Torn

This never gets old!

Legs Talk

I just finished Legs Talk by D.E. Boone.

This story is a guy meets girl, guy wants one thing, girl gets tired of it and kicks him to the curb. It is told in a very creative way, through black and white photos and one liners.
It is a story I think most women have lived through and is told in a way that helps you see that you are not alone without getting overwhelmed in emotions.

This was a cute book that I enjoyed. Since I love to read and am inspired by photos, this book sparked my feminine side and my creative side. It opened my mind up to the possibilities to tell an adult story with photos.

I thought this was a great find and I give it a 4 out of 5.

The Smartest Way to Save

I just finished The Smartest Way to Save by Samuel K. Freshman and Heidi E. Clingen. This was an easy read. The 23 chapters are broken up into bite size pieces you can take in here and there. There are hundreds of tips on how to save from vacations, gifts, your children to buying cars, credit cards and budgeting.

I must admit I have pretty much heard everything that is in the book. Pay yourself first, use cash not credit, know the difference between "have to" and "need to". I did learn a couple of new things. For example, when buying a car you should pay cash, if you are like me and really find it hard to do that, get the shortest loan possible cause the salesperson makes his/her money off of those large interest payments. If you do plan on paying with cash....do not let the salesman know, they will not knock off much on the price since they will not be making money off of you after you get the car.

If you are relatively new to saving or have not done much homework, this is an excellent book to start with. Since it covers a wide range of subjects you will find a lot of help in here including web sites and tips. If you are like me and have been around the block a few times and have read up on this subject, you may find there is too much repeated info to be an advantage.

The Angry Smile

I just finished The Angry Smile by Jody E Long, Nicholas J Long and Signe Whitson.

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This book defines, identifies and tells how to change passive-agression. "Passive aggression involves a variety of behaviors designed to get back at another person without the other recognizing the underlying anger. ...It is motivated by a person's fear of expressing anger directly." (pg 12)

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Section one is titled "What is Passive Aggression?" This part covers what passive aggression is, how it develops, reasons why people would use it and the five levels of passive aggression.

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In section two, "Identifying Passive Aggressive Behaviors" they show you how to identify passive aggressive behaviors in the home, at school, in families and at the workplace. There is the Covert Defiance is the one we see most often. This is where you might call your child or husband and they reply, "Coming!" but never do. This also involves temporary deafness and blindness among others.

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Section three, "Changing Passive-Aggressive Behaviors", they show you how to deal with yours or others passive aggression. "Passive aggression is not a one-person game but rather a match that is necessarily played out against an adversary." (pg 103)

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No matter where you are in life, this would be a valuable resource. It shows you how to deal with people in the work place that are passive aggressive. If you are passive aggressive yourself it shows you how to change some of your behaviors. It is important to recognize the signs and how to not engage in the passive aggressive cycle.

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This is an excellent reference book.

I give this a 5 out of 5.

I just finished The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver. I actually listened to this while I was trying to fall asleep. Not a good idea. This was the first book by this author I have ever read(listened to).

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As the book begins, a city couple are in a secluded cabin to enjoy a little time away from work and worries. The wife, a lawyer who has been working on some very high profile cases and the husband, a social worker, are getting settled in and enjoying some drinks. The wife hears some noises outside and gets spooked. They look outside and find a face staring back at them. The husband calls 911 and has enough time to utter "this" before 2 men come through the door and end the call. The sheriff's department get the call, but are unsure as to what it means. Since it was from a cell phone it takes a while for them to track down from where the call came.

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When the location is determined, Brynn McKenzie is the deputy called to check it out. Brynn is only to glad to get away from her family for a while, for reasons she's not ready to face quite yet.

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As she nears the cabin, the sheriff calls and reports that the husband called back and said it was a false alarm. Since Brynn is so close, and has to use the bathroom, she pulls up to the cabin and walks into something she is not prepared to see. From here the story moves into a game of cat and mouse between Bynn and a family friend caught in the wrong place and the two professional killers. The family and cops think it was a false alarm and are unaware that two women are deep in the woods in the middle of the night, trying to get to safety, running for their lives.

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First let me say, it was a mistake trying to listen to this while I tries to fall asleep. It was a thriller at its best and one of the betters ones I have read in a while. With twists and action, at one point I was almost asleep, when I gasped and said out loud, "Oh my gosh!!). I was up late that night! If this book is anything like the others Mr Deaver has written I am getting more. It was smart and the characters were amazingly real. I loved this book.

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5 out of 5...you have to read this!

Collision of Angels

I have just finished Collision of Angels by Michael Carver, book one in A Higher Call Series.

Silas Jackson and his group of friends are tired of how this country is being run. We are the promised land, however very few feel that promise anymore. These men believed in the principles that our forefathers had when they established the constitution. Only now, with corrupt government and crooked officials, the men feel that the country is about as far removed from the original ideas and ideals as it could get. They felt God calling to their group to do something about it. Silas felt God was calling them to find a man after God's own heart and support him in a campaign to be the next president of the United States. Silas knows he has the perfect person, his son in law Tony Campbell.

The book shifts between a couple of story lines. Tony is worried about his colleague Pete who has been cheating on his wife and neglecting his family. Tony has bailed Pete's son, Karl, out of trouble and jail on many occasions and he is praying for an opportunity to reach Pete. Tony's son TJ befriends Karl and tries to get him to change his ways. We also watch as Tony tries to process whether he should run for president, with no prior experience in politics and whether this is truly God's will.

Mr. Carver also brings in the spiritual realm and how there is a constant battle between good and evil over our souls. There are conversations between angels and demons.

I had some trouble in the beginning when Tony and many other characters in the book heard the voices of the angels and of God. One character had a dream that told him he would be approached to be a part of the plan. Until I remembered in the bible,
Joel 2:28 says "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions"
and Act 2:17 that says, "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams."
I realized he must be setting this series toward the end times.

This book took time to develop the characters and set the scene. There was little action and some of the situations seemed too easily remedied. This is a story about families who put God first and people who are searching. I enjoyed Mr. Carver's take on how thing may look in the spiritual realm and could feel his passion for the Lord and his writing. It did feel at times, though, a little too in your face and borderline "preachy". I would love to see more of these characters with a little more action and situations that don't always seem so easily solved, such as they are in real life.

I give this a 3 1/2 out of 5.

ABDC Conversations

We sat down as a family this evening...me, hubby, A(22) and L(10) and caught up on the last 2 episodes of America's Best Dance Crew. As we were watching I was commenting on Lil Mama's vocabulary (or lack there-of).

Me: You know, we should start a drinking game. If every time Lil Mama says "bring it", "you hear/feel me?", or "um" we were to take a drink, we would be gone by the second commercial.

(Laughter and nods)

***some bad Lil Mama impressions***

A: Wait, did you just suggest to the family that we do a drinking game?