Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter

Wow! How did he manage that?

My husband received an amusing e-mail from a friend and he forwarded it to me so that I could share in the humor. Since it is something we all need to watch for in our own writing - I am sharing it with you. All of these are headlines taken from news stories across the country.

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says No crap, really? Ya think? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers Now that's taking things a bit far! ----------------------------------------------------------- Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over What a guy! --------------------------------------------------------------- Miners Refuse to Work after Death No-good-for-nothing, lazy so-and-so's! ------------------------------------------------------ Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant See if that works any better than a fair trial! ---------------------------------------------------------- War Dims Hope for Peace I can see where it might have that effect! ---------------------------------------------------------------- If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile Ya think?! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures Who would have thought! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide They may be on to something! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges You mean there's something stronger than duct tape? ---------------------------------------------------------- Man Struck By Lightning: Faces BatteryCharge He probably IS the battery charge! ---------------------------------------------- New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group Weren't they fat enough?! ----------------------------------------------- Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft That's what he gets for eating those beans! ------------------------------------------------- Kids Make Nutritious Snacks Do they taste like chicken? **************************************** Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half Chainsaw Massacre all over again! *************************************************** Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors Boy, are they tall! ******************************************* And the winner is... Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead Did I read that right? ***************************************************

Review of The Maze Runner

"When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, for just as long, they've closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the maze after dark."

Like I said in my last posting - I was lucky enough to win an ARC of The Maze Runner by James Dashner. It's so cool to have a copy of a book that hasn't even hit stores yet. It gives me a feeling of being apart of the "in" crowd for once in my life. Almost from the moment that I started reading I had difficulty putting it down. I would have read it through the night, but I was suffering from the ill affects of the flu and could no longer keep my eyes open, but I finished it with a flurry this morning. Now I'm still not sure how I feel about it.
Don't get me wrong the book is a page turner from beginning to end, but the ending left me with more questions than it answered and my head is still spinning. It has been said that this book is a cross between the Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games. I didn't care for Lord of the Flies - but I do care about the characters in this book. As for The Hunger Games - yes it did have elements of that book as well. Especially the cliffhanger ending. I think I'm getting rather tired of cliffhangers. I'm glad there is more to the story because it is definitely not finished, but maybe I would be happier to have everything wrapped up in one long book so that I can get that nice cozy buzz that comes after reading a satisfying story. Beyond that though, The Maze Runner is a well-written riveting book, wrought with intrigue. I recommend it to anyone ages 12 and up.

The Magic of Nature

Last week I was reading James Dashner's blog where he brought to our attention that Amy Lundebrek had finished her ARC of "The Maze Runner," and she would be willing to send it to the first person who e-mailed her. Wonder of wonders it turned out to be me. I won it and Amy sent it to me postage free. I have it now and will be reading it soon.
To find Amy's e-mail address, I needed to go to her web page. I had not heard of her before this, nor had I heard of her fantastic children's picture book "Under the Night Sky." I was drawn to the cover immediately. How could I help it - the colors are incredible. As a thank you to Amy I am posting a review of her book. I read it to my eight year old and he was mesmerized by the beautiful images. I was mesmerized by the heartwarming imagery that Amy created from her words. The illustrations capture the vivid artistry of her prose perfectly.
I was also amazed how she was able to seamlessly weave weighty subjects like single parenting, and the worry that we feel for our children as they grow older and away from us into her story about the Northern lights. Also that nature holds a special magic that can draw us closer together.
Thanks again for the book Amy. You can find Amy's web page here. A review of "The Maze Runner"will be forthcoming.