Monthly Archives: July 2018

07.31.18
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Getting Personal #132: July Goals Recap

July Goals Recap

Image Credit: Success Magazine

July flew by! It’s crazy!

Here’s the link to my July Goals post:

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. See Ant-Man and the Wasp. — Accomplished!
  2. Curb my spending. — Accomplished!
  3. See Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. — Did not accomplish.
  4. Submit our adoption application to Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption. — Accomplished!
  5. See Mission: Impossible – Fallout. — Accomplished!
  6. Spend at least two hours cleaning the garage. — Did not accomplish.
  7. Make sure the Household Bills Spreadsheet is updated before the end of the month. — Did not accomplish.
  8. Spend at least three hours working within Evernote. — Did not accomplish.
  9. Meal plan as much as possible for the month. — Accomplished!
  10. Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2018. — Accomplished!
  11. Update my TBR. — Accomplished!
  12. Start another writing challenge. — Accomplished!
  13. Plan a special challenge for the month of August! — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

See Ant-Man and the Wasp. — Accomplished!

  • We loved this movie! It was almost better than the first one.

Curb my spending. — Accomplished!

  • I’m so proud of myself!

See Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. — Did not accomplish.

  • This one is just delayed – My mom is taking me to see it on my birthday!

Submit our adoption application to Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption. — Accomplished!

  • We mailed it off on a Monday, and got a call to set up the home visit on that Friday!
  • The home visit happened on Saturday, July 25th. Now we just wait for the call that they have our dog!

See Mission: Impossible – Fallout. — Accomplished!

  • We saw this with our good friend, Mike! What a thrill ride!!
  • To me, it’s one of the best movies in the whole franchise.
  • Tip: Make sure you go to the bathroom before the movie starts. You definitely don’t want to miss a minute of this movie!

Spend at least two hours cleaning the garage. — Did not accomplish.

  • This was set with good intentions, but didn’t make time for it.

Make sure the Household Bills Spreadsheet is updated before the end of the month. — Did not accomplish.

  • This didn’t happen. I may re-evaluate our strategy in August.

Spend at least three hours working within Evernote. — Did not accomplish.

  • I didn’t make time to do this.

Meal plan as much as possible for the month. — Accomplished!

  • This was successful!

Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2018. — Accomplished!

  • Look for a Camp NaNoWriMo recap post later this week!

Update my TBR. — Accomplished!

Start another writing challenge. — Accomplished!

Plan a special challenge for the month of August! — Accomplished!

  • Check back in tomorrow for more details!

Final Thoughts

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to nine out of 13 goals. This was awesome! I feel really good.
  • The four goals I did not accomplish: This was all timing.

What about you? Did you have any goals for the month of July?

Come back tomorrow to see my August Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.30.18
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Writing Prompt #119: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter E)

ABC Book Challenge - E

Here’s the link to Tiana’s post:

Memorable books that start with “E”:

Image result for ellen foster book

Ellen Foster

  • This book was a hard read. So many emotions!

Image result for eloise book

Eloise

  • I adored these books when I was younger!

Cover shows a futuristic aeroplane landing on a lighted runway.

Ender’s Game

  • This is one of the most influential books I’ve ever read. Although it was assigned reading in high school, it was one of the first science fiction books I truly enjoyed. I need to read the rest of the series! The movie adaptation (2013) was also well-done!

Image result for esio trot book

Esio Trot

  • Roald Dahl is one of my favorite authors!

Image result for ethan frome book

Ethan Frome

  • I think I had to read this in high school? For what I remember, I liked Edith Wharton’s writing so much, that I sought out several of her own works to read on my own.

Books I’d love to read that start with the letter “E”:

Image result for eleanor and park book

Eleanor and Park

  • How have I not read this book?

Image result for extras book

Extras (Uglies #4)

  • I first read Uglies in my Young Adult Literature class during the spring of 2011. I enjoyed the book, but have yet to read the rest of the series.

Image result for extremely loud and incredibly close book

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

  • I listened to an interview with Jonathan Safran Foer last year on NPR’s Fresh Air, and it made me want to read all of his books. Plus, I’m partial to books set in New York City.

What books have you read, or want to read, that start with the letter E? Let me know!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.27.18
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Getting Personal #131: “Spiral Staircase, Law Library, Munich, Germany” (Reblogged)

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you have had a good day so far. It’s almost the weekend!

