It's That Time of Year! ~12 Days of Christmas and a Book Review

It's that time of year again!!

Time for the 12 Days of Christmas blog party hosted by Faith over at Stories by Firefly. This is the third year that she is doing it and also the third year that I am participating in it. I’ll be doing a fun Christmas post each day from now until Christmas. Faith will be too. You should definitely check out her blog to see all of her fun posts, plus she has a list of all the other bloggers participating in the party with their posts. 

There are only 12 days left until Christmas!!! Can you believe it? 

Okay, today for my first post I will be doing a book review.

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From the Back Cover:

Robert Reed gave his life for his country in the early days of World War II. His sacrifice was honored when his widow and son were presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor. At Christmas, the final decoration Marge Reed hangs on the family’s tree is that medal. Rather than being a symbol of honor for young Jimmy Reed that shining star represents loss, pain, and suffering. 

Yet a message delivered by one of Robert’s fellow soldiers and a mystery letter found in a Bible put a father’s sacrifice and faith into perspective and bring new meaning to not just the star hanging on the Christmas tree but the events of the very first Christmas. Then, when least expected, a Christmas miracle turns a final bit of holiday sadness into a joy that Jimmy has never known.

The Christmas Star is a really great book. I wasn’t too sure what to expect starting this book, but I ended up really enjoying it. I don’t think that the back cover really gives that great of an idea of what the book is about. So even if you don’t think it sounds the most fun, you should still give it a try! The Christmas Star definitely kept me on the edge of my seat several times. I was really wondering a couple times if the book could actually end well or not. 

I can’t say much without giving the story away, except for you should really read this book! :)

I give this book 9 R's out of 10 

Dylan's Story // Book Review

From the Back Cover:
Terrified of telling too much, ten-year-old Dylan Sedano wishes his little sister, Fern, would stop talking. But when army reserve officer, Scott Wood, and his wife, Autumn, tell Dylan that God is ready to help him, Dylan isn't buying. If God did care for them, why hadn't He been there months ago when the trouble started and his dad disappeared?

This book sounded really good when I first read the synopsis and I knew that it was a book that I’d  like to read. Well, I wasn’t disappointed! Dylan’s Story is a great book. It was pretty intriguing and I was never quite sure what would happen next. It also had it’s happy, sweet, and sad moments. I really enjoyed all of the characters. They were very well written. This book is really great. I would definitely recommend it and it’s a book that I’ll probably re-read sometime.

I give this book 8 out of 10 R's

The Bibliophile Sweater Tag

Just recently Faith over at Stories by Firefly did the Bibliophile Sweater Tag. She left it open for whoever wanted to do it, so I decided I would. Since I wasn't officially tagged I'm not going to post all of the rules and stuff. I also am not going to tag anyone, so feel free to do this tag if you want to!

Fuzzy Sweater (A book that is the epitome of comfort.)
The A Life of Faith: Millie Keith series. These books are SO good! They are definitely my top favorite series!

Striped Sweater (Book you devoured every line of.)
I could go with Millie again, but I'll choose something else. ;)
A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke is a book that I could hardly put down.

Ugly Christmas Sweater (Book with a weird cover.)
Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski. The cover doesn't actually look weird, but the girl on the front cover who is supposed to be Mary Jemison has brown hair and brown eyes. In the book it says that she has blue eyes and very blond hair, so it's a bit strange that the cover doesn't match the descriptions in the book.

Cashmere Sweater (The most expensive book you bought.)
The two books that I paid the most for would be Millie's Grand Adventure and Millie's Fiery Trail. They had just gone out of print and were a little harder to find, but I loved them so much so I paid quite a bit for them.

Hoodie (Favorite classic book.)
I really haven't read many classics. The A Life of Faith: Elsie Dinsmore series count as classics, right...? Because pretty much everyone has heard of Elsie Dinsmore from either the original books of the A Life of Faith ones.

Cardigan (Book you bought on impulse.)
Back in the Saddle by Ruth Logan Herne is a book that I kind of bought on impulse. I had seen the cover of book 2 in a CBD catalog and it was pretty cute. When I found out that it was the second book I decided to get book 1. It was pretty good, not a favorite but not bad either.

Turtleneck Sweater (Book from your childhood.)
I read Elsie's Endless Wait several times when I was younger. I really enjoyed that book along with the second book in the series because Elsie is a young girl in those two, so I liked them better than the other books because she was around my age in those first books. I'm hoping to re-read the A Life of Faith: Elsie Dinsmore series in the coming year!

Homemade Knitted Sweater (Book that is Indie published.)
Just within the last two years I've read several Indie books. One of my favorites though is Dandelion Dust by Faith Potts.

V-Neck Sweater (A book that did not meet your expectations.)
The Imposter by Suzanne Woods Fisher didn't quite meet my expectations.

Argyle Sweater (Book with a unique format.)
The Christmas Star by Ace Collins had a kind of cool format. At the beginning of the chapter it had the month, day, years, and the time. So it looked like: December 23, 1943 6:15p.m. I thought that it was cool to have the time in there.

Polka-Dot Sweater (A book with well rounded characters.)
The Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn has pretty well rounded characters. The author  showed a bunch of different sides of the characters. When they were happy, sad, upset, excited...


That's all of the questions!
The 12 Days of Christmas log party starts in one week so I'll be having lots of fun Christmas posts coming up!

Christmas is Coming!!

Christmas is in 25 days!!!! :) I am so excited! Christmas is definitely the most wonderful time of the year!

This year I am participating in the 12 Days of Christmas blog party hosted by my friend, Faith.
This is the 3rd year that Faith has done this link-up and the 3rd year that I will be participating in it! :) It is a lot of fun. For more information and to sign up to be a part of the party, check out Faith's post about the 12 Days of Christmas!!

Are you as excited for Christmas as me?!

Thanksgiving, Christmas Fun, and Violin ~ My November Highlights

November has ended. It was another good month.

~On November 4th, I started watching Christmas movies! I used to always want to wait for all things Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but I decided that once November came I was going to start! :)

~I went to my brothers last football game of the season. It was the all-star game and only one of my brothers played, but the team he was on won!

~Thanksgiving came. My family and I went over to my grandparents house and we had a nice time. The weather was great so we were able to spend a little time outside playing games.

~The book club this month went really well. I put together a scavenger hunt and all the girls had a lot of fun with it!

~I decorated my room for Christmas. I put up my mini tree and hung up lights.

~My younger brothers and I went over to my grandparents house and helped them decorate for Christmas.

~I had a violin recital.

~My brothers and I went to a game day at a friends house and we played human foosball. It was more fun than I thought it would be, but it did end up making me pretty sore for the next few days. ;)

~Some of my family and I got together with a group of friends and had fun visiting and playing games.

~I've been getting ready for a Christmas concert that I am in. I'm in the orchestra and the performances are this weekend!

I read some of my first Christmas books of the season along with some other fun books.
Trouble Brewing by Susan Page Davis
Mandie and the Secret Tunnel by Lois Gladys Leppard

Andi to the Rescue by Susan K. Marlow

The Tea Will Tell by Elizabeth Ludwig 

Mandie and Joe's Christmas Surprise by Lois Gladys Leppard
The Christmas She Wanted by Rebekah A. Morris
Christmas Smiles by Rebekah A. Morris


Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?
Have you started getting ready for Christmas yet?

Author Interview // Faith Potts

I've been wanting to do an author interview with Faith ever since she published her first book in June of this year. I finally got around to coming up with the questions and asking her and she said yes. I hope you enjoy the interview!

Faith Potts is a teenage writer, living with her family and beloved yellow labs in the southeastern US. When she's not writing stories, consuming large amounts of coffee, reading books, or creating pottery, she can be found laughing harder than is healthy, daydreaming, and – of course – blowing dandelions. Faith blogs over at Stories by Firefly and Chosen Vessels.






1. When did you first become interested in writing?
I first became interested in writing in the late summer/fall of 2014. So yeah, over three years! :D

2. How did you become interested in writing?
Through a short-story contest, centered around my favorite book series. Mrs. Susan Marlow from the Circle C Adventure blog was hosting her second short-story contest and I, a new fan of the books, decided to give it a shot. I wrote two stories for the contest – which led to several other finished and unfinished fanfiction stories. By the winter/spring of 2015, I was coming up with my own characters and plots to write.

3. Is there any specific authors/books that have inspired you?
Well, Mrs. Marlow, obviously! ;) Others would include Sarah Sundin for her amazing WWII fiction and Joanne Bischof for her beautiful writing style.

4. What is the hardest part of writing for you? (character development, story line, etc.)
For me, I think it depends on the story. In historical settings, for example, I want to be sure I get everything right so that it's true to the time period. I'm not sure that would be considered a part of writing, but it does play a factor. Other than that, I think my character development could use some work.

5. What’s the easiest part?
Coming up with the story idea. Hashing out the characters relations (families, siblings, etc.). Planning the (usually) happy ending. If I'm really 'into the story', then the writing part is pretty easy too. :)

6. Do you have a favorite time period that you like your stories to be set in?
Ooo, that's tough! This time last year I would have easily said WWII/the 1940s. But I've written two books in contemporary settings since then, so...maybe it's a tie between those too. ;)

7. Are you currently working on a book? If so, when do you hope it will be done?
I'm going to give a kind of 'yes and no' answer here because, when I think of working on a book, the actual writing is what comes to mind. In that regard, no, I'm not currently working on anything. But if we're talking about anything pertaining to the bettering of a book, then yes! I'm currently editing my WWII historical fiction novel. I'm hoping to release it next summer/fall if all goes according to plan. :)

8. What was your favorite scene to write in Dandelion Dust?
I like this question. *wink* But I'm honestly not capable of picking one scene. The part where Drew and Charity pray in the hospital room (end of chapter 6) is right there at the top though. It almost sounds silly given how many times I've read it, but it gives me feels. <3 The haircut scene is another favorite. I really enjoyed bringing out the characters' joking and snarky sides during that. ;)


You should definitely check out Faith's books, Dandelion Dust. It is very good and definitely a book I'd recommend!
You can go here to purchase it.

About the Book:
Like a speck of dandelion dust riding the tides of a prairie wind, life is fleeting. Though I never realized just how fragile it was until that day . . .

Charity always had a dream. It was simple, really. Find a guy, fall in love, and get married.
The day she met Ryder, Charity knew he was the man God had chosen for her. But she never expected their relationship to be tested and tried through the fires of a freak accident. Suddenly, her world is thrown into chaos, and the bleak, white walls and sterile smells of a city hospital fill every spare minute. And then there comes the dreaded news. It was likely Ryder would never make it out of the hospital bed.
As her carefully laid plans for the future come crashing down around her and the sun seems to set on her dreams, can Charity still find hope in the dark of night?

Like a dandelion, life is beautiful. But treasure every moment. . . for one day, the flower will be gone.

Thanks so much for doing this, Faith! :)

Christmas Comes Early Blog Tour

Are you excited for Christmas? I sure am!! One of my favorite things to do at Christmas time is to read Christmas stories! Rebekah A. Morris just came out with 8 new Christmas books! I'm really excited to read all of them. Today I'll be spotlighting two of her new books.

The Christmas She Wanted
Christmas had lost its charm and wonder. Mrs. Rush hated the feeling but was powerless to fix things. Traveling to visit relatives for the holidays, the Rush children pass the time with their eyes glued to the screens of their devices. That is, until the flashing lights of a State Highway Patrol car bring their trip to a sudden and unplanned-for stop.

Christmas Smiles
This was Lana’s second Christmas without her parents, who had died in an accident, and she was sure it would bring nothing but tears, because she and her aunt couldn’t seem to get along. When a frightening experience occurs, Lana, her cousin, and her aunt and uncle find unexpected cause for smiles.

About the Author:
Rebekah A. Morris is a homeschool graduate, an enthusiastic freelance author and a passionate writing teacher. Her books include, among others, Home Fires of the Great War, The Unexpected Request, Gift from the Storm, and her bestselling Triple Creek Ranch series. Some of her favorite pastimes, when she isn't’ writing, include reading and coming up with dramatic and original things to do. The Show-Me state is where she calls home.







Blog Tour Schedule:
November 13
Bookish Orchestrations – Introductory Post
Read Another Page – Book Spotlight from the author
Kaylee's Kind of Writes – Book Spotlight
Resting Life – Review and Excerpt
Perry Elisabeth – Excerpt
Rachel Rossano's Words – Book Spotlight and Excerpt

November 14
Read Another Page – Book Spotlight from the author
Odelia's Blog – Author Interview and Book spotlight
Bryce’s Creative Writing Corner – Author Interview, Review, and Excerpt
Counting Your Blessings One by One – Review and Excerpt
Perpetual Indie Perspective – Book Spotlight

November 15
Read Another Page – Book Spotlight from the author
Whimsical Writings for His Glory – Author, Review, and Excerpt
Maidens for Modesty – Author Interview and Review
The Destiny of One – Book Spotlight
Rebekah Ashleigh – Book Spotlight
Once Upon an Ordinary – Review
Stephany's BLOG Snippets – Book Spotlight and Excerpt

November 16
Read Another Page – Book Spotlight from the author
Laurel's Leaves – Author Interview
Stories by Firefly – Review
Claire Banschbach – Author Interview
Kelsey's Notebook – Review and Excerpt
Jaye L. Knight – Book Spotlight and Excerpt

November 17
Read Another Page – Book Spotlight from the author
Ruffles and Grace – Book Spotlight
With a Joyful Noise – Book Spotlight
Ordinary Girl Extraordinary Father – Review
Bookish Orchestrations – Closing Post