My Very Short Thoughts on Castle

I thought last night's Castle was awesome.  The mystery was good, but the real genius of the episode was the competitions going on.

The first one was the Scrabble competition between Castle and Beckett.  I had to laugh at that one because I love playing Scrabble and I generally win.  Castle's face during the scene right before Beckett put down "quixotic" was so funny since he was sure he was going to win.  And her whole reaction was pitch perfect when she finally distracts him from his Scrabble losses.  Although the line of the night was when Castle says, "I'm extreme.  Extremely handsome."  Haha!  But Beckett got her own line in with "With a high level of difficulty."  I love them.  I love their chemistry, the way they work together, the way they're different yet still compatible.  Love them.

The second competition was between Ryan and Esposito for who would be Castle's best man.  Those two crack me up and really highlight how important it is to have great secondary characters in both books and TV shows.  Love them, especially when they wanted Lainey to choose.  So. Good. (Except Castle picking Alexis for Best Man was dumb.  I really wanted Espo and Ryan to be co-best men.  Oh well.)

I've really been enjoying the writing for Castle lately so when I saw the previews for next week I was nervous.  They're revisiting the whole "Beckett's mom" thing and since I'm not really thrilled with that whole beat the dead horse again storyline, I hope they can do something with it that seems natural and not contrived.

Did you see it? What did you think?

Book Review and Giveaway: Lost and Found

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This is the fourth novella in the Ripple Effect series and this might be my favorite so far.  So heartwarming and romantic, this one really touched my heart.  

Karey White does such a great job with the characterization. I love how Lydia wanted to experience adventure, but didn't quite have the courage to do more than plan adventures for herself.  She lives a lot through books and, though she has friends, she seems quite lonely.  Then she meets Blake at the airport, a Ryan Gosling lookalike that tells her he's trying to find a mysterious box his grandfather left for him.  When their flight is delayed she makes the last second decision to help him find the box and her adventure finally begins. 

Blake is a motivated guy who wants to make partner at his firm.  At first he just seems like every other good looking guy with an eye for a high flying career and no life, but we soon see his kind heart and when we finally find out what was in the box? Oh, get the Kleenex!  I loved the romance between Blake and Lydia, it's the type that makes your heart go pitty pat as you read.  *le sigh*

The other thing I really liked about this book was the attention to detail in the location.  The author did a really great job with the setting. Made me want to go visit.  

Don't miss this one!  

Read on for the back copy and information about the giveaway!

Lost and Found by Karey White Lydia was supposed to have an adventurous and exciting summer. Instead she's done nothing more than read and eat takeout. Now it's time to go home, and what does she have to show for it? A big fat nothing. Unless, of course, her trip to the airport somehow turns into something more than just a flight home. 

Blake feels like he's been sent on a wild goose chase. While work is piling up back in Denver, he's on the other side of the country, hunting for some mysterious box that his grandfather left him. Well, no more. Nothing inside that box could possibly be more important than the opportunity to make it as the youngest partner at his firm. So he's going home, and that's that. But that's before he discovers his flight has been cancelled. When these two strangers meet at the airport, they make a split-second decision to search for the box together. Maybe with both of them on the hunt, Lydia can have her adventure and Blake can find the box. And maybe, if they’re lucky, they’ll even find some romance.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo

 

Author Karey White Karey is a USA Today best-selling author. She grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist. She loves to travel, read, cook, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four wonderful children.  

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

 

The Ripple Effect Romance Novella Series Enjoy this exciting new series of clean novellas by six critically-acclaimed authors. "Like a pebble tossed into calm water, a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet, perhaps setting a life on a different course—one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love." Book 1: Home Matters by Julie N. Ford Book 2: Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin Book 3: Righting A Wrong by Rachael Anderson Book 4: Lost and Found by Karey White Book 5: Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver Book 6: Immersed by Jennifer Griffith

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A Very Exciting Day!

I spent today at my daughter's university convocation and celebrating with my family afterward. I am so proud of her for graduating with a Bachelor's degree.  Definitely a parent payoff moment.

The second exciting thing that happened was that I found out Pocket Full of Posies is a RONE award finalist!  Woohoo!

Click here to see the full list of the finalists.

So you can imagine the huge smile I've been wearing on my face today.  Such a great day!

Favorite Funny Writer Shirts

Wendy Swore posted on her blog today about funny writer shirts she'd had made up.

I was reading them and laughing at my desk (my kids are used to that happening, though, so no big deal there.)  Here were some of my favorites:

 I’M PLOTTING AGAINST YOU. (I’m a writer. It’s what I do.)

If you were in my novel, I’d have killed you off by now.

Writers get the last word.

Some of my best friends are fictional.

WARNING! I’m a writer. Anything you say or do may be used in a story.

 

LET’S EAT GRANDMA. LET’S EAT, GRANDMA. COMMAS SAVE LIVES!

I really want to own shirts with these sayings on them because every time I read them, I smile.  So funny!

(You can go here to Wendy's blog and read the entire list of funny writer shirts and see a couple of pictures. Very creative.) 

If you could wear a writer shirt, what would it say on it?

Word Count Wednesday

Well, I didn't do as well this week as I did last week, but I've had family coming into town and lots of family activities going on.  That's my excuse.

I did get 2235 words overall, so that's something and I can feel good about that.  I really need to buckle down, though, because critique group is coming up and you really don't want to face my group unprepared. At least *I* don't.  They give you this look . . . *shiver*

Yeah, I better buckle down.

How did you do this week?

Castle Does the 70s

I was so happy to see a new Castle last night.  And having them all dress up in 70s attire with Castle justifying it was hilarious.

We start off with a salvage crew finding a body entombed in concrete.  Castle remembers the case when Vincent Bianchi a crime family boss disappeared in 1978.  The powder blue polyester suit he was wearing was really well preserved which made me laugh. Polyester is not something I miss very much.

They go see the guy, Frank Russo, who took over the crime family when Vincent disappeared, but he had nothing of consequence to offer (although this is where my husband totally called who the murderer was). Frank points them in the direction of Harold Leon, who was Vincent's right hand man.  Harold still thinks it's the 70s and if anything pulls him out of the fantasy, he gets really confused.  He says he knows who killed Vincent, but wants to see the body.  Yeah, totally contrived to get everyone into 70s garb, but so dang funny.

They take him down to the morgue where Lainey is dressed up as Foxy Brown.  She's used the concrete Vincent was entombed in to make a mold of his body and shows it to Harold (after he's made some sexist comments to her that she totally slams him on, jive turkey.)  They get shot at in the morgue and Harold wants protection.  He eventually decides that he'll give a statement at the station which has everyone scrambling to make it look like the 70s with typewriters, large hair, loud clothing, the works.  The funniest part of the episode, though, was Espo and Ryan who are pretending to be a poor man's Starsky and Hutch. Oh man, I laughed so hard at them.  When Espo tries to slide across the car and lands on his butt, I admit, I rewound it just to see it again. So dang funny.

They question Harold because he knows them from their TV show and it cracked me up watching them speak 70s if you get my drift. Espo's phone rings before they get any info other than it probably had something to do with a 70s club called Glitterati.  The boys end up taking Harold there, and doing some dancing, I might add, while Beckett deals with Gates who has returned home early from her trip.  Harold finds Frank Russo, the owner of the club, who is a suspect in the murder, but he denies it.  The gang figures out that Harold and Vincent were in love, that Vincent had rented out the Glitterati club the night he was killed so he could propose to a woman and hide his relationship with Harold, and that the woman he proposed to was the key to this story.

The episode ends with the woman being arrested (Frank Russo's wife) because she was so upset over the fact that Vincent couldn't go through with the proposal in the end.  The team going back to the disco for some dancing. Last Dance comes on and Caskett watch Harold dancing to it.

A really fun episode, although I have to say both Beckett and Castle look pretty good in the 70s style.  On the other hand, I hope that style never comes back.  Haha!  Did you watch it? Did it give you any warm fuzzies for the disco era?

Double Children's Book Review

Today I want to tell you about two children's books that are perfect for a parent or grandparent to sit down and read with their children/grandchildren.

The first one is The Sacrament by John Bytheway.  This is a beautiful poem with wonderful illustrations about a little boy who is on vacation and has to go to his grandfather's church service.  He's bored and easily distracted until his grandfather gives him some good advice we can all ponder during the sacrament.  It was an easy verse, but had lots of things to ponder and talk about.  In the back there was an explanation of what each symbol of the sacrament meant (bread, water, white tablecloth, etc.) that could be used for a Family Home Evening lesson as well.  Beautifully done and a book that is thought-provoking for any age reader.

Here's the back copy:

For years, John has used a poem during fireside talks to help LDS families understand the importance of the sacrament. With full-color illustrations by Nathan Pinnock, The Sacrament will help children of all ages understand what they should be thinking about during this sacred ordinance. John shares the story of a boy and his grandfather and the memory the grandfather shares with his grandson regarding the lesson he learned about the sacrament when he was a young boy.

Ideal for children from three to twelve and a perfect baptism gift.

About the Author: 

John Bytheway served a mission to the Philippines and later graduated from Brigham Young University. A favorite speaker and teacher, John holds a master’s degree in religious education and is a part-time instructor at BYU. John is the author of many bestselling books and audio products. He and his wife, Kimberly, have six children.

The second book is called I Am Strong, I Am Smart by Fay Klingler.  This is a beautiful story about a grandma who helps her young granddaughter cope with bullying at school through a special puzzle. Then, when Grandma needs help recovering, her granddaughter has the opportunity to return the favor by helping her grandma see how much she is loved and needed by those around her.  Parallel stories with a sweet message that will touch your heart.

Here is the back copy:

Luisa May, known to her family and friends as Lu, loves to play games with her grandma. When she’s bullied at school, Grandma has a special puzzle for Lu to help her see how valuable she is—no matter what others say, or how much doubt she feels within herself. Soon after, Grandma has to go to the hospital, and Lu finds out Grandma needs help recovering. Then it’s Lu’s turn to help Grandma see how valuable she is—no matter how much doubt she feels within herself. It’s a beautiful parallel for young and old alike, as each age learns from the other.

Written and illustrated with loving hands, this delightful children’s story offers a heartfelt message that unites and bonds generations. From the award-winning pen of Fay A. Klingler, I Am Strong! I Am Smart! provides to women of all ages a reminder of the tremendous gift of “girl power.”

And click here to watch the book trailer.