Author: Lynn

My husband and I live in beautiful Nova Scotia, Canada, and now that we are empty nesting I again began pursuing my dream of writing for children. I am privileged to have met and/or corresponded with Canadian and US authors,; among those are internationally known Canadian author Budge Wilson who wrote many MG and other books, Laura Best, Darlene Foster; US author Drew Lamm (originally from Canada); US author/novelist Sue Harrison - all whose books I've reviewed on my blog, Amazon and other sites. It's my joy to be in contact with other writers and professionals of all stages of the process. Life brings change, and for me that meant the opportunity to pursue a decades old dream - to learn to paint. I now join other painters weekly and we paint and learn together. You can check out my paintings at https://www.instagram.com/lynn.a.davidson2019

A List: 64 most-liked books

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ~Dr. Seuss

I like to read — but I think you knew that. 😉 

I also like checking out lists. If you do, too, here is one you might enjoy. Scholastic believes you are what you read. They compiled a list of sixty-four most-liked books, and even though these are included in the adult books list, a few are children’s books. You will notice that some on this list are complete sets and a few of those in the sets are also listed as single books.

  1. To Kill a Mockingbird – by Harper Lee
  2. The Hunger Games – by Suzanne Collins
  3. Harry Potter Boxed Set – by J. K. Rowling
  4. Pride and Prejudice – by Jane Austen
  5. The Giving Tree – by Shel Silverstein
  6. Charlotte’s Web – by E. B. White; Garth Williams (Illustrator)
  7. The Bible – “unknown”
  8. The Diary of Anne Frank – by Anne Frank
  9. The Giver – by Lois Lowry
  10. The Great Gatsby – by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  11. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer – by J. K. Rowling
  12. Twilight – by Stephenie Meyer
  13. Gone With The Wind – by Margaret Mitchell
  14. A Wrinkle In Time – by Madeleine L’Engle
  15. The Catcher In The Rye – by J. D. Salinger
  16. The Help – by Kathryn Stockett
  17. The Lord of The Rings – by J.R.R. Tolkien
  18. Jane Eyre – by Charlotte Brontë
  19. The Hobbit – by J. R. R. Tolkien
  20. The Outsiders – by S. E. Hinton
  21. Where The Sidewalk Ends – by Shel Silverstein
  22. Little Women – by Louisa May Alcott
  23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – by by J. K. Rowling
  24. Catching Fire – by Suzanne Collins
  25. The Secret Garden – by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  26. Green Eggs And Ham – by Dr. Seuss
  27. Where The Red Fern Grows – by Wilson Rawls
  28. Where The Wild Things Are – by Maurice Sendak
  29. The Twilight Saga Collection – by Stephenie Meyer
  30. Anne of Green Gables – by Lucy Maud Montgomery
  31. Of Mice and Men – by John Steinbeck
  32. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – by C.S. Lewis
  33. Wuthering Heights – by Emily Bronte
  34. The Book Thief – by Markus Zusak
  35. Mockingjay – by Suzanne Collins
  36. The Kite Runner – by Khaled Hosseini
  37. 1984 – by George Orwell
  38. Love You Forever – by Robert N. Munsch; Sheila McGraw (Illustrator)
  39. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn – by Betty Smith
  40. Fahrenheit 451 – by Ray Bradbury
  41. The Little Prince – by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Illustrator); Katherine Woods (Translator)
  42. Nancy Drew series – by Carolyn Keene
  43. Night – by Elie Weisel
  44. Lord of the Flies – by William Golding
  45. The Chronicles of Narnia complete collection – by C. S. Lewis
  46. Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass – by Lewis Carroll
  47. Eat, Pray, Love – by Elizabeth Gilbert
  48. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – by J. K. Rowling
  49. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy – by Douglas Adams
  50. Little House on the Prairie – by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  51. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – by J. K. Rowling
  52. The Alchemist – by Paulo Coelho
  53. Eclipse – by Stephenie Meyer
  54. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! – by Dr. Seuss
  55. Matilda – by Roald Dahl
  56. The Shack – by William P. Young
  57. New Moon – by Stephenie Meyer
  58. Breaking Dawn – by Stephenie Meyer
  59. The Five People You Meet in Heaven – by Mitch Albom
  60. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – by J. K. Rowling
  61. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – by J.K. Rowling
  62. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
  63. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret – by Judy Blume
  64. The Stand – by Stephen King

How many on the list were you able to check off? Are your favourites on there; if not, what would you add? Are any of these books on your to-be-read list?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

 

A little misery, a little excitement!, and something for you

 A little misery

Remember in my July 31 post I mentioned sore throat issues? yes, well … I went to the clinic the next day and it’s a good thing I did. Fever, laryngitis caused by inflammation, sore throat caused by infection — I needed medical help. The young doctor (aren’t most of them young these days – as in the age of my children? what’s up with that!) gave me prescriptions to start the healing process.

Two prescriptions, one was only one tablet. One. But it was powerful. The idea was to make me feel better by evening, which it did. The catch? The pharmacist warned me to not take it at bedtime or I wouldn’t sleep, so I took it after a necessarily late dinner (early afternoon). And did I sleep? Nope! Not much. I didn’t drop off until somewhere around 2:30 AM followed by howling, barking neighbourhood dogs rudely waking me at 3:00! I was NOT happy.

And I had a difficult time getting back to sleep. I didn’t do much more than restless tossing and turning between short naps after that, until I heard Dad get up all-too-soon. There ended my chance to wrestle illusive sleep into submission, until my respite arrived mid-morning for the one full day I have scheduled. Misery and I took advantage of that time.

It’s been a less than delightful week for me, health-wise, but it could have been worse. Maybe a week of rest at home and the round of penicillin will do the trick.

It’s also been hot and humid this week, but today we were blessed with refreshing, much-needed rain – a downpour with a glorious crashing thunderstorm. I really enjoy that particular drama of nature. At one point the sun broke through in the midst of the rain – so beautiful! It’s been too dry here this summer, not at all good for the crops, so today’s soaking was welcome.

Thank you for the whine time; I appreciate it.  🙂  Now for  …

A little excitement!

For those of you who enjoy the writing and creative successes of Delia Ephron – and hopefully you read my review of her new book The Lion Is In – guess what? Ms. Ephron has graciously agreed to an interview here on my blog! Yay! I’m a little excited. Well, okay, more than a little. I am squeal-in-excitement excited! She is a renowned, very talented writer and seems like such a nice lady – I am looking forward to the interview. Watch for that coming up soon. 🙂

and something for you

Yes, dear readers, there is something for you. Well, one of you. After you all get to read my interview with Delia Ephron, leave a comment and then ONE of you will win a copy of The Lion Is In from the publisher, Blue Rider Press. How great is that! The only drawback is that the publisher has stipulated the winner must not live outside Canada or the US. Please comment anyway, though, because I always want to know your thoughts and opinions. My blog has no boundary limitations. 🙂

What has your summer been like so far? Any miseries? Excitement? Surprises?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

 

Book Review: The Lion Is In – by Delia Ephron

The Lion Is InBook: The Lion Is In
Author: Delia Ephron
Publisher: Blue Rider Press
Date: March 29, 2012  hardcover;
January 29, 2013  paperback
Genre: adult fiction
Pages: 304
Price: $24.95 hardcover; $14.99 paperback
My Rating: an enjoyable easy read that will inspire you, make you laugh, and leave you wanting more

 

I had the good fortune to win this book and decided to review it.

The story begins on a warm June day when two runaway women – Lana in a t-shirt and ripped jeans, Tracee in a wedding dress – suffer the inconvenience of a flat tire in rural North Carolina. Rita comes casually walking along in her Sunday best with no plan of where she is going, just somewhere, and after changing the flat Lana offers her a ride. What they don’t know is they have rescued Rita. The truth is, each of the women has her secrets and fears and issues. Each is trying to get away from everything. Each is searching for … something.

Renowned author, Delia Ephron, has created a scenario that, with humour, brings us into the lives of three women very different from one another, and the unique people they meet when they are unwillingly stuck in a dying town. And then there is Marcel, Marcel the lion, caged in a nearly down-and-out nightclub. It’s Marcel that eventually plays a key role in this whole situation.

Lana, Tracee, and Rita certainly have their calamities and their clashes, but their determination to work things out in their lives and help each other in the process keeps them from having complete individual meltdowns. They each have to find a way to deal with their problems and fears and to let themselves trust again. In the process of self-realization they have a profound effect on certain others in the town. Trouble doesn’t stay away, though, but you’ll have to read for yourselves to find out what happens.

The Lion Is In is a story of change, challenge, and facing the lions in one’s life. It is an easy, enjoyable read written in a casual style that keeps the reader wanting to know what’s coming next.

Now for the negatives –The ‘f’ word was used several times, but as the reader gets to know the characters, the outbursts of the one occasionally swearing works with the anger and frustration. It is not frequent and does not taint the story. Also, if you are uncomfortable with mild erotica then I would suggest you just skip over those few paragraphs – do NOT skip this book because of that.

FYI: In case you didn’t know, The Lion Is In author Delia Ephron also wrote You’ve Got Mail, which was made into the movie of the same name. One of my few all-time favourite movies, I might add! I watch my copy of it every once in a while.

By now it seems unnecessary to say I enjoyed this book, but I’ll say it: I enjoyed this book! The Lion Is In was amusing with realistic characters and laugh-out-loud situations. I just wish there were more of it. Perhaps this too will become a movie.

You can find The Lion Is In listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

 

 

 

Great stuff added to my Writers’ Helps page!

Last week was a different one at home as I was trying to get over an upper respiratory thing that tackled me. It started before I left my caregiving duties for the week; I woke every morning with a sore throat, and here I am again still hoping to soon get over this! He appears to be fine again, had it before I did but not completely the same way as it didn’t hold on long. I, on the other hand, can’t seem to shake it. It’s not a cold but my voice is raspy and my throat gets tired quickly, so I am not talking much.

Hear the silence?  *crickets chirping*)

It acts like laryngitis but without total loss of voice, so whatever it is seems to have settled around my larynx for a lengthy stay. Have you had anything similar this season? (I hope you’re enjoying a healthy summer.)

I planned to get a book review written by now, but which will come in my next post instead. This one is to let you know that you can find some new things added to my Writers’ Helps page, including a new category. In it you will find a link to music by Lee Fitzsimmons for your promotional book trailer! yay! And I’m loving the free music. (Be sure to contact Lee and remember to give him credit for creating the music you select.)

I hope when you check out my Writers’ Helps page that you’ll find something of use to you there, maybe even music for your book. 🙂 You will also find a link to Free Rice which is a challenging and educational word game. It makes for a fun change when you need a break from your writing, and in a big way it helps others at the same time. It might even give you ideas for whatever creative writing you’re working on. I will warn you though, you may want to set a timer so you don’t spend too much time playing the game. 😉  Yes, it is that captivating.

Also, I very much appreciate the feedback I receive on my posts. I enjoy the interaction, and it’s so interesting reading your comments. I’m learning from you as we make progress in our writing journeys. 🙂  Thank you.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

Writers, let me pick your brain!

 

Are you a writer? Do you write stories that include characters who like to talk and act out, adding depth to your story?

Today I have a few questions to ask you about writing. I hope you don’t mind telling me a little of what you found works for you. Even if you haven’t done any character writing, perhaps you have an idea of how you would go about it.

Please contribute in answering these questions:

  • When you are capturing your characters‘ conversations and personality, do you try to make what they say as realistic as you can, including:
  • their most private thoughts that no one would know unless told in some way,
  • their expletives (cursing and swearing),
  • slang, street language,
  • accents in their speech (regional, and dialects). By this point I mean – trying to imitate their way of talking, or letting the reader know about it in some way.
  • Do you write it as you hear it, or do you clean them up ?
  • How important is it to you that your characters sound casual and street-wise, or do you prefer them to be polite and well-spoken? Another way to ask that question is: Do you let your characters be the way they want to be or do you design your characters?
  • How much are you willing to leave to the imagination and intelligence of your readers or are you inclined to fill in every detail?
  • Do you write to please your readers, or yourself?

These are things I have been wondering about as I have been reading a variety of stories and genres, and the authors’ different approaches are quite interesting. Thinking about my incomplete novel, one point I noticed is that my characters freely talk … I hardly have to make anything up in their conversations, I just listen and write it down.

Do you listen to your characters or do you give them their lines?

Please, let me pick your brain! I’m very interested in learning about what you have discovered in your own writing, and I hope you will share a little from your experience.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

Dancing – a video

Today, just a quick post —

Music, dance, Nature’s rhythm, words that tell great stories and open one’s mind … all of it – and more – I love. I admit to being a romantic, a creative, a lover of all that is truly beautiful and inspiring.

This video is of one thing that so speaks to my spirit. You may laugh at this but I confess it made me cry. (refer to the above paragraph) In my opinion, this sure beats Dancing with the Stars.

Click on this word: Dancing    and enjoy!

Imagine going all over the world to do this. Wow! Gotta love it! 🙂

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

 

Book Review: Goodnight, Me – by Andrew Daddo

Book: Goodnight, Me
Author: Andrew Daddo
Illustrator: Emma Quay
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Date: October 30, 2007
Genre: picture book for ages 2 and up
Pages: 32
Price: hardcover $11.95US; $13.00CD
My Rating: Charming book young ones will love
 

I was in a local bookstore this week and came across this adorable picture book, Goodnight, Me. It is such a charming story and so beautifully illustrated – I bought it for my grandson. In case it had not come to your attention yet, I decided to review it.

One reviewer called the character in it a monkey, but take a good look at the image I posted above .. wouldn’t you say that is a baby orangutan? And what an adorable baby it is.

This story is focused around the point-of-view of the main character. The little one is convincing his body to calm down for sleep. He names body parts and, mentioning some of what they do in his busy day, he tells them to settle down for the night. Feet, knees, legs, tummy, bottom (“Enough wriggling, bottom. It’s time to be still.”), chest, hands, arms, neck, head, mouth, eyes (“Can you see any dreams yet?”). As his mother tucks him in and kisses him goodnight, he is drifting off to sleep. It is the cutest story.

This first picture book by Andrew Daddo is a wonderful bedtime book to help a child relax and settle down for sleep, and also would be fun for a child who is learning to read. The illustrations by Emma Quay are delightful – soft and realistic-looking of the little orangutan. This is a book to treasure.

You can find Goodnight, Me listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