Teaser Tuesdays - September 30, 2014

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

A little background before the teaser - Dominica is the Spanish lady that Englishman Sir Nicholas Beauvallet has promised to seek out and marry, and she is secretly in love with him, although she is a ward of her aunt's in Spain during a time of great hostility between their two countries.

It was not caution made her [Dominica] so reticent, for she could not think that she would ever see Sir Nicholas again, but she had a dread of letting her aunt into her confidence. Dona Beatrice was like a snail, she thought, trailing a sticky poison in her wake. What she touched she soiled; all virtue was made to seem a little foolish; all vice was merely smiled upon.

~Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer, page 202

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Scripture and a Snapshot - September 27. 2014

Show me the right path, O Lord; 

point out the road for me to follow.

Lead me by your truth and teach me,

for you are the God who saves me.

All day long I put my hope in you.

~Psalm 25:4-5~

Scripture and a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life. 

The Weekend Brew is hosted by My Freshly Brewed Life.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - Making Waves

Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad - This book was offered for free on Kindle not that long ago, and the humorous and summery cover attracted me. The reviews were mixed but I was willing to give it a try. The setting is a resort lake in Iowa during 1895, and the main character is Marguerite Westing, an impulsive and adventurous young lady chafing against the strict and joyless life her mother is pushing her towards. Mrs Westing fully expects Marguerite to marry Roger Gordon, but Marguerite finds him exceedingly boring and loathes spending time with him. He is completely serious and although he is polite and proper, it doesn't seem as though he has any emotions or that he actually cares about Marguerite other than as a trophy for his collection. Meanwhile, Marguerite discovers that she loves sailing and she is determined to take lessons even though it was not considered at all ladylike. The boating instructor, Trip Andrews, reluctantly takes Marguerite and her younger brother as students, and the attraction between her and Trip is obvious. She takes to sailing quite naturally, and she and Trip are clearly very taken with each other. But Marguerite has a tendency to be sneaky and tell fibs to get her own way, and when Trip discovers her deception he finds it very hard to trust her in anything. Marguerite is not the only one with secrets and lies, and much more than her sailing lessons is at stake when Roger determines that he will marry Marguerite no matter what. Will Marguerite live a lie in order to protect her family, or will she follow her heart?

I enjoyed the lighthearted tone through most of the book, and the humor. I liked that the main characters were not presented as practically perfect, but had realistic flaws that they didn't immediately acknowledge, but had to work through. The ending was overly dramatic and not nearly as believable as the first three quarters of the book and I thought it over the top, but in general this was an enjoyable beach read type book.

(Book #40 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge)

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

WWW Wednesdays - September 24, 2014

Should Be Reading hosts this weekly update on what we're reading, what we recently finished reading, and what's next. 

• What are you currently reading?   I've just started Song of Redemption by Lynn Austin. I read the first book in that series awhile ago, so I am rather overdue in starting the second! And on my Kindle, I am working going on - Robin: Lady of Legend by R.M. ArceJaeger, which I started last week; She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell; Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad; and Waiting for Summer's Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer.

   

    

• What did you recently finish reading?  I finished The Eight by Katherine Neville. (Read my thoughts about this book HERE.)

• What do you think you'll read next? I am waiting for a new book to arrive in the mail soon, so I'll probably start that next.

What are you reading? Anyone can join in this link-up by answering these three questions. Visit Should Be Reading for this week's link-up.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesdays - September 23, 2014

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

"Maybe. I'll pray about it."
"A you-telling-God-how-to-run-things prayer or a real Thy-will-be-done prayer?"

~Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad, page 116

When the others saw what had happened to their leader, those who were able to dropped their weapons and fled, leaving their fallen comrades behind. John Little stood up slowly from his defensive crouch, his gaze taking in the murdered man and Robin's shocked expression.
~Robin: Lady of Legend by R.M. ArceJaeger

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - The Eight

The Eight by Katherine Neville - This exciting adventure story has been one of my favorites for many years, and it's one I re-read fairly regularly. It's sort of a combination of thriller, mystery, and historical novel, with some sci-fi and fantasy elements thrown in for good measure. There are parallel stories taking place in two different time periods. In one, a French nun named Mireille has fled an Abbey during the French Revolution, and she carries with her pieces of an ancient chess set said to have mystical power. Some of the other nuns have carried away pieces of the chess set as well, and the mission the Abbess has charged them with is to protect those pieces and scatter them so that the mysterious formula hidden in the chess set cannot fall into the wrong hands. Mireille eventually winds up with many of chess pieces, and on her own personal quest to recover as many of them as possible and figure out the secret hidden in the set. She travels all over Europe and to Algeria in her search, and faces intrigue, conspiracies, and deadly situations. In the second story, Catherine is a computer specialist in the 1970s who has been assigned to develop programs and models in Algeria for the fledgling organization OPEC. Before leaving the USA, she is recruited to hunt for an antique chess piece while in Algeria. She becomes a player in the same dangerous Game as Mireille, and embroiled in her own race to find the chess pieces and decipher the formula before the "bad guys" do. But who is on the Black Team and who is on the White Team? Who can either of these women trust as allies?

