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Monday, December 31, 2012

2012 A Year In Retrospect


2012 brought a year of changes for me. While my children were growing up, I only ever worked part time usually leaving a lot of time to devour the books I love so much. Once my son graduated and went into the Navy and my daughter was finishing up middle school and started high school, I went back to work full time. Cutting my reading time way back. As a result my blog doesn't get updated as much as I would like and I don't get to read near the amount of books I would like to read.

Fast forward to July. I made the crazy decision to go back to school. So come September I started school by taking one class while waiting for financial aid to come in. Next week I start my first full term at school. Not only will I be working full time, I will now be going to school full time as well. Quite the load I have taken on. Some days I think I'm nuts for taking on such a load.

So what does this mean. Simply put my reading for enjoyment is going to lessen a bit more and my posts will be slower than before. I'm not shutting down my blog. I'm not ready to close that chapter of my life. Too much hard work and sweat put in here to put it away just yet.

I'll be around just not as much as past years.

I hope everyone has had a great holiday season and I hope for a wonderful year to come.

Happy New Years All!!


Sunday, December 30, 2012

Nobody Had To Know - Blog Tour

Nobody Has To Know - Frank Nappi (Blog Tour)

Summary:

Nobody Has To Know, Frank Nappi's dark and daring new thriller, tells the story of Cameron Baldridge, a popular high school teacher whose relationship with one of his students leads him down an unfortunate and self-destructive path. Stalked through text-messages, Baldridge fights for his life against a terrifying extortion plot and the forces that threaten to expose him. 

Nobody Has To Know is a sobering look into a world of secrets, lies, and shocking revelations, and will leave the reader wondering many things, including whether or not you can ever really know the person you love.

My Thoughts:

This book pulled me in quickly and the story line kept my interest. The book moved quickly and was easy to follow with. If I had any real complaints it would be Cameron, I just despise him. It made it hard to read at some points and I would have to put the book down. I always came back though. I just had to know how it ended. All in all not a bad read.


Frank Nappi's Bio: 
frank.jpg
Frank Nappi has taught high school English and Creative Writing for over twenty years. His debut novel, Echoes From The Infantry, received national attention, including MWSA's silver medal for outstanding fiction. His follow-up novel,The Legend of Mickey Tussler, garnered rave reviews as well, including a movie adaptation of the touching story "A Mile in His Shoes" starring Dean Cain and Luke Schroder. Frank continues to produce quality work, includingSophomore Campaign, the intriguing sequel to the much heralded original story, and is presently at work on a third installment of the unique series. Frank lives on Long Island with his wife Julia and their two sons, Nicholas and Anthony.

Relevant Links:

Tuesday, December 25, 2012



I hope everyone's day is filled with lots of love and joy!!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Just One Day - A Review

Just One Day - Gayle Forman (publisher)

Synopsis:
A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay
When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.
Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

My Thoughts:
A wonderful journey of far away lands, love, friendships, and most importantly, self discovery. 

On her trip to Europe Allyson meets and does the one thing she never does. She lets loose. She throws caution to the wind and travels to Paris with a guy she met for only moments the night before. Williem is a free spirit who seems to just roam though life. I think it's an interesting but lonely way to live. During the course of the day and night Allyson falls in love with Williem. By morning, he was gone..

What we get next is a year of watching Allyson mourn hide and with the help of some friends she very slowly makes at college. We get to watch Allyson discover who she really is. 

I enjoyed this book. The characters were vivid and interesting. Allyson drove me a bit crazy at times but I think that's because of her youth and immaturity. Considering that, watching her grow as a person was interesting. I think Dee was my favorite character. He is the guy she picked in her Shakespeare class to partner with.  He is flamboyantly wonderful and I would love to have a friend like him. I like Williem too even if we only met for a short while. I look forward to reading his story next year. 

If you're a fan of Gayle Forman, you won't be disappointed. If you've never read one of her books, you should.

Author's Website: Gayle Forman


Sunday, December 16, 2012

What Are You Reading


It's Monday. What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the week:
Notorious Nineteen - Janet Evanovich



Books I am reading this week:
Just One Day - Gayle Forman

Books to Finish This week:
Just One Day - Gayle Forman

Sunday, December 9, 2012

What Are You Reading


It's Monday. What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the week:
None. Almost finished Notorious Nineteen. Just haven't had time to just sit and finish it up.


Books I am reading this week:
Notorious Nineteen - Janet Evanovich
Just One Day - Gayle Forman

Books to Finish This week:
Notorious Nineteen - Jane Evanovich


Sunday, December 2, 2012

What Are You Reading


It's Monday. What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the week:
Annie on My Mind - Nancy Gardner
Pages for You - Sylvia Brownrigg
Italian for Beginners - Kristin Harmel


Books I am reading this week:
Notorious Nineteen - Janet Evanovich

Books to Finish This week:
Notorious Nineteen - Jane Evanovich

Been missing from the blog for past couple of weeks. Work has just gotten insane and by the time I get home from work, I'm off to the gym and then I get to sit for a couple hours and try to unwind before I rinse and repeat. Not a whole lot of time to read or blog currently. I hope work will slow down in a few weeks and I can be back around more. 

Friday, November 16, 2012

John Barlow Guest Post


ISLANDERS, the new YA novel by John Barlow

My first YA novel, ISLANDERS, is out today. It took quite a few years to write, and I almost didn’t publish it. At various times over the last few years I thought it was finished, only to return the manuscript to a drawer and wait. I don’t know why, really. I never even showed it to my agent.

Inevitably, things started to get in the way--work, other books, kids, life--but something always told me to hang onto this novel and give it some time. I never stopped thinking about it, wondering how to improve things, to perfect its dystopian world and make the plot-arc that runs through it compelling. I knew the story itself was good, but I also knew it still needed some work.

Early this year I had a little free time, so I got ISLANDERS out and read it again. It was better than I remembered. So I decided to re-write it, taking bits out and tightening the storyline, making the action a little faster and the characters work off each other more effectively. After that I uploaded it to my Sony Reader and sat down to read it as a novel, in one go. I really liked it. Then, on a whim, I sent it to all the YA-aged people I knew. The response was good, and I began to wonder whether I should in fact publish it.

I did another re-write (yes, I like re-writing) and got more opinions. Even my parents liked it. My dad said he felt embarrassed how much he enjoyed a novel for people 60 years his junior! That was the clincher. If a seventy-five year-old ‘young adult’ liked it, perhaps it was ready. I sent a synopsis to a cover artist I know and asked him to see what he could do. The result is, I think, stunning.

So that’s the story behind ISLANDERS. Zia also suggested that I include some details about how I write. Well, I’ve been pretty much a full-time writer since 2004, writing my own books, as well as working as a ghostwriter, journalist and translator on the side. ‘Full-time’, then, really means ‘literary dogsbody’. This week, for example, I have been:

Working sporadically on my latest crime novel;
Researching an article on cheese makers (I write for a food magazine);
Writing an article about an art project I’ve been involved with (I’m the ghostwriter on the project);
Translating an academic study on aspects of the history of English.

Somewhere in there I should have been planning the next ISLANDERS book, but there just hasn’t been any time. When it comes to a daily routine, I’m lucky that I don’t have a day job, and that I can prioritize my work according to what really needs doing. That means clocking on at 9.15am (after taking the kids to school) and working through until about 2pm. After lunch I might have boy-sitting duties, but otherwise I’ll work through until about 7pm. If I can manage anything after supper, it’ll be revision, often using my Sony Reader. Every day is the same, unless I’m off travelling; next week, for example, I’ll be visiting cheese makers at some point.
*
Anyway, that’s how ISLANDERS was written. No rush, no push. Every day more or less the same.

The novel is an adventure. Ben Brewer has lived all his life on an island, with his mother and a community of people who escaped the ravages of war in search of somewhere safe. Ben’s father was a war hero, but he was killed before Ben was born, fighting for freedom (a cause which was lost).

