Tina The Storyteller

Mind of Her Own by Diana Leslie Bandmeyer was a delight to read. In fact, once I really got started in it, I finished in a day or two. The style of writing is easy to follow and descriptive. I enjoyed the story of Louisa/Jazz, even though some parts of the plot were a easy to see coming. Louisa is the picture of perfection in regards to being a stay at home mom. She has a tidy home with tidy children. She is struggling with her relationship with husband who is busy trying to obtain partnership at his law firm. Very quickly in the story, Louisa receives a bonk on the noggin and forgets who she is. When she does remember herself it turns out her name is Jazz Sweet, a novelist living single and fancy free in Florida. Jazz tries her best to live up to the standards that Louisa has created for herself, but fails over and over. Jazz and her family begin to struggle with how much they enjoy each other more than they enjoyed Louisa. Brandmeyer does a good job of expressing that struggle. ...

I'm on Facebook. Sometimes I think that might be a mistake, but I go there, I check things, read about people I know, write down stuff. I see what others are sharing and it's mainly all the fun stuff. You know the water parks and vacations and things of that nature. And I'm over here thinking, "Well, we made it out of the house for groceries this week." It's not that we've been awfully sick or busy, though those things have been occurring. It's just been a lazy kind of summer for us. I see it flashing by in other people's posts on Facebook and I think that maybe I should go do something fun with my little tribe. And instead we end up spending the day playing with Legos or watching way too many episodes of Good Mythical Morning or How It Should Have Ended. Quite honestly, I think this summer could have used a few more naps so far, but I've only got today to deal with. I guess what I'm saying is that LOTS of things have been happening this ...

One of my favorite sections in magazines growing up was the advice column. I even read a great deal of Ann Landers, though I had no clue as to what most people were griping about at the time. 101 Things Every Girl Should Know is a great compilation of the most pressing questions girls have. It covers everything from homework, to etiquette, to self care. And it's not just a list of answers, it's full of colorful and fun photographs, several different fonts, and additional tips beyond the big answer. My favorite is "How to Make a Birthday Cake From Scratch" which has directions for a two layer cake and frosting. It could just be all the fun sprinkles on the cake that make it look so fantastic. If you have a young lady in your life that is interested in finding some answers, this is a great book, it will probably help with questions she didn't even know she had. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Bo...