Kate Palmer

House of Diamonds by Karen Jones Gowen

Posted on 23. Sep, 2011 by Kate.

Beginning about three years ago, I began consuming escapist books. I like to swallow them whole–or maybe in two or three bites–so I typically choose action-packed, suspenseful plot lines preferably with a good (and clean!) romance. I’d choose a gripping book over a movie any day.
The first friend I ever made in blogland asked [...]

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The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter

Posted on 09. Mar, 2011 by Kate.

Genre: Adventure
Ages: 11-15
Here’s Frank’s latest book. (He’s the author of the awsome Hashbrown Winters series that my family enjoyed reading. I interviewed him here.) I can’t wait to read his new book. And isn’t is lucky I have a couple of children’s birthdays coming up this spring?
The Kirkus review had some nice things to say [...]

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Perilous by Tamara Hart Heiner

Posted on 07. Feb, 2011 by Kate.

This is Tamara (with her husband). She’s one of the first friends I made in blogland, and is a new author. Her book Perilous came out last November. I bought and downloaded the ebook version of this book using my husband’s iPad. The only problem is he takes it to work everyday so I’ve only read two [...]

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Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Posted on 08. Dec, 2010 by Kate.

Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction (Age 9 and up)
Amazon.com Review
The evacuation of Jews from Nazi-held Denmark is one of the great untold stories of World War II. On September 29, 1943, word got out in Denmark that Jews were to be detained and then sent to the death camps. Within hours the Danish resistance, population [...]

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Alcatraz Series by Brandon Sanderson

Posted on 02. Dec, 2010 by Kate.

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy (age 9 and up) Great books for boys since the main character is a thirteen year old boy.
About the First Book: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians
A hero with an incredible talent…for breaking things. A life-or-death mission…to rescue a bag of sand. A fearsome threat from a powerful secret network…the evil Librarians.
Alcatraz Smedry [...]

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The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Posted on 29. Nov, 2010 by Kate.

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
First, get over the cover. I’d heard lots of good reviews about this book and was quite excited to read it. Then I saw the cover. For the record, the cover photo is not anywhere in the book. Yes, Grace Divine, the main character, wears a purple wrap just like the one [...]

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Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

Posted on 26. Nov, 2010 by Kate.

Some of my most favorite gifts to both give and receive are books. So from now until Christmas I’ll be sharing a variety of my favorites. Today’s pick is a children’s picture book. The pictures are as fabulous as the story (not surprising since it’s a Caldecott Honor Book).
From Booklist:
Bear and Hare are involved in [...]

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Reading Suggestions Anyone?

Posted on 16. Sep, 2010 by Kate.

Any ideas for chapter books I can read aloud to my children? Books that specifically would be interesting to this six-year-old and his nine-year-old sister?
It’d be really nice if the book could be enjoyed by everyone in this wild bunch. Please leave your ideas in the comments. Thanks!!

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A New Cookbook

Posted on 27. Aug, 2010 by Kate.

Early this summer I decided to buy a new cookbook. I (and my family) were a little tired of the same old same old. After reading reviews and even testing some recipes from other books (listed on the author’s website), I purchased this one.
I have not been disappointed. While I am far from having cooked [...]

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New Book Releases

Posted on 08. Mar, 2010 by Kate.

(Disclaimer: My two-year-old shoved staples down the crevices of my keybaord rendering the comma key useless even after I removed the two staples he’d managed to lodge under that particular key. So no commas will appear in this post. Please turn off your internal editor. Pretty please.)

The Thorn is author Daron D. Fraley’s debut novel. [...]

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Born to Run

Posted on 05. Feb, 2010 by Kate.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
by Christopher Mcdougall
Christopher McDougall opens the world of ultramarathoning. I enjoy running and one day want to run a marathon. (That will have to wait until all my children are in school. It’s too much of a time commitment right [...]

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Book Giveaway

Posted on 18. Oct, 2009 by Kate.

I’ve enjoyed reading all your comments. It’s not too late to get in the drawing for your choice of one of these books. Go to this post and make a comment from now until Saturday morning.

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Summer Reading Thing 2009

Posted on 11. Jun, 2009 by Kate.

I’m finally getting around to posting this partly because my list is so short it’s rather embarrassing. My life is close to insane during the summer. I try to squeeze in as many activities and projects with my children as humanly possible so that by the end of the day I can’t keep my [...]

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