As many times as I've read this book, I thoroughly enjoy it every time, and I especially love the character Catherine's dry humor.

My previous posts about The Eight can be seen HERE and HERE.

By the same author: The Fire

(Book #39 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge)

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

Scripture and a Snapshot: September 20, 2014

As he (Darius) came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?"

Then Daniel said to the king, "O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him: and also before you, O king, I have done no harm."

Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

"...people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God, enduring forever;

his kingdom shall never be destroyed,

and his dominion shall be to the end.

He delivers and rescues;

he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth,

he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions."

~Daniel 6:20-23, 26-27~

Scripture and a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

The Weekend Brew is hosted by My Freshly Brewed Life.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

WWW Wednesdays - September 17, 2014

Should Be Reading hosts this weekly update on what we're reading, what we recently finished reading, and what's next. 

• What are you currently reading?  I'm nearing the end of The Eight by Katherine Neville. I have several books going on my Kindle right now - Robin: Lady of Legend by R.M. ArceJaeger, which I started last week; She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell; Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad; and Waiting for Summer's Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer.

   

   

• What did you recently finish reading? I finished Tried and True by Mary Connealy. (Read my thoughts about this book HERE.)

• What do you think you'll read next? I've got a big stack to choose from, and so many going right now that I'll have to answer this by saying, "I have no idea!"

What are you reading? Anyone can join in this link-up by answering these three questions. Visit Should Be Reading for this week's link-up.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesdays - September 16, 2014

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

She could see the words now:

Here lies Marguerite Westing.

Only nineteen, but now she's resting.

Strolling through the park with Roger Gordon,

Once full of life, she died of boredom.

Marguerite giggled.

~Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad, page 9

"What's the model to do?" I clutched the signed contract to my chest, wishing I could see Petard's face when he opened it in Paris -- the contract the entire partnership couldn't get signed.

"We would like to predict," Kamel said, "what the world will do, economically, when we cut off their supply of petroleum."

The Eight by Katherine Neville, page 304

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Scripture and a Snapshot: September 13, 2014

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening - it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
~Hebrews 12:11-13~

Scripture and a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

The Weekend Brew is hosted by My Freshly Brewed Life.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

The "Summer's Flying By" Reading Challenge, Mini-Challenge #7 and Update

Time for another update on The "Summer's Flying By" Reading Challenge! We took on Mini-Challenge #1:

S-U-M-M-E-R

S - (A) Stand At Sinai by Hope Auer

U - Understanding the Times by Ken Ham (finished!)

M - Michal by Jill Eileen Smith

M - (The) Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene

E - (The) Eight by Katherine Neville

R - Robin: Lady of Legend by R.M. ArceJaeger

And Mini-Challenge #4 was to read a book with the word "Summer" in the title. It took me awhile to decide, so I just started reading a book called Waiting for Summer's Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer. The reference to summer in that title is actually the lead character's name!

I was unable to get an update post up the past two weeks. Mini-Challenge #5 was titled "Have We Met?" and was designed to introduce yourself to a new author. We were encouraged to grab a book by an author we'd never read and settle in. I have a couple books by Siri Mitchell in my to-read stack that look intriguing, but I've never read anything by her before, so I think I will get going on one of those. Either that or Wuthering Heights. Do you know I've never read Emily Bronte? I haven't. I am ashamed.

Mini-Challenge #6 was "What's In A Name?" For this one we had a choice: either read a book with a main character that shares our name, and/or read books with titles that start with the letters of our name. The only book I can think of with a character that shares my name is Kim by Rudyard Kipling. I've never read it. Hmmm... Maybe now is the time.


We have come to Mini-Challenge #7, which is to read a book where the title or the cover photo makes you think of summer somehow. It doesn't have to say summer or be summer related at all. Just reading the title or looking at the photo reminds you of summertime. I picked up a free book for my Kindle awhile ago that will fit this perfectly: Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad. This is a very summery cover! Don't you agree?

