Doctor Who Merchandise

My hubby and I have been watching a couple episodes of Doctor Who every night and have been walking around saying "exterminate" to each other non-stop. I decided I need to show my love for the Doctor (said in a British accent, of course) by checking out some of the merchandise offered. I've found some really cool t-shirts and toys that you've got to check out if you are a fan. Who knows, we might even be getting the same things!

Check out some of the awesomeness I've found that every Doctor Who fan should own!

Here are some fun toys and gadgets:

The 10th Doctor's Screwdriver ($20.50)- How awesome is this? It's a UV pen and has a UV light too! Super cool!

Dalek Alarm Clock ($39.99)- Can you imagine waking up to "exterminate" every morning? The alarm clock noise is awful anyway so why not wake up to something funny? Plus, it projects the time on the wall. I need this. Definitely a must for us!

Spinning Tardis ($39.99)- Perfect for any fan to sit next to their desk. I love that is spins and floats in midair. I think this is a really fun desk accessory. My hubby collects fun little things for his desk and this is perfect!

Tardis Plushie ($20.99)- It lights up and has phrases if you squeeze it. How could a girl not want to cuddle up with her very own Tardis? I need one!

11 Doctors Figurine Set (129.99)- This is another perfect pack of items for desk sitting. My hubby loves to collect action figures around his desk and this set of Doctors are perfect. Imagine them standing next to the spinning Tardis!

Tardis USB Hub ($26.34)- This provides 4 extra USB ports and anytime one is plugged in it makes sounds and flashes lights. A must have for computer geeks!

Tardis Salt and Pepper Shakers ($14.99)- How cute is this? I'd love to have Tardis salt and pepper shakers!

Red Dalek Ornament ($18.03)- This is painted glass and will look great on any fan's Christmas tree. They have a Tardis one too. So in love!

So there are my list of must haves! Would you own any of these?

Stay tuned for some awesome t-shirts tomorrow. Though they aren't all going to be Doctor Who related, there will be plenty of nerdiness!

Waiting on Wednesday: Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where you can post about upcoming books you're looking forward to. This is a wonderful chance for blogger to show off what's coming out soon that they are excited about! Every week my wishlist balloons thanks to this awesome meme.

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

The story of a girl figuring out the truths and illusions of life and love, both in the nostalgic past and in the very real now. Laugh-out-loud humor combines with a hint of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.

The cure for a broken heart? Go vintage and live like it’s 1962!

Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, isn’t just cheating on her. He’s cheating with an online girlfriend. So Mallory decides to swear off boys and modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to “go vintage” and return to a simpler time. She sets out to complete grandma’s list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous.

The list proves to be trickier than it looks. Obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how intriguing she finds Oliver (er, Jeremy's cousin). But with the help of her sister, Mallory will finish the list and find peace. .

Somehow.

Going Vintage is out 2013 by Bloomsbury.


I choose this because it sounds so unique and adorable. I love that it is adding a new spin on a contemporary and the fact that the main character uses this to get through her break up tells me a lot about her. I'm really excited to get my hands on this!

Review: Flirting with the Forbidden by Steven James

Flirting with the Forbidden by Steven James

Revell / 2012

Amazon / Goodreads

About the book:

In our fallen world, temptation is normal. We run into it every day and we all are susceptible to falling victim to its enticements. We're tempted to cheat on our taxes, milk the clock, lust after someone other than our spouse, dishonor our parents, lie to our friends, covet our neighbor's trip to Europe. But just because we must live with temptation doesn't mean we have to let it master us.

In Flirting with the Forbidden, bestselling author Steven James reminds readers that we are always just one step away from bowing to temptation, that we all share the same potential and propensity for evil. Combining powerful first-person narratives from Scripture with thought-provoking reflections on temptation, discipleship, and grace, James helps readers grow in discernment and reliance on the Holy Spirit and develop a deeper, more intimate walk with Christ.

My rating:

My thoughts:

At first I wasn't sure how much I would like Flirting with the Forbidden, I've read Steven James' fiction series - The Patrick Bowers Files - but this is the first non-fiction book of his I've read and I ended up loving it.


