Recent Posts

  • Book Review: The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn

    Title: The Devil Crept InAuthor: Ania AhlbornSeries: NonePublished: February 2017Publisher: Gallery BooksPages: 374From: MyBookBoxRating: 8/10 So. Soooooo. Ania Ahlborn is a horror genius. This book creeped me the eff out. I started reading this book one night because I wanted something to read that I hadn’t read before, genre-wise. And I definitely found it in […]

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  • Book Review: Disclaimer by Renee Knight

    Title: DisclaimerAuthor: Renee KnightSeries: NonePublished: April 2015Publisher: DoubledayPages: 304From: Barnes and NobleRating: 9/10 Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of books that require trigger warnings before opening the covers. Now, that is definitely not a bad thing, because I think things that require that happen all too often, and we as the general public only […]

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  • Book Review: Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters

    Title: Underground AirlinesAuthor: Ben H. WintersSeries: NonePublished: July 2016Publisher: Mulholland BooksPages: 336From: Barnes and NobleRating: 9/10 Awhile ago, I decided to do a review for my local book club I’m a member of. I am the youngest in the circle by about 30 years, and I feel it is very difficult to choose a book […]

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  • Girl on Fire: Valentine’s Day is approaching

    [As seen in Creston News Advertiser, January 21, 2016] Everyone who hasn’t been living in a hole the last month may have noticed the shiny red and pink packaging glaring from that first Hy-Vee aisle. The dreaded day of love is fast approaching. In 2015, Valentine’s Day spending was expected to reach about $19 billion, […]

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  • Girl on Fire: Excited for more learning opportunities

    [As seen in Creston News Advertiser, January 7, 2016] My first-ever shift in an emergency department was not the best experience I’ve ever had. Several weeks ago, I spent the weekend in Centerville with my parents. That Saturday, I scheduled a 12-hour shift in the Mercy Medical Center emergency department, followed by an eight-hour shift […]

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  • Book Review: Frostblood by Elly Blake

    Title: Frostblood Author: Elly Blake Series: Frostblood #1 Published: January 2017 Publisher: Little, Brown Pages: 376 From: Barnes and Noble Rating: 8/10 I started Frostblood by Elly Blake on a whim one night, mostly because I just wanted something light, airy, easy and fun, and boy did I get what I asked for. Frostblood follows the story of Ruby […]

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  • Book Review: Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

    Title: Sky in the Deep Author: Adrienne Young Series: Sky in the Deep #1 Published: April 2018 Publisher: Wednesday Books Pages: 340 From: Barnes and Noble Rating: 9/10 Have you ever found a book that just truly called to you, spoke to you in such a way that you could not put it down or […]

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  • Book Review: Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen

    Title: Brian’s Winter Author: Gary Paulsen Series: Brian’s Saga #2) Published: January 1996 Publisher: Ember Pages: 133 From: Barnes and Noble Rating: 7/10 When Brian’s first adventure, the plane crash in Canada, ended, it was the end of his story. Brian was done. He managed to survive based on his very basic skill set until […]

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  • Book Review: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

    Title: Hatchet Author: Gary Paulsen Series: Brian’s Saga #1 Published: November 1986 Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Pages: 186 From: Barnes and Noble Rating: 8/10 I first read Gary Paulsen’s survival novel Hatchet back in fifth grade, I think, when we were starting out our real chapter book reading and discovering who […]

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  • Girl on Fire: Benefit to be held for local firefighters

    [As seen in Creston News Advertiser, December 3, 2015] Every day is a trying time at Creston Fire Department, but recently, it’s been more challenging than usual. Two of my fellow firefighters are battling severe illness and injury, and we as a department have been doing all we can to help them and their families […]

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