Title: Come Here...and I'll Show You
Kindle Edition
By Derek Lantin,
Author's blog: http://dereklantin.booksabuzz.com/
Publisher: Bangkok Books
http://www.bangkokbooks.com/php/product/product.php?product_id=001009
Reviewed by Citizen John, Top 500 Reviewer for Amazon
This is Lantin's first published book and what a story! Edwards is a former Secret War soldier and expatriate who gets enticed into returning to the lands along the Mekong River where he reconnects with former comrades to resolve an inheritance matter. This guy has no sense of political correctness which improbably makes him a magnet for dangerous women.
A lot of the action takes place in some of the countries along the Mekong including Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. We get to know places where Lantin spent some of his formative post-RAF years such as Sihanoukville (literally, city of sandalwood), a port city of Cambodia and Vientiane, the capital of Laos as well as jungle highlands where remnants of the Hmong people are in hiding to this day. These are some of the places where belligerents of the Vietnam War operated in an unofficial proxy war fueled by the Cold War powers.
Edwards, like many expats, enjoys a "coupla beers" whenever the situation allows, which is quite often. He is single and has a kind of zest for life that one often finds in those that have seen their share of war like Hemingway, Dieter Dengler (Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War) and Zorba the Greek (Zorba the Greek). In short, he doesn't pass up an opportunity with beautiful local women. However, this novel is neither graphic nor filled with profanity. I found Edward's uninhibited style disarming and a great vehicle to lose myself in escapism, an experience that has become darn hard to find.
Having finished reading Come Here...and I'll Show You, I felt inspired to check out some famous scenes from Clint Eastwood movies on `Y-Tube.' I had forgotten how politically incorrect Eastwood's characters were. However, I was reminded of the magnetism they created. Such characters are far from amoral. They get into scrapes because they stand for something. That maybe why it's believable that women are attracted to them and what allows them to live in a way we can only imagine.
I couldn't easily put the book down. It's filled with information that would be helpful for one trying to survive in a jungle, in places like Laos or in cash-economy environments. Mainly it's great escapist entertainment.
~To connect with the author an Facebook go to FaceBook : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Come-Here-and-Ill-Show-You/111874615543613
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Perfect Little Gift for Writers on Your List
The Great First Impression Book Proposal
Subtitle: Everything You Need To Know To Impress a Publisher in Twenty Minutes or Less
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/great_first_impression_book_proposal.htm
A booklet in the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers
$6.95
Available on Amazon: www.budurl.com/BookProposals
Reviewed by Jennifer Akers, reviewer and editor for MyShelf
If you’re interested in writing a book, then I’ve found a great resource for you. Written by PR guru, award-winning writer, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, The Great First Impression Book Proposal guides you through every step you need to know to impress a publisher.
Do you know the differences between fiction and nonfiction writers trying to sell their books? The former writes their book first and then sends a query letter, including a specific number of chapters (requested by the publisher or agent). Their book must be ready to go because the publisher may want to contract their work.
Nonfiction writers send proposals, in which they need to impress the publisher on the idea of their work. The book isn’t written. Before that sounds like the easier path of the two, it isn’t. A book proposal is well researched and formatted; the process is similar to writing a book and can be complicated if you don’t know what you’re doing.
To the rescue, The Great First Impression Book Proposal! In six chapters, you’ll learn how to get past gatekeepers, entice jaded gatekeepers, get an open invitation, and keep those doors open. You’ll also have a checklist to make sure your proposal is at its best. The resource section includes a basic query letter sample, suggested studies, and resources for editing, grammar, book promotion, publishing and more.
A book proposal is a mysterious beast. It’s not something you can bypass; it’s a necessary “evil” of the publishing world. To do it correctly, you need to know the guidelines. In essence, you’re proposing a business deal, but your letter shouldn’t be too formal. It needs to be friendly with eye-attracting titles without being too cozy or using over-the-top language like “amazing”. It’s a fine balance; one you’ll need to learn to be successful.
You’ll learn about the publishing industry; the correct way to research, write, and format your letter; and the steps to make yours a winning proposal. This is a jammed-packed resource, with the tag line “Everything You Need To Know To Impress A Publisher in Twenty Minutes or Less”. A quick read with everything to write a winning proposal.
Howard-Johnson writes with the experience of a professional and the candor of a best friend who doesn’t want you to fall on your face. With humor and friendliness, she offers solid, practical tips. She is one of my favorite authors, and her books always top my must-have list. This one is no exception. It’ll stay on my resource shelf.
If you’ve ever thought about being an author, you need The Great First Impression Book Proposal in your resources.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Subtitle: Everything You Need To Know To Impress a Publisher in Twenty Minutes or Less
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/great_first_impression_book_proposal.htm
A booklet in the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers
$6.95
Available on Amazon: www.budurl.com/BookProposals
Reviewed by Jennifer Akers, reviewer and editor for MyShelf
If you’re interested in writing a book, then I’ve found a great resource for you. Written by PR guru, award-winning writer, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, The Great First Impression Book Proposal guides you through every step you need to know to impress a publisher.
Do you know the differences between fiction and nonfiction writers trying to sell their books? The former writes their book first and then sends a query letter, including a specific number of chapters (requested by the publisher or agent). Their book must be ready to go because the publisher may want to contract their work.
Nonfiction writers send proposals, in which they need to impress the publisher on the idea of their work. The book isn’t written. Before that sounds like the easier path of the two, it isn’t. A book proposal is well researched and formatted; the process is similar to writing a book and can be complicated if you don’t know what you’re doing.
To the rescue, The Great First Impression Book Proposal! In six chapters, you’ll learn how to get past gatekeepers, entice jaded gatekeepers, get an open invitation, and keep those doors open. You’ll also have a checklist to make sure your proposal is at its best. The resource section includes a basic query letter sample, suggested studies, and resources for editing, grammar, book promotion, publishing and more.
A book proposal is a mysterious beast. It’s not something you can bypass; it’s a necessary “evil” of the publishing world. To do it correctly, you need to know the guidelines. In essence, you’re proposing a business deal, but your letter shouldn’t be too formal. It needs to be friendly with eye-attracting titles without being too cozy or using over-the-top language like “amazing”. It’s a fine balance; one you’ll need to learn to be successful.
You’ll learn about the publishing industry; the correct way to research, write, and format your letter; and the steps to make yours a winning proposal. This is a jammed-packed resource, with the tag line “Everything You Need To Know To Impress A Publisher in Twenty Minutes or Less”. A quick read with everything to write a winning proposal.
Howard-Johnson writes with the experience of a professional and the candor of a best friend who doesn’t want you to fall on your face. With humor and friendliness, she offers solid, practical tips. She is one of my favorite authors, and her books always top my must-have list. This one is no exception. It’ll stay on my resource shelf.
If you’ve ever thought about being an author, you need The Great First Impression Book Proposal in your resources.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Humor and Romance Mix Pleases Happily Ever After Reviewer
Title: Confessions of a Liberal Lover
Author: E.M. Muller
Author's Website: http://emmuller.com/
Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Genre: Mainstream Fiction: Contemporary, Chick Lit, Comedy
Reviewed by Kylie for Happily Ever After Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5 Tea Cups
E.M. Muller's Confessions of a Liberal Lover is poignantly funny from start to finish. Not just a story of finding the right guy, but of finding oneself.
After failing to live up to expectations one too many times, Maud leaves home at 19. She is thrust into the world of full time work, part time school, and one disastrous relationship after another. Which includes such enjoyable calamities as receiving a rifle instead of a ring, a delightfully disastrous wedding, and the most perfectly comical divorce. Along for the ride is Maud's pet gargoyle, who dispenses wisdom, advice, and wit, all rolled into one. Maud's gargoyle steadfastly refuses to let her give up on herself or settle for less than she deserves. Forget the fairy godmothers, ladies; what we all really need is a gargoyle.
