Traveling Light by Lynne Branard

Winning the bid for an unclaimed storage unit wasn't Alissa's favorite prize, but what she found inside ​actually changed her life.

Alissa works for a local newspaper in North Carolina owned by her father and impulsively decides that she is going to take a road trip to ​New Mexico to return Roger Hart's ashes​ that were in the storage unit to his family.

Alissa begins her journey with the ashes and her dog.  When she stops at a restaurant and meets Blossom, her road trip and her life ​have an added passenger and some added changes.

TRAVELING LIGHT is a sweet, lighthearted read and a read that will make you think about your own life and decisions you make and have made.

I enjoyed Alissa because she was a good person, and I really enjoyed Blossom.  Blossom had the perfect name because she just brightened up any place she was and helped Alissa see her life in a different perspective.

TRAVELING LIGHT is a book to read when you need to be uplifted, when you need to hear good comments about mankind, ​and when you  just need a change of pace that comes with beautiful, descriptive writing and marvelous characters.

Enjoy TRAVELING LIGHT if you read it.  It even has some sweet romances included.  :)   5/5​

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Today is National Compliment Day

Photo taken from TYPORAMA

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All Information in this post is taken directly from this page.

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I thought it would be fun to share this since everyone enjoys compliments.

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Date When Celebrated:  

Always January 24

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How nice of you to visit our site today. I can see by your choice of websites, that you are an intelligent person. You are a kind and inquisitive person. I love the way you...... 

Yes, its Compliment Day. Today is a great opportunity to say something positive about the people you come into contact with. Everyone has good attributes. ...that's right....... everyone.

• Its a cinch to find compliments for family and loved ones, even for your Mother-in-Law. (Tip: She's probably a good cook.)
• Friends are friends because you see something good about them. Here's an easy compliment to a friend: "Wow, you're very intelligent...you choose your friends wisely".
• It's more challenging to compliment your boss, or people you don't like. Take up the challenge, and find a compliment for them today, too.

Remember: Mama said  "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything". After a long search for something good, if you just can't find a compliment for them, then silence is golden.

Compliment Day is celebrated by offering sincere compliments to people you know. It is important that you are sincere. People will see right through insincerity, and you will do more harm than good.
How many compliments should you give out today? The common suggestion is five compliments. Yes, they should be to five different people.  

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Origin of Compliment Day: This day was created in 1998 by Kathy Chamberlin, of Hopkinton, NH. and Debby Hoffman, of Concord, NH.

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Ecards We've got you covered with free Ecards for just about any other holiday, occasion, event, or no event at all!

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A Compliment Day Game:

1. Gather in a circle.
2. Look at the person to your left.
3. Find a compliment for that person.
4. Write the compliment on a piece of paper and who it is for.
5. Gather the notes and post on a board.
6. All players match each of the compliments to a player. 
7. The person with the most correct matches wins.

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Flower of the Day: Vinca

Recipe of the Day: Candied Carrots

Leopard at the Door by Jennifer McVeigh

Can you really ​come back home?  Is it always the same or always changed?

Rachel was returning to her childhood home after being in England for six years and living with her maternal grandparents for schooling after her mother had passed away.

Rachel always loved her home in Africa, but coming back didn't seem like the right choice after she met her father's live-in companion, Sara, and with all the upheaval ​and Mau Mau Rebellion.  Sara was not like her sweet, caring mother, and Rachel didn't agree with her father's plan to move all the people who lived and worked on their land to reserves.

We follow Rachel as she fights with her own thoughts about what is right and what is wrong since she returned.

Ms. McVeigh's ​exquisite, vivid​ descriptions of the land and its people of Africa draw you into the book ​as you are mesmerized ​by the lifestyle and landscape.  Her research is marvelous.​ 

The historical aspect was frightening and quite tense as the book neared its ending.  The personal life of Rachel took a turn at the end making me think about how life really does change and wondering if life is ever the same after circumstances fill one's life.
 
​LEOPARD AT THE DOOR is a story of love, secrets, and believing in your decisions and standing by them.  Rachel has a secret that she has kept since her childhood and worries what will happen to her and the person the secret is about if the secret is found out.

LEOPARD AT THE DOOR is a powerful, beautifully crafted book ​that will stay with you and have you looking up facts about the Mau Mau Rebellion.  

LEOPARD AT THE DOOR is recommended for anyone who enjoys a book that pulls at your heart strings, teaches you history, has extraordinary detail, and loves a writing style that is thoroughly absorbing and impeccable.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

MINI-BLOGGIESTA! JANUARY 13-15

I made it to the Finish Line!!

Had fun visiting other blogs, chatting on Twitter, and finishing my list.

Looking forward to the Spring Bloggiesta. 

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You can find information about the Mini Bloggiesta here.

Here is my list...The first three were done when I first posted, but then added more as I looked at other blogs.  :)

1.  Updated and added headers to my side bar.

2.  Changed the layout order in my side bar.

3. Updated my Profile.

4. Backed Up My Blog thanks to Stephanie at Cover2CoverBlog - THANKS VERY MUCH.

5.  Just added this task to the list and finished this to my weekly notebook:  Made my list of my upcoming blog posts for this week so I don't forget giveaways and reviews that need to be addressed.

6.  Question:  I want to see if I can find out why at times Blogger puts so many spaces between the lines of my paragraphs/sentences.

If anyone knows, please let me know.

