What I'm Reading 12/29/11

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. With it being the holiday season, I have been busy and did have time to post anything before Christmas. I'll try to update again soon with a post of the stuff I got for Christmas. So I hope everyone had a good Christmas and hope your New Year will be wonderful as well.

Now onto what I'm currently reading . . .

This book is about Tria, who has been accepted at a school for the Magically Gifted. I know this sort of sounds like Harry Potter, but I think the only thing that this book and Harry Potter has in common is that the main character has magical powers and she goes to a school for magical peoples, but it ends there.

I found this book at my library and decided to give it a try. So far, it is really a wonderful book and has me hooked. Once I finish I might try and post a review for this book since I am really enjoying it.

Book Review: Coyote Christmas: A Lakota Story

Coyote Christmas: A Lakota Story by S.D. Nelson

Rating: Five Stars


Times may have changed, but Coyote has not. He is up to his old tricks again and on Christmas Eve, Coyote finds himself hungry. Coyote decides to dress up as Santa Claus and trick a family into giving him a free meal. But in the end, Coyote's trick turns into a gift for the family who fed him.

Coyote is the infamous trickster of Native American tales. He is often selfish, greedy, needy and can be naughty, but in a funny way. Tales of Coyote are used to teach children what they aren't supposed to do.
This was a wonderfully told story. Coyote is the same as always and the story is just good. And of course, in the end Coyote makes a bit of a fool of himself.
It was a delightful book. I really enjoyed it.

Book Review: The Reindeer Keeper

The Reindeer Keeper by Barbara Briggs Ward

Rating: Five Stars


Abbey and her husband Steve move into the farmhouse that was given to her father after he passes away.
There is a barn full of animals and a little man named Thomas who takes care of them all, including the Reindeer. Abbey and Steve are looking forward to Christmas with their children, who are coming home for the holiday. It turns out, Christmas is the most wonderful it has ever been and Abbey learns a lot from living in the farmhouse and the reindeer keeper Thomas.

I won this book in a giveaway from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. It is the story of a family coming together, forgiveness and magic.
There is so, so much I want to say about this book. The characters were likeable, flawed, but generally tried their best to do good. They were easy to relate to. This book brought tears to my eyes more than once and I felt everything the characters felt: love, sadness, joy and pain.
It was beautifully written, wonderful in every way and truly makes you believe in Santa Claus, wonder and magic. Believing in those things aren't just for children, it's okay for adults to believe too, and that is what the characters in the book learn. Believe in magic, in the wonder of it all. Life is precious, cherish every moment and love.

I love this book. Although sad, it was beautiful and I just wonder why this wasn't a bestseller? It is wonderful! More people should know about this book and read it. I highly recommend this book. It definitely great to read at Christmas time.

What I'm Reading 12/5/11

First of all, I want to say thank you to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for the wonderful giveaway that I won the book from that I'm currently reading. Check out her blog here:

The Reindeer Keeper by Barbara Briggs Ward.

Book description: Abbey senses something special about the little man tending to the reindeer who, along with a century-old farmhouse, a barn full of animals, and fields abounding in woods and pasture, was a gift to Abbey from a stranger. Abbey and her husband, Steve, move in just before the holidays. They have been together since the '60s, eloping when Steve returned from Vietnam. Now with Abbey's cancer in remission, they're looking forward to their boys coming home for Christmas.

Turns out this Christmas proves to be more magical than anticipated as Abbey realizes an understanding never thought possible through the rekindling of a belief rooted in childhood. Of course it's who delivers this gift on Christmas Eve that gives Abbey and Steve the strength to face their greatest challenge.

I am happy to have won this book and although I am only about 30 pages in, I am really enjoying it. I got it in the mail on Monday and figured I would read it before Christmas. Once I finish it, I'll try to write a review and post it on here.

Dreamcatchers & Feather Hair Clips

Since all I've been posting about is books on here, I thought I'd blog about something different.

If you didn't know already, last month was Native American heritage month. And as an American Indian, I decided to share my heritage and other Native American related stuff with people on my Xanga blog.

One thing I shared was some of the Dreamcatchers and Feather Hair Clips I've made. I am Cherokee and although making Dreamcatchers isn't a Cherokee tradition, but they are something that have become associated with Native American culture in general. And Feather Hair Clips just look nice and are becoming very popular.

I've recently started making Dreamcatchers, Feather Hair Clips and I plan to make other Native crafts as well.




And of course, everything I make is for sale. I've been trying to sell online as well as get my crafts into local stores where I live. I'll be putting my crafts into the local library's book store as soon as I sign the contract. So I'm pretty excited about that.

Anyway, that is what I've been making. I also plan to make some Leather Hair Wraps and some necklaces. I'll post some pictures of those when I do.