Maud's sexual encounters run the gambit from Young Republicans, mishaps with the missionary position, to riding cowboys, and much more. From faking orgasms to fellatio, nothing is taboo. While never explicit, Muller's frank honesty and witty portrayal of sex will have you laughing with delight and cringing in understanding.
With a sassy and smart heroine, and a gargoyle that's part fairy godmother and part Jiminy Cricket, Confessions of a Liberal Lover is the perfect book for any girl who ever felt overshadowed by a sibling, misunderstood by a parent, or turned herself inside out for a guy.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Author: E.M. Muller
Author's Website: http://emmuller.com/
Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Genre: Mainstream Fiction: Contemporary, Chick Lit, Comedy
Reviewed by Kylie for Happily Ever After Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5 Tea Cups
E.M. Muller's Confessions of a Liberal Lover is poignantly funny from start to finish. Not just a story of finding the right guy, but of finding oneself.
After failing to live up to expectations one too many times, Maud leaves home at 19. She is thrust into the world of full time work, part time school, and one disastrous relationship after another. Which includes such enjoyable calamities as receiving a rifle instead of a ring, a delightfully disastrous wedding, and the most perfectly comical divorce. Along for the ride is Maud's pet gargoyle, who dispenses wisdom, advice, and wit, all rolled into one. Maud's gargoyle steadfastly refuses to let her give up on herself or settle for less than she deserves. Forget the fairy godmothers, ladies; what we all really need is a gargoyle.
Maud's sexual encounters run the gambit from Young Republicans, mishaps with the missionary position, to riding cowboys, and much more. From faking orgasms to fellatio, nothing is taboo. While never explicit, Muller's frank honesty and witty portrayal of sex will have you laughing with delight and cringing in understanding.
With a sassy and smart heroine, and a gargoyle that's part fairy godmother and part Jiminy Cricket, Confessions of a Liberal Lover is the perfect book for any girl who ever felt overshadowed by a sibling, misunderstood by a parent, or turned herself inside out for a guy.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Movie-Optioned Book Reviewed by Wendy Thomas
Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever
By Judith Marshall
Author's Web site: http://www.judithmarshall.net/
Women’s Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-9825046-0-4
Reviewed By Wendy Thomas Of Bookpleasures.com
In an updated and timely story reminiscent of The Big Chill, this touching and poignant narration of mature women, friends since high school, who come together over the death of one of their group will remain with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
Six young very different girls met in high school and at one birthday party decided to form a pact of “no secrets” between them. They remained friends throughout adulthood weathering the storms of divorces, abuse, financial instability, and ultimate success always with brutal honesty and love toward each other.
Liz, the narrator of the story is in turmoil. Her perfect boyfriend has taken a job and asked her to move with him from California to New York. Unwilling to leave her job in corporate Human Resources, as well as her friends, the decision of whether to commit to Sam is made even more complicated when after years of service she is laid off after her company acquires another company making her job redundant. With grown children who have left the house, Liz finds herself, for the first time in her life, anchorless and adrift with no definite destination in site.
The accidental death of Karen, the adventurous risk taker of the group takes them all by surprise as they begin to question their lives, mortality, and what is really important in life.
Skillfully written, this story moves at a steady pace slowly unfolding to give us more and more insight into these convincing and highly likeable characters. The dialog is well done and the characters utterly believable from Gidge the gum-snapping smart aleck who uses her humor as a barrier to others to Jo who through the help and support of her friends found the confidence to escape an abusive marriage.
A touching and realistic story that presents strong characters as credible, thoughtful, and at times frustrated women, this book is spot on. Anyone who has married, had children, or who has struggled with a relationship will be able to relate.
Intelligently crafted, Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever is one of those books you just want to sit down with a glass of wine and have a conversation about it with your friends.
The book was recently optioned for the big screen.
~Reviewer Wendy Thomas lives in Southern New Hampshire with her husband and six children, ages 9-17 She has been published in various regional magazines and newspapers. She writes a weekly column, Simple Thrift for the Nashua Telegraph.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
By Judith Marshall
Author's Web site: http://www.judithmarshall.net/
Women’s Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-9825046-0-4
Reviewed By Wendy Thomas Of Bookpleasures.com
In an updated and timely story reminiscent of The Big Chill, this touching and poignant narration of mature women, friends since high school, who come together over the death of one of their group will remain with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
Six young very different girls met in high school and at one birthday party decided to form a pact of “no secrets” between them. They remained friends throughout adulthood weathering the storms of divorces, abuse, financial instability, and ultimate success always with brutal honesty and love toward each other.
Liz, the narrator of the story is in turmoil. Her perfect boyfriend has taken a job and asked her to move with him from California to New York. Unwilling to leave her job in corporate Human Resources, as well as her friends, the decision of whether to commit to Sam is made even more complicated when after years of service she is laid off after her company acquires another company making her job redundant. With grown children who have left the house, Liz finds herself, for the first time in her life, anchorless and adrift with no definite destination in site.
The accidental death of Karen, the adventurous risk taker of the group takes them all by surprise as they begin to question their lives, mortality, and what is really important in life.
Skillfully written, this story moves at a steady pace slowly unfolding to give us more and more insight into these convincing and highly likeable characters. The dialog is well done and the characters utterly believable from Gidge the gum-snapping smart aleck who uses her humor as a barrier to others to Jo who through the help and support of her friends found the confidence to escape an abusive marriage.
A touching and realistic story that presents strong characters as credible, thoughtful, and at times frustrated women, this book is spot on. Anyone who has married, had children, or who has struggled with a relationship will be able to relate.
Intelligently crafted, Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever is one of those books you just want to sit down with a glass of wine and have a conversation about it with your friends.
The book was recently optioned for the big screen.
~Reviewer Wendy Thomas lives in Southern New Hampshire with her husband and six children, ages 9-17 She has been published in various regional magazines and newspapers. She writes a weekly column, Simple Thrift for the Nashua Telegraph.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Medical Satire Available in All Formats
Title: Postmodern Medicine
Author: Trevor Price
Genre: Literature/Satire
ISBN:9781452425979
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing
http://untreedreads.com/
Publication Date: 17/08/2010
Available at Amazon.com and Borders.com in all formats.
Reviewer's Rating: Three Stars
Reviewed by Debra Martin, http://martinandsmall.com/, for Two Ends of the Pen
This quirky story opens with Yusuf duping his Turkish cousin, Mr. Mardin, into traveling to England to take a position with a fledgling company, FromBirth Ltd. Yusuf is sketchy with the details about what exactly the position will be, the pay, the accommodations and this avoidance of details sets the stage for the rest of the book.
FromBirth Ltd harvests human organs, which is not a new idea, but FromBirth Ltd takes it one step further. With the introduction of new immuno-suppressants from a partner company, they can now literally use
every part of the donor body.
Mardin is delegated to be the PR guy although he has no PR experience, and he must make a promotional video about a recent donor, Ayeshia Smith, on a shoestring budget. In fact, everything about the company
seems to be on a tight budget. Mardin finds this out first-hand when his living arrangements turn out to be a cot in his office.
Author Trevor Price speeds us along from one crazy situation to another mostly involving interviews with the recipients of the donor organs to a trip out to the Glynnebourne Organic Farm, a new “green” company.
The author has a flair for dialogue and I found myself chuckling at some of these interviews. The story is filled with an interesting cast of characters including the kind of creepy, Dr. Groome who harvests the body parts, Mr. Stewart Wymer, the business partner who makes decisions on the fly no matter what the consequences, Yusuf, the cousin who isn’t exactly helpful to Mardin, and Debbi, the overworked, moody receptionist.
Mr. Price presents us with a satirical commentary with this story, but it made me think about the state of modern medicine and perhaps that was his purpose all along or maybe it's just a dark urban fantasy after all.
