a day in the life of a nurse.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE medical shows. Every one that's on television right now, I am watching weekly. Theresa Brown is a practicing nurse and a columnist, and her book, The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives is better than all of the medical shows put together. Because it's riveting AND real. Oh my goodness is it real. The Shift overs a day in the life of Theresa Brown and the four very different patients she is in charge of during her twelve hour shift as an oncology nurse. I am not going to get into too much detail, but I just love how Brown keeps her cool and advocates for her patients. I have always known how precious nurses are, and even I have more respect after reading this book.

everyone has a voice.

When a tragic house fire takes the lives of her entire family on the day of her daughter's wedding, June is left to pick up the pieces, alone. In Did You Ever Have a Family, Bill Clegg's debut novel, the story is told by mostly secondary characters, as the main ones have almost perished entirely. With the exception of June of course, who takes off in an attempt to heal from the tragedy. The novel is a wonderful drama, but also a mystery because that fire may have not been an accident.

an eerie expedition.

The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York by Kory Merritt is EXACTLY the kind of book that will get kids reading. It's comic-like, lots of amazing graphics, little blurbs of the story on teach page, AND it's mildly sinister. When Jonathan York finds himself lost in the woods, he is put in quite the predicament (or four) to get himself out. Merritt nails it, and this work won't overwhelm your slower reader, but is entertaining enough for your confident reader.



not the best, but still good.

I have NEVER went on this long of a hiatus from blogging, and reading. But apparently fall is the biggest time of year for us in the on-the-side photography business, so I have been neck deep in sessions and editing. Not that I'm complaining. Since my last post, I am no longer a twenty-something. I am officially 30. And while celebrating all week, and then the week after at the beach was a blast, I am now sitting here at my kitchen counter, being 30, and that's not easy. I did get to read the latest Nicholas Sparks novel the day it was released, which made things a little better. Other than the fact that the main characters were 28, and I am now officially older than Nicholas Sparks characters.

See Me was definitely more on the thrilling side of things compared to Sparks' typical plotlines, although he has become more suspenseful as of late. Colin is an ex-con, on a five year probation period that will end with him in prison if he gets into one more fight at a bar. He is in college trying to get a degree in elementary education, changing his life around. And Maria is a lawyer, daughter of Mexican immigrants, who hasn't had much luck in love. They meet by chance, and immediately realize that despite Colin's past, and how wary it makes Maria and her family, they are meant to be. While there relationship blooms, neither realizes that Maria is in fact being stalked by someone who held a serious grudge about a case Maria was on when she was assistant to the DA in Charlotte. Once the stalker reveals themselves, and the police have little they can do about it, will Colin throw his life away to protect Maria?

defeat the undead.

Happy first if October y'all! It's that time of year when all things scary come out to play, and the perfect time for your child to begin reading the How to Banish Fears series, if they haven't already. The installment I will be reviewing today? How to Zap Zombies by Catherine Leblanc and illustrated by Roland Garrigue. Why it's important? Because the idea of zombies is terrifying, yet they are super popular right now.

With the help of this book, your child will learn how to get rid of any zombie that may cross their path, even zombie princesses, all while also enjoying fun activities. And if it keeps you from having to look under their beds for monsters every night, that is just a bonus.

no peace in the middle east, cher.

Being obsessed with Homeland and equally terrified that everything about the Middle East displayed in this fictional show is true, I thought The Knife by Ross Ritchell would help get me geared up for the next season which airs in October, and I was so right.

 

Dutch Shaw has barely anytime to mourn the loss of his grandmother before he is deployed once again to Afghanipakiraqistan (no really though), along with his special ops team who just want to stay alive, leading to the idea of morality and how it plays a huge role in war. Fathers, sons, husbands, killing people to save their comrades and themselves. Being loyal to their country and nothing else. Honestly, Ritchell took me to some places I really didn't want to go to give readers insight on the horrors of war. But I'm glad I read it.

peacefull & effective parenting.

Being super close in age, I drag down fist fought with my older brother for years. I was obsessed with my baby brother, so fighting wasn't an issue there. But a lot of my friends, especially ones with sisters, fought incessantly with the older or younger sibling their entire childhood, and it wasn't until they both became adults that they actually started to like each other. It could be because their sibling was an asshole. Or there could be more to it than that. Well IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. Ask Dr. Laura Markham.

Peaceful Parenting, Happy Siblings: How to Stop the Fighting and Raise Friends for Life is a parenting guide to help you build strong connections with all of your children, to eliminate sibling rivalry and the idea that you love anyone better than anyone else (even though you probably do). What I found especially interesting? Getting rid of apologies. Kids (and adults) think that saying their sorry can fix anything terrible they have done. Well, it can't. So encourage your children to problem solve and "repair" the situation to the best of their ability. This book is geared toward families with young children (for example, adding a new baby to the family), so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that Dr. Markham is a parenting expert with other books that could fit your family right now.