Books with author Mimi Carpenter

Las Vegas really is unique in so many ways. One of them is that its history is equally short and intense and can be told through the birth and demise of the resorts that dot the Strip, the rise and fall of its industry titans. The casino industry, that is. Following this common thread, we'll get to know the vast majority of casino hotels built along Las Vegas Boulevard South, the most celebrated and most visited stretch of asphalt on Earth, starting in 1941 with the El Rancho Vegas. Great emphasis will be given to the key players in the triumph of this oasis of fun in the middle of nowhere, the dreamers that made a town that's the stuff of dreams. Jay Sarno, Howard Hughes, Kirk Kerkorian, Bill Bennett, Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson are their names. Mind you: this is not a travel guide. In fact, it is so much more than that.

In life, we are all bound to get our share of lemons. It is inevitable! At some points in life, it can feel like we are getting dumped on and get more than our fair share of troubles. This is just as true for kids as it is for adults. While everyone's "lemons" are different, we all can struggle and feel down. We may try to hide troubles and hope they will go away on their own. As troubles pile up, we start to juggle them and often try to handle them on our own.The story uses metaphors to remind us how to handle our lemons in positive ways. Making some delicious recipes to share with friends encourages you to find the silver lining in the toughest of situations. Sharing with others brings joy and connection to lead the path to brighter days. Sometimes it is impossible to see the bright side of a bad situation. In these times, squeezing the lemon juice on other fruit to bring the natural sweetness out refers to the gift of perspective and appreciation for the blessings in life that can be so easily taken for granted.Above all else, this book is an uplifting and encouraging way to share a story with a child or a friend to start conversations about trusting in God and reaching out to each other in life's difficult times. We must always remember that God will answer our prayers, just not always in the way we want him to. He is always there and promises to help us through.Isaiah 41:10, says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Ever wonder what became of the dreams you once had? Fancy Moonstruck can tell you. Fancy is supposed to steal dreams. It's what her family does for a living, and now that she's 15, the job is hers. It's a job she'd rather not have. She knows first-hand what dreams mean to the dreamer because she dreams of her mom, who died five years ago. Losing her dream would be like losing her mom all over again. That's a pain Fancy doesn't want to inflict on anyone. But the rules are clear: Steal a dream - or lose her own.

Las Vegas really is unique in so many ways. One of them is that its history is equally short and intense and can be told through the birth and demise of the resorts that dot the Strip, the rise and fall of its industry titans. The casino industry, that is. Following this common thread, we'll get to know the vast majority of casino hotels built along Las Vegas Boulevard South, the most celebrated and most visited stretch of asphalt on Earth, starting in 1941 with the El Rancho Vegas. Great emphasis will be given to the key players in the triumph of this oasis of fun in the middle of nowhere, the dreamers that made a town that's the stuff of dreams. Jay Sarno, Howard Hughes, Kirk Kerkorian, Bill Bennett, Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson are their names. Mind you: this is not a travel guide. In fact, it is so much more than that.

Bad luck comes in threes:1 - You're dying…2 - You're being framed for murder…3 - Everything you ever believed is a lie…Half Italian, half Jew, all bulldog; Teo Borelli is at the top of his game. He's overcome horrific circumstances to build a successful business and a happy life with his loving fiancé.He is living the dream until a single word from his doctor shatters his world: "Terminal". His bright future gone, the pains of his past reawaken long dormant emotions – rage, hatred, loneliness, profound disappointment; all the result of his mother Eden's incomprehensibly selfish decision to end her life.With his time short, he embarks on a pilgrimage to reconcile Eden's decades-old self-immolation but along the way he uncovers a web of lies surrounding her death. A cadre of small-town yokels, whose intertwined lives obscure a sordid history, morph his simple quest for closure into a life and death struggle. Deceit, blackmail, sex and greed drive events that turn deadly in rapid-fire succession as Teo struggles to stay alive and out of jail long enough to find a sibling who shouldn't exist and a truth that's as elusive as his salvation.

Martha Mae leaned heavily on Lily, even though she was the youngest of her nine children. Being the sole supporter of the family, Martha Mae didn't think she had a choice as she intended to keep her family together no matter the cost. Lily's saving grace was her friend Tommy and his wonderful mother. Lily had always believed she would grow up and marry Tommy but things happened to her in her early teens to make her feel she was no longer good enough to be in Tommy's family. Lily turned to drugs and alcohol to help her cope with her tormented mind and hardships. Lily finally escaped Martha Mae's heavy load by marrying Jed. Less than a year later she gave birth to Jeddah. For a while Jeddah was enough to keep her occupied and sober but life has a way of testing all of us and Lily was no exception. As her closest brother Leon lay in ICU struggling for his life Tommy was thrown back into Lily's life. She had almost forgotten the young girl she use to be and how she had loved him, he hadn't forgotten and he was still very much in love with her. What would she do? Would she forfeit her marriage and jeopardize Jeddah's happiness? Would she walk away from Tommy never knowing what could've been, should've been? As she looks back over her life, did she make the right decision or will she always live with regret? Doesn't Lily resemble all of us to some degree?

Until the first spooky visit, ten year old Chrysantha Howe doesn't think about ghosts. She thinks about plants.All.The.Time.She has her future planned out, and that future includes plants. Chrys is going to be a plant scientist like her uncle and her favorite teacher, and she's determined to find the very rare Coralroot orchid.The ghost is not in the plan.But when her teacher disappears and the police suspect her uncle was involved, Chrys has to figure out what the ghost is trying to tell her—before it's too late.