Chit Chat

So, I just wanted to pause and take a moment and say a few things. This month has been crazy! I've posted 24 times (this post makes 25) this month, which is an insane amount. I'm going to have to slow it down at least a little! I love posting every day, I do! But next month is probably not going to have as many posts. I am excited that next month I'll be reviewing Movement of Crowns (hopefully) and a new Tracie Peterson book (Yay!). Next month is also the one year Blogversary of Live. Love. Read. and I'm hoping to come up with a special way to celebrate. Trying. Also coming up soon is a review of the book featured in next week's W-o-W! Also, if you guys have ideas on what  posts I should do, or questions for me to answer in my answer a question posts please comment them. Also, I counted, and according to what I have written down (and I hope I haven't missed anyone) there have been visitors to this blog from 30 countries, from all 6 habitable continents! I can't say how very much that means to me! Thank you! (now if I could just get a few of you to subscribe ;) *cough* and +1 /tweet/pin) Also, I finally signed up for NetGalley! It's incredible!

BookApp of the Week: Overdrive

I had this app on my phone, but it was just to small and wasn't working that well. I much prefer using the website. It uses your library card to check out ebooks. You can have 6 holds and 5 check outs at a time. You can have the books for 21 days. Formats include EPub and Kindle. Which I love since I can send the book directly to my kindle app.

Meet the Author: Lea Waterhouse

I'm very excited (like so excited I can't even! {no references need be made to this article!}) to share my very first author interview with you guys! Her name is Lea Waterhouse and, coinciding with today's interview, her first Christian YA book is set to come out! You may remember that a few days ago I posted my review of it. In case you missed that here's a link.

And without further ado, here are the questions and Lea's answers!

What was your first book?

Lea: Dawn on the Road is my first published book--I'm SO excited!

What has been the most encouraging comment you've gotten on a book? 

Lea: The most encouraging comment was from Girlz 4 Christ Magazine's editor, Jessica Lippe. She wrote: "As a Christian who craves adventure, I could definitely resonate with Dawn and Justin on their trip up the West Coast. But more than a journey to see the sights, they are on a spiritual journey to find their purpose, and ultimately to find God. Dawn on the Road will give hope to those facing the tough choices that come during the teen years." This was so encouraging because she got from the book what I was aiming to do.

Which of your characters would you want to be your best friend?

Lea: Justin, for sure. I want to be on the back of his motorcycle heading out on the open road...to anywhere. His awkwardness as a new Christian is endearing too.

Who was your favorite author growing up and why?

Lea: Robin Jones Gunn. The first Christy Miller book lead me to Christ. That series inspired me to write Dawn on the Road, to hopefully encourage other young women, as Gunn's books encouraged me.

Outline or Make it up as you go?

Lea: I definitely outline, but my characters surprise me sometimes. Dawn and Justin were originally supposed to travel to Minneapolis to an art show, and instead headed up to Vancouver to an art school preview. Evidently they felt like a West Coast road trip instead!

What is your cure for writer's block? Or do you even get that?

Lea: Reading beautifully written books reinvigorates my creativity.

What social media do you like to share your works through most? How can readers best connect with you?

Lea: Twitter is a great way; I'm @LeaWaterhouse (follow her here). I'm not great at social media, actually--I tend to turn my phone off to fully experience whatever I'm doing (otherwise, I'm highly distractible!), but then I catch up with readers at night.

Here is a blurb from her book Dawn on the Road! Enjoy!

DAWN ON THE ROAD - ABOUT THE BOOK

She’s here for the ride. For the road. For inspiration.

   Dawn Berlin dreams of adventure, inspiration, and to feel something deeper. She’s certain that art will be the catalyst for these goals, except that the adults around her think she’s not being realistic. When Justin Devenport returns to her life the summer before her senior year, he convinces her to find inspiration on the road. Now she’s off, perched on the back of his motorcycle, heading up the coast to a preview weekend at an art school. 

   It isn’t long before Dawn realizes Justin’s view of inspiration is quite different than hers. He believes it comes from a God she was taught absolutely does not exist.

   On the road, maybe she’ll find a friendship renewed. Maybe art. Maybe even love. Or perhaps she’ll find all three wrapped up in a different kind of inspiration, but only if Dawn can break from her upbringing, open her heart, and figure out what she believes.

You can buy her book here!!!

Have more questions for Lea? Please feel free to ask her on Twitter (use #AskLea and tag her using @LeaWaterhouse ) or leave them in the comments below! We'd both love to hear your questions!

Waiting-on-Wednesday: Death at Thorburn Hall by Julianna Deering

This is the 6th book on the Drew Farthering series, which, you may or may not have gathered from this review , I am a big fan of! It's set to come out this fall and I am counting down the days. I'm not sure what it's about but I know it's set during the 1935 British Open and that I'm going to love it!

(This is the cover for book one, which I can't wait to get my hands on)

Waiting-on-Wednesday is hosted here

Review: Nick Newton Is Not A Genius by S.E.M. Ishida

Nick's entire family is genius. But not Nick. When Nick finds a robot bird in his attic and puts it together it leads him on an amazing journey to discover things about his grandfather that no one ever knew! Nick Newton may not be a genius, but he is amazing!


I enjoyed this book a lot (even though this review may not make it look that way. The thing is that I struggle with reviewing short books). I'm going with 5 stars here!

1: This book is perfect for third-fifth graders I would say. It was a pretty quick read for me, but it'd probably not be for them.

2: This was a really unique book. I've never read a children's book quite like it(especially from this publisher). The plot was really creative! And it had a really happy, satisfactory, fulfilling ending.

3: I loved all the characters. They were really well-rounded, especially for a kid's book! And unique! Especially Jude! Also, don't believe all the rumors you hear about people, especially about them being robots! Plink is so cute! She's guaranteed to capture the heart of every reader! I want a Plink!

4: The pictures and especially the cover are all amazing!

5: I laughed (a lot) with this book! Especially finding out who the owner of the purple mansion was. This book will probably have kids in stitches!

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Redeeming Grace by Jill Eileen Smith

Blog Tour Dates Feb20-Mar6

Naomi follows her husband and sons to Moab to escape the famine. While there her husband dies, leaving Naomi powerless to stop her sons from taking Moabite wives. After a decade of marriage to Ruth and Orpah, Mahlon and Chillion die. Naomi decides to take her daughters-in-law back to Israel, but on the way decides to send them back to Moab. Orpah goes, but Ruth refuses and returns to Israel with Naomi. There, Ruth gleans in the fields of Boaz to provide for the two of them.



This book is worth 5 stars!

1: As far as I could tell, this book was incredibly accurate! The research that's been done is evident. 85 verses of the Bible transformed into 350 pages of amazing literature!

2: So, like the book of the Bible, the romance level is a 10. A really big 10.

3: This book contained so many names of God. Yahweh, Jehovah, Adonai, Elohim, Almighty.

4: I love the characters. They truly come to life. And to read this at the same time that I was studying Ruth, completely coincidently, was an incredible experience. And much of the dialogue, I recognized as direct quotes from Scripture. My favorite passage in Ruth is definitely her declaration of "Where you go, I will go, where you stay I will stay, your people shall be my people, and your God, my God" That is seriously going in my wedding.

5: This book most definitely highlights the differences between the awful religion of the Moabites and the perfection of true worship of God. Also, how much change Ruth had to get used to.

                                       I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Answer a Question: What's the best retail site to use to post a book review?

My favorite retailer to post my reviews on is Books-A-Million. Their format is very user friendly. You are given options for pros, and for cons, and you can add your own. They have an option for if you received the product in exchange  for an honest review. You can pick what level of reader you are from occasional to bookworm. It's my absolute favorite place to post a review (retailer wise). What is your's? Tell me in the comments!