kick ass giveaway!

Win a FREE copy of The Hobbit Motion Picture Trilogy Location Guide: Hobbiton, the Lonely Mountain and Beyond!

 

Contest Rules:

 

1. Follow this blog :)

2. E-mail your name and this book title to: jenileerose@yahoo.com to enter!

3. Contest ends 1/14 at midnight!

for fun, probably.

Psychology lecturer and very clever, Ben Ambridge has come out with a book filled with quizzes and experiments to learn more about ourselves, others, and why we do what we do. PSY-Q: Test Yourself with More than 80 Quizzes, Puzzles, and Experiments for Everyday Life is 2015's Psych 101, and if you're interested in finding out if your boyfriend is a psychopath, this is a good place to start. I think that everyone should take the time to complete the Personality Profile at some point in their lives. I mean, how else are you going to find out which personality trait you are. Are you open to experiences, agreeable, an extrovert, overly consciences or neurotic? I mean, I would want to know. I am an extrovert, by the way. One of my favorite parts about the book is The Raw Shark Test. You know, when the doc pulls out a weird ink spotted picture and you have to say out loud what you see. Ambridge has you look at the picture, write down what you see, and then find out what your answer says about you on the next page. Apparently I have daddy issues, but who doesn't? There are a lot of quizzes, so I'm sure you'll find one that suits you. This book is great for a party, couples getting to know each other, any new relationships really. It's fun for regular folks. I mean, if you were a complete psychopath you probably would have killed a butterfly by now. So I'm sure there's nothing to worry about.

for the hobbit buff.

Since The Hobbit trilogy has officially come to an end (the third installment is out in theatres now), fans are more excited than ever for Ian Brodie's The Hobbit Motion Picture Trilogy Location Guide: Hobbiton, the Lonely Mountain and Beyond which shares beautiful photographs of the movie-set locations in New Zealand. If you can't visit these historic sights yourself (hello, bucket list), this book is the next best thing. And showcasing gorgeous landscapes is not all that this guide does, Brodie also shares background information and behind the scenes stories about the filming of the movies that no one else has told, as well as quotes from the cast and crew. No, it doesn't end there. Also included are maps, directions to the special sights AND accommodations and restaurants that are near by. It's no wonder Brodie is an award winner of lots of things.

thank you for your service.

Being a veteran is so much more than a 10% discount, and many of us forget to celebrate the contributions of those who have served our country when they return home. Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chadrasekaran are happy to give us a healthy dose of patriotism in their book titled For Love of Country: What Our Veterans Can Teach Us About Citizenship, Heroism, and Sacrifice, which includes several short stories sharing how veteran's have gone above and beyond, during their service to our country and even after their military service was complete. The stories shared are incredible.  It is reiterated in the book how important it is to help our veteran's return to civilian life, how difficult it is for them to go back to living the way we do everyday after what they have experienced. It definitely puts things in perspective. I mean, I cried through the whole thing, but that's besides the point.

from ebook to paperback.

The comic strip series surrounding the life of eleven-year-old Nate Wright can now be found in paperback. Big Nate's Greatest Hits by the very funny Lincoln Peirce is officially available tomorrow, and I'm pretty excited about it. I am a huge fan of comic strips because they get kids reading. And this is a comic strip for the middle grades which makes it even better. Here's a little taste of the funny...

 

 

 

Big Nate is a sarcastic, self-proclaimed genius, and this series is all about his life as a sixth grade boy including family (he lives with his single dad and older sister, keeping very much with the times), best friends, school, girls, grades, and all the angst. There are adventures and misadventures. It's the best kids comic strip collection out there hands down, parents will find the humor as well.

 

 

 

 



 

what happens when a novelist writes a biography, perfection.

Joan of Arc believed that God had chosen her to lead France to victory in its long-running war with England. So this peasant girl convinced Charles of Valois to allow her to dress up like a man and lead his French army into battle that ended in victory over the English in the Hundred Years' War. Then of course when she was 19 she was tried and burnt at the stake for witchcraft because of all of her running around claiming that she was the virgin destined to save France from its enemies. This was one badass virgin; whether hearing voices is sorcery or not, Joan of Arc risked everything for her country and Kathryn Harrison's Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured is my favorite account of her life to date. In this book Joan of Arc is viewed as an historical figure, and Harrison does not romanticize her like so many others. It's very factual, interesting, and will be such a great resource to use in the classroom.

new year.

 

 

 

 

2014 has been the best year of my life so far (in fierce competition with 2011, the year I went to Europe twice). I married a kick ass guy, had some amazing adventures, and got into professional photography which has always been my dream. In 2015 I am going to write more, unplug more, and learn more about everything that interests me. What are you going to do?