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The Secret Ingredient – Review #books

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I’ve always been a fan of a metaphor done well and although food metaphors can be overdone I just can’t help but think The Secret Ingredient is a palate cleansing kind of novel.
En route to Chicago for a blogging conference I dove into a new release from Delacorte Press by a random author I’d never heard of before. The Secret Ingredient was one of the numerous books in a surprise package sent to me by Random House a couple weeks ago. Now, getting a box full of 17 books right after your birthday, for a reader like me was the best gift ever. But by the same token getting 17 books that all look interesting is a challenge too. Which one should I choose first? 
Several of the new releases and advanced reader’s copies I received are young adult fiction. My daughter is 12 and she is a voracious reader, so I wondered if The Secret Ingredient by Stewart Lewis would be appropriate for her yet. I cracked the spine of The Secret Ingredient on the Amtrak train from Port Huron to Chicago and had it finished within four hours of the ride. The Secret Ingredient is a page-turner with a compelling plot about a young woman with two Dads (if you follow my blog thriftymommastips.com you can see why that hooked me right there, can’t you?) Olivia is a mature sixteen-year-old chef starting to wonder about her birth mother. Her Dads are both artistic and they run a restaurant in Los Angeles where Olivia cooks the specials most days. Her brother is also adopted and a wee bit of a flake with too many get rich quick schemes, an entrepreneurial spirit and musical talent to boot. Jeremy, unlike Olivia, has no inkling or desire to seek out his biological parents. 
Olivia is quite simply magnificent in her realism. Lewis breathes her onto the page effortlessly where she exists every bit as real as some of the most memorable characters from literary classics. I enjoyed this character completely, from start to finish, as she moved through her unique experience of the teenage years with eyes of an adoptee seeking to figure out various facets of her identity. Adoption plots somehow always seem to find me and this is an endless source of amusement here as I rarely pick up a book seeking to read about adoption anymore. Here adoption is a sub-plot woven consistently and evenly throughout. There is little drama and very little TV sensationalization here, which I fully appreciate. The Secret Ingredient is just a metaphor for the recipe of her life, her character and personality. Olivia wonders in a very realistic manner where her cooking talent comes from. It is her one gift not shared with anyone else in her family. She recalls all the various moments throughout school where her differences are called into question causing her to contemplate her history as an adoptee. She frames her experience against her brother’s and asks often if he ever cares to wonder where his biological parents might be. But Jeremy doesn’t seem to have a curious bone in his body.
Olivia’s two Dads are at a cross roads also, with their livelihood in jeopardy and bankruptcy imminent. Olivia’s best friend complains about her health nut of a mother until she realizes her mother has been covering an illness with a healthy eating and fitness obsession.  
The Secret Ingredient was a light, entertaining, and very well written, young adult book for the ages 14 plus. There is mild sexual activity within that I wouldn’t want my kids reading about yet. But I will shelve this one and keep it for my oldest daughter to read in a couple of years because the main character is so well done. 
I highly recommend this summer read for anyone 14 plus, especially appealing to those who have any experience of adoption or foster care. $$$$$ out of $$$$$.

The Secret Ingredient is fiction, published June 2013, 256 pages, by Stewart Lewis, $19.99 Trade Paperback in Canada. 

Tales From the Treehouse – Zoe’s Room #giveaway

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Zoe’s Room is a sweet story about sharing and sisters. We loved it here and are happy to share our giveaway with you also. This one was so good it was a natural catalyst to getting our Tales From the Treehouse series kicked off for the season again. Zoe is a little girl, a wee bit of a princess, with a bit of a knack for turning her room upside down after lights out time at night. She adores creative play and her imagination is magnificent. Please click through the video review above to see what my kiddo thought. Ainsley enjoyed this one very much and took it to school to share with her entire class.

It gets $$$$$ out of $$$$$.

ZOE’S ROOM (NO SISTERS ALLOWED)
By Bethanie Deeney Murguia
In Stores Now
Picture book for about ages 3 to 5. (I overestimated the age for this in our vlog review, but I think it can go a lot older than the suggested age of 5. My 9 year old liked it here.) 
Three winners will get a copy of Zoe’s Room: US ONLY!
·         A copy of Zoe’s Room (No Sisters Allowed)
From the Press release:
About the book
Zoe rules as Queen of the Universe — or at least, her room! — in this sweet, funny companion to Zoe Gets Ready.
Zoe is the Queen of the whole Universe … but her favorite place in the Universe is her own room, where she hosts tea parties, builds empires out of blocks, and gazes out upon the stars.
Then her parents announce that her little sister Addie is moving in to Zoe’s room. Little sisters aren’t good at tea parties (too rude), block-building (too clumsy), and starwatching (just plain too young!). So the Queen’s new roommate is a royal pain . . . until Zoe discovers that even her smallest subjects can be useful in a storm!
For ages 3-5 years.
About the author
Bethanie Deeney Murguia earned an MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. Bethanie lives with her family and her fifty pound lap dog, Disco, in Sausalito, CA. She is the creator of Zoe Gets Ready and Buglette, the Messy Sleeper.

To Win a copy leave a simple comment here and tell me where you are from (US ONLY) and who this is for? I will draw with random.org on June 28th. Three winners. US only. 

Shadow Girl: Young Adult Book Review #adoption

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One of my greatest literary indulgences these days is YA literature. I am increasingly blown away by the quality literature coming from authors working in this genre. Shadow Girl is one new paperback novel I couldn’t wait to get my hands on because of the adoption, foster care and poverty themes that run throughout. The promotional blurb alone led me to believe it would captivate both myself and my daughter, Payton. Together, we review appropriate young adult books here because she is as voracious a reader as I am.

Paula:

Shadow Girl is a beautiful story, sad and gentle, with some small alarming moments that provide a genuine insight into how far too many young people and children live in North American society. It is a substantial social issues and coming of age story that revolves around how to negotiate that territory when you are basically alone in the world left to fend for yourself. Jules is 11 and her father is an alcoholic. We are told early on that her mother left the duo and no reason is provided for that, but this lack of background on Mom is not a detractor to the plot.

Jules father is emotionally abusive to her when he is drunk and overwhelmed. His character, to me, was accurate, more concerned about his next drink and his next girlfriend or party. Unfortunately Jules is left many nights all by herself at home and she develops quite a tough shell. She spends many afternoons hanging out at the local shopping mall where she gets to know a salesperson who will change her life in more ways than one.

After a lengthy bender, Jules father discovers that she has been apprehended by Children’s Aid. This begins a different section of Jules’ life. She is devastated to be taken from her father, despite the fact that he hasn’t been a parent to her in any respect for many years.

I enjoyed the author’s skill in showing details through the narrator’s eyes. Morrison never over explains or tells the reader what to think. For instance she describes the face of the father’s new girlfriend as puffy and red in a way subtle enough to inform everyone she too is likely an alcoholic or addict.

I could have handled more from this story and felt it ended a bit too neatly and a bit too quick. I am not a fan of literary and television accounts of foster care and fully understand there are all sorts of people who take care of kids in all kinds of cities throughout North America, but many depictions of foster care are inaccurate, in my experience. Obviously, an antagonist and conflict were necessary to drive the plot, but I think the author might have used a more creative tool than the insensitive foster parent cliche.

While I really enjoyed the naive narrator in Shadow Girl and have no problem recommending this for any child over the age of nine, I had minor issues with it as an adult. I found Jules to be a very gentle version, almost a muted down version, of most children I know who have come through the child welfare system. She remains naive and sweet and never really loses it. She escapes her foster care situation every chance she gets and she escapes her father’s home as well, but I expected more from a child raised by an alcoholic and shuffled through homes at a crucial age in her development. It seemed to me the real life Jules would have been acting out one heck of a lot more than this character did.

Patricia Morrison is a Canadian who lived in Toronto for many years but now lives in British Columbia with her family. She worked for the Ministry of Children and Families for many years in child welfare. This is her first novel.

My rating is $$$$ out of $$$$$. ( This is the kind of book that could easily be built into school curriculum. It is gentle and provides a great insight into poverty for young adults.)

Payton: (in her own words)

Shadow Girl is an emotional book, filled with happiness, sadness and anger, even frustration. It is set in 1963. I think this is probably similar to what one of my friends experienced when she was living with her birth family, before she was apprehended and placed in foster care in Ontario. The main character Jules is the same age as me. She has many of the same moods as I do and I completely understand her emotions. I feel the same way sometimes. When I read these books I like to put myself in the character’s shoes, just as I would if I were acting in a play. I like doing this because it helps me to feel what they are feeling. At times this was difficult with Jules because her life is sad, but I liked her imaginative spirit and how well she used it to express herself in the book. She made a lot of forts to keep herself feeling safe and she imagined all sorts of things like being a princess, a brave knight, a warrior and a superhero.
Jules is very creative.

I wish that every child who went into foster care could move quicker to adoption but still had rights to see their birth family when able to do so. More people should read books like this so they understand children who are in the child welfare system. I will probably lend Shadow Girl to many of my friends.

I had trouble putting this book down during free time at school and when I was reading on the school bus. The main character is very compelling. I liked that she was my age. It made me sad to read about her relationship with her Dad. I would read more by this author because she created a great character in Jules. She was strong and creative and she escaped her foster home often because she said it was a house full of strangers. I was hoping for a happy ending for Jules and her Dad.

Shadow Girl is by Patricia Morrison, Tundra Books, $12.99, paperback, 2013, 217 pages.

Payton’s rating was $$$$ 1/2 out of $$$$$. (Loved it.)

New York Times best-selling author’s latest: The Next Best Thing – review

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The Next Best Thing is a sweet summer read that doesn’t disappoint. 
The Next Best Thing is the story of a budding screenwriter, from Massachusetts, left orphaned and physically scarred, by a car accident. Ruth is a creative witty young girl forced to endure many surgeries as a result of facial burns she sustained during the accident that killed her parents. Like many children who are hospitalized throughout their formative years Ruth develops a passion for escapism. Her escape is television,  a diversion from pain. She is raised by her grandmother, a kind and caring sort who does her best to compensate and make life tolerable for her wounded charge. Together they spend hours enjoying series like The Golden Girls. Ruth’s creativity spills from her own personal tragedy and her love of television. She turns these experiences into a semi-autobiographical TV show pilot.
Some of the most compelling scenes in The Next Best Thing are those that centre on the relationship between Ruth and her grandmother. After one of the more invasive surgeries Ruth undergoes, her grandmother lays in bed next to her having decorated the tiny hospital room with a big screen television. She finds the diary of her granddaughter which states only: “I will never be beautiful.” The scene that follows is bittersweet in some ways as it is both a turning point and one of the only times the grandmother character is really shown to be vulnerable.
The Next Best Thing is the tentative name of the series Ruth has created and pitched to TV executives. It is the break they have both been working towards and yet also the start of a difficult journey of introspection and one that challenges her relationship with her grandmother. Ruth’s TV series is chosen and accepted for TV, but it’s subtly and not so subtly altered along the way causing her to question her own personal belief system and personal integrity. In the end, the series, although it brings money and fulfills Ruth’s dream, ends up being far more than bargained for.
There are many comic moments here and Weiner is nothing if not a humorous writer who knows her stuff. She has also written for TV and published multiple books. Her grandmother gets work as an extra on movie sets and she finds love as well.
It is the second novel I have read by Jennifer Weiner and while I have seen questionable reviews about this particular book, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Ruth is by far my  favorite of Weiner’s characters because of her vulnerability. I enjoyed the writing and the witty scenes of insider Hollywood. 
This is a great beach read. Take it to the cottage and enjoy. It won’t overtax you and you won’t regret the laugh out loud moments it brings.
The Next Best Thing, by Jennifer Weiner, is by Simon and Schuster Atria books, $29.99 and 385 pages
$$$$ out of $$$$$ 

Literary Love Giveaway Hop

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The Literary Love Giveaway Hop Starts Tonight and is a chance for you to win a new read for you or your family. 
I picked this one up at Blogher 12 and enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s a cute and unique series featuring the Neon Tiki Tribe, a group of heroic tiki characters that inspire and empower boys and girls to make good choices and to stand up for others. We are giving away The Neon Tiki Tribe: Bullies: Playground Push-Around. It is also featuring a unique typeface that is dyslexic friendly. (The typeface itself is extremely interesting to me as a tool that could have huge potential in many books. Several letters that typically give children difficulty when they are dyslexic are printed darker and heavier and apparently this is supposed to increase their ability to read on their own. I think that’s amazing.)
The book itself sells for $7.95 and has a lot of kids in every day situations battling back. This one had a little girl who just got glasses and is being bullied because of that. Good luck! Don’t forget to enter all the other blogs to win too. This hop is hosted by Views From the ‘Ville http://www.viewsfromtheville.com and Money Saving Mindy moneysavingmindy.com)

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Safe Harbor – Rosemary McCracken Q and A plus #giveaway

