We Wish You a Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year.

Good tidings we bring

To you and your kin

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year.

Now bring us some figgy pudding

Now bring us some figgy pudding

Now bring us some figgy pudding

And a cup of good cheer.

We won't go until we get some

We won't go until we get some

We won't go until we get some

So bring it right here.

So bring us some figgy pudding

So bring us some figgy pudding

So bring us some figgy pudding

And bring it right here.

Good tidings we bring

To you and your kin

We wish you a Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year.

Top Ten Movies of 2014

All of these movies were new to me, even if they hadn’t been released in 2014.

1. Frozen

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

4.The Amazing Spider-Man

5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

7. Divergent

8. Walking with Dinosaurs

9. Night at the Museum 3

10. Maleficent

Honorable Mentions

Oblivion

The Croods

Ender's Game

After Earth

The Librarians 1.5

In this latest episode  of The Librarians, in through the backdoor pops good old Flynn, drenched and with news that a delegation of dragons is on the way.  While Jenkins and Ezekiel {whose waiting for a pizza to arrive} attempt to work together to handle the delegation, everyone else sets off to find a magical pearl and somehow end up with the apple of a Greek goddess that turns everyone into the worst version of themselves. It was hilarious to see Flynn and eve interacting with each other as they fought over the apple. And there is definitely something more to Jenkins than meets the eye. I was sorely disappointed to see not real dragons, but a bunch of weird people claiming to be dragons. Such a let down. It was sweet to see Flynn trying to convince Eve to stay and have the tables turned on him.

Top Ten Books of 2014

1. The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

2. The Apothecary’s Daughter by Julie Klassen

3. The Spiritual World of The Hobbit by James Stuart Bell Jr.

4. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

5. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

6. The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen

7. The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan

8. Nefertiti by Joyce A. Tyledesley

9. What to Expect: The First Year by Heidi Murkoff

10. Baby-led Weaning by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett

Honorable Mention:

All for a Sister by Allison Pittman

Bonus!

The Six Worst Books of 2014

She Comes First by Ian Kerner

Rebellious Heart by Jody Hedlund

Surprised by Love by Julie Lessman*

Truth be Told by Carol Cox*

The Firstborn Advantage by Kevin Leman

One Realm Beyond by Donita K. Paul*

The * means Did Not Finish

Most of the Worst Books were either incredibly boring or badly written.

All for a Sister Book Review

Title:  All for a Sister.

Author: Allison Pittman.

Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Drama.

Plot: When twelve year old Dana Lundgren goes up to the big house to help the wealthy Mr. and Mrs. DuFranes with their party, she doesn’t expect her whole world to turn upside down in a terrible tragedy. Locked away for twenty years for a crime she didn’t commit but felt deeply sorry for all the same, the world changes without her and Dana loses hope of ever being free again. Just when she has grown content with her life, the unthinkable happens and Dana is not only free, but also an heiress. But along with the wealth and fame comes a bucket load of deceit and heartbreak. Both Dana and her newfound friends – co-heir Celeste DuFrane and Mr. Werner – begin to dig into Mrs. DuFrane’s past and start to uncover the secrets that their lives were built upon.

Likes/Dislikes: This is my first book by Ms. Pittman and I rather like what I read. This story is a complicated one, involving the lives of three primary women and spanning twenty years. Filled with heartbreak, plenty of scandal and lies, and a sweet touching love story, this is a wonderful book. It’s beautifully written, the pace is even and smooth as it jumps from the perspectives of three people, and it wraps up beautifully at the end. It’s an examination of one person’s decisions and the consequences of their actions. I really highly enjoyed it, though I didn’t like Mr. DuFrane at all.

Rating: PG-17 and up, mainly for content {adulterous husband, lots of lying, manipulation, death of a baby, hints of scandal, but nothing graphic}.

Date Review Written: December 23^rd, 2014.

I received a copy of this book free courtesy of the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I wasn’t required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

What Child is This?

What child is this, who, laid to rest,

On Mary's lap is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,

While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The babe, the son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,

Where ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christians, fear, for sinners here

The silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,

the cross be borne for me, for you.

Hail, hail the Word made flesh,

the Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,

Come, peasant, king, to own him.

The King of kings salvation brings,

Let loving hearts enthrone him.

Raise, raise a song on high,

The virgin sings her lullaby

Joy, joy for Christ is born,

The babe, the Son of Mary.

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The babe, the son of Mary.

The Librarians 1.4

Christmas is just around the corner, but Santa Claus is missing. After getting a call from Mrs. Claus, Jenkins sends the group through the magical backdoor to track him down and they discover that the nasty serpent group {their main adversaries it seems} have kidnapped him in an effort to steal all his magic. Santa, it seems, isn’t just someone who brings kids presents; he goes around the world absorbing all the acts of goodwill so that at the classic stroke of midnight, he can release all the goodwill back into the world for another year. Everyone has their own opinion on Christmas: Cassandra’s parents told her at a young age that Santa doesn’t exist, so she is ecstatic to learn otherwise. Ezekiel thinks Christmas is a wonderful time to fleece people, and Jake Stone’s favorite activity is to get into bar fights. Eve, frustrated that the desk she wants to use keeps reverting back to Flynn’s standards, makes it clear how much she hates Christmas. I think this show’s version of Santa is a Time Lord, what with his reincarnations

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! The Lord is come

Let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the world! the Savior reigns

Let men their songs employ

While fields and floods

Rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat, repeat the sound joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow

Nor thorns infest the ground

He comes to make

His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found

Far as the curse is found

Far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders and wonders of His love

Once Upon a Time 4.12

On Once, the Snow Queen may be gone but her magic remains, keeping everyone trapped in Storybrooke . When Elsa learns of Hans’ invasion of Arendale, it becomes all the more important for her and Anna to get back home as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Rumple runs around the town with Hook, trying to put the final touches to his evil plan until he is thwarted by the least likely person of all. And Robin may have chosen Regina, but fate intervenes and Regina is once again forced to live with an unhappy ending. And we are introduced to a set of nasty new villains in a slightly confusing flashback featuring Rumple and Belle.

I enjoyed this half of the season, although I have to admit that with all the hype and promise, the actual show rather fell short of expectations. Anna was marvelously cast and acted, but Kristoff, Hans, Elsa and especially Oaken were all so poorly played. It was a let-down and I’m not entirely sure how exciting the next half is looking so far. Plus, my favorite character didn’t get her happy ending!

The Librarians 1.3

Eve Baird, a soldier at heart, has her hands full trying o train and prepare the newbie librarians for combat. The only problem is that Cassandra doesn’t really fight very well, Ezekiel bails out on everyone and Jake fights too much. When the group convinces Eve and Jenkins to let them investigate a series of suspicious disappearances, Eve begins to get a reality check when she notices how their strengths and weaknesses can be used to work together. For the first time in her life, she begins to think outside the box as they chase the legendary Minotaur around town.