The Talens' Tales

Psychologist Grace Callahan has no idea that she has a secret--one worth killing for. But when she finds out one of her clients has been murdered, she quickly realizes that the computer security specialist wasn't simply suffering from paranoia. Detective Nate Quinn has just been cleared for active duty after a bombing killed eighteen people, including his partner, and left him dealing with PTSD. His first case back on the job involves the murder of Stephen Shaw, and his only lead turns out to be an old friend, Grace Callahan--and her life is in grave danger. Someone believes Shaw gave his psychologist information before he died. Information they are willing to kill for. I have read a few other books by Lisa Harris and she is a great suspenseful writer. While I did have a good idea of what the twist was going to be, I still couldn't stop reading. Her characters are deep and deal with real issues of fear and letting go of the past. I enjoy the gentle romance and the real l...

The Cost of Betrayal is collection of the three romantic suspense novellas. In Dee Henderson's novella "Betrayed," Janelle Roberts is freed--thanks to people she doesn't know--after serving six years of a twenty-year sentence for a murder she did not commit. But a murderer is still at large, and Janelle needs to be somewhere safe with someone she can trust. She may not survive another betrayal. In Dani Pettrey's "Deadly Isle," Tennyson Kent is trapped on the isolated island of her childhood by a storm surge, and she is shocked when the typically idyllic community turns into the hunting grounds of a murderer. Cut off from any help from the mainland, will she and first love Callen Frost be able to identify and stop a killer bent on betrayal before they become the next victims? I n Lynette Eason's "Code of Ethics," trauma surgeon Ruthie St. John saves the life of Detective Isaac Martinez. After a betrayal leads to him getting s...

A few things worth noting have happened lately. First, Mataya got a hair cut and she loves it!  It is still long enough for pony tails and braids, but it is much more manageable and less tangley which make us both happy! Second, it was Storybook Character day this week at school. We went the Robert Munsch route this year, which was nice a simple. Joash made a cookie of play dough and was Christopher from Mmm...Cookies!  And Mataya rocked the side pony tail as Stephanie from Stephanie's Ponytail . We did some pumpkin carving. Mataya was going for silly and Joash was going for frightening! And finally, I headed back to the classroom and started teaching again last week. I am teaching the 9/10 English class at ICS. I teach three class periods a week, last period of the day on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I asked to teach in the afternoon because then Gideon can stay with Wilbert and we don't have to worry about who is taking care of him. It has been g...

What is your favorite color? Blue and Green What is your favorite thing to play with? Lego What is your favorite food? Grilled Cheese or Pad Thai What is your favorite tv show or movie? The Prince of Egypt What is your favorite outfit? black gym pants and a t-shirt What is your favorite game? Not sure What is your favorite animal? Jackel What is your favorite book? DK Eyewitness books - especially those about history Who is your best friend? Ben What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike or the skelter What is your favorite drink?   Juice What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pancakes and jello What do you want to be when you grow up? A chemist, archaeologist, geologist, paleontologist or Egyptologist

We have an 8 year old in the house! Yesterday was Joash's birthday and we had a great day celebrating. This year I made a cake shaped like an 8.   Joash thought it turned out great, as did I!  It was a PD day, so there was no school. That meant Oma and Opa could come for coffee time. Joash was pretty pleased with his gifts! Books on his favorite topics, cool rocks, a light for reading in bed and real tools!  And Tante Reina came for the birthday supper of pancakes and jello (and bacon and eggs). And Joash will have lots more facts thanks to another new book!

Jessica Chamberlain, newly separated and living with her two sons in a small Iowa town, can’t believe that a tragedy in another state could have anything to do with her. But when her phone rings one quiet morning, her world is shattered. As she tries to pick up the pieces and make sense of what went wrong, Jess begins to realize that a tragic death is just the beginning. Soon she is caught in a web of lies and half-truths—and she’s horrified to learn that everything leads back to her seven-year-old adopted son, Gabriel. Years ago, Gabe’s birth mother requested a closed adoption and Jessica was more than happy to comply. But when her house is broken into and she discovers a clue that suggests her estranged husband was in close contact with Gabe’s biological mother, she vows to uncover the truth at any cost. I have read several of Nicole Baart's novels and I have enjoyed them all. I enjoy the page turning suspense and I love that it is free of some of language and gore and othe...

School has started once again. Joash began yesterday in Grade 3.  Mataya started Kindergarten today. She was VERY excited. She was all ready to go to school by 7:15 am this morning. Those last 45 minutes before we had to leave for school were a very long time to wait.  And Gideon wanted his picture taken with a backpack on as well. He get to have all the attention to himself now while brother and sister are at school.

My parents came for a week long visit and we had a wonderful time with them.  We spent a morning at That Fun Place.  We also went mini-golfing one morning, but we forgot to take pictures. Another day we went the Greenwich Beach, which has very interesting interpretive center, trails to walk and lovely, quiet beach. Exploring the map of eastern PEI a the interpretive center  Walking the trails at Greenwich Beach  They have nice lookout tower at the beach.  Playing on the beach with Grandpa and Grandma.  We also spent sometime downtown Charlottetown. We stopped a the library, had Cows Ice Cream and did the Fox Story Walk together. It was a fun day. We are so happy that Grandpa and Grandma could come to visit and we look forward to the next time we see them.

Some say the great mystery of how one can live in two worlds at once died with Thomas Hunter many years ago. Still others that the gateway to that greater reality was and is only the stuff of dreams. They are all wrong.  Rachelle Matthews, who grew up in the small town of Eden, Utah, discovered just how wrong when she dreamed and awoke in another world. There she learned that she is the 49th Mystic, the prophesied one, tasked with finding five ancient seals before powerful enemies destroy her. If Rachelle succeeds in her quest, peace will reign. If she fails, the world will forever be locked in darkness.As Rachelle sits deep in a dungeon, Vlad Smith is just getting started. Thomas Hunter's world is about to be turned inside out. So begins the final volume of high stakes in one girl's quest to find an ancient path that will save humanity. The clock is ticking; the end rushes forward.  Well, Ted Dekker does it again. I will admit that I was little confused at the b...

 We decided to head to Old Home Week again this year. On the dairy show day, because if we go, that is the day we go. We had fun with these animals!  Gideon went on his first amusement park rides and he liked them quite a bit.  And of course the large tractor. Everyone is a fan of this one!

There is still so much of the Island and so many things to do that we have yet to explore. Last week, we did two days trips to different destinations on the Island. We used the Heritage Pass that is available for check out from the Public Library. This pass is good for one free family admission to seven different sites on PEI.  One day we visited Orwell Corner Historical Village. This was a great hidden gem of a place! The main agricultral museum is air conditioned, which we really enjoyed since we visited on a very warm day. We had our picnic lunch by the school house, watched a working black smith, took a wagon ride around the site and saw some neat farm animals. The kids all really enjoyed this site and would like to go back again!  Another day we headed further east and visited the Elmira Railway Museum. This was a small museum, but very nicely done. They have a great model train display. There are also two different train rides you can ride on while there. ...

It has been quite hot for PEI, so we have been enjoying sometime at the beach.  When you are at the beach, you can usually find Joash in a hole that he is digging.  The kids love it when Wilbert can come too. He builds the best things out of sand.

It was my 36th birthday last week, and it was a great one.  My husband and kids got me these lovely flower, a planner for 2019 and some magnetic book marks. So great!  And Wilbert and I went out for lunch and then saw the matinee of Anne and Gilbert downtown. It was a fantastic show! It was a great way to celebrate a great day!

  Another fantastic month of reading. I love the variety I had this month. A little middle grade, a little historical fiction, a little mystery, a little thriller, a little literary fiction and little bit of lighter reading. Top books of the month are: You Were Always Mine by Nicole Baart - I am on the street team for this one, so look for more info about it coming in next few months. I Was Anastasia  by Ariel Lawhon - I loved this time twisting fictional look at Anastasia and her legend. I'll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa De Los Santos - I loved every minute of reading this book. An easy that pull you in with it lovely cast of characters. And a little shout out for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. If you love Harry Potter and haven't read it yet, you should.

A few weeks ago we had a great visit from Emil, Karisa and Zeke. There was lots of cousin love...  Oom Emil love....  And Oom Wilbert and tractor magazine love...  There were lots of walks with Oma...  And trips to the beach...  They were here over Canada, so there was the annual Church Picnic, of course...  It was a cool day, but no rain.  But yes, I did wear my sweater on the beach.  We also took a family morning and visited The Butterfly House  It was lovely and peaceful and most of the family enjoyed it. Zeke was a little nervous the whole time, but over all did well. We also had a picnic lunch and saw the Young Company Show at the Confederation Center. We had a great time and were sad to see them go. Hopefully the time will just fly by until our next visit.