A Tree, A Book, and A Breeze

Siren's Song Mary Weber Thomas Nelson Nym and Draewulf prepare to face off in a battle destined to destroy more lives than it saves. With the loss of Tulla still fresh in mind, Rasha’s fate unknown, and Lord Myles taken over by the dark ability, Nym and the few Bron soldiers rush to warn Cashlin’s queen. Only to discover it may already be too late for the monarch and her eerie kingdom. As the Luminescents are sifting through Nym’s past memories and the queen is reading into her future, Nym is given a choice of how to defeat Draewulf, but the cost may be more than she can bear. And even then there are no guarantees. With that reality burrowing into her bones—along with the guilt of the lives she will sacrifice—Nym returns to her homeland of Faelen to raise an army of peasants through promises of freedom. But when the few friends she has left, along with the world and citizens she loves, are staring down the face of a monster and his undead army, will Nym summ...

The Flower Workshop Ariella Chezar Ten Speed Press      In which Hayden gets a book mainly because she likes looking at pictures of pretty flowers. It's true: I love flowers. Not to the extent of my botanist-in-training sister-- or, at least, I don't care so much for gardening --but I love flowers and hope that one day I can fill my future home with them. And The Flower Workshop is full of ideas on how to do that.      Filled with bright colors and eye catching arrangements, it took me a while to actually read the text because I kept focusing on the pictures! Author Ariella Chezar shares a host of great tips, and I love how she references Dutch floral paintings, of which I happen to be very fond. In fact, most of the arrangements in here are worthy of a still life painting. And as someone who doesn't have a lot of experience in this area, it was good for a beginner.      But mostly, I admit I just like looking at the pictures ...

Light of the Last Chuck Black Multnomah After an accident left him temporarily blind, Drew Carter didn’t just regain his sight. He now sees what others can’t imagine–an entire spiritual realm of mighty beings at war.    Forget the gift, Drew just wants his life back. Part of that involves Sydney Carlyle, a woman he is inexplicably drawn to. When he’s offered the chance to become a CIA agent, it seems the way to redeem his past. The only problem–his visions of the supernatural realm are increasing in frequency.    It’s up to the warrior angel Validus and his hand-picked team of heavenly agents to protect the unbelieving Drew. Validus now knows that the young man is at the epicenter of a global spiritual war, and the angels must use a millennia of battle experience keep Drew alive, for the Fallen want him dead.   Surrounded by spiritual warriors and targeted by demons, Drew’s faced with an impossible decision that will forever alter the destiny of Ame...

Lost Lake House Elisabeth Grace Foley Second Sentence Press The Twelve Dancing Princesses meets the heady glamor and danger of the Jazz Age  All Dorothy Perkins wants is to have a good time. She’s wild about dancing, and can’t understand or accept her father’s strictness in forbidding it. Night after night she sneaks out to the Lost Lake House, a glamorous island nightclub rumored to be the front for more than just music and dancing…in spite of an increasingly uneasy feeling that she may be getting into something more than she can handle. Marshall Kendrick knows the truth behind the Lost Lake House—and bitterly hates his job there. But fear and obligation have him trapped. When a twist of circumstances throws Dorothy and Marshall together one night, it may offer them both a chance at escaping the tangled web of fear and deceit each has woven…if only they are brave enough to take it.      I love historical retellings of fairy tales (if ...

The Bee-Friendly Garden Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn Ten Speed Press      I've always been interested in bees, at least ever since I saw a particular Magic School Bus episode on the television as a kid. There's just something attractive to me about beekeeping and all of the things you can make out of beeswax and honey. I also love gardens, especially flower ones (although I don't have much of a green thumb) so when I saw this book I thought it might be a handy thing to have around when I'm actually able to plant a garden.      One thing I wasn't expecting was just how much information on bees there was going to be; there was definitely a lot about flowers, but the focus was certainly on the bees. Though I had hoped there would be more on gardening in regards to beekeeping and honey production/taste, overall I thought that this book had a lot of good information. I liked that it not only showed what plants bees are drawn to, but also what plant...