Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Book Review of The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow, Titles to Write By, The Monday Muse, Being Thankful


18629730The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow by Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson is now available HERE.

After waiting to read it for a long while, I received an ARC of this book and was not disappointed.

My review:

Fairday Morrow is not happy about moving with her family from the city to the country. Her best friend Lizzy, and fellow mystery solver, is a whole hour away! But the minute Fairday steps into the old spooky Begonia House her parent's have bought to turn into a guest house, she knows there's a mystery to solved. Plus, it doesn't take her any time to make friends with Marcus, a boy at her new school. When Lizzy comes to visit over a week-end, the three kids are confronted with an evil willow tree, a villainous being they assume is ghost, and a house loaded with secrets. Will they be able to solve the mystery before Fairday's parents discover they've made a HUGE mistake buying the house?

There's lots of spooky action in this middle grade. Fairday, Lizzy, and Marcus each have distinct well formed personalities as does Begonia House. Even Fairday's dog, Auntie Em, is a character. I'm looking forward to reading any further adventures the Detective Mystery Squad may have.

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Next week, Monday the 14th, I will be one of Jessica and Stephanie's stops on their fabulous tour!

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"Titles to Write By" is an occasional blog post in which we play with a single word and turn it into, what else, titles! Afterwards the object is to pick one of them and write a little something.

It was Ray Bradbury, in his book ZEN IN THE ART OF WRITING, who taught me about making lists of words and turning them into titles. If you haven't read it I highly recommend it.



For no particular reason today's word is: (Well, that's not entirely true. With all the anger, fear, and hate being thrown at us by the media these days, a little COMPASSION would be a good thing.)



The Heart of Compassion
Compassion Comes In All Sizes
How Compassion Saved the World
The Doorway into Compassion
The Life of a Compassionate Mind
After Anger, Compassion
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ImageChef.comThe Monday Muse: In which we take one of the above titles and play with it.

After Anger, Compassion

Anger clouded his face, a dark bruised cloud in shades of blue-black purple, streaked with red lightening bolts.

"She makes me so mad..." he said.

"Where is the anger?" I asked.

He pounded his chest with a fist, slapped his head. "Here!"

"So how is she making you so angry when the anger is inside you?"

The darkness on his face seemed to fade every so slightly.

 "Isn't it your own mind making you mad? Isn't it the story you keep telling yourself over and over about how she left you that keeps the anger fueled?"

He looked at me, eyes narrowing.

"Think of a time when you were really very happy," I said.

The hard lines around his eyes softened, the hint of a smile peaked out from behind the dark clouds.

"There," I said. "Who is that? Who is making you happy?"

He looked away from me as if embarrassed. "I am."

"And who is making you mad?"

He shrugged wiping away the first tears of pent up pain. "I am."

"Don't you think it's time you gave yourself a little compassion?"

***
Being Thankful

Today I'm thankful for robins.
American Robin-27527
Robins aren't true migratory birds, they simply go where the food is. Because of the drought, we haven't seen any for the last four or five years.
Thanks to a wet spring and fall they're back.
What a delight it is to hear their chirping in the trees surrounding our home, to see them flying across the sky by the hundreds.
American Robin 0026
Welcome back robins!
***
What are you thankful for? Have you read The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow? Care to share a title in the comments? Do any of the titles interest your muse? 

17 comments:

  1. Jessica and Elizabeth's book sounds charming.

    I think I've seen robins everywhere I've lived, although not that many in Albuquerque.

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    1. Thanks, L. Diane Wolfe! We enjoy bird watching too. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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  2. Hi Bish ... The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow - look fun for the kids. I love your robins - I know they are different to ours .. but I can see the differences now - and I love the white eye colouring ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary- We are so glad you think our book looks like fun! :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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  3. Winter is on its way here and it's time to get out the birdseed for our robins. A squirrel literally knocked on my glass door awhile ago. I think I know what he (or she) wants!

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  4. I enjoy coming up with titles. I've got a list of just titles that I'd like to use one day. Recently I won a copy of the Bradbury book from Sheila Renfro. It's an excellent book that has inspired me.

    Arlee Bird
    Wrote By Rote

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  5. Wow! Those robins are beautiful! Loved your playing with titles, Bish.

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  6. So excited for Jess and Stephanie on their book release! Thanks for the book recommendation.

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    1. Natalie- Thanks for your kind words! :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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  7. Jurassic Compassion!
    Jess and Stephanie will be happy to see your review.

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    1. Alex- You are right! We are thrilled to see Bish's review! :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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  8. Titles are important - choose the right keywords and your onto a winner. Robins have a keen sixth sense for a good meal. Ever notice how they swoop in for their tucker, right after the gardening? Thats because they're clever, lol.

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  9. Such pretty robins. I love watching the little birds hop around on my patio. Wish I could put a bird feeder out.

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  10. I'm thankful for... friends and family. :-)

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  11. It's so true. No one can make us angry or happy. It all boils down to our internal dialog and what we choose to tell ourselves.

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  12. I am thankful for God's gifts of salvation and mercy.

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  13. What a special treat to stop by and find your review of of our book here. Thanks so much for sharing it with everyone! Today we are thankful for the warm weather and the weekend. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

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Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!