Dislaimer: The reviewer received a digital copy of the book from the publisher for this review
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Author: Trevor Price
Genre: Literature/Satire
ISBN:9781452425979
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing
http://untreedreads.com/
Publication Date: 17/08/2010
Available at Amazon.com and Borders.com in all formats.
Reviewer's Rating: Three Stars
Reviewed by Debra Martin, http://martinandsmall.com/, for Two Ends of the Pen
This quirky story opens with Yusuf duping his Turkish cousin, Mr. Mardin, into traveling to England to take a position with a fledgling company, FromBirth Ltd. Yusuf is sketchy with the details about what exactly the position will be, the pay, the accommodations and this avoidance of details sets the stage for the rest of the book.
FromBirth Ltd harvests human organs, which is not a new idea, but FromBirth Ltd takes it one step further. With the introduction of new immuno-suppressants from a partner company, they can now literally use
every part of the donor body.
Mardin is delegated to be the PR guy although he has no PR experience, and he must make a promotional video about a recent donor, Ayeshia Smith, on a shoestring budget. In fact, everything about the company
seems to be on a tight budget. Mardin finds this out first-hand when his living arrangements turn out to be a cot in his office.
Author Trevor Price speeds us along from one crazy situation to another mostly involving interviews with the recipients of the donor organs to a trip out to the Glynnebourne Organic Farm, a new “green” company.
The author has a flair for dialogue and I found myself chuckling at some of these interviews. The story is filled with an interesting cast of characters including the kind of creepy, Dr. Groome who harvests the body parts, Mr. Stewart Wymer, the business partner who makes decisions on the fly no matter what the consequences, Yusuf, the cousin who isn’t exactly helpful to Mardin, and Debbi, the overworked, moody receptionist.
Mr. Price presents us with a satirical commentary with this story, but it made me think about the state of modern medicine and perhaps that was his purpose all along or maybe it's just a dark urban fantasy after all.
Dislaimer: The reviewer received a digital copy of the book from the publisher for this review
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Friday, 3 December 2010
Support an Indie Author This Holiday Season and Win Something, Too!
Darcia Helle, an online friend of mine, is offering a selection of books in a kind of online holiday catalog and fun holiday party (with prizes!) for giving this season. Some are paperback and some e-books. E-books are a neat way to save on postage and still remember your special friends. Here is the link to the main event page:
http://www.quietfurybooks.com/holidayevent.html
Darcia says, “We have forty-seven authors participating and hundreds of print and e-books to give away. The event launches on December 1.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Spell Kissed
by Kari Thomas
Publisher: Black Lyon Publishing, www.blacklyonpublishing.com
Date published: July 2010
ISBN: 978-1-934912-28-7
Paranormal Romance
PRINT and E-book
Reviewed by Valerie for LoverRomanceandMore blog
Awarded Five Roses
Brianna Adair is a witch who is the keeper of The Sphere. Trouble is, her spells go awry when she’s in a highly emotional state. When she accidentally burns her house down, her friend, Cynthia offers her a place for the time being. Cynthia has two sons, both with the police force, Sloan and his brother, Hunter. Hunter has been asked to take some leave as he is practically on burn out and Sloan has asked him to come home and help him with a strange case. When Brianna and Hunter meet, the sexual attraction is strong. Soon, Hunter and Sloan are helping Brianna retrieve The Sphere that has been taken from her. They are fighting demons and are believing that there is more out there than the eye can see. All the while, Brianna and Hunter are discovering feelings that threaten Brianna’s spells to go completely crazy.
Kari Thomas gives her readers a wonderful story with some compelling and exciting characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I love stories with witches and Brianna is a witch, although she often gets her spells wrong. This causes no end of trouble and some comical moments. Her hero, Hunter is all macho, protective, jealous, stubborn and he has sure met his match in Brianna. They are wonderful together as Brianna turns the world as he knows it upside down, and Hunter causes Brianna’s emotions to almost run out of control. Ms Thomas keeps the sexual tension on boiling point almost throughout the whole story and the reader will be simmering along right with them both. So, when they finally do the deed, the characters are not the only ones to experience the relief. There is a good, solid conflict that will keep you turning the pages to find out what will happen next and to see if everyone survives. Towards the end, there was a moment where I had to almost shed a tear…that always puts a book on my keeper shelf. If you haven’t yet tried a story by this author, I can highly recommend her and know that when you read one, you’ll be scrambling for her backlist!
~Kari Thomas is an asward-winning author. Learn more about her at http://www.authorkari.com/.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
by Kari Thomas
Publisher: Black Lyon Publishing, www.blacklyonpublishing.com
Date published: July 2010
ISBN: 978-1-934912-28-7
Paranormal Romance
PRINT and E-book
Reviewed by Valerie for LoverRomanceandMore blog
Awarded Five Roses
Brianna Adair is a witch who is the keeper of The Sphere. Trouble is, her spells go awry when she’s in a highly emotional state. When she accidentally burns her house down, her friend, Cynthia offers her a place for the time being. Cynthia has two sons, both with the police force, Sloan and his brother, Hunter. Hunter has been asked to take some leave as he is practically on burn out and Sloan has asked him to come home and help him with a strange case. When Brianna and Hunter meet, the sexual attraction is strong. Soon, Hunter and Sloan are helping Brianna retrieve The Sphere that has been taken from her. They are fighting demons and are believing that there is more out there than the eye can see. All the while, Brianna and Hunter are discovering feelings that threaten Brianna’s spells to go completely crazy.
Kari Thomas gives her readers a wonderful story with some compelling and exciting characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I love stories with witches and Brianna is a witch, although she often gets her spells wrong. This causes no end of trouble and some comical moments. Her hero, Hunter is all macho, protective, jealous, stubborn and he has sure met his match in Brianna. They are wonderful together as Brianna turns the world as he knows it upside down, and Hunter causes Brianna’s emotions to almost run out of control. Ms Thomas keeps the sexual tension on boiling point almost throughout the whole story and the reader will be simmering along right with them both. So, when they finally do the deed, the characters are not the only ones to experience the relief. There is a good, solid conflict that will keep you turning the pages to find out what will happen next and to see if everyone survives. Towards the end, there was a moment where I had to almost shed a tear…that always puts a book on my keeper shelf. If you haven’t yet tried a story by this author, I can highly recommend her and know that when you read one, you’ll be scrambling for her backlist!
~Kari Thomas is an asward-winning author. Learn more about her at http://www.authorkari.com/.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Monday, 29 November 2010
New Sensual Contemporary for Romance Lovers
Title: The Arrangement
Author: Delaney Diamond
Author's website: http://www.delaneydiamond.com/
Genre: Contemporary romance
ISBN: 978-1-936279-57-9
Reviewer's rating: 4.5/5.0
Originally reviewed by Dottie for Romance Junkies, http://www.romancejunkies.com/
Leonardo de Silva is a ruthless business man in a multi-million dollar telecommunications company started by his father. His competitors fear him more than they respect him, but he is a worthy adversary. Half Brazilian, he spent much of his life in Brazil when he was younger. Work consumes a great deal of his life, making his business prosper, but his home life has suffered. His wife Alexa left him four months ago. He is desperate to have her back, but, being the strong silent type, he does not admit to his feelings easily. Whenever he makes mistakes, he does not dwell on them. Instead of thinking of his past problems, he figures out ways to correct them in the future.
Alexa de Silva loves her husband, but he seems to care more for his business than he does for her. Tired of being alone all the time, while he spent way too many hours at work, she had finally left him several months ago. She buried herself in her own activities; helping her brother Xander at his bakery and working at Second Chance Closet, a charity she had formed to provide gently used career clothing and formal wear to women. She had never been interested in her husband’s money. The only thing she wanted was his time and his love; the two items she feared he would never be able to give her. She and Xander lost their parents at a young age, so the two of them are very close.
