P is for Persuasion

by Carol13 Comments
Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday. Today's letter is P. I'm going with a classic this week. I read Persuasion in November of 2007 and rated it 5 out of 5 stars. At the time, I said that one reason I really enjoyed this book was that the main characters  had some life experience that they were bringing with them. Anne was almost too perfect, but I still liked her and was rooting for her. This is not the edition I read, but I really like this cover. Persuasion by Jane Austen Anne Elliot, heroine of Austen's last novel, did something we can all relate to: Long ago, she let the love of her life get away. In this case, she had allowed herself to be persuaded by a trusted family friend that the young man she loved wasn't an adequate match, social stationwise, and that Anne could do better. The novel opens some seven years after Anne sent her...
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Bear Portraits by Jill Greenberg

by Carol6 Comments
Bear Portraits by Jill Greenberg The portraits in this book are gorgeous. Full-grown brown bears, grizzlies, black bears, Polar bears, and bear cubs are photographed in a studio against a portrait backdrop. The poses are cute, funny, frightening, thoughtful and the bears at times seem almost human. For me, the bears lose some of their awesomeness by being taken out of nature, but that's just me. They're a little too clean here, too perfect. The photos are beautiful, though, letting us see these amazing, fascinating creatures face to face. I can see animal lovers adoring this book. "Only the gentle are ever really strong." -James Dean (as quoted in Bear Portraits) My copy was provided by the publisher for review, and the above is my honest opinion. I am an Amazon Associate....
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Mailbox Monday (on Tuesday) and Library Loot

by Carol6 Comments
I know it's not Monday anymore, but forgive me. Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday. I got a couple in the mail this week. Shelf Discovery by Lizzie Skurnick (won at Booking Mama. Thanks, Julie!) The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (won at Peeking Between the Pages. Thanks, Darlene!) I picked up one at the library, too. Library Loot is co-hosted by Eva and Marg. Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas And one came from Barnes and Noble. We were actually Christmas shopping, but it's so hard to walk in there and not come out with something for me. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins What books found their way to your house this week?...
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Teaser Tuesday

by Carol7 Comments
Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page. You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given. Please avoid spoilers! My teaser: "If you will take your face out of the trough for a moment, lad, let's play a little game. I contend that there are three men in this room who are armed, besides myself, of course. Let's see if you can come up with the same three, without appearing to look around." -pg. 156, Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. My copy was borrowed from the library. I am an Amazon Associate.....
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Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson

by Carol4 Comments
Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner (Suggested reading level: Ages 4-8) I hate to admit that I had no idea Sarah Hale was before reading this. She was a writer, a teacher, a publisher. She argued against slavery and fought for schools for girls. She was a "superhero," which is what Thanksgiving needed. People were forgetting about the holiday, but Sarah Hale believed that the whole country should celebrate it, together, and made it happen. Never underestimate dainty little ladies. This book, for me, celebrates the power of a woman and the power of writing. Sarah Hale wrote letter after letter, article after article and never gave up. Finally, in 1863, President Lincoln delared Thanksgiving a national holiday. I love reading books with Amber (9) that talk about real women who changed the world, in small and big ways. This story was a little young for her, but sometimes it's nice to just sit down and read a couple of...
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