As I prepare for my own busy weekend, and the end of July next week (It’s not possible!), I wanted to share this post from Just Wunderlust. Spiral staircases are, in my opinion, some of the most beautiful and mesmerizing pieces of architecture. And, this photo is from a law library? Swoon!

Have a great weekend! And make sure pick up a book. I’m working my way through my first-ever ARC!!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Just Wunderlust

Jada Cook
Spiral Staircase, Law Library, Munich, Germany

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07.25.18
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Blog Awards #20: The Unique Blogger Award – Number Two!

the-unique-blogger-award

Thanks, Bibi, for nominating me! If you haven’t checked out Bibi’s blog, you should. She writes awesome book reviews, and has done several really cool tags!

Here’s the link to the post where I was nominated:

The Rules:

  • Share the link of the blogger who nominated you
  • Answer their questions
  • Share some love with the blogging community by nominating 8-12 people
  • Ask three questions for your nominees

The Three Questions from Bibi:

  1. How do you decide what book you will read next?
  2. If you had to build your own harem, which 3-5 book loves would you choose? You can only pick one per book.
  3. What’s your favourite kind of blog post to write and why?

Answer #1 – Usually, I have a stack of books on my nightstand, and I pick my next book from that stack.

Answer #2 – Ooooh! Fun. I think my list would be: (1) Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby, (2) Harry Potter, (3) Gale from The Hunger Games, (4) Noah from The Notebook, and (5) Miles from Looking for Alaska.

Answer #3 – I love writing my Commentary pieces, especially the ones where I analyze a news article or do some investigative journalism. I enjoy the research, the writing, and teaching others through the blog. It keeps my college days alive, too, bringing back memories of working on the student newspaper, The Rotunda.

Three Questions from Me:

  1. If you pick a dream job that involved books, what would it be, and why?
  2. Do you have a favorite library or bookstore?
  3. If you could read uninterrupted for a straight 24 hours, anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Tag – You’re It!

  1. Destiny – Howling Libraries
  2. Jenna – Bookmark Your Thoughts
  3. Teagan & Jess – Fiction No Chaser

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.25.18
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Commentary #78: “T10T: Unexpected Levels of Impact” (Reblogged)

Thanks to Destiny at Howling Libraries for inspiring this post!

Here’s my top ten, in roughly chronological order:

Baby-sitters Little Sister - Amazon

1. Baby-Sitters Little Sister series, Ann M. Martin, circa mid-1990s

  • I can’t name a specific book in this series. There’s over 100 books!! I loved the adventures Karen got into, and how realistic her life was. Her entire family, and neighborhood, felt real to me. Martin also covered a lot of poignant issues in the eyes of a child: Divorce, two houses, re-marriage, school trouble, friendship issues, and more! I was about Karen’s age in the books when I started reading them, so I identified quite a bit with her.

—

Pleasant Company Catalogue Holiday 1991

2. American Girl Central Series, Various Authors, circa mid-1990s

  • I grew up with devouring the six-book series. I’m slowly rebuilding childhood library. I started with Samantha’s books, then Felicity’s, and eventually read all of them. Molly’s books remain my favorite. However, I feel close to Felicity, too, since her stories are set in Colonial Williamsburg!

—

Image result for harry potter and the sorcerer's stone book

3. Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, J.K. Rowling, circa 2000-2001

  • I was definitely late to the party with reading the Harry Potter books. I remember telling my classmates who had read everything that had been released to that point, “I don’t like fantasy. I’m not interested.” Once I tried it, though, I was hooked. I finished Sorceror’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets by the time the first movie was released, and my obsession only grew!

—

4. A Walk To Remember, Nicholas Sparks, 2003-2004

  • I’m pretty sure I watched the movie before reading the book. But, it was my first introduction into Sparks and his books. It was sad, but I wanted to read everything that Sparks had written after that. I ended up doing my college senior thesis on his books, so I’m fairly certain his books had a significant impact on my life.

—

5. This Lullaby, Sarah Dessen, 2004-2005

  • Like Destiny, I was hooked after finishing my first Dessen book. I remember taking out 2-3 books of hers at a time from the library!

