White House at Christmas

We hope you are having a wonderful Christmas day with your family.  We are enjoying our family.  One of our treasures is having both our girls and their families close by.   Going to the White House with Kristin and her husband was a lot of fun!

Their dog Bo was on display.

 This is the China room.  It is really beautiful.

 This is Kristin and I outside the library room.  Kristin and I love books, so we thought this would be an appropriate place for us to have a picture taken.

This is a fruit tree – starting with yellow fruit, then green, then read.

This is the coolest bubble tree.

This is the gingerbread house this year.  Bo is on the left and Santa is on the roof.

This tree has ornaments from all the past First Ladies.

We took a couple of pictures outside.

 After outside, we saw where they are getting ready for the inauguration.

 I hope all these pictures add to your Christmas day!

New York City at Christmas time!

If you need another way to get in the Christmas mood – New York City has plenty to offer!

 The tree and the skating just put you in mood to celebrate.

We were walking around looking at all the windows.  It was so much.

My daughter Kristin of Kritters Ramblings, and I are huge book fans.  When we found a window with a library inside we had to have a picture of it and a picture of us in front of it.

 

The next day we walked through central park.

Then we went to the Empire State Building.




 View from the top of the Empire State Building.




That night we went to see the Rocketts at Radio City Hall.  It was awesome!  Fun night!

This was a great way to start a holiday with my family.

Goodnight, Brian

Author:  Steven Manchester                                        
Publisher:  The Story Plant
Pages:  308
Genre: Fiction
Source:  author – Steven Manchester

Goodreads:  Fate was working against little Brian Mauretti. The food that was meant to nourish him was poisoning him instead, and the doctors said the damage was devastating and absolute. Fate had written off Brian. But fate didn’t count on a woman as determined as Brian’s grandmother, Angela DiMartino � who everyone knew as Mama. Loving her grandson with everything she had, Mama endeavored to battle fate. Fate had no idea what it was in for.

An emotional tale about the strength of family bonds, unconditional love, and the perseverance to do our best with the challenging gifts we receive, GOODNIGHT, BRIAN is an uplifting tribute to what happens when giving up is not an option.


Ope’s Opinion:  The grandmother in this story is very strong and loves unconditionally.  I can only aspire to be like her.  She never gave up on Brian, even when many of those around him did.  Steven wrote the grandmothers voice so authentically, I wonder if he wrote from experiencing a grandmother like her.
                            Reading a story of a child struggling to do things we do on a daily basis so easily made me grateful for my healthy children.  It also gave me insight to people who deal with children with difficulties.  Steven gave you the perspective of both the adult and the child in this situation.
                           
                            It was written so that I rooted for Brian, fell in love with Mama ( the grandmother ) and wanted everyone else to care about these character.

                             I rarely cry while reading a book, but I did with this one.  It all felt so real to me.  I could see what was being written.

                            Overall, great story!  Keep writing Steven and I’ll keep reading!





Rating:  Four Chairs ( maybe four and a half! ) – I like this book so much I know several friends to    
               share it with.  

      




            FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection: 

                                 I received one copy of this book free of charge from Steven Manchester. 
                                             I was not required to write a positive review
                                                  in exchange for receipt of the book;
                                       rather the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
                                                        

Waiting on Wednesday

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at  Breaking the Spine
that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. 


My pick is:

The Comfort of Lies  by Randy Susan Meyers
Publisher:  Atria
Pub date: February 12, 2013

Goodreads:  “Happiness at someone else’s expense came at a price. Tia had imagined judgment from the first kiss that she and Nathan shared. All year, she’d waited to be punished for being in love, and in truth, she believed that whatever consequences came her way would be deserved.” Five years ago, Tia fell into obsessive love with a man she could never have. Married, and the father of two boys, Nathan was unavailable in every way. When she became pregnant, he disappeared, and she gave up her baby for adoption.


Five years ago, Caroline, a dedicated pathologist, reluctantly adopted a baby to please her husband. She prayed her misgivings would disappear; instead, she’s questioning whether she’s cut out for the role of wife and mother.

Five years ago, Juliette considered her life ideal: she had a solid marriage, two beautiful young sons, and a thriving business. Then she discovered Nathan’s affair. He promised he’d never stray again, and she trusted him.

But when Juliette intercepts a letter to her husband from Tia that contains pictures of a child with a deep resemblance to her husband, her world crumbles once more. How could Nathan deny his daughter? And if he’s kept this a secret from her, what else is he hiding? Desperate for the truth, Juliette goes in search of the little girl. And before long, the three women and Nathan are on a collision course with consequences that none of them could have predicted.

Riveting and arresting, The Comfort of Lies explores the collateral damage of infidelity and the dark, private struggles many of us experience but rarely reveal.



What are you waiting for?

It is Monday, What are you Reading?



This is my first It’s Monday, What are you reading? .  Let me know if you are reading of like any of the same books.  My daughter Kristin of Kritters Ramblings is always encouraging and teaching me more about blogging.  Thanks again Kristin!







A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 


Finished this past week:
Goodnight, Brian by Steven Manchester                      

















Currently Reading:

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley





















Next on the TBR pile:

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
The Girls’ Guide to Love and Supper Club by Dana Bate

Get them while you can!

