Ballet is one of those things that you either love or hate. I’m a fence sitter to say the very least and my dance style boarders on a spider on a hot tin roof, and can in no way be mistaken for grace or beauty. However, I know the behind the scenes world of ballet is pretty cut-throat and nasty, which always makes for a great suspense novel. Black Swan anyone?

Dance of Shadows isn’t a typical boarding school/ university novel. Sure it has the stereo typical hazing, the secret society and the new girl falling for the cutest guy in school; but this one had me questioning the motives of the lead character.

Vanessa is living in the shadow of her sister, Margaret, who went missing from the New York Ballet Academy years before this story is set. She dons the point shoes and pliës her way into the academy, not believing that Margaret could have just run away. What she discovers will clear her sister’s name and open up a huge can of worms for the NYBA.

My issue was with Vanessa’s single-minded working to get into the NYBA, just to find her sister and then still having enough mental capacity to fall in love, go to classes and dance so well. I find it hard to believe anyone would get as far in a profession that is so difficult to break into in the first place.

The mystery elements in the story were entertaining. The characters and the settings were as you would expect. The rest is all just a little predictable.

What isn’t predictable is the cover art. A beautifully posed dancer with red petals making her costume is rather special but things get very interactive. Once you download the free app and hover your smart phone over the cover, the dancer comes alive. If you get the book and do this please let us know what it’s like.

If you liked the movie Black Swan, and enjoy boarding school novels, this one is perfect for you.

Twitter name: TheYelenaBlack

Paperback, UK, 369 pages

Published February 14th 2013 by Bloomsbury (first published February 12th 2013)

ISBN: 1408829975 (ISBN13: 9781408829974)

Welcome to Life with Lisa!

Recently I saw this post on a few different blogs that I followed and decided to make my own, and share it here on Burn Bright. Feel free, as always, to comment down below with the ten books that you just HAD to have, and still haven’t read them.

1. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.

“Survival. Of the fittest.

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.
What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program – or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan – or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.”

2. The Replacement, by Brenna Yovanoff.

“Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement-left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate’s baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.”

3. Angel Burn, by L.A. Weatherly.

“Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L..A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip – and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

They’re out for your soul . . . and they don’t have heaven in mind.”

4. Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children.

“A mysterious island.
An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

”

5. Firelight, by Sophie Jordan.

“A hidden truth.

Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki, a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will’s dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away;if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She’ll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.”

6. Wither, by Lauren DeStefano.

“By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape–before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden’s servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?”

7. Fever, by Lauren DeStefano.

“Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.
Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago – surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous – and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion…by any means necessary.”

8. Fat Vampire, by Adam Rex.

“Doug Lee is undead quite by accident–attacked by a desperate vampire, he finds himself cursed with being fat and fifteen forever. When he has no luck finding some goth chick with a vampire fetish, he resorts to sucking the blood of cows under cover of the night. But it’s just not the same.

Then he meets the new Indian exchange student and falls for her–hard. Yeah, he wants to bite her, but he also wants to prove himself to her. But like the laws of life, love, and high school, the laws of vampire existence are complicated–it’s not as easy as studying Dracula. Especially when the star of Vampire Hunters is hot on your trail in an attempt to boost ratings. . . .”

9. Halo, by Alexandra Adornetto.

An angel is sent to Earth on a mission. But falling in love is not part of the plan.

Three angels – Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human – are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.

Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them. Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong.

The angel’s mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?”

10. Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini.

“How do you defy destiny?
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it’s getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she’s haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they’re destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.”

Thanks for stopping by!

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch–a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood–or else she might be next.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood SBN #9781921518911

Sydney takes a huge leap into the world of magic in this third instalment of the Bloodlines series. This is directly against everything she has been taught as an Alchemist.

In book 2, she was told a rumour about a rogue Alchemist, Marcus Finch. It’s absolutely unheard of in her world for anybody to leave the group and she finds herself wanting to find Marcus. He just may have some of the answers she has been looking for. But in the meantime, she has been pulled into the world of magic by one of her teachers, and this has put her in danger. There is somebody out there killing witches and growing stronger by taking their power.

One thing that has been a constant in the writing of this series is the pacing of the novels. They all have a gradual build up to a big event and a surprise ending to enter into the next story. The relationships between the characters is growing stronger with each book as well. Although now that Sydney is not Jill’s main protector, some of the school friends are not seen as much in this book as the first two. The focus of the story is on Marcus Finch and her growing relationship with the vampire Adrian – yet another thing that is frowned upon by the Alchemist group (fraternizing with vampires).

