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<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

With 25th December fast approaching, what better book to read than one full of Christmas stories? <i>My True Love Gave To Me </i>is a selection of twelve winter romances (twelve stories, twelve days of Christmas…) by a handful of well-known authors of young adult literature. Stephanie Perkins, author of <i>Anna and the French Kiss</i>, is the editor of this festive volume and also includes her own short story along with Holly Black, Ally Carter, Gayle Forman and Rainbow Rowell, to name a few.

Aimed at teenaged girls or young adults, the stories focus on characters between the ages of 15 and 19, usually in a contemporary setting. Some are written as romances that just so happen to occur at Christmas time, whereas others use Christmas as a main focal point. Naturally there are a couple of tales that are pure fantasy with magic, Santa and elves, but they all involve romance.

What is great about incorporating twelve authors into one book is the various ideas about what Christmas means to different people. For some it is about family whereas other’s it is about the birth of Jesus. Authors also explore the difficulties some people face as well as what people who do not celebrate do. The stories are diverse including characters from all types of background – race, religion and sexuality.

My favourite story from this selection was by David Levithan. Unlike most of the others, it was not a story about falling in love. The main character already had a boyfriend who he (yes, HE) loved. The tale focused on what people do for love as well as keeping the magic of Christmas alive for others.

For those wanting to read something festive, this is the book for you. Its short stories let you dip in and out during this busy period meaning you can enjoy both reading and celebrating at the same time.
  
I Remember Yesterday by Donna Summer
I Remember Yesterday by Donna Summer
1977 | Dance
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"The reason I’ve chosen the Donna Summer album is not truly because it is a record I’ve played a lot. There is one song on it that changed my career. It’s a song that changed a lot of people’s perceptions of music and it’s, obviously, ‘I Feel Love’. I remember when I first heard ‘I Feel Love’, it sounded alien. I hadn’t heard anything like that before. There wasn’t anything like that before. Somebody had the forethought and the invention to actually come up with something with electronic sequencing that people could dance to. It pulsated in a different way. That person was Giorgio Moroder. I am very grateful to Giorgio Moroder for inventing this way of thinking and for the other records he’s made. I think he is a terrific talent and I loved the work he did on a lot of movie soundtracks, particularly Midnight Express and Cat People. I have all his work. ‘I Feel Love’ was visionary – that’s all I can say about it. The song, along with The Sparks’ album Moroder did [No. 1 In Heaven], was the sort of sound I wanted to make. I was just learning electronic music and how to sequence things. Without a doubt, between Moroder and Kraftwerk, those were the people leading the way – that paved the streets for me. Without ‘I Feel Love’ there wouldn’t be a lot of electronic dance music. That’s the DNA we all used. Moroder, for me, had a period where he was defining the future and it was very unnoticed by a lot of people, perhaps because he was more of a producer than a writer of a lot of songs. As for I Remember Yesterday, it’s a funny album as half of it is electronic and brilliant and the other half is very traditional and is okay. It’s a strange balance but a very important album because of that track."

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    Topface: Meet &amp; Date

    Topface: Meet & Date

    Social Networking and Lifestyle

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    Topface - International dating service. Topface allows you to find interesting people, girls, and...

The Door (Seventh Dimenson #1)
The Door (Seventh Dimenson #1)
Lorilyn Roberts | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Religion
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Shale Snyder is a troubled teenager. Her father left her mother when she was little, she has alienated almost all of the other children around her and has problems at school. Following yet another incident she is suspended and feels totally cast adrift. At this point she finds a door and hears a voice calling her to enter...

There is quite a clever concept at the heart of this book; that the Holy Land at the time of Jesus is a sort of dimensional nexus where those who are called can travel and gain spiritual help for themselves as well as the other travellers. It is a fine blending of both science fiction and Christian concepts.

There is also much of The Pilgrim's Progress about this, with Shale's journey and the characters she meets. And although she is living near Nazareth and does encounter Jesus (and other people mentioned in the bible) the religious side is not forced but comes naturally from the narrative. There is also a fair smattering of The Wizard of Oz, as the dimensional copy of the Holy Land from 2000 years ago also contains versions of people that Shale knows from home.

The result is a book that shows how even a little faith by someone as lost as Shale can give her the will to turn her life around and make herself and those around her better people. It is a very positive message, though not gained without significant trials.

There are a couple of negatives. Sometimes the narrative thread can be a little confusing, a side-effect of the dimension-hopping aspect of the story. Also some of the characters appear to serve little purpose, but perhaps as this is the first of a series they will come into play in later books. There is also one comment from her friend Daniel (another traveller from modern-day Israel) that did concern me, I hope this is due to his personal experience rather than a theme of future books.

Overall this is an engrossing read, managing to deliver a positive Christian message without labouring the point and providing a good story arc for Shale to keep the reader invested in the story
  
    Swapcard

    Swapcard

    Business and Productivity

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The Purge: Election Year (2016)
The Purge: Election Year (2016)
2016 | Action, Horror, Mystery
Sen Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) was the only member of her family to survive the Purge as a youth. Years later she runs on the platform of ending the Purge and exposing the various factors and rationale in its implementation and continuance. She and many others see the Purge as nothing more than a way for the powers that be and the wealthy to stay in power at the expense of the poor and people of color. As the Purge approaches, the American people are being torn as to the direction that their nation should take. The New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) see the threat that Sen. Roan poses and seek out to use the annual purge as a way to rid themselves of her and those that seek to change the system that they have put into place.

Purge: Election Year is not about mindless killing as those who are unfamiliar with the series would assume. The films are a mirror being held back on American Society to make us think about what we would do in similar situations if faced with them. The horror of the film is not in the shocking scenes, violence, or gore. What we can find to be truly scary is that many people only need to be given the option of financial gain or the removal of any repercussions in order to engage in such nefarious activity. The Purge: Election Year allows us to live vicariously through the trauma presented on-screen and the ability to leave at any time that we feel too uncomfortable with what is being presented. The films, especially this third iteration demonstrates to its audience what class warfare looks like and what happens when the populace is truly deceived by its media and politicians. It is a true dystopian reality that some people might welcome for all the wrong reasons.

The action of the film is inventive. The plot is on par with what you would expect for an action-horror film. It is the touch of reality and characters that are not limited to two dimensions that truly allows the film to create a deeper connection with the audience so they find themselves rooting for the “good guys” to not just win, but to survive the night. Viewers and fans of action, horror, political drama, and suspense will all be satisfied with The Purge: Election Year. Fans new and old of this franchise will leave theaters hoping for this to become a lasting franchise that has fresh ideas and storylines each time.
  
    Makes you fall asleep

    Makes you fall asleep

    Lifestyle and Health & Fitness

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    --- This application makes you fall asleep. --- This application is the 2nd phase of "Sleep...