This is my daughter Jennifer at Grounded Coffee shop in Alexandria, Va.  She is selling her scarves and other gifts at the craft show.

The scarves are made from very soft yarn.  It is too bad you can’t feel it through the computer!
They are going fast, so if you want one – go to her Etsy store now!  
Can you tell I am a proud mom??

Firstborn

Firstborn

Author: Robin Lee Hatcher
Publisher: Tyndale House
Pages: 336
Format: Book
Goodreads: Erika’s worst fear is realized when her well-kept secret shows up on her doorstep. As she reaches out to the daughter she gave up for adoption 21 years ago, her husband pulls away, leaving Erika with an impossible choice. This emotionally gripping story will touch and challenge readers.


Ope’s Opinion: This book really did make me feel what the characters are feeling.  I could put myself in their shoes.  I was into this book from the beginning and did not want to put it down.  Hatcher has written several books, but this is my favorite.



Rating: Five Chairs – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on….











Not My Daughter

Not My Daughter

Author: Barbara Delinsky
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 368
Genre: Chick lit
Goodreads:   When Susan Tate’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Lily, announces she is pregnant, Susan is stunned. A single mother, she has struggled to do everything right. She sees the pregnancy as an unimaginable tragedy for both Lily and herself.


Then comes word of two more pregnancies among high school juniors who happen to be Lily’s best friends-and the town turns to talk of a pact. As fingers start pointing, the most ardent criticism is directed at Susan. As principal of the high school, she has always been held up as a role model of hard work and core values. Now her detractors accuse her of being a lax mother, perhaps not worthy of the job of shepherding impressionable students. As Susan struggles with the implications of her daughter’s pregnancy, her job, financial independence, and long-fought-for dreams are all at risk. 

The emotional ties between mothers and daughters are stretched to breaking in this emotionally wrenching story of love and forgiveness. Once again, Barbara Delinsky has given us a powerful novel, one that asks a central question: What does it take to be a good mother?



Ope’s Opinion:  As a mother of two daughters I could really relate to these mothers in the story.  It is always hard to imagine your daughter would get pregnant on purpose.  Every mother thinks the best of their child.  The emotions in this book are raw and very realistic.  It was good to see the relationships between the mothers and daughters grow and change.  I highly recommend this book.

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

The Daughter She Used To Be

The Daughter She Used To Be

 
Author: Rosalind Noonan
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Pages: 352
Genre: Fiction
Goodreads:      In this emotionally charged and riveting novel from the author of One September Morning and In a Heartbeat, one woman is torn between loyalty to her family’s ways and to her most profound convictions. . .
The daughter of a career cop, Bernadette Sullivan grew up with blue uniforms hanging in the laundry room and cops laughing around the dinner table. Her brother joined New York’s finest, her sisters married cops, and Bernie is an assistant District Attorney. Collaring criminals, putting them away—it’s what they do. And though lately Bernie feels a growing desire for a family of her own, she’s never questioned her choices. Then a shooter targets a local coffee shop, and tragedy strikes the Sullivan family.
Anger follows grief—and Bernie realizes that her father’s idea of retribution is very different from her own. All her life, she’s inhabited a clear-cut world of right and wrong, of morality and corruption. As Bernie struggles to protect the people she loves, she must also decide what it means to see justice served. And in her darkest hour, she will find out just what it means to be her father’s daughter.
Ope’s Opinion:  This book is an amazing read!  Rosalind Noonan is a wonderful author.  This is my second book I have read of hers and both are wonderful!  I have another one sitting on my shelf and I can’t wait to dive right in to that one.  I think I would read anything she writes.
I could not put this book down.  From the very start I was captivated.  I just wanted to turn one more page, one more page,  until the very end.  Then I didn’t want the story to end!
Rating: Five Chairs – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on…

Stainless Steal Hearts

Stainless Steal Hearts

Author:  Harry Kraus
Publisher: Crossway Books
Pages: 430
Genre: Mystery/ Christian Fiction
Goodreads:    Surgical resident Matt Stone has uncovered a heinous secret, and the truth must come out-even if it costs him his medical career.


Real-life surgeon Harry Kraus skillfully weaves together politics, bioethics, and hidden agendas in this compelling medical thriller. Matt Stone, a promising young surgical resident, discovers that chief surgeon Dr. Michael Simons and local abortionist Dr. Adam Richards are secretly running experiments on live aborted fetuses, “stealing” their hearts to give to infants with congenital heart problems. Both doctors’ reputations depend on the secrecy of their research, which is a serious violation of hospital policy.

Meanwhile, Layton Redman, pro-choice candidate for governor, has a secret of his own-a staff volunteer is pregnant with his child. Redman arranges an abortion for the mother, but a serious car accident brings her to the emergency room, where Stone saves the life of her unborn child. This pits him against Simons, who was counting on the aborted fetus for his repulsive research project. Now Stone must gather enough evidence of the undercover experiments and expose Simons-before the vengeful chief surgeon ends his career.



Ope’s Opinion:  The author, Harry Kraus, is a medial doctor, so this story is very authentic.  This book kept me on my toes at all times.  It was kind of scary to think how realistic this all could be.  When you start reading this book, make sure you have a block of time set a side – you will not want to be interrupted.  

Kraus has written several other books.  There isn’t a bad one in the batch!

Rating: Five Chairs – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on….