The Saturday Six

One.

44 sets of twins in ONE CLASS? I would never be able to keep up. I have a hard enough time learning names/faces. Give me that many people who look alike and I fear I would not fare well. But it's a pretty cool world record!

Two.

Anyone else think all the jumps in figure skating look exactly alike? This 2 minute video shows the difference among all the jumps. I think essentially I learned I could tell the difference if I could always watch in slow motion. And even then I might really have to study. Possibly a confirmation that I was indeed not meant to be a figure skater?

Three.

This story is pretty new to me, but when I saw an article about it, I wanted to share it. The doctor in the article is part of the Sunday School class we attend and she's talked often about this woman who has done a remarkable job of losing weight over the last few months. The newspaper covered a celebration in her honor, so now I have a face to put with the name. Pretty wonderful story of courage!

Four.

I've never heard of this before, but I loved reading about it on Tamar's blog this week. Ponyhenge! I won't say more...just go check it out!

Five.

In case you want to see more about The Cake Bake Shop we visited on Valentine's Day, you can check it out here. (Note: I hear it is nearly impossible to get in without a reservation. Somehow we majorly lucked out on that one! But you can drool over their menu and if you're close enough, make a reservation to visit!)

Six.

Source

A few years ago, I fell in love with Irene Hannon's writing. I love her contemporary romance and her suspense books equally! (I even interviewed her on the Conversation Café a few months ago.)

Irene has a host of books from years ago that I'd not read yet, but my friend Shari bequeathed a couple to me after she read them! So my first pick was The Best Gift, which is part of the Love Inspired line of books and is the first in a trilogy called Sisters and Brides.

Obviously I figured I would love it because Irene wrote it, but then I also figured I would love it because I knew it involved a bookstore. Who can't love a book about a bookstore?

The Best Gift opens with three sisters, Morgan, Clare, and A.J. awaiting news of the contents of their late great-aunt's will. When her attorney divulges Aunt Jo's wishes, all three girls are stunned. Each one stands to inherit a sum of money, but only after they complete a task laid out by Aunt Jo. They have six months to honor her wishes, and if they complete the task required, they receive the inheritance. If they don't, they forfeit everything.

A.J.'s inheritance is half-ownership of a little bookstore in St. Louis, named "Turning Leaves." She's charged with the task of retaining her portion of the ownership for six months and working full time in the store during that time. The other half of the ownership goes to the store's current manager, Blake Sullivan, who must also work full time alongside A.J.

Though A.J. has nothing in particular to lose or leave behind in her current life in Chicago, she begins to wonder what she's gotten herself into when she arrives in St. Louis and meets Blake. A.J.'s free spirit, people-loving heart, and desire to try new things absolutely clashes with Blake's regimented, predictable ways.

Blake digs in, determined to preserve the integrity of the bookstore he and Aunt Jo managed together for so many years, and A.J. digs in just as fiercely, determined to breathe new life into not just the bookstore, but the community.

When the bookstore and other small business owners in the little community receive word that a corporate developer is eyeing their block with an intention of bringing in newer and bigger opportunities, they have to figure out how to band together to save their livelihoods and their community. And that means Blake and A.J. have to figure out how to make their personal and business differences work together, too!

I read this book in less than a day and have to find books two and three now, so I can figure out how Morgan and Clare's adventures panned out! I loved the characters, as I always do in Irene's books, and I loved the setting of the small community.