Plan an unforgettable stargazing outing to one of these light-free destinations across America. Here are some dark sky parks you can visit.

Căn hộ Grand Center Quy Nhơn là tổ hợp căn hộ cao cấp sở hữu lâu dài tọa lạc vị trí kim cương của thành phố biển Quy Nhơn. Grand Center Quy Nhơn hứa hẹn là một biểu tượng mới xứng tầm đẳng cấp tại Đất võ – Trời văn Bình Định.

So, despite the fact that I still have no internet*, I decided to try to do the 48 Hour Reading Challenge (hosted at Mother Reader). Also despite the fact that I’m working 8 hours on Saturday. This is possibly ridiculous, but that’s okay. I have wanted to participate in some of the reading challenges that go on, but my work schedule makes this difficult. And given the focus on diverse books in this reading challenge, it was also something I felt strongly about wanting to support.

Here’s my (extremely ambitious) list:
The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami
Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson
Pointe by Brandy Colbert
Cold Steel by Kate Elliott
A Moment Comes by Jennifer Bradbury
Flygirl by Sherri Smith
Lost Girl Found by Leah Bassoff
A Bride’s Story 2 by Kaoru Mori
She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear

I am happy to note that most of these were already on my checked-out-to-read stacks! I started at 8 this morning (Friday) and have read for an hour and a half so far.

At this point, I have finished The Grand Plan to Fix Everything, which was absolutely charming, and a wonderful example of how diverse books can both be wonderfully specific and true (in this case to Indian culture) and touch on wider concerns, like friendship and family.

And now I’ve started Nalo Hopkinson’s Sister Mine, which recently won the Andre Norton award. I am loving Makeda and the cadences of her narration.

* By the end of next week this should be fixed. Yay!

Title:  The Grand Opening
Author: Ava Miles
Series: Dare Valley #3
Published:  Createspace
Age Recommended:  Adult
Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean
Rating: 5
Review:

"The Grand Opening" by Ava Miles was a wonderful romantic  story of Peggy McBride and Mac (Maverick) Maven.  This is the authors third novel  in her Dare Valley series.     We find that both of these two are new to Dare Valley, Colorado.  Peggy was divorced, now a single mother that  had moved to Dare to be closer to her brother and family.  Peggy loved her job of being a deputy sheriff and it seems like all was going well for her until he meets us with Mac.  Why was this?  Mac was handsome and rich and had  moved into Dare with his sister and nephew to restore 'The Grand Mountain Hotel as a boutique poker' venue and for some reason this deputy sheriff was against any form of gambling.  Mac was well know for his 'High Stakes poker games.'  What had happen in Peggy's life that caused her to feel  so negative about gambling and  had set her nerves on edge?   However, there still seemed to be some 'tenderness and passion' that went on between these two when they were together but they were definitely on separate sides when it came to Mac's business.  It was obvious that there  was something that had gone on with Peggy that was holding her back that keeps her from wanting to live life to its fullest.


This was a very moving story where there  were many subplots in this  novel that was going on...such as: Mac and Peggy comes together in the rescue operation in that involved a pie loving moose, ... with Marc's sister Abbie and his best friend  Rhett Butler Blaylock,... a teenager reckless driving and the  hotel having a bomb threat during a poker game.  You will really have to keep up because this story moves very fast which makes for a good read. To get all the answers to the above you must pick up "The Grand Opening" to see how this author will bring it out the well written story to the reader.   Be ready for a good read with  a read filled with humor, 'quirky townspeople' and a loving romance that finally comes to light.  I love the hero in this story being such a 'fighter, lover and best friend.' The heroine gave me a headache at time with all of her 'love hate relationship with Marc,'  however in the end it all ....well pick up the novel to see for yourself!

The characters were all so developed, well rounded and so very colorful only making this read a captivating read that once you started it you will not be able to put it down until the end. 


I found "The Grand Opening" was definitely a story of  one's family coming first in this  well written series by this author that I would definitely recommend as a good read.   

Intense curiosity was the #1 reason I chose to finish this book. The first two novels in Bergren’s Grand Tour series weren’t my favorite, but I really wanted to see how the story ended—how Cora managed to find her happy ending. I was committed to this book, and I was ready for it. Sadly, however, Glittering Promises ended up resembling an overwrought soap opera, and I’m pretty sure I wore an expression of extreme confusement throughout much of my reading experience...

(continue reading)