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First the review:
I am fortunate to receive some great authors here and have been, even more grateful and pleased, as a Canadian, to receive some really talented Canadian authors this year. Ami McKay’s The Virgin Cure was a treat and Peggy Blair’s The Beggar’s Opera rekindled my love of reading after a bit of a rough patch and numerous duty reads. Now I can add Rosemary McCracken to the mix. 
I was unsure of what to expect with this one, but the cover interested me and the suspenseful plot pulled me in. Main character Pat Tierney was a treat as a middle-aged established female, widowed and successful in her own field, as an investment expert. I am not the world’s biggest fan of suspense or mystery genre, but the plot, as I noted, is compelling. Pat is trudging along, for the most part, happily building a life after the death of her husband Michael, when the knock on her door comes from a woman named Jude. Jude, has a little boy with her who needs to be protected. She asks Pat to take Tommy. She reveals also that Tommy is Michael’s son. Pat doesn’t really disbelieve Jude as she sees Michael’s mannerisms and looks abundantly apparent in the child. She helps Jude out over New Year’s and anticipates it will be a short stint. But what appears to be a simple babysitting chore winds up being a full time state when Jude is murdered. In seemingly unrelated news, body parts are turning up throughout Toronto.
Pat is ambivalently thrust into the role of Nancy Drew seeking out the answers as to why Jude was murdered and who is involved. She knows enough to realize that the boy may also be in danger and may even have been a witness to some criminal acts. In the mix, there is also a safe house for refugees Safe Harbor. The plot them reveals human body parts, trafficking and illegal immigrants. 
There are some strong characters here that I quite enjoyed. This is not a perfect book, but it is a fun and enjoyable read. Pat Tierney is a strong female character, not a pushover, and not a twenty year old blonde bimbo. She has much potential for followup novels. Tommy is sweet and the cast of supporting characters are interesting, especially some of the relatives of the child on the mother’s side. The Seatons are a rich family with many quirks, but they are estranged from Jude because she has chosen a life of service and passion. 
Safe Harbor is an enjoyable read with great timing and a strong dose of suspense. The main character Pat Tierney is one I hope to see again. McCracken was one of five finalists for the first ever Arthur Ellis Award for  Best Unpublished First Crime Novel. She lives in Toronto with her husband and is a Canadian journalist who worked on newspapers across Canada.
Safe Harbor by Rosemary McCracken is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 
It is in paperback and ebook format. By Imajin Books, 2012, 212 pages. I give this one a $$$$ out of $$$$$. Enjoyable and fun with an interesting main character. Great for the beach this summer. Perfect suspenseful cottage read for the summer of 2012.

A Question and Answer with Rosemary McCracken.

Rosemary McCracken is a freelance journalist and fiction writer who lives in Toronto, Canada. Her first mystery novel, Safe Harbor, was shortlisted for Britain’s Debut Dagger in 2010. It opens when a frightened woman barges into financial planner Pat Tierney’s office with a shocking request: “Look after my boy; he’s your late husband’s son.” The next day the woman is murdered and police say the seven-year-old may be the killer’s next target. Safe Habor was released by Imajin Books this spring, and is available as an ebook and a paperback on Amazon.com; also as a paperback on Amazon.ca and Barnes &Noble. Visit Rosemary on her website and her blog. http://www.rosemarymccracken.wordpress.com/


QUESTIONS FROM THRIFTYMOMMASBRAINFOOD:

Q1. Pat Tierney is a strong female character and a financial advisor. An unusual career for a main character. Can you tell me how you came up with Pat? 

A1. When I was turning over ideas for a central character for a mystery series, I first thought of creating a female journalist because that’s what I am and I know what the job entails. But I quickly moved on. Too close to home. I wanted to experience something new through my character. For several years, I’d been writing personal finance articles for newspapers and magazines: stories about acquiring a mortgage, saving for retirement, borrowing to invest — that kind of thing. I’d interviewed scores of people in the financial and investment industry and attended their conferences. I knew the issues they face in their work, and their concerns. They work in a challenging business. Investment markets have been murder in recent years. I couldn’t help but be impressed my most of them. They’re committed, caring people who help their clients realize many of their dreams. These people sparked the character of Pat Tierney. Pat has sleepless nights during down markets. She’s a champion of small investors and doesn’t want to see them get taken. She wants to see financial fraudsters and white-collar criminals driven off the face of the earth. But she knows that won’t happen.

Q 2. What is your writing day like? 
A2. Ideally, I’d like to devote three or four hours a day, five days a week, to fiction writing – first thing in the morning, when my brain is rested. But, unfortunately, it doesn’t work out that way most of the time and that’s because of my non-fiction writing. I often have a telephone interview for an article in the morning, and after that I’ll type up my notes. And when I’m in the middle of a newspaper article, I try to finish it to get it out of the way. And then another one lands on my plate. So my solution is to write fiction and non-fiction in different places. I write fiction at my cottage in the Haliburton Highlands north of Toronto; this home-away-from-home has become my creative space. And I write and research my newspaper and magazine articles in Toronto. At the cottage, I write in the morning, with a break at mid-day for kayaking or cross-country skiing. Then I return to my laptop in the late afternoon and early evening.

