Instant Happy Journal by Karen Salmansohn

I love journals! I love happy things! I love the cover of this journal!  I just love this!!!

Ok, now that I've gotten control of myself, I'll explain why I love this so much.


Goodreads Summary

     This colorful diary inspires journalers to apply happiness guru Karen Salmansohn's Instant Happy principles to their everyday lives, with 365 prompts to encourage a year of gratitude.

     On the heels of Karen Salmansohn's wildly popular gift book Instant Happy comes this happiness journal, with daily prompts to help you think about and apply happiness wisdom to your own life. Each page features a specific intention, inspiring quote, surprising scientific fact, or thought-provoking question to ponder. When you approach your day with Salmansohn's "happiness prompters" in mind, you amp up your ability to notice (and create!) many more joyous moments in your day. But that's just half of what it takes to live a supremely happy life. This journal teaches the top two habits of happy people: to naturally set their intention to enjoy a happy day, then end the day reflecting on what made them happy. When you end your day writing about what went right, you further strengthen your happiness mindset. With fill-in dates so that you can write and reflect at your own pace, this little journal features a graphic design and fresh attitude perfect for today's modern happiness-seeker.


My Thoughts

     If you read the beginning of this post (which I'm assuming you did or you wouldn't be at this part...) you already know how I feel about this journal.  I am so excited that I was given the opportunity to review it!  I absolutely love journals so you can probably just imagine how excited I was when this was deliver to my house!

     This Journal isn't just a blank, write whatever you did that day type of journal.  It has little prompts at the beginning of every page encouraging you to focus on happy things.  Such a wonderful idea!  Especially in the "post all of your troubles and drama on social media" days we live in!  Sometimes people just need a boost of positivity and this journal helps you find the good in each day and situation!  I love it!  I decided to give this copy to my daughter and I'm planning on buying one for my niece and one for myself.  If you like keeping a journal or you know someone who does, then I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this journal.

     There are so many prompts that I loved but here are two that I thought I'd share:

"Love yourself for who you are now. Believe in who you have the power to become."

"Be a kind person. Yes, even to jerks. Let them be jerks. You be a kind person."

*Note: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Sunshine Blogger Award!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Sabrina from Brina's Books for nominating me!  If you haven't checked out her blog already then you definitely should!

She Asked me 11 questions and I'm going to try to answer them and then I'm going to ask 11 of my own questions to the bloggers that I nominate :)  So, here goes...

1.  If you could be one fictional character, who would it be and why?

That is such a hard question for me!  I'm sitting here looking at one of my bookshelves trying to figure it out and the one that is standing out the most is Little Women.  I remember the first time I read it I wanted to be Jo so bad!  So I guess that's my answer, I would want to be Jo.

2.  Who is your favorite music artist?

Another hard one!  I love music so much and I love so many different artists and genres.  Right now I have been listening to Needtobreathe a lot.  I love the song Brother featuring Gavin DeGraw!

3.  What is your number 1 bookish pet peeve?

I actually have several! Lol!  I think my number 1 is stickers on books!  I hate it when they put stickers on the beautiful covers of books!  Mainly stickers that leave sticky stuff on the book when you remove them!

4.  Do you collect multiple copies of books?  What are your favorite multiples?

I honestly don't think that I have very many multiples in my collection.  I do think that I have a few copies of Little Women though.  I love pretty covers so if I find a beautiful cover that I don't already have then I'm going to buy it!  Now, my daughter and I both have a copy of Fangirl because we both wanted to own it even though we live in the same house Lol!

5.  Do you have any pets? If yes, what?

I do have an english bulldog named Allie.  I have only had her for about 3 weeks.  A little over a month ago my 10 year old shih tzu, Zack, passed away.  It was the hardest thing ever!  A week after he died a friend asked me if I would like to adopt her dog, Allie, because she wasn't able to keep her.  I wasn't sure if I was ready but I took her anyways and she has become a wonderful addition to our family.

6.  How many books do you own?

I'm not completely sure because I have several books at my office as well as at home.  Here at home I think I have somewhere around 300 or so.

7.  Have you ever met any authors?  If so, who?

I have not met any authors in person but I am *email friends* with 2 authors,  Kitty Bucholtz and Debra Mullins.

