Scrapbook Saturday – December 2021 (pt 1)
Katie 
Trip to Arkansas
Scrapbook Saturday – November 2021
Kris Allen & Jon McLaughlin
Book Review: We Love to Entertain
If you enjoy HGTV renovations and mysteries – then this book is for you. I didn’t want to stop reading and almost gave up my entire weekends plans to try and finish this book. Robert Barron – known also by “The Robber Barron” thinks he’s scored big when he gets a Vermont cabin for a steal at a tax sale because they previous owner hadn’t paid owed taxes. He ends up teaming up with social media influencer Holly to renovate the cabin and submit it for an HGTV show “To the Manor Build”. They become one of the finalists, fall in love and end up getting married – only to have Robert ask to borrow his assistant’s car to take Holly on an impromptu honeymoon at the last second – just DAYS before they’d need to have all the final clips filmed for the show! When they don’t return… the crew ends up filing missing persons reports for both of them.
I’m not sure I actually liked ANY of the characters in this book, especially as more and more secrets were revealed, but I just had to know what was going to happen and who was behind it! But I liked how it was based on a TV show and how they even incorporated online social media – specifically a subreddit with fans of the show and amateur sleuths who thought they knew what was going on. I never really did quite figure out “whodunit” but there were so many twist and turns on every page it was hard to really pin anything down. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
From the bestselling author of Do I Know You? comes a fast-paced, riveting psychological thriller that skewers our modern obsession with home renovation and fixer-uppers.
Holly and Robert Barron are attractive young real-estate investors and contestants in a competition run by To the Manor Build, the nation’s most popular home renovation app. With millions in product endorsements and online followers at stake, they’re rehabbing a Vermont home they scored at a bargain price into a chic hilltop estate ideal for entertaining.
It’s all camera-ready laughs and debates over herringbone tile until Holly and Robert go missing hours after their picture-perfect wedding—leaving behind a bloody trail.
Suspicion falls quickly on Erika Turnbull, the Barrons’ twenty-something assistant—eager, efficient, and secretly in love with Robert. Did Erika let her misguided passion turn her into a murderer? So claim the townsfolk of Snowden, Vermont, who still haven’t forgiven her for a tragic accident back in high school.
But Erika’s mother, Kim, is not about to let small-town gossip and a cop with an axe to grind destroy her daughter—again. With time running out and their own lives at risk, the mother-daughter duo set out to find what really happened to the Barrons. First, though, they’ll have to confront the vengeful former owner of Holly and Robert’s estate, ruthless reality-show producers, and a secret that might bring their own house down.
Fast-paced, full of humor, and undeniably twisty, We Love to Entertain is another winner from Sarah Strohmeyer.
Book Review: Touch Matters
As someone who doesn’t want to be touched (physical touch is often close to if not the bottom of my results on love language quizzes) I was curious to see how much “Touch Matters” and what I might have been missing out on by trying to avoid it. I think a bit of it might be because I wasn’t much for being given “pleasant touch” as a reward growing up. In fact, quite the opposite. I’m also in no way a fan of social touch.
While this book has shown me that a lot of these touches can be beneficial to me (especially hugging), I am not sure I am going to change how I feel about being touched any time soon! I guess I’ll just continue to be extra stressed. It is all I’ve ever known, after all.
The book will give you a quiz to find out your “Touch Persona” by having you answer a series of questions on a range from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”. Turns out I am more agreeable towards intimate touch and less so with unfamiliar touch, affective touch behaviors and friends and family. The outcome of this quiz was really not all that surprising to me.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
An exploration of the new science behind our most underappreciated sense and why we need to harness the power of touch for our health and wellbeing.
Every day, we use our sense of touch to navigate the world. A handshake, a pat on the shoulder, a hug-all essential daily touches that make up our daily lives. In Title TK, Professor Michael Banissy brings together diverse scientific insights from the world’s largest study on touch with takeaways on how to enhance your levels of touch for a happier, healthier life. The book explains why touch is essential to our wellbeing, the role it plays in our relationships, friendships, in the bedroom, workplace, in team activities such as sports, and much more.
Banissy’s latest research explores:
- Our “touch personalities”
- Touch starvation
- How touch defines our relationships and self-esteem
- The impact of touch on our physical and mental health
This is a fascinating window into one of our most important and basic senses and how to harness its power.
Scrapbook Saturday – October 2021 (pt 1)
The rest of October…
Scrapbook Saturday – October 2021 (pt 1)
Hanson in Tulsa
Book Review: Backstreet Boys 30th Anniversary Celebration
This is a book about the creation and last 30 years of the Backstreet Boys career. As a member of Team *NSYNC I was disappointed to see there was a call out about *NSYNC being on hiatus 3 paragraphs in. While this book is written by 2 fans, you’d think we’d be grown up and professional enough now to let the 2 bands stand on their own. Apparently not. This was a major turn off. A lot of the info in the book I had already known by being a “fan” for the last 20 whatever years or hearing the guys on various podcasts and interviews.
There were however a lot of photos included and some fan bios which were neat.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.
Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Backstreet Boys with the ultimate tribute book—filled with amazing tour photography, band-member profiles, fan memories, and more.
Since breaking into the scene in 1993, the Backstreet Boys have sold over 100 million records around the globe making them one of the world’s best-selling music artists, and giving them the title of best-selling boy band of all time. They are the only boy band to have their first ten albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200, and the first group since Led Zeppelin to do so. Celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band in April 2023, members AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, and Howie Dorough are still going strong and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Featuring a powerhouse foreword by singer-songwriter, DJ, author, activist, and one fifth of the megastar girl group the Spice Girls Melanie Chisholm (aka Melanie C or Sporty Spice), this loving homage to the Boys is written by super fans and BSBFanGirls.com owners Karah-Leigh Hancock and Emilia Filogamo and explores the band’s journey from relative unknowns to superstardom, including:
- Personal backstories and journeys for all five members, including a tribute to Nick’s brother Aaron
- An exploration of every chart-topping single, best-selling album, and sold-out tour
- Fan stories and memories
- Quotes and testimonials from industry professionals
- Amazing tour photography
- Fan memorabilia
- And more!
Whether occupying a place of honor on your coffee table or gifted as the supreme fan treasure, relive the ’90s through the amazing journey of the Backstreet Boys, one that is truly larger than life.
Backstreet’s back, all right!
Scrapbook Saturday – September 2021 (pt 3)
Hanson in Tulsa
Book Review: David Hockney
Little People Big Dreams is back this time with a book about David Hockney. I was not familiar with David at all before reading this book. Turns out, David is a gay artist who would sometimes fail his tests at school so everyone would think he was only good at art! It was interesting to learn so much more about an artist who knew who he was and what he wanted from a young age – went for it – and was incredibly successful with it! These Little People Big Dreams books have great illustrations and a lot of great easy to read stories about famous figures.
I received a free e-copy of this book from Net Galley in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of David Hockney, the inspirational British artist.
Little David loved to draw and looked at the world in his own unique way. He always knew what his path in life would be… he would be an artist!
He went to art school and worked day and night to hone his drawing skills. He sold his first painting as a student, and in just five years he had a sell-out solo show of his work. When he moved from the UK to sunny California, he became known for creating bright, bold paintings.
From the Grand Canyon to the Yorkshire hills of home, David painted fantastic landscapes, including one made of 50 canvases all stitched together. An artist who delights in constantly reinventing himself, to this day David is eager to share his colourful work, and himself, with the whole world.
This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the incredible young poet and activist’s life so far.
Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling series of books and educational games that explore the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.
This empowering series offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. Boxed gift sets allow you to collect a selection of the books by theme. Paper dolls, learning cards, matching games and other fun learning tools provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.
Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!
Book Review: King Charles
The Little People, Big Dreams books are at it again, this time with a book about King Charles. (It’s still kind of weird to be typing that!) I hadn’t realized that he was the first royal to earn a degree after spending some time in boarding school. He also started defending the environment before global warming was a well known issue. In fact, the items I knew the most about him (married to Diana, father to William and Harry) were just glossed over on a page or two. It focused a lot more in information I didn’t really know about him, which was great! I also love the illustrations in this book and how they’re written as easy reads and geared towards children.
I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
From the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of King Charles.
Little Charles always knew that, one day, he would have a big job to do. As the son of Queen Elizabeth II, he was a prince, and in the future, he was to inherit the throne of the United Kingdom.
As a young man, he developed a passion for one cause: the environment. Charles recognized that plastics and pollutants were causing harm to Earth, and as the Prince of Wales, he spent all his efforts championing climate justice and sustainability.
As a member of the Royal Family, Charles used his power to build important organizations such as The Prince’s Trust, a charity that works to improve the lives of young people across the UK.
And in 2022, when he became King, he pledged that he would spend the rest of his life serving his people with loyalty, respect, and love.
This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the royal’s life, from little prince to grown-up king.
Little People, BIG DREAMS is a best-selling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.
This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardcover and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.
Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!