Mundie Moms

Thursday, July 22, 2010

We're chatting about Shadow Hills tonight with Anastasia Hopcus!


*Our chat will start at 8 pm CST/ 9 pm EST. To join, hit join and enter a screen name.

*Please know that we will be discussing Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus!

*We do our best to make sure all comments are published, so that Anastasia can answer your questions. With the high volume of guests expected tonight, not all the questions may be answered in the hour time frame of the chat. If that is the case, we will be sure to send them to Anastasia so that she can answer them, after which we will post them on the blog and our forum.

*In respect to Anastasia's time, we will only publish comments that pertain to their current writings, and book.

*We will not post any personal questions or comments.

* Any rude, disrespectful, or spam like comments will not be published.

*Thank you and we look forward to chatting with everyone tonight!


**No part of this chat is allowed to be used with out our permission**

Thoughtful Thursday-Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation

A couple weeks back we ran a giveaway for Thoughtful Thursday asking our followers what organizations they'd like to see us spotlight. We received a wonderful response and we're planning on spotlighting each of the organizations (if they haven't already been spotlighted) on our Thoughtful Thursday posts. These organizations will not only be out of the USA, but from around the world.


Thank you to Cassie C for bringing the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation, to our attention. The Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation was founded in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1978.


Here's their mission:


The Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation is dedicated to enhancing health services for children by raising money to support the Stollery Children's Hospital and programs that promote health, prevent disease and treat illness. Funding provided by the Foundation supports health services for children through education, research, special services and acquisition of equipment. (taken from their site)


Here's a little bit about their foundation:


The Stollery Children’s Hospital is Canada’s largest children’s heart transplant centre, Western Canada referral centre for pediatric heart surgery, and a national leader in organ transplantation. The hospital was the first in the west to have an ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) program — a last resort, life-saving device that acts as a child’s external heart and lungs. (taken from here http://tinyurl.com/2aj9dys)


To find out how you can donate and give of your time in helping The Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation continue their efforts in helping save Children's lives, please visit their site here http://www.stollerykids.com/

Book Review-Take Me There


By Carolee Dean
Published by Simon Pulse
Released July 20th, 2010
Source: Author
3.5 stars- I liked this book

Sometimes sexy, sometimes sad, and always intense, Take Me There is a dark and surprising novel about a boy on the run who's headed nowhere fast.

Dylan has a bad-boy past and a criminal record. He knows that rich, beautiful Jess is way too good for him—but she has always been the one person who sees through his tough exterior and straight to his heart, and he has been hopelessly in love with her from the first time they met. He would change his life for a chance with her.

But trouble follows Dylan wherever he goes, and a deadly mistake soon forces him to hit the road and leave his dreams behind. He’s on the run and in search of answers—answers to questions he wishes he’d never asked.

Take Me There is a story that leaves a lasting impression on you days after you read it. It's one of those books that really makes you think. What Carolee presents in Take Me There is an important message about illiteracy and the limited options illiteracy presents. It's also about choices, as the choices that are made today can and will determine where we end up a few months from now, to years from now.

Take Me There is the story of Dylan, our broken, illiterate boy who tries to do the right thing. No matter how hard Dylan tries to stay away from trouble, it follows him. When something bad happens, he and his best friend Wade run from California to TX. Trouble always has a way of finding Dylan, even on the run.

Dylan is more than a tragic character, he's full of insight and wants to make something of himself, but he feels he can't do that until he meets his father who's sitting on death row in TX. As Dylan tries to piece together the tragic events that locked his father up, he learns more about himself and comes to understand why his father did what he did. What I like about Dylan, is even though he's a bad boy, he tries to do everything he can to do something better with his life. Carolee provides us with an insight to Dylan's more sensitive side by sharing his poems through out the book.

Carolee provides a whole cast of strong supporting characters for Dylan and while at times you want to yell at them, in the end each of their personal strengths shine through. From his best friend Wade who's the reason behind their run from the law to TX, to Jess, Dylan's girlfriend. Jess is the beautiful California girl who comes from a rich family, but even rich families aren't perfect and Jess's character is one I really liked getting to know more about. She's not your typical beauty queen and she offers Dylan hope and makes him realize he's so much more than he thinks he is. Meeting the rest of Dylan's family will be heartbreaking and empowering for Dylan.

Take Me There isn't a warm fuzzy read. It's a book with a powerful message. It's not a pretty story, but it's one that portrays real life for many people. This book has left me questioning our judicial system and what more can be done to end to illiteracy in this country. Carolee did a beautiful job at not only writing Dylan's story, but she wove together Dylan reminiscing about the choices that lead him and Wade to be on the run, to present tense and introduces us to Dylan's father, with pages of his father's writing. Carolee's writing is done so well, that I was never lost on who's voice was who's or what was going on. By providing small insights into Dylan's dad's story, you understand Dylan more and the fate that awaits him.

Take Me There is a thought provoking read, that will leave you cheering for the bad boy and hoping that everything works out for him and Jess. It's a book that will have adults remembering what it was like to be a teenager trying to find your own direction in life, and one that teens will relate to on many levels.

Linger is #1 of the NYTBS

Congratulations to Maggie for Linger being #1 on the NY Best Seller List! We are so excited for her as we're huge fans of Shiver and Linger. In celebration of Linger being #1, Maggie posted this video for her fans.


Don't forget to visit Maggie's site for her tour dates

Don't miss Maggie's Twitter party that starts tonight at 8 pm EST. Follow Maggie here @mstiefvater

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