Lilacs in Bloom

 

This post shared at Wordless Wednesday.

The Hole In the Middle - free download available this weekend

I am always on the lookout for new authors and books to read, so when I heard that the new book The Hole In the Middle is available for FREE download this weekend, I decided it was one that I would check out. (Now, if only my schedule will flip and once again allow me time to enjoy this book and a handful of other books I have sitting on my counter waiting to be read, that would be great.)

FREE DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE MAY 17-19 ONLY: THE HOLE IN THE MIDDLE

Don't miss the free download for the book that reviewers are calling “a stunning debut,” “a must read novel for the ‘This is 40’ set,” and “smart, funny and addictive.”

I Don’t Know How She Does It for the This Is 40 generation, The Hole in the Middle introduces Sophie Whelan, a woman who has it all - including a hideous boss, a distracted husband, daycare woes, problem employees and a 40th birthday on the horizon. Precariously close to slipping off of the treadmill that is her daily grind, Sophie is startled by the reappearance of Will Shannon, the great unresolved love of her life. As she remembers the vivid drama of their college romance, Sophie confronts the choices she has made in life and in love and looks for the one answer that has always eluded her: what does she really want?

The Hole in the Middle is getting amazing reviews from readers. A heartbreaking love story, a hilarious romp through today’s corporate workplace, and a fresh take on the hot debate about whether women can have it all, The Hole in the Middle is not to be missed.

Why not head over to Amazon and download a copy for yourself?

The Hole In the Middle - free download

No compensation was received for this post. I was provided with information about the book and the free download this weekend. I plan to take advantage of this same deal that I am sharing.

Happy Mother's Day

To all of the moms I hope you have a wonderful, Happy Mother's Day.

Rod Stewart - Time *

* complimentary review copy provided for this review.

When I was back in high school (it really scares me a little when I consider how long ago it was now), I was very active in the church youth group. Every summer they would hold a large retreat at a nearby university. Each year, there was a theme for the retreat - based on a recent song. One of the years, the theme song was 'Forever Young', by Rod Stewart.

Much like that powerful ballad from the late 80s, the songs that are part of his just released (on May 7th) album Time have powerful lyrics. Many of the songs share the stories of his life and reflection on his life.

Rod Stewart has spent four decades being a rock star, three being a parent, and has a new album's worth of rollicking stories to tell. Time is his first album of new material in almost 20 years (and his hairstyle hasn't changed one bit!). The album was born from a burst of inspiration that came while Rod was reviewing his life for his recent memoir. Rod rediscovered his voice as a songwriter and rekindled his gift for writing the honest, nerve-touching narratives that have been the cornerstone to the first three decades of his career. 'Suddenly ideas for lyrics were piling up in my head,' he says. 'Next thing I knew, I had a song called 'It's Over' about divorce and separation. And now I was getting up in the middle of the night and scrambling for a pen to write things down, which has never happened to me. I finished seven or eight songs very quickly and I still wasn't done, and it became apparent that I would eventually have a whole album of material to record.'

Time Track Listing:
1. She Makes Me Happy
2. Can’t Stop Me Now
3. It’s Over
4. Brighton Beach
5. Beautiful Morning
6. Live The Life
7. Finest Woman
8. Time
9. Picture In A Frame
10. Sexual Religion
11. Make Love To Me Tonight
12. Pure Love


I really enjoyed listening to the album and the songs felt so familiar to me that there were even points where I was questioning if it was a song I had heard before, but only one was not an original song - Picture in a Frame. The liner notes features all of the lyrics and a few pictures - I love this, call me old-fashioned, but that was always one of my favorite features in an album, cassette or CD - the lyrics. I had three favorite songs - Can't Stop Me Now, Beautiful Morning and Time. I think of all the songs, Time was the most familiar sounding to me...it says though that it was copyright 2013 and it isn't the first single that was released...so I can't really explain why it was so familiar.

You can purchase a copy of the CD through Amazon or pick up the MP3 version (you'll miss out on the liner notes though).

Rod Stewart’s links:
Website: www.rodstewart.com
Twitter: @rodstewart
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rodstewart
YouTube: www.youtube.com/rodstewart

No compensation was received for this post. I participated in this campaign for One2One Network, who provided some information for the post. I received a free copy of the album to facilitate my review. By posting, I am entered into a giveaway. All opinions stated are my own or that of my family.

Samples and Freebies

Requested

Received:
Garnier BB Cream and coupon (Target.com)
Free International Delight coupon

JAWS Winner!

Congratulations to Austin! Their entry was selected as the winner of the JAWS cleaner giveaway.

Thank you to everyone for entering and be sure to watch for new giveaways, coming soon!