The growing relationship between Adrian and Sydney is just part of the character growth that we see within Sydney. In The Indigo Spell Sydney shows the most developed and biggest changes to her character. Not only questioning what she really believes in (as opposed to what she has been taught) and she learns to follow her heart over her mind. She has a huge tendency to over-think things because she is unsure and scared of the consequences. She really is at college age at this time and I was very happy to see her discover her truths.

Just as the Vampire Academy Series is highly addictive, this book as made this series addictive for me. In the first two books I was exploring the world and who the characters are, but now we see a huge leap of faith in our main character Sydney, and I’m rooting for her. I find her very strong and becoming more determined each book. They are fun, with great pacing and I love the suspenseful build up to see where each book will take us.

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that my first picture book is being released by UK-based publisher Books To Treasure this year.

Most of you probably aren’t even aware that I have a number of children’s publications to my name. Indeed, writing for primary school children was my first love. I’ve also written a number of children’s picture book manuscripts and had a dream to publish one of them but it never happened as I got sidetracked into writing for adults.

My dream has finally been realised when Books To Treasure publisher, Adrianne Fitzpatrick gave my story Serious Sas and Messy Magda the nod. This was made all the more meaningful by the fact that Adrianne taught me most everything I know about children’s writing over a decade ago, back when she ran classes.

She’s gone on to have a long career as an editor in Australia and the UK and now has her own publishing house.

In the coming weeks I’ll be able to share the cover with you, but for now please join me in a cheer and the knowledge that when dreams do come true it feels as good as you imagined it would!

I’ll update you with release date and buy details in due course. I’m so excited that I’ll be able to share the book with all my new great nieces and nephews.

Come one, come all!! Welcome to my review of Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles!

Gulping down the three books in the Perfect Chemistry series (Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction and Chain Reaction), I still didn’t have enough. I loved Simone Elkeles, her writings style, and the way she built relationships between her characters. On my hunt for more, I learned that she had another series out called Leaving Paradise, which I was dying to get my hands on!

“Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad—her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares—has been canceled.

After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free . . . if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers.

Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as “criminal” and “freak.” Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other.”

Leaving Paradise changes points of view in every chapter, going back and forth between the two main characters, Maggie and Caleb, which allowed the reader to really get into their heads, see what they’re thinking and learn what the truth is.

Having spent the last few months in juvenile prison, due to the accident, Caleb’s release day had finally arrived, but upon his arrival, nothing is the same. Not his sister, who has gone Goth and barely talks to him, his dad who doesn’t take the lead, nor his mom, who is doing drugs.

Just like Caleb, Maggie’s life has changed from a year ago. After months of being in the hospital and physical therapy, Maggie is finally out of her wheelchair and is able to walk again, but now with a limp.

Hearing that Caleb is back in town, Maggie starts to worry, and both try their best to avoid one another. But staying away from someone, who lives in the same small town, and goes to the same school, can be pretty hard to do.  Maggie and Caleb both start working for the same elderly lady; Maggie doing any housework that Ms Reynolds needs help with, and Caleb building her a gazebo in her backyard.

Spending so much time together, and having no one else to turn to with their pain, the two become very close, and two people who hated and blamed each, gradually come to have feelings for one another.

Simone Elkeles always has romantic twists for her characters as well as her readers. Instead of being “love at first sight”, its hate, common ground, and then finally love, which is what I really like about this series, and the Perfect Chemistry series. I feel that real love isn’t at first sight, it happens gradually over time.

Both Maggie and Caleb were easy to relate to, and down to earth. They act like normal teenagers would, especially in such a situation; they aren’t over dramatic, or too love-dovey, which is one of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed reading more and more about them.

The book does leave off with a little bit of a cliff-hanger, because Caleb has yet to confess the truth about the night of the accident, but it’s a great stepping stone into the second book, Return To Paradise!

The story was fantastic, the two main characters were perfect, and I absolutely loved the ending and the way things worked out for Maggie and Caleb! Overall the book was good, and finishing it up, I am excited to read Return To Paradise.

Bel:

Cover

I deliberately got the UK cover because I think it was prettier. It has foil work and yep, pretty much everything else is the same. Love me some foil. Shiny!

Characters

I think the theme this year is blurring the lines between good and evil. So much potential for nasty people here, and then, I can’t say to much more or else there will be spoilers.

Favourite

I’m going to pick the same one as I am guessing both Krista and Lisa will pick… COLE!!! Just cause he’s *sigh* Cole.

Least Favourite

Wren and Poppy. What a pair of fair weather friends.

Beginning

Alice begs her parents to take them all to Emma’s ballet recital. Thing go from bad to worse and Ali’s life will never be the same again.

Storyline

Ali has to try and fit in at a new school after moving in with her Grandparents. Friends are made, lust is in the air and what on earth was that smell in the backyard?

Ending

You won’t guess it, and I’m not telling. ENJOY!

Thoughts

Zombies, I thought, what on earth are the other girls making me read this month? However, I kept the hope alive because Gena Showalter’s books have kept me company on many a late night. She certainly didn’t disappoint this time around and now I’m gonna be twiddling my thumbs waiting for the next book in The White Rabbit Chronicles, Through the Zombie Glass. Thank goodness there was as much romance as there was fighting and the restless dead, because Gena is a master at romance writing.

Quote

“I can’t promise we’ll ever use you for a hasty getaway,” Cole said, “but with a little work, you might be able to race my grandmother-while she’s on her scooter.”

Krista:

Cover

I was instantly attracted to the cover of this book, the colors and details really stand out. Beautiful dress and I love black covers on books. The summary sounded amazing – a heroine to root for. I was expecting a re-telling of Alice in Wonderland, but this is its own and completely different story with very little similarities to the world of Wonderland, if at all.

Characters

There are a lot of characters in this one, but it mostly focuses directly with the relationship between Cole and Alice. So not too overwhelming.

Favourite

Cole definitely grew on me by the end of the book (complete hot-ness factor) but my favourite character was Kat. She liked to tease, but was never brutal, mean or a bully. I liked her because of her completely honest way of looking at herself and situations, always telling it how it is, and with humour.

Least Favourite

This may be a shocker, but I didn’t like Justin. Thrown in as a possible love interest at first, I feel like we never got to know him. Thus he was no competition at all for Cole as far as a relationship. And we didn’t get to know him on a personal level, he was too shy and didn’t play a big enough part for me to feel he was needed. I thought his sister played a better role than he did and we get less of her than we do of him in the pages. But she made a bigger impact to the storyline and the scenes that she is in.

Beginning

There is a little bit of background story in the first couple chapters explaining Alice and her life with her parents and sister before the accident. But then the first half of the novel really focuses on the romance she forms with the bad boy Cole. Cole’s name was mentioned more in this book than the word, monster or zombie.

Storyline

Alice’s father has always been paranoid and never lets them out at night because of the danger/creatures that roam around. Her mother seems mostly distracted and worried about her alcoholic father rather than caring for the children as she should (forgetting birthdays etc) When Alice runs a guilt trip on them for her birthday a horrible accident happens and she loses them. Now, having to move in with her grandparents and going to her parents old school, she learns more about the hidden dangers that killed her family, and meets Cole, dangerous, brooding and hot! Alice decides that she wants revenge on the creatures that ruined her families life, and she is willing to fight and put her own life on the line to get it.

Ending

Although it didn’t end with a cliff-hanger, you can get glimpses of where the ending is heading throughout the story. There are several hints dropped, maybe to prepare the reader for the decisions that she must make.

Thoughts

I agree here with Belinda that when it comes to romance, this author knows how to write it well. And I would suggest that readers interested in this book should be more of a romance reader than a horror reader, because as somebody who does not like romance, I was disappointed with how much time was spent on the relationship aspect. Also for those that are looking for a traditional Zombie, you won’t get that either. The author has put a twist in the story that seemed a little religious to me and as somebody who was looking for some good old fashioned Zombies, I wasn’t a fan of how they were portrayed here, or the way they had to be battled, or how not enough people died. I can say that I’ve never read anything like it before and she really has a way with dialogue, banter, humour and dynamics between the characters. It was what kept me reading.

Quote

“As you so eloquently pointed out in the forest, I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but we almost…you know… in public!”

“You know. That’s what you call it?”

Was that amusement in his tone? “Do you want me to punch you in the face?”

“No, I want you to be still and listen to me.”

“That’s not happening.” He sighed, a wary sound. “Even if I promise not to you know in public again?”

Lisa:

Cover

Never really having seen the cover before, I actually went to my local library to go pick up the book and I was amazed!! It isn’t shiny, covered in gold or glitter, but there’s a tremendous amount of detail and thought put into it. Not only is the cover amazing, but also the back and the inside.

Characters

Overall, I found the characters to be really unique and interesting. Sometimes a little too lovey dovey and mushy, and other times a little too “hardcore”. But I really liked the main characters Alice and Cole, I liked their friends, and I even liked Alice’s grandparents and their “talks”!

Favorite/Least Favorite

Alice in Zombieland didn’t have any characters that I disliked, or found annoying, so I don’t actually have a least favourite. I did feel that the connection between Cole and Alice was a little over done, and too lovey dovey for me. For goodness sake, they barely know each other, and he’s already telling her what to do, and what he needs to do to “protect” her! Another thing I found a irritating about Cole was that he didn’t know what he wanted, one minute he wanted to be with Alice, the next he didn’t. Make a decision and stick to it!!

