tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44273261375899903792024-03-05T15:10:58.752-08:00Book NookUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-17807366024571600602013-03-11T20:55:00.003-07:002013-03-11T20:55:53.529-07:00Chasing Jupiter by: Rachel CokerYou can visit Rachel's blog <a href="http://rachelcoker.wordpress.com/">here</a>. You can buy her book on Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/031073293X/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=wwwteenageaut-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=031073293X&adid=1CA582E42YYCB9E90CYY">here</a>.You can also check out <a href="http://www.rachelcoker.com/">Rachel </a>answering some questions about Chasing Jupiter <a href="http://www.rachelcoker.com/talking-about-chasing-jupiter/">here</a>. Pretty sweet, eh?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJRsFPEO24hyhOY825O52lSLRJIcag8OeYKNNBZfIBiPK3Vo4CvH0EZJrgzh2Pxdqqtj3FuxaXppn9SYAqsOcVZTNsA8sW0o9P1GjowaUOo0D4dwzITDIjlyY_hPinGXqZv8jJHeRuNU/s1600/lala.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJRsFPEO24hyhOY825O52lSLRJIcag8OeYKNNBZfIBiPK3Vo4CvH0EZJrgzh2Pxdqqtj3FuxaXppn9SYAqsOcVZTNsA8sW0o9P1GjowaUOo0D4dwzITDIjlyY_hPinGXqZv8jJHeRuNU/s1600/lala.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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<b>Back cover blurb</b>:<b> </b>Scarlett Blaine’s life in 1960s Georgia isn’t always easy, especially
given her parents’ financial struggles and the fights surrounding her
sister Juli’s hippie lifestyle. Then there’s her brother, Cliff. While
Scarlett loves him more than anything, there’s no denying his unique
behavior leaves Cliff misunderstood and left out. So when he wishes for a
rocket to Jupiter, Scarlett agrees to make it happen, no matter how
crazy the idea might be. Raising the rocket money means baking pies, and
the farmer’s son, Frank, agrees to provide the peaches if Scarlett will
help him talk to Juli. The problem is, Scarlett really enjoys her time
with Frank, and finds herself wondering if, someday, they could be more
than friends. Just as she thinks everything might be going her way,
Cliff suffers an accident that not only affects the rocket plans, but
shakes Scarlett’s view of God. As the summer comes to an end, Scarlett
must find a way to regain what she’s lost, but also fulfill a promise to
launch her brother’s dream.<br />
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<b>Thoughts</b>: New favourite book! Each character added such a new depth to this sweet Southern tale. I love the whole thing with the peaches! And I'd tell you what the peaches mean, but ... well, you have to read the story. ;) And I fell hopelessly in love with Frank, the farmer's son.<br />
The romance in here is sweet, nothing inappropriate. The only kiss is between the pastor and his wife, which poor Scarlett has to witness! The language goes no farther than "gosh" or "darn." The violence is limited to Cliff's accident.<br />
My only problem with the story was that I felt like the ending just suddenly sort of happened. The epilogue took me by surprise, because it didn't feel like the end. Otherwise, this is a heart-warming story and I highly recommend it!<br />
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And the cover art is a.m.a.z.i.n.g. Just sayin'.<br />
<h4>
I reviewed this book for Team Novel Teen.</h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about <i>Chasing Jupiter </i>by Rachel Coker by clicking on the links below, and <a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/novel-teen/team-novel-teen/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Team Novel Teen">click here</a> for more information about Team Novel Teen. </div>
<a href="http://addlibrarian.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">ADD Librarian</a> • <a href="http://becomingmorelikeyou.tumblr.com/">Becoming More Like You</a> • <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/">Book Nook 4 You</a> • <a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.webs.com/">Blooming with Books</a> • <a href="http://bookwormreading.blogspot.com/">Bookworm Reading</a> • <a href="http://christianbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/">Christian Book Review Blog</a> • <a href="http://www.ctfdevourer.com/">CTF Devourer</a> • <a href="http://ofbattlesdragonsandswordsofadamant.blogspot.com/">Gillian Adams</a> • <a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/?p=8246" target="_blank">Jill Williamson</a> • <a href="http://labornotinvain.blogspot.com/">Labor Not in Vain</a> • <a href="http://mystoryshelf.blogspot.com/">My Story Shelf</a> • <a href="http://www.rachellerea.com/" target="_blank">Rachelle Rea</a> • <a href="http://www.ramblingsbybethany.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Ramblings of a Young Author</a> • <a href="http://sierrasbooklist.blogspot.com/">A Slightly Nerdy Bookworm</a> • <a href="http://shadowwriterworld.blogspot.com/">Shadow Writer World</a> • <a href="http://surrenderingallofme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Surrendering All of Me</a> • <a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Worthy2Read</a><br />
<br />
And, just for fun, why not watch this video below to hear the story on Chasing Jupiter from the author herself!?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3Bn13cb-mAY" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-40594417806576479172012-10-05T14:33:00.000-07:002012-10-05T14:33:18.432-07:00Lemonade Mouth by: Mark Peter Hughes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizheHW3LCx1d2sqEr_Iuv1r56zfdyYBxDwQ6w0c-yzcpRvLt2ivVqzRqIp9UHuBXzF5x9_DyuR2qnbeqCt2VIInAdPpKraBVkTxn-YJFajMJwBCO9WqMeQAJXgR0meg3xn2hcWC5Wb0Ks/s1600/h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizheHW3LCx1d2sqEr_Iuv1r56zfdyYBxDwQ6w0c-yzcpRvLt2ivVqzRqIp9UHuBXzF5x9_DyuR2qnbeqCt2VIInAdPpKraBVkTxn-YJFajMJwBCO9WqMeQAJXgR0meg3xn2hcWC5Wb0Ks/s400/h.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
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<br />
Detention. They didn't expect anything out of it. The principle hoped they would clean up their act. <i>No one </i>expected detention to be the place they learned to use their voice ... and form a band.<br />
<br />
Meet Stella. She's got green hair and an attitude.<br />
And then there's Wen. Now that guy's got some problems. Why can't he just realize that he loves Olivia?!<br />
Olivia. With her dad in prison and her mom gone, things just don't seem to be working out for her.<br />
And we can't forget about Mo. She'll never be able to live up to be the perfect Indian daughter her parents want her to be.<br />
Last but not least ... Charlie. He's desperately in love with Mo. And she just doesn't see it.<br />
<br />
Join Stella, Wen, Olivia, Mo, and Charlie as they learn how to raise their voice.<br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
Worst book I ever read.<br />
<br />
Before I go any further, though, I must tell you. The movie is my favourite. Here's the movie trailer. I could watch it for hours and hours. If you like, humor me, and comment and tell me that you agree how awesome it is.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/K3BwmtOb0fs" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
But now we will talk about the book.<br />
<br />
First of all, there was WAY too much swearing. I winced a lot.<br />
<br />
EVERYONE IS FAT. Okay, so maybe I <i>like </i>the cliched novel where everyone is thin and beautiful. Shame on me. My deepest apologies.<br />
<br />
I guess after I enjoyed the movie so much, I thought I would like the book. But ... what was cute and sweet in the movie was inappropriate in the book. It's not often you would catch me saying that a movie was better than a book.<br />
<br />
Another example of this would be: How To Train Your Dragon Books = SECOND WORST BOOKS I EVER READ. How To Train Your Dragon Movie = CUTEST EVER<br />
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There are a lot of "oh my god"s used, which kind of ruined the story. Also, Wen looks at nude pictures of his father's girlfriend by mistake and develops a slight crush on her. Mo makes out with a guy and at one point she wonders how far she'll let him go. Mo also kisses Charlie at the end.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-9267170019349312582012-09-10T08:56:00.002-07:002012-09-10T09:02:05.669-07:00Sneak by: Evan AnglerClick <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.ca/2012/06/swipe-by-evan-angler.html">HERE</a> to read my review of the first installment in the series, Swipe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzFr0Cjzz2qrMoVHrAOBsf8chGTWHGTkLMxm0U1TpoJQMWcsEWLO2BJppO0vWOR28EoiRA_0AUenN-FPjSwIAxSffgUs8g9BfwxspRR_mhLuxlNYqhw2TKFSBI9wsgWWxJBrDRHq6Az0/s1600/s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzFr0Cjzz2qrMoVHrAOBsf8chGTWHGTkLMxm0U1TpoJQMWcsEWLO2BJppO0vWOR28EoiRA_0AUenN-FPjSwIAxSffgUs8g9BfwxspRR_mhLuxlNYqhw2TKFSBI9wsgWWxJBrDRHq6Az0/s1600/s.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>In a future United States under the power of a charismatic
leader, everyone gets the Mark at age thirteen. The Mark lets citizen
shop, go to school, and even get medical care—but without it, you are on
your own. Few refuse to get the Mark. Those who do . . . disappear.</b><br />
<br />
The Markless cannot buy food, medicine, or use a tablet. That was not how Logan wanted to live, always hiding from DOME, but he refused the Mark anyway. <br />
<br />
When Logan backed out of receiving the Mark and went on the run, no one thought he could do it. They would have laughed if he'd said he wanted to make it to Breacher. So how would they have reacted if he said he wanted to go all the way to Acheron?<br />
<br />
Acheron. A remote prison where Logan's sister was being held. DOME sees all. He's going to have his hands full if he wants to work around their ever watching eyes.<br />
<br />
They haven't found Logan yet, but they want to.<br />
<br />
The awesome book trailer:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G-8YiWa8p3M" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
Evan Angler's website:<b> </b><a href="http://www.evanangler.com/">http://www.evanangler.com/</a> <br />
<br />
I passed this book on to my brother as we both absolutely <i>loved </i>the first one (Swipe), and once again, we thoroughly enjoyed it<br />
<br />
<i>Sneak </i>took me some time to get into at the beginning--the scenes with Peck aren't as exciting as the ones with Erin and Logan, I find--and for a while I was confused on who was who. But about 100 pages in, I seriously could not put it down!<br />
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While in these times we don't have to be Marked, in some ways, we can still relate to the fact. The ones without Marks are automatically judged--just like, today, people who aren't thin, or even don't have as nice clothes, experience put-downs. And the Marked are like the thin, beautiful people. Everyone loves them.<br />
<br />
Language: Things like "dork" and "dummy" are casually thrown around.<br />
Romance/Sexual Content: Light crushes.<br />
Violence: None.<br />
Drug/Alcohol Content: None.<br />
<br />
I reviewed this book for<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: purple;">Team Novel Teen.</span></h3>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', verdana; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 19px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about <i>Sneak </i>by Evan Angler by clicking on the links below, and check out <a href="http://www.novelteen.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.NovelTeen.com</a> for more information about Team Novel Teen.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', verdana; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 19px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">
</div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="background: yellow; color: #333333; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.webs.com/">Blooming with Books</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>•<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> <a href="http://www.thebookfae.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Book Fae</a> • <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/">Book Nook 4 You</a> •<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://bookwormreading.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bookworm
Reading</a> • <a href="http://noahsreads.blogspot.com/">Books I Recommend</a> • <a href="http://christianbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/">Christian Book Review
Blog</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>•</span><span style="background: yellow; color: #333333; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://labornotinvain.blogspot.com/"> Labor Not in Vain</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>•<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4427326137589990379">The
Maniacal Bookworm</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>•<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> <a href="http://daughteroftheking89.blogspot.com/">Oh, Restless Bird</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>• <a href="http://theravenquill.blogspot.com/2012/01/replication-by-jill-williamson-review.html">The
Pen and Parchment</a> • <a href="http://www.reviewsbyjane.blogspot.com/">Reviews by Jane</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>•<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> <a href="http://shadowwriterworld.blogspot.com/">Shadow Writer World</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>•<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> </span></div>
<br />
A fun little blurb:<br />
<h3>
<b>Evan Angler’s Infinite Playlist
Music</b> </h3>
I think, is an important pillar of the creative mind. And as an author, it’s an equally important part of any book. It doesn’t matter what the writing is about, and it doesn’t matter what the story is; writing is music. Our words have rhythms and cadence, our sentences make melodic lines. There are fast sections, slow sections, loud paragraphs, quiet paragraphs. Good writing, for me, lights up my brain much like good music does.
This relationship, of course, goes both ways. If writing informs music, then it stands to reason that music must also inform writing. Certainly, I’ve found this in my own experience. With my first book, SWIPE, I wrote almost everything either in the dark, or on the run, in the motion of electrobuses and boxcars, with my hood up and my oversized headphones on. For some of that time, indeed, my focus demanded quiet. But for much of my writing and drafting and thinking, I was immersed in a blanket of music. Loud music. And I found that its genre dictated the writing’s tone. With SWIPE, my musical selections often gravitated toward electroclash, a genre I didn’t even know existed until I found myself craving it for the underscore of SWIPE’s scenes. Often, I’d play the music so loud that I needed to stuff my ears with tissue paper, because I liked the feel of the heavy beats hitting my brain, pushing me forward, relentless, unforgiving…. The gritty, electronic timbre of the music just seemed to belong with the tech-filled but flawed world of the American Union, and the energy conveyed by that music–both in the faster and in the more somber selections–captured for me the sense of foreboding, anxiety, excitement and, ultimately, determination that Logan feels over the course of his journey.
SNEAK, on the other hand, called for a very different sort of sound. In trying to capture the setting and mood of the Unmarked River, I often found myself gravitating toward pre-Unity bluegrass and folk music, another genre that had never captured my attention–until I the writing called for it. The acoustic guitars, the banjos, the fiddles, the harmonies…in many ways, SNEAK is about the loneliness and uncertainty of venturing out on one’s own, of a search for simplicity and truth. In a world of high-tech stakes, the Dust’s journey through much of SNEAK is practically of a different era. Horse rides, hiking, camp fires, radios…after the events of SWIPE, Logan is truly an outcast, and there’s just no place for him in the more modern world of the American Union. What better way to capture that then with the oldest traditions of music that American history has to offer? Bluegrass and folk, there’s nothing else like it.
The third book in the Swipe Series has yet another soundtrack altogether. I can’t wait for you to hear it, and to discover all that its soundscape implies. But that is a story for another day, and that is a playlist for another time….
So if you’ll excuse me, I have some headphones I need to find…
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-54894413226973156582012-06-25T13:50:00.004-07:002012-06-25T13:53:39.425-07:00Swipe by: Evan Angler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQSE7aCOMLdcp5xOQkReCNjHMWClNg5XXyww5-rzPKCViax3YlFGj2Z84B6eNwEMkpY9JLa1dQL3BXE8rMCbmLNLucl7a9hP5Sf-8QXJ2eS6Pbr_CmQqRcEPfjaqhOFWd368Etc-5fNE/s1600/swipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQSE7aCOMLdcp5xOQkReCNjHMWClNg5XXyww5-rzPKCViax3YlFGj2Z84B6eNwEMkpY9JLa1dQL3BXE8rMCbmLNLucl7a9hP5Sf-8QXJ2eS6Pbr_CmQqRcEPfjaqhOFWd368Etc-5fNE/s1600/swipe.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Who had been there? Who had snuck in through the window? Who had sipped the glass and knocked the picture askew?</i><br />
<i>No one.</i><br />
No one<i>, Logan told himself. </i>You're being insane.<br />
<i>... Right?</i><br />
<i>And Logan's heart snapped in his chest--so hart that it hurt--when across the room, the door to the outside stairway clicked quietly shut.</i><br />
<br />
Logan Langly dreads a gift--at least, some people might call it that.<i> </i>The beautiful new girl, Erin Arbitor, sure thinks it is. But after what he's seen and heard, he's starting to think of 'the gift' as a curse.<br />
<br />
His thirteenth birthday is going to be the biggest day of his life. He will at last be marked. He will be able to get jobs, use public transportation ... buy his own concert tickets. He will become free--or so he is told.<br />
<br />
But five years ago ... his sister lost freedom. She went to be marked ... and never came back.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QwHV3lgO-PM" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
I had some trouble getting into the book, but once I did ... wow. I could NOT put it down. And my brother didn't think the beginning was slow at all, so maybe I'm a special case. :)<br />
<br />
Okay ... I love the characters and I love the plot. <i>Swipe</i> is the beginning of a trilogy where <i>Matched </i>meets <i>Left Behind. </i><br />
<br />
<b>I love Erin. </b>I don't like Logan's best friend. I LOVE LOGAN.<i></i><br />
<br />
I honestly don't have a lot to say. It's a page turner and very intense. The characters are good and I love the genre. Definitely recommend! :)<br />
<br />
No objectionable content. The romance is kept to crushes and discussing crushes, the language is clean ...<br />
<br />
I reviewed this book for<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: purple;">Team Novel Teen.</span></h3>
<br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', verdana; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 19px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about <em>Swipe </em>by Evan Angler by clicking on the links below, and check out <a href="http://www.novelteen.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.NovelTeen.com</a> for more information about Team Novel Teen.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', verdana; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 19px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">
<a href="http://addlibrarian.wordpress.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">ADD Librarian</a> • <a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.webs.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Blooming with Books</a> • <a href="http://www.thebookfae.wordpress.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Book Fae</a> • <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Book Nook 4 You</a> • <a href="http://bookwormreading.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Bookworm Reading</a> • <a href="http://noahsreads.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Books I Recommend</a> • <a href="http://christianbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Christian Book Review Blog</a> • <a href="http://www.ctfdevourer.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">CTF Devourer</a> • <a href="http://www.fictionfire.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Fiction Fire</a> • <a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/?p=8246" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jill Williamson</a> • <a href="http://labornotinvain.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Labor Not in Vain</a> • <a href="http://themaniacalbookworm.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Maniacal Bookworm</a> • <a href="http://mystoryshelf.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">My Story Shelf</a> • <a href="http://www.daughteroftheking89.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Oh, Restless Bird</a> • <a href="http://theravenquill.blogspot.com/2012/01/replication-by-jill-williamson-review.html" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">The Pen and Parchment</a> • <a href="http://www.reviewsbyjane.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Reviews by Jane</a> • <a href="http://shadowwriterworld.blogspot.com/" style="color: #a8366a; text-decoration: none;">Shadow Writer World</a></div>
<br />
Author's website: <a href="http://evanangler.com/">evanangler.com </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-58698825399168880582012-06-13T12:17:00.001-07:002012-06-13T12:17:01.419-07:00Fifteen by: Beverly Cleary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuEa9LcBw6dl0FGdkd9GMAm6JIhCTlBnof8b6p-QY0bBVdH28_f-whERqa82eMnEcgD2A-WSEH9CYBkyfiu_daIEJoUEweRUP9Z8pg7dcneJMb2TUwDxOnIdfq9-8byZwfN2aykFrAEE/s1600/fifteen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuEa9LcBw6dl0FGdkd9GMAm6JIhCTlBnof8b6p-QY0bBVdH28_f-whERqa82eMnEcgD2A-WSEH9CYBkyfiu_daIEJoUEweRUP9Z8pg7dcneJMb2TUwDxOnIdfq9-8byZwfN2aykFrAEE/s400/fifteen.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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Jane Purdy is fifteen and ready to grow up. She never dreamed growing up would begin at that bratty Sandra Norton's house.<br />
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But when Stan Crandall - the neighborhood's cute delivery boy - stops by the Nortons', Jane finds reason to anticipate babysitting - even if Sandra <i>won't</i> behave.<br />
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Jane struggles for a reasonable way to get Stan's phone number, but finds out the chivalrous boy is not going to make her wait.<br />
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The night of their first meeting, he looks Jane up<br />
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But Jane has never dated before, and everything is new to her. She can't let on that she doesn't know how to eat with chopsticks, nor the fact that she'd rather have ice cream over sophisticated coffee. Suddenly her life is very difficult.<br />
<br />
When her old friendly nemesis Buzz and her best friend Julie double date with her and Stan, Jane Purdy is surprised to hear Buzz tell her she has turned into a real "Purdy" girl and, in an attempt, to be like ultra-popular Marcy, she consents to him paying fifty cents to give her a kiss.<br />
<br />
Stan's mad, Jane can tell. But he can't be <i>that </i>angry with her, can he? He hasn't asked her to the school dance <i>or </i>phoned her, but surely there's a reasonable explanation ... right?<br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
I once told a friend if she had never read Beverly Cleary she had no childhood ... and it turns out she's never read Beverly Cleary. So I immediately sent her off to the library to check out some of Cleary's books.<br />
<br />
Beverly Cleary writes clean, cute reads that will have you laughing and worrying along with the characters. The writing style is unique and very realistic to what probably goes on inside a teen's brain.<br />
<br />
<i>Fifteen </i>dates back to the 1950s, so it's been around a while. Definitely a classic.<br />
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Objectionable Content:<br />
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Language: None.<br />
Romance/Sexual Content: A quick kiss.<br />
Violence: None.<br />
Drug/Alchol Content: None.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-54435424710246693382012-05-21T10:04:00.003-07:002012-05-21T13:00:47.223-07:00Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAc7x3PBmojHnQvCBtzVsF2HITpOCCuSRuSDVILEbwhgZKQ3aiMtaPpSaScAjL9z0J0IaQavgZQEm9mFe5WesLIRi8ac8gU2ET77TnwSS1qxNWsb1eevbbWHC0MzsBM1rf9B-hDs5Dxk/s1600/Gone+with+the+Wind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAc7x3PBmojHnQvCBtzVsF2HITpOCCuSRuSDVILEbwhgZKQ3aiMtaPpSaScAjL9z0J0IaQavgZQEm9mFe5WesLIRi8ac8gU2ET77TnwSS1qxNWsb1eevbbWHC0MzsBM1rf9B-hDs5Dxk/s400/Gone+with+the+Wind.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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Scarlett O'Hara is beautiful and a practiced flirt. Being knee-deep in beaus is nothing new to her. And it's all for one thing--to get Ashley Wilkes' attention. <i>"Ashley, tell me you love me!"</i></div>
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But two brothers vying for her attentions reveal to Scarlett the party she is invited to has this purpose--to announce the engagement of the man she secretly loves ... to another woman!</div>
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You want to dislike Melanie, Ashley's fiance, fragile and gentle, but it is truly impossible to find fault. Rhett Butler, a hated womanizer, tells Scarlett that Melanie is one of the only people he has ever met who really is as good as she acts. Ashley, it would seem, agrees.</div>
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Scarlett's overdone flirting results in a marriage to Charles, a shy, pleasant-looking youth. And when he dies, no time is wasted in her marrying again--this time to the beau of her sister, Frank Kennedy. But Scarlett must lie her way into the marriage, which could result in some hurt hearts along the way.</div>
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In the dark of the night, Scarlett kills Frank by accident. She is free to marry again ... and Rhett seems to have his eye on her. But is it to ruin her or to marry her?</div>
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My thoughts:</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is the most pathetic, most tragic, best, and worst book I have ever read. I LOVED IT.</div>
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Scarlett is awesome to begin with. My mom, sister, and friend all disliked her immensely but I loved her. ♥ She's stuck-up, annoying, and pretty. Men like her and that makes her desirable. Women, on the other hand, dislike her.</div>
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Rhett Butler is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. He is the worst at the end of <i>Gone With The Wind</i>, but towards the middle of the book I think he's cool. He's clever and handsome and likes Scarlett--which is a big plus in my books. :) Of course, he also compromises women until he meets Scarlett, so he's also not so cool.</div>
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Rhett ruins the ending. I couldn't believe it. I've never cried over a book before. HOW COULD HE DO THAT??! Poor Scarlett.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While this is an excellent book, I would definitely not recommend it for people under fourteen. It can be a bit dry in some spots, but I say this mainly because there was no lack of swear words or romance. This book is a classic, however, and at some point in their life everyone must read it.</div>
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Objectional content:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Language: </i>"hell" "damn"</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Romance/Sexual content: </i>Kissing (descriptive and non). Rhett compromises women and it is mentioned throughout the book. Scarlett is in love with a man (before he gets married) and they kiss even though he is married.</div>
