Shopping for the Dad who has everything

This is a guest post by Frank Johnson



My Dad is hands down the most difficult person to shop for in the world. He's the man that literally has everything, and every time we ask him what he wants for his birthday or Christmas his response is "all I want is to spend time with my children. You don't have to get me anything." And he's serious, which makes it even harder because you HAVE to get your Dad something for his birthday.

I finally decided I needed to get him something fun that had to do with Oliver tractors. They're his favorite, and I'm pretty sure the Oliver tractor he has will get more of his inheritance than any of his children will.


Using my hughes net internet I found a store on eBay that sells all sorts of Oliver tractor gear. I ruled out getting him the bright green jacket and decided against the belt buckle, and decided he would probably like the "Oliver tractor crossing, all others will be plowed" sign to hang in his barn. It would be perfect. The only problem was that the sign came in literally every color... except the color of Oliver tractors.


What's the point in getting him an Oliver Tractor sign if it was bright red? Even I know that Oliver tractors aren't red. I emailed the manufacturer and not even 5 minutes later, got a response. He told me he'd be willing to custom make me any sign I want and to let him know the size, font, color and image that would go on it. I had no idea what to do with it other than make it green, so his advice helped me figure out how to make a sign perfect for my Dad. From there, my sign was on its way to being created and customized just for Dad. Perfect. !



**I did recieve a small compensation for the post. All opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.**




Until Next Time,
Happy Reading!

Review: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human. description taken from here.

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You might be wandering why The Host is being reviewed on SWR.  It is a science-fiction-y book, but, in the background of it, there is a romance.  A really dull and lightly played on romance. 

I read it first and didn't care much for it.  My mom read it after me, and she fell in love with it.  I didn't like it because I'm not into the science fiction genre.  Well, I take that back.. I suppose I am since I love to read about vampires, werewolves, and the like.  But, I'm just not an alien fan.  Never have been.  In fact, the only alien books I actually like are Gena Showalter's Alien Huntress Series.

The Host is completly PG rated, maybe even G, although there is a slight violence in it.  Definetly any age that wants to read it, should be able to read it.  The language is clean, there are zero sex scenes, there is no crude humor, no dirty references of any kind.  The book is basically kid proof.  This is a good book for a 12 year old who wants to conquer a big novel.  There is some action, which should keep their attention, but mostly, the struggles are internal.

The begining of the book is a bit confusing and the end plays out where it sounds open to sequels.  Does that mean there will be sequels?  I don't know.  The book was orginially published in 2008 (2 years ago) and there is no talk about any other books in the make.  Meyer says in interviews she has "many ideas" and wants to write a "ghost story", but there is no talk yet of a sequel for The Host.  Would I personally read a sequel if it came out?  No.  I wouldn't.  It did not personally keep my interest.  My mom loved the story, but it just didn't grab my attention. 

* Eh, ok..
Heat Rating= non existent



Until Next Time,
Happy Reading!

Great Giveaways

New Age Mama is having an awesome giveaway for Father's Day.  One winner will get either a pair of scrubs that says "I'm the Daddy" or a tee similar.  You can enter here.



Until Next Time,
Happy Reading!

Eden Fantasy Giveaway!

Nope, the giveaway is not over here.  Actually, the giveaway is on my friend's blog, Never Too Shy Reviews.

You can enter to win a $25 gift card to Eden Fantasy.  The giveaway is International too!  You do not have to be a blog follower to enter, either, so anyone in the world, anywhere can enter!

You can enter here.




Until Next Time,
Happy Reading!

Cancer

Cancer.  Scary word, huh?  We all wish it never will happen to us and our loved ones.  But, we are only human and can get sick.  It's just life, as much as that really sucks.  And, we can't do a whole lot about it.

Lately, I've been noticing these buttons on a lot of blogs.  They say "Mission Monkey".  I had no clue what they meant.  I just see this adorable baby girl on the button and keep scrolling because I had no clue what what it was about.  But, then I was on Carrie's Rambles blog, and it explained why these buttons are all over the blogsphere. 

This innocent, adorable little 16 month old baby girl is sick.  With cancer.  Every parent's worst nightmare. 

When I was about 5 or 6 six years old, my cousin Renee died.  She was a mother of 4 and she died of cancer.  Not the same type of cancer this child now has, mind you.  But, she was sick as well.  Being I was so young at the time, I can't remember her now.  But, I have watched her kids, my older cousins, grow up without her.  I watched how it affected my aunt and uncle (her parents, their only child), and how her husband raised their kids on his own.

I don't want to see this family go through that.  And, I know you guys don't either.  I figure, if I didn't know what those buttons were for, then it might be that some of you guys didn't know either.  That's why I am writing this post.  To let you guys know that one of our fellow bloggers needs support. 

Her own blog can be found here.  You can give her emotional support by writing her.  And, there is a PayPal link where you can donate any amount of money you can afford if you can.

I know a lot you bloggers are mothers.  While I myself am not a mother, I still know the pain of losing loved ones.  If you can, help this family out, whether emotionally or financially.  We all know that money holds no true value when it comes to our loved ones health, and treatments can be so expensive. 

