Get Your Teenager Talking

About the Book:

Are you and your favorite teenager having too many conversations like this?
""How was school?""
""Fine.""
""Soccer practice?""
""Same as always.""
""Anything interesting happen today?""
""Nope.""
""Nice talking with you!"

 Let's face it. Teenagers have a PhD in one-word answers . . . if we don't ask the right questions. In this book, veteran youth expert Jonathan McKee shares 180 creative discussion starters to help teens open up about issues that matter. You'll also find tips for interpreting their responses and follow-up questions. From light-hearted to more serious, these conversation springboards will encourage even the most reluctant teen to talk about friends, school, values, struggles, and much more.

CAFE LILY'S REVIEW:

This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting.  The first six pages explain 5 tips on how to engage your teenager in conversation.  The rest of the book is examples of questions (called spring boards) which give you an idea of what to ask and how to respond, in a conversation with your teenager.

The information is practical but there isn't a ton of "advice" or elaboration.  It is pages of questions such as: 

What is your favorite smell?  Why?

What is the best birthday gift you could ever receive?

What is your favorite site on the Internet?

If you could speak another language, what would it be and why?


This could be helpful if you have NO IDEA what to ask your teenager or talk to them about.  I'm not sure I would recommend this to someone who needed deeper parenting advice and guidance.



 

What Follows After

In 1962, life was simple, the world made sense, and all families were happy. And when they weren't, everyone knew you were supposed to pretend.


For the past year, Scott and Gina Harrison have been living a lie. While they show up at family get-togethers in the same car, they've actually been separated for over a year. To keep up the charade, they've even instructed their sons, Colt and Timmy, to lie--to their
grandparents, their teachers, and their friends.


Colt, for one, has had enough, so he hatches a plan. He and his little brother will run away from their Florida home, head for their aunt's house in Georgia, and refuse to come home until their parents get back together. But when things go terribly, terribly wrong, Scott and Gina must come to grips with years of neglect and mistrust in order to recover their beloved sons, their love for one another, and their marriage.


In this emotional story, bestselling author Dan Walsh takes you on a journey to rediscover the things that matter most in life--love, truth, and family. With profound insight into the heart of a hurting child, he reminds us that a time will come to look back on hard times
and smile, because we'll know that what follows after . . . is not what we expected at all.



 Cafe Lily's Review:

This is my top pick so far, for your 2014 "must read" summer vacation.  

This book was amazing. I feel like I write that after every book I read by this author, but its true.

His books are easy to sink into. They are complex and at times dramatic, yet at the same time, relevant and easy to relate to. While reading this book, I feared the worst for this family. Dan Walsh writes with such emotion that you can't help but connect with his characters.

I felt like I was right there with this family throughout the entire story. I was so engrossed, that I completely lost track of time while reading this book. I highly recommend all of Dan's books - I have YET to read one that I don't enjoy.
 

For Such A Time

 

From Goodreads:

In 1944, blonde and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. 

However, in order to survive and maintain her cover as Aric's secretary, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz. Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths and sympathies, Stella cautiously appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. Aric's compassion gives her hope, and she finds herself battling a growing attraction for this man she knows she should despise as an enemy. Stella pours herself into her efforts to keep even some of the camp's prisoners safe, but she risks the revelation of her true identity with every attempt. 

When her bravery brings her to the point of the ultimate sacrifice, she has only her faith to lean upon. Perhaps God has placed her there for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she is unable to save herself?

Cafe Lily's Review:

This book was AMAZING!   It was hard to believe this is the author's first novel!  It is so well written, intense and complex - I literally could not put it down.  Kate's writing is so descriptive that I had very vivid images in my mind while reading.

The story appears to be a light comparison of the Biblical account of Esther.  Readers need to keep in mind this is fiction and the author takes several creative liberties.  The Biblical account stays in the background as a gentle reminder while the historical fiction takes over.  I highly recommend reading the author's note since she talks about which parts of this story are fiction, and the details she altered to suit her storyline.

I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to read more from Kate Breslin!