Happy Halloween and a Book Recommendation

It's Halloween today (and thank you to the lovely friends who sent e-cards to me this morning). I'll have my porch light on tonight, but it's going to be cold and I'm not on the neighborhood "approved" e-list, so I doubt I'll get any trick-or-treat'ers tonight. I'm totally fine with that. Halloween is more than going door to door for candy, it's a lessening of the boundaries between worlds. Caution for a few days is a good idea for all. 

Happy Halloween to all. Be safe and enjoy the holiday! 

Yesterday I finished cutting the copper for the ornament I'm including in each of my holiday cards this year. I was able to put my BigKick away, job well done, and take down my Xyron and a refill instead. I'll get to work on the assembly part this morning, and also start cutting out the interior insert which is now printed onto the cardstock I've chosen. I didn't get a lot of clean-up done, but at least I progressed on my cards. 

I use my Xyron Sticker Maker heavily when I'm working on my cards.
I buy the adhesive cartridges five or more at a time. For being such
a plastic machine, it really is a workhorse and I make it go through
its paces for each year's holiday card. 

I have a book recommendation for all of you - a Young Adult book called "We Contain Multitudes" by Sarah Henstra. Chickie accused me of liking YA novels when I recommended it to her earlier this week, and I really can't deny that. I think writing for a YA audience is one of the most difficult age groups to focus on. You have to sound authentic, you can't talk down, and you can't make your characters any wiser than they would be with only sixteen to eighteen years on this earth. 

I'm highly recommending this book to you. It's
young adult, so a fast read, but the character
exploration she manages just through letters
back and forth is superb. 

In the book, the two characters, Jo and Kurl, exchange letters as a semester-long assignment in their English class. It's an interesting concept, and that letter-by-letter theme is carried throughout the book. It has a rich connecting cast of support, from bullies to brothers and sisters, and there are a few mysteries that are minor, but handled really well. Oh ... and it's located in Minnesota, in Minneapolis, to be exact. It's not "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe", but few books will achieve that height. Still, it's a solid and delightful book and I highly recommend it to you. 

Have a safe and wonder-filled Halloween and don't overdo the treats. I'll be back tomorrow.