Increase your creativity

Q & A a day is a four year journal/sketchbook designed to increase your inspiration, creativity, problem solving, and memory.  Each page contains a prompt and four roughly 4x4 squares for you to sketch your response to the prompt.  Over the years, you can see how your responses change.  It is one in a series of many four year journals.

I like that it is an alternative to a diary since not all are writers.  The drawings may not give a clear picture of the details a diary would but I think it will be fun to go back and look for clues about what a day held one, two, or three years prior. I don't have to concern myself with whether or not I am an artist, the drawings can be as primitive or funny as my mood is.  Some of the prompts include:

Draw your most used electronic device.
Study and draw the negative space of the scene in front of you.
Think of a lie you've told.  Draw the truth.
What would symbolize your life's biggest challenge right now?
Draw three different kinds of utensil.
Doodle an invention you think would make life easier.
What was your favorite toy as a child?

I originally ordered this book to use with middle school gifted students as I struggle to increase their creativity but I just might have to give it a try myself.  Stay tuned to see if they enjoy the daily prompts.  I can already picture how some of them will struggle as perfectionists to sketch the perfect response when they are not artists themselves but I hope this non-graded activity will allow them to be more creative without fear of judgment or ridicule.

The volume has 365 pages for sketches, one for every day and is paperbound making it easier to sketch in and transport than a hardback book.  The paper is quality but not sketch book type making it a bit easier to erase in my opinion.  I think my kids will love it and I will be taking it to school tomorrow to get started.

I did receive this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was in no way obligated to write a positive one.

The Potter's Lady

Rose McKay has just completed her education at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women.  Although she never really fit into the world there in Philadelphia among her classmates, she is determined to do her part to insure her brother's new business venture in a pottery is a success, using her expertise in art.  But all aren't on the same page with Rose.  Change is always difficult and the employees at the pottery aren't all in agreement with the changes the new owner want to implement.  A newly announced contest may be the only way to acquire a large contract, keeping the business afloat and bread on their table.  Will they be able to pull together to overcome the obstacles and win the contest?

Judith Miller's sequel to The Brickmaker's Bride has it all--love and romance, a bit of mystery and suspense, intrigue and betrayal,  and history of the West Virginia mountain area.   As with many series, The Potter's Lady comes along about a year after the first in the series.  While I did read The Brickmaker's Bride, I couldn't have recalled much of the story before picking up the sequel.  To say that it is necessary to have read the first wouldn't be true but it does fill in some of the blanks that the author attempts to do but I personally thought those attempts a bit confusing.  In other words, if you have opportunity to read both, read the Brickmaker's Bride before The Potter's Lady and your reading will be enhanced but you can definitely pick up enough about the first book to enjoy the second if necessary.

I loved the main character, Rose, with her strength and ability to somewhat move into a man's world in the late 1800's in West Virginia. However, sometimes she seemed a bit naïve and timid and the story was pretty predictable but, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it for a weekend read.  I have been reading non-fiction all summer and was ready for a good novel to relax with and that is exactly what I found in this book.  From my experience, you really can't go wrong with a Judith Miller novel.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligated to leave a positive one.

Waiting for Morning

Hannah Ryan's two daughters and husband are camping for the weekend and she waits for their return only to be met at the door by two policemen who have come bearing news that tears her world apart.  The "perfect", "enviable" life she has had comes to a screeching halt with the news that her husband and daughter have been killed by a drunk driver.  All she can feel is anger and revenge, totally shutting out God from her life.  After all, what loving God can allow such tragedy in the world.  Will the revenge take hold of her heart or is there a possibility of finding room for forgiveness before it is too late?  Her daughter Jenny still needs her mother and is dealing with her own issues after living through the accident that killed her sister and father.

First of all, there is nothing Karen Kingsbury has ever written that I didn't love.  She is one of my two favorite authors.  This story will stir up all sorts of emotions and is the first of a series of three.  Don't worry though, it doesn't leave you hanging so much that you have to run to the library or bookstore for book two and three.  Excellent job, Karen Kingsbury, for dealing with probably one of the most difficult stories of forgiveness I can imagine.

Do you ever hear or read a story and feel as if you have been here before?  If you think the title familiar, it probably is.   I jumped at the chance to read a Kingsbury novel that had just been released but was a bit disappointed it has just been released in a smaller tradebook format. Originally released in 1999, Waiting for Morning, is an excellent story of love, dealing with the unforeseen sudden death of loved ones, anger, and forgiveness.  I loved the book even a second time through but was a bit disappointed that it was a second read and not a new story.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligated to write a positive one. 

Who doesn't love Berenstain Bears and reading their stories to their little ones?  Jan and Mike Berenstain have just release a new Storybook Bible for Little Ones in board book format, complete with your favorite Berenstain Bear characters in the illustrations.  The books contains 8 Old and New Testament Bible stories from Creation to the story of Easter and includes all children's favorites of Noah and David and Goliath.  Each story is 2 to 4 pages in length, making the stories a quick read for morning or right before bed.. 