—

Speak - Wikipedia

6. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson, circa 2006-2007

  • I think I borrowed this from the library? Regardless, I identified somewhat with Melinda, and her struggles. Anderson quickly became another favorite author, and I appreciate her writing and crafting of compelling characters. I’ve re-read this book multiple times, at several different stages of my life, and the impact is the same, every single time.

—

The Battle of Jericho - Amazon

7. The Battle of Jericho, Sharon M. Draper, circa 2005-2006

  • I don’t remember why exactly I picked up the book from the library, but I loved this book. I laughed, I cried, and I wanted more. Reading this book gave me a glimpse into the lives of African-American teenagers, and I found it fascinating and well-written. I have actively read almost all of Draper’s work because of her storytelling and care for her characters!

—

Looking For Alaska

8. Looking for Alaska, John Green, 2011

  • This was one of my assigned reading books for my Young Adult Literature class in the spring of 2011. I hadn’t read anything from Green until then, and it was such a powerful book. I thought it was fitting that I took this course during my last semester of college. A lot of the themes resonated with me, and I found myself reading it several times after graduation. Since then, Green has become one of my favorite authors.

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Image Credit: www.shapingyouth.org

9. Tornado Warning: A Memoir of Teen Dating Violence and Its Effect on a Woman’s Life, Elin Stebbins Waldal, 2015

  • It was clearly a cover draw when I found it at the library. I remember circling back to it during that library trip before picking it up and taking it home. I cried. It was such a hard book – I felt like I knew Elin and her struggles, given my own with my abusive relationship with John. I was compelled to buy my own copy after borrowing it from the library years later – All I could remember to search on Amazon was the title, and a yellow-orange flower. The copy I own, although used when I bought it, was lovingly signed by the author. It’s a book I will treasure forever.

—

Prez: A Story of Love

10. Prez: A Story of Love, Margaret Garrison, 2018

  • This book impacted me in several ways. First, it’s written by a fellow P.E.O. sister, which boosted my confidence in wanting to become a published author. She signed my copy, and it’s a really good story. It’s Garrison’s debut novel, and it’s an impressive one. I loved the story, the element of historical fiction, and having a woman break the proverbial glass ceiling in university administration.

Tell me about a book (or two, or five, or ten!) that impacted your life!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

howling libraries

TTT-Big2

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s prompt was to list ten books with Sensory Memories, and I decided to take it a bit further.

These are ten books that impacted me on an unexpected level, in a good way. Some of them are books I expected to impact me at least a little, but not as much as they did in the end.

These are sorted in order from oldest memories to newest. 🙂

View original post 854 more words

07.24.18
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Book Review #63: “Among The Hidden” (Shadow Children #1)

Among the Hidden

Image Credit: Amazon

If my memory serves me correctly, I bought this from Amazon last summer after reading about it on Thrice Read. It makes sense, because I think this book is one that one of them read in anticipation of teaching it to their students.

Regardless, I thought this was a good book to use in a classroom setting, or to encourage reading in general.

It’s definitely a middle-grade book, designed for younger readers. But, as I was explaining it to Al in the car over the weekend, I thought it was one of those books, and series, that could capture the interest of a boy or young man very easily. At the same time, girls could easily be interested in it, too. As an adult woman, I was definitely intrigued by the story.

—

Luke, the main character, is a hidden child, in a world where things are changing, and not for the better. There’s this force called the Population Police, and Luke’s family is almost living in fear, afraid that Luke will be discovered, and taken away. Luke is watching his family struggle with their farm, as gorgeous, brand-new houses are built behind them.

Why is Luke a “hidden child”? Why is his family so fearful and protective? Will their farm be shut down? What’s going on with all those brand-new houses behind them? And, who are the Population Police?

—

It’s a quick read – I breezed through the majority of the book within two nighttime reading sessions. I’m not sure I’m going to read the rest of the series, but I highly recommend it for younger readers. It’s a unique story, blended with several real-life themes and elements that readers can easily relate and identify.

4 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.23.18
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Writing Prompt #118: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter D)

ABC Book Challenge - D

Here’s the link to Tiana’s post:

Memorable Books that Start with “D”:

davincicode

The Da Vinci Code

  • Picking up from Angels & Demons, I just love Robert Langdon’s character. All of Dan Brown’s books, so far, have been absolute thrill rides!

Image result for dear john book

Dear John

  • Whenever a Nicholas Sparks book comes up, I feel compelled to mention it. I don’t read a lot of his work anymore, but I think fondly of books like this.