When a young messenger arrives on the island saying that Ben’s father is not dead, Ben decides to go and find him, taking four friends with him. Perhaps his dad is in danger. But Ben is 13 and his dad has been gone all those years. Why did he never come back home to see his own son?

They journey to the Mainland, a post-war landscape where germ warfare has destroyed much of the natural order, leaving a weird world of genetic mutants. There are still some humans around, but they’re not doing very well, enslaved in an industrial dystopia that condemns them to a life of mindless drudgery. It’s a world gone mad, with one man controlling everything. This tyrant, Jack Sullivan, was the bitterest enemy of Ben’s father, and he holds they key to what really happened during the war. He also desperately wants to discover where the Island is. Ben has to try and find his dad without leading Sullivan back home.

If you like your animals mutant, and your heroes young, smart and brave, ISLANDERS might just be for you. After all, my dad liked it.

John Barlow


ISLANDERS is available at all major ebook retailers, and is on special introductory offer (99cts) through November 2012 at Amazon (US, UK) and Kobo.


Where to buy:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Kobo

John can be found at:

Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/JohnBarlow
Twitter: @John_Barlow_LS9


Thursday, November 15, 2012

Islanders - John Barlow

 Author Interview: John Barlow

How would you describe ISLANDERS?
A YA adventure set in a post-war dystopia. It’s a boy’s quest to find his farther, and it also deals with themes of ecology, the misuse of power, and germ warfare. But it’s not excessively dark, considering those themes. Essentially it’s an adventure, with lots of humor and action. And mutant pigs, obvs...

You write adult fiction. Why switch to YA?
I started ISLANDERS over five years ago. All sorts of writers were having a go at books for the YA market. It just took me longer to finish than most!

What are the main differences between YA and adult fiction?
For the writer? Almost none, in my case. The more I stopped thinking about who I was writing for, the better the novel got. If I was going to write a dystopian adventure for adults, it would turn out pretty much like ISLANDERS. What was particularly pleasing was that, when the novel was finished, I showed it to a number of adults, and they all loved it.

Did you enjoy writing it?
Yes! Especially the characters who accompany Ben on the quest to find his dad. I think they form a pretty good group, the kind of people you’d want to have around when things get tough.

Will there be more YA fiction from John Barlow?
Yes. ISLANDERS is the first book in a trilogy; books two and three will explore more distant parts of the mainland, as Ben goes in search of a safe place to live and to try and understand more about the war.

What kind of writers do you enjoy reading?
I have no firm preferences. At the moment I’m reading Krista D Ball’s What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank: A Fantasy Lover’s Food Guide, which is brilliant. I enjoy crime writing, which is a genre I also write in, but I read widely in all genres. Probably, over the course of my reading life, I have enjoyed 20th century American fiction more than anything. I used to devour John Irving, but, y’know, everything comes to an end...
Favorite books?
All time? Don Quixote by Cervantes; the Rabbit novels by John Updike; James Ellroy in his prime; Ray Carver.

How did you become a writer?
I have always written, but I was quite late in trying to get published. The first thing I had published was a novella in the Paris Review, and that led to an agent and deal with HarperCollins. At that point I decided to quit my job (as a university teacher) and move from the UK to Spain. Since then I’ve worked as a writer.

Do you do anything other than write?
Yes. I also work as a ghostwriter, which is great fun because you can get immersed in a project without it taking over you. Apart from that I write for a good magazine, and sometimes I do translations.

If you hadn’t been a writer, what would you have liked to be?
When I was young I wanted to be a chef. When I left (high)school I became a musician for a while, a career path I may well have followed after university, if the economy at the time hadn’t been so bad. However, there was just no work for musicians in the UK at the time, so I went to live in Spain for a while instead. And now I’m back!

What interests you apart from books?
I very much like food! OK, so I’m greedy. But I also like learning more about food, how it is produced and prepared. I write articles for a food magazine, which essentially means I get paid to travel around and eat. What could be better? Other than that I like travel, and I’m interested in ecological issues (ISLANDERS is partly about the ecological damage done to a country and its society).