Thanks. 

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Looking forward to the fun and learning new things.

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If you do not know about the Banner Fans site, look here.

It is a bit confusing at first, but I figured it out.

 I love the site to make my banners. 

Spotlight and Giveaway of Traveling Light by Lynne Branard

 

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Join in the fun of the spotlight and giveaway of TRAVELING LIGHT. 

Lauren Burnstein has graciously offered one USA winner a copy of TRAVELING LIGHT. 

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All information below is courtesy of Lauren Burnstein.

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From the “tender” and “unforgettable”* New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Arranging Flowers comes a new novel about the search for what really matters in life.

We are so pleased to share with you Lynne Branard’s TRAVELING LIGHT

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The novel was inspired by real-life events: when the author was working at a hospice agency, an unclaimed box of ashes—with her agency’s business card attached—was discovered in a storage facility. Branard became intrigued by how the remains of someone could get lost—and how the discovery could be the perfect catalyst for a life change.

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In TRAVELING LIGHT, Alissa Wells is the one who becomes the surprise new owner of remains—Roger Hart’s, to be exact—after she bids on an abandoned storage unit. She decides that returning the ashes of a dead man might be the first step on her way to a new life. So she packs up her three-legged dog and starts driving from North Carolina to New Mexico. 

But when a waitress named Blossom hitches a ride with her, Al has to get used to letting someone else take the wheel. Posting about their road trip on Facebook, complete with photos of Roger at every stop, Blossom opens Al’s eyes to the road in front of her—and how sometimes the best things in life are the ones you never see coming.

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 GIVEAWAY:

Contest has ended.

The Winner is:

KATHY

CONGRATS!!

USA Entries Only

January 12 to January 19

Enter here.

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Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis

Author and loving family man turned murderer?

Thomas Houston loved his family, his job, teaching, and writing his novels.  What made him kill his entire family on a Saturday night?

No one and especially his ​State Trooper friend, DeMarco, can believe he did it, but everything points to Thomas.  The missing knife and the missing Thomas himself were strong clues but difficult to believe.

Mr. Silvis keeps you guessing​ as we follow Thomas as he struggles with this nightmare and as he is running and hiding. 

We also follow State Trooper DeMarco as he questions suspects and people who knew Thomas as well as his questioning whether or not Thomas really did kill his entire family.

TWO DAYS GONE has marvelous, descriptive writing that allows you to feel Thomas' physical pain as he is on the run and his emotional pain at the thought of his beautiful family being gone.

Trooper DeMarco's investigation was relentless, oh so good, and  impressively described. 

Mr. Silvis definitely knows how to tell a terrific story that has extraordinary, believable characters.

This was the first book I read by Mr. Silvis, and I thoroughly enjoyed TWO DAYS GONE. 

The book kept spinning and spiraling into better and better as it became more frightening and more tense leaving the reader with an awesome finish.

ENJOY if you read TWO DAYS GONE.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Love This Bag

My son always thinks of me.

Love this bag.   Go Thomas Jefferson.  :)

I can't live without books either.  :)

He saw it at Barnes & Noble on 5th Avenue in New York City.

I did tell him to not buy it because I have tons of bags.

I am happy to look at it and to know Thomas Jefferson was such a book worm.  :)

Thanks, Mark.

Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia

Can you be anyone you want to be depending on the situation? Can you adapt your reactions to what is happening at the moment?

Hattie was always good at reacting the way someone wanted her to react and to being who someone wanted her to be.  She was a very calculating and purposeful person to the point of being frightening.​
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Hattie was two months away from her high school graduation and decided that she was going to leave her Midwestern small town and head to New York.  She had made sketchy plans without telling anyone including her parents, and in the end, the plans didn't work out. 

When Hattie was found brutally ​murdered​ the next day,​ the town was shocked​.  Murders didn't happen in Pine Valley​.

The murder did cause a few folks to worry about their involvement with Hattie.

EVERYTHING YOU WANT ME TO BE has three narrators....Hattie, Peter Lund, and Sheriff Goodman.

Hattie told her story, Peter hoped his story would not be revealed, and Sheriff Goodman had known Hattie and her family for years.  The three narrators worked out beautifully.  One chapter smoothly flowed into the other.

​I really didn't like Hattie.  She was dishonest and cunning.

Peter was definitely dishonest because of his infidelity and didn't uphold his moral obligations as a teacher.

Sheriff Goodman was a perfect, honest policeman.​

EVERYTHING YOU WANT ME TO BE was very descriptive, very intense, and had me guessing until the end.  Ms. Mejia has a writing style that is distinctive and creative.​

I really enjoyed this book because the mystery and story line were unique and definitely kept me interested and turning the pages.   

If you enjoy twists and turns and characters that stay with you, you won't want to miss reading EVERYTHING YOU WANT ME TO BE.

The entire book and especially the ending were brilliant!! 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.

First Book of The Year - 2017

Join Shelia from Book Journey and fellow book bloggers as we feature our first book read in 2017.

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My first book of the new year is:

LEOPARD AT THE DOOR by Jennifer McVeigh

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Image Credit

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I am looking forward to everyone's first book of the year so I can add more books to my toppling TBR or to see if I already have it on my shelf.  :)  

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Isn't it such fun, though, to have a stack of books staring at you that are saying:  "pick me, pick me."  :)

And also such comfort to know you will never be out of books to read. :)

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Happy New Year!!