Megan's Brood- Book One by Roy Burdine - A Review.

Megan's Brood- Book 1

• Series: Megan's Brood (Book 1)
• Author: Roy Burdine
• Illustrator: Shawn McManus 
• Paperback: 107 pages
• Publisher: We Built It Publishing; Book 1 edition (February 28, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1495167763
• ISBN-13: 978-1495167768
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.3 inch

About the Book

New Edition - Featuring 6 New Full Page Illustration Megan's life is uprooted when her family moves to a new house in a far away town where she discovers a tiny brood of mysterious creatures living in the attic. As she raises them each begin to manifest unique traits of their own -- one that blows fire like a dragon, one who sprouts wings and flies, and a girl with a hypnotic singing voice, are just a few among the group. The mystery of where these fantastical creatures come from and what their ultimate purpose might be leads Megan down an exciting path to adventure and discovery (and not just a little danger!) Written by Roy Burdine and beautifully Illustrated by Shawn McManus. (Sandman, Fables)

My Review

This is not a book I would typically pick up. It is dark and brooding, a way that I used to be but no longer am. However, I was intrigued by the concept of the book. Here is a girl, ripped from here school and moved to a new town with her family. In her loneliness, she discovers a brood of creatures to keep her company in her attic room. Adventures ensue when one of the creatures turns against them, but Megan finds her purpose.

While, I have aged out of this story, and I am not a brooding preteen or teen, I have a nine year old that is quickly approaching that brooding stage.  I see glimpses of it after a long day at school. When I look at the beautifully macabre illustrations, I see a reflection of how I was a teenager and know that kids all over will connect with Megan. I am excited that this is a series because the first book was both well written and a fast read. The book has the perfect blend of darkness without being morose, angst without being dangerous, and action without being inappropriate. I can feel comfortable as a parent passing this book along to my daughter knowing she is going to eat it up.

FTC Required Disclosures:
 *I received a review copy from the author free of charge. All opinions expressed in this review represent my honest opinions about the book. **This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase the books through these links, I receive a small portion of the payment, which I use to support this blog. Thanks for your support!

Zen and the Art of Running on Empty

Let me start at the ending. Several months ago, I set a goal for myself to run a marathon in under four hours. Last weekend, I crossed the line in 4 hours and 52 seconds. Sigh.

Don't get me wrong, I know that my time is nothing to be ashamed of, I did pretty well; however those 52 seconds have been taunting me. I keep going over the four hours I spent running around Birmingham thinking of where I could have shaved off the extra time. I stopped to use the port-a-potty. I dropped my iPod at one point. There was that moment during mile 20 that I stopped to stretch my calf muscles. Lots of moments, lots of excuses.

The thing is, this past week as I have been wasting countless seconds worrying about my missing a goal, and indeed I have completely missed the point the past couple of days looking only at the finishing time instead of this amazing experience I have had training for the marathon. Running has been how I have coped with my anxiety, my stress, my writer's block, and my lack of desire to read or do pretty much anything else.

I ran, and I thought.

The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu is credited with saying, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." As a marathon runner, I have to agree with that statement.

Page one of my book. Funny how this reminder keeps popping up today. This is not the first time today I was reminded how lucky I am to breathing.

A photo posted by Jenny (@booksbabiesandbows) on Oct 9, 2015 at 4:00pm PDT

Years ago, I had given up running after completing a lackluster college running. I never was able to run the way I ran in high school. I essentially forgot why I fell in love with running in the first place. Always focused on times, I never could really enjoy the journey. I didn't know how to breathe.

I am no fitness model. I am no superstar. I am just a working mom trying to fit in exercise on a rainy day. Miss M is home sick today, so I opted for running sprints up the hill in our backyard with my favorite running partner- Bretagne. Love this windbreaker from #fila I picked up from @kohls helping me keep dry. #makeyourmove #kohls #running #rescuedog #hills

A photo posted by Jenny (@booksbabiesandbows) on Feb 23, 2016 at 1:22pm PST

However, after reading this book Zen and the Art of Running, I came to peace with running for the love of running. I began to use running to clear my mind, find peace in my heart, and work through my worries. I finally found a way to breathe again.

Post race recovery brought to you today by #drtealsepsomsalt. #runmercedes #running #drteals

A photo posted by Jenny (@booksbabiesandbows) on Feb 16, 2016 at 3:30pm PST

For me, running is healing and a means to finding balance. When there is pain in other aspects of my life, running eases that pain. And when running causes pain, I rely on Dr. Teal's Epsom Salt to ease the pain from running.

The past couple of months, I have had writer's block. Or, maybe it is just a lack of desire to write. Whatever you might call it, it is this feeling where you feel incapable of being creative. I lost myself.

I had no balance.

However, I found a "New Balance" by taking a step outside.

Time to #makeyourmove #marathontraining -love my #newbalance from #kohls

A photo posted by Jenny (@booksbabiesandbows) on Jan 23, 2016 at 11:05am PST

Yes, there were literal and figurative mountains to climb. However, the act of climbing gave me the confidence that I needed to face the challenges of each day.

Just a little hill workout up the mountain.

A photo posted by Jenny (@booksbabiesandbows) on Nov 17, 2015 at 1:21pm PST

There is something about getting down and dirty. After all, don't they say that every flower must grow through dirt? 

Loving the new #asics I got from @kohls today. Broke them in on my trail run Tand took them through mud and rain puddles. Ready to start training for a .marathon now. #runningintherain #kennesawbattlefield #kohls #findyouryes

A photo posted by Jenny (@booksbabiesandbows) on Aug 20, 2015 at 2:21pm PDT

My marathon was really the celebration of my many hours of training, where I learned to keep putting one foot in front of the other until I reached the finish. Knowing I am able to keep moving forward through pain empowers me. And it is also pretty amazing when your child tells you that you are strong.