Here is the list of titles we are currently reading, or have finished since starting the challenge:

Kennady's Books

The Hunger Games (finished)

The Fellowship of the Ring

The Mysterious Letter (finished)

The Happy Valley Mystery

The Secret of the Old Clock (finished)
Catching Fire (finished)
Mockingjay

Kym's Books

A Stand At Sinai

Michal (finished)

The Eight

The Toll-Gate (finished)

Understanding the Times (finished)

Loyal In Love (finished)
Lady of Quality (finished)
Tried and True (finished)
Robin: Lady of Legend
Waiting for Summer's Return

So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall. ~Roald Dahl

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Weekend Reflections: Because Mom is Holding the Camera

You know how moms are never in pictures? I made sure I was in this one. I was taking pictures of the vacation home we stayed in last week and wanted to get a picture of the whirlpool and sauna. The whole wall behind the whirlpool is a mirror, so there really wasn't a way to get that picture without me in it!



This post is linked at Weekend Reflections.

Reflection = An image given back by a reflecting surface

Post a photo taken by you that contains a visual reflection (water, glass, metal, eyes, etc - be creative! Reflections can be found almost anywhere!) and link up at the Weekend Reflections blog from Friday 11am through midnight Sunday each weekend. Comment on other Weekend Reflections participant's blogs.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - Tried and True

Tried and True by Mary Connealy - I was delighted with the opportunity to read and review the first book in the new Wild at Heart series. The series promises to deliver lighthearted historical romance set in the post-Civil War frontier. In this first novel, Kylie Wilde, the youngest of three sisters, has grown tired of wearing britches and hoping everyone continues to believe she is a man. Even though her two older sisters persist in the practice, and her father continues to pressure her. After all, the three Wilde sisters served in the Union army disguised as "boys", and that's how they earned the homesteading exemptions they are now making use of in the frontier west. Kylie is quickly found out after the local land agent comes by to check her claim, and once he knows her secret, the possibility looms that she and her family members could lose their claims.

Aaron Masterson is the local land agent, and he is fascinated with Kylie from the moment he meets her. When someone tries to force Kylie off her land, he does everything he can to protect her, and even comes up with an attractive solution to her problem - he could marry her. But Kylie's dream is to return to the East and live a "civilized" life, and Aaron is determined not to go back to his childhood home but to head further west.

I was hooked by the characters right from the first, and thoroughly enjoyed reading the story. The obvious attraction between Kylie and Aaron, and the contrast of their hopes for the future drive the romance part of the story. It's also helped along by Aaron's desire to protect Kylie from her bullying father, the local cattle rancher who wants access to the spring on her land, and the unknown folks who are doing their best to scare her into abandoning the claim. There is subtle humor along the way as well, in several of the situations the Wilde sisters find themselves in. Some of the scenes stretched my credulity somewhat, and towards the end one of the supporting characters has an abrupt and drastic change of heart that I found difficult to believe (which is all I'll say - no spoilers) but overall I loved the story and my introduction to Mary Connealy's writing.

From the publisher:

Saddle up for a wildly fun ride with the Wilde sisters!

Kylie Wilde is the youngest sister - and the most civilized. Her older sisters might be happy dressing in trousers and posing as men, but Kylie has grown her hair long and wears skirts every chance she gets. It's a risk - they are homesteading using the special exemptions they earned serving in the Civil War as "boys" - but Kylie plans to make the most of the years before she can sell her property and return to the luxuries of life back East.

Local land agent Aaron Masterson is fascinated with Kylie from the moment her long hair falls from her cap. But now that he knows her secret, can he in good conscience defraud the U.S. government? And when someone tries to force Kylie off her land, does he have any hope of convincing her that marrying him and settling on the frontier is the better option for her future?

Visit the Baker Publishing Group for info on where to buy.

(Book #38 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge)

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

WWW Wednesdays: September 10, 2014

Should Be Reading hosts this weekly update on what we're reading, what we recently finished reading, and what's next. 

• What are you currently reading?  I guess I'm about halfway through The Eight by Katherine Neville. When I got home from vacation, I got a lovely surprise - the book Tried and True by Mary Connealy had arrived in the mail, so I am reading that as well. The one I have open on my Kindle right now is Robin: Lady of Legend by R.M. ArceJaeger.

   

• What did you recently finish reading? I finished two Georgette Heyer books last week - The Toll-Gate and Lady of Quality. (Read my thoughts about these books HERE and HERE.)

  

• What do you think you'll read next? Oh, the age-old question. Do you know, I still have Deep & Wide by Andy Stanley and Enough ready to read? I need to get going on those, and soon.

      

What are you reading? Anyone can join in this link-up by answering these three questions. Visit Should Be Reading for this week's link-up.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/