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Hello, my name is Kelly and I welcome you to the Bookend Diaries book blog. I created this blog to share my own reviews of existing and new books, to discuss with other readers what we’re currently reading, update you on my book club picks, and of course, to ultimately support the work of the authors we all enjoy. I am addicted to reading and I thought this would be a great way to reach out to other readers who are as obsessed with books as I am.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Merry Christmas


I just love this image of Santa Claus reading, "The Birth of Jesus." Wishing you all, "A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."

Friday, December 8, 2017

Christmas Window Display


I believe that even Audrey Hepburn would be dazzled by the holiday window at Tiffany & Company. It is amazing and so artistically done. There is not one detail that has been missed in this huge and wonderful display. All the hours of planning that were put into it, so that everyone could enjoy it during the hustle and bustle of the season. When I was a little girl my Mother & Father would pack us all into the car in our pajamas, robes, scarves, slippers, and mittens to look at all the window displays downtown. Everything was closed down except for the beautiful lite up displays in the windows that made up a magical city that unfolded in front of our very own eyes.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations By: Oprah Winfrey


Oprah Winfrey says Super Soul Sunday is the television show she was born to do. “I see it as an offering,” she explains. “If you want to be more fully present and live your life with a wide-open heart, this is the place to come to.”
Now, for the first time, the aha moments of inspiration and soul-expanding insight that have enlightened millions on the three-time Emmy Award-winning Super Soul Sunday are collected in The Wisdom of Sundays, a beautiful, cherishable, deeply-affecting book.
Organized into ten chapters―each one representing a powerful step in Oprah’s own spiritual journey and introduced with an intimate, personal essay by Oprah herself―the Wisdom of Sundays features selections from the most meaningful conversations between Oprah and some of today’s most-admired thought-leaders. Visionaries like Tony Robbins, Arianna Huffington, and Shonda Rhimes share their lessons in finding purpose through mindfulness and intention. World renowned authors and teachers like Eckhart Tolle, Thich Nhat Hahn, Marianne Williamson and Wayne Dyer, explain our complex relationship with the ego and the healing powers of love and connection; and award-winning and bestselling writers like Cheryl Strayed, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Elizabeth Lesser explore the beauty of forgiveness and spirituality.
Paired with beautiful photographs, including many from Oprah’s private property in California where each episode of Super Soul Sunday is filmed, The Wisdom of Sundays promises to be a timeless keepsake that will help readers awaken to life’s wondrous possibilities and discover a deeper connection to the natural world around them.

I received a copy of this book to review and I love it. This would make such a great gift for anyone on your, "Christmas List." It is so well done, since it is paired with such beautiful photographs along with such wonderful teachings from the best of the best teachers in life. It will give you a great insight on life and leave you with a great sense of peace after reading it. There is no wonder why, this made it to the top of Oprah's favorite things list for Christmas.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Thanksgiving




I just love this time of the year with the changing of the seasons, there is so much to explore and take in all of the wonders of nature. A simple walk can take you on an adventure to find a place that you never thought existed. Where you can get lost in and simply lose yourself and the sense of time.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Growing Up Laughing By: Marlo Thomas


Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny is a book that only Marlo Thomas could write--a smart and gracious, witty and confident autobiographical journey.

For as long as Marlo Thomas can remember, she's lived with laughter. Born to comedy royalty--TV and nightclub star Danny Thomas--she grew up among legendary funny men, carved much of her career in comedy and, to this day, surrounds herself with people who love and live to make others laugh. In this long-awaited memoir, Thomas takes us on a funny and heartwarming adventure, from her Beverly Hills childhood, to her groundbreaking creation of That Girl and Free to Be . . . You and Me, to her rise as one of America's most beloved actress-comediennes, to her marriage to talk-show king Phil Donahue.

Her youth was star-studded--Milton Berle performed magic tricks (badly) at her backyard birthday parties. George Burns, Bob Hope, Sid Caesar, Bob Newhart and other great comics passed countless hours gathered around her family's dinner table. And behind it all was the rich laughter nurtured by a close and loving family.