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Rhett begins to see another woman when he gets frustrated with Scarlett even though they are married.</div>
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Scarlett marries three times.</div>
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<i>Violence: </i>Scarlett shoots her husband in the head and kills him by mistake. Otherwise, nothing detailed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Drug/Alcohol content: </i>Rhett is drunk once or twice.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-56727949001411008242012-04-30T09:18:00.001-07:002012-04-30T09:22:37.240-07:00Interrupted by: Rachel Coker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUdw2ei3lFCVqVo49KQSmOggJ93wL-JYg823tWaGBtaADNkYnZcRTL0krI9RsYgSVIjfLjyv3E7vo7ZgmE4hHG3MhKUhEK1hyGwgCU5469tjFpUnxstSxoHbpqjBjpCpme5moAxAW3ZE/s1600/interrupted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUdw2ei3lFCVqVo49KQSmOggJ93wL-JYg823tWaGBtaADNkYnZcRTL0krI9RsYgSVIjfLjyv3E7vo7ZgmE4hHG3MhKUhEK1hyGwgCU5469tjFpUnxstSxoHbpqjBjpCpme5moAxAW3ZE/s1600/interrupted.jpg" /> </a></div>
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Within hours of Allie's mom's funeral, she is moved from Tennessee to Maine to be adopted daughter to Miss Beatrice Lovell, a woman with a strong faith in God - the problem is that as much as Miss Beatrice wants another daughter, Allie doesn't want another mom. </div>
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They have a bad beginning and no mother-daughter relationship to start - Beatrice, however, cannot help but think that maybe over time ...</div>
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Life in Maine is never boring. An old acquaintance from Tennessee shows up who used to have a crush on Allie and it seems he could still ... but she doesn't return the sentiments, so getting stuck on a ride at the fair with him and going on a "double date" with him isn't her idea of fun.</div>
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World War II looms over everyone, Allie may lose her chance to love and to be loved if she chooses to hold on to the past.</div>
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This is the book trailer: </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N7MMGPI3q8A" width="560"></iframe>
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My thoughts:</div>
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I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK.</div>
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It is the best I've read in a long time. The writing was excellent, and the whole time I read it I was thinking "The author is only three or so years older than me." Seriously, this is the best writing I've read in forever. </div>
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I didn't like the cover art at first, but now I THINK IT IS AMAZING. </div>
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I LOVE ALLIE. I love it that she plays piano and I love it that she hits Sam Carroll with her shoe when she's trying to tell him she loves him and I love it that she writes poetry. And I love it that she loves Emily Dickinson. And I love her love for her mom.</div>
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This book would make a good movie.</div>
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The romance was kept to loving someone and proposals, no kissing. :) This I liked. I wouldn't use the word "gosh," but most people don't have a problem with that word, and that was the worst the language got. There was no violence and no drug/alcohol content.</div>
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I reviewed this book for</div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Team Novel Teen</span> </h2>
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Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about <i>Interrupted </i>by Rachel Coker by clicking on the links above, and check out <a href="http://www.novelteen.com/" target="_blank">www.NovelTeen.com</a> for more information about Team Novel Teen.</div>
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<b>Find out what the other bloggers are saying about Interrupted!</b><br />
<b><a href="http://addlibrarian.wordpress.com/">ADD Librarian</a> • <a href="http://www.thebookfae.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Book Fae</a> • <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/">Book Nook 4 You</a> • <a href="http://www.burgandyice.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Colorimetry">Colorimetry</a> • <a href="http://www.ctfdevourer.com/">CTF Devourer</a> • <a href="http://ofbattlesdragonsandswordsofadamant.blogspot.com/">Gillian Adams</a> • <a href="http://mylifewithamission.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Life with a Mission</a> • <a href="http://mystoryshelf.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Story Shelf</a> • <a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/" target="_blank">Jill Williamson</a> • <a href="http://daughteroftheking89.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Oh, Restless Bird">Oh, Restless Bird</a> • <a href="http://www.rachellerea.com/" target="_blank">Rachelle Rea</a> </b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-27494361095877673912012-04-25T15:51:00.002-07:002012-04-25T15:51:11.100-07:00That Certain Spark by: Cathy Marie Hake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9iVfHgBvk_3gUUBd9DH2ISjaEzUzKJ5IcvdxVtcqcmWG1OVCUrqC4p_eunM_Kw28EdXGlu8fg2pCxZNjDxdYVsfmLsBDEJXKfZ-zC18AmArh629WtN9bKLyCtz0sWrfCR_hke4nlW74/s1600/hake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9iVfHgBvk_3gUUBd9DH2ISjaEzUzKJ5IcvdxVtcqcmWG1OVCUrqC4p_eunM_Kw28EdXGlu8fg2pCxZNjDxdYVsfmLsBDEJXKfZ-zC18AmArh629WtN9bKLyCtz0sWrfCR_hke4nlW74/s1600/hake.jpg" /></a></div>
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Gooding, Texas, doesn't know what hit them when Taylor Bestman, woman doctor, comes to town. With her sparkling personality, clever mind, and good looks, Taylor is a temptress. But there is one thing holding the men back ...<br />
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A woman doctor is unheard of. In school Taylor was the brunt of teasing, and here people refuse to let her treat them. And that includes Karl Van der Vort, a traditional and arrogant man. On the first page we find him drinking tea with a kind old widow who is keeping her eyes pealed for a wife for Karl. So we know the rest of the book will be a fulfilling of this prophecy.<br />
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But Karl is against woman doctors, so he can't marry Taylor ... right? When he is injured on the job, however, his opinion of her skills might just change ...<br />
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Speaking of marriage, Taylor's veterinarian brother, Enoch, has his eye on Mercy, a beautiful widowed mother of one. But after a big surgery, Mercy doesn't think she has what it takes to make Enoch content, and it could ruin their happy ending.<br />
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The town cannot resist Taylor's services forever. She's smart and she's got her brother supporting her all the way. That's what she hopes, anyway.<br />
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My thoughts:<br />
<br />
I have mixed feelings about this book. One thing I appreciated was Taylor and her brother's obvious love for the Lord.<br />
<br />
I <i>love </i>Taylor. She's so spirited that when I first started reading the book I thought "Wow. I want my novel to have a character like this," which is a good thing. But I thought the other characters were kind of silly and ... shallow. And I <i>don't </i>like Karl. And it's never good to not like the guy the main character marries. :)<br />
<br />
One way to measure a good book is the amount of time you can get away from it without thinking about it, and my mind was never far from <i>That Certain Spark. </i>It is not often that you find a "clean" romance, but I think this was just that. Despite my disliking the characters (not everyone will, anyway) I thoroughly enjoyed this book (even if it is a little cliche).<br />
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<i>Objectionable Content:</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Language: </i>None.<br />
<i>Romance/Sexual Content: </i>Kissing. Mercy thinks after her surgery she can't marry Enoch because she won't fulfill his "desires as a man."<br />
<i>Violence: </i>None.<br />
<i>Drugs/Alcohol: </i>None.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-66890719030656031592012-04-19T16:21:00.003-07:002012-04-19T16:21:32.960-07:00Matched by: Ally Condie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdhB19peD06Rvd-hbVMobEVx683f7ADUlR_c5rbN6x7FYeIIPwJrkSujSnxynaRqdNh6QKk7WAAYGRK7Rlhf8OQ2OfLkdLO0b9plGkn2nY5j1R5SDmNRSSOXuBzcYZvJwd8jG1HU715g/s1600/matched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdhB19peD06Rvd-hbVMobEVx683f7ADUlR_c5rbN6x7FYeIIPwJrkSujSnxynaRqdNh6QKk7WAAYGRK7Rlhf8OQ2OfLkdLO0b9plGkn2nY5j1R5SDmNRSSOXuBzcYZvJwd8jG1HU715g/s400/matched.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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Cassia lives in a perfect society where life is black and white. You have no choices and your life is a map that others use but you will never see. Cassia is wearing a green dress and she's going to finally see the man she will be spending her life with.<br />
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And it's ... Xander. Her best friend. It's not often that you get matched with someone in the same Province as you! Cassia is very fortunate. But then there's Ky. After a big mistake she finds herself falling in love with him. But is it him or a desire to best the Society that draws them together?<br />
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People don't die on their eightieth birthday, the Society kills them. Why did she not see that before? The Society says they want the best for them ... but can someone willing to lie to hide the truth care about you? Can someone who takes your words and gives back theirs want what is best for you? And, last of all, can someone who destroys love and hope be someone you can trust?<br />
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<i>Matched </i>book trailer: <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xaeNWL8rlBI" width="420"></iframe>
<i> </i> <br />
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My thoughts:<br />
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Dystopian novel? YES. Told in present tense? YES. Society that is never wrong? YES. Girl rebel? Cliche, but YES. :)<br />
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I like this book.<br />
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You really feel like you're really a part of and are swept along in the story. The whole love-triangle, dystopian story thing is kind like The Hunger Games. You'll love it.<br />
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I love Cassia because she's beautiful, because she's different, and because she's willing to fight. All of these things are cliched, but cliche can be good.<br />
<br />
Today at work I was pondering what I learned from Matched and, frankly, I can
think of nothing. So I asked my sister. She shrugged and said "True love
conquers all?" and smiled. So, in other words, I don't think she learned
anything either. ;) I'm still looking in to that. Have you read it? Did you
learn anything?<br />
<br />
I love dystopian stories, in case you didn't already notice that. :) Cruel governments and rebels. Mwahahaha. :)<br />
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<b>Note to the author: PLEASE don't let Cassia end up with Xander. I like Ky a lot better.</b><br />
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Objectionable Content:<br />
<br />
<i>Language: </i>None<br />
<i>Romance/Sexual Content: </i>Kissing. People being forced into marriages that are usually perfect because the society is <i>never </i>wrong.<br />
<i>Violence: </i>None.<br />
<i>Drugs/Alcohol Content: </i>None.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-59623743372409865802012-04-05T12:05:00.003-07:002012-04-23T14:21:52.947-07:00She Walks in Beauty by: Siri Mitchell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsb_Xg6AqvnlRVUfFPUTYUvcE9NrhNvIKBnl7nNLFda1Yx6GG_5-ZzuBHrsmxv92csBU_-wusqQOfUTF_rh6MGfu6HsSANTFqY785GWFZmQl76-k9uCmtYnxtTv5nsEFBRZwnM_fQZ0g/s1600/She+Walks+in+Beauty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsb_Xg6AqvnlRVUfFPUTYUvcE9NrhNvIKBnl7nNLFda1Yx6GG_5-ZzuBHrsmxv92csBU_-wusqQOfUTF_rh6MGfu6HsSANTFqY785GWFZmQl76-k9uCmtYnxtTv5nsEFBRZwnM_fQZ0g/s400/She+Walks+in+Beauty.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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During New York City's Gilded Age ...</div>
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<i>THE</i> GAME</h2>
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is played amid banquets and balls.</div>
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<i>THE </i>PRIZE</h2>
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is a lifetime of wealth and priviledge.</div>
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<i>THE </i>RULES</h2>
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will test friendships and the desires of a young woman's heart.</div>
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Clara Carter is the social season's brightest cost ...</div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<i>but at what cost?</i></h3>
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Clara is going to make her debut a year earlier than planned. Her governess, friend to her since her mother died, is fired by her controlling aunt ... leaving her without anyone to teach her mathematics and literature. Instead she learns the importance of communication with a fan and dancing.</div>
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The dashing De Vries heir is desired by all, but competition is scarce. He is looking for just the right girl and has found what he wants in Clara ... and Clara's best friend. They promise each other nothing will come between them, but can they withstand the pressure of their parents pushing them away from each other and one man who can't decide between the two of them?<br />