8.  Why do you love reading?

I just do!! There are so many reasons I love reading but one reason is the glorious escape from reality!  You can sit down and read a book and leave your real life behind!  It's wonderful!  I also love how relaxing it can be to sit down with a good book.

9.  (How) do you decorate your bookshelf?

I don't really decorate my bookshelf too much.  I keep series together and I keep books from the same authors together.  If a book is really pretty I keep it facing out.  I also try to keep all books that I received from publishers and authors together as well.

10.  Where is your favorite place to buy books?

Where I live there aren't many actual bookstores nearby.  The closest is probably Books a Million which is an hour away.  I do love Books a Million but I have to say that I adore Barnes and Noble!  I don't get to go there very often because the closest one is about 2 hours away but when I do it is amazing!

11.  What is one example of a time where you liked the movie better than the book?

I don't know if I ever have!  There are some movies that I really liked but I'm not sure if I liked them more than the book.

Now for my question!!!

1.  Do you like to read classics? If so, what is your favorite?
2.  What is your favorite snack to eat while reading?
3.  What is your favorite book that you've read in 2015?
4.  Do you watch booktube?  If so, who is your favorite booktuber?
5.  What are you currently reading?
6.  Do you prefer hardbacks, paperbacks, or ebooks?
7.  If you could go to a bookstore right now and buy 5 books, what books would you buy?
8.  What is the first book you remember reading as a child?
9.  What is the last book that you finished?
10.  Be honest, do you ever judge a book by its cover?
11.  What is your favorite book cover?

I am going to tag these wonderful bloggers!

Chloe from Chloe's Bookish Life

Stella from JellybeanArson

and 

Natali from BookCupid

And anyone else who may want to do this!  Sorry if you've already been tagged!  Have fun!

A Heart's Home by Colleen Coble

Goodreads Summary

This Christmas, a tragic loss at Fort Laramie ushers in hope and healing. When a young mother dies after giving birth at Fort Laramie, Emmie Croftner is shaken by the death of her dear friend--and reminded of the dangers of childbirth. She won't be able to hide her own pregnancy much longer. She's dreading the day that Isaac Liddle, the handsome soldier she adores, discovers her secret. Then the young infant's father offers a solution: Emmie should marry him so the child can have a family.  With the Sioux Wars threatening soldier and civilian alike, a ready-made family could be the answer to Emmie's prayers for safety. But at what cost to her heart--and Isaac's?

My Thoughts on the Book

A Heart's Home is book six in Colleen Coble's Journey of the Heart series.  Because this is book six, I had a bit of a hard time connecting to the story.  I felt a little lost for most of the beginning and then a few times here and there throughout the book.  I really think that if I had started with book one I would have enjoyed the book much more.

With that being said, I did enjoy this book anyways.  It is a sweet, short story about love and faith during hard times.  This book is only 100 pages long so it's a quick read, perfect for when you want a short story to read in between longer novels.

I think that I would probably enjoy this entire series and, as a matter of fact, I have already called a bookstore in town to see if they carry them (and they do!) so that I can start from the beginning.  A Heart's Home is a book worth reading, although I would recommend starting with book one first.

*Note: I received a copy of this book from BookLookBlogers.com in exchange for an honest review.

Things I've Said To My Children by Nathan Ripperger

Goodreads Summary

As the father of five boys (all under age 10), graphic designer Nathan Ripperger has found himself saying some rather funny, absurd, and downright bizarre things to his children, from "Stop riding that penguin, we're leaving" to "I am NOT talking to you until you are wearing underwear." He created poster-like images for each and posted them online. The response from other parents was overwhelming. With Things I've Said to My Children, Ripperger has assembled around 80 of the funniest, weirdest, and most amusing sayings and paired them with full-color, designed images that bring these outrageously hysterical quotes to life. Covering the essential parenting topics like food, animals, don'ts, and of course, bodily functions, Things I've Said to My Children is a light-hearted illustrated reminder of the shared absurdity of parenthood. Especially for those parents who've ever found themselves uttering some variation of the line, "Please don't eat the goldfish crackers you've put in your butt."


My Thoughts on the Book

I seriously laughed out loud while reading this book!  And honestly, I realized that I had actually said a few of the things from the book as well!  Things I've Said To My Children is a cute book that I would definitely recommend, especially to other parents!  It makes you more aware of the things that you say, or have said, to your own children!

