LIAR’S GIRL by Catherine Ryan Howard releases in February. Mark your calendars and be sure to grab a copy of this engrossing thriller on release day.

Title: THE LIAR’S GIRL

Author: CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD   

Genre: FICTION, MYSTERIES & THRILLERS

Length: 322 PAGES

Publisher: BLACKSTONE PUBLISHING  

Type of Book: HARDCOVER

Received From: NETGALLEY        

Release Date: FEBRUARY 27, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5047-8254-8

Price: $24.99 USD (HARDCOVER)

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

DESCRIPTION:

Will Hurley was an attractive, charming, and impressive student at Dublin’s elite St. John’s College—and Ireland’s most prolific serial killer. Having stalked his four young victims, he drowned them in the muddy waters of the Grand Canal. Sentenced to life imprisonment when he was just nineteen, Will is locked away in the city’s Central Psychiatric Hospital.

Freshman Sally-Anne Smith moved to the Big Smoke to enroll in St. John’s and soon fell hard for Will Hurley. Her world bloomed … and then imploded when Liz, her best friend, became the latest victim of the Canal Killer—and the Canal Killer turned out to be the boy who’d been sleeping in her bed. Sally-Anne fled to the Netherlands, changed her name, and, in ten years, has never once looked back.

When a young woman’s body is found in the Grand Canal, Garda detectives visit Will to see if he can assist them in solving what looks like a copycat killing. Instead, Will tells them he has something new to confess—but there’s only one person he’s prepared to confess it to.

The last thing Sally-Anne wants is to be pulled back into the past she’s worked so hard to leave behind. Reluctantly, she returns to the city she hasn’t set foot in for more than a decade to face the man who murdered the woman she was supposed to become.

Only to discover that, until now, Will has left out the worst part of all …  

MY REVIEW:

The fear brought about by the “Canal Killer” will infect readers of this psychological thriller. It will have you constantly looking over your shoulder when walking alone at night.

Despite the fact that it has been ten years since Will was arrested and convicted of the four murders, Sally-Anne wants to know why. Why kill anyone, and especially why would her boyfriend kill her best friend? It is with those questions in mind that she agrees to talk to Will and find out what he has to say to the police about the latest murder.

From that point until the very last page, readers will find themselves engrossed in this fast-paced, mind boggling mystery/thriller.

I thought I had the book all figured out early in the story, but I was wrong. This tale has so many twists and turns that readers will never be bored and will be unable to put this book down.

The author has a knack for character building and for making those characters come to life. It is inevitable that readers become invested in Sally-Anne’s life.

Secrets, murder, friendship, romance, terror, security, love, hate, jealousy, happiness, chills and thrills all abound in this psychological thriller that I rate as 4.5 out of 5 Stars.🌟🌟🌟🌟 I am very much looking forward to reading more books by author Catherine Ryan Howard.

**A special Thank You to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC (Advance Review Copy) of this book.**    

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Catherine Ryan Howard was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1982.   

Prior to writing full time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front-desk agent in a hotel in Walt Disney World, Florida, and most recently as a social media marketer for a major publisher.

She is currently studying for a BA in English at Trinity College in Dublin.

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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER: 

Oregon-based audiobook publisher Blackstone has expanded into print with the launch of Blackstone Publishing, which releases classic and original contemporary titles in both print and e-book.   

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FOWL LANGUAGE

Title: FOWL LANGUAGE – THE STRUGGLE IS REAL      

Series: FOWL LANGUAGE BOOK TWO

Author: BRIAN GORDON      

Genre: HUMOR, COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS, PARENTING    

Publisher: ANDREWS MCMEEL PUBLISHING     

Type of Book: PAPERBACK

Length: 128 PAGES

Received From: NETGALLEY      

Release Date: OCTOBER 10, 2017

ISBN: 9781449486754

Price:  $14.99 USD

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟   

REVIEW:

When Brian Gordon became a parent, he thought he was going to ruin his kids and/or make some catastrophic mistake. Fortunately, for both himself and for his kids, “Despite their fragile appearance, evolution has seemingly hardened small children against numbskull parents like [him].” 