I do have to say, there were a lot of times that Cole’s over-protectiveness was cute, and Alice’s fantasies were interesting, and in the end I really enjoyed the two, and the way they were, when they were with one another.

Beginning

The story starts on Alice’s Birthday (that her parents forgot all about), and like any other day, she isn’t allowed to leave the house once its dark, and her family isn’t going to her little sister’s, ballet recital. Finally having talked her parents into letting them attend, the night turns bad within the blink of an eye.

Middle

After having lost her sister and parents, Alice moves in with grandparents, lives in a new house, that isn’t zombie-proof. She goes to a different school where she meets Cole and has an instant connection. As she learns more about this bad boy, and his mysterious friends, Alice find out that she isn’t the only one fighting the zombies.

End

I hate reviewing this part, because I always feel like I’m giving too much away, if I haven’t already…

Deciding to join Cole and his friends on their hunt for zombies, Alice realizes that her dad was right about everything, and that she is a lot stronger and more powerful than she thought she was. With the help of Cole, she begins her training to hunt and kill zombies…even if they are her family.

Overall Thoughts

…uhhhhh… LOVED IT, COULDN’T GET ENOUGH, AND CANT WAIT TO GET THE NEXT BOOK!!!

Welcome to Life with Lisa!

With Valentines Day just around the corner, what better than to make a few Life with Lisa dedicated to one of my favourite holiday? The holiday of LOVE!

And just because you’re not dating anyone, or living the single life, doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate like everyone else. You don’t need a husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend; you have brothers, sisters, aunts, moms, dads, and even grandpas that you could do something special for!

So here are a few small gift ideas for HER!

#1. Yes, it is her best friend; jewellery.

A few different types of jewellery could include a necklace, earrings, a or even a best friends bracelet, but before buying any one of these, make sure she actually wears them! If you don’t see her wearing earrings don’t buy any for her. Maybe she doesn’t even have her ears pierced. Also make sure the jewellery fits her style, don’t buy a chunky necklace, when she only wears small and dainty ones.

#2. Flowers!

Maybe ask her beforehand which flowers are her favourite, if you don’t know. My best recommendation would be roses, or any flowers that smell really good. Again, a precaution before purchasing, is make sure that she isn’t allergic to the type of flower you’re buying her.

#3. Chocolate! Strawberries!

Most girls love chocolate, or chocolate covered strawberries! But if she doesn’t pick up her favourite candy or snack instead!

#4. Take her out.

If you don’t really know what she likes, just take her out to do something fun. A movie, dinner, coffee, or just shopping! Do what SHE likes to do!

If you guys have any other suggestions, comment down below!

The tour stopped at Dark Matter Fanzine yesterday to talk about Varonessa and today we’re at The Book Probe chatting about the Ripers.

The tour has been so much fun, and it’s given me a chance to share with you some of my inner musings about the series. Feel free to give me feedback on how you’ve found it? Has it been interesting?

Also, I’d like to share link to some great reviews coming through, particularly the on from Karen Brooks, one of my favourite reviewers.

Check these Shine Light reviews out:

Confessions of a Booky Monster

Karen Brooks

Tsana Reads

and a new one for Burn Bright:

Shaheen

Welcome to another episode of Liiiiiife with Liiiisa!! Hosted by Lisa herself!

Thank you, thank you!

We all know that the holidays are coming up fast, and that means, delicious food, family and friends, fun, gifts, decorations, and so much more! I LOVE the summer, I love laying out in the middle of the day reading a book, with my two dogs right next two me, enjoying the warm sun, and just being outside. But I also really enjoy the fall and winter time! There is so much to look forward to, and this month I’m letting you in on all the things I have planned, with the fall, Halloween and my birthday coming up!

(And this post itself, is just to let you know of the fun things and Life with Lisas coming up!)

Usually I wouldn’t plan out all the things I do, because usually they’re just a spur of the moment. But this year I did, so I could share with you guys, and maybe give you a few ideas for the holidays (:

So here are the posts and what I hope to include in each:

-Trick or Treating/Costume (The meaning of Halloween, Trick or Treating, and Costume Ideas)

-Haunted House (Haunted Houses and possibly Pumpkin Patches, I plan on going to)

-Carving Pumpkins/Decorating (Pumpkin purchasing, carving, designs, and decorating my back porch!)

-Baking/Goodies (3 Dessert Recipes, possibly goodie bags!)

-My Birthday (Anything! My cake, dinner, gifts, what my family, friends and boyfriend has planned, etc)

I hope you’ll be joining me in this crazy busy month, and maybe get a few ideas from these next few Life with Lisa segments! If you have any other ideas, for posts, or things I could add to posts, please let me know down in the comments!