As one year ends and a new one begins, old resolutions are forgotten and new ones are created. The majority of people use the new year as a time to start over and begin anew, making new goals, resolutions, and ambitions.

From business goals to lifestyle changes to accomplishments, there is a goal everyone is trying to meet in the new year. For the those looking to spend more time reading great, entertaining literature, here are 7 of the best books everyone should read this coming year.





The long-awaited sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird was finally released in 2015. Harper Lee, the brilliant mind behind both books, offers fans of To Kill a Mockingbird a peak inside the life of Scout, Jem, and Atticus, nearly 20 years into the future where the original took place. Set during the civil rights movement, the book addresses many of the same themes as the first book did, but the reader sees it from the perspective of adult-Scout instead of child-Scout. Harper Lee brings the classic story back to life with this amazing novel.

Technically, this book is part of an online workshop; however, due to its amazing subject matter on positivity and finding your purpose in life, it had to be added to the list. The Divine Purpose 101 workshop is created for anyone who is interested in finding their purpose in life and how to live out that purpose in a passionate, life-sustaining way. For those ready to make a lifestyle or career change, this workshop is one of the best places to start.

Renovating a bathroom is often one of the lowest chores on a person's to-do list. After all, bathroom renovations can often become messy, nasty jobs depending on how long its been since the bathroom was last renovated. However, there are numerous benefits associated with bathroom remodeling, particularly for those looking to sell their homes.

1. Increased value.

A standard bathroom renovation can be expensive. However, by simply replacing old features and adding in energy efficient toilets, baths, and sinks, you can improve the value of your home by $2000 or $3000 without breaking the bank. A new paint job can also help.

2. Save on energy costs.

Many homes are not nearly as energy efficient as they should be. Even when properly insulated, there are a number of steps a homeowner can take to improve the efficiency of their bathrooms at retaining temperature and power. The EPA estimates that energy efficient homes across the country save a total of 1.5 billion in energy costs and nearly 70 billion gallons of water each year through low-flow toilets and green LEDs.

Additionally, each flavor has also contains a RAW Probiotic & Enzyme Blend of Lipase, Protease, Aspergillopepsin, beta-Glucanase, Cellulase, Bromelain, Phytase, Lactase, Papain, Peptidase, Pectinase, Xylanase and Hemicellulase (Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus) (1.5 Billion CFU).

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews!

Can you recall a time in your life when you were not reading?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

  

My Answer: 

  Nope!

ISBN: B0140D9F94; Pages: 110

Don't you like it when a title of a book puts a spin on a movie title?

Well, usually I don't care for this as I think it is basically a ripoff. However, I do like the title of the third Rotten School book, titled Rotten School: The Good, the Bad and the Very Slimy, which is a spoof of the Clint Eastwood film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I'm an Eastwood fan, so the title doesn't bother me at all.

Published back in 2005 by Parachute Press, the third installment in the R.L. Stine series once again centers on the fourth-grader Bernie Bridges, who is the #1 troublemaker at the private school, Rotten School. All the students are excited about the upcoming dance, well, all except for Bernie, who is being stalked by Jennifer Ecch. She's the tallest, biggest student and she has a huge crush of Bernie, but he wants nothing to do with her.

Actually, Bernie has his own crush, April-May-June - the prettiest girl in the school. As soon as he heard about the dance, he made plans to ask her as his date. Unfortunately, she only agrees to go out with him if he changes his ways and becomes the best student in school. This means no more tricks or cons; and he must improve his grades.

Bernie accepts the bet. Studying is easy, right?

Rated: PG-13, R; 473 minutes

When it comes to mystery authors, one of the first names that comes to mind is Mary Higgins Clark, who has over fifty novels in publication. Her first mystery novel, Where Are The Children?, was published in 1975 and is now in its seventy-fifth printing! The novel was adapted into the a feature film in 1986. Mill Creek Entertainment has recently released the 2-disc DVD set Mary Higgins Clark: Bestselling Mysteries: 5 Movie Collection, which features Where Are The Children?; The Cradle Will Fall; Lucky Day; Loves Music, Loves To Dance; and All Around The Town.

Where Are The Children? happens to be the first novel that I ever read by Mary Higgins Clark, back when I was a teenager. Though I enjoyed reading the book, I wasn't even aware that there was a movie until I heard about the DVD release. Directed by Bruce Malmuth, the film stars Jill Clayburgh, Max Gail, Harley Cross, Elizabeth Wilson and Barnard Hughes.

Similar to many book-to-film adaptions, this is more of a watered-down version or the original story. The plot involves Nancy Harmon's son and daughter going missing on the seventh anniversary (which happens to also be on her birthday) of other children's, from a previous marriage, disappearance. Of course the police believes she is the prime suspect.

Despite the R-Rating, the film is pretty tame and could have been rated PG-13. I watched the film early this morning, and it wasn't that bad of a movie. Yes, the directing was a little choppy and the music was campy, but it kept my interests for 97-minutes running time.

Cradle Will Fall was published in 1980 and was adapted into a made-for-television movie in 2004, starring Angie Everhart and Ralston. The plot involves Prosecutor Katie De Maio investigating the suicide of a pregnant woman. She quickly realizes that the woman was murdered. As she gets closer to unraveling the murder mystery, she fears that she'll be the next victim.

ASIN: B01APIXTJ0; Pages: 279

My taste for vampire tales have slowly deteriorated over the years, mostly thanks to the overrated and over-hyped Twilight Saga. Nevertheless, since I am a horror fan, I'm always open to reading a new spin on the vampire lore.

Now available to read from 7th House Publishing, Imprint of Andromeda LLC is the newest novel by author Victoria Danann, titled Vampire Hunter (Rammel Hawkings 1). It's a prequel story to the Order of the Black Swan series, featuring the fan favorite character, Rammel Hawking.

I'm not the biggest fan of prequels (books or movies) as to me they always seem unneeded and feel a little forced upon the reader/viewer. I wasn't aware that Vampire Hunter was a prequel to the author's other works (which I have read a few of her other titles), well, until I started reading it this week and, then, I quickly realized that I read about the elf, Rammel Hawking in My Familiar Stranger and The Witch's Dream.

Yes, I said an elf. Victoria Danann has created an unique world with fairies (faes), elves, vampires and other mythical creatures, all of which sometimes tangle with the lives of humans. There are no glittering vampires here, which is a good thing.

Vampire Hunter picks up when Rammel is just a royal kid who likes to run wild in the forest until he runs into Liam O'Torvall, the mayor of Black-On-Terry. Like any gentleman, Liam feeds the boy and escorts him back to his home. Little did he know that Rammel's father, the king, would later let the boy live by himself, somewhat as a hermit; leaving Liam and his wife to occasionally look after the boy.

The world has changed dramatically over the past few decades. One of the biggest reasons for the change has been technological innovations. Technology such as the modern Internet, WiFi, broadband, wired networks, cell phones, smart phones, tablets, laptops, e-commerce, GPS, and numerous other innovations have changed the world into a digital world.







The evolution into a digital world now allows people do almost any daily task online. People can go online to shop, pay bills, communicate with friends, socialize, look for a mate, listen to music, look at a movie, watch the news, watch a sporting event, download media, and a variety of other things. Twenty years ago it would have been hard to imagine the things people are doing now with the use of modern technology.


With the popularity of mobile tech, here are some statistics that are simply astonishing:

1. Roughly 6.8 billion people use mobile phones. Amazingly that is almost 90% of the World’s population.
2. 56% of Americans own a smartphone.
3. 34% of adults own a tablet device.