make the time to be quiet.

Finding God Through Meditation by Daniel Burke is designed for the Catholic faith, but many of us come to a point where we yearn for the meaning of life, and want to establish a relationship with the Creator. Many of us seek quiet time, peace, and time to reflect. Add some Saints, and that is what this book is about. Burke incorporates the Saints who are masters of prayer, like St. Peter, who used meditation and contemplation regularly to engage thought, imagination, emotion and desire, and suggests that meditation helps Christians develop a deeper relationship with God.

I know that many of you aren't into the idea of mediation because it has been so overplayed in movies, and we live in a world that is so fast paced and loud. But I do think it's important to take the time to be quiet. Quiet our minds and try to listen to what our hearts are telling us.

fantasy friday.

The Elusion series is a duology of fantasy/action/sci-fi/futuristic young adult novels written by co-authors Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam and are sure to spice up your reader's library. The series is set in a futuristic Detroit (which is a lot worse than present Detroit if you can imagine), narrated by sixteen-year-old Regan who, along with the rest of the residents of this city live with acid rain falling from the sky, forcing them to wear purifiers to survive everyday life. Many wish to escape their current reality, and before his unexpected death, Regan's father made an app for that. An app that transports you to exotic places, where you can find adventure and forget your troubles. Book one of the series, Elusion, is action packed while reader's follow Regan and her attempt find out what's really going on in the virtual world that seems too good to be true, because it is.

 

 

 

In book two titled, Etherworld, Regan and Josh (who she befriends in book one) are stuck behind the firewall in Etherworld, and are unable to fight Elusion. I am not going to go into a lot of detail as to not spoil book one for anyone who hasn't started this series. But there is more danger in Etherworld, more betrayal, romance and more to lose.

what day is today, today is mother's day.

I am not big on feelings, but when I really stop to think about my mom, I turn into a big puddle of mush. I love her so much I can't think about it too hard or it physically pains me. I downright SOBBED when I read A Letter to My Mom from the Letter to My Series by Lisa Erspamer. I loved it so much. I'll cry right now. It is filled with so many sweet, sweet letters from guys and dolls, some you know and some you'll want to know, to their mothers. The letters are filled with gratitude to mothers for believing in them, supporting them, encouraging them, never letting them be defeated. It's an ode to mom's who make things happen. I know it's after Mother's Day, but what a wonderful 'just because I love my mom' gift?

My mom is the QUEEN of making things happen. I would always come up with some harebrained scheme or another (still do sometimes) and she would listen and then always respond with, well what are we going to do to make this happen? I love her so much.

 

welcome to new york.

I love Candace Bushnell and Sarah Dessen, even at twenty-nine, so I was super excited to discover Susane Colasanti and her City Love series which follows three teenagers, Sadie, Darcy, and Rosanna, in NYC. Being able to recommend new authors to students is EVERYTHING. And any high school girl will love these realistic characters.

The first installment, City Love is not only about finding love in the big city for these three very different roommates, it's about their love for the city. Which is contagious. We follow Sadie, the dreamer, Darcy, the Cali girl, and Rosanna, the philanthropist through the city that never sleeps, experiencing all three points of view. Summer, NYC, and romance, what more could you ask for in a summer novel?

upstate new york food crawl.

Beef on weck. Buffalo wings. Upstate New York has some of the best food around. You can't get better pizza logs anywhere else, I assure you. And don't even get me started on Dibella's subs. A Taste of Upstate New York: The People and the Stories Behind 40 Food Favorites by Chuck D'Imperio gives background on the very best food created in the upstate area and is sure to be a huge hit for yourself, your coffee table, or anyone you know who loves to eat and travel. I mean, Saratoga Springs created the potato chip. THE POTATO CHIP! We are making magic up here.

From the Syracuse salt potato to the St. Lawrence Seaway Thousand Island dressing. Learn the history behind the people and places who created this iconic food that our chicken barbecue's would be sad without.

well i didn't see that coming. or that.

I adore spring. The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and I was able to enjoy yet another fabulous Lisa Scottoline novel, Every Fifteen Minutes.

Chief of the Psychiatric Unit at Havemeyer General Hospital, Dr. Eric Parrish has always had it together more at work than at home. His marriage may have failed but his unit has just been named number two in the entire country. I mean, he may be in the middle of a huge custody battle over his daughter, but at least he's a prominent psychiatrist. Dr. Parrish still has some control over his life, that is, until seventeen-year-old Max Jakubowski walks in.

Every 15 minutes, Max needs to perform a set of rituals to help him ease his OCD and anxiety. He touches his right temple just once and says “red-orange-yellow-green-blue-purple-brown-black.” After finding out that his beloved grandmother is terminally ill, his mental state has been getting much worse. Dr. Parrish offered to treat the poor kid privately. But once Max's grandmother passes, and the girl he has a crush on is found murdered, the good doctor realizes he has bit off more than he can chew in this psychological thriller filled with twists you won't see coming.

my new favorite thing.

The Sound of Music is a classic. It's timeless. So when Laurence Maslon came out with a book companion to the musical, WITH a forward from Julie Andrews herself, I broke into song immediately. And there's more.

The abundance of photographs are what make The Sound of Music Companion a fan favorite and an excellent coffee-table book, but it's the research that must have went into all the of the facts, both musical and the story behind the Trapp Family Singers, that I was most impressed with.