I really liked the stories at the beginning of the chapters (except for when they seemed to put words in Jesus' mouth) and even learned some things I had never thought about before - like how Pilate's wife sent Pilate a note before Jesus was crucified. (Matthew 27:19).

Overall Flirting with the Forbidden was a great non-fiction book that I enjoyed reading! :)

*I got this book on Amazon Kindle when it was free and was not required to review it. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

Teaser Tuesday 84: Fated by Alyson Noel

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page

Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBe careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others!Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles!

Fated by Alyson Noel

I should've used the last ten hours to grill Chay until he broke--until he confided every dark and dirty secret Paloma is hiding. Instead I chose to eat. And read.

--Pg. 50 of an ARC of "Fated" by Alyson Noel
I haven't actually started this book so I can't say too much about it. I haven't read Ms. Noel's other novels but I love the concept and am excited to get started reading it!

What's your teaser?

Shatter Me and Under the Never Sky Winners

I'm happy to announce the winners of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. I want to thank each and every one of you who entered this giveaway.

Winner of a signed copy of Shatter Me is:

Samantha 

Winner of a signed copy of Under the Never Sky is:

Vivien

Again, thanks so much to everyone who entered. Keep your eyes peeled for more giveaways coming up soon! All winners have been emailed and have 72 hours to get back to me or they forfeit their prize.

Guest Post: IVAN Makes an Impact

I'm so excited to welcome one of my former students to my blog today.

I knew Julie Morgan when she was Julie Peebles and on the yearbook staff at Tianjin International School in Tianjin, China. I was her stressed-out, clueless yearbook adviser. We stayed in touch, thanks to Facebook, and Julie, now a special ed teacher, saw my mention of Katherine Applegate's THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN on this blog. She wrote to me a few weeks later with an amazing story. I begged her to come on the blog and share her experience.

Julie is not only a teacher, but also a talented cook. She blogs about cooking at www.cookingtherapy.org. 

Welcome, Julie!

There are moments as a teacher when you are reminded why you do this job. There are a lot of difficult things about teaching these days and unfortunately it's easy to get caught up in them and forget the beauty of watching a kid master a concept or become engrossed in a book. I recently had the opportunity to watch my class of struggling readers, most of whom have significant learning disabilities, fall in love with a book and connect deeply with a character. It was truly refreshing and encouraging, and reminded me why I do what I do. 

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate is based on a true story about a gorilla who lived in a small glass cage inside a mall for almost thirty years. After the public became aware of how he was treated he finally was moved to the Atlanta Zoo. The book is written from Ivan's perspective and is a sweet, haunting and emotional tale. Immediately you get sucked in as a reader, rooting for Ivan and the other animals. Applegate writes simply, yet with beautiful imagery and layers of complexity. My class barely skimmed the surface of all the themes she introduced and I still had students weeping at different parts of the story. 

What made this book even more powerful for my students was being able to talk to one of Ivan's former trainers. The science teacher at our school used to work with the gorillas at Zoo Atlanta, and knew Ivan well. My students interviewed her and asked her all sorts of questions about Ivan. Our adventure culminated in taking a field trip to the Zoo and seeing Ivan for ourselves! He is now 49 years old and is one of the oldest gorillas in captivity. Watching my students "meet" the character that we had all grown to love was so powerful and poignant. It was by far one of my all time favorite moments as a teacher.

As a special education teacher, I am always in search of books that are high interest yet easy enough for my struggling readers to handle. This book was challenging at times, but the way it was formatted made it seem less intimidating. One of my students; who reads at a first grade level, has behavior problems, and in general hates school loved this book so much that he would sneak it out of class in order to read more on his own. Success! If you haven't read The One and Only Ivan, add it to your summer reading list (or your child's summer reading list!) You won't be disappointed.

Have you had a profound experience with a book that you'd like to share? I'd love to read about it in the comments! 

Has anyone else read THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN? My son and I read it together and it was wonderful!