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My thoughts:<br />
<br />
I had mixed feelings about <i>She Walks in Beauty</i>.<br />
<br />
Let's start with the good things.<br />
<h4>
<ul>
<li> THE COVER ART IS GORGEOUS AND I L♥VE THE TITLE. <span style="font-weight: normal;">(Now that that's off my chest...)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">The time period is AMAZING. I LOVE THIS ERA. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Clara is sooooooooo easy to relate to. Although near the end she started to bug me.</span></li>
</ul>
</h4>
Not so good things...<br />
<br />
Don't you hate it when you find a great book and it has some things that make it not as great???!<br />
<br />
Clara finds out that her mother died when her womb fell out of her body because her corset was too tight. It makes my heart constrict just thinking about it. Maybe that's not a "bad" thing, but it was kind of awkward.<br />
<br />
The De Vries heir asks Clara to "do it" with him and she refuses. I was thinking GO CLARA!!!! but I wish they had not put that in the book.<br />
<br />
Clara's best friend, Lizzie, bugs me to no end. But I had to read this book through twice, and the second time she seemed a little better. Still, though.<br />
<br />
Clara's aunt is kind of frustrating, but you also have to feel kind of sorry for her. Come to think on it, I actually found Clara frustrating. But I don't know why. She's pretty cool. She just ... I don't know. Maybe it's just me. :) Have you read it? What did you think of her?<br />
<br />
The book has no language or alcohol content or violence. Just ... romance. :)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-52746687356499117902012-03-11T13:36:00.004-07:002012-03-26T15:50:44.475-07:00The Silent Governess by: Julie Klassen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONL5hzDpTkszRd0GySUmvEx8aalEo5mnLrBCxgI2kFydjNihVKqeBAo10uYxkP1uGc3X0sXIUNgzET9DzdZnFk_TYIzYGp6-36dLde8reFL241MUeSNzL3nLX_cC0CGvjblNrtJwF8Io/s1600/n329522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONL5hzDpTkszRd0GySUmvEx8aalEo5mnLrBCxgI2kFydjNihVKqeBAo10uYxkP1uGc3X0sXIUNgzET9DzdZnFk_TYIzYGp6-36dLde8reFL241MUeSNzL3nLX_cC0CGvjblNrtJwF8Io/s400/n329522.jpg" width="262px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Olivia Keene is fleeing her own secret. She never intended to overhear HIS.</i></div><br />
But she cannot go back. And now that she knows the truth about Lord Bradley, what will he do to her? Any uncouth comment to the wrong person could result in the truth being revealed. He stands to lose everything - fortune, reputation, and home.<br />
<br />
He forces Olivia to stay with him at Brightwell Court where he can keep an eye on her. Was it not once said, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"?<br />
<br />
But as they begin to see into each other's hearts, things change ... suddenly they are no longer enemies. They look at each other in an entirely different way.<br />
<br />
But Olivia is hiding something, and Lord Bradley cannot be entirely sure that it's not this clever woman who is leaving mysterious and threatening notes in his room.<br />
<br />
Enter a 1900th century manor house run by the handsome and secretive Edward Bradley where all is not as it seems.<br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
This book is one of the. Best. EVER.<br />
<br />
I love it.<br />
<br />
One of the best things is that Olivia gets this neck injury so she can't talk anymore and she has to be a governess to these kids without talking to them. It's a really awesome plot idea.<br />
<br />
I just LOVE Olivia Keene. She's clever and sticks up for herself. I love the cover art on this book. I love stories where the mean guy falls for the sweet girl and becomes nice. :)<br />
<br />
I thought the story was slightly spoiled by the fact that there's this other guy who takes a romantic interest in Olivia and gets temporarily locked into a closet with her where he tries to kiss her. But aside from that I loved. This. Story.<br />
<br />
Objectionable Content:<br />
<br />
<i>Language:</i> None.<br />
<i>Romance/Sexual Content:</i> Kissing.<br />
Edward Bradley finds out his parents weren't married.<br />
A servant has a baby and she isn't married.<br />
<i>Violence:</i> Wild dogs attack Olivia.<br />
<i>Drugs/Alchol Content:</i> None.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-48164347472995829452012-02-27T09:19:00.001-08:002012-02-27T09:20:49.344-08:00The Wishing Pearl by: Nicole O'Dell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUS6b-5Nw5l2h6jI35woXNjn5Y_OnhM_Qs33NBlOYMVGlyeLwJ0Fx0HWoow153i2WGgOh1Q64kZRLoPf2g6P0rU8Am5IZPgW1Ev9Kqrn2rTbglXYAklm2SuHl7lZvDZ7OqPrIpaCiV-I/s1600/pearl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUS6b-5Nw5l2h6jI35woXNjn5Y_OnhM_Qs33NBlOYMVGlyeLwJ0Fx0HWoow153i2WGgOh1Q64kZRLoPf2g6P0rU8Am5IZPgW1Ev9Kqrn2rTbglXYAklm2SuHl7lZvDZ7OqPrIpaCiV-I/s320/pearl.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Sixteen year-old Olivia Mansfield dreams of a land far, far away...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A land far away from her stepfather's abuse and torment.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A land far away from her mother's blind eye.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A land far away from the haunting memories of her past.</i></div><br />
No one can be perfect, but it <i>does </i>seem like Olivia's parents could both do some things better. When Olivia's <i>dad </i>was alive, everything was different. Her mom would never have needed a spa day. Or had the money for it.<br />
<br />
But he's gone. Forever. And with change, people change. Olivia's mother included. There's no way to talk to her, no way to have a glimpse of the mother she once knew.<br />
<br />
In a confused state, Olivia makes some poor choices and finds herself in the middle of her best friend's unexpected death, leaving her at a crossroads.<br />
<br />
She can choose to get help, or she can let life work itself out. Will the demons from her past prevent her from having a happy future? Or will she go down the right path, towards eternal hope and healing?<br />
<br />
Watch the trailer for The Wishing Pearl...<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GSPVFmbf9U0" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
The Wishing Pearl is seriously <i>amazing</i>! I could <i>not</i> put it down. Everything in it is so nicely done. The cover art is <i>gorgeous. </i>I sat there staring at it for probably fifteen minutes before I actually opened the book.<br />
<br />
One thing I did <i>not </i>like, however, was the little Kira-being-pregnant-thing. The romance between Olivia and Justin is innocent and cute, but Kira's pregnancy kind of spoiled the book for me. I know a lot of people would probably laugh at me for that, but it <i>does </i>matter. It was kind of necessary to the book, but it still bothered me.<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Objectionable Content:</i><br />
<br />
<i>Language: </i>I don't remember any...<br />
<i>Romance/Sexual Content: </i>Kira is pregnant before she comes to Diamond Estates. She tries to make everyone believe Justin is the father.<br />
Justin tells Olivia he loves her.<br />
<i>Violence: </i>Olivia is in a car crash.<br />
<i>Drugs/Alcohol Content: </i>Lots of drinking. One girl sneaks in some marijuana. Another girl is trying to lose weight, so she eats speed, which I have read a lot on, and it's really not good.<br />
<br />
I reviewed this book for<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;">Team Novel Teen.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="yiv1349333218MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction. Check out other posts about The Wishing Pearl by <a href="http://nicoleodell.com/">Nicole O'Dell</a> by clicking on the links below , and check out </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.novelteen.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #234786;">www.NovelTeen.com</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> for more information about Team Novel Teen.</span></span></div><div class="yiv1349333218MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"></div><div class="yiv1349333218MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://mylifewithamission.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #234786;">My Life with a Mission</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://addlibrarian.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">ADD Librarian</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://audaciousreader.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">Audacious Reader</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://www.thebookfae.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #234786;">The Book Fae</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">Book Nook 4 You</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://bookwormreading.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">Bookworm Reading</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://ofbattlesdragonsandswordsofadamant.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">Gillian Adams</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #234786;">Jill Williamson</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://katie-mccurdy.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">Katie McCurdy</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://thelibrariansbookshelf.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #234786;">The Librarian's Bookshelf</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://theravenquill.blogspot.com/2012/01/replication-by-jill-williamson-review.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">The Pen and Parchment</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://www.rachellerea.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #234786;">Rachelle Rea</span></a><span style="background-color: white;"> • </span><a href="http://www.virtuousgirlhood.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">Virtuous Girlhood</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></div><br />
Want to buy the book??? Click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1616264543?tag=wwwteenageaut-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=st1&creativeASIN=1616264543&adid=0M6WT7204FGPT19N7TF7">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
You can also check out Nicole O'Dell's website, <a href="http://nicoleodell.com/">HERE</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-88102495812993127732012-02-20T10:32:00.000-08:002012-02-20T10:33:58.053-08:00Gathering Blue by: Lois Lowry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4v_t126Na8FdCy4S0VGI7b8_OyZd6vOI6iCZBgDe-HOa6KSP7k4Zu5e624KI6QoQKK_-7ubqMnVAwNJiDg168a4oU4DyCJ_9F86poevrdfvTAlB3zV9btlkKBDqawMqMfC2b1hvoP0M/s1600/Lowry_gathering_blue_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4v_t126Na8FdCy4S0VGI7b8_OyZd6vOI6iCZBgDe-HOa6KSP7k4Zu5e624KI6QoQKK_-7ubqMnVAwNJiDg168a4oU4DyCJ_9F86poevrdfvTAlB3zV9btlkKBDqawMqMfC2b1hvoP0M/s1600/Lowry_gathering_blue_cover.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Kira is an orphan with a big heart and a twisted leg. She lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. Where the unwanted are sent to the Field and never seen again. Where no questions are asked. Where the all-powerful Council of Guardians can create dreams... or smash them.<br />
<br />
Vandara would like nothing better than to see Kira dead... especially so she can have the property that Kira lives off of. Her plans are to fence in animals and children on it... to keep them out of trouble.<br />
<br />
The hate in Vandara's heart is so great that she brings it up with the Council of Guardians, resulting in half win, half loss. She gets her coveted property, but she does not, however, get to see Kira dead.<br />
<br />
Vandara doesn't hesitate to remind Kira that if it weren't for her mother fighting the law, Kira would already be dead, a fact that she already knows all too well.<br />
<br />
Now without parents or home, Kira is put up in a building with two other people, Thomas, the carver, and somebody else... a little girl with a talent for singing... that she isn't supposed to know about...<br />
<br />
Kira's mother was a gifted weaver and passed on the talent into her daughter. But her daughter's talents go far beyond anything she was ever taught...<br />
<br />
Kira's gift for weaving is the only thing keeping her alive...<br />
<br />
No one can know her plans to find the truth about her world.<br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
Wow was this an interesting book! <br />
<br />
<i>Gathering Blue </i>has some very excellent points. It doesn't really seem to ever get fully explained, though. The end makes you think there might be a sequel, but sadly, there is not. If you think about it, <i>The Giver</i> (which I reviewed <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/2011/02/giver-by-lois-lowry.html">HERE</a>), <i>could </i>be a sequel, but not really.<br />
<br />
<i>Gathering Blue </i>is not a supernatural book, but it is certainly not natural either. :) It's... odd.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the characters are really well written. Their personalities can be almost confusing at times! :)<br />
<br />
<b>Objectional Content:</b><br />
<br />
<i>Language: </i>None.<br />
<i>Romance/Sexual Content: </i>A little boy thinks Kira should marry someone.<br />
<i>Violence: </i>There may have been some fighting.<br />
<i>Drugs/Alcohol: </i>None.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-20694536120245960312012-01-30T10:22:00.000-08:002012-01-31T14:26:41.078-08:00Replication: The Jason Experiment by: Jill Williamson (win a copy for FREE!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDtW5R0OryVeYzN54h8nlYyF3GOK_8C9p1Vr7igI-FkFjSdWFgnvqUtDv5YcFYe2AXNdLTgUAyWlomz7YDTSGirRlSgyKyASs8Dt8NYesgWYVc5wdutdbx95D6RWeB3tMsYNYQg5Utio/s1600/jillwilliamson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDtW5R0OryVeYzN54h8nlYyF3GOK_8C9p1Vr7igI-FkFjSdWFgnvqUtDv5YcFYe2AXNdLTgUAyWlomz7YDTSGirRlSgyKyASs8Dt8NYesgWYVc5wdutdbx95D6RWeB3tMsYNYQg5Utio/s320/jillwilliamson.jpg" width="218px" /></a></div><br />