Q3. How was the publishing journey for you? 
A3.My first Pat Tierney novel was Last Date. In 2007, I entered it in Crime Writers of Canada’s inaugural Best Unpublished First Novel Competition. I was over the moon when it made the shortlist of five novels. Unfortunately, that honor did not lead to publication. With the recession of 2008, the market tightened, and Last Date never found a publisher. But being on that shortlist built my confidence. The judges liked my novel! I continued writing and completed the second Pat Tierney mystery, Safe Harbor, and I reworked it to stand as the first book in the series. In 2010, Safe Harbor was shortlisted for Britain’s Crime Writers’ Association’s Debut Dagger. Shortlisting in this competition has launched the careers of many writers, including Canada’s Louise Penny and Dorothy McIntosh. The CWA makes shortlisted entries available to British publishers and agents, and several asked to see my full manuscript. But Safe Harbor is not a British mystery, and none were willing to commit to it in today’s uncertain publishing world. Much as I love the works of British crime writers, the world I know and write about is North America. So I focused on the North American market. The market continued to be tight, and publishers and agents were hesitant. They couldn’t decide whether it was a mystery or women’s fiction – it has a murder mystery plot, and it also tells the story of Pat’s personal journey of coming to terms with her husband’s infidelity and getting on with her life. They felt that if they couldn’t fit it into one category, they wouldn’t be able to market it successfully. Then Imajin Books entered the picture. Publisher Cheryl Tardif thought Safe Harbor was a good read and would sell books. An hour after I sent her my query email, she asked to see the manuscript. A week later, she sent me a contract.

Q 4. What gets you out of bed in the morning? 
A4. Too often, it’s the alarm clock telling me to get ready for an interview for an article or an appointment. But on mornings when I don’t have interviews or appointments, I like to lie in bed for a few minutes upon awakening, and let my mind turn over my novel-in-progress. New characters sometimes emerge at this time, and plots and storylines can come together like parts of a jigsaw puzzle. The brain is rested and the subconscious seems to interact more effectively with the conscious mind. It was at this time that the premise for Safe Harbor came to me. I’d finished Last Date, and I was trying to come up with an idea for a sequel. What would be one of the worse things Pat could face? Michael, I thought. Michael, her late husband, wasn’t the perfect spouse she thought he was. He’d been unfaithful…and he had a child by another woman. And Safe Harbor took off from there! What is next for you? I’ve nearly completed the first draft of the sequel to Safe Harbor. It’s is set outside Toronto. Pat Tierney goes north to cottage country – the Haversham Highlands, a thinly disguised version of my own Haliburton Highlands – to oversee the opening of a branch of her investment firm. Just before she arrives, an elderly man is killed when he drives into his garage and it bursts into flames. And she meets up with some bikers who think she’s involved in the local grow-op. I’m now tinkering with the ending, and then I’ll spend the summer doing a rewrite and edit. I enjoy the self-editing process because potential treasures can be spotted: characters that can be expended, scenes that can be beefed up or pared down, suspense that can be heightened. And I still have to come up with a title.

Thanks so much Rosemary! This giveaway is open to Canada only.

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What I am Not, Guest Post by Tricia Goyer

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Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series – a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writer’s (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day. AND … do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. Pearl Girls button
Get your button here If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother’s Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls. And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day! What I Am Not by Tricia Goyer Becoming a mother is a complicated thing. Not only am I trying to negotiate a relationship with my child, I am trying to negotiate a relationship with myself as I attempt to determine how I mother, how I feel about mothering, how I want to mother and how I wish I was mothered. — Andrea J. Buchanan, in Mother Shock3 Sometimes the easiest way to discover who we are is to know who we are not. • We are not our children. We all know mothers who go overboard trying to make themselves look good by making their children look great. I saw one woman on the Oprah television show who had bought her preschool daughter more than twelve pairs of black shoes just so the girl could have different styles to go with her numerous outfits! Just as we -don’t get report cards for mothering, we also -don’t get graded on our child’s looks or accomplishments. While you want your children to do their best and succeed in life, your self-esteem -shouldn’t be wrapped up in your child. Life as I See It: My individuality will never end. There will be no one exactly like me, not even my child. She will be like me in some ways, but not at all in others. I -wouldn’t have it any other way. — Desiree, Texas • We are not our mothers. I remember the first time I heard my mother’s voice coming out of my mouth. The words “because I told you so .  .  .” escaped before I had a chance to squelch them. It’s not until we have kids that we truly understand our mothers — all their frets, their nagging, and their worries. It’s also then that we truly understand their love. Since you are now a mother, it’s good to think back on how you were raised. If there were traditions or habits that now seem wise and useful, incorporate them into your parenting. You also have permission to sift out things you now know -weren’t good. Just because you’re a product of your mother, that -doesn’t mean you have to turn out just like her. Repeat after me, “I am not my mother.” • We are not like any other mother out there. Sometimes you may feel like the world’s worst mother. After all, your friend never yells at her son — and sometimes you do. Then again, your friend may feel bad because you have a wonderful bedtime routine that includes stories and songs. In many cases, the moms you feel inferior to only look like they have it together. All moms feel they -don’t “measure up.” Instead of feeling unworthy, we should realize that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The key is where we place our focus. The Bible says, “Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without .  .  . comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we -aren’t” (Romans 12:5 – 6, MESSAGE). The problem with comparison is, we always measure our weaknesses against the strengths of others. Instead, we need to thank God for our strengths. We can also ask God to help us overcome our weaknesses — not because we want to compare ourselves, or look good in someone else’s eyes, but because we want to be the best mom out there.

Tricia Goyer is a CBA best-selling author and the winner of two American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Awards (Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights). She co-wrote 3:16 Teen Edition with Max Lucado and contributed to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Also a noted marriage and parenting writer, she lives with her husband and children in Arkansas. You can find her online at www.triciagoyer.com or at her weekly radio show, Living Inspired. Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support! ###

Mama Love Giveaway Hop – Smashbox Cosmetic #giveaway

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Welcome to the Mother’s Day MamaLOVE Giveaway Hop hosted by MamaNYC! Over 50 bloggers are participating and featuring giveaways with prizes valued over $25.00 each. Mother’s Day is just around the corner, so hopefully you will find some amazing gift ideas and hopefully win some prizes for mom! This event begins on May 1st and will end May 6th @ 11:59PM (EST). Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post and hop down the list for many more chances to win great prizes!

My portion of this giveaway is graciously donated by Smashbox Cosmetics. It is an amazing O Glow, fabulous intuitive cheek colour. I have had one here for a couple of weeks testing it on myself. It is worth $32 and is the 15 ml size. To win follow the rafflecopter instructions. Good luck. This is open all week and you should also enter several of the great giveaways on my friend’s blogs. My prize is to make your cheeks rosy all year round. Smashbox O-Glow is packed with an exclusive Goji Berry -C complex. I love how pretty and fresh it is. It is a translucent gel that activates a glow on your cheeks. Gentle and lovely spring look.

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The Beggar’s Opera – Blog Tour and #Giveaway

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Let me start by telling you, lovely and intelligent reader, that you could win a copy of The Beggar’s Opera if you read to end of this post. Only open to Canadians. Now trust me when I tell you that you want to enter this one. The Beggar’s Opera is the best book I have read in a very long time. It gets my highest rating. So here is my review and an author interview with brilliant Peggy Blair, Canadian realtor, author and lawyer, new Twitter user and fabulous storyteller.


Peggy Blair, picture by Alan Dean Photography

The Review:


The Beggar`s Opera is the book that will reawaken your passion for reading. Peggy Blair hooks the reader fast with a brilliant literary combination of savvy gothic characters, a three dimensional, stunning setting, a dark plot that is always hinting at something more and themes that are relevant and topical. This is a book that will speak to so many because of the author’s intuitive response to the world around her and the ways in which she uses her characters to maneuver through some of 
the greatest contemporary issues we as a society face demographically and politically. The Beggar`s Opera begins with a flawed hero Inspector Ricardo Ramirez, who sees ghosts and rationalizes this as a hereditary illness called Lewy Body dementia, same illness that his grandmother suffered from, a particularly harsh dementia that manifests itself with Parkinson’s tremors and hallucinations. He is working on Christmas Day when a young boy, brutally sexually assaulted and murdered, begins to haunt him. The same young boy was seen begging on Christmas Eve when a Canadian detective named Mike Ellis was strolling by on vacation with his wife. Ellis becomes suspect number one and, a corrupt Cuban police force, charged with a mandate of holding someone accountable for the depravity, rushes to gather evidence that implicates the Canadian. Meanwhile, a smart Canadian lawyer married to a Cuban races to the rescue, but even she is not entirely convinced of Ellis’s innocence. The setting of The Beggar’s Opera is current Havana, a crumbling reminder of a regime and time when Cuba was, at least superficially, a star, on the world stage.

Blair’s research is stunning and she creates a remarkable atmosphere that is perfect for the story. Her Cuba is an ideal stage for the hints of magic realism that are sprinkled throughout the book. I am not sure what startles me more about The Beggar’s Opera, the fact that I was so disenchanted with the books I had been reviewing up until it arrived, or the fact that it might not have been published at all if not for a strange bit of luck and Scottish author Ian Rankin. Interestingly, this amazing author was discovered while at a crime writing conference in the U.K. After asking the author Ian Rankin for a photograph, she struck up a conversation and he provided a referral of sorts to an agent. Blair was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award 2010. This is intended to be the first in  a series of novels featuring Inspector Ramirez.

With The Beggar’s Opera, Peggy Blair has established herself as a remarkable and talented storyteller. I can’t wait for more.

The Beggar’s Opera, by Peggy Blair, was published this month by Penguin Canada. It is 352 pages and $24.95.

This one gets $$$$$ out of $$$$$. Suspense doled out with perfect pace and a wonderful new main character. A joy to read, I never wanted The Beggar’s Opera to end. 


The Beggar’s Opera Interview:
Q1. WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?

Peggy Blair: I wouldn’t say I’m inspired — more driven! Writing doesn’t come easily to me; it’s hard work. So it’s hard to speak of inspiration. But I must say that Ramirez and his pal Apiro came to me fully-fledged; I knew what they would be like instantly, as if they were out there in the ether, waiting for someone to tell their story, and then found me. Like Ramirez and his ghosts, I’m not sure if that’s a gift or a curse.

Q2. WHAT ARE YOUR WRITING HABITS/ When do you write? WHAT IS YOUR SCHEDULE?

Peggy Blair: I don’t have any particular habits. I’m one of those people who does everything the moment I find out I have to, so I pay my bills the day they arrive, like to finish things well before deadline, and show up early for appointments. In the publishing business, I have discovered that this is an asset. I don’t like the idea of a book waiting for me to get working on it (sometimes I have this idea of the characters sitting around, stuck, talking to each other about how that idiot author can’t give them something to do and how boring it is without a plot). Once I have the idea, I stay with it until it’s done. The second in the series, The King’s Indian, is already written and has been sent back to me with editorial comments; my third book, Hungry Ghosts, is out with external readers now.

So the answer to your second question is that I fit in writing into my schedule like all the other demands on my time.

Q3. THE BEGGAR’S OPERA CONTAINS INTERESTING THEMSE ABOUT DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMERS AND EVEN POSSIBLE MENTAL ILLNESS – IS THIS PURE RESEARCH OR IS THERE A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THAT MADE THIS RELEVANT TO YOU AS A WRITER?

Peggy Blair: I think as we boomers age, we all have to be conscious of the fact that this disease is becoming more prevalent, whatever its cause. I’m in my mid-50s. As a realtor who works a lot with people who are downsizing, I am already running into clients who are coping with this illness.

Q4. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR? WHO ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW?

Peggy Blair: I have a number of “favourite” authors. I devour everything by Carol O’Connoll who also writes quirky little mysteries. I loved James Lee Burke’s last novel, The Rain Gods. And I adore Martin Cruz Smith. I can easily read a book a night.

Q5. WHAT GETS YOU OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING?

Peggy Blair: Nothing! I’m not a morning person. I don’t really get going until after 9, and that’s only because I have a dog and a cat who have figured out that I respond to whimpering and scratching.

To win a copy of The Beggar’s Opera
 (Canada Only) prize to be drawn with random.org on March 1st

(Don’t forget to leave contact information in case you win.)

Mandatory:
1. Leave me a comment about the last really great book you read.
2. Follow thriftymommasbrainfood with GFC (see side bar or leave me a note stating that you already follow)

Extras: Two extra entries if you follow @inkscrblr

Two more if you follow @PeggyBlair on Twitter

DISCLOSURE: I received an ARC in order to review this novel. I was not compensated. My opinions are my own and always will be

Whole Foods To Thrive: A Runners Must Have Plus Free Recipes and a #Giveaway

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Brendan Brazier, a North Vancouver athlete and the best-selling author of the Thrive Diet, wasn’t actually on my radar until recently when Penguin sent me this book to review. Initially I was intrigued by the fact that he is a Canadian, and then I spotted the amazing endorsements on this book from world-renowned athletes and celebrities like Hugh Jackman. You don’t have to be a trend-watcher or buzz agent to know that the Whole Foods movement is hot right now. So the book had buzz, endorsements and a Canadian cool quotient that hooked me. But let’s face it these things are really more like icing on a cake or eye candy. So how about the book itself, or the cake if you want a food metaphor to follow? Is it every bit as yummy as the intial suggestions? The answer, in short, is yes. Whole Foods to Thrive is an amazing resource that I will keep in my kitchen for years to come. It is a self help book, crossed with a cookbook and lifestyle/diet guide. It is chock full of common sense science that supports the idea that people’s bodies get sick, physically and psychologically, because of the way we eat. Remove the processed foods, ditch the sugar and other stimulants and pay attention to how your body responds. Now I can’t actually say that I have hopped on this bandwagon yet. I aspire to get there eventually. Brazier’s recipes will help. The latter half of the book has the most remarkable whole food recipes like Zucchini Hummus, a recipe that is provided by Gorilla Food in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Pumpkin Gnocci from the Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco. There are over 200 recipes here and I can’t wait to get started making several. All of the recipes included are plant-based, allergen free and contain no wheat, yeast, gluten, soy, dairy or corn. Even if you had no interest in the rest of this book – which is highly unlikely if you pick it up and spend a couple of hours with it – the recipes alone are well worth the price. I love the natural approach and the science at the start of this book that explains how things like caffeine work on our bodies. This is a great educational tool for those remotely interested in nutrition and self change.
I learned from this book that despite my initial misgivings coconut oil is one of the healthiest and most easily digestible ways to fry food. It is the best and only way to fry according to Brazier, who notes that because it is so easily digestible it converts quickly to energy. This is smart eating and cooking and I can easily use much of this and pass the information down through my family.
The author Brendan Brazier
Some tips from the book:
“The consumption of chlorophyll-rich leafy green vegetables combined with moderate exercise is the best way to create a biologically younger body.”
“Squash – combined with the correct workout – will contribute to the process of muscle building.”
“Less energy spent on digestion equates to more available energy.”
      Two Free Recipes (Excerpts From the Book!!)
Ginger Pear Smoothie

                                             with Sunflower Seed Hemp Milk

                The riper the pear, the sweeter the smoothie. If you’d like it even sweeter, add one


                                or two fresh or soaked dried dates. Since ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory,
this is an ideal choice for a post-workout snack. (2 minutes, makes 3 cups)

                 1 banana


                                                                                                ½ pear, cored
                                                                                                    1 cup water
                                                                        1 cup Sunflower Hemp Seed Milk (see p. 126)
                                                                                         1 tbsp ground flaxseed
                                                                                        1 tbsp hemp protein powder
                                                                                        1 tbsp peeled, grated ginger
                                                       • In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

          Chocolate Almond Smoothie

                                                           with Sacha Inchi Milk

                                         Rich in protein and omega-3, this smoothie will keep you going for hours with


                                                sustainable, non-stimulating energy. (5 minutes) Makes 2 lg servings.

                                                                                       1 banana


                                                                     2 fresh or presoaked dried dates
                                                                                       1 cup water
                                                        1 cup Sacha Inchi Milk (or chocolate variation) (see p. 126)
                                                                 ¼ cup almonds (or 2 tbsp raw almond butter)
                                                                                 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
                                                                             1 tbsp hemp protein powder
                                                                             1 tbsp roasted carob powder

                                                   • In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Whole Foods To Thrive: Nutrient-Dense, Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health, is by Brendan Brazier, published by Penguin Canada, 288 pages, May 2011, Adult, Nutrition, $28.00

This one gets a $$$$$ out of $$$$$ because it is the whole package, no pun intended. The recipes and the healthy cooking and eating tips all combine for a great resource and healthy eating guide.
Luckily I have a prize to giveaway too thanks to Penguin, Vega and the author. Open to Canada only. This is ideal for runners.
The prize pack contains six Vega smoothie mixes (either Shake & Go Smoothie mixes or Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer mixes) in an assortment of flavours like Vanilla Chai, Bodacious Berry, and Choc-a-Lot.)
GIVEAWAY:
1.To win you must follow me on Google Friend Connect -( see side bar of my blog).
2. Leave me your email and tell me which package you would choose – Shake and Go or Whole Food Optimizer).
I will contact the winner and forward their email or address onto Bronwyn at Penguin. Winner will be chosen here by me on June 10th, with help of random.org.
Shake and Go Smoothie Mixes (Prize package)
Whole Food Optimizer Smoothie Mixes (Prize Pack) You can win one or the other