Tag Archives: relationships

LOVE AND OTHER SUBJECTS ~ A Book Review

For every woman who wonders if she chose the right career

Carolyn Jenkins strives for two things–to be the greatest teacher ever and to find true love. She’s as skilled at both as an infant trying to eat with a fork. Carolyn’s suburban upbringing and genuine compassion for people who don’t fit effortlessly into society are no match for weapon-wielding, struggling students, drug-using colleagues, and a wicked principal.

Meanwhile, her budding relationship with a mystery man is thwarted by his gaggle of eccentric sisters. Carolyn depends on her friends to get her through the hard times, but with poverty-stricken children at her feet and a wealthy man at her side, she must define who she is.

The reality of life after college can be daunting, the road to full-fledged adulthood long and unscripted. Can Carolyn take control and craft the existence she always wanted?

My Thoughts:

Carolyn Jenkins is a character I can relate to … she leads a real life with everyday routine as well as highs and lows. She has her ideals and dreams, yet she has to deal with reality.

Personally, I was more drawn into the “Other Subjects” of the storyline than the “Love” portion.

I was interested in her passion of learning how to be effective in this inner city school while coming from a suburban background. I liked how the author addressed the interracial relationships between the roommates and the students. I feel Carolyn showed her true calling as a teacher in finding techniques that fit her student’s needs instead of just following the prescribed one size fits all approach.

I also liked hearing the witty, sometimes hilarious, “dialogue” in her head as she worked through issues and eventually matured in her personal relationships with her roommates, her parents and her boyfriends.

Buy the book from……. Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Barnes and Noble

About the Author

A Language Arts Coach with a Ph.D. in Reading Education, Kathleen lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.

Kathleen has also written Love and Other Subjects, award winning After the Fog and her debut novel, The Last Letter, garnered multiple awards in 2011. The author’s stories have also appeared in several of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

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I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

NOW FOR THE AUTHOR’S GIVEAWAY !!

THREE Lucky Winners will each receive a $15 Amazon Giftcard,

courtesy of author of Love and other subjects, Kathleen Shoop

Ending on Thursday 6th February at 11.59pm EST

Open Worldwide

Enter Below & Good Luck !!

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2014 ~ My To-Do List, aka … Personal Goals / New Years Resolutions

It’s New Years Eve … a day to reflect on the passing year and to think about new beginnings.

Many people make New Years Resolutions … I do too, but I like to call them Goals for the New Year. Resolution has an all or nothing feel to it … you either accomplished it or you didn’t. I tended to think in black and white (which I’m in the process of changing – one of my ongoing goals is to be more encouraging and positive), so you would think I would be in favor of resolutions. Sadly, I found myself feeling like a failure sometime around February or March.

I have learned, however, that life is lived one day at a time … and that there are lots of “gray” areas, so I’ve decided that I prefer the term Goals. With goals, you can have steps toward achievement. Improvement counts toward achieving the goal … it’s not necessarily all or nothing – pass or fail.

The planner / organizer in me loves making lists … so I make a yearly To-Do List 🙂 I actually break it down into a few lists … Business, Personal, Home and Relationships. I usually list a few areas I need improvement in with a couple of ideas to start working on them. I don’t put them in any particular order … with asterics, not numbered … no specific importance rating. I try to break things down into doable bite-sized tasks. My goal for the end of the year is to have worked on these improvements consistently enough throughout the year that they have become habits.

I like to reflect back on my goals for the past year and see improvements, whether large or small, they are steps in the right direction 🙂 Sometimes I need to roll-over items to next year’s list, but I choose to believe that I am a work in progress (positive and encouraging), not a failure.

2014 is a clean slate, a new beginning … we have to let go of the past and look forward to the future. Forgive ourselves, let it go, and work toward improvement in the new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and BLESSINGS on your 2014 GOALS !!

Tracy Helps You’s Thankful Thoughts for Today ~ 11-29-13

November 29 ~ Today I am thankful for relationships. There are so many different types of relationships … personal and professional, close, distant, and everywhere in between.

I am blessed to know and have relationships with so very many wonderful people. All people are blessed with different gifts and talents. I can reach out to them for help, advice, or to just talk about any question or concern. It’s a comforting feeling to know you’re not alone. I believe relationships are reciprocal … a give and take, and I love being able to help others anyway I can, big or small.

♥ Today I am thankful for relationships ♥

Tracy Helps You’s Thankful Thoughts for Today ~ 11-23-13

November 23 ~ Today I am thankful for my family doctors. Somehow, over the years, November has become my routine healthcare month. I try to schedule all my various annual physical exams and check-ups around the same time every year.

This morning the receptionist from my doctor’s office called to remind me of my appointment next week. She has been working there for as long as I’ve been a patient there. We were joking around that it was “that time of year” again and realized that we’d been having this same conversation for over 20 years 🙂

After we hung up, I got to thinking that I am really blessed to have such a long lasting patient – doctor relationship. It is comforting to know that she (my doctor) knows everything about my health history. Thinking along those same lines, I realized I’ve been with my dentist for over 15 years … I really like that I have these ongoing, long term relationships with these doctors. I hope that the new healthcare act doesn’t mess it up.

♥ Today I am thankful for my family doctors ♥

photo by: One Way Stock