Interview and Giveaway!! Tracy Higley ~ Author of the Seven Wonders Series!!

Welcome to Christian Bookshelf Reviews, Tracy!! Will you tell us a little about yourself?


I’m a book-addict!  I love to read them, write them, touch them, even smell them! (ah, that musty-dusty library smell…)  I’m guessing some of your readers can relate! I have loved to write since childhood, and spent those years either with my nose in a book or writing. I created short stories, school newspapers, neighborhood plays, angst-ridden poetry in the teen years, then drama sketches for church ministry as an adult. Since getting published, I’ve been able to travel the world to research all the exotic locations of my books, and get into some adventures!  When not writing, I’m a business-owner and wife and mom to four wonderful kids.

Will you tell us about your "Seven Wonders" series?

The Seven Wonders books were born out of my own fascination with the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I love history, and thought it would be fun to “take a tour” of the ancient world by setting exciting stories in each of these locales.

What is something the average reader wouldn't know about you? 


My favorite fairy tale character is Belle.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?


I think I’ve always known it!  The neighborhood kids were learning their lines under my direction by about age 6, I think. (They never did take it quite as seriously as they should have!)

How many books have you written/published and do you have a favorite?


 My 9th book, Garden of Madness, has just released, but there are more on the way!  Favorites are hard to choose, but I think my writing has improved with each book, so I’d have to say this newest one is my favorite.

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?


I don’t know about interesting. More like annoying, probably.  My friends/family roll their eyes when I am at the midpoint of every first draft and whining that “it’s the worst book I’ve ever written… the worst book anyone has ever written… no one will want to read it.”  They just nod and say, “Oh, we’re at that point now, are we?”

Where do you like to write?


I have a wonderful office in my house, filled with bookshelves, crammed with souvenirs and special things from my travels around the world, and set apart from the rest of the house. I love retreating there to write!  When the weather gets warm, I have a covered patio that I’ve decorated like a little Italian bistro, which looks out over a stunning view.  I love it there, too.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?


Read good books. Study and research for writing books. Watch movies (like books, only faster).  I’m all about stories!

Is there a place you’d like to visit, but haven’t yet?

I’ve got another research trip coming up in a few months, where I’ll get to see Santorini, and I’m really looking forward to that. I’d also LOVE to visit Morocco someday.  Casablanca, anyone?

Do you have a favorite song and/or movie?


Sound of Music.  You wouldn’t want to watch it with me because I quote every word and sing every line and it’s apparently quite annoying, though I don’t really see why.

What is your favorite dessert?


 Anything with chocolate.  Even non-edible things that smell like chocolate.

Do you have a favorite Bible verse? 


This changes as life changes, but currently Philippians 1:9-11, which I personalize for myself:
And this is my prayer: that my love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Here are a few this-or-that questions:

Snowstorms or Thunderstorms?


Thunderstorms.

Tea or Coffee?

Coffee.

Print or eBook? 


Print.

Early-bird or Night-owl?


Night-owl.

Cats or Dogs?


Geckos.

Are you currently working on any new novels? If so, could you give us a hint?


I am just finishing up the first draft of my next book, So Shines the Night. It’s set in first-century Ephesus, a city that was at the center of the pagan worship of Artemis, but also a thriving church of new believers in the Messiah. With Paul there to lead them, you can imagine the tough situations they get into!  But it’s also a love story about a woman who is afraid to live and a man who is afraid to forget.

Thanks so much for being here! Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers and where can we find you on the web?


Thanks, Melanie!  I would love to have your readers stop by my website, www.TracyHigley.com, where they can read chapters of my books, thumb through my photo travel journals, explore the fascinating locations of my books, and connect with me!

Book Giveaway!!

Enter to win the first three books in Tracy's Seven Wonders series!! (Shadow of Colossus, City of the Dead, and Guardian of the Flame) This giveaway is only open to the US.

Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter below (here is a tutorial, if you aren't familiar with Rafflecopter). The mandatory entry is to leave a comment on this blog post - after you do that, the other entries will become available. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway