Inspirational Quotes by Jennifer O'Neill

We tend to thrive on the words of others to inspire us in our daily lives. Social media sites are filled with status updates and pictures emblazoned with quotes. We share those that provoke our minds and help us answer life's daily questions. Spiritual teacher Jennifer O'Neill has put together her own collection of 180 inspirational quotes to help you work on your own inner peace.




The physical copy of the book is supposed to have a slider bar along which you can run your finger. When you feel compelled to stop, open up the page where the bar has landed. That is meant to be your message of the day, week, or in whatever moment you need one. Or, you may do like I did, and read straight through. 


I read straight through because I obtained a free Kindle copy from BookRooster.com for the purposes of reviewing the title. What I found were many words of wisdom about the power of the Universe, that could apply to anyone who has some sort of faith in a higher power. I am a believer in the power and the messages of the Universe, so appreciated that point of view. 


A lot of the ideas seemed like common sense ones that have been around for quite some time. But Jennifer tried to make the ideas her own. And what is common sense to some people is a foreign concept to many others. One such idea is "Happiness is a choice, not a side effect...." My personal favorite from the book was "Sometimes when you are putting things off, the Universe likes to give you a little shove, that's when it's saying to you, the timing is good now!" That is how my life always seems to operate.


This book is one that some people will want to purchase in physical form, to set by the bed or on the coffee table. I have a harder time flipping through this type of book in an electronic format. But for others, it will help to be able to carry it with them to read on their favorite e-reader or app whenever the mood strikes.


My one criticism of this book is that there are some grammatical errors that pop out at me and distract me from a couple of the messages. I noticed a few run-on sentences that are easily broken up. The quotes would sound better if those were fixed.

2 Kindle Freebies: A Cookbook and a Mystery

I scour the Kindle freebie lists daily, to add to my obsessive collection. Here are some fun purchases I made today and look forward to reading later. Please note that while they were free as of the time of this posting, prices can change without warning. Always check the "Buy" price instead of the "Prime" price for the current price.

Don't have a Kindle? No worries! Download a free Kindle reading app for your computer, tablet or smartphone. Or, give in and purchase a Kindle e-reader for yourself!

 How to Cook Delicious Healthy Vegan Breakfast Recipes
This bestselling cookbook is free for a limited time. Filled with 52 breakfast recipes for those pursuing a vegan diet, you can try one new thing a week and always be satisfied. Recipes have already been tested in her kitchen. Angela Thomas is the mother of three children, so you can also be certain that these recipes are easy to make and ingredients are easy to find, to save time.

Get your Kindle copy here.

Kill the Competition
Stephanie Bond is considered to be a popular author, so when a third one of her books came up as a freebie, I decided to snag it! In this one, Belinda Hennessey has a series of disasters befall her soon after her move to Atlanta. Her luck worsens after she discovers some shady recordkeeping in her new company and her boss asks her to overlook it. When her boss then turns up dead, Belinda ends up getting into trouble. This book focuses on relationships between female friends more than a romance or the murder mystery.

Get your Kindle copy here.

8 Kindle Freebies 3-15-12

I am a total sucker for free Kindle books and so are many of my friends. I picked up a few more freebies for adults today and will eventually get around to reading them. Please note that as of this posting, these are all free. Prices can change at any time. Always check the "Buy" price and not the "Prime" price before purchasing. Many of them are probably worth the nominal price that they would be otherwise.

Don't have a Kindle? No worries! Download a free Kindle app. Or, finally give in and purchase one of your own.

 I Think I Love You
Stephanie Bond is a popular romantic comic mystery writer. In this book, Regina Metcalf is the most normal out of her three sisters. They were separated 20 years ago by a man after witnessing a murder. Strange dealings follow the family as they start to make amends. Someone may be out to kill them. This book promises to be full of comedy and thrills.

Get your Kindle copy here.

 Three Wishes
This is another book by Stephanie Bond. This one looks comical as an antiques dealer, who happens to be in love with the governor's girlfriend, releases a genie from a magical lamp. Naturally he wishes himself into quite a quandary!

Get your Kindle copy here.

 The Myths, the Legends, the Lore of Ireland
St. Patrick's Day is this weekend. And history is always fun to learn, especially for us nerdy types. I'm not Irish in any way, shape or form. But many of my friends are and I live in an area with a very strong Irish population. I also pretend I am when I frequent the #1 Irish bar in my city, which happens to be conveniently down the street from me. So, I need to brush up and learn some more Irish history!

Get your Kindle copy here.