My children are 12 and 16 now so this book just kind of sent me down memory lane, back to all of the funny things that my kids said and did.  When I finished reading this book, I read some of the pages to my kids and then to my husband.

The illustrations make it even funnier!  Definitely a great book that I will recommend to all, especially fellow parents!

*Note:  I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review

The Truthseers Trilogy by Debra Mullins

Prodigal Son, Heart of Stone, and Warrior of Fate

About a month ago I was contacted by an author friend of mine, Kitty Bucholtz, and she introduced me to a friend of hers who also happens to be an author!  That friend was Debra Mullins :)

Debra asked me if I would like to read her Truthseers Trilogy and review them on my blog!  The first two books are award winning books and the third book, Warrior of Fate, isn't available yet but will be on October 20th.  Of course, I said yes!  She sent them right out to me and I got started reading :)  Lets start with letting you know a little about each book...

Goodreads Summaries

Prodigal Son

Bounty hunter Rafe Montana is a Seer, descended from the fabled Atlanteans. He uses his inherited power to “see” criminals across the globe and track them down, and he’s just started on a new case. Danny Cangialosi is accused of disappearing with a stolen car…but for the first time in his life, when Rafe goes looking, he is unable to “see” him. Instead, his search leads him to Danny’s stubborn, meddling, and very cute stepsister, Cara McGaffigan.

Cara is looking for Danny, too, but not to turn him in. He is her brother, after all, and she’s convinced he has a good heart. If she can just find him before the cops do, she’ll figure out a way to get him out of this. But Cara didn’t count on a scorching-hot bounty hunter getting in her way.

Despite instant chemistry, Rafe and Cara know they’re never going to see eye-to-eye when it comes to Danny. What they don’t know is that Danny didn’t just steal a car—he stole a precious stone, a stone right out of the legends of Atlantis. It holds powers they can only dream of…and its owner wants it back.

Heart of Stone

Darius Montana is a Seer. With his gift of empathy, he can see into the hearts of others, both human and Atlantean. When his family comes into possession of one of the legendary power stones of Atlantis, Darius is sent to find the Stone Singer.

Faith Karaluros is the last Stone Singer. Manipulated all her life for her rare ability, she is widowed after her husband tried to steal her power for the Mendukati, an extremist group that hunts Seers. Faith wants nothing more than to stay out of this war when Darius comes to find her—just in time to rescue her from being kidnapped.

Faith goes with Darius, determined to do the job and be on her way with the money that can set her up where no one can find her again. She didn't count on the Mendukati sending a hit man after her. Darius swears he can protect her, but when she discovers he is one of the rare Atlanteans whose powers work on their own kind, can she trust him to keep his word, or is she being used again?

Warrior of Fate

Warrior Adrian Gray has dedicated his life in service to his people, and has never doubted his calling... until now. Three mystical Atlantean power stones were assumed lost for centuries, but one by one the Seers of Atlantis have tracked them down in a tireless race against the extremist Mendukati. Adrian's mission? To ensure that the stones are acquired and protected by the right people—his people.

Adrian has always been uncompromising in his dedication to the cause. But the True Seer Tessa Montana proves a sensual distraction in his quest, and he soon finds his discipline wavering. Torn between his sacred duty to the Warriors and his desire for Tessa, will Adrian and his secrets cost them the war?

My Thoughts on the Books

I don't typically read this genre but, I do have to say, I enjoyed the story lines a lot!  I liked the mystery and excitement that each book brought.  I liked how each book focused on a different set of characters while still including the past characters.  In Prodigal Son, you read the story back one forth from Rafe's perspective and from Cara's perspective.  In Heart of Stone, it was Darius and Faith, and then in Warrior of Fate it was Adrian and Tessa.

Now, I do have to add that these are adult romances.  I do not usually read adult romances which makes this review a little harder to write.  Like I said, the story lines were wonderful!  But, I personally couldn't give them 5 stars because of the "romance" sections.  If you are like me and don't read adult romances but like fantasy types books, you can always skim past those parts!

I feel so honored to have been asked to read and review these books for her I love that I have made a new friend as well!  If you like Adult fantasy/paranormal romances then pick these up!  If you like fantasy/paranormal books but not typically adult romances then these may or may not be for you (again, you can skim past those parts if you want to!).

*Note: I received these books from Author Debra Mullins in exchange for an honest review