What Brian has done, is taken all the weird and wonderful, serious and strange and yet somehow universal parenting issues and day-to-day struggles and used them to create blisteringly hilarious comic vignettes. If you are a parent it will be near to impossible not to literally laugh out loud at Brian Gordon’s FOWL LANGUAGE comics. 

Using ducks (fowl) to represent the members of a family, the comics each represent a moment in parenting that all (or most) parents can relate to and that when seen in print will have readers laughing out loud. 

This is the second book of Fowl Language Comics that I have read and reviewed. To see the review of BOOK ONE, visit http://bit.ly/FowlComics1      

I rate this hilarious book as 5 out of 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 and with its October release date it makes perfect sense to purchase as Christmas gifts for family and friends.  
CHARACTERS IN THE COMICS: 

Dicky is a loving father, a devoted husband, a dutiful brother and an all-around nervous wreck. Life is hard for our hero.

Tommy is not only Dicky’s brother, he’s his next door neighbor. Unlike his more domestically inclined brother, Tommy has chosen the path of perpetual bachelorhood.

Jackie is Dicky’s wife and is, by all accounts, a saint for having put up with him for all these years.

Champ And Missy are Dicky and Jackie’s 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter. They are both Dicky’s reason to live and the reason he can barely drag himself out of bed in the morning.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brian Gordon  decided in kindergarten that he wanted to be a cartoonist. His classmates had equally unrealistic life goals, like becoming superheroes or princesses, but Brian was more tenacious.

So far, things are working out okay. Secret to his success? He sucks worse at everything else. You get a lot of drawing done when Plan B is “Starve To Death.”

His comics are largely inspired by his struggles as a parent, his fascination with technology, science and all things geeky. Oh, and a constant, crushing wave of self-doubt and anxiety. That’s a big source of inspiration, too.

It’s good work if you can get it.

Follow him on Twitter

https://twitter.com/fowlcomics

Visit the Fowl Language Facebook Page

Visit the Official website of Fowl Language Comics

http://www.fowllanguagecomics.com/

Mark Your 2018 Calendar for the release of FISH-BOY by Vanita Oelschlager – AN INUIT FOLK TALE Beautifully Illustrated

Title: FISH-BOY    
Subtitle: AN INUIT FOLK TALE    

Author: VANITA OELSCHLAGER

Illustrator: MIKE BLANC 

Genre: CHILDREN’S FICTION, MULTICULTURAL BOOKS, INUIT STORIES

Length: 25 PAGES     

Publisher: VANITA BOOKS
http://www.vanitabooks.com

Type of Book: EBOOK

Received From: NETGALLEY

Release Date: MAY 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-938164-20-0 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 978-1- 938164-21-7 (Paperback)

Price: (HARDCOVER) $15.95 USD

Rating: 4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟
DESCRIPTION:  

The Arctic region of North America is a land of long days, icy cold, hardy people and peculiar creatures.  The Inuit people there have made traditional use of remarkable folk tales to find truth and explain the mysteries of an astonishing world.

In Fish-Boy, An Inuit Folk Tale, Vanita Oelschlager retells a tale passed down by a wise old Inuit. 

Fish-Boy is an origin story involving an odd young boy who has a big heart. On a journey with his new father, he must confront misfortune and the malice of cold hearted villagers.  But he has a way… and a lesson for all in the virtues of kindness and hospitality.

MY REVIEW:   

I have always been fascinated by folk-tales and those told by Aboriginal or Inuit storytellers are some of the very best.

 There were two main reasons that traditional Inuit stories were told. Firstly, stories were used to explain the world around them, and secondly, they were used to teach traditional values to the next generation.

The cover of this book is so beautifully illustrated that I was immediately drawn to it. I believe that children will be drawn to it as well. In fact, the illustration of the boy with the puffin on his head brings to mind Disney illustrations. Mike Blanc is obviously a very talented individual.

FISH-BOY is the story of “… why there are so many sea-parrots on the stony islands of the far North.” 

It is the story of a lame Inuit fisherman who one day saw a fish that was unlike anything he had seen before. “It appeared] to have a head like a man and feet behind its tail.” To the fisherman’s surprise, the fish spoke to him saying, “Do not spear me. I am not a fish. I am Fish-Boy … I have no parents, and I am very lonely. I want you to be my father.”