Alexa has been trying to get her brother to hire a business manager. Xander is a fabulous baker, but he does not have a head for business. Facing major financial problems with his bakery, especially when his loan was called in to be paid in full, Xander asks Alexa to go to her husband and seek his help with the loan. Alexa is shocked and does not want to do it, but she knows it is the only chance Xander has to keep his bakery.
When she goes to Leo’s office and asks him for the loan, he agrees under two conditions. First, Xander must hire a business manager and secondly, Alexa must return home and resume their marriage in every way, for two months. Shocked, but knowing she has no other way to help Xander, she agrees. However, she is not entirely dismayed about returning home, just seeing her husband again has made her desire him all over.
Leo knew that his actions with his wife were underhanded, but he was desperate to get her to return home to him. He only hopes she never learns the lengths he would go to in order to get her to return to him. Can he convince her within the next two months that they belong together for a lifetime?
Deliciously titillating, THE ARRANGEMENT is a very sensual and heartwarming contemporary romance that I found impossible to put down until I had finished reading the very last word. Leo and Alexa are deeply in love, but the one thing lacking in their marriage is communication. Physically, their love life could not be more perfect, but they are unsure of each other’s love as neither one will proclaim it to the other. Brimming with steamy hot sensuality, believable dialogue, complex and compelling characters, an interesting plot, plenty of love and some surprising plot twists, this book is a winner. THE ARRANGEMENT is the first book I have read by author Delaney Diamond, but I look forward to reading more of her works. THE ARRANGEMENT is a terrific read for a lazy afternoon’s escape.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Author: Delaney Diamond
Author's website: http://www.delaneydiamond.com/
Genre: Contemporary romance
ISBN: 978-1-936279-57-9
Reviewer's rating: 4.5/5.0
Originally reviewed by Dottie for Romance Junkies, http://www.romancejunkies.com/
Leonardo de Silva is a ruthless business man in a multi-million dollar telecommunications company started by his father. His competitors fear him more than they respect him, but he is a worthy adversary. Half Brazilian, he spent much of his life in Brazil when he was younger. Work consumes a great deal of his life, making his business prosper, but his home life has suffered. His wife Alexa left him four months ago. He is desperate to have her back, but, being the strong silent type, he does not admit to his feelings easily. Whenever he makes mistakes, he does not dwell on them. Instead of thinking of his past problems, he figures out ways to correct them in the future.
Alexa de Silva loves her husband, but he seems to care more for his business than he does for her. Tired of being alone all the time, while he spent way too many hours at work, she had finally left him several months ago. She buried herself in her own activities; helping her brother Xander at his bakery and working at Second Chance Closet, a charity she had formed to provide gently used career clothing and formal wear to women. She had never been interested in her husband’s money. The only thing she wanted was his time and his love; the two items she feared he would never be able to give her. She and Xander lost their parents at a young age, so the two of them are very close.
Alexa has been trying to get her brother to hire a business manager. Xander is a fabulous baker, but he does not have a head for business. Facing major financial problems with his bakery, especially when his loan was called in to be paid in full, Xander asks Alexa to go to her husband and seek his help with the loan. Alexa is shocked and does not want to do it, but she knows it is the only chance Xander has to keep his bakery.
When she goes to Leo’s office and asks him for the loan, he agrees under two conditions. First, Xander must hire a business manager and secondly, Alexa must return home and resume their marriage in every way, for two months. Shocked, but knowing she has no other way to help Xander, she agrees. However, she is not entirely dismayed about returning home, just seeing her husband again has made her desire him all over.
Leo knew that his actions with his wife were underhanded, but he was desperate to get her to return home to him. He only hopes she never learns the lengths he would go to in order to get her to return to him. Can he convince her within the next two months that they belong together for a lifetime?
Deliciously titillating, THE ARRANGEMENT is a very sensual and heartwarming contemporary romance that I found impossible to put down until I had finished reading the very last word. Leo and Alexa are deeply in love, but the one thing lacking in their marriage is communication. Physically, their love life could not be more perfect, but they are unsure of each other’s love as neither one will proclaim it to the other. Brimming with steamy hot sensuality, believable dialogue, complex and compelling characters, an interesting plot, plenty of love and some surprising plot twists, this book is a winner. THE ARRANGEMENT is the first book I have read by author Delaney Diamond, but I look forward to reading more of her works. THE ARRANGEMENT is a terrific read for a lazy afternoon’s escape.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Title: Akeldama
Author: Kristine Lowder
Author's Website: http://www.kristinelowder.com/
Author's blog: http://www.kristinelowder.wordpress.com/
176 pages
Genre: Inspirational fiction
Publisher: Living Stones Fellowship International, Warrens, WI
ISBN: 978-1-885054-74-6
Reviewed by William P. Oakes
Review:
"I have read only a few Christian novels worthy of the name. My favorite Christian authors are C.S. Lewis, Stephen R. Lawhead, Joseph F. Girzone, and now Kristine Lowder. I must tell you that her book, Akeldama, touched me so deeply that I cried like a baby as I read the final chapter. Yes, the final chapter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ—not a new subject. But something in her telling of it blessed me with joy, gratitude, awe, and wonder. I cannot remember a time when I wanted to re-read a book as soon as I finished it. Treat yourself to a great book!" ~William C. Oakes, Senior Pastor, Living Stones Fellowship, Warrens, Wisconsin
Synopsis:
Step into the pages of this historical novel of Faith. Meet beautiful Yo-hannah, whose tortured past has imprisoned her body and heart. Walk in the stooped steps of Veronica, whose mysterious malady has made her ceremonially unclean. Thirst for living water with a half-breed whose checkered past is about to catch up with her.
Thrown together from dead-ends, each woman seeks answers to her own desperation. Will Yo-hannah find the peace she craves? Can an unclean woman receive a touch of mercy? Where can a despised half-breed go to be made whole? And what about old Hadessa, whose enigmatic past is as mysterious as the young Nazarene who crosses each woman's path?
Each woman's life and future hinges on the Nazarene's answer to one question: Who are you?
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Author: Kristine Lowder
Author's Website: http://www.kristinelowder.com/
Author's blog: http://www.kristinelowder.wordpress.com/
176 pages
Genre: Inspirational fiction
Publisher: Living Stones Fellowship International, Warrens, WI
ISBN: 978-1-885054-74-6
Reviewed by William P. Oakes
Review:
"I have read only a few Christian novels worthy of the name. My favorite Christian authors are C.S. Lewis, Stephen R. Lawhead, Joseph F. Girzone, and now Kristine Lowder. I must tell you that her book, Akeldama, touched me so deeply that I cried like a baby as I read the final chapter. Yes, the final chapter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ—not a new subject. But something in her telling of it blessed me with joy, gratitude, awe, and wonder. I cannot remember a time when I wanted to re-read a book as soon as I finished it. Treat yourself to a great book!" ~William C. Oakes, Senior Pastor, Living Stones Fellowship, Warrens, Wisconsin
Synopsis:
Step into the pages of this historical novel of Faith. Meet beautiful Yo-hannah, whose tortured past has imprisoned her body and heart. Walk in the stooped steps of Veronica, whose mysterious malady has made her ceremonially unclean. Thirst for living water with a half-breed whose checkered past is about to catch up with her.
Thrown together from dead-ends, each woman seeks answers to her own desperation. Will Yo-hannah find the peace she craves? Can an unclean woman receive a touch of mercy? Where can a despised half-breed go to be made whole? And what about old Hadessa, whose enigmatic past is as mysterious as the young Nazarene who crosses each woman's path?
Each woman's life and future hinges on the Nazarene's answer to one question: Who are you?
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Margaret Fieland Reviews Christmas Poetry Chapbook
Blooming Red : Christmas Poems for the Rational
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball
Poetry Chapbook
ISBN 9781449948245
Buy Link: www.budurl.com/BloomingRed
Reviewed by Margaret Fieland
Looking for a holiday stocking stuffer? Want something to read aloud at holiday dinners, something the whole family can enjoy? Then treat yourself to is delightful collection by poetic collaborators Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball.This is a delightful little volume, 58 pages consisting of thirteen poems by each poet. I love reading poetry aloud, and this volume is full of delight. A couple of favorites:
Christmas Magic Wrought by Google's Keyword Elves by Carolyn Howard-Johnson.
begins with:
At the stroke of dawn on November first
gremlins tired from their Halloween
and ends with:
That's when Google's
keyword elves gave me the gift of all
Christmas gifts. It's called
the make-dinner-reservations
-at-McCormick-and-Schmick
system of revenge.
You're sure to recognize yourself in this holiday tale of woe. The poor narrator is having a hard time at the holidays.. Ants attack her turkey, the oven thermometers are on the fritz and the Kitchen Aid has died just as its warranty runs out. And are more disasters to come. I laughed but, like the narrator, we, too, have contemplated just chucking the whole thing and going out to a restaurant.
And another, this one by Magdalena Ball - fond memories, Six Million Years Ago, when we were kids:
Six million years ago
when we were just kids
upright in thin desert air
bi-pedaling in anticipation
of holiday seasons yet to come.
Time was different then.
and ends:
the first law of thermodynamics
what cannot be created or destroyed
your burning
youthful
matter.
Do yourself a favor, and create some memories of your own by buying this book and then sharing it with the whole family over the holidays.
About the reviewer:Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. She is an avid science fiction fan, and selected Robert A. Heinlein's Farmer in the Sky for her tenth birthday, now long past. In spite of making her living as a computer software engineer, she turned to one of her sons to format the initial version of her website, a clear illustration of the computer generation gap. Her poems have appeared in journals such as Melusine, Front Range Review, and All Rights Reserved. Her book, The Angry Little Boy, will be published by 4RV Publishing, LLC, in early 2013. You may visit her website, http://www.margaretfieland.com.
----- The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Monday, 22 November 2010
Reviewer Suggests Book for Holiday Gifts
A Packet of Dreams
Paperback (June 6, 2008)
By John Howard Reid
Author's Web site: http://www.authorsden.com/johnhowardreid
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Lulu.com (June 6, 2008)
Language: English ISBN-10: 1435719859
ISBN-13: 978-1435719859
Reviewed by Joyce White
"The short stories are like a recipe book of different tastes. They encompass humor, romance, reality and fiction. All are smooth and heartwarming. Five Stars from me for Amazon and the author, John Howard-Reid."
This book, A Packet of Dreams, is John Howard-Reid’s third collection of short prose stories. It is a spirited little paranormal drama that takes place in a circus-like atmosphere between a concession barker and a mysterious but attractive young girl. Reid wrote the main character, Arthur Knight, as the slapdash old-fashioned barker and owner of the merry-go-round concessions. In the distance he heard and felt beckoned, “Dreams for Sale! Dreams for Sale!” The voice called out to his greed first and foremost. The young girl was dressed in what I perceived to be dowdy navel-like smock with silver buttons. Arthur was not impressed although he thought she was pretty. He said to her, “Even if you sell a dozen packets of dreams a day, I still don’t like it.” She replied quickly, “I don’t sell them, I trade them.” I thought it interesting that the young girl was trading dreams stationed right opposite the laughing clowns.
There were more questions than answers for Arthur. Who was this girl? Surely, she was no angel. Then he wondered if she was would-be religious nut or just plain nut. I think the girl’s uniform gave us the perception that she was a formal organization like the Salvation Army. He was still her first and only customer. She explained to him how our dreams flow from our inner hearts, thoughts, and longings. Our dreams reflect the very fiber of our souls much like any creative expression. Arthur was no longer amused when he heard how his packet of dreams would cost him but he couldn’t resist her. I loved this little piece for Reid’s optimism, imagination and courage to write such a fable that taught a good lesson for us all.
The next story was “The Reclamation of Edwin Drood. Charles Dickens' unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, has been a source of speculation and controversy ever since it was featured in a monthly edition of news daily years ago. There have been many films and books devoted to giving Dickens’s story a proper ending. He intrigued readers with a sort of soap opera of weird characters that appealed to the creative license in many writers. Some believe the final chapter was to have been set in the prison where Jasper awaits execution for the murder of Edwin Drood.
“It is no fun being buried alive,” remarked Edwin, stepping into the lamplight…but not scaring his murderer, Jasper …I am wrong. Wronged and wrong. Disguise from you is impossible. You know already that I come from somewhere and am going somewhere else.”
Some believe this story was a fictionalized account of the last five years of Dickens’s own life. Unfortunately, Dickens died before completing the last half of the novel. Some even believe Charles Dickens was trying to overcome skepticism of the supernatural. Perhaps, he was chasing his own ghosts when writing A Christmas Carol, so popular during the holidays. Dickens was known to have declared, “I have endeavored, in this Ghostly little book, A Christmas Carol, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.”
I’ve heard it said those that write do and those who can’t are critics. Obviously, they haven’t come upon John Howard-Reid. He is a bestselling, prizewinning author and writing contest judge, who have also worked as a publisher, editor, critic and bookseller. This third story I am reviewing is a short, comical and philosophical conversation about how to interest their library patrons into reading new authors and more recent books. I kind of agree there is not much instantaneous gratification for writing our hearts. This third story showed a simple little test of will power for a group of library patrons and writers. It was named Contest Blues. This story is a perfect example of how no two people are inspired in quite the same way. We each have innate talents and interests and we’re all quite stubborn in fulfilling our mission in life.
Mrs. Winthrop, the Chief Librarian, was described like many older female librarians, way too partial to the classics and a little dingy ready to retire this coming year. Unfortunately, it was very hard for any of the five selected judges to agree on anything. I enjoyed the line, “Cunning is the head that aspires to wear a crown.” They each aspired to wear the crown. The six finally decided they would hold a contest on original, unpublished work. They decided on 3,000 words and then argued about themes like prose, poetry, philosophy, true-life or essays. Each annoyed the other.
Honeywell, one of the judges referred to prose as a polished exposition of its central character’s dilemma, predicament or situation. James Joyce, the popular author, felt writing in English was devised to punish sins committed in previous lives. “It was decided about after four names and ninety-eight inconsequential words had been changed; and they finally picked the number one winner.” This was the first and final Jacobs County Literary Competition. I wonder why? The short stories are like a recipe book of different tastes. They encompass humor, romance, reality and fiction. All are smooth and heartwarming. Five Stars from me for Amazon and the author, John Howard-Reid
I like to end my review with one of the poems tucked in at the back of the book, Written In Exhile, by Rafael Alberti and Translated by Richard Ledham:
Who are you? You who call me from behind
So voicelessly from so far away?
With thoughts so terrifying, grave not gay,
Whispering my name to the appalled and silent wind?
Who are you? What cries do you try to find
What distant sounds endeavor to convey…
------
Reviewer Joyce White may be found at http://www.wingedforarttherapy.com/ and http://www.sculptingtheheart.com/. She writes Sculpting the Heart Book Reviews and is author of Sculpting the Heart: Surviving Depression With Art Therapy and Sculpting the Heart’s Poetry.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Paperback (June 6, 2008)
By John Howard Reid
Author's Web site: http://www.authorsden.com/johnhowardreid
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Lulu.com (June 6, 2008)
Language: English ISBN-10: 1435719859
ISBN-13: 978-1435719859
Reviewed by Joyce White
"The short stories are like a recipe book of different tastes. They encompass humor, romance, reality and fiction. All are smooth and heartwarming. Five Stars from me for Amazon and the author, John Howard-Reid."
