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Month: March 2016

Top 10 Tuesday: My Latest 5-Star Reads

Published by CAstfalk on 03/29/2016

I’m linking up with The Broke and the Bookish (which describes me quite well) for my latest 5-star reads! I know first-hand the importance of reviews, so I review most – but not all – books I read. I reviewed each of the books listed below on Amazon and Goodreads. Each was read sometime between early January 2016 and now, and for those who are concerned with such things, all are “clean” reads. I’m kind of surprised as I look over this list that only two are standalone novels – Jenny B. Jones’s I’ll Be Yours and Quenby Olson’s The Half-Killed. Now, on to the list!

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#5Faves: Kitchen Stuff

Published by CAstfalk on 03/23/2016

fivefaves

There is little I like about our kitchen itself. So, to find the joy in the kitchen, I have to look to gadgets and other “fun” stuff. These are five of my current kitchen faves.

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Banana Hanger

I often wonder if I’m raising a troop of monkeys. Poo flinging, nitpicking, and other monkey action aside, the sheer number of bananas consumed is staggering some weeks. Finally, instead of multiple bunches littering our limited counter space, they hang above it. I don’t know whether it has any effect on their ripening or shelf life, but it’s a space saver.

Banana Hanger
Also keeps small monkeys from snatching fruit from the counter.
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Author Interview with Stephanie Landsem

Published by CAstfalk on 03/21/2016

The Well, the first book in The Living Water Series, is a spectacular debut novel. I don’t cry easily while reading, but the book’s portrayal of sacrificial love left me with tears streaming down my cheeks. How did you come to fiction writing and how long was The Well brewing (or bubbling), so to speak, before its publication?

The Well by Stephanie LandsemThank you so much, Carolyn. I am truly happiest when I’ve made my readers cry. ☺

As for my writing journey, I can see now that I was inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit. When I decided to write historical fiction, I had no idea what or whom or when I wanted to write about. After about a year of no ideas, I was ready to give up. Then, one day at Mass not long before Easter, I heard the Gospel account of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman. Sitting in my pew, I began to wonder about her—who was she? Who was her family? And most of all, what happened to her after she met Jesus?

By the time I got home, I knew that it was her story that I wanted to write. I even had a rough idea of Mara’s character and that of her mother, Nava. Since that day, I find my best inspiration at Mass or at our perpetual adoration chapel.

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Seven Quick Takes

Published by CAstfalk on 03/18/2016

Seven Quick Takes Friday

Useful Free iPhone Apps Edition

I still feel like a neophyte with my iPhone since I only upgraded from a flip phone last summer. I love my phone and use it most heavily for social media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Goodreads are used multiple times daily. Aside from social media and email, these are my best-loved apps. (You may also want to check out this list of top free apps for 2016.)

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Feedly

Feedly is my go-to source for keeping up with blogs, websites, and news I track. When our local daily newspaper switched to publishing only three times a week, I eventually lost interest. I don’t watch local news or TV. (Typing that actually makes me cringe being that I studied broadcast journalism, but it’s the truth.) That leaves the Internet as my main news source. (Yikes!) With Feedly, I can follow the feeds of national or local publications, magazines and blogs. I can easily see the latest news sorted by category, scroll through headlines, save for later reading, or share.

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Small Success Thursday

Published by CAstfalk on 03/10/2016

Small Success Thursday

Why small success? Because that’s the only kind I know! Even the big ones come in small steps. Here’s my paltry offering for the week:

  1. Scheduled Vacation/Summer plans – Maybe it’s the balmy weather we’ve had here the last couple of days, but although spring has not yet sprung, I’m thinking about summer. I updated our various calendars and began completing registrations and reservations for camps and vacations. Among our plans is an overdue visit to Shenandoah National Park.
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