Some writers use music to help them work. What about you?
No. I can’t work with music playing at all. I have a condition called ‘musical hallucinations’, which means that I constantly hear music in my head, a ‘playtrack’ that my brain refuses to put on pause. For some people this can be irritating, but I don’t mind. If I’m really, really concentrating on something, the tune currently playing in my head might drift off into the background; but it’ll still be there, and as soon as I relax it comes back. The nice thing is that I have fairly wide musical tastes, and all sorts of things appear on the ‘playlist’ in my head!

What is the main premise of this book?
Ben Brewer, a 13 year-old buy, has grown up on an island. A community of people went there to escape a devastating war back on the mainland, and he’s been on the island all his life. He has never met his father, a war hero who disappeared 13 years ago during the war, presumed dead. When a message arrives that his dad might still be alive, Ben decides to go look for him. But that means going to the mainland, a chaotic world ravaged by the effects of germ warfare, social collapse and environmental degradation. One man yields absolute power there, the man who is said to have killed Ben’s dad. Ben finally realizes that he must confront this man if he wants to learn the truth about his dad.

Who’s your favorite character in it?
There are two twins (nicknames Bad and Worse) in the group that travels with Ben. They are war orphans and nobody on the island likes them because they’re violent, rude and malicious. But as the story develops, they turn out to be tough and loyal, and good fun to have around. There’s quite a bit of violence in the book (fist fights mainly, no guns) and it’s mostly Bad and Worse who are guilty.

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
Mornings. But I live in Spain, where ‘morning’ stretches halfway into the afternoon. I borrow an office from a friend. It’s right across the road from our apartment, and there’s a coffee shop directly below. I couldn’t have it much better, really.

When reading, do you prefer eBook or paperback?
Increasingly I read ebooks. There are a few minor disadvantages, like not being able to fold the corner of a page down or make a quick note in the margin with a pencil. But the advantages far outweigh these.

What or who is Storm Books?
Storm Books is a micro-publisher run by Sam Bridges, a friend of mine. At the moment it only publishes my work, so it’s really a form of indirect self-publishing. It’s an experiment. I didn’t want to find myself left out of the self-publishing revolution, but neither did I want to spend all day being a publisher. We’re going to see how things go, then consider whether we might publish other writers as well.

How do you see the ebook revolution? Is it empowering independent writers, or destroying the publishing industry?
I think that long-term it’s positive for everyone. Writers get the chance to find a readership directly. If they succeed, they can decide whether to continue as indies or look for a publisher. Meanwhile, publishers can look at the self-publishing market as a testing ground, cherry picking books that have already proved themselves. The process also increases flexibility and diversity. I self-published a book that I was sure had an audience. It hasn’t found that audience yet, but because ebooks are forever, it’s still there, selling a couple of dozen copies a month. Nobody loses.

What's your favorite gadget?
No contest. My Wi-Fi radio. I can listen to almost any radio station in the world. You want Chinese hip-hop? Peruvian chat shows? Tasmanian jazz? You got it.

What projects are you currently working on?
I’m finishing off an adult crime thriller (‘finishing off’ is a relative term; probably another six months on that...). Then there’s ISLANDERS 2 to start. Meanwhile, next week I have two articles to research for a food magazine, one on honey the other on cheese.

Who designed  this cover?
Start Bache. He does the latest editions of Stephen King’s books in the UK. I think he’s the best designer around.

Do you like to cook?
I love to cook. I’m not terrifically good at it, but I can keep a family of four alive if I have to. I’m pretty inventive if there’s not much in the cupboard, but don’t ask me to do anything fancy. I’ll just mess it up.

What’s your dream vacation?
Driving across the US in a big, air-conditioned car and eating in diners three times a day, every day, for a month.

Where to buy:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Kobo

Where can your readers stalk you?
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/JohnBarlow
Twitter: @John_Barlow_LS9



John Barlow was born in the north of England in 1967. After high school he worked as a musician, playing piano and keyboards in bars and cabaret, before studying English Literature at Cambridge University. He also holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hull. He taught English in a number of English universities before moving to Spain to become a writer in 2004. His first published work, the novella Eating Mammals, won the Paris Review Discovery (Plimpton) Prize, and he has since published fiction and non-fiction with HarperCollins, Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Fourth Estate, as well as with a variety of publishers in Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. He is also a feature writer for food magazine SpainGourmetour, and works as a ghostwriter, most notably on the HEADLESS project of Swedish artists Goldin+Senneby. He currently lives in A Coruña, Spain, and is married with two boys.

Books:

Eating Mammals (3 novellas)
Intoxicated (novel)
Everything but the Squeal (food/travel)
What Ever Happened to Jerry Picco? (crime novel)
Hope Road (crime novel)
Islanders (YA novel)

Stay turned for a guest post from John tomorrow...

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

The Lost Prince - A Review

The Lost Prince - Julie Kagawa

Synopsis:

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My Thoughts:

I just love these books. I didn't matter to me that this wasn't about Meghan, Ash and Puck. What matter was Julie brought back the worlds and the characters within. And while Meghan, Ash and Puck are not main characters, they each have their roles however small or large they might be.

Eathan is a tortured soul and after the kind of life he has grown up in,  I can't say I blame him much. Though sometimes his narcissism tends to get the best of him. I adore Kenzie. She tough as nails but you can see their is this vulnerable side to her. 

We get to meet other new characters as well. My favorite being Razor. LOL this gremlin cracks me up. I'm going to have "Bad Kitty" running through my head for weeks. Want to know what I mean by that? Read the book. You won't regret it.

Author's Website: Julie Kagawa

Sunday, November 4, 2012

What Are You Reading


It's Monday. What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the week:
Romeo & Juliet - William Shakespeare full cast audiobook
The Lost Prince - Julie Kagawa


Books I am reading this week:
Ash - Malinda Lo

Books to Finish This week:
Ash - Malinda Lo

Monday, October 29, 2012

The Shadow Man - Blog Tour

The Shadow Man - Mark Murphy (blog tour)


Overview

Savannah surgeon Malcolm King had a perfect life—a loving wife, devoted daughter, and a thriving medical practice. And then it all ended. A chance encounter with a reckless driver in an airport parking lot leads to his first brush with the law. The senseless slaughter of a neighbor’s pet soon follows, with Malcolm inexplicably questioned in the matter by the police. An adversary is found decapitated. An acquaintance is chopped into pieces and stuffed into a garbage bag, Malcolm soon finds himself the prime suspect in a serial murder case. But he’s not a killer. Or is he? Who is the Thin Man who lurks at the edges of his vision? Are the flocks of ravens that crowd overhead a warning of impending doom? Or do they exist at all? And how can he protect his family from something—or someone—he knows absolutely nothing about? As Malcolm fights to discover the truth, he learns from a mysterious Seminole tracker that he may not be the first victim of a chameleon-like serial killer known as The Shadow Man. Malcolm’s quest for justice takes him perilously close to the edge of sanity—and perhaps a little bit over it. The Shadow Man is a new breed of psychological thriller, serving up a dark look into the human soul that will have the reader searching for the truth. In Mark Murphy’s debut novel, respectable surgeon Malcolm King becomes entangled in the mind games of a psychopathic serial killer. Malcolm’s home is invaded, his medical practice falls apart, and his family is threatened by a faceless assailant from the world between light and darkness: the Shadow Man. The Shadow Man begins with a killer, identified only as “Q,” dumping a woman’s dismembered body into a Florida swamp filled with hungry alligators. The action then shifts to Savannah, where Malcolm’s car is side-swiped by a dark-tinted SUV which then disappears into the night. The seemingly random hit-and-run is the beginning of a nightmare when the mysterious SUV is found to bear license plates from a stolen vehicle—and the stolen vehicle’s owner is found dead in a Florida hotel. A string of horrific murders follows. Malcolm soon finds himself the prime suspect in a serial murder case, having to convince the police—and himself—that he is not responsible for these crimes. But what is the truth? Can Malcolm save himself and his family? Or will the Shadow Man win out at last, dragging them all into oblivion? The Shadow Man is a unique work. Beautifully written, it is at once evocative and gruesome, an exploration of the intimate bonds of a loving family and the sheer terror of having those things stolen away. This novel is heart-pounding thrill ride the reader simply cannot put down.

My Thoughts:

Wow talk about fast paced! I picked this book up last night and just couldn't put it down. I got so involved in trying to figure out the plot of the story that I had to force myself to put it down last night to get some sleep. 

The book is full of suspense and horror. I never quite knew what was coming next. It was a little predictable at the end yet even with that, I felt completely satisfied by the end. 

Mal is a great character. Strong in the light of everything going on around him.  I loved Billy and wish I had gotten some more story from him. I would love to see a book revolving around him and his family. Amy, Mal's wife, she was pretty tough but the toughest ones in the family was definitely the daughter and the elderly dog. Those two were tough as nails. 

So to finish, great, fast paced, edge of your seat thrill ride. Like that kind of thing? You'll love this book for sure.

Author's Website: Mark Murphy

Mark Murphy's Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/dr.markmurphy

Mark Murphy's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/Heeldawg

Mark Murphy's Blog:
http://shadowmanblog.com/

Savannah Book Festival:
http://www.savannahbookfestival.org/authors/mark-murphy/
Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186


The Shadow Man
 blog tour site:
http://the-shadow-man.blogspot.com/

Sunday, October 28, 2012

What Are You Reading


It's Monday. What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the week:
Monument 14 - Emmy Laybourne 
The Raft - S.A. Bodeen
Nobody Has to Know - Frank Nappi


Books I am reading this week:
The Lost Prince - Julie Kagawa
The Iron Thorn - Caitlin Kittredge (audiobook)

Books to Finish This week:
The Lost Prince - Julie Kagawa

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Monument 14 - A review

Monument 14 - Emmy Laybourne (publisher)


Overview:

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world — as they know it — apart.

My Thoughts:

This was a gritty tale of natural disasters and the fight for survival by a group of kids. It is not a feel good, warm fuzzy kind of novel but it definitely strike a chord with the reader. It kind of reminds me a bit of Red Dawn but instead of bad guys you have hailstorms, massive earthquakes, chemical spills.

The characters all manage to pull at my heart strings in one way or another. They are a motley bunch. You've got Kindergartners through Seniors, jock to nerds and a little bit in between. They are locked up in a department store with the world going nuts around them. They have no contact with the outside world for the most part and they have no idea where they're parents are or even if they are still alive. I can't even begin to imagine the pain and stress that would cause to a grown person but to a child, how tragic.

I loved watching them go from being scared and manic to taking control and learning to survive and rely on each other. There's are scenes of alcohol/drug use, violence and some brief sexual situations but not too over the top on any one of them. 

Then to top it off we're left with a cliffhanger and I'm glad to say I just found out there is at least a book 2 coming in spring 2013. I can't wait!

Author's Website: Emmy Laybourne

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Eve and Adam - A Review

Eve & Adam - Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate ( publisher)


Overview:

In the beginning, there was an apple –
And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker's head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.
Just when Eve thinks she will die – not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.
Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect . . . won’t he?

My Thoughts:
This will be a short but sweet review. I enjoyed this book. It was easy to get into and the story was pleasant and enjoyable. The premise kind of creeped me out. The thought of genetically made humans doesn't seem so far out of reach in modern times but the whole idea creeps me out. 
Bottom line, if you are looking for a quick, easy read with a story line that doesn't require you to think long and hard about it, this is the book for you. 

Sunday, October 14, 2012

What Are You Reading


It's Monday. What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the week:
The Shadow Man - Mark Murphy
Eve and Adam - Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
Where or When - Anita Shreve
Books I am reading this week:
Not sure Yet other than my school book
The Iron Thorn - Caitlin Kittredge (audiobook)

Books to Finish This week:
How I managed to read 3 book this past week is amazing. I used to do that all the time but once I started working full time, I was lucky to get one done.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Uncontrollable - A Review

Uncontrollable - S.R. Johannes (author)


Overview

Untraceable (Book 1) was named the winner of IndieReader Discovery Award 2012 (Young Adult)

As 16 year old Grace recovers from tragedy, her science class is chosen by Agent Sweeney at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to help with research on the new "Red Wolf Reintroduction Program". 

