned, and when they don’t, she somewhat falls apart, and this is where the author’s strong secondary characters come in to play.
    This was a fun book to read, not a dull moment to it. This author knows how to entertain her readers while writing a solid, enjoyable story. Pick up a copy of this one for this Valentine's Day this weekend! You'll love it!

    I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes.

    Saturday, February 7, 2015

    The #NYTimes Top 15 (20) #Bestsellers in #Fiction for the week ending Feb 8th, 2015 plus #BLOGGING UPDATES!


    Welcome! It's been another week of GREAT books! I can't wait to see what books made the list this week! This post is always up every Sunday by NOON every weekend and most of the time earlier!
    Thanks for coming by! I LOVE sharing this list with you! If anyone is interested in linking to this Post, you are MORE than welcome to do so! It takes me about 2-1/2 hours to type it up, especially depending on what I write 'here' in this location, first. You could do a Blog Update like I do, or however you want to word what is going on at your blog each Sunday and link it here at my blog in the comments for now until I look into the Linky link-up that is out there, the pricing in particular, and that way your Follower's can see the NYTimes bestsellers, too, and you don't have to do the work!
    Also - if you link up HERE, then anyone who reads this post can see everyone's links, too!
    I LOVE sharing this list with everyone!

    I have the Winter Blues! This week has been a struggle for me - temperature wise! It's been SO COLD here! At night it's been below zero and then some, which doesn't add in the wind chill/dew point which has been an additional 10 to 15 degrees below zero! It's been a battle to stay warm! All I want to do is sit here wrapped up in my 3-layer thick fleece blanket! I learned to take my showers in the afternoon while the sun is out, thus making the house warmer! LOL! Anything to help stay warmer!!!
    Earlier this last Fall, I weatherized this house as much as I could. The problem is the front door. This summer I'll have to get my husband to take it off the hinges, lay it flat, and check the bottom out. There is some type of weather stripping missing that has worn out and is now missing from the bottom of that door. This is where the ICE COLD AIR is coming IN THE HOUSE AT! When I say ICE COLD, I mean it! For now, I have towels shoved up against the bottom of the door, which is a pain when you have a dog who constantly wants to go in and out! She owns a fur coat, so . . . she doesn't care!
    When my husband leaves for work in the morning, I'm not always awake to put the towels back in front of the door, either, so it just lets that cold air pour in! A door sweep won't work either. There is that other part missing that attaches to the underside of the door, (I don't know the name of it offhand) and I'm pretty sure that is what is letting in ALL that cold air, which is really an easy fix - in the summer! Not now!
    Then THE SNOW!!!!!!!
    I'm SO tired of it!
    In the meantime, I just can't WAIT for the temperatures to warm up! Thankfully, one week of February is over! Three more to go! Yes! I'm counting!!! March usually starts to warm up a little more, so I have my eye on the prize of March!
    What about YOU? Have YOU been freezing, too? Any tips on keeping the cold air OUT of the house? I'd LOVE to know!

    UPDATE! GREAT NEWS FOR TODAY, Sunday!!! "TODAY" is going to be a HEAT WAVE!!! Woo-hoo! High: 37 Low: 16 YES!!!!
    Mon and Tues at a high of 23 both days with a low of 12 for both!
    Wed high is 29, then a low of 13 THEN . . .
    THURSDAY IT ALLLLLL GOES DOWN THE DRAIN FROM THERE!
    Back to freezing my bejeevers!!!!!!!! (Whatever those are! LOL!!! My Grandmother used to say that! LOL!!!) Get this . . . With a . . .
    HIGH OF 16 AND A LOW OF -6 (with barely ANY sun, and I forgot to check the wind. Nevermind! I don't want to know!) AND SO ON UNTIL THE FOLLOWING WEEK . . . Brrrrrrr, so it is  . . . CELEBRATION TIME FROM TODAY, SUNDAY, TO THIS WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!! HOORAY!!! (And that is STILL BLANKETY BLANK COLD!!!!!!!!!!!!)

    What's going on at the blog till the 14th at midnight? Take a look in the upper LEFT side column! There are two AWESOME things!
    One is a $250 CASH Giveaway
    and the second is a BLOG HOP!
    Go ahead and click on each of the photos up at the top to enter them!
    The Blog Hop has 118 other blogs participating, so HOP your way to each blog and enter them! Good luck!

    Reviews: I have so MANY reviews to write! It IS warming up this week for a FEW days! I'll be coming out of my cocoon to write them! LOL!
    Watch for a NEW review on a book by Amanda Aksel called "The Commitment Test"! I think my review date for that book is Friday the 13th!

    Okay! Let's see the books now!

    FICTION: COMBINED EBOOK AND PRINT
    All links go to the ebook. If you are interested in a different version book, look for it while you are at the kindle site. Just click on the version you want and it will take you there! Enjoy!


    1.   The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
    ebook: $ 8.99
    print:  $16.23



    2. Private Vegas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
    ebook: $  9.99
    print:   $12.61



    3. Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James
    ebook: $2.99
    print:   $8.97



    4. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
    ebook: $11.99
    print:   $16.20



    5. Viper Game by Christine Feehan
    ebook: $5.99
    print:   $7.99



    6. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
    ebook: $4.99
    print:   $6.38



    7. Beautiful Redemption by Jamie McGuire
    ebook: $  5.99
    print:   $13.49



    8. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn
    ebook: $6.15
    print:   $7.99



    9. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
    ebook: $  3.99
    print:   $16.16



    10. Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost
    ebook: $5.99
    print:   $7.99



    11. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
    ebook: $6.99
    print:   $7.99



    12. In His Keeping by Maya Banks
    ebook: $  7.59
    print:   $12.27



    13. Fifty Shades Darker by E L James
    ebook: $7.99
    print:   $8.96



    14. The Escape by David Baldacci
    ebook: $  9.99
    print:   $12.97



    15. Gray Mountain by John Grisham
    ebook: $  9.99
    print:   $12.48



    Thanks for stopping by again! Hope to see you through the week, too! Don't forget about the Giveaway up above for the $250! Also, don't forget about the Blog Hop! Both are located in the UPPER LEFT SIDE COLUMN, so just click on the photos! Here are the remaining 5 books!


  • DARK PLACES, by Gillian Flynn (Broadway)
  • ONE NIGHT STAND, by J. S. Cooper and Helen Cooper (J.S. Cooper)
  • SAINT ODD, by Dean Koontz (Bantam)
  • FIFTY SHADES TRILOGY, by E. L. James (Vintage)
  • ORPHAN TRAIN, by Christina Baker Kline (Morrow/HarperCollins)