Martyr - J:3:3 - is only one insignificant clone out of hundreds kept in a facility - or prison! - called Jason Farms. He is content as he is, helping the brokens and learning new things, because he is told he has a purpose... to save humanity.<br />
<br />
But Martyr has a natural curiosity to see outside the facility he is kept in. He knows he will "expire" soon... and his one last wish it to see the sky.<br />
<br />
Abby Goyer weighs the pros and cons of living in Alaska and so far it would seem that the bad outweighs the good. Her dad may be caught up in something illegal, a guy in school just won't leave her alone, and then, if that isn't bad enough, she finds a clone in her bedroom!<br />
<br />
Martyr must decide if living with Abby is worth giving up his purpose, which is starting to look like one big lie.<br />
<br />
<em>My thoughts:</em><br />
<br />
I am a huge fan of <a href="http://jillwilliamson.com/">Jill Williamson</a>, and so I awaited this book in the mail with much anticipation. It didn't leave me wanting. The concept is <em>amazing</em>. I love scientific stories. The characters are unique. I love Abby because she is spunky and Martyr because he is so sweet and curious.<br />
<br />
I was a little disappointed, however, as I felt some of the romance-y things puts in here were not necessary. I felt the book would have been a much better read without them.<br />
<br />
<strong>Objectionable Content: </strong><br />
<br />
<em>Language: </em>None<br />
<em>Romance/Sexual Content: </em>Three kisses. A guy in Abby's school takes an unhealthy romantic interest in her and in one sentence it specifies his eyes "wandering where they shouldn't be wandering." Talk of marriage.<br />
<em>Violence: </em>Some fighting, not in detail. Some of the clones have needles inserted into them.<br />
<em>Drugs/Alcohol Content: </em>None.<br />
<br />
<strong>Some extras:</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://replicationbook.com/">Visit the book's website.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/jwilliamsonwrites?sk=app_328555770506992">Find out what <em>your </em>expiration date is.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/QCYeTXZGvg0">Watch Martyr's book trailer.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/SODPu2WfxcI">Watch Abby's book trailer.</a><br />
<br />
I reviewed this book for:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Team Novel Teen.</span><span style="color: purple;"> </span><br />
<br />
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction.<br />
<br />
Check out other posts about Replication: The Jason Experiment by: Jill Williamson by clicking on the links below, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.<br />
<br />
Read other people's thoughts on <em>Replication. </em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://addlibrarian.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">ADD Librarian</span></a> • <a href="http://audaciousreader.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Audacious Reader</span></a> • <a href="http://thebookfae.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">The Book Fae</span></a> • <a href="http://noahsreads.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Books I Recommend</span></a> • <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Book Nook 4 You</span></a> • <a href="http://bookwormreading.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Bookworm Reading</span></a> • <a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Christian Bookshelf Reviews •</span></a> <a href="http://www.fictionfire.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Fiction Fire</span></a> • <a href="http://ofbattlesdragonsandswordsofadamant.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Gillian Adams</span></a> • <a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Jill Williamson</span></a> • <a href="http://katie-mccurdy.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Katie McCurdy</span></a> • <a href="http://kurlykatiesruminations.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Kurly Katie's Ruminations</span></a> • <a href="http://mystoryshelf.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">My Story Shelf</span></a> • <a href="http://theravenquill.blogspot.com/2012/01/replication-by-jill-williamson-review.html"><span style="color: #439045;">The Pen and Parchment</span></a> • <a href="http://www.rachellerea.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Rachelle Rea</span></a> • <a href="http://slygames.net/wp/"><span style="color: #439045;">SLY Games</span></a> • <a href="http://terriharr.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #439045;">Terri Harr</span></a><br />
<br />
<strong>The giveaway:</strong><br />
<br />
The part you've all been waiting for, eh? :)<br />
<br />
So. Jill Williamson has offered to give one commenter a hot-off-the-press copy of <em>Replication: The Jason Experiment. </em>For FREE! Due to the realities of shipping, this will only be open to the people of USA. Sorry, Canadians. I feel your pain (I'm one of you! :).<br />
<br />
How to enter:<br />
<br />
<em>1). </em>Leave a comment on this blog post either asking <a href="http://jillwilliamson.com/">Jill Williamson</a> a question or telling her how awesome this book sounds (leave your email address on the comment!).<br />
<em>2). </em>Blog about the giveaway (and leave me a link!).<br />
<em>3). </em>Facebook about the giveaway (tell me if you do so).<br />
<br />
Be sure to leave your email address!!!<br />
<br />
Giveaway ends February sixth at midnight. I'll try to post the winner as soon as possible! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-42175430462804399602012-01-25T10:04:00.001-08:002012-03-05T19:33:59.126-08:00The Crimson Banner by: Jennifer Sauer (and an author interview!)First off, I thought I should say, the author of this book is an amazing girl and I am proud to call her my "adopted sister."<br />
<br />
So. That's taken care of.<br />
<br />
Now, this is her book. <i>The Crimson Banner</i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjySRo3TegHxd-RZ210Om342T-xdZ75xKYdTi7FTMNDqq-VGs6LE21xtvysh4i-okUpgJ1dpynA-Yr1JB4yjkVBxd6yZDy4YPvgxus9l3e96l58JLdUVEDPYBo3wmyVqJcVDSmTWqkn7o/s1600/crimson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjySRo3TegHxd-RZ210Om342T-xdZ75xKYdTi7FTMNDqq-VGs6LE21xtvysh4i-okUpgJ1dpynA-Yr1JB4yjkVBxd6yZDy4YPvgxus9l3e96l58JLdUVEDPYBo3wmyVqJcVDSmTWqkn7o/s320/crimson.jpg" width="228px" /></a></div><br />
Lady Melinda Llewllyn thought she was just escaping her betrothed - Lord Pemberton - when she boarded the <i>Cosette</i>. She did not realize that she was fulfilling her destiny.<br />
<br />
Captain Jack Breen knew there was something special about Melinda the moment he saw her. He did not realize just how much he would come to love her.<br />
<br />
Selena wants to marry the man who will one day take over the throne, she never realized how hard she would have to work for true love.<br />
<br />
Felicia "Toby" Pemberton is sister to a hated man. Will anyone ever come to trust her?<br />
<br />
This group of unlikely friends come together along with several others to put the right man on the throne.<br />
<br />
But at what costs?<br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
This is a very sweet book and was WAY too short. I wanted more!!<br />
<br />
It is amazing how Jennifer has used this book to glorify our Creator. She incorporates scripture with expertise and I look forward to seeing what the Lord has planned for her in the future.<br />
<br />
<i>The Crimson Banner</i> has got a mix or mystery, romance, and suspense. The characters are realistic, too. Each person has their own role to play, no matter how big or small.<br />
<br />
Objectional Content... <br />
<i>Language: </i>None.<br />
<i>Romance/Sexual Content</i>: Marriage, one or two kisses.<br />
<i>Violence: </i>None that I remember.<br />
<i>Drugs/Alcohol: </i>None.<br />
<br />
An interview with the author, Jennifer Sauer!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9_62eyrjfD3co9o24tUSEGx2dIGzPQkdG-ky78-k8WzIUDFySGWxobjSYjQWyLDjtwNyl4XXk3hLpWFn8SBq0KGKGjcUoP0msiyo4Ks7udstyOnr1W1SBjvhuoWSGGhGMJi8F4JEVNY/s1600/Jennifer-5-200x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9_62eyrjfD3co9o24tUSEGx2dIGzPQkdG-ky78-k8WzIUDFySGWxobjSYjQWyLDjtwNyl4XXk3hLpWFn8SBq0KGKGjcUoP0msiyo4Ks7udstyOnr1W1SBjvhuoWSGGhGMJi8F4JEVNY/s1600/Jennifer-5-200x300.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<b class="bbc">When did you first start writing?</b><br />
I’ve been telling tales ever since I could talk and before that I probably told them to myself. When I was about nine or ten, I realized that writers actually got paid to write and that I could make a career out of it. Then, I was probably thirteen when I started taking my writing seriously and trying to improve it.<br />
<br />
<b class="bbc">That's very neat, Jennifer! Did you take any classes?</b><br />
I took several classes for school but the one that most influenced my writing was the One Year Adventure Novel. Even though I didn’t agree with everything to curriculum said, it challenged me to strengthen my writing and to make it much more realistic. It emphasized on the importance of the story rather than structure so, there was a lot of things that I had never thought about and I hadn’t learned in other classes.<br />
<br />
But, mostly, what strengthened my writing the most was me just simply writing. For, the only thing that can truly make a writer a writer is that they write.<br />
<br />
<b class="bbc"></b><b>The One Year Adventure Novel curriculum is excellent. I've been using it myself. </b><b class="bbc">So, who or what most inspired your writing?</b><br />
First of all, what most inspires my writing is the burning passion within me to write words and create stories. It’s a God-given desire to tell tales and I love the feeling of joy and satisfaction that the simple putting together of words to form sentences gives me.<br />
<br />
As for who inspires my writing, I would say it’s all the authors who wrote so beautifully and- in my opinion- used their talents to write junk. I’ve read too many books that had great storylines but were filled with inappropriate content. So, I was inspired to write the books I couldn’t find- ones with good storylines and nothing objectionable content-wise.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b class="bbc"><b class="bbc">That's awesome! That desire certainly took you a long way. What was your first reaction when you found out you were going to be published?</b></b><br />
I literally jumped up and down and screamed with excitement!!<br />
<br />
<b class="bbc">Haha, I'm sure. :) Do you have any hobbies aside from writing?</b><br />
Besides reading and writing, my hobbies (or, my passions, as I call them) are sewing and baking.<br />
<br />
<b class="bbc">You've told me about your sewing projects before; They sound awesome! And are you working on any novels right now?</b><br />
A few months ago, I finished writing my second novel, a western called <i class="bbc">The Sheriff of Colsen Creek</i>. Now, I’m working on a science fiction called <i class="bbc">The Colony</i> about a group of people who live in a Colony under Governmental control and the sequel to <i class="bbc">The Crimson Banner</i>, called <i class="bbc">Walls of Refuge</i>, furthering the adventures of Tom Rogers and Toby Pemberton.<br />
<br />
<b>Well, that's very exciting. I would love a sequel to <i>The Crimson Banner! </i></b> Thanks for doing this Jennifer! And you all be sure to check out her book!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-31183133034670409652011-12-12T12:33:00.000-08:002011-12-12T12:33:41.924-08:00The Merchant's Daughter by: Melanie Dickerson<div style="text-align: center;">Click <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/2011/05/healers-apprentice-by-melanie-dickerson.html">HERE</a> to read my review on <i>The Healer's Apprentice</i>, also by Melanie Dickerson.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Click <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/2011/05/author-interview-with-melanie-dickerson.html">HERE</a> to read my author interview with Melanie Dickerson.<br />
<br />
Check out Melanie Dickerson's website, <a href="http://melaniedickerson.com/">HERE</a>. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzzIFpq7NlCNwa2zDYjD8LMW24fpW0-8VTrQQvgQfwC-SwkEh-gWsOcQRLfQfwjUeCSpPFXsdBDwfHHet9H0H7g9WnrLSsWoRHZMohJiL4xHnHr6MIVC728bgGd-PAlrnR34smx0PJvI/s1600/TheMerchant%2527sDaughtercover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzzIFpq7NlCNwa2zDYjD8LMW24fpW0-8VTrQQvgQfwC-SwkEh-gWsOcQRLfQfwjUeCSpPFXsdBDwfHHet9H0H7g9WnrLSsWoRHZMohJiL4xHnHr6MIVC728bgGd-PAlrnR34smx0PJvI/s320/TheMerchant%2527sDaughtercover.jpg" width="208px" /></a></div><br />
While Annabel is hard at work in the fields, her family slacks at home, unwilling to do their share of the work and dirty their white hands.<br />
<br />
Of course, laziness like this cannot go unnoticed forever.<br />
<br />
Annabel's family is faced with two choices. The disgusting and perhaps sometimes cruel Bailiff Tom wants to wed Annabel. She, however, will do everything in her power <i>not </i>to marry him. Unfortunately, he has promised to pay the fine that her family has been charged with because of their lack of work. The one thing he asks in exchange? engagement to dear Annabel.<br />
<br />
She, of course, is completely against this proposition. Her sissy of a brother Edward, though, encourages it. And, while her mother does not insist on the matter, Annabel knows that she yearns for Bailiff Tom and her union. Her other sibling, Durand, claims that he is afflicted with too great a sickness to over exert himself. Thus, Annabel has no supporters. She knows that her father, had he been alive, would have sided with her all the way.<br />
<br />
The only other option would be to send Annabel to work for Lord Ranulf while the rest of her family pays off their debt in the field.<br />
<br />
Since her family wants to make her marry the disgusting Bailiff Tom, Annabel decides to leave them and offer herself to Lord Ranulf.<br />
<br />
She is hired on as a field worker, but soon moved into the kitchens. Then when a fire occurs she is given the occupation of caring for Lord Ranulf, because she has some of knowledge of how to cure burns. Her lord is not as bad as she had first thought he might be. His hand is maimed, his face scarred, and his life a wreck. But somewhere in there he has a good heart.<br />
<br />
Soon she is confronted with a problem. She is attacked by a man and when her friend rushes in to save her, they injure him seriously. Despite the fact that he was injured in a case of self-defense, problems quickly come of this, leaving Annabel and Lord Ranulf's futures at stake.<br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
This book is amazing! It is such a sweet, fairytale romance.<br />
<br />
I love Annabel's kind heart. I love how rough around the edges Lord Ranulf is. I love how Annabel's dream is so simple - to be able to hold and read a Bible without the priest telling her what to believe.<br />
<br />
This story is based loosely on the classic fairytale, The Beauty and the Beast.<br />
<br />
I love a good medieval romance, and this certainly is that! The honesty and love in these pages is truly amazing. I recommend this book for anyone and everyone (girls especially :) ages twelve and up.<br />
<br />
<b>Objectional Content:</b><br />
<br />
<i>Language: </i>None.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<i>Romance/Sexual Content: </i>Kissing, forced marriages. Bailiff Tom tries to get Annabel to kiss him and teases her.<br />
<br />
<i>Violence: </i>Fighting. Fires. People getting seriously hurt.<br />
<br />
<i>Drugs/Alcohol Content</i>: None as far as I remember.<br />
<br />
I reviewed this book for:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Team Novel Teen.</span><span style="color: purple;"> </span><br />
<br />
Team Novel Teen is a group of bloggers dedicated to spreading the word about clean teen fiction.<br />
<br />
Check out other posts about The Merchant's Daughter by: Melanie Dickerson by clicking on the links below, and check out www.NovelTeen.com for more information about Team Novel Teen.<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_479469575"><br />
</a><br />
<a href="http://thelibrariansbookshelf.blogspot.com/">The Librarian’s Bookshelf</a> • <a href="http://www.rachellerea.com%20/">Rachelle Rea</a> • <a href="http://addlibrarian.wordpress.com/">ADD Librarian</a> • <a href="http://www.thebookfae.wordpress.com/">The Book Fae</a> • <a href="http://mylifewithamission.blogspot.com/">My Life with a Mission</a> • <a href="http://katie-mccurdy.blogspot.com/">Katie McCurdy</a> • <a href="http://terriharr.blogspot.com%20/">Terri Harr</a> • <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/">Book Nook 4 You</a> • <a href="http://mystoryshelf.blogspot.com/">My Story Shelf</a> • <a href="http://sugarpeach.wordpress.com/">Sugar Peach</a> • <a href="http://jillwilliamson.com/">Jill Williamson</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you would be interested in buying this book, click<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0310727618?tag=wwwteenageaut-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=st1&creativeASIN=0310727618&adid=04TPH6C8KB5SHS060DXH"> HERE</a>. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-86865978543151856602011-11-23T21:31:00.000-08:002011-11-23T21:31:02.617-08:00Dragon Slippers by: Jessica Day George<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyI_GMBY42iwVWPlywEFDTsMHHuLsD3MYSNKnqRyU2R0VVIwLgvD8T8oBMVuyeXi-TcUowPcZ9kf3GvAPyQdFWpms6lOxhOadujiiLTpke9H3UshBhVt1i6elF68XXPby1c38xQiS7Rm0/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyI_GMBY42iwVWPlywEFDTsMHHuLsD3MYSNKnqRyU2R0VVIwLgvD8T8oBMVuyeXi-TcUowPcZ9kf3GvAPyQdFWpms6lOxhOadujiiLTpke9H3UshBhVt1i6elF68XXPby1c38xQiS7Rm0/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>She wanted dragon gold. She got a pair of shoes. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The shoes could save her kingdom<strong> ...</strong> or destroy it.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Creel's parents are dead, leaving her and her young brother, Hagen, to the mercy of their aunt and uncle. These relatives were by no means cruel, what they did was not intentionally unkind, but that does not change what they did.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Creel was sacrificed to a dragon, in the hopes that a wealthy prince would be fooled into rescuing her. Then she and the unfortunate man would <em>have </em>to marry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not that Creel was hard on the eyes. But what prince in his right mind would want to marry a poor girl with <em>freckles</em>?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Creel decides to not wait for a knight to rescue her. She strikes out on her own. But not before making a bargain with her captor. Dragons love to collect things - this particular dragon loves shoes. He allows her to choose one pair. Creel, of course, chooses the wrong ones. A lovely pair of blue slippers, and, surprisingly, the only pair in the dragon's overwhelmingly large collection that fit her feet.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Creel, having now escaped the dragon's cave, is on the road to the king's city, where she hopes to make her fortune. Along the way she meets another dragon, Shardas. She stays with him and his stained-glass-window collection for several months - during that time she spends her days talking, embroidering, and meeting a new dragon, one with a dog collection.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When the time comes to leave, Creel and Shardas part ways as good friends, and Shardas instructs her to just call his name and he will always come. And then, after telling her how to find the king's city, he is gone. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Creel finds work as a seamstress, though not before making enemies with the royal prince's bride-to-be.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">She is about to find out that these slippers are more than beautiful<strong> ...</strong> they control dragon's minds! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>My thoughts:</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I. Love. This. Book. It's AWESOME! You have to, er, get into it a bit, but once you do <strong>...</strong> <em>wow</em>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The cover is soooo cute! Love it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's this guy, a prince named Luka, who is sooo sweet! He's probably my favourite character <strong>... </strong>next to Creel, of course.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Dragon Slippers </em>is clever, well-thought out, and fun! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Objectional Content:</strong></div><br />
<em>Language: </em>None.<br />
<br />
<em>Romance/Sexual Content</em>: A quick kiss between Creel and Luka (I don't mention him in the review above). Some boys want to hurt Creel and tease her - flattering and flirting with her.<br />
<br />
<em>Violence: </em>Perhaps some fighting, nothing in particular.<br />
<br />
<em>Drugs/Alcohol: </em>None.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">12 and up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">9/10 stars.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-75303761574164902902011-11-22T18:27:00.000-08:002011-11-22T19:31:35.715-08:00Beyond the Reflection's Edge by: Bryan Davis<div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgsrLba2JkgJMoX49NGAqXExc8DStJ-Wvpqyl-tqEq58rI9hNqOa8A7_4zKJ3LiiqSmcmGQ-UnP820GtU5nkaOi9GTbJnfoCmB6DEfocsWKiobj8Fc4Tb7RNwMhIkiMZl637NBIjAGdc/s1600/bryan_davis_beyond_edge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgsrLba2JkgJMoX49NGAqXExc8DStJ-Wvpqyl-tqEq58rI9hNqOa8A7_4zKJ3LiiqSmcmGQ-UnP820GtU5nkaOi9GTbJnfoCmB6DEfocsWKiobj8Fc4Tb7RNwMhIkiMZl637NBIjAGdc/s1600/bryan_davis_beyond_edge.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><em>Enter a fantastical world where even the mirrors tell lies.</em></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="left">Nathan Shepherd - a sixteen year old violinist - enjoys the life he has with his investigative father and musician mother.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Until that day.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">It was all set up perfectly. His mother and he were going to do a violin duet on stage together. The song began. They harmonized together beautifully. Then began Nathan's solo. As he stroked the first notes, his mother whispered these words to him.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>"It is time for a very long solo, my love. Play it with all your heart. I will join you again when the composer commands me."</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">When his solo ended, he opened his eyes, awaiting his mother's notes. She was gone.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Minutes later, he finds both his parents murdered. His father with a bullet hole in his chest, his mother with a slit in her lovely white throat. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Nathan is sent to a safe house, where Tony, the verbally clumsy father of his teenage daughter, Kelly, abides. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Left with a mirror and a note from his parents, Nathan struggles to get over their death. Then the mirror begins to reflect scenes and images that have never happened - almost like it has a mind of its own!<br />
<br />
And, somehow, music seems to activate it. <br />
<br />
Nathan finds a chest that can't be opened unless his reflection is the one doing it. The world is suddenly confusing and troubled. Especially when he finds out that he can cross dimensions and meets his mother as a young girl! <br />
<br />
What he once thought was non-existent is suddenly his job to save. A man of magic tries to defeat Nathan as he learns the secrets to crossing dimensions and discovers new earths.<br />
<br />
Kelly and Nathan must join together to battle against the evil force trying to melt all dimensions together.<br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
Wowzers! This book is good!<br />
<br />
Maybe I'm a <em>little </em>biased because I LOVE the violin. And since I play it, I can relate to everything written in this book. <br />
<br />
I had to start the book twice before I could get in to it, especially because the middle is a bit confusing. But it really is quite good!<br />
<br />
Kelly is quite the girl. I love how she is so hard, and yet so soft, too. <br />
<br />
And this sentence?<br />
<br />
<em>"It is time for a very long solo, my love. Play it with all your heart. I will join you again when the composer commands me."</em><br />
<br />
It is so beautiful! <br />
<br />
<strong>Objectional Content:</strong><br />
<br />
<em>Language: </em>None.<br />
<br />
<em>Romance/Sexual Content: </em>Hinting at Kelly having a dark past. Hint at Nathan and Kelly having a crush on one another.<br />
<br />
<em>Violence</em>: People getting their eyes sucked out by a bad guy who uses magic. Fighting. Injuries.<br />
<br />
<em>Drugs/Alcohol Content: </em>None.<br />
<br />
8/10 stars<br />
12 and up.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-31532995792644136722011-11-12T20:30:00.000-08:002011-11-12T20:31:24.578-08:00Author Interview with Carlie GernhartCarlie Gernhart has agreed to do an interview with me! She is the author of the amazing book, <em>Fable Weaver. </em>You can read my review for it <a href="http://booknook4you.blogspot.com/2011/11/fable-weaver-by-carlie-gernhart.html">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixt9xVVa76Lc9s2hN95TtlluUlrHZCfy60VH9S71UfStsnDR6EzReJ7vELiGs1pcq252FiyPSpXvs5XOhW9mN-ronW6uZ2JIBm5_9eo5hDaTiu1TLlYsfoRG0MoUi4zEkZMuZO9bK3YgQ/s1600/Carlie3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixt9xVVa76Lc9s2hN95TtlluUlrHZCfy60VH9S71UfStsnDR6EzReJ7vELiGs1pcq252FiyPSpXvs5XOhW9mN-ronW6uZ2JIBm5_9eo5hDaTiu1TLlYsfoRG0MoUi4zEkZMuZO9bK3YgQ/s1600/Carlie3.jpg" /></a></div><br />
1. When did you first start writing?<br />
<br />
I first started writing a couple years ago, when I was about 14. I made a 400 page mess of horrible writing that had a repetitive plot that went nowhere. At 16 I started writing seriously when I was in the pilot class of OYAN, and I'm so glad I took it. My writing improved drastically and that 400 page mess got revised into a book called Kytt's Tale. Here I am at 19 and totally loving being a writer.<br />
<br />
2. Where did you get the idea for your novel? I mean, seriously, it's AMAZING!<br />
<br />
Thanks! I got the idea from hearing other people talk about their characters, and from experiences with my own. So, Tierra Fabula was born. Fable Weavers and Changelings evolved from that. I also like the "Fractured Fairy Tales" method of taking a old story, then turning it on its head in a funny or unexpected way.<br />
<br />
3. Are you working on anything right now?<br />
<br />
Yeah, I'm always working on something or other. Right now I've got a prequel going for a book I already wrote called "Elementia" (though I'd like to find another title for it someday...). Really enjoying working on that, because some of my favorite characters to write are in it. I've also got several books I'm juggling in the back of my mind, working on them when I have time.<br />
<br />
4. What do you like to do when when you're not writing?<br />
<br />
Video games, mostly. I've been gaming since I could hold a Super Nintendo Controller. Right now I'm really into playing Minecraft, though I'm also playing through Final Fantasy VII (got stuck at a particularly hard battle). Some of my favorite games are Shadow of the Colossus (amazing story), Portal 1 and 2 (amazing writing), Pokemon games, The Legend of Zelda series and way too many others to list here. I also like drawing, which is something I've been doing for about nine years. I like it because it lets me show people how my characters look to me.<br />
<br />
5. So, your novel was written with the One Year Adventure Novel program? Would you recommend it? I personally found the program to be a big help in my own writing.<br />
<br />
Yes, it was. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants to write. The difference between the way I used to write and how I write now is amazing. I take the time to structure my stories, develop characters and make sure the plot works before I write it. I'm so, SO glad I found OYAN. Might sound a bit dramatic, but I really do think it's changed my life for the better.<br />