I love the durable board book format perfect for the smallest of children and I can't wait to have grandchildren with which to read this since the Berenstains were both my children's favorites and even came up in conversation today with my 22 year old.  Economically priced and durable, it will make a nice gift for any child up to age 3 when I would recommend diving into some of the more lengthy Berenstain stories.

Two thumbs up for the latest release from the husband and wife team.  I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was not obligated to leave a positive one.

When Lucinda dies, two men are at her funeral claiming to be her nine year old son, Anthony's, father. One, Anthony had known as Pa for most of his life.  The other he knew not at all. But neither one are who he wants to be left with since Kate Dawson was his mother's choice for guardian when she died of consumption. There is no denying that teacher, Miss Dawson will love Anthony and that he will has little luxuries but will be provided for. But both "fathers" want Anthony as well. One, for his own gain and the other because he desires a family and was married to Lucinda a decade ago.  The courts must decide who Anthony belongs with.

Knowing Anthony will be gone the following week with whomever the judge gives custody, Kate chooses to make the most of her brief days with him. What she doesn't expect is to begin to have feelings for one of the men. However, he will be leaving her behind after the hearing, or will he?  And what if Anthony isn't willing to let the judge decide his future and decides to take matters into his own hands?

Set in 1885, A Bride At Last by Melissa Jagears is the story of escaping a haunted past, sorrow, and love. I had never read any of Mrs. Jagears books before but very much enjoyed her writing style.  Her humor was evident throughout the book and I could picture the settings even though I have never visited Missouri and of course didn't live in the time period.  You may think the ending predictable from the first chapter but Jagears keeps the reader guessing until almost the end as to how it really will turn out.  From the other book titles listed by the author, this is most likely one of a series of Bride books but stands alone as far as I can tell. Never did I feel that I missed out on anything in this story by not having read the previous three.  Jagears is an author I will look for again.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligated to write a positive one.

It's Good to Be Queen: Becoming as bold, gracious, and wise as the Queen of Sheba

While little is written about the Queen of Sheba, only a few verses in 1Kings then repeated in 2 Chronicles, Liz Curtis Higgs thinks there is much to be learned from her so she has taken each verse, broken it down in small chunks, given the reader necessary back ground information to aid in understanding, and then made practical application to each verse in our lives today.  The Queen may have been envied by many of her day because of her wealth (leaving today's equivalent of 200 million dollars with Solomon),  power, education, or social graces but what she desired most was wisdom, which she wisely sought from Solomon, the wisest of all.  What a noble trait to seek!  Today's world seeks far too much for power and the things of this world but those are fooling us.  Seeking God's wisdom is far greater and needed more than ever before.

But seeking wisdom is only one trait we can learn from the Queen of Sheba's life.  Even though known as a pagan queen, Higgs has chosen 9 traits in the brief 13 verses in 1 Kings--boldness, openness, seeking wise counsel, humility, honesty, the ability to encourage, praise God, give without reserve, and receive graciously.  When you finish It's Good to be Queen, you will not only feel as if you have met the Queen of Sheba and know her but you will have practical tools to apply her characteristics in your own life. I love how Higgs explains that those traits look like in today's world.

Well, I must admit that, at first, I was a bit surprised. When I ordered this book, I didn't clearly read the description and was expecting a historical fiction novel on the Queen of Sheba.  I was so excited to see something new by Liz Curtis Higgs, I guess my brain just skipped over that detail that it was a non-fiction book.  However, Higgs' writing style makes a non-fiction book so easy to read and this particular book is printed in easy to read font, nice headings, and includes both discussion questions and a study guide, depending on the way you wish to use it--small group discussion at a one-time meeting or perhaps even as a ten week women's study.

I love Higgs' sense of humor!  Her honest forth-rightness makes every page one to enjoy. She is one of my favorites.  Two thumbs up for Liz Curtis Higgs' latest, It's Good to be Queen.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligated to leave a positive one.

The Day is Waiting

Everyone loves the children's book Corduroy about the little bear needing to be loved by Don Freeman.  Apparently, when he died, he left behind a treasure of drawings, some of which were made available to his friend Linda Zuckerman for this delightful children's story reminding children that they can see the world and so all kinds of fun things with their days but at the end of those travels and sites, home is waiting for them.  Whether they simply daydream out their window, go to far away places or travel by train or plane, go to a concert, swim, or smell the flowers, home is waiting and, for me, the best place I can be.

The words are simple, the watercolor illustrations bright and cheerful and bound in a sturdy hard back book. It is economically priced as well for a hard back.  I love the fact that Mr. Freeman's legacy lives on and even is renewed with these newly published drawings.  I must admit though that Corduroy will remain my favorite Freeman book.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligate to leave a positive one.