I started this blog with one daughter, kept it up with the other, to spend time together doing something we enjoyed.
However, things change and people evolve. My daughters are older, busier, and not as interested in writing.
From now on this blog will be mostly mom with occasional contributions from my daughters and maybe even my husband.
Nothing else will change. We'll still focus on sharing fun places to go, fun things to do, and more, and we would  still love to hear your views too

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Tips for Tuesday - Books: That's Not My Name & Sports Role Models: Book 1 & Movie: Caralique

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: That's Not My Name & Sports Role Models: Book 1


Today we are recommending That's Not My Name by Megan Lally. This book includes the following: a missing young girl, the police who are convinced that her boyfriend killed her, and the boyfriend and his loyal friends, who go all vigilante and take actions that the police refuse to take to try to find and save the girl and prove the boy's innocence in the process. These are all pretty standard elements in YA thrillers of this type. As far as that goes this book is a rather standard representative of its category. It is well written with a plot that holds your attention and interesting characters that you care about. However, what sets this book apart from the rest and takes it from a decent read to an extremely enjoyable one is the amazing twist at the end that you will never see coming. It is a twist so shocking that you will not be able to get it out of your head long after you have finished reading. It takes this book from just a decent book typical of its genre to a must-read.




Today we are recommending Sports Role Models: Book 1 by Joseph M. Hoedel, Ph. D. People admire great athletes for their talent and athletic prowess on the field. However, it takes more than that to be a well-rounded person, excel at life, and truly be worthy of admiration and respect. You need qualities like commitment, accountability, and persistence. All of these qualities and many more are covered in this book through the stories of one or more athletes who particularly exemplify that quality. 

While most of the people covered are well-known mostly professional athletes, there are also a few lesser-known people like high school coach, Ed Thomas noted for his leadership; and college softball player, Mallory Holtman noted for her sportsmanship Other chapters focus on swimmer, Michael Phelps noted for his determination; gymnast, Simone Biles, noted for her focus; and golfer, Bobby Jones, noted for his character, as well as others which focus on a variety of other significant athletes and coaches.

Although the book is meant for high school athletes as part of a program meant to promote the development of their characters and leadership skills, it can easily be read and enjoyed by anyone. These people's stories are quite interesting and extremely inspirational. Plus the book's short chapters make it a manageable read even for those with short attention spans.  The book reminds us that no matter what background you come from you can achieve great things and do so while being the best person you can be both on a off the field,  a person truly worthy of being called a role model.

Movie: Carlique 


Today we are recommending Caralique, a movie about a girl who shows a talent for fashion at a very young age. It is the story of everything she has to overcome to achieve her dreams including homelessness and the deaths of her parents. The film is quick at less than 90 minutes, inspirational and enjoyable, and if you are a fan of fashion you will love all the clothes.

Caralique is available now digitally for purchase or rental as well as on DVD.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

The first picture in this post is our own, the other two pictures were sent to us by authors, publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us hereand we will look into the matter