.

Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it).
Post it.
 Add your (url) post below in the Linky at: www.fredasvoice.com
Add the post url, not your blog url.

Queen Alyssa wanted her daughter attended by suitable companions of her own age and station, no doubt, but that was not her sole motivation in sending these ladies to Dragonstone.

page 156, Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin

  My Thoughts

AMAZON; Barnes & Noble

As many of you probably already know, my least favorite historical setting to read about is WWII. I don't really have a reason why; I just don't like reading books set in this era. It just doesn't interest me, though I do like watching WWII movies and documentaries.

Over the last few days, I have been reading Ashes in the Snow by Ruta Sepetys, a WWII drama about the the genocide of Baltic people in 1941. The book was originally published as Between Shades of Grey, but was retitled to tie-in with the film adaptation that was just released to limited theatres and VOD on January 11th!

The novel centers around Lina Vilkas, a fifteen-year-old girl who, along with her mother, Elena, and her 10-year-old brother, Jonas, are removed from their home in Kaunas, Lithuania on June 14, 1941 by the NKVD (Soviet officers). Lina's family has been put on a list of citizens (teachers, scholars, lawyers, doctors, etc.) who are threat to Russia's leadership (a.k.a. - Joseph Stalin). Separated from her father (a professor), Lina, Jonas, and their mother are forced into a train car with many other innocent people who are deemed as criminals.

Given barely little food, Lina and her family survive the extremely long train ride, though many of the other people didn't survive the journey. They are taken to a work camp in Siberia, where they are all treated cruelly by the NKVD. Lina befriends Andrius Arvydas, a teenager boy who she met on the train. Their relationship grows throughout the years. And, yes, I mean years, as Lina and many others were imprisoned for twelve years.

Final Thoughts

AMAZON; Barnes & Noble

I spent yesterday morning sipping on a cup of coffee while reading the newest romance from bestselling author Robin Lee Hatcher, titled Who I Am With You, which is book one in "A Legacy of Faith" series.

Set in Hope Springs, Idaho, the novel centers around pregnant Jessica Mason, who had lost her husband and daughter in a car accident five months ago. Now her Grandma Frani has passed away. To deal with all this grief, as well as learning about her husband's betrayal, she turns to great-grandfather's Bible for guidance through this troubling time.

Since this is a romance, there has to be a leading male character, which happens to be Ridley Chesterfield, who finds himself hiding from the media in Hope Springs after a political scandal. The last thing on his mind is romance, but that's exactly what he is thinking about after he befriends his neighbor, Jessica.

The book is split up into two different timelines - one set in the present day with Jessica and Ridley and the other set in the 1930s centering around Jessica's great-grandfather, Andrew Henning. Inside the Bible, Andrew had marked specific verses and scribbled words in the margins, which mysteriously connects to what Jessica is currently going through emotionally.
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Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @  Caffeinated Book Reviewer!

My original intention was to read Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin last week, but that didn't happen. I didn't have very much free time to read; though I should have gotten up and read the book at night instead of tossing and turning when I couldn't sleep. I was sent a copy of Ashes in the Snow by Ruta Sepetys and I read 108 pages yesterday. I'm determined to finish reading it today! Then I'm going to read Who I Am with You by Robin Lee Hatcher, as my review for it is due on the 17th! After I get done with those two books, then I'll put my full attention on Fire & Blood, which I really do want to read!

The Karate Kid Part III & The Next Karate Kid
(Blu-ray Review)

Hell Fest
(Midnight Horror Review)

The Sinner
(Winter Reads)

Your wedding day is going to be a whirlwind of experiences and moments that you may struggle to remember. While you might assume that after months of planning, there is no way you would forget even a moment of your big day, the reality is that your wedding will be a busy, stressful, exciting, and emotional day that will go by in the blink of an eye. This is why we always recommend that couples invest in the best possible photographer they can afford.

 Your photographer will be able to capture moments that you may have missed or may have forgotten. They will be there to capture your groom’s eyes when he first sees you walk down the aisle, your friends laughing together over appetizers, and your parents smiling fondly at you as you have your first dance. They will also be there to capture some fun moments with you and your bridesmaids.

If you and your girls are prone to some fun with your photos, then here are some memorable bridesmaid photo ideas you can do with your bridesmaids:

Show everyone how you met

This is a great idea if many of your bridesmaids met you at different points in your life. Have them hold decorated mini blackboards that each say how you met and have them hold them around you.

Create a tunnel for the bride’s entrance

When you’re just about ready to walk down the aisle, have your bridesmaids line up and create a tunnel with their raised arms for you to walk through with your photographer at the other end. This sweet photo is playful and visually interesting.

Do a ‘first look’ shot

Arriving in selected theatres and VOD today from Vertical Entertainment is the WWII drama Ashes in the Snow, which is based on the New York Bestseller "Between Shades Of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys.

Directed by Marius Markevicius and adapted for the screen by Ben York Jones, the 99-minute film stars Bel Powley, Martin Wallstrom, and Lisa Loven Kongsli.

Set during World War II, Ashes in the Snow centers around a 16 year-old aspiring artist (played by Bel Powley) and her family, who are deported to Siberia amidst Stalin's brutal dismantling of the Baltic region. One girl's passion for art and her never-ending hope will break the silence of history.

Penguin Randomhouse has re-released the "Between Shades Of Gray" to tie-in with the film's release. The book has been retitled as "Ashes in the Snow" and has a brand-new cover design, which is very similar to the film's poster.

(FYI: I'll be reviewing the book soon!)

To learn more about the Ashes in the Snow, please visit Vertical Entertainment's Facebook page or the film's Facebook page.

Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it).
Post it.
 Add your (url) post below in the Linky at: www.fredasvoice.com
Add the post url, not your blog url.

With her dragon beside her, the princess slowly began to grow out of her shyness; at the age of twelve she took to the skies for the first time, and thereafter, though she remained a quiet girl, no one dared to call her timid.

page 56, Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin

  My Thoughts

Mill Creek Entertainment; AMAZON

I'm almost positive almost everyone has watched the 1984 classic The Karate Kid at least one time in their lifetime. It's an iconic underdog story that inspired many 80s kids to learn martial arts. And, of course, the film kicked off a franchise, which recently included the YouTube Red spinoff series Cobra Kai.

Now available on a Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment is the The Karate Kid III & The Next Karate Kid ($14.98). There are no special features or bonus extras.

Directed by John G. Avildsen, The Karate Kid III (1989; PG; 112 minutes) picks up several months after the second film with Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi (played by Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki "Pat" Morita) returning to Los Angeles after their trip to Japan. Upon their return, they learn that Daniel's mother has moved to New Jersey to take care of her sick uncle and their apartment building is being torn down, leaving Mr. Miyagi jobless and Daniel homeless. Well, not exactly homeless, as he ends moving into Mr. Miyagi's home.

Mr. Miyagi isn't unemployed for too long. Daniel uses his college fund to open a bonsai shop with him. Unknowingly to them, disgraced Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese (played by Martin Kove) teams up with Vietnam War buddy, Terry Silver (played by Thomas Ian Griffith), to seek revenge against Daniel for winning the All-Valley Karate Championships. They hire Mike Barnes (played by Sean Kanan) to bully Daniel and to challenge him to a fight at the next tournament.

Directed by Christopher Cain, The Next Karate Kid (1994; PG; 107 minutes) centers on Julie (played by Hilary Swank), a troubled teenager living with her grandmother in Boston. After meeting Mr. Miyagi at a commendation for Japanese-American soldiers, he talks the grandmother into taking a vacation to Los Angeles and he would stay in Boston to look after Julie. Of course, Mr. Miyagi has another reason for wanting to babysit a teenager. He wants to teach Julie how to control her anger issues that she has had ever since the death of her parents.

Final Thoughts