This book, A Packet of Dreams, is John Howard-Reid’s third collection of short prose stories. It is a spirited little paranormal drama that takes place in a circus-like atmosphere between a concession barker and a mysterious but attractive young girl. Reid wrote the main character, Arthur Knight, as the slapdash old-fashioned barker and owner of the merry-go-round concessions. In the distance he heard and felt beckoned, “Dreams for Sale! Dreams for Sale!” The voice called out to his greed first and foremost. The young girl was dressed in what I perceived to be dowdy navel-like smock with silver buttons. Arthur was not impressed although he thought she was pretty. He said to her, “Even if you sell a dozen packets of dreams a day, I still don’t like it.” She replied quickly, “I don’t sell them, I trade them.” I thought it interesting that the young girl was trading dreams stationed right opposite the laughing clowns.
There were more questions than answers for Arthur. Who was this girl? Surely, she was no angel. Then he wondered if she was would-be religious nut or just plain nut. I think the girl’s uniform gave us the perception that she was a formal organization like the Salvation Army. He was still her first and only customer. She explained to him how our dreams flow from our inner hearts, thoughts, and longings. Our dreams reflect the very fiber of our souls much like any creative expression. Arthur was no longer amused when he heard how his packet of dreams would cost him but he couldn’t resist her. I loved this little piece for Reid’s optimism, imagination and courage to write such a fable that taught a good lesson for us all.
The next story was “The Reclamation of Edwin Drood. Charles Dickens' unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, has been a source of speculation and controversy ever since it was featured in a monthly edition of news daily years ago. There have been many films and books devoted to giving Dickens’s story a proper ending. He intrigued readers with a sort of soap opera of weird characters that appealed to the creative license in many writers. Some believe the final chapter was to have been set in the prison where Jasper awaits execution for the murder of Edwin Drood.
“It is no fun being buried alive,” remarked Edwin, stepping into the lamplight…but not scaring his murderer, Jasper …I am wrong. Wronged and wrong. Disguise from you is impossible. You know already that I come from somewhere and am going somewhere else.”
Some believe this story was a fictionalized account of the last five years of Dickens’s own life. Unfortunately, Dickens died before completing the last half of the novel. Some even believe Charles Dickens was trying to overcome skepticism of the supernatural. Perhaps, he was chasing his own ghosts when writing A Christmas Carol, so popular during the holidays. Dickens was known to have declared, “I have endeavored, in this Ghostly little book, A Christmas Carol, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.”
I’ve heard it said those that write do and those who can’t are critics. Obviously, they haven’t come upon John Howard-Reid. He is a bestselling, prizewinning author and writing contest judge, who have also worked as a publisher, editor, critic and bookseller. This third story I am reviewing is a short, comical and philosophical conversation about how to interest their library patrons into reading new authors and more recent books. I kind of agree there is not much instantaneous gratification for writing our hearts. This third story showed a simple little test of will power for a group of library patrons and writers. It was named Contest Blues. This story is a perfect example of how no two people are inspired in quite the same way. We each have innate talents and interests and we’re all quite stubborn in fulfilling our mission in life.
Mrs. Winthrop, the Chief Librarian, was described like many older female librarians, way too partial to the classics and a little dingy ready to retire this coming year. Unfortunately, it was very hard for any of the five selected judges to agree on anything. I enjoyed the line, “Cunning is the head that aspires to wear a crown.” They each aspired to wear the crown. The six finally decided they would hold a contest on original, unpublished work. They decided on 3,000 words and then argued about themes like prose, poetry, philosophy, true-life or essays. Each annoyed the other.
Honeywell, one of the judges referred to prose as a polished exposition of its central character’s dilemma, predicament or situation. James Joyce, the popular author, felt writing in English was devised to punish sins committed in previous lives. “It was decided about after four names and ninety-eight inconsequential words had been changed; and they finally picked the number one winner.” This was the first and final Jacobs County Literary Competition. I wonder why? The short stories are like a recipe book of different tastes. They encompass humor, romance, reality and fiction. All are smooth and heartwarming. Five Stars from me for Amazon and the author, John Howard-Reid
I like to end my review with one of the poems tucked in at the back of the book, Written In Exhile, by Rafael Alberti and Translated by Richard Ledham:
Who are you? You who call me from behind
So voicelessly from so far away?
With thoughts so terrifying, grave not gay,
Whispering my name to the appalled and silent wind?
Who are you? What cries do you try to find
What distant sounds endeavor to convey…
------
Reviewer Joyce White may be found at http://www.wingedforarttherapy.com/ and http://www.sculptingtheheart.com/. She writes Sculpting the Heart Book Reviews and is author of Sculpting the Heart: Surviving Depression With Art Therapy and Sculpting the Heart’s Poetry.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Title: Wild is the Heart
Author: Sona Ovasapyan
Genre: Poetry/General
ISBN-10: 1453633138
Website: http://sonaovasapyanblog.com/ and
http://sonaovasapyan.com/
Have you ever gotten lost trying to make your way through life?
There are days when the world seems to forget your existence and leaves you stranded to deal with the pains buried in your soul.
This book takes you on a short journey inward to show that there is always laughter to be found and joy to be experienced. Everyone can achieve happiness and inner peace, the journey starts from within.
When you have exhausted all other means to find your self, sometimes it takes stepping back and letting life show you the path. It is moments that define breakthroughs and it is possible for everyone to live fully and explore all aspects of their happiness.
Wild is the heart, in this treasure chest you will find a momentary escape that will help bring perspective back to your day. A quick fix for when hope seems to deplete.
The book was designed so that it can go anywhere with you. It can sit on top of your coffee table instead of a magazine. A ray of light. We have all been through the dark and I want everyone to know that there is a way to find your self back and shine on into light once more.
Highly respected author/editor/speaker/professor at UCLA co founder of authors coalition Carolyn Howard Johnson says; "Sona. I am in awe. Truly. You are a fine poet and an original one. In fact, you may have inventd a new poetry form!"
My prior poetry book ForGone was awarded a literary prize, featured on 90.7 KPFK poets cafe, Horizon television, LA Times Book Festival, West Hollywood Book Fair, Poets Cafe night at St. Gregory's school, April Bookstore, Glendale Library Conference and much more.
This is your opportunity to partake in the special journey of rediscovering your heart and it's true intentions.
Sometimes when the mind has exhausted, tortured and confused the core of your being, the heart rises to give breath to its fire. Because wild is the heart.
This chapbook is also available at a fabulous boutique catering to young Hollywood called Shoprumor http://www.shoprumor.com/product.php?productid=3041&cat=57&page=1.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Author: Sona Ovasapyan
Genre: Poetry/General
ISBN-10: 1453633138
Website: http://sonaovasapyanblog.com/ and
http://sonaovasapyan.com/
Have you ever gotten lost trying to make your way through life?
There are days when the world seems to forget your existence and leaves you stranded to deal with the pains buried in your soul.
This book takes you on a short journey inward to show that there is always laughter to be found and joy to be experienced. Everyone can achieve happiness and inner peace, the journey starts from within.
When you have exhausted all other means to find your self, sometimes it takes stepping back and letting life show you the path. It is moments that define breakthroughs and it is possible for everyone to live fully and explore all aspects of their happiness.
Wild is the heart, in this treasure chest you will find a momentary escape that will help bring perspective back to your day. A quick fix for when hope seems to deplete.
The book was designed so that it can go anywhere with you. It can sit on top of your coffee table instead of a magazine. A ray of light. We have all been through the dark and I want everyone to know that there is a way to find your self back and shine on into light once more.
Highly respected author/editor/speaker/professor at UCLA co founder of authors coalition Carolyn Howard Johnson says; "Sona. I am in awe. Truly. You are a fine poet and an original one. In fact, you may have inventd a new poetry form!"
My prior poetry book ForGone was awarded a literary prize, featured on 90.7 KPFK poets cafe, Horizon television, LA Times Book Festival, West Hollywood Book Fair, Poets Cafe night at St. Gregory's school, April Bookstore, Glendale Library Conference and much more.