The fisherman was lame, but he had found a way to survive. He wasn’t sure what use an armless Fish-Boy would be, but out of kindness, he took him in and Fish-Boy became his son.

This act of kindness changed both their lives for the better and the pair had amazing adventures.

You will need to read this book to discover exactly what adventures they had, what trials and tribulations they faced and to discover how their story finally reveals the reason that there are so many sea-parrots on the stony islands today. I promise that this is a story worth reading.

I love that this book not only tells the story of Fish-Boy, but also includes details of traditional Inuit life. Also included at the back of the book are definitions of some of the story’s less commonly known words.

In addition to being a fantastic story, another wonderful thing about not only this book, but all books published by Vanita Books is that they donate ALL net profits to “charities where people help people help themselves.” Ten percent of the net profits for FISH-BOY will be donated to The Oak Clinic for Multiple Sclerosis, the other ninety percent will go to other charities. 

I rate this book as 4.5 out of 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

* Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC (Advance Review Copy) of this book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

VANITA OELSCHLAGER is a wife, mother, grandmother, philanthropist, former teacher, current caregiver, author and poet.

She is a graduate of the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, where she currently serves as Trustee. Vanita is also Writer in Residence for the Literacy Program at the University of Akron.

She and her husband Jim received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in 2006. Vanita also won the Congressional Angels Adoption Award for the State of Ohio in 2007 and was named National Volunteer of the Year by the MS Society in 2008. 

 
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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: 

MIKE BLANC is an author and an award-winning illustrator of children’s literature.

His artwork has illuminated countless publications for both corporate and public interests, worldwide. Mike contributes creative direction and illustration.

He lives with his wife, Gail, in sunny Doylestown, Ohio. They enjoy their four children, and five grandchildren.

To learn more about this amazing illustrator, visit the following links:

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VANGUARD by the talented ANN AGUIRE – Book 4 in the Razorland Series

Title: VANGUARD    

Series: RAZORLAND – BOOK FOUR

Author: ANN AGUIRRE      

Genre: YOUNG ADULT FICTION, POST-APOCALYPTIC FICTION, DYSTOPIAN FICTION 

Length: 368 PAGES

Publisher: MACMILLAN CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING GROUP      

Type of Book: EBOOK

Received From: NETGALLEY 

Release Date: JULY 25, 2017

ISBN: 9781250089823 (HARDCOVER)

Price: $17.99 USD (HARDCOVER)

Rating: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟

  

DESCRIPTION: 

This book begins ten months after ‘The War of the River.’

Tegan sets out to fulfill her mentor’s last request and to fulfill the wanderlust in her soul. She is accompanied on her journey by Millie Faraday, who is trying to outrun her reputation of being “the kindest girl in the free territories.” 

On her way to the first stop on their  adventure, she encounters Szarok, the Vanguard of the Uroch. Szarok offers to travel with them and Tegan accepts, knowing there is safety in traveling with him.

When Tegan is offered a job as a ‘long-haul ship’s doctor’ Millie, James and Szarok all sign onto the ship as well. Each has a different reason for traveling aboard the ship, but none is more important than Szarok’s reason. He is on a mission to save his people and despite the strange feelings he experiences whenever in Tegan’s presence, he is determined to fulfill his mission.

Tegan’s affection for the strange but somehow beautiful Uroch grows over time and she defends him from the blatant prejudices of other humans.

As their time together lengthens, it is Tegan who, through stormy seas and a variety of strange, new lands, will become stronger than she ever knew possible.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY:  

The very thinly veiled moral of this story is that prejudice is NOT OK. This may seem like a very basic idea to many of us, but unfortunately, there are still many people who have yet to recognize this very basic truth. 

MY REVIEW:

The previous three books in the Razorland saga followed the adventures (and romance) of Deuce and Fade. Tegan was very much part of the story, but she was never the sole focus. In VANGUARD, Tegan steps out of the shadows and takes center stage.

Although this is the fourth book in the series, it also works as a stand-alone novel. Those who have read the first three books in the Razorland saga will be able to connect with the history of the post-apocalyptic world they live in as we as what led Tegan to this point in her life. Author Ann Aguire has included enough detail about the past that new readers will not find their enjoyment diminished in any way. In fact, I believe new readers will be so intrigued by VANGUARD they will want to run out and buy the rest of the Razorland saga immediately.