Anyone that has enjoyed Marlo Thomas in, "That Girl" the tv show that she stared in will love her book about her life. It is a must read for any of her fans and is full of laughter and funny stories surrounded by her famous Father Danny Thomas and his friends. Also, she has followed her Father's legacy of his charity for St. Jude through many organizations that sponsor her endeavors.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

St Jude Thanks @ Giving Campaign


A partner since 2010, HomeGoods participates in the St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign by encouraging shoppers to make a donation at checkout in more than 500 stores across the U.S. HomeGoods also sells four limited edition winter water globes with 50% of the purchase price benefitting St. Jude. In addition to providing its customers with the opportunity to help the lifesaving mission of St. Jude in this way, HomeGoods brings the comfort of home to our St. Jude families through their annual holiday gifting event. HomeGoods' dedication to helping families fight cancer is evident in their tireless support of St. Jude.

It's that time of year again, I always participate in purchasing a snow globe from HomeGoods to support St. Jude Charities. They are always beautiful and are wonderful for gifts, with meanings behind them. You can find them right now before the big holiday shopping rush, and they have lots to choose from. So I hope that you will give a gift that makes a difference and touch someone lives in a big way.

Pretty Fun by: Kate Hudson




Celebrate all of the special moments in your life, big and small, with this warm and welcoming, illustrated lifestyle and entertaining guide, complete with delicious, healthy recipes, from actress, fashion icon, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Happy Kate Hudson. In Pretty Happy Kate Hudson shared her wisdom and advice for living a healthy, strong, and mindful life. In Pretty Fun she shares her philosophy behind gatherings, how to be in the moment, make them uniquely yours, embracing occasions to just be together. A beautiful, fun, and nourishing guide filled with dozens of dazzling color photos, fabulous recipes for healthy and even some more indulgent snacks and beverages, and infused with Kate's mindful and healthy approach to life, Pretty Fun will help you plan a year of special events, while remembering the healing power of gathering and celebration.

This will be released this month, and it is a great follow up to her first book that she wrote called, "Pretty Happy."

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Gold Dust Woman The Biography of Stevie Nicks by: Stephen Davis



Stevie Nicks is a legend of rock, but her energy and magnetism sparked new interest in this icon. At sixty-nine, she's one of the most glamorous creatures rock has known, and the rare woman who's a real rock ‘n' roller.
Gold Dust Woman gives "the gold standard of rock biographers" (The Boston Globe) his ideal topic: Nicks' work and life are equally sexy and interesting, and Davis delves deeply into each, unearthing fresh details from new, intimate interviews and interpreting them to present a rich new portrait of the star. Just as Nicks (and Lindsey Buckingham) gave Fleetwood Mac the "shot of adrenaline" they needed to become real rock stars―according to Christine McVie―Gold Dust Woman is vibrant with stories and with a life lived large and hard:
―How Nicks and Buckingham were asked to join Fleetwood Mac and how they turned the band into stars
―The affairs that informed Nicks' greatest songs
―Her relationships with the Eagles' Don Henley and Joe Walsh, and with Fleetwood himself
―Why Nicks married her best friend's widower
―Her dependency on cocaine, drinking and pot, but how it was a decade-long addiction to Klonopin that almost killed her
― Nicks’ successful solo career that has her still performing in venues like Madison Square Garden
―The abuse that she suffered and survived from Lindsay Buckingham

This is a must read for any Stevie Nicks fan, it will be released this month. I absolutely love her music, and she really is an inspiration besides a gifted Songwriter, Singer and Icon. There is no wonder that she is often referred to as the, "Queen of  Rock and Roll."

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Summer


The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.

Dr. Seuss




Saturday, February 18, 2017

Fabulous Finds


This is a great time to check out a favorite bookstore and find those rare treasures. What a great way to explore and get lost in a bookstore, that is so unique and special for a day. To me it feels like being "Alice in Wonderland," you never know what you might find around the corner. Hopefully, we will never lose these type of stores are experiences.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Nancy Drew Mystery Puzzle


Love Nancy Drew, and I remember all of the books and even the TV show on Sunday nights. What a great surprise that there is now a puzzle out which showcases, "The Nancy Drew Series" with all the cover art. Puzzles are definitely a must, during the cold winter months, to enjoy when you have to stay inside and keep warm on a snow day.