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The unwanted attention annoyed Ben as much as his empty belly.

page 56, Once Upon A Dickens Christmas by Michelle Griep

  My Thoughts

Relive every discovery from the very beginning when the smash hit HISTORY® series The Curse of Oak Island: The First Six Seasons (Lionsgate; $59.98; 65 hrs 41 mins) arrives on DVD December 10th from Lionsgate. Uncover every mystery hidden on the historic island right alongside treasure hunters Rick and Marty Lagina as you gear up for the series’ seventh season. The Curse of Oak Island: The First Six Seasons 23-disc collection will be available for the suggested retail price of $59.98. 

#1 New York Times bestselling author Richard Paul Evans is back with his newest holiday romance — Noel Street (Gallery Books; $21.99; 290 pages).

"The year is 1975. Elle Sheen—a single mother who is supporting herself and her six-year-old, African-American son, Dylan, as a waitress at the Noel Street Diner—isn’t sure what to make of William Smith when his appearance creates a stir in the small town of Mistletoe, Utah. As their lives unexpectedly entwine, Elle learns that William, a recently returned Vietnam POW, is not only fighting demons from his past, but may also have the answer to her own secret pain—a revelation that culminates in a remarkable act of love and forgiveness."

Ripley's Believe It or Not! is globally renowned as the authority on the weird, the eccentric, and the amazing. Ripley's Believe It or Not! provides entertaining books for children of all ages which educates and informs them in a humorous style. The Ripley brand is known around the world as a trend-setting source of family-friendly fun and excitement! Every day the researchers at Ripley's are busy digging up the craziest true stories and the most unbelievable facts.

From its inception in 1918 and the days of Robert Ripley’s travels and broadcasts to the creation of the first BION and the company’s proud publishing history through the years after Ripley’s death to the incredible collections and the expansion into a world-class attractions company, fans and friends of the brand will be inspired, awed, and amazed. This book is a spectacular artifact of an American icon that people will want to make a part of their own collection and enjoy again and again. 

Who says penguins can't fly? Join the adorable Norman as he searches for a way to accomplish the impossible. Told from Norman's point of view, young readers will giggle at Norman's silly attempts and relate to his disappointment at his failures. Will Norman ultimately find a way to fly? There's only one way to find out!

Christian authors Shelley Shepard Gray, Patrica Johns, and Virginia Wise have come together to bring us a new anthology - An Amish Second Christmas. Published by Kensington Books, the book features three romantic tales:

Their Second Chance

by Shelley Shepard Gray

New York Bestselling Author

There's no way a relationship between Amish nanny Hannah Eicher and the handsome English fireman could overcome her family's objections—and their personal differences. But when she saves her from a sudden blaze, Hannah longs to see if they can turn holiday hope into a lifetime of happiness.

His Amish Angel

by Patricia Johns

As advice columnist "Miss Amish," outspoken Maggie Lapp helps Amish and English with their romantic problems. When her tradition-minded former fiance accidentally reveals her secret, she'll need more than a miracle to make things right—and find a perfect love for all the Christmases to come . . .

An Heirloom Christmas

by Virginia Wise

Rachel Miller won't let her disability keep her from being independent. She certainly doesn't need reckless Joseph Webber working at her greenhouse—and their surprising holiday partnership might just blossom into forever joy.

Once again, Christmas is nearly here and once again I'm finding myself being single. Now I'm not saying being single is necessarily a bad thing but it does get a little depressing around the holidays, which has resulted in my many sleepless nights for me. When I cannot sleep, I either watch television or read a book. Unfortunately, there's not much on late night cable except for the low-budget romantic Christmas movies and the majority of my book collection is in the romantic genre so instead of reading or watching a film, I'm writing this rambling in the hopes of clearing my mind.

Why do humans have the need to be in a relationship, besides for reproducing?

Honestly, I don't have a clue to the answer. Maybe it's because we just want someone to love us for being ourselves, if that makes absolutely any sense to anyone besides me! Or maybe it's just the need for companionship; you know, someone to spend grow old with and all that jazz.

My loneliness could be easily solved if I just put myself out there and start dating. However, dating isn't as easy for me as it is for everyone else due to my anxiety and shyness issues, which is something I've talked about a few times on this blog over the years. I've tried and failed at online dating in the past, which was more or less my own fault for not making first contact with potential matches, as I've already mentioned – I'm shy, even when typing a message. Anyway, I ended up deleting my profile within a few days with the thought that there isn't anyone out there for me.

However, I've been told by a few people “not to give up” so I might have to give the online dating thing another try. And I keep hearing about couples who met online so maybe there's a chance for me after all. There question is where or not I should put a profile on the same website, Plenty of Fish, or try a different one. Trust me, there's plenty of dating sites out there in just about any and every niche you can imagine. There's free dating sites and then there's paid sites. There's international ones, such as Buckinghamshire Dating Site and Elite Singles; though I'll probably stick to somewhere closer to my location as long-distant relationships never work out, at least in my personal experiences they don't.

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the science fiction horror classic Alien, Epic Ink recently republished Ian Nathan's 2011 "behind-the-scenes" book Alien Vault: The Definitive Story Behind the Film, now retitled as Alien Vault: The Complete Story and Legacy. The updated version features a new "forward" by actress Veronica Cartwright and a brand-new chapter that includes the newest entries in the franchise - Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

Alien was released to theatres two years before I was born so I guess you can say I'm a 2nd generation Alien fan. I first saw the film, along the sequel Aliens, in the late '80s, only because my father was watching them. Yeah, I was probably a bit too young to be watching chestbursters but, nevertheless, this was how I was introduced to the franchise. While it would be nice to get a final prequel installment or another "Ripley" sequel, it'll probably never happen due to Disney now owning the franchise. At least us fans can enjoy the new edition of "Alien Vault," which is loaded with behind-the-scenes artwork and photos.

Alien Vault is split up into six chapters:

• Birth
• Nostromo -
• Perfect Organism
• Ripley 
• Legacy
• Reverse Engineering

Overall, Alien Vault: The Complete Story and Legacy is the perfect coffee table book for any "Alien" fan. It's beautiful pieced-together companion book featuring many behind-the-scene stories, concept artwork of H.R. Giger, storyboards, drawings, costume designs by Moebius, set photos of the cast & crew, and promotional materials.