The story begins once Tegan’s Doctor/Mentor/Father-Figure dies and she decides to head out into the world. Tegan’s skill as a healer affords her the ability to provide for herself wherever she goes.

When she meets up with Szarok at the beginning of her journey. Szarok offers to travel with her and although the peace between his “people” and the regular humans is tenuous, his offer affords Tegan a measure of security that she knew she would be foolish to refuse.

Tegan and Szarok start off their journey as acquaintances who both find each other visually unappealing and dislike each other’s scents and eating habits. They do recognize certain similarities, but their historical and cultural differences and the clear division between their “tribes” are not easily put aside.

When the two end up stranded alone together they learn more about each other and their differences cease to be an issue. This is realistic. Once you spend time with someone, regardless of their race or faith you realize that surface differences no longer matter. This is a lesson that is important. People need to understand that skin color, religion, and other differences are not the entirety of a person – they are just the wrapper. It is what is inside that matters.

This situation reminds me of racial differences  and smacks of ingrained discrimination. Readers should be able to relate Tegan and Szarok’s tale to instances of interracial or interfaith relationships.

This book is an extremely easy read and its length makes it perfect for a weekend at the cottage, the beach, at a campground or for a lazy weekend at home.

Ann Aguirre uses her considerable writing talent to pen a romance between unlikely characters. Readers can view this book as just a wonderful, light-hearted romance, or they can look a little deeper. If readers choose to look deeper, they will realize this book as one that combats racism.

Choosing two different races as her main characters, Ann Aguirre demonstrates a truth that many people have yet to embrace; the fact that just because a person looks different from you on the outside does NOT mean they are different on the inside.

I rate VANGUARD as 4 out of 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The only reason this book did not receive a 5th Star was that in some ways, the plot was predictable. However, this did not in any way diminish my enjoyment in reading this tale.

To read more of my reviews – Follow me here on my blog as well as on INSTAGRAM and TWITTER   

* A special Thank You to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Author Photograph and description obtained from her website.

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes books, emo music, and action movies. She writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens.

To learn more about this author visit the following links: 

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BARNES & NOBLE  

This children’s book celebrates individualism – I LOVE MY PURSE by Belle DeMont deserves 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Title:  I LOVE MY PURSE

Author: BELLE DeMONT    

Illustrator: SONJA WIMMER         

Genre: CHILDREN’S FICTION, CANADIAN FICTION, DIVERSE BOOKS

Target Age Group: AGES 4 TO 7   

Length: 36 PAGES

Publisher: ANNICK PRESS 

Type of Book: EBOOK

Received From: NETGALLEY 

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 

ISBN: (Hardcover) 978-1-55451-955-2

ISBN: (EPUB) 979-1-55451-956-9 

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

DESCRIPTION & REVIEW:

Charlie loves the bright red purse given to him by his Grandmother.

One day he decides to wear the purse to school. His father sees him and tells him that boys don’t carry purses. Charlie reminds him how much he loves his inappropriate Hawaiian shirt.

At school Charlie hears more of the same type of comments from friends, teachers and even the school crossing guard.

When they ask why he is carrying the bright red handbag, he replies: “Because I love my purse.”

This children’s book has wonderfully expressive illustrations that combine whimsy alongside reality. The illustrator has a true knack for drawing expressive faces and in using color to evoke emotion in movement.

This book is one that needs to be on the shelf of every child. It celebrates individualism and helps teach kids that it is ok to be different. It celebrates not only children making choices for themselves, but also teaches them to stand up for what is important to them.

The story is not just a life lesson, it is also a fun and funny book that will grab AND HOLD a young child’s attention from beginning to end. The writing style comes across as almost rhythmic.

The author, Belle DeMont is Canadian and I love to support the many talented writers who live in Canada. 

Canadian children’s books are among some of the best of all time.

I rate this book as 5 out of 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟     

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Belle DeMont is an illustrator from the salt-licked city of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Her love of visual story telling brought her to the Nova Scotia college of Art and Design where she completed her BFA focussing on drawing. She then went on to do a certificate in digital illustration at Montreal’s Concordia University.

