Title: Benny's Angel
Author: Laura Allen Nonemaker
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Release Date: November 8, 2011
Paperback, 24 pages
ISBN 10: 1613460090
ISBN 13: 9781613460092 The Book Depository / Amazon
Who stole the flowers
in God's Secret Garden? Find out in this delightful tale, which uses
animals, nature, and a visit from an angel to teach the importance of
prayer and the value of trusting God.
My Take:
What a lovely little book with a wonderful message on not letting others steal your joy. This book is written especially for younger children and offers a message of love and hope in a way that is simple for them to understand. With lovely illustrations and characters,
Short and sweet, it's just long enough to hold young children's attention without giving them time to get restless.
My grandbebes loved it at Gigi Storytime, and I think your children and
grandchildren will, too. It would make a lovely and meaningful addition
to the Christmas gift list!
BOOK RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Author bio:
Laura Allen Nonemaker’s desire to write took root as a child in
Bermuda. Since then, Laura has written in a variety of genres and her
work has appeared in EssenceTreasury: Celebrating the Season, Alive! and Kentucky Monthly Magazine.
Laura has been involved in short-term missions, including trips to
Russia, Poland, and the University of the Nations in Kailua Kona,
Hawaii. Three years ago, her interest in the arts motivated her to join
the planning team for Artful Missions, which conducts juried art shows
and donates to outreaches in the U.S. and India to rescue women and
children from human trafficking.
Feel free to contact Laura at
lauranonemaker(at)gmail(dot)com.
BLOGGERS: Have you reviewed this book? If so, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section; I will also add your link to the body of my review.
Now for a very special giveaway! One winner from across the blogs participating in this tour will win this grand prize:
1 Vivitar Camcorder with Camera and 2X Zoom
1 Benny's Angel Picture Book
1 Benny's Angel 3-D Book
1 Benny's Angel Coloring Book
1 Benny's Angel Audio Book
1 Benny's Angel T Shirt
1 Benny Christmas Ornament
1 Marietta Christmas Ornament
1 96-Count Crayola Crayons
HOW TO ENTER:
Comment: Let me know in the comments what your favorite children's book is! Please remember to include your email address
kind of like this: user(at)domain(dot)com or something similar
to prevent spambots from picking your email address up.
Extra entries:
You can get an extra entry for following Knitting and Sundries (email/Twitter/GFC) - TWO extra
entries if you are an old follower or subscriber.
Connect with Laura at These Social Networking Sites (follow/like/etc.):
Make a separate
comment for each entry and include your follower name or the email address you subscribe under.
Eligibility: US through 12/05/2011 Visit the other blogs on the tour! Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from Kathy Carlton Willis Communications to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.
Title: The Radleys
Author: Matt Haig
Publisher: Free Press, a division of Simon and Schuster
Publish Date: December 28, 2010
Hardcover, 384 pages
ISBN 10: 1439194017
ISBN 13: 9781439194010
Just about everyone knows a family like the Radleys. Many of us grew up next door to one. They are a modern family, averagely content, averagely dysfunctional, living in a staid and quiet suburban English town. Peter is an overworked doctor whose wife, Helen, has become increasingly remote and uncommunicative. Rowan, their teenage son, is being bullied at school, and their anemic daughter, Clara, has recently become a vegan. They are typical, that is, save for one devastating exception: Peter and Helen are vampires and have—for seventeen years—been abstaining by choice from a life of chasing blood in the hope that their children could live normal lives.
One night, Clara finds herself driven to commit a shocking—and disturbingly satisfying—act of violence, and her parents are forced to explain their history of shadows and lies. A police investigation is launched that uncovers a richness of vampire history heretofore unknown to the general public. And when the malevolent and alluring Uncle Will, a practicing vampire, arrives to throw the police off Clara’s trail, he winds up throwing the whole house into temptation and turmoil and unleashing a host of dark secrets that threaten the Radleys’ marriage.
The Radleysis a moving, thrilling, and radiant domestic novel that explores with daring the lengths a parent will go to protect a child, what it costs you to deny your identity, the undeniable appeal of sin, and the everlasting, iridescent bonds of family love. Read it and ask what we grow into when we grow up, and what we gain—and lose—when we deny our appetites.
My Take:
The Radleys - Helen, your typical, stay-at-home suburban wife; Dr. Peter Radley, a general practitioner; Rowan, 17-years-old, pale and poetic; and Clara, 15-years-old, newly vegan and feeling a lot of ill effects from it. They all live at 17 Orchard Lane in Bishopthorpe.
Clara loves animals and hates the fact that they all run away from her. She has switched to a vegan diet in an effort to make animals like her better. Her best (and only) friend is Eve Copeland, the new girl at school. Eve's father is Jared Copeland, a former CID officer whose wife went missing. After spending time in a mental institution, he was stripped of his duties and now works as a garbage collector for the town of Bishopthorpe.
Rowan is teased and bullied unmercifully by the "mean boys" in his school - his neighbor at 19 Orchard Lane, Toby Felt, and Toby's friend Stuart Harper (Harper). He has a mad crush on Eve, his sister's friend, but is far too shy and insecure to do anything about it.