 My Emily
This is the true story of a beautiful little girl named Emily, who was born with Down Syndrome. At the age of 2, she was diagnosed with leukemia. This touching story of a little girl who seemed to have nothing to live for is destined to make all who read it cry and applaud the faith of her friends and family. And it may be worth purchasing the actual paperback version, as proceeds go to benefit families of children with special needs who are battling cancer or have lost a loved one.

Get your Kindle copy here.

 Three Days in Seattle
Seattle - the home of Pearl Jam and a few friends and family that I love dearly. The idea of romance near Eddie Vedder? I can't help myself, even though it has nothing to do with my muse. When Kate's parents are murdered, she ends up finding love in an unexpected place. This book is supposed to have romance and mystery, all wrapped up into one package.

Get your Kindle copy here.

 Jane Butel's Best of Mexican Regional Recipes
I love Mexican food and I want to learn more recipes. I will try any free cookbook. It is worth it if I can find even one recipe that I like. This book is supposed to have 30 recipes in it that use ingredients readily available in American grocery stores.

Get your Kindle copy here.

 Brilliant Banana Bread and 25 Other Fantastic Banana Cake Recipes
Banana bread is one of those staples that makes you think of your childhood and home. We end up making a lot of it at work, using leftover bananas from the kids' snack. I'm always game for trying something new.

Get your Kindle copy here.

 Marry Me, Maddie
Maddie's plan to finally get her boyfriend to propose backfires on her when she challenges him to marry her or move on, on her best friend's talk show. So, she decides to seriously play the field at a ridiculous pace. And an old friend decides that he likes the new Maddie.

Get your Kindle copy here.

Sisterhood Everlasting (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Book #5)

While the original Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series seemed to be intended for the young adult population, this final installment, Sisterhood Everlasting brings the four September sisters well into adulthood.

Lena, Carmen, Bridget (a.k.a. Bee) and Tibby were all born in the month of September. Their mothers had become good friends during their prenatal classes. The four girls, as different as the four seasons of the year, became integral parts of each other. As they now approach their thirtieth birthdays, they have accidentally drifted. That unintentional loss of each other has caused each of them some malaise that they just can't quite finger.

A surprise invitation from Tibby to Greece, to reconvene in the same place where those infamous Traveling Pants were lost, aims to bring them all back together. Instead, tragedy drives them even further apart. As each girl struggles with loss and putting back together the pieces of her life, they uncover secrets about themselves and each other that ultimately bring them back together again.




When I first started reading this book, I wanted to know what had happened to Ann Brashares to make her weave such sadness into the plot. The first half of the book is utterly depressing, yet engrossing at the same time. I'm about five years older than the girls and can easily relate to their struggles and confusion. And I found it necessary to press on through the difficult times to come out okay on the other side, just like the characters did. Keep a box of tissues handy!

I enjoyed watching the girls, now well-developed women, grow into themselves even more. Most of the paths chosen by the girls feel true to the earlier novels. Carmen's newfound glitzy acting career almost sounds too good to be true and more shallow than her character seemed in the earlier books. Yet at the same time, it is plausible that she would accidentally end up on that path.

It feels like the kind of book that most women would relate to on some level. While the book is the fifth in a series, there is enough background information provided that the book can also stand on its own. Anyone who hasn't read the earlier novels will be inspired to go back in time.

I received a preview copy of the paperback version for the purposes of review through my association with NetGalley. All opinions presented in this review are my own.

A Collection of Dark Short Stories

I have "known" author Amy Browne for several years now, via Facebook and other online venues for writers. I knew she wrote a lot of fiction in her free time, but I had never read any of it before. So, when she offered A Collection of Dark Short Stories for free for Kindle, I decided to download them and check them out.




They are very short stories, so the collection of 5 was easy to get through in well under an hour for a fast reader. They definitely all have a dark spin to them all. I think one of my favorites was

"What Is Murder Between Friends?" is the first story in the collection. The narrator is hoping to purge herself of her sins before she dies. The opening of it reminded me a bit of Edgar Allen Poe. The secret between the friends is definitely macabre, but I felt like it could have been fleshed out a little more. I want more details!

"Shiner's Diner" shares the truth about the local diner and the town's workers. As I read it, all I could think of was the line from Fried Green Tomatoes: "The secret's in the sauce!"

"Burn Witch Burn" examines a nasty relationship between two young sisters.

"Do Not Eat the Brownies" tells of a schoolteacher's revenge on her nasty students. Though I could somewhat see it coming, I still enjoyed it.

"Through the Eyes of an Angel" is the final story and probably my favorite. Emma is dealing with the death of her husband and running her farm all by herself. When some men come to help her out, trouble quickly brews.