While she’s excited about helping with the conservation of the endangered wolves, Grace knows this means being outdoors in the worst winter on record, in a place she no longer feels comfortable. It also means working closely with Wyn (her ex) and his annoying girlfriend (Skyler), a girl whose idea of getting close to nature is killing two silk plants and watering a cactus. 

After a couple of wolves show up dead, Grace almost quits. However, when a fellow project team member goes missing, Grace continues the assignment under a renewed suspicion that someone might be sabotaging the conservation program. She quietly begins to hunt for clues. 

Little does she know, she is being hunted too.

My Thoughts:

Another great book from S.R. Johannes! Just like the first one it was filled with action, mystery, suspense, and the most important to me, the great outdoors. 

I think the setting is what really draws me in. I love how the main part of the story happens in the woods. The author doesn't make the woods a scary place to be but instead she makes them beautiful and serene even in the mist of danger.

Grace's character is put to the test yet again and I wonder how in the heck she hasn't crumbled yet. I'm pretty sure by now I'd be huddled in a corner mumbling and crying. She is one heck of a strong willed character even if I still want to grab a hold of her and tie her to a chair so she will stop running off into apparent danger. 

In short love the book, love the characters, and really love the setting. 

Two Thumbs Up!

Author's website: S.R. Johannes

Sunday, October 7, 2012

What Are You Reading


It's Monday. What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the week:
Uncontrollable - S.R. Johannes

Books I am reading this week:
Not sure Yet other than my school book
The Iron Thorn - Caitlin Kittredge (audiobook)

Books to Finish This week:
Something I hope. Lots going on this week so not sure what I will finish but I'm going to try to finish at least one book 

Monday, October 1, 2012

Glass Boys - Blog Tour October 1, 2012



 

Glass Boys - Nicole Lundrigan (publisher)

Synopsis:

With vivid and unflinching prose, Nicole Lundrigan has created a riveting and deeply human saga of the persistence of evil and the depths and limits of love.

When Roy Trench is killed in a drunken prank gone wrong, his brother Lewis sees blood on the hands of the man responsible: the abusive alcoholic, Eli Fagan. Though the courts rule the death an accident, the event opens a seam of hate between the two families of Knife's Point, Newfoundland.

Desperate to smother the painful past with love, Lewis marries Wilda, and the pleasure he takes in their two children -- Melvin and Toby -- recalls the happier days of his childhood with Roy. But as he watches his small family fracture, the darkness of the past begins to cloud the present, leading Lewis back to Eli Fagan -- and his watchful stepson, Garrett Glass.

In the style of Newfoundland literature, established by Michael Crummey and Lisa Moore, Glass Boys is the haunting story of an unforgivable crime that brings two families to the brink.

My Thoughts:

I have mixed feelings about this book.While it was well written, parts of it might have been too well written for my taste. There is subject matter that eluded to stuff that made my stomach turn. It made it hard for me to continue at times. But the book wasn't bad, I just don't think it was meant for me to read. 

This is going to be one of those rare occasions where I tell you not to just take my word for it. I want you to go read the other stops on this blog tour. See what others think. I really do think it just boiled down to not my kind of book and I think others may have really liked it. 

Author's website:  Nicole Lundrigan

Other participating blogs:

8/31/2012  Comfort Books  http://paigebradish1996.blogspot.com/
9/1/2012  Cmash Loves to Read  http://cmashlovestoread.com/
9/3/2012  Booksellers without Borders NY  http://booksellerswithoutbordersny.com
9/5/2012 Travel Spot http://travelspot06.blogspot.com/
9/6/2012  Leafing Through Life  http://leafingthroughlife.blogspot.com
    9/7/2012  Pieces of Fate  http://piecesoffatesusan.blogspot.com/
   10/1/2012  My Life in Not So Many Words… www.ziarias.blogspot.com
   10/2/2012   I'd Rather Be At The Beach  http://ratb2.blogspot.com 

Links: