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Showing posts from January, 2013

Sing for Me by Penelope Reece

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Paperback or Kindle format 308 pages Publisher: Amazon (January 2013) Synopsis:  Chloe Haskell, a runaway diva escapes her old life to start anew. She's enrolled in college and there she meets her old lover Rhys Ryther- a substitute professor. They rekindle their relationship but after she is cast in the school play strange things start happening to her. Has the man she ran away from and thought dead shadowing her again?  And will Rhys still want her when he finds out about her past? My Review: I'm a fan of The Phantom of the Opera so I was excited to read this book. After reading just a few pages I was hooked. The book had in Chloe a wounded figure that had me rooting for her to find happiness, and a creepy villain I wanted to see defeated. I also enjoyed the romance between Chloe and Rhys. It was also suspenseful and kept me interested. A nice debut novel.  I was given a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. My rating:        

Author Interview with Joshua Silverman

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A few days ago I reviewed The Emerald Tablet by Joshua Silverman. Today I have an interview with him.    1. What inspired to write this particular storyline?   I remember very clearly the inspiration for the entire seven book series. I was talking to a friend of mine who was interested in Egyptian mythology and she suggested I  check  out the mythology of Thoth and alchemy. So I did. I picked up a book on alchemy at the bookstore that very day and went home and started reading it. In that book there were three sections (among others). One was on the mythology of the Emerald Tablet, one on the mythology of the Staff of Hermes, and one on the mythology of the Pillar of Hermes. And I don’t know how else to describe it but something clicked in me after I read those sections. I knew there was a story there that was supposed to be told. Within a month I had the entire plot for book one. Within four months I had the basic structure of all seven books. And it’s all based o

Crazy Eyed Slim

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As we pulled up to the house we saw a herd of cats, this is what The Husband said:   "Geez, there's a cat on the porch, a cat in the window, and a cat...wait no 3 cats on the roof. It's like a kitty western. I think one on the roof is holding a Winchester. It's got crazy eyes. Ooh Oooh it just said Don't make any sudden moves. I'd soon shoot ya as scratch ya." Image Courtesy of Master file

The Emerald Tablet (Legends of Amun Ra, #1) by Joshua Silverman

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E-book format 408 pages Published by Enchanted Forest Press September 2012 Synopsis:  Leoros doesn't have many friends. He's moved around a lot due to his mother's work. But when his mother finds an emerald tablet that transports him to another world named Potara he finds out it's his destiny to be that world's savior. There he meets Atlantia- a slave girl he ends up befriending. With her help hopefully he can save the world he's come to love. My Review: This book is a mix of sci-fi/fantasy/adventure with a touch of romance. It also has Ancient Egyptian and Greek Mythology thrown in. Being a fan of mythology I enjoyed that plot element. However, I found the story to be confusing at first with the switching back and forth from different planet and all the characters that were introduced. I also felt that the action lagged at first because the characters spent too much time thinking and not enough doing. There's also some minor inconsistencies b

A Guest Post by Art Maines- Author of Scammed: 3 Steps To Help Your Elder Parents and Yourself

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   (Yester day I reviewe d Art Maines' boo k Scammed. Today he w rites about the m os t common types of scams.)            The 5 Most Common Types of Scams Against the Elderly an d How to Spot Them Crimes against the elderly are on the rise. Scammers target seniors and use sophisticated techniques to fleece them. Here are the most common scams targeting the elderly. 1. “Nigerian Scam,” also known as an “advance-fee” scam. This is where the crooks tell your elder they can earn some money and help the scammer get some money out of a bad situation in a foreign country by either sending the criminals some money, or giving the criminals their bank account number. Recognizing Email, letter, or phone call claiming to be from someone in another country who is trying to get a large sum of money out of that country. Scammer says they are being persecuted or are in some kind of danger (often political or religious). Scammer asks your elder to send them money

Scammed: 3 Steps To Help Your Elder Parents and Yourself by Art Maines

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                                     251 pages Publisher: Love Your Life Publishing (October 2012) Synopsis: When the author's stepfather was cheated out of thousands of dollars, it became his mission to help others who also might have been cheated out of money.The result is Scammed. This book is a guide on what to do in case a loved is the victim of a scammer, the types of scams people use, the psychological ploys they use, and a recovery guide for the person who gets scammed.  It also has community resources at the end to help those cheated. My Review: I found the book to be written in easy to understand language, very detailed, and laid out in a way that was easy to navigate. I also liked that it had a list of community resources at the end to help families. It's a useful guide for elders and their family members. I recommend it for anyone with a family member that was a victim of fraud or may be in danger of fraud and for those who are caregivers. A very usefu

Dented Cans by Heather Walsh

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E-book format 152 pages Publisher: Amazon Digital Services (November 2012) Synopsis: All 16 year old Hannah Sampson looks forward is going to college so she can leave her small town and dysfunctional family behind. What's dysfunctional about them... well her  father likes to buy dented cans- preferably without the label. Her mother obsessively takes pictures for her scrapbooks but  then doesn't let anyone look at her scrapbooks. Her 14 yr. old brother is headed for a life at a fast food place because of his grades and her 8 yr. old brother mostly uses sound effects to communicate. And none of them communicate with one another. Everything changes though on a trip to Disney World when Hannah stops being passive and finally speaks her mind. Then something is revealed by her parents that changes her world. My Review: This was a fast paced novel- it only took me a day to read it. I thought the author captured the voice of a 16 yr. old well. At first I wished the other

Review of Order of the Dimensions by Irene Helenowski

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Paperback 318 pages Publisher: lulu.com (September 14, 2012) Synopsis: Physics graduate student Jane Kremowski is working on a device called the Multiverser which lets people be capable of inter-dimensional travel. However, when the evil Dr. Zelov has his own plans for the device- he wants to be able to control all the dimensions. Can Jane and her colleagues stop him from taking over and can she protect the ones she loves? My Review:   Okay, I like anything pertaining to either time travel or other dimensions-even though reading or watching anything about it usually causes a glitch in my brain. But I still enjoy the subject. So after starting the book and  having my brain glitch up and then re-booted I found myself enjoying the story. I got engaged with Jane and her friends trying to stop Zelov and his henchmen from controlling all the dimensions. I also found myself hoping that she would prevail and lead the life that SHE wanted to live and not one that someone else wanted

Leap Frog Follow # 1

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Readers In Wonderland  is hosting The Leap Frog Follow Hop.     Hey guys! It's finally here, thanks to everyone who expressed early interest in the meme! If you are new to the idea check out the full rules here . All you have to do is: ~Make a post! Easy right? Answer the weekly question, and grab our button . ~Get the post URL, copy it, and enter the linky list.  ~The point of the meme is "leap frog" so it is a requirement to follow the person in front of you on the list! Not everyone, but the person directly before you. (And the hosts!) ~Leave a comment on the post of whomever you follow, talking about the question and telling them you followed. (So they can follow you back!)  ~After you do the mandatory follows, you can then go around and comment/follow on anyone on the list!   Remember: ~This runs for the ENTIRE week, meaning you have the entire week to go around and follow/enter. ~Follow anyone who follows you back! Even

A Review of Proverbs Reconstructed by Gus Dallas

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E-book format Print: 303 pages Publisher: WestBow Press ( June 24,2011) Synopsis:  Proverbs- while an informative book of the Bible is at times not very user friendly. That's where Gus Dallas comes in, he takes the book and changes it in a way in which it is easier to understand so you can transform your mind and implement the wisdom contained within it's words. My Review: Proverbs is one of my favorite books of the Bible, it contains useful information for a person to apply to their life. However, I have had trouble understanding it at times. That's where Dallas comes in. I found the book started off slow but picked up after a while. Dallas uses language that is easy to understand so people can get the most from Proverb's wise words. A useful tool. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Booksneeze. I was not required to write a positive review.  Buy it here: WestBow Press     barnes and noble amazon   My Rating:

Can I Have A Sticker?

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Before getting a shot my Dad asked the nurse whether he could have candy. "Yes", she said, "and some stickers." "Oh boy!", he exclaimed, "I can take the stickers to my granddaughter." Uh huh. After she had left and he had his reward, I said, " Oh.my.gosh. What are you, three? Wanting candy and stickers for a shot? Hey, can I have one of those Spiderman stickers?"

Liebster Blog Award

Thanks to Kaykay Obi of  The Creative Forum for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award. The award's purpose is given to blogs with less than 200 followers so you might get to know them better. In order to accept and participate there are some steps: 1.    Tell 11 things about yourself. 2.    Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you. 3.    Post 11 questions for those who will be nominated by you. 4.    Nominate 11 bloggers who have less than 200 followers. 5.    Get in contact with those 11 bloggers in order to inform them that you nominated them. 11 things about me 1. I help take care of family members. 2. I would like to write a book one day but I have a little trouble with procrastination. 3. I have a Himalayan cat named Sassy. 4. I have 5 nieces. 5. My favorite drink is Diet Dr. Pepper. 6. My favorite snack is Doritos. 7. I live in a multi-generational household. 8. I have a degree in Social Work. 9. Nathan Fillion is my favorite celebrity. 10.

A Review of Sing Out Your Dead ( A Kristy Silver Show Choir Mystery) by Ella Scott

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Kindle Format Publisher: VLF Press (January 2013) Synopsis: Music teacher, Kristy Silver, has two weeks to get her show choir ready for their chance at a national competition where this class-C high school can finally show the country their A-game. But when she learns someone has murdered her star pupil, Kristy's dedication to her students leads her on a journey to find the killer. She'll also have to face her own demons along the way. My Review: An amateur detective with a mental illness makes an interesting concept for a book. I've read a lot of mysteries but never one like this. Usually the killer in mysteries is diagnosed with some sort of mental illness- which gets tiring. This was a refreshing twist. It had a few typos but they didn't distract from the story. I enjoyed reading it. Buy it here: Amazon * I purchased this copy.   My Rating:

C.S. Lewis Read-Along

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Pages Unbound is hosting a read along for the month of February. All you have to do is read a C.S. Lewis book now or in February and write a review of it. You can find the complete list of rules here: http://pagesunbound.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/announcement-c-s-lewis-read-along/ Lisa

The Tasmanian Devil On Speed

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As I was making another doctor's appointment for my grandfather yesterday I told the receptionist,   "He'd like to see the new doctor next time if possible." "No problem," she said, "but may I ask why he wants to switch because she's going to ask me." "He prefers male doctors.", I said. ( I get it, I prefer to see female nurse practitioners. Gee I come from a sexist family.) " I understand, it's his choice if he wants to change." However, that was only part of the reason ny grandfather wanted to switch doctors. He does prefer male doctors but there were other factors. And though I believe in speaking my mind, I also wanted to be tactful. (My family has opinions on my tactfulness but they're WRONG.) Here are the other reasons: She would make coffee nervous. I leave appointments with my grandfather feeling as if I drank several shots of espresso and I'm not even her patient. She doesn't give the p

A Review of Goodnight Brian by Steven Manchester

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310 pages Publisher: The Story Plant (January 8, 2013) ( Yesterday's post was an interview with Steven Manchester, author of Goodnight Brian. Today I review the book.) Synopsis: Brian Mauretti is diagnosed with a developmental disability as a baby due to a nutrient deficiency. Doctors tell his family he will never walk or talk; but they don't know his grandmother. With faith and love Angela DiMartino is determined to help Brian grow from a caterpillar into a butterfly and watch him soar. My Review:  Ok, I cried A LOT while reading this book-stupid doctors, stupid bullies!  I found myself inspired by the grandmother's faith and determination to help her beloved Brian accomplish all he could. A moving testament to the power of love. I also enjoyed the facts the author included such as the history of the Special Olympics  Highly recommend it. * I was given an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Lisa Get the book here: Amazon Barnes