Image result for the diary of a young girl

The Diary of a Young Girl

  • This was required reading in school, but reading Anne Frank’s story was incredibly powerful. I have my own copy, and I look forward to sharing this with my future child/children.

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Divergent

  • In spite of my issues with the end of the trilogy, I hooked from the beginning of this book. I devoured it, and the second book, within a matter of days!

Image result for dreamland book

Dreamland

  • I fell in love with Sarah Dessen and her writing in high school. Look for an Awesome Authors post on her very soon!

Books I Wish to Read Starting with the Letter “D”:

Image result for dark places book

Dark Places

  • One of these days, I intend to read everything that Gillian Flynn has written.

Image result for death on the nile book

Death on the Nile

  • I first became interested in Agatha Christie in elementary school, since I devoured all of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys books. It’s high time for me to work my way through her extensive collection, too.

Image result for deception point book

Deception Point

  • It almost goes without saying – Seeing Dan Brown’s name catches my eye.

Image result for different seasons book

Different Seasons

  • Over the years, Stephen King has definitely become a favorite.

Image result for the distant hours book

The Distant Hours

  • Oooooh! Historical fiction, plus castles?! Yes, please!

Image result for dracula book

Dracula

  • I don’t ever remember reading this!

What books have you read, or want to read, that start with the letter D? Let me know!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.17.18
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Tag #66: The Secret Life of a Book Blogger Tag

Autumn _ Winter 16

I was tagged by Daniel, who writes at Page to Page.

Thanks, Daniel!

Here’s the link to the post where I was tagged:

How long have you been blogging?

  • According to WordPress, eight years. For Hot Shot Headlines specifically, I started it in 2014.

At what point do you think you’ll stop blogging?

  • Probably never.

What is the best thing about blogging?

  • Being able to write freely, and publish my own work.

What is the worst thing? What do you do to make it okay?

  • It’s not really the worst thing, but sometimes I struggle with keeping up with all of the tags and awards that amazing people have nominated me for or to do. I work through all of them, one by one!

How long does it take you to find make/find pictures to use?

  • It depends. I use a lot of Google Images.

Who is your book crush?

  • Oh, wow. Ummm …. Probably Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby.

What author would you like to have on your blog?

  • Any of the following: J.K. Rowling, Laurie Halse Anderson, Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham, Ann M. Martin.

What do you wear when you write your blog posts?

  • Clothes.

How long does it take you to prepare?

  • It varies. I like to have at least 3-4 posts ready to publish during one week.

How do you feel about the book blogging community?

  • I’ve met some of the most wonderful people through book blogs! Everyone is so supportive, and it’s amazing to me that so many people, around the world, love to read books and write about books.

What do you think one should do to get a successful blog?

  • Write from your heart.
  • Use tags – It helps bring your work to a bigger audience!
  • Engage with other bloggers – Like posts, comment when you feel led, and support blogs that you love. It’s a wonderful community.

Tag – You’re It!

  • I’m not tagging anyone in particular. But, if you feel led, I would love it if you participated!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.16.18
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Writing Prompt #117: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter C)

ABC Book Challenge - C

Here’s the link to Tiana’s post:

Memorable Books that Start with “C”:

catching_fire

Catching Fire

  • I love The Hunger Games trilogy. It’s one of my favorite series.

Chances and Changes

Chances and Changes: My Journey with Molly

  • Molly is my favorite historical American Girl character, so her books have always been memorable for me.

chicken-soup-just-us-girls

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Image result for columbine book

Columbine

  • Dave Cullen came to Longwood University for a lecture. I wrote about it for the student newspaper, The Rotunda. His book is one of the most powerful books about the massacre at Columbine High School that I have ever read.

Books I wish to read starting with “C”:

3002300

Chains (Seeds of America #1)

  • I don’t think I’ve ever read this, which is surprising, since Laurie Halse Anderson is one of my favorite authors.

Crank

  • Tiana had this book on her post, and I added it to my own TBR recently.

What books have you read, or want to read, that start with the letter C? Let me know!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

07.11.18
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Tag #65: Friday Funday Challenge – Game On – You Name It!

I was tagged for this fun challenge by Rory, the author of A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip!

Here’s the link to the post where I was tagged:

The Rules …

…because there are always rules, are simple!