 This is Monkey.  Isn't she beautiful?  She has neuroblastoma, a form of cancer.  I myself had never heard of the term before, so I looked it up.  By clicking the link you can read up a little on the illness.  Reading her mother's blog, Momma's Pixie Dreams, will put you in tears.  I myself can not stand by and see this happen.  I can't. 

Bloggers, I propose something.  Why don't we get together and put on a giveaway?  Only people who donate can enter.  No limit on the amount though, because times are economically tough.  We can go through PayPal, and we can have a dollar amount goal.  Once the goal is reached, maybe we can toss more in.  What do you say?  If anyone wants to help me with this idea, please either leave me a message with your email address, or contact me through the contact form.

If this were you, you would not want to do this alone.  I would not want to do this alone.  So, how about we try to do this together?

Review: The MacCarrick Brothers Trilogy by Kresley Cole

Anyone who reads romance should know the name Kresley Cole.  If you don't, then you aren't reading romance.  Kresley Cole is awesome.  She has her Immortals After Dark series, which is something to rave about on it's own.  But, she also has a trilogy about 3 Scottish Highland brothers who think they are cursed. 

I have had the books sitting on my shelf for what feels like forever now.  I had read the first book, and completely feel in love.  It was actually my cousin who had read this particular book first, and she could not shut up about how awesome Court (the hero) was.  So, I read it and fell for Court too.  Then I finally read the second book a week back. Amazing.  But, when I came to the last book, I decided I loved it the most.

1st book- If You Dare  Court is the youngest of his 3 brothers. He has always been know as the mean one.  After all, he is a mercenary.  So, when he is wronged and almost executed, he makes sure he extracts his revenge when he gets away.  By stealing the guy's fiance.  Not that the girl cares.  She's actually glad to be away from the man she was supposed to marry.  However, she knows she has to go back, or her fiance will kill her brother.  Court doesn't want to give her back though, his curse be damned.

2nd book- If You Desire  Hugh is an assassin who once fell in love with a beautiful English girl.  And, little did he know that she fell for him too.  Even thought that she would one day marry him.  But, Hugh, as a second son, did not have a penny to his name and couldn't afford to take care of the wealthy girl.  Letting her go, he turned black and bitter, while she grew to hate him for never saying good-bye.  Now, 10 years later, he has to take care of her because his old crazy assassin partner is out to get her.  Sparks are flying, and Hugh can be pretty funny!

3rd book- If You Deceive Ethan is 33 and 10 years back, he was viciously scared for a crime he did not commit.  His once handsome face now has a foot long scare running down one side of his face, scaring away the women who once would come so easily to him.  Yup, I loved this book.  One of the best things about Kresley's books is that she always adds humor them, and I was giggling super hard towards the end of this book.






This series rocks!  I love Historicals.  I love Highlanders.  And, it was awesome.  This is one of those series I keep on my list of 'if anyone ever needs a recommendation' books. 

You can check out Kresley Cole's website here for all of the latest info about her books.  I check it out every few months to see if their is any news.  You can sign up for a monthly newsletter too.

***** Must Haves
Heat Rating= Sexy

**I bought this product of my own will. No one paid me for this post. I am posting it at my own wish with my real and honest opinion. All opinions are my own, unless otherwise stated.**


Until Next Time,
Happy Reading!

Review: Lover Mine by JR Ward

 I pre-order the new Black Dagger Brotherhood book a while back.  I was stoked to get it, so as soon as I got it (like 3 days ago), I did little more than read.  I finished it yesterday and now my mom is reading it.  And, as much as I love the Brothers, this one I felt just wasn't as good.  I think it might be because I'm biased though, and I missed all the info on the other brothers. 

Lover Mine was focused on John and Xhex in this installment of JR Ward's series. John is an awesome character, don't get me wrong, but he just was never my favorite character. That's not to say that I didn't like his character, just that I favored some of the boys over him.  I think it might be because even though he wore leather and threw daggers, he just was never "bad" enough for me to fall for his character.  Whatever.

There didn't seem to be as much sex in this book as the other BDB books..  Ward wrote her newest novel brillantly.  Xhex had just the right amount of tough-ass I-can-take-care-of-myself and sappy girly girl in her character in this book.  I liked the emotions that were pushed with Blaylock and Quinn's relationship.  And, at the same time, I was torn.  I felt sorry for Blay, who is nothing but a sweetheart, and yet, I couldn't stop liking Quinn.  I think it might be that hot, mixed matched  stare.. Hmm.. might be..  Anyways, on one side I wanted to say, "hey Quinn, stop being a meanie and go be with Blay", and on the other side I'm kind of like, "Quinn, stay away from Blay, I want you to have your own book because I like you so much". 

Also, while I'm being a tad sappy, let me just mention that I loved how Ward allowed Tohrment to grieve, and his time at his home that he once shared with his Wellsie.  The tiny flashbacks, no matter that they were only a few lines each, made my eyes misty.



**** Keeper
Heat Rating= Sexy/Spicy (when it was there)



**I bought this book of my own will. No one paid me for this post. I am posting it at my own wish with my real and honest opinion. All opinions are my own, unless otherwise stated.**


Until Next Time,
Happy Reading!