This is your opportunity to partake in the special journey of rediscovering your heart and it's true intentions.
Sometimes when the mind has exhausted, tortured and confused the core of your being, the heart rises to give breath to its fire. Because wild is the heart.
This chapbook is also available at a fabulous boutique catering to young Hollywood called Shoprumor http://www.shoprumor.com/product.php?productid=3041&cat=57&page=1.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Saturday, 20 November 2010
Crystal Marcos Pens Fun, Foody Kids' Book
Bellyache: A Delicious Tale
Crystal Marcos
www.CrystalMarcos.com
Genre: Children’s Novel
ISBN: 978-0984389902
Reviewed by Cecilia Lee originally for Allbook Reviews
BELLYACHE: A Delicious Tale is a wonderful book filled with action that your young ones will love to read.
Peter Fischer gets invited to work at his grandfather's sweet shop, and he can't wait to try all the yummy delights. He eats one too many treats and is transported to a magical town where everything is made of candy! Unfortunately, he finds "candy" enemies. Thankfully, though, he finds "candy" friends. Even better, he finds out that his grandma was probably there a long time ago. Then the most interesting part; his best friend from the human world has also been transported there! How did that happen?
Author Crystal Marcos does not leave us "hanging", but perfects a clever way to tell us more. However, all too soon, his adventure ends. No time to worry about that though! Another one springs up, requiring more skills than before.
Crystal Marcos provides a moving tale to help us learn to forgive, no matter how hard it is. Although this is her first book, she displays through it her startling ability to teach a difficult matter in a fun and appealing way that children will understand. Kids will want to read this book over and over again! Highly Recommended by Cecelia Lee, Allbooks reviewer.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Crystal Marcos
www.CrystalMarcos.com
Genre: Children’s Novel
ISBN: 978-0984389902
Reviewed by Cecilia Lee originally for Allbook Reviews
BELLYACHE: A Delicious Tale is a wonderful book filled with action that your young ones will love to read.
Peter Fischer gets invited to work at his grandfather's sweet shop, and he can't wait to try all the yummy delights. He eats one too many treats and is transported to a magical town where everything is made of candy! Unfortunately, he finds "candy" enemies. Thankfully, though, he finds "candy" friends. Even better, he finds out that his grandma was probably there a long time ago. Then the most interesting part; his best friend from the human world has also been transported there! How did that happen?
Author Crystal Marcos does not leave us "hanging", but perfects a clever way to tell us more. However, all too soon, his adventure ends. No time to worry about that though! Another one springs up, requiring more skills than before.
Crystal Marcos provides a moving tale to help us learn to forgive, no matter how hard it is. Although this is her first book, she displays through it her startling ability to teach a difficult matter in a fun and appealing way that children will understand. Kids will want to read this book over and over again! Highly Recommended by Cecelia Lee, Allbooks reviewer.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Friday, 19 November 2010
Reviewer says, "Definite Page Turner"
Heaven’s Rage
By Tiffany Craig Brown
http://www.tiffanycraigbrown.com/
Mystery
ISBN: 978-1432756963
Reviewed by Dreamworld Books
Heaven's Rage is the first novel by Tiffany Craig Brown, a former corporate communications expert and also former managing editor of the Natomas Journal established in the Sacramento area.
Heaven's Rage is the story of a retired helicopter pilot named Richard Tate who is found murdered in his apartment; the most likely suspects being four women from Tate's past -- three ex-wives and his college lover. Homicide Detective Ian Buchanan must interview all four women to determine who killed Tate, however the more he learns, the more he sympathizes with the women and not the victim!
Tiffany Craig Brown initially pulls readers in by making us privy to the gruesome details of Tate's crime scene, as well as presenting us with a clue left behind at the crime scene in the form of mysterious vomit that is presumed to come from someone other than the victim. I must admit I was truly intrigued by the vomit and where it originated from! As we read the first few chapters, it is evident that Brown definitely performed thorough research concerning the police procedural methods, which are artfully executed.
Upon finishing up with the initial crime scene portion, Heaven's Rage is then split up into four main sections detailing each horrendous relationship Richard Tate had with the women in his life. We learn that Tate (appropriately nicknamed Dick by the way) is a disturbed man with severe issues stemming from his childhood and just like Detective Buchanan, we are appalled by Tate and of the way he treats each woman. I found myself feeling genuinely happy that someone murdered him for the novel's sake, and became emotional in sympathizing with each suspect!
The flow of the novel is superb because it's got the "I-can't-put-it-down!" quality, with perfect transitions and breaks in all the right spots. As a reader, the pleasure and value of Heaven's Rage is being able to identify with each of Tate's "victims", and we find that we love to hate Richard "Dick" Tate along with trying to identify the murderer.
My biggest jaw-dropping moment occurred while reading the following excerpt from ex-wife Jordan's story, in which she recounts an experience on a road trip and camping outing Dick forces her to take with their children:
"I'm really sore and uncomfortable, Dick," she lamented. "Did you forget
your promise to the doctor? You were supposed to let me get out and
walk around every couple of hours..."
"Oh, quit your bitchin'," he interrupted. "You've done nothing but complain
through the whole damn trip. Stop being such a baby!"
Tears stung her eyes. Her lips trembled and her voice wavered as she
responded, "I gave birth six days ago! I shouldn't even be on this trip!"
She swiped at her eyes furiously but the more she tried to stop crying,
the harder the tears fell.
The above sample is just one of many injustices and harsh treatments Dick imposes on his wives, and this is exactly why we end up sympathizing with the suspects. Can you imagine the idea of spending the rest of your life with such a character? Tiffany Craig Brown will stir much emotion and instill such rage in you while reading Heaven's Rage.
Being an avid murder mystery reader, I believe Heaven's Rage may have been more impacting had there been more concrete clues scattered throughout the novel in regards to determining the murderer's identity. The largest draw and allure of crime and mystery novels is being able to apply the author's clues to solving the murderer's identity before it is revealed to us. Although the murderer's identity is indeed surprising, Heaven's Rage does not provide readers with enough clues to solve the mystery on their own.
I personally enjoyed Heaven's Rage because of my familiarity with the military lifestyle (being a military brat myself) and having lived in the locations featured in the novel including Colorado Springs, San Diego, and Coronado. On the other hand, you won't need to be familiar with the above attributes to enjoy Heaven's Rage and better yet, it will appeal to all genres of readers! Heaven's Rage is evidence that Tiffany Craig Brown has amazing talent hands-down, and as a reader you won't be disappointed! No matter what your taste, you'll gain something from Heaven's Rage whether it be satisfaction from revenge or even being able to relate to nasty divorce and custody battles, among many other real-life experiences this novel brings to light.
Heaven's Rage was released in May 2010, and I hope to see Tiffany Craig Brown follow it up with another. Be sure to stop by and visit her website at http://www.tiffanycraigbrown.com/ .
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
By Tiffany Craig Brown
http://www.tiffanycraigbrown.com/
Mystery
ISBN: 978-1432756963
Reviewed by Dreamworld Books
Heaven's Rage is the first novel by Tiffany Craig Brown, a former corporate communications expert and also former managing editor of the Natomas Journal established in the Sacramento area.
Heaven's Rage is the story of a retired helicopter pilot named Richard Tate who is found murdered in his apartment; the most likely suspects being four women from Tate's past -- three ex-wives and his college lover. Homicide Detective Ian Buchanan must interview all four women to determine who killed Tate, however the more he learns, the more he sympathizes with the women and not the victim!
Tiffany Craig Brown initially pulls readers in by making us privy to the gruesome details of Tate's crime scene, as well as presenting us with a clue left behind at the crime scene in the form of mysterious vomit that is presumed to come from someone other than the victim. I must admit I was truly intrigued by the vomit and where it originated from! As we read the first few chapters, it is evident that Brown definitely performed thorough research concerning the police procedural methods, which are artfully executed.
Upon finishing up with the initial crime scene portion, Heaven's Rage is then split up into four main sections detailing each horrendous relationship Richard Tate had with the women in his life. We learn that Tate (appropriately nicknamed Dick by the way) is a disturbed man with severe issues stemming from his childhood and just like Detective Buchanan, we are appalled by Tate and of the way he treats each woman. I found myself feeling genuinely happy that someone murdered him for the novel's sake, and became emotional in sympathizing with each suspect!
The flow of the novel is superb because it's got the "I-can't-put-it-down!" quality, with perfect transitions and breaks in all the right spots. As a reader, the pleasure and value of Heaven's Rage is being able to identify with each of Tate's "victims", and we find that we love to hate Richard "Dick" Tate along with trying to identify the murderer.
My biggest jaw-dropping moment occurred while reading the following excerpt from ex-wife Jordan's story, in which she recounts an experience on a road trip and camping outing Dick forces her to take with their children:
"I'm really sore and uncomfortable, Dick," she lamented. "Did you forget
your promise to the doctor? You were supposed to let me get out and
walk around every couple of hours..."
"Oh, quit your bitchin'," he interrupted. "You've done nothing but complain
through the whole damn trip. Stop being such a baby!"
Tears stung her eyes. Her lips trembled and her voice wavered as she
responded, "I gave birth six days ago! I shouldn't even be on this trip!"
She swiped at her eyes furiously but the more she tried to stop crying,
the harder the tears fell.
The above sample is just one of many injustices and harsh treatments Dick imposes on his wives, and this is exactly why we end up sympathizing with the suspects. Can you imagine the idea of spending the rest of your life with such a character? Tiffany Craig Brown will stir much emotion and instill such rage in you while reading Heaven's Rage.
Being an avid murder mystery reader, I believe Heaven's Rage may have been more impacting had there been more concrete clues scattered throughout the novel in regards to determining the murderer's identity. The largest draw and allure of crime and mystery novels is being able to apply the author's clues to solving the murderer's identity before it is revealed to us. Although the murderer's identity is indeed surprising, Heaven's Rage does not provide readers with enough clues to solve the mystery on their own.
I personally enjoyed Heaven's Rage because of my familiarity with the military lifestyle (being a military brat myself) and having lived in the locations featured in the novel including Colorado Springs, San Diego, and Coronado. On the other hand, you won't need to be familiar with the above attributes to enjoy Heaven's Rage and better yet, it will appeal to all genres of readers! Heaven's Rage is evidence that Tiffany Craig Brown has amazing talent hands-down, and as a reader you won't be disappointed! No matter what your taste, you'll gain something from Heaven's Rage whether it be satisfaction from revenge or even being able to relate to nasty divorce and custody battles, among many other real-life experiences this novel brings to light.
Heaven's Rage was released in May 2010, and I hope to see Tiffany Craig Brown follow it up with another. Be sure to stop by and visit her website at http://www.tiffanycraigbrown.com/ .
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Memoir: Harrassment and Fear
Title: The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee
Author: Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall
Publisher: Eloquent Books
ISBN: 978-1-60911-858-7
Pages: 323 pages
Price: $17.95 US
Sept 2010
Genre: Memoirs
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Allbooks Reviews
Do you feel safe in your house at night? Have you ever wondered about those annoying, middle-of-the-night phone calls that you thought were just a random wrong number? Have you noticed someone following you? Frightening? Yes!
Imagine having this happen relentlessly for years: phone calls at all hours of the day and night; people following you; people pretending to be your friend, your client, your patient; people breaking into your house; people threatening your life; people ending the lives of people you have come to know through your practice and your volunteer activities. These things are frightening enough without the added phone taps and tampering with the television cable so that the programming is altered to implement a direct personal assault on an individual’s mental health. This and more happened to an American psychiatrist, Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall.
Not only did these threats affect her safety and that of her daughter, they also affected her psychiatric practice and had her committed to the psychiatric ward, induced with countless drugs and labelled as being psychotically paranoid and manic depressive. Why? It all started when she tried to help transform an abandoned school in Seattle into an African American Museum.
Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall is a captivating storyteller. Her memoir, The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee, chronicles thirty years of her life as she tried to maintain her psychiatric practice in Seattle, Washington, while raising a daughter and being actively involved in several volunteer groups that rigorously sought to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. Her fight to bring research on safe AIDS treatment to the fore in the 1970s struck a raw-nerve in certain government departments. Her fight to defend African Americans abused by the system, abused by the police, resulted in greater harassment. She also lobbied for basic health care insurance for all Americans; helped establish and support, both financially and physically, the African American Museum; and she was frequently sought to financially back those who were wrongly accused in the Seattle justice system. Her views on American politics may have seemed radical to many; but hearing her story, from her point-of-view, one begins to wonder if there isn’t a conspiracy out there to block the so-called ‘freedom of speech’ right and condemn those who dare to question it.
Dr. Bramhall continued her practice in Seattle, despite the continual harassment and death threats, for thirty years. She had no desire to uproot her daughter during her early school years. After her daughter moved away to university, Dr. Bramhall made her decision to immigrate. She accepted a posting in New Zealand, and made the move. She is currently practicing child and adolescent psychiatry in New Plymouth.
The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee is an almost shocking memoir about what lies beneath the world as we want to see it. The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee is highly recommended by Allbooks reviewer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Allbooks Reviews.
----- The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
Author: Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall
Publisher: Eloquent Books
ISBN: 978-1-60911-858-7
Pages: 323 pages
Price: $17.95 US
Sept 2010
Genre: Memoirs
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Allbooks Reviews
Do you feel safe in your house at night? Have you ever wondered about those annoying, middle-of-the-night phone calls that you thought were just a random wrong number? Have you noticed someone following you? Frightening? Yes!
Imagine having this happen relentlessly for years: phone calls at all hours of the day and night; people following you; people pretending to be your friend, your client, your patient; people breaking into your house; people threatening your life; people ending the lives of people you have come to know through your practice and your volunteer activities. These things are frightening enough without the added phone taps and tampering with the television cable so that the programming is altered to implement a direct personal assault on an individual’s mental health. This and more happened to an American psychiatrist, Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall.
Not only did these threats affect her safety and that of her daughter, they also affected her psychiatric practice and had her committed to the psychiatric ward, induced with countless drugs and labelled as being psychotically paranoid and manic depressive. Why? It all started when she tried to help transform an abandoned school in Seattle into an African American Museum.
Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall is a captivating storyteller. Her memoir, The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee, chronicles thirty years of her life as she tried to maintain her psychiatric practice in Seattle, Washington, while raising a daughter and being actively involved in several volunteer groups that rigorously sought to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. Her fight to bring research on safe AIDS treatment to the fore in the 1970s struck a raw-nerve in certain government departments. Her fight to defend African Americans abused by the system, abused by the police, resulted in greater harassment. She also lobbied for basic health care insurance for all Americans; helped establish and support, both financially and physically, the African American Museum; and she was frequently sought to financially back those who were wrongly accused in the Seattle justice system. Her views on American politics may have seemed radical to many; but hearing her story, from her point-of-view, one begins to wonder if there isn’t a conspiracy out there to block the so-called ‘freedom of speech’ right and condemn those who dare to question it.
Dr. Bramhall continued her practice in Seattle, despite the continual harassment and death threats, for thirty years. She had no desire to uproot her daughter during her early school years. After her daughter moved away to university, Dr. Bramhall made her decision to immigrate. She accepted a posting in New Zealand, and made the move. She is currently practicing child and adolescent psychiatry in New Plymouth.
The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee is an almost shocking memoir about what lies beneath the world as we want to see it. The Most Revolutionary Act: Memoir of an American Refugee is highly recommended by Allbooks reviewer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Allbooks Reviews.
----- The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :
