So it's officially my day to take part in the official Martin Hospitality blog tour!!
(Never done one of these before, so bear with me ^-^)
About The Book:
Gemma Ebworthy is eighteen, pregnant, and alone. Now that she’s been evicted, she spends the night in a barn, never dreaming that tomorrow could bring kindness of a life-changing magnitude.
The Martins aren’t a typical family—even for rural Kansas. With more kids than can be counted on one hand and a full-time farm, Gemma must make a lot of adjustments to fit in. But despite their many differences, Gemma finds herself drawn to this family and their radical Christian faith.
When Gemma’s past collides with her yet again, she must begin revealing her colorful history. With every detail Gemma concedes, she fears she will lose the Martins’ trust and the stable environment she desires for herself and her unborn child. Just how far can the Martins’ love and God’s forgiveness go?
Abigayle has been a writer for as long as she can remember, but did not begin seriously pursuing becoming an author until 2015. Since then, she has started a blog and numerous social media accounts, graduated high school as a homeschooler, and participated in the infamous NaNoWriMo. Other than writing, she is also pursuing work as a freelance editor. Writing is her ministry and reading is her pastime. Abigayle lives in Central Texas with her six younger siblings and parents.
... well, actually, I'm just in my normal bedroom, but the panic is real.
Are you proud that it's only the *cough* seventh of the month and look! here I am!
What I Read:
Moon Over Manifest ~ Clare Vanderpool
(I read Navigating Early in October, so I decided to pick this one up and I'm so glad I did.) Overview: The daughter of a drifter during the Great Depression, Abilene Tucker feels abandoned when her father sends her to his hometown for the summer. When she meets the town diviner, though, she is told the story of Jinx, a boy who came to town much like Abilene did, and changed the lives of the townspeople forever. Rating: 5 out of 5 (READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW)
The Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds ~ Rick Riordan Overview: In this companion to Riordan's "Magnus Chase" series, every new resident of Hotel Valhalla is sure to never be confused as to the deities, worlds, and creatures that make up the norse worlds. Rating: 5 out of 5 (a fun, quick read and an amusing companion to the books)
The Secret of Shadow Ranch ~ Carolyn Keene Overview: Nancy, Bess, and George head to Shadow Ranch, a farm that has been experiencing some rather strange occurrences. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (this was the first original Nancy Drew book I've read, and... it was as cheesy as I expected. But it was fun to read a Nancy Drew.)
The Isle of the Lost ~ Melissa De La Cruz Overview: In this prequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie, the children of Disney's greatest villains find themselves unexpectedly teamed up to find Maleficent's staff and possibly return magic to their island of banishment. Rating: 4 out of 5 (it was fun. I enjoyed the film, so it was really cool to read the book)
How to Break a Dragon's Heart ~ Cressida Cowell Overview: Facing Berserks, haunted beaches, and a very scary witch, Hiccup must brave the Beast to save Camicazi. Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (I'm just so happy to be getting back into these, I've missed them)
How to Steal a Dragon's Sword ~ Cressida Cowell Overview: While travelling to the camp where they will prove their place in the clans, the young Vikings are attacked by renegade Dragons. The Dragon Rebellion is coming, and Hiccup may be the only one to stop it. Rating: 5 out of 5 (holy cannoli, that ending was craaaaazy)
What I Watched:
Bull:
This show is really amazing, okay? It's got the ensemble feel of Leverage with the legal informative-ness of Matlock and Cable is my fave.
Timeless:
This line! #iconic My babies are back and breaking my heart and I don't know how I'm going to live through this hiatus guys agh.
Liv and Maddie:
In the absence of Girl Meets World (season three comes to Netflix this month yayyyyy), I picked up this other Disney Channel series that's also on Netflix. While I expected it to be stupid (and at times, admittedly, it is), the acting quality is amazing. I have so much more respect for Dove Cameron after watching this show, like wow.
What I Listened To:
My Disney on Broadway obsession came back in full force this month, as I discovered The Lion King on Broadway soundtrack *flail*. I also saw Moana (finally) and it was so good! And "Every Captive Free" is a song that I performed a dance to, along with several of my friends, for the "Florida Abolitionists" annual... meeting... thing. I was never actually told what the event was actually called so... anyway it's working toward ending human trafficking, and it's super cool and the group I was with is called Set Free and you can find more info here. I highly recommend checking it out. ^.^
As I write this, the year two thousand and sixteen A.D. comes to a close.
Where the heck did it go?
If you find it, do let me know.
And yes, I was going to write a November wrap-up, but when December 15th rolled around and I still hadn't posted it, I figured, why not just do both November and December at the end of the latter? And so here we are.
Let's begin with November, shall we?
Because I'm so tech-savvy (hahaha, good joke, right?) you can find Goodreads links to every one of these. Just click the title if you want to learn more. ;)
What I Read:
The Beautiful Pretender ~ Melanie Dickerson
I DID IT I FINISHED IT YAY Overview: Avelina is put in a difficult situation when the proper lady she serves runs away with a knight. Desperate to gain help from Thornbeck, the Earl of Plimmwald sends Avelina in his daughter's place. She must gain the margrave's help... but can she keep her heart in one piece to do so? My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
The Book of Shepherd ~ The Scribe/Joann Davis Overview: A shepherd named Joshua, a woman named Elizabeth, and a child named David seek to find a better way. My Rating: 5 out of 5
The Hammer of Thor ~ Rick Riordan Overview: Magnus Chase and his friends are on the hunt for Thor's hammer before Loki can use it to free himself. Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 IT WAS SO FANTASTIC
Mission Atomic ~ Sarwat Chadda Overview: Dan, Amy, and all the faves are all grown up and kicking butt and I almost cried at the end because they're so grown up ouch Rating: 4.5 out of 5
What I Watched:
The Librarians:
MY BABIES ARE BACK. So much sass is going on in this season, I love it.
Timeless:
Two gifs for this one because this line made me laugh. This show has stolen my heart and smashed it into a million pieces I love these precious beans.
What I Listened To:
So much Christmas music ahhhhh. Both "Behold the Savior" and "God With Us" I got to sing in our church's Christmas musical. The former being with my little brother and several of my youth group friends, which was super fun.
What I Posted:
I did, not one, but TWO updates as I attempted NaNoWriMo!
Now let's take a look at December!
Christmas lights, for your enjoyment ^.^
What I Read:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ J.K. Rowling Overview: The sixth Harry Potter book finds Harry as Dumbledore's right-hand man, of sorts. Between learning all about Horcruxes, captaining the Quidditch team, and dealing with the new teacher Horace Slughorn, Harry has another full year at Hogwarts. Rating: 5 out of 5 (I feel like that's a given on HP books xD)
The Roar ~ Emma Clayton Overview: Mika's twin sister Ellie disappeared a year ago, but when he enters a contest in order to find her, he discovers that his world is much more than he ever imagined. Rating: 5 out of 5 (it was so gooooooood)
Disney After Dark ~ Ridley Pearson Overview: Five teens discover they've been given the gift to visit the Magic Kingdom after hours, except... they aren't exactly human. Rating: 3 out of 5 (still magical, but not as great as I remember)
Don't You Know There's a War On? ~ Avi Overview: A boy is convinced that his principal is a Nazi spy when his favorite teacher is fired. Rating: 4 out of 5 (pretty good, if not a bit slow)
What I Watched:
The Librarians:
(pfft, no, I totally didn't put this twice because I wanted to use both gifsets pfffft)
Seriously I think this might be my favorite season so far.
Gilmore Girls:
I've watched a grand total of four (four!!!) episodes but I'm hooked.
Mech-X4:
This is a new DisneyXD show that is actually pretty fantastic and follows the story of four friends who find that one of them can control a giant robot. Harris is me, okay.
Now, normally I'd have a list of what I listened to this month to put here... but I forgot to make it as I was going and then of course I forgot what I listened to so... yeah...
but I can say I WENT TO A FOR KING & COUNTRY CONCERT THIS MONTH IT WAS SO GREAT THEY'RE SO GREAT seriously if you get the opportunity to see them in concert, DO IT. These boys can put on a show, let me tell you.
What I Posted:
I love talking about Christmas movies, don't you?
And now let's talk about What I Plan to Read:
Moon Over Manifest ~ Clare Vanderpool
(already finished this one but guys. read this book. please.)
The Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds ~ Rick Riordan
(Magnus Chase companion I got for Christmas yayyy)
Disney At Dawn ~ Ridley Pearson
(Kingdom Keepers book 2 yesss)
The Silent Songbird ~ Melanie Dickerson
(retelling of The Little Mermaid yesss)
Secrets of the Book ~ Erin Fry
(magical book brings dead celebrities back to life? yesss)
And so, we bid 2016 farewell.
I'm honestly not upset to see it go.
But I am at peace with whatever God has planned for me in this new year.
Yes, this post was supposed to be up like two weeks ago. But somehow this year's December has been even more busy and chaotic than most Decembers before.
So I thought I'd best pop in now that we're three days 'til Christmas (?!?!?!) and actually write a blog post. Yay.
Because I'm getting in the holiday spirit, I thought I would give you some things to watch that will bring you into it with me. That's right. I'm talking CHRISTMAS MOVIES. and CHRISTMAS EPISODES. and CHRISTMAS IN GENERAL YAYYY.
Let's begin with some Christmas Movies shall we?
1. White Christmas Plot: Two famous radio actors and a pair of sisters go to Vermont for Christmas, only to find that the general they served under in WWII is down on his luck and needing a little Christmas cheer. Much hilarity, sweet romance, and fabulous dance numbers ensue.
2. The Nativity Story Plot: (if you didn't know this already...) Mary, a young woman from a small town, is visited by an angel and told that she will give birth to the Messiah. Featuring Oscar Isaac as a much younger than was probably accurate Joseph but is still one of my favorite portrayals of him *cough* Also, the wise men are hilarious.
3.The Mistletoe Promise
(I couldn't find a gif *sadness*) Plot: A divorced business owner teams up with a lawyer to convince everyone that they do, in fact, have someone to spend the holidays with, and end up, of course, falling in love with each other.
(random note: yes, this is a Hallmark movie. but my mom and sister and I have been watching so many Hallmark movies this season, and this has by far been my favorite)
4. It's a Wonderful Life
(can you have a list of favorite Christmas movies and this not be on it? I think not.) Plot: A depressed man is guided by an angel to find out what would have happened if he had never been born. This leads him to the fact that despite all the hardships, he does, indeed, have a wonderful life.
5. Saint Nicholas
(couldn't find a gif for this one either *cries*) Plot: When Junior has a bit of trouble giving away Christmas, Bob and Larry teach him about "Nick" and how he learned to give with a joyful heart.
(random note: I almost went with "The Toy That Saved Christmas" or "The Star of Christmas", as those are my childhood, but this one has so many puns I couldn't resist)
And now we move to what has become my personal favorite, Christmas-themed Episodes.
1. "The Ho, Ho, Ho Job" ~ Leverage (season 3)
(c'mon, you knew this was gonna be first) Plot: While trying to take down a corrupt mall owner, the team goes undercover, making Parker a very happy elf and Eliot a very grumpy Santa. And also confirming the status of Sophie and Nate as the team parents.
2. "Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy" ~ Psych (season 2) Plot: Shawn is invited to spend Christmas with the Guster family, but ends up having to solve the murder of their neighbor, who has been known to argue with Mr. Guster.
3. "Santa's Midnight Run" ~ The Librarians (season 1) Plot: Santa seeks the help of the Librarians when he is stranded without his sleigh, and Ezekiel keeps his magic hat safe, which means he is filled with Christmas spirit, which is absolutely hilarious.
4. "Girl Meets Home For the Holidays" ~ Girl Meets World (season 1) Plot: It's Christmas in the Matthews household, which brings many family and friends back together, while Riley tries to figure out why Cory's best friend Shawn doesn't seem to like her.
That's all from me... no, wait, there's something else! I have to extend an invitation!
Every year (for 20 years now, whaaaat???), my church puts on a drive-through nativity. We all refer to it as "the drive-thru", but as many don't know what that even is, I shall endeavor to explain. Basically, all over the church grounds, we set up 10 scenes, vignettes, if you will, that tell part of the Christmas story. We furnish with costumed actors and live animals, set up a path of luminaries, and invite people from literally around the world to drive their cars through and see and hear the story unfold. It is literally so hard to explain, wow. I've been doing it all 18 years of my life, as my parents founded the ministry, so I like to call it my first lead role as a 3-month-old, playing baby Jesus.
So if you live or will be visiting the Orlando area this Christmas, I encourage you to stop by one of the three nights! And here's a link to the church's website if you need more information... plus teeny tiny pictures of what we do xD
And if you aren't going to be in the Orlando area, I have a favor to ask. Pray? Please? It takes a lot to put this thing on, and more than normal as we had to completely rebuild the Inn scene this year. God has blessed us in so many ways with this ministry, and we've seen so many people come to Jesus, and come to the church, because of it. Boy, do I have stories I could tell! But prayers are always appreciated, and then you can, in some small way, be part of what we do. And that's always fun.
And so, we enter/exit another Christmas season. I will leave you with a fantastic Christmas tune by the fantastic acapella group Pentatonix (if you haven't listened to their new Christmas album, I highly recommend it)
MERRY CHRISTMAS. OR NOT. IF YOU DON'T CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS :D CHRIST IS COME! GO AND TELL!