The substance of the stories were generally enjoyable. Like I said earlier, I do wish the first story had a bit more detail in it. It seemed to glaze over what could be some really good material. I think it could easily turn into a short novel!

The only thing that needs to be done here is a quick run-through by an editor. In a couple of the stories, the perspective changes from first to third within the same page, causing minor confusion. There are also some grammatical mistakes that need to be cleaned up a bit. Otherwise, it was a fun read. I enjoyed going into this other side of Amy's mind and look forward to checking out some of her other fiction.

The Things They Carried

My friend and I had just gotten home from a long day of shopping and hiking. We were preparing to relax in front of the TV, watching movies and football. I was looking through the DVDs when I noticed a new book sitting on the couch. It was The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. I was familiar with the title, but couldn't remember what it was about. I assumed that it was for his book club, but he said he picked it up at a book swap. I started to read the first chapter and was immediately transfixed.

The story is technically fiction, depicting a group of friends fighting in the Vietnam war. Some of the chapters, or stories, are told in limited third-person. (That means it is written in third-person, but you only "hear" the thoughts of one character.) Others are told in first-person. When the book begins, it is more of the third-person type, which makes it seem more like entertaining storytelling. As the book progresses, though, the perspective shifts to more of the first-person. The line between fiction and autobiography begins to blur. The main character telling the stories shares the same name as the author. Both of them are writers who had served in Vietnam. And both of them have written the same previous novels.

Meet Jimmy Cross, who believes his unrequited love for Martha has caused the death of one of his friends. Rat Kiley is a medic who slowly loses touch with reality. Henry believes that wearing his girlfriend's stockings around his neck will protect him against anything. Bobby Jorgenson is a green medic who freaks out when he is presented with his first emergencies. Mark Fossie is in love with the beautiful Mary Anne, who comes over from Cleveland Heights, and slowly gets sucked into a nightmare. And there are many more.

Obviously the stories in The Things They Carried are based on the author's real experiences in Asia. They are painfully honest. And as he even states, you just can't make up these situations.

I am a big fan of war novels, especially those that take me deep into the action. It isn't so much that I want to read about the blood and guts aspect. I want to understand the thoughts and emotions being experienced. I have naver been in the service. I never will be in the service. I will never truly understand how or why we go to war and what makes a person want to be on the front lines. The closest I can get is well-written works like this one.

I finished the book in 1 1/2 football games. And the second game was one that I was actively watching. I picked up the book during commercial breaks and time-outs.

That being said, I read awfully fast. It is a compliment to the author if I can zip through a 230-page book in four hours. I may not remember all of the details. I may not be able to dissect certain scenarios in a book discussion. But I became one with the characters. I experienced the book on multiple levels. And to me, that is what reading is all about.

Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson

I am a sucker for free books and Amazon has plenty of them for the Kindle. One of the first ones I downloaded to my Droid was Fools Rush In (Weddings by Bella, Book 1) by Janice Thompson. It is fabulous chick lit and I was completely drawn into the story.

Bella Rossi comes from an Italian family that now lives in Texas. Bella has decided to become a wedding planner, as she has a knack for tailoring special occasions to meet even the unique needs and desires of couples. She crosses paths with D.J. Neeley, a true blue Texan and the miscommunication begins. She thinks that he is a bona fide DJ, not realizing that it is actually his first name. He takes on the challenge and the two find themselves working together on some upcoming weddings. At the same time, they find themselves immeasurably attracted to each other. Ex-boyfriend Tony DeLuca isn't too happy about that, though.

Bella's family also owns a local pizzeria, Parma John's and has a strong opinion on how food should be prepared. Dean Martin is King. Dwayne (D.J.) knows how to fix a mean barbecue. The two cultures tend to collide at the dinner table, yet they learn to appreciate each other. They also come from two different Christian backgrounds. Bella's family is Catholic and Dwayne's family is more Southern Baptist. They quickly learn that even though they do it differently, they are still praising the same God and living Christian lives.

I am a sucker for a good romance, and this story made me warm and tingly with dreams of my own strapping cowboy hero. I love books with Italian characters, as I love the language, and phrases are sprinkled throughout. While the book is Christian fiction, it isn't quite overpowered by religion as other books I have tried. Christianity is like its own character in the book, serving to enhance, rather than detract from the story. General recipes are sprinkled throughout the book to make your mouth water. Also find some homemade beauty remedies.

Fools Rush In can be a little predictable, yet it is a fast read, perfect for a quick read during a lazy summer day. It is also the first book in a series by Janice Thompson. I am interested in reading more about Bella's adventures. As of right now, there are two more books available on Kindle, but not for free. I may actually purchase some ebooks in the near future! Thank goodness for gift cards from Swagbucks!

Learn more about this book or get your own copy by clicking on the picture below:

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

For years my sister has been telling me to read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. She knew of my love for outdoorsy books (most notably Into the Wild) and knew I would just love this one. Alas I kept putting off procuring my own copy.

About a month or so ago, my friend and I were perusing our favorite used bookstores, despite us both being horribly broke. I came across a copy of the book for $2 and couldn't resist. But then I brought it home and just let it sit for a while.

Upstate New York's weather decided to turn back to summer-like temperatures with full sun. A warm sunny day causes the hiking trails to beckon. Now, I am not a hard-core hiker and haven't been camping since one weekend in college. But I do have dreams of doing something more. I decided that a good time to read the book would be in the car on our way to Letchworth State Park over Columbus Day weekend.

I am a very fast reader, particularly if the book is entertaining. I easily devoured 100 pages in our hour-long drive. E would ask me a question or try to point out something along the road and I would completely miss it. I think he felt a little put out that I wasn't paying much attention to him. But Bill Bryson's account of hiking the Appalachian Trail with his friend Stephen Katz was much more entralling at that moment.

On Sunday I went down to the southern part of Canandaigua Lake, seeking the waterfalls at Onanda Park. I also explored a bunch of other random paths, totally over two hours of hiking. I was exhausted and drove home. I spent the rest of the evening sipping on chai latte reading more of the book. Today, Columbus Day, I had planned to go hiking in Ithaca, but a horrible sinus headache kept me home. Instead, I finished the book. And now I wish I had more of it to read.

Bill Bryson not only shares his own story about his trek along the Appalachian Trail, but also a wealth of history, science, and hiking tips. I really did not appreciate the scope of the AT nor all of the wildlife along it. I also did not realize that conservation efforts are abysmal at best. I am fully aware that forests are deteriorating and endangered species are disappearing. I know the landscape of the United States is constantly evolving. But Bryson brings all of this to startling attention as he weaves anecdotes and facts into his tale.

As he does this, he is not being preachy. He is sharing pertinent information and fun facts that he has accumulated in his research. He is an info junkie, just like me.

A Walk in the Woods is honest. Bryson shares his triumphs and failures, as well as those big decisions that could go either way. I know that I could never pull of such a feat, but I am truly inspired to keep pushing my hiking abilities. Perhaps one day I will do parts of the trail?

Read your own copy of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson by clicking on the picture below.






Another great book about the Appalachian Trail is A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt.

Bill Bryson has written other books, as well. No, I have not yet read them, but they are definitely on my list. Happy trails!

BFF - A New Blogging Group

Ahhhhh....I love to write and I love inspiration. I just came across a new blogging group tonight called BFF - Blogging for Fun. Stay tuned for more possible posts based on their topics each week, as well. :-D

Lost and Found Book Treasures

My father passed away last week, so we have been busy cleaning out the house. Daddy loved to read and had tons of books. It is a legacy passed down for several generations. My great-grandmother belonged to book clubs and often purchased hardcovers. In the tradition of the day, she removed the covers and would paste the book summary in the front cover. She also signed every book to ensure they would always come back to her.

Dad loved to read his grandmother's books. He found many of them to be intriguing and better written than most contemporary novels. His goal was to read through the shelf full that he had already gotten, and to eventually get more of them from his aunt's house. Alas, he didn't live long enough to do so.

I would love to keep all of her books, to keep the legacy alive. But there just isn't the time nor the space for me to do so. Instead, I have been picking out favorite authors and familiar books, or checking the summaries for something that truly grabs me.

Tonight there was one bookshelf that I had not yet closely perused. I thought it was all my mother's books, as it was in her room. Suddenly my eye was caught by the words "du Maurier." Daphne du Maurier is one of my all-time favorite authors. I first read Rebecca in the 8th grade and have reread it numerous times since. My father and also loved to watch the movie.

I have read some of her other books, mostly through paperbacks that I have picked up at garage sales and used bookstores. Today's find was The Glass-Blowers. When we were at my great-aunt's house the night before my father died, I had found another du Maurier on her bookshelf. As I lovingly held it in my hands to just look at it, she told me to go ahead and take it to keep.

There is something truly magical about being the fourth generation to hold a book in your hands and to love it. I may have lost my family, with both Grandma and Dad dying within nine months, but I have found a new legacy to help hold onto their memories.