<br />
6. What are some of your favorite books? Authors?<br />
<br />
Oh boy, let's see... Recent books I've read and loved have been the Maze Runner series (James Dashner) and the Hunger Games trilogy (Suzanne Collins). I also really enjoy the Bartimaeus series, written by Jonathan Stroud. Some of my favorite authors are Terry Pratchett (who can write some amazingly funny books) and J.K. Rowling (who also wrote one of my all-time favorite series).<br />
<br />
7. Off the topic of writing, what is your favorite fast food restaurant? <br />
<br />
Can't beat a Triple Stacker combo from Burger King. Yay bacon!<br />
<br />
8. Who or what most inspired your writing?<br />
<br />
My parents really helped me stay motivated, and my sister is excellent at brainstorming and bouncing ideas around. J.K. Rowling was probably the one that most inspired me to start telling stories. I also wanted to get my stories into the world so my characters would stop bugging me about it. :)<br />
<br />
9. Is your life any different now that you're an author?<br />
<br />
Incredibly different. It's crazy how random some sources of inspiration can be (Elementia was spawned from a single gesture in a Pixar movie... still got no explanation for that one). Also, whenever I'm bored, I'll often start a mental conversation with my characters (it helps me develop them, and also helps pass time). It's amazing to me when someone asks me "Hey, how's *insert character name here* doing" or something along those lines.<br />
<br />
10. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?<br />
<br />
I'd love to see Ireland. :)<br />
<br />
11. What did you want to be when you were little? Was writing always a part of it?<br />
<br />
For a long time I wanted to be a zookeeper. Then I wanted to be a video game tester. Now I think I'll be a Character Designer/Animator/Story Writer for video games who is a masked vigilante by night. :)<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
Thanks for doing this, Carlie! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-15292655368562755832011-11-10T12:07:00.000-08:002011-11-10T12:07:39.812-08:00Fable Weaver by: Carlie Gernhart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XKudkDrDc4D__ObU-PF8AyOmcj8TF-D_ED0uqU4T-VtNIq3p8GVvobT_vYAa2sD-TCZzxZNrbKdnGFSvqhhFfoBJPT3_CE-eb5GA2kVen-MdlX0jedEx5644VOJzTprKDYj2W2Sjzd4/s1600/fableweaver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XKudkDrDc4D__ObU-PF8AyOmcj8TF-D_ED0uqU4T-VtNIq3p8GVvobT_vYAa2sD-TCZzxZNrbKdnGFSvqhhFfoBJPT3_CE-eb5GA2kVen-MdlX0jedEx5644VOJzTprKDYj2W2Sjzd4/s1600/fableweaver.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Linnet Fairweather's words have power. Literally. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">She is a fable weaver. A fable weaver can spin a pretty tall tale <strong>... </strong>and than make it come true! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Gifts like these must be guarded. This is why she has guardian changelings to watch over her. There is Izar, the most mature and wise of the group. And then we have Sekker. The crazy one who wears his hair in a ponytail and has a hidden past. And last, but certainly not least, Arkose. The clown who loves video games and snicker doodle cookies. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">But then everything goes wrong. The fable weavers plan a meeting <strong>... </strong>and only Linnet shows up! Fara, head of the changelings, informs her that they've all disappeared.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Linnet is the last of the fable weavers. It is up to her to save them - if they are still alive.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">However, plans must change when fiction's worst villain escapes from the prisons of Tierra Fabula - the place where characters go once their stories are over - and begins to make trouble in the <em>real </em>world! The barrier between true life and the story world is weakening.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Linnet and her friends know the truth - that there is only one way to beat this vile villain. They must get the help of Merlin <strong>...</strong> a wizard who has long since been imprisoned. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">No one knows where Merlin is or how far his powers can stretch, but if they want to mend the barrier between imagination and reality, they know that this is the only way. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Fable weavers aren't often at a loss for words <strong>... </strong>but it's going to be hard to find the right ones to battle the most feared character ever to be used in fiction and mend the damage done before it is beyond repairs!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>My thoughts:</strong></em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This book is AWESOME! I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first saw it for sale - okay, I immediately decided I didn't like it - but when I found out a friend of mine owned it, I couldn't resist asking to borrow it and get a taste of what it was like. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">WOW, I'm glad I did. The writing is amazing, the plot is EPIC, and the humor is actually funny. :) Books don't make me laugh very often - out loud or not.<br />
<br />
I love this concept. There's a place where characters go when their novel is finished, and they roam around our world freely during the day, then return to their home (Tierra Fabula) at night. Unless, of course, they're villains and are in prison.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't believe it's a Christian book. Come to think on it, it can't be. Not with wizards around.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Objectional Content:</strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><em>Language:</em> I believe the word "bloody" is used.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><em>Romance/Sexual Content: </em>None that I recall.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><em>Violence: </em>Fighting, magic used to harm people.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><em>Drugs/Alcohol: </em>None.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">12 and up</div><div style="text-align: left;">9/10 stars</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-74652945952504126632011-11-06T16:05:00.000-08:002011-11-06T16:05:52.483-08:00The Apothecary's Daughter by: Julie Klassen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqldk-MYZdz0U998R6DLLWR4LOjbgcFAYWo4hrooRNPEjPRwUz3lvMB0ahFCyHpGWlEMjXr8169FeY6w06aJCe5G-dVYlcLzc324fvNrliYw99clmh7TqVtupQvihOXS0XDOEv76kVBMA/s1600/JK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqldk-MYZdz0U998R6DLLWR4LOjbgcFAYWo4hrooRNPEjPRwUz3lvMB0ahFCyHpGWlEMjXr8169FeY6w06aJCe5G-dVYlcLzc324fvNrliYw99clmh7TqVtupQvihOXS0XDOEv76kVBMA/s320/JK.jpg" width="208px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Lilly remembers everything - whether she wants to or not...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lilly Haswell is the pretty, eighteen-year-old daughter of the local apothecary. Lilly is intelligent and has an amazing mind for remembering things - making her a great help to her father, Charles Haswell.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Haswell name is a respected one in the community, but that doesn't stop idle tongues from wagging about the disappearance of Lilly's mother. It is not a subject Lilly's father likes to discuss. Thus, she knows nothing of it and often catches herself thinking about it as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then a visit from her aunt and uncle change everything. They invite her to stay with them in London for a time. Of course, Lilly's sweet aunt has only one thing in mind: suitors. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In London, Lilly learns the ups and downs of wealthy society and being courted. She must attend parties and is forced to dance with all the wealthy gentlemen in the room. The handsome Dr. Graves is not the ideal suitor, according to Lilly's aunt, but power and possessions do not affect <em>Lilly's</em> feelings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two years of her new London life fly by. But they come to an end when Lilly receives word that her father is not himself, and she decides to return home to him - just for two weeks.When she discovers her father's condition is far worse than she ever could have expected, those two weeks stretch longer... turning into months... then years. Her father needs her, and who else does he have to care for him?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A serious suitor from London follows her home. She is all ready to accept his marriage proposal whenever he makes it because she knows with him she has finally found true love<strong> ...</strong> hasn't she?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lilly searches for not only the truth of her past, but for love for the future also.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>My thoughts:</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This book is <em>amazing</em>! I love all of Julie Klassen's books.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How can you help but love sweet, beautiful Lilly who adores her younger brother more than her own life? And the cover art is <em>gorgeous</em>. The dress and the hair especially. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I liked this book because one: it's historical, two: while the plot idea is not exactly new, it's still interesting, three: I enjoy the writing style, and four: it's a romance. :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, and it's written in a 'Jane style,' as I like to call it - 'Jane' meaning Jane Austen and Jane Eyre. Basically, it is all about a girl finding a rich man to marry. Society in that day was all about status.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Objectional Content: </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Language:</em> None that I remember. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Romance/Sexual Content: </em>Of course, while there is mention of boys falling in love with Lilly, it is only serious in two places. One, where she is aims to kiss someone on the cheek to thank him and he moves so she gets his mouth instead, and two, on the very last page, where she kisses her true love. When she is alone with a man, there is mention of him maybe "doing more than he did," had Lilly's brother not been there. (as for "what he did," I believe he was just holding her)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Violence: </em>None that I remember, except perhaps someone getting hit or something along those lines.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Drugs/Alcohol</em>: Mention of someone being drunk.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thirteen and up.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-92098450157840456732011-10-27T16:23:00.000-07:002011-10-27T16:28:24.327-07:00Pharaoh's Daughter by: Julius Lester<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7KAtDFC5IGUyPfU6Q5a37Riu-IsTmnJ-Bt4wdNi-xjAlTL4CW89AR92b0Sc_bO_bzX1hYgpPNi7pD2YGvRQ7Jp1wmvPCPTbhgi0bjdjQ9SNqx6HJtvNvbz4cXudbEDZBDFM-yqVG2Dw/s1600/pharaohs-daughter-novel-ancient-egypt-julius-lester-paperback-cover-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7KAtDFC5IGUyPfU6Q5a37Riu-IsTmnJ-Bt4wdNi-xjAlTL4CW89AR92b0Sc_bO_bzX1hYgpPNi7pD2YGvRQ7Jp1wmvPCPTbhgi0bjdjQ9SNqx6HJtvNvbz4cXudbEDZBDFM-yqVG2Dw/s1600/pharaohs-daughter-novel-ancient-egypt-julius-lester-paperback-cover-art.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I saved my brother from the soldiers,<br />
but the princess says he is hers now.<br />
Abba and Ima will never trust me again. </em></div><br />
Almah never imagined when her mother ordered her to go and take a watch for soldiers that she would meet the Pharaoh's daughter. She never would have believed that the Pharaoh's daughter would take in her little brother, Moses.<br />
<br />
And she most certainly never thought that she and her mother would be asked to come and <em>stay </em>in Pharaoh's palace for a period of time.<br />
<br />
As much as Almah's family does not wish to stay in the palace, they decide to accept anyway, because the Pharaoh's daughter has taken their son, and they want to be near him as long as possible.<br />
<br />
Almah is there through the stress of Pharaoh's beloved wife passing on, and is his chief comfort as she has many similarities with his deceased spouse.<br />
<br />
But when Almah is given the choice to either stay on in the palace or return to her home, there is no way for this situation to work out in a positive way. If she stays in the palace, where she finally feels alive, she will be dead to her family. And if she goes home, she will lose her quality of life and the love of the Pharaoh and his family.<br />
<br />
The Pharaoh has feelings towards Almah, something most girls can only dream of, but will she except them?<br />
<br />
Moses lives in the palace, raised by the Pharaoh's daughter. It was this woman, his adopted mother, that saved his life.<br />
<br />
He is a happy boy, for his sister Almah is by his side at all times, ready to do anything for him, and he lives a life of luxury.<br />
<br />
<br />
But the people of the palace do not trust him. The reason is clear: they could change his title, his family, and his beliefs, but they could not change who he really <em>was</em>. They are Khemetian. He is Habiru.<br />
<br />
Because of this, Moses does not feel completely at ease. His identity is changed against his wishes, and he longs to uncover his true self. When he does, this time the answer to his problems is not something Almah can help him with. He must do it <em>alone</em>.<br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
This is the story of Moses, as you may have already guessed. But half is told from Moses' point of view, half from Almah's. <br />
You have probably already read, or at least <em>heard</em>, the story of Moses. But I still highly reccomend this book! It puts the story into an entirely new light. <br />
<br />
I have a feeling that if we're trying to be historically correct, Pharaoh did not fall in love with Moses' sister, but it does definitely add some colour.<br />
<br />
I have certainly read worse books, but I have also read better. This is a thought-provoking read and I can almost guarantee you won't be sorry you read it. (I can't say the same to you boys out there, though. :)<br />
<br />
<strong>Objectional Content:</strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Language</em>: None that I remember.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Romance/Sexual Conent</em>: Someone is in love with Pharaoh's daughter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Pharaoh loves Almah and wishes to marry her. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With Almah's job as priestess, she must dance naked. The description is not <em>too</em> vivid, but enough....</div><br />
<em>Violence</em>: Moses kills someone. He is asked to whip someone, but he whips the man who asked him to instead.<br />
<em>Drugs/Alcohol: </em>None that I remember.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-67929628275118199792011-10-25T19:44:00.000-07:002011-10-25T19:44:33.327-07:00A Series Of Unfortunate Events: The Slippery Slope by: Lemony Snicket<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1_WyxnqjFFZbP1Ez2DBeSf9GiV7cxKRPh9wEshzzYN82WCTy007U3nTdzHrbQagTgMKb2O33Jx4A1VpxLsqHEEXsFmV-9U4kDX6Iev_JtvW13vfS-vvQXIkqqo7qn9hkDYmpAHQbJ9E/s1600/snicket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1_WyxnqjFFZbP1Ez2DBeSf9GiV7cxKRPh9wEshzzYN82WCTy007U3nTdzHrbQagTgMKb2O33Jx4A1VpxLsqHEEXsFmV-9U4kDX6Iev_JtvW13vfS-vvQXIkqqo7qn9hkDYmpAHQbJ9E/s1600/snicket.jpg" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In <em>The Slippery Slope, </em>we continue the story of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. This is the tenth book in the series.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you have not been following the series up until this point, I had better explain. (And if you have, then you'd better skip the next couple paragraphs.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are three unfortunate orphans whose parents died in a fire quite recently. Ever since Mr. Poe, who was in charge of placing them with a relative, came to them that cold, hard day to give them the news, their lives have been one sad event after another.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It all began with a man named Count Olaf, who was, apparently, the closest relative they had. But the Baudelaire children saw through his guise immediately. He only wanted their fortune. And when he found out he couldn't have it until the eldest was either sixteen or married, he attempted to marry her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But Violet managed to escape from this slippery deal just in time, and she and her siblings were placed with another relative.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They weren't safe, though. Count Olaf found them again and continued his pursuit of stealing them away. But they outsmarted him - once again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ever since then, he has been out for revenge. Guardian after guardian have been fooled or killed by this vile villain, until finally the Baudelaires gave up on the people Mr. Poe was placing them with and began to rely on their own wit to survive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In <em>The Slippery Slope</em>, we find the two eldest Baudelaires separated from their younger sibling, Sunny. She has been captured by Count Olaf. And they are on a quest to get her back. And once they rescue her, they hope to continue their search for their friends, the Quagmire triplets.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the way there, they run into a person thought dead, the Volunteer Fire Department's burned down building, an icy slope, and the "False Spring Queen".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How could their circumstances do anything <em>but</em> improve? They are about to get much, much, <em>much</em> worse...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My thoughts:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I realize that this series is probably for kids much younger than myself, but somehow I still find myself always coming back to them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lemony Snicket has a very interesting writing style. It always makes me smile. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love that Violet, Klaus, and Sunny each have their own talents. Violet is an inventor, Klaus is a researcher, and Sunny is a "biter". *smiles*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why would I recommend this book? Well, to start with - I hope I don't put this wrong - but it's kind of a... "cute" book. It makes you think, it's funny, and the writing is very unique. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Objectional Content:</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Language</em>: None.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Romance/Sexual Content</em>: There is a small hint at Violet and another boy having a crush on one another.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Violence: </em>None that I remember.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Drugs/Alcohol</em>: None.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">8/10 stars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ages: Eleven and up</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-49706476446199175622011-10-11T09:31:00.000-07:002011-10-11T09:31:06.199-07:00Oryus by: Craig Gordon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBttEkiz5YrBKqacNw6lrFdB03FZciGxViADCUcO0LStBJuAwVJMyKp28Q5CBv1WByzs2C_x_ZcUzeqxXPLoIj9jPqFIXx9vZ8eQYYHvVOhcn46er3leBvLBBxJMOOlOlhQBodSUtj3nc/s1600/Oryus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBttEkiz5YrBKqacNw6lrFdB03FZciGxViADCUcO0LStBJuAwVJMyKp28Q5CBv1WByzs2C_x_ZcUzeqxXPLoIj9jPqFIXx9vZ8eQYYHvVOhcn46er3leBvLBBxJMOOlOlhQBodSUtj3nc/s1600/Oryus.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>A dream. A quest. A destiny.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Duncan's life has been one of secrets. He and his father, mother and brother have lived a sheltered life in Laynarra - the one city in Corandor that is untouched by the evils of the world. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They do not associate with their neighbors, Duncan is not allowed to leave the town, and his father will tell him nothing. If it weren't for his mother, Duncan would probably not even be allowed to marry the woman he loves, a girl named Rhyelle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But then everything changes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Duncan has an encounter with Mahaylik - a man who calls himself a messenger for the Creator. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mahaylik gives him instructions to go to Ruxallium.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>It is a very puzzled Duncan that later confronts his father and tells him of the meeting.<br />
<br />
Mahaylik told Duncan to ask his father one thing.<br />
<br />
<i>"Ask him if he knows how Toric fares."</i><br />
<br />
And these simple words have more power than Duncan could ever imagine. His father, upon hearing them, tells Duncan to ignore the request and never even look at Mahaylik again.<br />
<br />
But Mahaylik caused a stirring in Duncan's restrained heart.<br />
<br />
His father would tell him nothing of the past, and refused to let him have much of a future.<br />
<br />
Duncan has always questioned his secluded life, and now the chance has come for him to live life as it was meant to be.<br />
<br />
But how can he leave his family and bride-to-be?<br />
<br />
<i>"Trust your heart, Duncan, not your head."</i><br />
<br />
Despite everything, Duncan leaves his home for the first time in his life.<br />
<br />
His eyes are opened to new things. Suffering<b> ... </b>and<b> </b>truth <b>... </b>good <b>...</b> and bad<b> ...</b><br />
<br />
His father always told him to trust no one <b>... </b>but could his father only be saying these things to hide Duncan from his past?<br />
<br />
On his quest, Duncan will meet Zaig the giant <b>... </b><br />
<br />
<i>"Get your hands away from my neck or I'll snap you in two!"</i><br />
<br />
<b>...</b> irresistible Fyfe, the Midni, who is constantly on end with Zaig <b>...</b><br />
<br />
<i>"Well done, Zaig! I did not know you could count that high!"</i><br />
<br />
<i><b>... </b></i>Visuriun the sorcerer <b>...</b><br />
<br />
<i>"The only reason you are still alive is because I believe you may serve a purpose for me."</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i><b>... </b>and Blaithe son of Kohr - a worker for Mahaylik <b>...</b><br />
<br />
Duncan discovers his entire family was killed during his absence <b>... </b>and their blood is on his hands <b>... </b>except his father and bride <b>... </b>they are still alive <b>... </b>and he finds himself on a mission to rescue them <b>...</b><br />
<br />
<b>... </b>and then his calling is revealed <b>...</b><br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<b> </b><br />
This book is amazing!<br />
<br />
To start with, the characters are all very likeable, the book is <i>incredibly </i>well-written, and the plot is unique.<br />
<br />
We can all relate to Duncan. He is annoyed that his father keeps his past a secret from him, and he decides to go uncover his destiny. And, though at the time he doesn't know it, the Ceator is calling him to even higher purposes.<br />
<br />
You will also love Duncan's bride-to-be, Rhyelle. She is so sweet!<br />
<br />
I should probably warn any younger readers, there is a scene where Duncan and the sorcerer have an exchange while Duncan is in jail, and the sorcerer raises Duncan off the ground without moving a muscle. He also chokes Duncan by just moving a finger.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Objectional Content:</b><br />
<br />
<i>Language: </i>No particular words. But they say things like, "he cursed."<br />
<br />
<i>Romance/Sexual Content: </i><br />
- Duncan kisses his bride-to-be a couple times. (he also proposes to her in chapter three.)<br />
- When the soldiers took Duncan's bride away, he worried once that they might violate her. They didn't.<br />
- Someone hints at the queen betraying her husband. She did. <br />
- Duncan's friend has a crush on the queen. It passes shortly. But he is later accused of violating her, and she lies and says it is true, even though he didn't.<br />
<br />
<i>Violence: </i>A couple people are killed. There are fights. <br />
<br />
<i>Drugs/Alcohol: </i>Duncan's dad is a winemaker.<br />
<br />
9/10 stars.<br />
Thirteen and up.<br />
<i> </i><b> </b><i></i><b><br />
</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4427326137589990379.post-21930477242244634622011-09-26T16:18:00.000-07:002011-09-26T16:18:03.729-07:00Mara, Daughter of the Nile by: Eloise Jarvis McGraw<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxLCGjcMs1q-Yuo172r8xFHCLLbYy8F-1E2jR2LZhxdlvXo9JmY5VbhEJnNMpxr1op2Nqm6QzEwU7Zu9HETlTdrN9otPuBZ5B-lsM2aejTCRrbvlr_gUYq8uVuo5eMM8da28Gfi3kkF0/s1600/Mara_Daughter_of_the_Nile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxLCGjcMs1q-Yuo172r8xFHCLLbYy8F-1E2jR2LZhxdlvXo9JmY5VbhEJnNMpxr1op2Nqm6QzEwU7Zu9HETlTdrN9otPuBZ5B-lsM2aejTCRrbvlr_gUYq8uVuo5eMM8da28Gfi3kkF0/s320/Mara_Daughter_of_the_Nile.jpg" width="196px" /></a></div><br />
Mara is a slave, but unlike other slaves, she has not accepted the fact. She still dreams of one day earning her freedom. But when the opportunity arises, the situation gets more serious than she ever could have imagined. Earning her freedom involves serving as a double spy for two arch enemies - both of whom support a different contender vying for the throne of Egypt.<br />
<br />
From then on her life is one of confusion as she is commissioned to work as a translator for a Canaanite princess - this will get her behind enemy lines so she can deliver a message from her master. Why? she does not know. All she knows is that, if no mistakes are made, it will gain her freedom.<br />
But then she meets Sheftu and overhears him plotting to overthrow the queen. Unfortunately for her, Sheftu knows that she was eavesdropping, and forces her into his plans - threatening to kill her if she disobeys. <br />
<br />
Rather unwillingly, free-spirited Mara works as a double-agent, translates for an over-weight, homesick princess, and begins to believe the plan to restore Thutmose III is not as treacherous as it once seemed.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, Mara finds herself falling in love with Sheftu and is finally willing to admit feelings towards him when her duplicity is unveiled, putting not only Mara, but her beloved Egypt, on the line<br />
<br />
My thoughts:<br />
<br />
Many a time I have made the mistake of telling my mom that we "have no books to read," and for the next ten minutes she will create a pile of books for me that we have that I haven't read yet. In this case, <i>Mara, Daughter of the Nile</i> made it into my mom's pile of "to read" books, so I picked it up and began to read. <br />
<br />
Well, to start with, I absolutely love Mara. She's so independent and I love that she is always ready with a clever remark. I also like that she is not willing to accept her destiny as a slave - even when a fellow servant, Teta, discourages her from dreaming big.<br />
<br />
This story is set in ancient Egypt - which is a time period I happen to l♥ve. <br />
I can't really think of anything else to say about it, except that I <i>loved</i> it, so I'll go right to the....<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Objectional Content:</span> </span></strong><br />
<br />
<em>Language:</em> I'm embarrassed to say that while I know there was some, I don't remember any of it. <br />
<br />
<em>Romance/Sexual Content: </em>Mara flirts with an officer so he will let her through the gates, and he wants to kiss her. *SPOILER ALERT* <span style="font-size: x-small;">Mara and Sheftu kiss several times.</span><br />
<br />
<em>Violence: </em>Mara is tortured. Nothing else I remember.<br />
<br />
<em>Drugs/Alcohol: </em>None that I remember.<br />
<br />
12 and up.<br />
Highly Recommend.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5