Dewy's 24 Hour readathon

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon was this past Saturday. Here is the stack of books (plus books on my Nook) that I had hoped to read. It wasn't the most productive reading event as it turned out. I did get to read for all of about two hours out of the twenty-four. I didn't participate in one challenge or even get to interact all that much with other readers. I guess it just wasn't meant to be this April. The good news is that there will be another chance on October 20, 2018. I have marked it on my calendar already and plan to have books and food in place by the Friday before the event. I also plan on saying no to anything else people want to plan for that day. My daughters wholeheartedly agree. They want to spend the day in pajamas, reading books together and sharing yummy snacks. Since it will be in October (and hopefully cold - it can be hot as heck here in October!) they want hot cocoa, too. Not wishing our time away but still looking forward to the next readathon. 

Thank God It's Friday

Independent Bookstore Day

Independent Bookstore Day is this Saturday, April 28, 2018. HOW did I not know this was a thing? Granted, this is only the fourth year for the Independent Bookstore Day - but still! I really geel as though I should have known about this! If you are interested you can learn more about the day at the official website for the Independent Bookstore Day. There are a number of stores participating here in Southern California and a couple of them are fairly close to me. So I hope to go to those store on Saturday - provided I can fit it in around the other things I have going on. I really want to though! How about you? Did you know about IBD already and are you going to any Indie bookstores on Saturday?

Wordless Wednesday: Pretty horse

Thyroid Healing by Anthony William

I love the first two books by Anthony William and I'm excited to read his new book Thyroid Healing. I just ordered it and it is on the way. Here is the description from GoodReads:

If you’re an avid reader of health books and articles and you think you’re aware of the latest thyroid health information, you’re going to be more than surprised—maybe even shocked—at how much more there is to know. Thyroid Healing is like nothing you have read or heard, and it will bring you true comprehension of the undiscovered inner mechanics of our thyroids for the first time ever.

Experience the epic truth about your thyroid from the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Medical Medium series!

The thyroid is the new hot topic in health. Across age groups, from baby boomers and their parents to millennials and even children, more and more people—women especially—are hearing that their thyroids are to blame for their fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, memory issues, aches and pains, tingles and numbness, insomnia, hair loss, hot flashes, sensitivity to cold, constipation, bloating, anxiety, depression, heart palpitations, loss of libido, restless legs, and more. Everyone wants to know how to free themselves from the thyroid trap.

As the thyroid has gotten more and more attention, though, these symptoms haven’t gone away—people aren’t healing. Labeling someone with “Hashimoto’s,” “hypothyroidism,” or the like doesn’t explain the myriad health issues that person may experience. That’s because there’s a pivotal truth that goes by unnoticed: A thyroid problem is not the ultimate reason for a person’s illness. A problematic thyroid is yet one more symptom of something much larger than this one small gland in the neck. It’s something much more pervasive in the body, something invasive, that’s responsible for the laundry list of symptoms and conditions attributed to thyroid disease.

In Medical Medium Thyroid Healing, Anthony William, the Medical Medium, reveals an entirely new take on the epidemic of thyroid illness. Empowering readers to become their own thyroid experts, he explains in detail what the source problem really is, including what’s going on with inflammation, autoimmune disease, and dozens more symptoms and conditions, then offers a life-changing toolkit and many new recipes to rescue the thyroid and bring readers back to health and vitality. It’s an approach unlike any other, and as his millions of fans and followers will tell you, it’s the approach that gets results.

MORE on BOOK 3 of the MEDICAL MEDIUM SERIES:

If you’ve struggled with any chronic health issue, you’re not alone—you are one among millions confronting the mysterious symptoms that medical communities have begun to connect with thyroid illness. Like so many, you want the greater truth about the thyroid.

We’ve already waited 100-plus years for real insights from medical communities into thyroid problems, and they haven’t come. Even the most recent expert opinions don’t yet have a handle on what’s really behind your suffering. Hashimoto’s is not the body attacking itself. There’s more to thyroid cancer than we’re being told. You’re not hopeless if you don’t have a thyroid anymore. Thyroid illness should not be blamed on your genes. Today’s thyroid diagnoses do not explain your years of suffering with mystery symptoms.

You shouldn’t have to wait another 10, 20, 30, or more years for scientific research to find the real answers. If you’re stuck in bed, dragging through your days, or feeling lost about your health, you shouldn’t have to go through one more day of it, let alone another decade. You shouldn’t have to watch your children go through it, either.

The meaning behind today’s widespread thyroid illness is so much bigger than anyone has yet discovered—what you’re about to read is unlike any information you’ve ever seen. It’s time for you to take control and become a true thyroid expert. Discover the real reasons and the healing path for dozens of symptoms and conditions, including:


ACHES AND PAINS
ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE
BRAIN FOG AND FOCUS
CANCER
EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS
PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS
FATIGUE
MONONUCLEOSIS
FIBROMYALGIA AND CFS
HAIR THINNING AND LOSS
HASHIMOTO’S THYROIDITIS
HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES
HEART PALPITATIONS
VERTIGO
HYPERTHYROIDISM
HYPOTHYROIDISM
MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS
MYSTERY WEIGHT GAIN
SLEEP DISORDERS
TINGLES AND NUMBNESS
“Since reading Medical Medium Thyroid Healing, I have expanded my approach and treatments of thyroid disease and am seeing enormous value for patients. The results are rewarding and gratifying.”

— from the foreword by Prudence Hall, M.D., founder and medical director of The Hall Center 

Record Store Day

Wordless Wednesday: Fresh tulips

Teaser Tuesday: Sanctuary by Nora Roberts

Teaser Tuesday is newly hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from Sanctuary by Nora Roberts:

"I'm not pushing you, Jo Ellen. But I'm not going to be sorry if you slip."

"I like keeping my feet under me and knowing where the ground gives before I step on it."

"Sometimes you've got to try new territory. This is unexplored ground for me, too."

Words of wisdom

Words of wisdom and timely advice for me to read. This is always a crazy busy time of year for our family and I often feel the strain of being pulled in a lot of directions. They're good pulls but still - I must protect my writing time and my process. 

Be afraid but take action

I love, love, LOVE this quote by Carrie Fisher! I absolutely agree with it and reading it today feels like kismet. I know I sometimes let fear get in my way. I think we all do but we have to get past the fear in order to be successful. This can be true in any facet of our lives. Recently I believe I have been letting the fear of yet another rejection hinder my writing. I feel kind of stupid about that and yet - human. I know I have to take the next step. I WANT  to take the next step(s). So I will. 

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

This about sums it up!

Wordless Wednesday: Gorgeous, bright roses

Teaser Tuesday: Sanctuary by Nora Roberts

Teaser Tuesday is newly hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from Sanctuary by Nora Roberts:

"She shouldn't have left us. She shouldn't have gone away. Why did she go?"

"Maybe she had to," Bobby said quietly.

"No, she belonged with us. We needed her but she didn't want us."

Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View

In my family Star Wars is HUGE! My husband and I are fans and have been since we were kids. Now, our children are fans, as well. So when I saw Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View at the library I immediately scooped it off the shelf. Now we are going to enjoy experiencing it as a family. The following is the description of the book from GoodReads:

Experience Star Wars: A New Hope from a whole new point of view.

On May 25, 1977, the world was introduced to Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, C-3PO, R2-D2, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and a galaxy full of possibilities. In honor of the 40th anniversary, more than 40 contributors lend their vision to this retelling of Star Wars. Each of the 40 short stories reimagines a moment from the original film, but through the eyes of a supporting character. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by best-selling authors, trendsetting artists, and treasured voices from the literary history of Star Wars:

Gary Whitta bridges the gap from Rogue One to A New Hope through the eyes of Captain Antilles.
Aunt Beru finds her voice in an intimate character study by Meg Cabot.
Nnedi Okorofor brings dignity and depth to a most unlikely character: the monster in the trash compactor.
Pablo Hidalgo provides a chilling glimpse inside the mind of Grand Moff Tarkin.
Pierce Brown chronicles Biggs Darklighter's final flight during the Rebellion's harrowing attack on the Death Star.
Wil Wheaton spins a poignant tale of the rebels left behind on Yavin.
Plus 34 more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales from Ben Acker, Renée Ahdieh, Tom Angleberger, Ben Blacker, Jeffrey Brown, Rae Carson, Adam Christopher, Zoraida Córdova, Delilah S. Dawson, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Paul Dini, Ian Doescher, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Fraction, Alexander Freed, Jason Fry, Kieron Gillen, Christie Golden, Claudia Gray, E. K. Johnston, Paul S. Kemp, Mur Lafferty, Ken Liu, Griffin McElroy, John Jackson Miller, Daniel José Older, Mallory Ortberg, Beth Revis, Madeleine Roux, Greg Rucka, Gary D. Schmidt, Cavan Scott, Charles Soule, Sabaa Tahir, Elizabeth Wein, Glen Weldon, Chuck Wendig

Narrated by a full cast, including:

Jonathan Davis
Ashley Eckstein
Janina Gavankar
Jon Hamm
Neil Patrick Harris
January LaVoy
Saskia Maarleveld
Carol Monda
Daniel José Older
Marc Thompson
All participating authors have generously forgone any compensation for their stories. Instead, their proceeds will be donated to First Book - a leading nonprofit that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to educators and organizations serving children in need. To further celebrate the launch of this book and both companies' longstanding relationships with First Book, Penguin Random House has donated $100,000 to First Book, and Disney/Lucasfilm has donated 100,000 children's books - valued at $1 million - to support First Book and their mission of providing equal access to quality education. Over the past 16 years, Disney and Penguin Random House combined have donated more than 88 million books to First Book.

I love washi tape

Washi tape is so pretty and I love to use it in my journaling! I use it to decorate my pages. It makes me happy. This page is one that I used on an Instagram art book party this evening. It was nice to learn that I'm not the only one who has a love affair for pretty washi tape. Although, I did already know that. 

Choosing cokor order

Dewey's 24-Hour readathon

Sign-ups are open for the April 28th edition of Dewey's 24-Hour readathon! This is a fun event where the emphasis is on reading. However, there are plenty of other fun book related activities you can take part in, as well. If you fancy taking part you can go to their website to sign up. Oh, and there's absolutely no pressure to read the entire twenty-four hours. I've never been able to participate the entire time but I've always had fun with it. 

Wordless Wednesday: writing supplies

Teaser Tuesday: Birthright by Nora Roberts

Teaser Tuesday is newly hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from Birthright by Nora Roberts:

"It occurs to me that we got to be a lot of things to each other, but we never got to be friends. I'd like to take a shot at it."

Review: Shot in the Dark by Cleo Coyle

Clare Cosi is back in the seventeenth installment of the popular Coffehouse Mystery series. Shot in the Dark finds Clare and some of her baristas dealing with a full house of people who have met through a popular dating app called Cinder. However, things go very wrong when gun shots are fired and a young woman is found with a gun pointed at a rather vile guy she met through the app.

Soon, Clare, her ex-husband, the Village Blend baristas, Mike Quinn - Clare's fiance', her daughter Joy and even Madame and her new beau are lost in the world of tech, dating apps, possible tampering, a new drug on the streets and oh yeah, another dead body. With the usual wit, style and delicious recipes that make you crave coffee and pastries Cleo Coyle has yet another hit with Shot in the Dark.

I was provided an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in return for an honest review. The book will be released on April 17, 2018

Happy Easter

I let this egg sit in the dye for a long time yesterday. It's the one I posted a picture of yesterday that was so bright green. Overnight it changed to show all this blue, as well. I'm amazed at how it now looks like Planet Earth. I love it!

Part of the plastic Easter egg haul! They're loaded with chocolate goodies! I hope everyone who celebrates had a wonderful and happy Easter!