1] Thank the nominator

2] Answer Q1 – Q19

3] Nominate three bloggers of your choice and notify them.

4] Each selected blogger MUST answer 16 of the asked 19 questions, but also insert 3 new questions to make up the 19 compliment. Every time a new blogger is selected they MUST only answer 16 of the asked 19 questions as well as answer their own 3, and choose 3 new bloggers. Each time a new blogger sees the questionnaire it will be completely different to the next blogger along.

[Hint: delete three of the questions you don’t like or have no answer for and insert your own in its place]

5] Q20 & Q14  Must always remain intact.

Questions from Rory

1] Are you currently reading a book, if so what is it?

2] Toast or cereal?

3] Choice weapon for survival during the zombie invasion?

4] Horror or comedy films?

5] Skinny dipping or mud wrestling?

6] What was your favourite sweet/candy as a kid?

7] Going to the party or the library what’s your preference?

8] What is your favourite tipple [drink]?

9] If you were coming back as an animal which is the least you would like to return as, BUT knowing your luck you just might? [Provide image]

10] What are five of your unique selling points for your writing?

11] What were you like as a child?

12] How important is personal achievement to you?

13] How do ‘you’ define hard work?

14] Which 3 questions will you be deleting to add your own in?

15] If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

16] Ok, you are going to be shipwrecked on an island that has food and water, what three items would you need to have with you?

17] What was the most stressful situation you ever encountered and how did you handle it?

18] If we didn’t know what the colour ‘mauve’ actually looked like, how would you describe it?

19] What music is currently your favourite? [Provide link]

20] The three bloggers you are nominating are?

Laura Beth’s Answers

1] Are you currently reading a book, if so what is it?

  • Yes. I’m currently reading Among The Hidden (Shadow Children #1) by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

2] Toast or cereal?

  • Toast. I don’t eat a lot of cereal anymore.

3] Choice weapon for survival during the zombie invasion?

  • Baseball/softball bat. I played for Little League one season in eighth grade, and then again as adult for the Presbyterian church’s softball team in 2014. I’d love to get back into it!

4] Horror or comedy films?

  • Comedy. I’m definitely not a horror film fan!

5] Skinny dipping or mud wrestling?

  • Hehe – Mud wrestling all the way!

6] What was your favourite sweet/candy as a kid?

  • I devoured the plain chocolate M&Ms as a kid.

7] Going to the party or the library what’s your preference?

  • Library, hands down. Give me all of the books!

8] What is your favourite tipple [drink]?

  • A Corona with lime.

9] What is your least favorite movie?

  • I didn’t like Requiem for a Dream.

10] What are five of your unique selling points for your writing?

  • (1) Character-driven, (2) As original of a story as possible, (3) Enjoyable/exciting content, (4) At least one thing/issue being recognizable/relatable to society/audience, and (5) accurate as possible in terms of details/setting/history, etc.

11] What were you like as a child?

  • I was/am an only child, so I learned to be independent quickly. I was also bubbly, enthusiastic, loud, talkative/chatterbox, stubborn as hell, and determined. After being born at 25 weeks and given a 50-50 shot of survival, I overcame a lot of obstacles.

12] How important is personal achievement to you?

  • Personal achievement is very gratifying. But, I also enjoy helping others.

13] How do ‘you’ define hard work?

  • Hard work means dedication, focus, asking for help, and getting the job done right the first time.

14] Which 3 questions will you be deleting to add your own in?

  • Numbers 9, 15, and 17.

15] If someone wanted to make a movie about your family, who would you want to portray yourself, your parent(s)/caregiver(s), and your sibling(s)?

  • Me – Emma Watson
  • Dad – Paul Guilfoyle (Original CSI:)
  • Mom – Diane Keaton

16] Ok, you are going to be shipwrecked on an island that has food and water, what three items would you need to have with you?

  • Unlimited books, Rodan + Fields sunscreen, and one comfortable outfit. I don’t want to be naked!

17] Where you do feel the most at peace?

  • Around water.

18] If we didn’t know what the colour ‘mauve’ actually looked like, how would you describe it?

  • A beautiful pale purple color that reminds me of flowers, and elegant Victorian decoration.

19] What music is currently your favourite? [Provide link]

20] The three bloggers you are nominating are?

  • See my Tag – You’re It section below.

Tag – You’re It!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