All of the Radleys must wear SPF 60 in order to go outside, and are allergic to garlic. The elder Radleys have more than their fair share of aches and pains, and Rowan in particular suffers from a skin rash that worsens with exposure to sunlight.
One evening, Clara, having left early from a party because she was not feeling well, is walking home when she is attacked. Before the attacker can overpower her, he's laying on the ground and Clara is covered in blood. She telephones her parents, who are entertaining Lorna and Mark Felt, the next-door-neighbors. As her parents rush to her in their car, in spite of Helen's protestations, Peter calls someone - his brother, Will Radley, for help.
Helen and Peter have been keeping a secret from their neighbors and their own children - they are all vampires. In an effort to give the children a normal life and not cross moral lines, they have been living by the code of "The Abstainer's Handbook". As more secrets come to life, the children try to deal with their new reality, and with the arrival of Will, Helen has a deeper secret to hide.
This is a darkly humorous look into the life of a normal suburban family who happen to be vampires. The family dynamics play out well, and the interactions between the siblings, the temptations of the parents, and teenage social life will keep you turning the pages. The insights into famous vampires (Jimi Hendrix, and the poet Byron among others), will make you think, "Hey! It could happen!" You will find your fair share of intrigue and suspicion, and you will find yourself rooting for "the bad guys" in this one. Definitely one to put on your shelves.
QUOTES
"We promised lots of things. But that was before our daughter went Bela Lugosi on a boy at some party in the middle of nowhere. I don't know why you even let her go in the first place."
Then, once the wall is bare, she has fun in the mirror, transforming herself, watching her canine teeth lengthen and sharpen. Dracula. Not Dracula. Dracula. Not Dracula. Dracula.
But Peter and Helen were completely besotted with each other. They were so happy, and Will couldn't stand to be anywhere near that happiness. Not without planning to destroy it.
BOOK RATING:4.0 out of 5 stars
If you are unable to view embedded video, the trailer can be seen atthis link.
WIN IT: Thanks to Meredith at Free Press, I was sent a hardcover copy of this title to give away to one of my readers! I am making the giveaway international (if it costs more to ship it to you than it costs for me to send it from The Book Depository, I will order a copy for you from there and have it shipped.)
MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit The Abstainer's Handbook (you'll like it!) and tell me something about it (a location and it's relevance, a recipe, a rule, a chapter and it's heading) - Try not to copy anyone else's answer!
Follow Knitting and Sundries via GFC (left sidebar), follow via Twitter, subscribe via RSS, subscribe via email, enter another giveaway that is current. (1 entry/comment per method per giveaway) Current subscribers/followers receive 2 entries - please leave 2 comments
Include the name or email address you follow or subscribe under
Spread the word!:
Tweet (maximum of ONCE daily - include @jewelknits and @simonschuster in the tweet. To make it easy, you can use the "Share" button at the bottom of this post! - or - you can cut and paste the following:
The Radleys by Matt Haig - Internat'l through 1/20/2011 http://t.co/CJRjUrR via @AddThis @simonschuster #bookreview #giveaway @jewelknits
ALL ENTRIES: Please leave your email address in all comments like this: knittingandsundries(at)gmail(dot)com or even knittingandsundriesATgmailDOTcom (this discourages spammers). If I can't reach you, you can't win!
ELIGIBILITY: Open Internationally End Date: Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from Free Press to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review. I am an Amazon affiliate; as such, any purchases through Amazon links from this site may result in a small stipend.
Wow! This was SUPPOSED to be a review and giveaway, but, like everyone else, I'm running behind with all of the holiday pomp and prep! I bought Sounds Like Crazy in August, and it sat on my TBR shelf, waiting for me to pick it up and read. When I read that Pump Up Your Book was doing a tour for it, I said, "All right! HERE'S a reason to grab it up sooner rather than later!"
So I'm reading it now, and it's really good. I think that whoever wins it will like it a lot; I know I do. I will update this post with a link to the review in a couple of days or so. UPDATE:Read my review
About the Author:
Shana Mahaffey lives in San Francisco in an Edwardian compound that she shares with an informal cooperative of family, friends and five cats. She’s a survivor of Catechism and cat scratch fever, and is a member of the Sanchez Grotto Annex, a writers’ community. Her work has been published in SoMa Literary Review and Sunset Magazine. She welcomes all visitors to her website www.shanamahaffey.com, and is happy to meet with book groups in-person or in cyberspace (phone/webcam/the works).
About the Book:
Learn why Holly Miller has five people living inside her head in this "remarkable debut novel."(Kemble Scott, author of SoMa)
Though she doesn't remember the trauma that caused it, Holly Miller has Dissociative Identity Disorder. Her personality has fractured into five different identities, together known as The Committee. And as much as they make Holly's life hell, she can't live without them.
Then one of those identities, the flirtatious, southern Betty Jane, lands Holly a voiceover job. Betty Jane wants nothing more than to be in the spotlight. The rest of The Committee wants Betty Jane to shut up. Holly's therapist wants to get to the bottom of her broken psyche. And Holly? She's just along for the ride...
WIN IT: Dorothy at Pump Up Your Book was kind enough to allow one of my readers to win a copy of this title! Thanks, Dorothy!
MANDATORY ENTRY: Other than "Sybil", have you heard of or read any books dealing with dissociative identity (multiple personality) disorder that were good? (always looking to learn new things and add to the ever-growing TBR pile, I am!)
Current subscribers/followers receive 2 entries - please leave 2 comments
Spread the word! Tweet (maximum of ONCE daily - include @jewelknits and @pumpupyourbook in the tweet. To make it easy, you can use the "Share" button at the bottom of this post! Blog about - 2 entries/comments (leave the URL) Sidebar link to giveaway - 1 entry/comment (leave the URL)
For Tweets: You can also copy and paste this: Sounds Like Crazy-Shana Mahaffey GIVEAWAY (Internat'l thru 12/31) http://t.co/86SxwLi #giveaway @jewelknits @pumpupyourbook
ALL ENTRIES: Please leave your email address in the comments like this: knittingandsundries(at)gmail(dot)com or even knittingandsundriesATgmailDOTcom (this discourages spammers). If I can't reach you, you can't win!
ELIGIBILITY: Open Internationally (I'm shipping this out myself, so if it costs more to ship than the book would cost, I will send it to an international winner through The Book Depository and select an alternate winner for my extra copy) End Date: Friday, December 31, at 11:59 PM EST
Disclosure: I was provided an additional copy of this title through Pump Up Your Book for a giveaway. No other compensation was received and I am not required to post a positive review.
Title: The Twinning Murders
Author: Shelly Frome
Publisher: Beckham Publications Group
Publish Date: September, 2010
Fiction/Mystery
Paperback, 228 pages
ISBN 10: 0982794320
ISBN 13: 9780982794326
Description:
The Twinning Murders is a modern day classic mystery centering on the ventures of Emily Ryder, a thirty-something rambler and tour guide.
The story opens just before she embarks on this year’s Twinning ritual exchange. It’s between her historic New England home and its sister village deep in Dartmoor, a wild upland area in the west of the county of Devon, England. Emily becomes personally involved in a suspicious death..
A few days later, at the Twinning itself, her main client meets the same fate. As Emily’s world continues to unravel, and though she has little help, she finds herself compelled to piece together the games being played on both sides of the Atlantic.
My Take:
This one came to me quite late, so I haven't yet finished reading it. I will update this post with a link to my review when I am done.
Shelly Frome is a Professor Emeritus of dramatic arts at the University of Connecticut. A former professional actor and theater director, his writing credits include a number of national and international articles on acting and theater, profiles of artists and notable figures in the arts, books on theater and film and mystery novels.
Current subscribers/followers receive 2 entries - please leave 2 comments
Spread the word! Tweet (maximum of ONCE daily - include @jewelknits in the tweet. To make it easy, you can use the "Share" button at the bottom of this post! Blog about - 2 entries/comments (leave the URL) Sidebar link to giveaway - 1 entry/comment (leave the URL)
ALL ENTRIES: Please leave your email address in the comments like this: knittingandsundries(at)gmail(dot)com or even knittingandsundriesATgmailDOTcom (this discourages spammers). If I can't reach you, you can't win!
ELIGIBILITY: Open to US and Canada End Date: Tuesday, December 21, at 11:59 PM EST
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title through Pump Up Your Book to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.
Title: I am Santa
Author: Kristy Haile
Publisher: Happy Bean Publishing
Publish Date: October, 2010
Paperback, 343 pages
ISBN 10: 0982704313
ISBN13: 9780982704318
Cover Description:
What would it take of you to believe in your child when nobody else did? What would you do if all of a sudden your son truly believed with all of his heart that he was indeed the New Real Santa Claus?
Enjoy this journey into a little boy's imagination as he struggles in a world of doubt, continuously striving to turn non believers into believers. I believe my son is the New Real Santa Claus no matter what other people may believe. The question is, do you believe?
My Take: I'm going to do this review post a little differently than my others. Tell me how it works for you.
What it's about: It's about a little boy named Nicholas who believes he is the "new real Santa". On a trip to the mall with his mom and older sister, he talks to a man who LOOKS like Santa Claus. His mother, in the interest of encouraging his imagination, buys him a Santa suit that he picks out at the toy store on one of their trips there. Nicholas wears his Santa suit ALL of the time, even past Christmas through New Year's. If he could, he would wear it through the year, but there is a point where even an encouraging parent must draw the line. We meet the elves at the North Pole, and find out details about their work that we never knew before.
His sister Holly eventually believes that he is Santa Claus too, however, she is embarrassed by her friends' reactions to her little brother being Santa Claus. But she loves him, and is backed up by at least one of her friends in defending him.
The story is narrated by Nicholas' mom, who also ends up believing that her son is the new "real Santa Claus". She has a more difficult time convincing her husband Garrett of this. She shows a lot of faith, love, and encouragement to Nicholas, and has to deal with the disapproval of many adults who, of course, have quite a bit to say on the subject.
Pros: This is a cute story about a little boy and his mom. I liked how her love for her children came through on the pages, and I LOVED that she didn't automatically discourage her son's imagination. She tells of everyday events, and some not-so-everyday events (I don't think it's everyday that you find out that your son is Santa Claus!) in a believable fashion that every parent can relate to.
Cons: This book could have definitely used a proofreader or an editor. It is filled with typos, misspelled words, missing and misplaced punctuation, and even mismatched tenses within the same paragraph. I also have some problems with the narration. I realize that it is in the voice of the mom telling the story, but the use of "anyways" and "when that had happened" to repetitive phrases, like "Holly and Nicholas love it whenever their dad makes them pancakes because he can seriously make them whatever design of pancake they want. Garrett makes every design of pancakes. He makes every thing from alligator pancakes, to pirate hook pancakes and every design in between, including Nicholas's favorite Santa hat." (and no, "every thing" is not a typo on my part) just threw me for a loop every time I came across them. .
Wrap-up: All in all, if you can get past the editorial errors and the dialect, it is a sweet story. As a mom myself, I could definitely relate to the mom's dilemma here. How do you encourage your child when other people are constantly telling you not to? How do you divide your time and attention equally between more than one child? What happens when your child is an important and famous figure (like Santa Claus?).
QUOTES:
"I am the new real Santa Claus and whether you want to believe in me or not is your choice. However, if you would like to maintain your current status on the nice list, you should really watch your behavior, especially your behavior towards the new real Santa Claus!"
Couldn't there be like a five birthday party limit per child per year?
"The little cousins really believe their cousin Nicholas is the new real Santa Claus and they are taking turns getting on his lap to tell him what they want for Christmas."
WIN IT: Dorothy at Pump Up Your Book was kind enough to allow one of my readers to win a copy of this title! Thanks, Dorothy!
MANDATORY ENTRY: How do you encourage your child or another young one's imagination? Bebe Boy James used to have imaginary friends with exotic names; I never said, "Dude! That's crazy talk!", I simply asked him what they looked like and if they were nice. If they WEREN'T nice, I took out my imaginary sword and chopped off their heads!
Current subscribers/followers receive 2 entries - please leave 2 comments
Spread the word! Tweet (maximum of ONCE daily - include @jewelknits AND @whosyoursanta in the tweet. To make it easy, you can use the "Share" button at the bottom of this post! Blog about - 2 entries/comments (leave the URL) Sidebar link to giveaway - 1 entry/comment (leave the URL)
ALL ENTRIES: Please leave your email address in the comments like this: knittingandsundries(at)gmail(dot)com or even knittingandsundriesATgmailDOTcom (this discourages spammers). If I can't reach you, you can't win!
ELIGIBILITY: Open to US and Canada End Date: Friday, December 10, at 11:59 PM EST
This book is part of my 2010 Holiday Reading Challenge list
This book is part of my Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge List
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title to facilitate my review through Pump Up Your Book. No other compensation was received, and I was not required to post a positive review.
Title: Thunder and Ashes
Author: Z. A. Recht
Publisher: Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster
Publish Date: November 23, 2010
Paperback, 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1439198837
ISBN-13: 9781439198834
Description:
A lot can change in three months: wars can be decided, nations can be forged...or entire species can be brought to the brink of annihilation. The Morningstar Virus, an incredibly virulent disease, has swept the face of the planet, infecting billions. Its hosts rampage, attacking anything that remains uninfected. Even death can’t stop the virus—its victims as cannibalistic shamblers. Scattered across the world, embattled groups have persevered. For some, surviving is the pinnacle of achievement. Others hoard goods and weapons. And still others leverage power over the remnants of humanity in the form of a mysterious cure for Morningstar. Francis Sherman and Anna Demilio want only a vaccine—but to find it, they must cross a countryside in ruins, dodging not only the infected, but also the lawless living. The bulk of the storm has passed over the world, leaving echoing thunder and softly drifting ashes. But for the survivors, the peril remains, and the search for a cure is just beginning....
My Take: I haven't finished the book yet, as I only received it a week ago, however, it's ZOMBIES!! Way cool! I like the way it is written, and I do want to get back to it when I set it down, which is a good indicator.
I do know that this book, part of the Morningstar Saga (trilogy), was preceded by Plague of the Dead, which was extremely well received.
On researching the author and the book, I found that Z. A. Recht died last year at the tender age of 26, which is incredibly sad. At the time of his death, he was working on the third and final installment of the series, "Survivors". I "think" I've been able to glean that "Survivors" is being completed by someone else, but it's late and I should double-check that with concrete facts when I'm actually awake.
I found this link to related short stories as penned by Z and friends.
I also come across this tribute to "Z", which I thought was well-written and interesting.
I will be posting my review soon.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title to facilitate my review from the publisher. No other compensation was received, and I am not required to post a positive review.
Title: Hoodoo Sea
Author: Rolf Hitzer
Publisher: Bluewater Press
ISBN 10: 1604520264 ISBN 13: 9781604520262
GoodReads Description: The government of the United States of America is on the verge of startling the world. Billions of dollars had been invested in its space program . And now, the moment of truth had arrived… Scott Reed is the man for the historic mission. He is the Wing Commander chosen by the elite brass at NASA. The assignment to test flight the first speed of light craft, held top secret, was about to shock the world. The risk? Utter and complete failure. The reward? Being a part of the greatest human accomplishment ever known to mankind. Major James Harrow, second in command of the four person crew, despised his Wing Commander. Harrow was a proud and patriotic American. What was NASA thinking when they selected a Canadian to pilot the voyage? There was no comparison as to who was the better skilled aviator. This was his time, his moment. Major James Harrow was about to prove to everybody they were wrong to bypass him as Commander. The weather conditions were perfect and lift-off for the test flight was text book. The triumphant cheers from Mission Control in Houston were echoed all the way to Cape Canaveral. The silent fear of the first hurdle of the flight had been succumbed. All systems were go! That is, until the crew and SOLT-X1 entered the Bermuda Triangle…
My Take: We now join the preparations for the first manned flight at the speed of light. It is a top-secret mission, known about only to a select few. Let's meet our flight crew:
Scott Reed, Wing Commander, a Canadian with a shaky marriage and two young children. When we meet him he is considering whether or not this should be his last mission, as the time he spends away from his family due to his job is what's cuasing his marriage to disintegrate.
Major James Harrow, second-in-command - a guy a with chip on his shoulder and what I like to call a "stank attitude". He broods over how unfair it is that a 'foreigner' should be in charge of 'his' mission and he continually makes inappropriate comments to:
Captain Deedee Polson, Systems Specialist - she is professional and knows her flight instruments like the back of her hand, but she harbors a crush on her Commander.
Last, but not least, there is Captain John Heintz, otherwise known as "Scurvy" - the flight doc. He is a true-blue, sweet as pie Minnesotan. He is basically along for the ride, unless one of the other members of the flight crew take ill.
"Hoodoo Sea" is a nickname for the Bermuda Triangle. It is also the mission code name for our flight today.
While Franco Zappia, an earthy, chain-smoking, coffee-guzzler in charge of Mission Control in Dallas, readies everything on the ground for the flight, the flight crew straps in and the excitement of being the first to travel at the speed of light sets in.
The first leg of the flight, going through the Bermuda Triangle, is heavily carpeted with fog, and right after the flight breaks out of the fog, they will be heading into a mild electrical storm. After that, however, everything should be smooth sailing while they orbit the earth three times before heading up to MIR with supplies.
The flight begins, the ship heads into the fog. There is extremely low visibility, and Mission Control, of course, no longer has visual contact. The onboard tracking system, however, shows exactly where the ship is. Inside the ship, Polson keeps everything going on it's computerized course. This ship is the latest and greatest in technological advancement, so it practically flies itself.
Back in Mission Control, voice communications with the ship are lost, and suddenly, the red dot that shows them where the ship is .. disappears.
The rest of the novel gives us a possible scenario of what happens to those lost inside the Bermuda Triangle.
We meet Henpo and his friend Ripkin, Tribefeeders (hunters). We meet Freybyn, Tribeking, and get a glimpse into a more 'primitive' lifestyle.
We also meet Therkor, the Alpha of the wild dogs, with blazing yellow eyes and the ability to enter people's dreams. Henpo and his fellows are always in by nightfall, because to do otherwise means to face Therkor and his pack .. and no one meets Therkor and lives long enough to tell the tale.
Henpo is in the woods hunting when he sees a "black moon" land, and as he journeys back to his Tribeking to inform him, he can only wonder whether the people he saw step through the door of the black moon are friend or foe.
I liked the story. I was interested in it from start to finish.
For writing purists, fair warning - there are a few places where you may notice punctuation errors (missing quotation marks, commas, or the like). The dialogue itself is rather choppy at times, and the character development - there's not nearly enough. What makes you want to keep reading is the story, not necessarily the characters, although there are some you will like and one in particular that you will loathe.
I would have liked to see more depth given to the characters and dialogue, especially the dialogue of Therkor, who comes across at times as a comic-book villain.
But the ending ... totally unexpected! All in all, an enjoyable read with a twist that I don't think anyone could see coming.
QUOTES:
Scott turned. Ten feet before the underbrush, where he'd tripped, stood the two biggest, most savage-looking wolves he'd ever seen. Each animal was easily six feet in length and over two hundred pounds of lean muscle. The canines growled. Realizing their chance for an easy kill had vanished, they turned back into the woods.
With this kind of effort, maybe he would get lucky with the lady tonight? It's all about presentation; a friend of his had explained that concept to him one night over several Budweiser. Book Rating:3.5 out of 5 stars
BUY THE BOOK: At Amazon, and through other on- and off-line booksellers.
Come back tomorrow for Rolf's Author Guest post!
Disclosure: I received a complimentary title of this book to facilitate my review through Pump Up Your Book. No other compensation was received and I was not required to post a positive review.
My Take:When I initially started reading this novel, I ended up a bit dizzy from the array of characters who were introduced. At first, it was difficult for me to keep straight in my head who was who. There's Ridley Fox, a CIA agent haunted by the death of his fiancee Jessica at the hands of a Russian terrorist group called The Arms of Ares. There are Ridley's fellow operatives, General Downing, Hiller, Walsh, Dobbs. There is Valerik, a former KGB operative now working with Ares. There's Dr. Tabitha Marx, who found out that her father had been a CIA agent and that her mother was a KGB agent.
Ares is perfecting a deadly bio-terrorist agent called Pandora. Pandora eats it's victims from the inside and can't be controlled once it is released. It is up to Fox to locate and procure or destroy all of the Pandora samples, and we start out with the lab in Chechnya. After THAT adventure, Fox ends up in Africa, where he quickly figures out that there must be a mole within the agency, as he ends up losing some of his colleagues to treachery and to a release of Pandora. Luckily, the area which it had been released in had previously been cleared of all lifeforms (which Pandora needs to repopulate itself), so once the human casualties were taken, the agent died off.
We travel to Japan, where Dr. Nita Parris, a bio-chemist working for the CIA, is employed by Hashimoto, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company Hexagon. Hashimoto is an expert at brainwashing and has developed a brainwashing drug called Clarity which Dr. Parris is testing on human subjects. Hashimoto also seems to be the head of a group of devoted disciples called The Promise.
In this book, we learn that not everyone is who they appear to be. Who is The Undertaker calling the shots for Hashimoto? Who is the mole within the CIA? Why is Fox told not to trust the Boeisho as he arrives in Japan?
There's a lot going on in this book, complete with tough, macho-guy talk and lots of shooting action. There are a few places where the writing 'hitches', and we see some rough-edged transitions, a phrase or two that seem to come from nowhere, and a love interest that, in my opinion, appears to develop too quickly. That being said, it's a pretty cool espionage thriller with a few surprises tossed into the mix. It's not a study in character development; it's more like an action/adventure movie where the action speaks for itself and the bad guys want to take over the planet. I liked it.
QUOTES:
"Over the years, I've dealt with all types of threats to our country while you were doing the Moonwalk in elementary school."
Dewan looked over at the table before he looked back at Parris. "They all acto so happy, like they've all been visited by Mary Poppins or something. And also this 'end of the world' thing they keep talking about. That it's coming and that they'll all be saved."
BUY IT: Through Amazon. Amazon.co.uk, and several other ebook retailers.
WIN IT: Thanks to the author, you have a chance to win one of 10 copies! In addition, Everyone that leaves a comment with their email address (in the body of your message) will win an autographed book cover. After the blog tour, 10 commentors from all of the participating blogs will be drawn to win free autographed eBook copies of Pandora's Succession.
MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit the Tour Page and let me know the name of another host and the date that they are hosting their portion of the tour -OR- let me know the name of your favorite thriller/suspense author or book.
EXTRA ENTRIES: Follow Russell via Twitter; leave your Twitter username
Visit another blog or blogs on the tour and enter THEIR giveaway; leave a comment letting me know you did - 1 entry per participating blog
Current subscribers/followers receive 2 entries - please leave 2 comments
Spread the word! Tweet (maximum of ONCE daily - include @jewelknits AND @authorrussell in the tweet. To make it easy, you can use the "Share" button at the bottom of this post! Blog about - 2 entries/comments (leave the URL) Sidebar link to giveaway - 1 entry/comment (leave the URL)
ELIGIBILITY: Open Internationally End Date: Sunday, November 14th, at 11:59 PM EST
Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this title to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received, and I was not required to post a positive review.
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Katie McCafferty risks job, family, and eventually her very life to rescue a lifelong friend. Disguised as a draft resister, Katie infiltrates a secret Irish organization to prevent bloodshed. Tragedies challenge her strength and ingenuity, and she faces a crisis of conscience. Can Katie balance her sense of justice with the law? Call Me Kate is suitable for readers from eleven to adult. The story is dramatic and adventuresome, yet expressive of daily life in the patches of the hard coal region during the Civil War era. This novel will appeal to readers of the Dear America series, as well as more mature readers who will enjoy the story’s rich context and drama.
My Take: I'm a big fan of historical fiction. I especially enjoy reading about American history that isn't covered in regular school curriculum.
In this story, Kate, a young Irish citizen raised among the coal fields, finds herself helping to provide for her family after a tragic accident. She quits school to become a domestic, and finds herself caught up in the labor unrest of the time. Mine owners gave up their employee lists for the Civil War draft, and Irish workers, whether citizens or not, were conscripted into the Civil War unless they could come up with a $300 fee to avoid the draft.
Coal miners worked in dangerous, unsanitary conditions, and if one lost his life or limb due to an accident, or was otherwise unable to work in the mines, their families had no way to earn their own keep. In these days, one had to rely on the charity of one's neighbors and friends, and when EVERYone around you isn't making enough to live on, charity only stretches so far.
When Kate finds that her friend Con has become allied with a group labelled "The Molly Maguires", a band of men resistant to the draft, to the labor conditions, and to the greed of the mine owners, she sets out to warn him of the danger he is in because the owners know of his involvement and have targeted him and his grandmother. She dresses as a boy and infiltrates the group. Along the way, she learns of their plans to stop a train full of conscripted men and 'free' them from their conscription.
I enjoyed this book because it gave me a better understanding of some events that I previously had vague knowledge of. It is a quick read, and quite aptly illustrates the day-to-day struggles of the time among the Irish.
At places, however, I was reminded that I was reading a book. Although this is told from the viewpoint of a poor, under-educated, young Irish girl, there were sentences and sometimes passages that let me know that this was a story being told by someone else. For example, "I embroiled poor Patrick in this again his will, and I'd be devastated if something happened to him...". That's quite a few big words, and it jarred a little and pulled me out of the story. I realize that this is the first in a series, but the ending for me just wasn't great ... it felt as though the writer simply said, "OK; I'm done for now", and as I turned the page expecting more story, there wasn't any more.
This would be a good book for a teen or even an adult who wants to know a bit more about Irish-American history and the history of labor unrest during the Civil War.
QUOTES:
"The Mistress is like all her kind, unwilling to bother remembering a servant's name. All the parlor maids are Bridget. It keeps us in our lowly places to deny us even our given names. After all, your name, Catharine, and my real name, Margaret, are both royal names. High falutin' names are too good for the likes of us, Katie, my dear!" said Daisy.
Maybe if I had started working sooner we would have had the medicine Father needed. The money I sent home was never sufficient! Even if I were a lady's maid I could not have made enough to support the family. Only men's jobs paid adequately, and not all of those did. My grief changed to anger. The unfair cost of being poor and female infuriated me.
Book Rating:3.5 out of 5 stars
About the Author: Molly Roe is the pen name of Mary Garrity Slaby, a veteran language arts & reading teacher at Lake-Lehman Junior Senior High School. Mary holds a Ph.D. in education from Temple University, and Pennsylvania teaching certification in six areas. She has pursued the hobby of genealogy for the past decade. Mary was born in Philadelphia, raised in Schuylkill County, and currently lives in Dallas, Pennsylvania with her husband, John. They are parents of two grown children, Melissa and John Garrett, cover illustrator of Call Me Kate. Digging into the past has given Mary newfound respect for her ancestors and a better understanding of history. Call Me Kate is the first in the author’s trilogy of historical novels loosely based on the lives of the strong women who preceded her.
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Disclaimer: I received an unbound galley of "Call Me Kate" in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received, and I was not required to write a positive review.
WELCOME TO THE SECOND "GOLDEN AGE" OF SUPERHEROES AND HEROINES
Superheroes have come a long way since the "Man of Steel" was introduced in 1938. This brilliant new collection features original stories and novellas from some of today's most exciting voices in comics, science fiction, and fantasy. Each marvelously inventive tale shows us just how far our classic crusaders have evolved—and how the greatest of heroes are, much like ourselves, all too human.
In "Call Her Savage," MARJORIE M. LIU enters the dark heart of a fierce mythic heroine who is forced, by war, to live up to her own terrible legend.
In "A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too)," BILL WILLINGHAM presents a fully-realized vision of a universe where epic feats and tragic flaws have transformed the human race.
In "Vacuum Lad," STEPHEN BAXTER unveils the secret origins of the first true child of the space age—and disproves the theory that "nothing exists in a vacuum."
In "Head Cases," PETER DAVID and KATHLEEN DAVID blast through the blogosphere to expose the secret longings of a Lonely Superhero Wife.
In "The Non-Event," MIKE CAREY removes the gag order on a super-thief named Lockjaw . . . and pries out a confession of life-altering events. Also includes stories by Mike Baron • Mark Chadbourn • Paul Cornell • Daryl Gregory • Joseph Mallozzi • James Maxey • Ian McDonald • Chris Roberson • Gail Simone • Matthew Sturges . . . and an introduction by Lou Anders, "one of the brightest and best of the new generation of science fiction editors" (Jonathan Strahan, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year).
Look for my review soon; however, I LOVE anthologies! I remember how disappointed I was when Ellery Queen's mag stopped being published, as that was the last subscription mag that I knew of that regularly published fresh short stories in a genre that I liked to read. I am totally looking forward to getting to this over the weekend!
BUY IT: At the publisher's website, through Amazon, and through other online and offline booksellers. It is also available as an eBook.
WIN IT: The publisher has provided two copies for you to win!
MANDATORY ENTRY: Do you miss having LOTS of anthologies to choose from? If you're younger and don't remember when anthologies were the rage, would you like to see more available?
EXTRA ENTRIES (please leave a separate comment for each; if you already follow or subscribe prior to this post, leave 2 comments for each):
2. Subscribe via RSS and/or newsletter to Knitting and Sundries (buttons to the right) - I hate clutter in my email box, so my emails are just the headlines of whatever posts I put up that day - if you see one you like, you can click on it to read the full post - 1 entry for each you do
3. Spread the word! Tweet (maximum of ONCE daily - include @jewelknits and @Gallery_Books in the tweet so that I see it. To make it easy, you can use the "Share" button at the bottom of this post! Blog about - 2 entries/comments. Sidebar link to giveaway - 1 entry/comment (leave the URL)
4. Enter another one of my giveaways that are current at the time you post your entry comment. You can get one extra entry for each giveaway that you enter.
ALL ENTRIES:Please leave your email in your comments: Like this: imacrazedmommy at whydidihavekids dot com OR like this imacrazedmommy(at)whydidihavekids(dot)com to avoid the spam bots. If I can't reach you, you can't win!
In addition, if you follow, tweet, etc., please leave the name or email address you follow/tweet/subscribe under.
Eligibility: US, 18 and older. These books will ship directly from the publisher, so no P.O. Boxes, please!
End date: August 5, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST
I will pick the winner(s) using Random.org. I will post the winner(s) on the site AND send an email to the email address used to enter. The winner will then have 48 hours to reply with their mailing information; otherwise, a new winner will be picked. The email will be easy to spot; the subject line will begin "You WON on Knitting and Sundries" Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from Gallery Books to objectively review. No other form of compensation was received for this post, and I am not required to post a positive review.
Title: Day by Day Armageddon: Beyond Exile
Author: J. L. Bourne
Publisher: Pocket Books, a Simon and Schuster imprint
Format: Trade Paperback, 288 pages
ISBN-10: 143917752X
ISBN-13: 9781439177525
Urgh! I was supposed to get this up yesterday, but somehow got my dates mixed up. My apologies for that!
Armies of undead have risen up across the U.S. and around the globe;there is no safe haven from the diseased corpses hungering for human flesh. But in the heat of a Texas wasteland, a small band of survivors attempt to counter the millions closing in around them.
INTERCEPT COMPLETE
Survivor,
Day by day, the handwritten journal entries of one man caught in a worldwide cataclysm capture the desperation—and the will to survive—as he joins forces with a handful of refugees to battle soulless enemies both human and inhuman from inside an abandoned strategic missile facility.
But in the world of the undead, is mere survival enough?
Ooohhhh!!! Zombies in a post-apocalyptic world! Love the cult visions there! I cannot give you a full review yet, as I'm only about halfway through, BUT I like it. I obviously have eclectic tastes, but this is a continuation of J. L. Bourne's Day by Day Armageddon, which was very well-received. I really like the way it is told in journal form by an ex-Marine who suddenly finds himself again in charge of troops in a totally changed world and reality.
It's straightforward and you really feel as though you're standing alongside the narrator as he is chronicling each event. So far, I would recommend it! Definitely a "dude" book, but one that we females can enjoy as well! Look for the review sometime over the weekend!
For some reason, I received two of these books from the publisher, so .. being the generous kind of gal that I am, I am offering the second up for a giveaway! It's going to be VERY easy to enter. I wish I could open it up internationally, but since I'm going to have to pay this postage out of my pocket, I can only open it up to my US and Canadian readers.
It gets better! The publisher is also offering two copies up for a giveaway! So .. that makes 3 winners! If any of the three winners are Canadian, they will receive my copy. If all are from the US, two will come from the publisher and one from my lovely abode! If all of the winners are from Canada .. well, then, I guess I'll just have to pony up and buy copies to send to you!
MANDATORY ENTRY: Do you have a favorite zombie book or film? What is it and why did you like it so much!
EXTRA ENTRIES (please leave a separate comment for each; if you already follow or subscribe prior to this post, leave 2 comments for each):
2. Subscribe via RSS and/or newsletter to Knitting and Sundries (buttons to the right) - I hate clutter in my email box, so my emails are just the headlines of whatever posts I put up that day - if you see one you like, you can click on it to read the full post - 1 entry for each you do
3. Spread the word! Tweet (maximum of ONCE daily - include @jewelknits and @Pocket_Books in the tweet so that I see it. To make it easy, you can use the "Share" button at the bottom of this post! Blog about - 2 entries/comments. Sidebar link to giveaway - 1 entry/comment (leave the URL)
4. Enter another one of my giveaways that are current at the time you post your entry comment. You can get one extra entry for each giveaway that you enter.
ALL ENTRIES:Please leave your email in your comments: Like this: imacrazedmommy at whydidihavekids dot com OR like this imacrazedmommy(at)whydidihavekids(dot)com to avoid the spam bots. If I can't reach you, you can't win!
In addition, if you follow, tweet, etc., please leave the name or email address you follow/tweet/subscribe under.
Eligibility: US and Canada, 18 and older. Two of these books will ship directly from the publisher, so no P.O. Boxes, please!
End date: July 30, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST
I will pick the winner(s) using Random.org. I will post the winner(s) on the site AND send an email to the email address used to enter. The winner will then have 48 hours to reply with their mailing information; otherwise, a new winner will be picked. The email will be easy to spot; the subject line will begin "You WON on Knitting and Sundries" Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this title from Pocket Books to objectively review. No other form of compensation was received for this post, and I am not required to post a positive review.
I'm not a book snob. I may consider myself a bit intellectual, but a book doesn't have to be high and lofty for me to enjoy it. My ratings system is based purely on my own personal enjoyment while reading:
1 star - not even my enemies should read this 2 stars - there's at least one good thing about it 3 stars - it was an average sort of read 4 stars - very good; I liked it a lot 5 stars - amazing; you should read it and all of your friends and relatives should read it too
