2016almanac

Updated for 2016 with the newest, most exciting facts and stats.

Need help with studying? Love trivia? Just want to impress your friends or teachers? The Scholastic Almanac for Kids 2016 has information about practically everything! If you have questions, this book has answers. Packed with hundreds of facts, stats, and all of the info you need to keep boredom away and get your homework done. The 2016 edition features an eye-catching cover, completely updated facts and stats throughout, and new pop-culture sections.

 

 

My children and I crave trivia and facts.  We play board games weekly that is trivia based, and we love whenever there is a new almanac released! Scholastic feeds are addiction in the 2016 Almanac for Kids.

The featured topics in this almanac include:
Pop Culture
-Music. TV, Movies, Books, Games
Celebrate
-Birthdays, Calendars and Holidays
Our World
-Landmarks, Population, Languages, Religion, Etc.
Science and Technology
-Space, Inventions, Weight and Measures, Etc.
Nature
-Animals, Plants, Human Body, Weather, Etc.
History
-World, USA and US Government
Geography
-World, Flags and Facts of the World and USA

Also featured are full color pages, timelines and plenty of lists. Anything your child wants to know seems to be in this book. Almanacs are always full of knowledge and important dates/events to remember. This 2016 Almanac will keep your child entertained for hours!

[sc:rate5 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON

A short post featuring a few quick reviews. Short, sweet and all in one post.

Taken from my list of books read and ready to be reviewed, we are featuring books that are from The Neighbor From Hell series by author R.L. Mathewson.

 

playing for keeps1Playing For Keeps
by: R.L. Mathewson
Neighbor From Hell #1
4 Stars
GOODREADS / AMAZON (Currently FREE)
Can I just say that those Bradford men are sexy! I want one. Seriously. Send one to me R.L. Mathewson (and several hundred dollars to feed him each month). Jason was hysterical. I laughed so many times when reading this book. I did think it had many repetitive scenes, but the characters made up for this. Not only do Bradford men have an unbelievable appetite, but they have very large egos. Haley wasn’t my favorite character, but she did seem to balance well with Jason.

 

perfection2Perfection
by: R.L. Mathewson
Neighbor From Hell #2
5 Stars
GOODREADS / AMAZON (Currently $0.99)
Oh.Em.Gee. LOVED this book in the series! Trevor was the ice cream, cake, icing and a cherry on top in this book. I loved him from the beginning, all the way through the epilogue. The naughty scenes had me fanning the blush away on my face several times. Again, the Bradford ego and appetite is in abundance, but who cares when we get dirty and swoon worthy. Zoe was one lucky girl in this book. (And ladies…he likes himself some curves!)

 

checkmate3Checkmate
by: R.L. Mathewson
Neighbor From Hell #3
3 Stars
GOODREADS / AMAZON (Currently $0.99)
Huh?…What happened? While Conner definitely was another hot male in this series, I wasn’t a fan of Rory or the story. Two rivaling companies, coming together for one project, living next door to each other, and hating each other from childhood. Oh, and throw in some sex, egos, and tons of side characters.  There was plenty of plot, but lots of repetitive dialogue that made it drag. I wanted to throttle Rory more than embrace her.  The side characters — along with Conner’s sarcastic commentary –is what made this book bearable for me. Even though I didn’t like it as much as the first two, I definitely want to read more in the series to keep up with the Bradford family and friends.

A short post featuring a few quick reviews. Short, sweet and all in one post.

For this edition of Quickie Reviews For You, we are mixing it up. Taken off my review list at home, these are in no particular group or order.

mayhemMayhem by Jamie Shaw
4 Stars
GOODREADS/AMAZON (currently $2.99)
Is it a book full of cliche’s? Yes, but it works perfectly for this story. Is it predictable? Again yes, but I didn’t really care because I got to read about rock stars and love. I am a sucker for this trope. The only thing I really had an issue with was Adam not realizing who she was without her makeup. Come on! Makeup wouldn’t change her that much just because she has a smoky eye instead of a natural look.

 

the deal The Deal by Elle Kennedy
5 Stars
GOODREADS/AMAZON (currently priced $4.99)
Oh.My.GAWD! This book….no words. I loved it from page one until The End. Hannah was awesome but Garrett was the best hero ever! I laughed, I teared up, and then I also did everything in between on the emotional scale. I can honestly say that this book will be on my favorite books of 2015. I may have also highlighted so many quotes in this book that I might have started to annoy people it shared with. I dare you to just go read the quotes section on Goodreads and see what I mean.

 

hard knocksHard Knocks by Lori Foster
3 Stars
GOODREADS/AMAZON (currently $1.99)
This is a short novella featuring Gage and Harper.  I love the author, but this one I couldn’t make a connection with the characters.  The writing was just as good as always.  The characters were okay.  The  plot was all right.  I just couldn’t feel the romance between the two for it to stand out from her other books.

 

maybe somedayMaybe, Someday by Colleen Hoover
3 Stars
GOODREADS/AMAZON (currently $7.99)
Love triangle? Check. Guitar player? Check. Sweet emotions? Double check. While this wasn’t one of my favorites by this author, it still was a great read.  I loved Ridge, but I just didn’t like how he went about things and the decisions he would make throughout the story. We felt bad for him, but I couldn’t justify some of the things he did as “good guy” criteria. Sydney needed to just pull up her big girl panties and walk away from Ridge, but then we wouldn’t have a story.  Not bad writing, just bad character decisions.

 

ugly loveUgly Love by Colleen Hoover
4 Stars
GOODREADS/AMAZON (currently $7.99)
Ugly Love will leave you with a bad case of “Ugly Cries” which is followed by “Ugly Book Hangover”.  I actually enjoyed this one surprisingly.  I wasn’t too sure about it at first, but the characters grew on me.  The only thing that kept this from hitting the high mark was that the author did have the characters acting and talking immature at times.  I kind of overlooked that though because I was slightly infatuated with Miles. (somebody mentioned this book is getting made into a movie?? Does anyone know if it is true? Comment below and let me know!)

 

Frenched

 

Frenched (Frenched #1)
by Melanie Harlow

When Tucker Branch, playboy heir to Branch Bolt and Screw, screws and bolts a week before their wedding, Mia Devine wants nothing more than to crawl under her newly monogrammed sheets and plan a funeral for her dignity. But her friends convince her that bitter tastes better when it’s drowned in Bordeaux, so Mia grits her teeth and packs her bags, determined to make the best of her luxurious Paris honeymoon—alone.

She never planned on meeting Lucas Fournier.

The easygoing bartender’s scruffy good looks and less-than-sympathetic ear annoy her at first, but when she takes him up on his offer to show her around the city, she discovers that the romance of Paris isn’t just a myth.

Nor is the simultaneous O.

The last thing Mia needs is another doomed love affair, but since she only has a week, she figures she might as well enjoy la vie en O with Lucas while she can. But each day—and night—with Lucas is better than the last, and suddenly her heart is telling her this is more than a rebound fling.

Is it just the seduction of Paris…or could this be the real thing?

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a hot and steamy read — which it is! — but I also found that this book was fun and oh so sigh worthy.  The best part about this book? LUCAS.  You will fall in love with this fabulous French-American man.  He will sweep you off your feet just like he did with Mia.

After Mia’s fiance dumps her one week before their glamorous wedding, her friends convince her to take her honeymoon Paris trip anyway.  Mia goes against her OCD planning and just goes to Paris to start enjoying herself.  You see, Mia has everything planned out including what age she will have children, what age she will be married by, and what age she will have a home, etc.  She is a major list maker.  Anything and everything is made into a list and planned out.  Lucas throws Mia for a loop when she walks into his family bar in Paris.  She is upset and missing her relationship status and ready to head home the first night.  Lucas convinces her to let him take her on a tour of Paris before she decides if she wants to leave early.  She agrees as long as he doesn’t show her any romantic sites.

These two quickly fall for each other only to find out that Lucas has some secrets of his own. Not only does Lucas disrupt Mia and her plans, but Lucas is a person who lives in the ‘now’ and refuses to plan his life in the future. This translates into Lucas not wanting to settle into a commitment with anyone.  He doesn’t believe in marriage, kids or anything Mia desires for her future.  In Frenched, Mia and Lucas have to deal with their feelings and what it means to be with someone they can’t live without.

FAVORITE QUOTES

“Stop it, Mia. And don’t even look at his crotch right now. Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t— I did it. I couldn’t help myself.” –Mia

“Any requests?” he asked.
“Take off your pants.”
He grinned at me over his shoulder. “I meant music.”
— Mia and Lucas

MY RATING
[sc:rate5 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

 

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

MY REVIEW

Wow. Just wow.

Have you ever read a book and just have no words to really express what you are feeling?  That is how I feel after reading Hopeless by Colleen Hoover. I have had this book sitting on my Kindle for quite some time now.  I had purchased it back when everyone was raving about it, but somehow it just got buried in my list on my Kindle.  While trying to find something to read one day, I came across it again and decided to give it a try. I am still berating myself in my head for waiting to read this.

First of all, this book does touch on sensitive subject material.  If you can handle reading about sensitive subjects, then I urge you to read the book.  I loved the character of Dean Holder.  I loved his strength and his determination.  Not only has he suffered loss and pain in his life, but he has also held onto ‘Hope’.  He never really gave up.  While we slowly learn about his past growing up, we learn pieces of information that help us figure out the mystery involving Sky.  Sky has so much more back story than what we first believe and it slowly grows and evolves into a bigger puzzle involving many more key characters in the book.

I don’t want to give to much away, because the story from start to finish is a whole.  Each chapter helps us reach the ending that the reader explores in the first chapter teaser.  I can definitely say this book is on my Top Ten for the coming year even if it was published awhile back. Again, why did I wait so long to read this?!

“Not everyone gets a happily every after. Life is real and sometimes it’s ugly and you just have to learn how to cope.”

MY RATING

[sc:rate5 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON