Freda's Voice

Welcome to the August edition of monthly news! It kills me a little inside that summer is slipping away.... this has been a good one. BOOKS: Smoke - Catherine McKenzie (recommend) Go Set A Watchman - Harper Lee (HIGHLY recommend) Tabatha - Neil Gibson (recommend) The Summer I Turned Pretty (recommend) The Unquiet Past - Kelley Armstrong (recommend) Advice For Italian Boys - Anne Giardini The Summer of Chasing Mermaids - Sarah Ockler (recommend) The Rule of Thirds - Chantel Guertin (recommend) PRODUCTS: The Very Healthy Spiral Slicer (recommend) Symphonized NRG Premium Wood In-Ear Noise-Isolating Earbuds (recommend) MOVIES: Far From The Madding Crowd (recommend) Freetown (recommend) Yearly Total:   68 Books, 8 Products & 14 Movies Book of the Month: Book of the Year: BLOGGER /MONEY-MAKING RESOURCES:   1.  SwagBucks  (earn gift cards) 2.  GiftHulk  (earn gift cards &

ixteen-year-old Pippa Greene never goes anywhere without her camera. She and her best friend/supermodel-in-training Dace long ago mapped out their life plan: Pippa will be the noted fashion photographer , and Dace the cover girl. But ever since last spring, things have changed for Pippa — and her junior year at Spalding High proves to have its own set of challenges. Not only is Vantage Point, the statewide photography competition, in three short weeks, but her mandatory volunteer placement lands her at St. Christopher’s Hospital, a place Pippa never wanted to set foot in again. With humour and pluck, she navigates her new role as a candy striper (watch out for Code Yellows), her changing relationship with her best friend (goodbye Honesty Pact), and — perhaps most stressful of all — her new love interests (yes, love interests plural). Will Pippa make it to Vantage Point without having a panic attack? Will either one of the guys prove less sketchy than her last boyfriend? Can she and

From the bestselling author of  Twenty Boy Summer , a talented singer loses her ability to speak after a tragic accident, leading her to a postcard-perfect seaside town to find romance. The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago  can’t  sing. She can’t even speak. Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: an ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one. Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother, Sebastian, who believes Elyse is th

I can't believe it has been ten years since the devastation that was Hurricane Katrina. I may not be American, but I was glued to the coverage of CNN, praying and hoping, just like everyone else.  Since that day, some people have rebuilt or relocated. Honestly, I don't know what I would do if in that situation. It helps knowing that people and companies step out and come forth to lend a helping hand. 10 Years After Hurricane Katrina In 2005, Johnson Controls and Tulane University have stood together to help rebuild and even managed to resume classes within five months of the storm. I know that sounds like no time at all, but that is what is amazing! Johnson Controls is still proud to help the Tulane City Center, which is a non-profit organization founded by the Tulane School of Agriculture, rebuild and rejuvenate the community. New Orleans residents, with the help of the university and Johnson Controls, are building a better future one project at a time. Each yea

Welcome to Week 240! Rules: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your  eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.)  *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) *Post it. *Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.  *It's that simple. Or join The Friday 56 on  Instagram ! Rules: * Grab a book and find a creative way to showcase your 56. It can be a photo of the book and the 56 in comments, or whatever you come up with. Make sure to use the hashtag  #Friday56 *Add your Instagram url to the Linky. AMAZON Improvisation at Page 156 Here's the really good part. Commercial paper is largely made up of bleached wood pulp. The bleach is what makes the paper a nice bright white. Alice replaced my ink cartridge with one that contained highly concentrated ammonia--the same grade they use for pesticide production and sewage treatment. The ammonia was mixed with actual ink and a chemical agent designe

Listening to music is an everyday occurrence for me, so having great headphones is a must! Every one is different and likes different headphones. While I prefer in-ear earbuds, my hubby prefers over-the-ear headphones. Until Symphonized came along. Symphonized sent me these NRG Premium Genuine Wood In-Ear Noise-Isolating Earbuds for review.  Let me start off by saying that I have already purchased a second pair for the hubby, but more of that to come in a minute. If you take a peek at my Barbie Rock n' Royals post , you will see I have a family of music lovers. We not only listen, we play! Any musician can tell you the importance of wood in musical instruments, so naturally, you would be inclined to use headphones that are wooden.  The sound is just so much more sharp and clear, and yes, it cancels all the noise outside. Listening to music with these in my ear were a dream! The sound was so clean. Much more so than regular earbuds. It has a long cord too. Which is an

Nicolo’s older and younger brothers seem to have their lives in focus. Nicolo works hard, saves his money, respects his parents and his nonna, but he is still living at home in his early 20s, his life as unformed as gelato. If only he knew which direction to take. His father wants him to study. His mother hints that he should to start a family of his own. Nonna’s advice is emphatic but mysterious.       Filomena Pavone, Nonna to her family, watches over and advises her grandsons by day, and dreams by night of her youth in the southern Italian village of Arduino—its dusty narrow streets, its fragrant flowers, her first forbidden kisses. No one knows or remembers this other Filomena, and her surrendered life of passion and love. But her spirit still glows inside her like banked coals.       Beloved by readers and critics alike,  Advice for Italian Boys  resonates and surprises. Anne Giardini reveals how life’s most intense moments arise unexpectedly, and how, like Nicolo, we must glean

AMAZON I looked in her eyes. They were so bright and intelligent, she was like a snake charmer, wrapping me around her little finger. **No compensation was received for posting. Compensation will be earned if purchases are made from the link within. This post is part of a weekly meme.

Jeff Lindsay is the award-winning author of the seven New York Times bestselling Dexter novels upon which the international hit TV show Dexter is based. His books appear in more than 30 languages and have sold millions of copies around the world. Jeff is a graduate of Middlebury College, Celebration Mime Clown School, and has a double MFA from Carnegie Mellon. Although a full-time writer now, he has worked as an actor, comic, director, MC, DJ, singer, songwriter, composer, musician, story analyst, script doctor, and screenwriter. BLOG   |   FACEBOOK   |   TWITTER Genre:  Thriller, Suspense, Police Procedural Published by:   Diversion Books Publication Date:  August 25, 2015 (Re-Release) Number of Pages:  256 ISBN:  2940151536677 Series:  Billy Knight Thrillers, Book 1 AMAZON   |   BARNES & NOBLE   |   GOODREADS NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Jeff Lindsay mastered suspense with his wildly addictive DEXTER series. Before that, however, there was former cop an

Tess has always been tormented by waking visions that make her question her sanity. When the orphanage she lives in burns down, she decides to face her fears and find out once and for all what is wrong with her. She believes the truth must lie with her parents, and so, armed with only an address and phone number, Tess travels to a crumbling mansion in rural Quebec , where she discovers evidence of mistreatment of mental patients. She also makes an unlikely ally and gradually unearths her family’s sad history—and finally accepts the truth about her paranormal powers.    Part of the  SECRETS —a series of seven linked novels that can be read in any order. AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! Paperback:  264 pages Publisher:  Orca Book Publishers (Sept. 29 2015) ISBN:  9781459806542 AMAZON US   |   AMAZON CA   |   AMAZON UK About the Author Kelley Armstrong is the author of the Cainsville Modern Gothic series and the Age of Legends YA fantasy trilogy. Her past works incl

I don't know a little girl that hasn't played with Barbie's. I had them as a young girl myself, but can't believe how far they have come. Which leads me to this; Barbie promoting self-expression through music! As you see, I have a family of music lovers. My hubby is self-taught, though he has had lessons on the guitar. My son, is also self-taught. With my hubby's extra guidance, he has become a much better player. Although, he taught himself to play, Smoke On The Water , at age 10! Also pictured is myself. Again, I am self-taught but on the drums. I love keeping rhythm, and especially love the sounds the drums make you blends steady beats together.  I truly value teaching children how to play musical instruments when young. In school, in music class, I was a recorder player like most kids. It was probably one of the more easier instruments to play. I hated playing it though and always gravitated toward the piano. Needless to say, while in grade 6, someone