Belle breathes life into simple line drawings and saturated colours.

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: 

Sonja loves painting pictures and telling stories. After studying and working for some years as a graphic designer in her hometown of Munich and Brussels, she decided to pack her suitcase and move to Barcelona to study Illustration at the “Llotja” Arts and Crafts School.

Since then she lives between brushes and all kinds of wonderful tales, working as a freelance illustrator for publishing houses and other clients around the world.

Her work has won multiple awards including the 2012 International Latino Book Awards Second Place for Best Children’s Picture Book-English and the 2011 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards Gold Medal for Best Illustrator.

Sonja eventually moved back to Germany where she now lives with her family near the German Alps between two rivers and surrounded by forests.

To learn more about this illustrator, visit the following links:

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WATER MEMORY – A 4 STAR GRAPHIC NOVEL by Mathieu Reynes will thrill all ages.

Title: WATER MEMORY     

Author:  MATHIEU REYNES   

Illustrator: VALÉRIE VERNAY    

Genre: FICTION, GRAPHIC NOVELS

Publisher: DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS     

Type of Book: SOFTCOVER

Received From: NETGALLEY        

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

ISBN: 9781941302439

Price: $14.99 USD

Rating: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟    

DESCRIPTION:

“A new life begins for Marion when her mother inherits an old family house and decides to make it their new home.  With its own private beach and a view of the sea, the house has all the makings of a happy new life. But when Marion discovers strange rock carvings nearby, and learns that a sinister-looking lighthouse watchman may be part of a local legend come to life, it becomes clear that things are not as idyllic as they seemed.”

MY REVIEW:

A gorgeously illustrated graphic novel with a plot that will draw in readers and keep you turning pages.

I did not know just how well an author and illustrator could work together to create characters with as much depth as Marion and her mother exhibit in WATER MEMORY. It is impossible to read this graphic novel and not feel like you know Marion intimately. 

The story and the mystery unravels at the perfect pace and the illustrations add to the air of otherworldlyness and will have readers guessing as to what is happening.

The ending will surprise readers and it  creates the possibility of a sequel. Personally, I hope a sequel is written, as I, for one, will buy it.

With beautifully illustrated pages and a gripping story-line, WATER MEMORY is a wonderful graphic novel that I rate as 4 out of 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟 and I highly recommend it to lovers of mystery and even though it is a graphic novel, I believe that even those who have never read this type of book, will be drawn in and will enjoy it immensely.  

**Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this graphic novel.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:   

Photo of Author and Illustrator. Click on the photo to be taken to the source website

Mathieu Reynès is a French comic book writer and artist. Since 2002, he has worked with many of Europes’ top comic publishers including Ankama, Dupuis, Paquet and Spirou. He illustrated the successful Alter ego series, wrote Water Memory, and is currently writing and drawing the supernatural graphic novel: Harmony.

Born in 1977 in the western suburbs of Paris, France, Reynès spent much of his childhood near the Basque coast. Initially studying science in Bordeaux, he decided to change course and pursue cartoons and 3D animation at the CNBDI in Angoulême. He released his first album, Banana Fight in 2002, in collaboration with writer Frédéric Brrémaud. The duo went on to create two volumes of Sexy Gun and three volumes of Lola Bogota.

Reynès worked predominately in the field of humour, until 2011, where he embarked on the conspiracy series Alter Ego. Reynès used a more realistic style to tell the complex intertwined story. Written by Denis Lapière and Pierre-Paul Renders, the series spread across 11 albums. This series won the 2011 Saint Michael Award for Best Story.

In 2012, Reynès wrote the two-part story La mémoire de l’eau (Water Memory), which was undoubtedly inspired by his childhood memories of the Basque coast. Beautifully drawn by Valérie Vernay the story balances reality and mystery and is just as good for a pre-teen as for an adult.

To learn more about this terrific author visit the following links:

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: 

VALÉRIE VERNAY trained as an illustrator at the Emile Cohl school. With her illustrator’s diploma under her belt, she published her first children’s book “Le Gardien de la Nuit” (published by Petit à Petit). 

 Over time, she edged her way onto the comic book scene: step by step, a secret dream she never thought would be possible. She started by participating in several collective works, and worked as a colourist on “Sexy Gun,” volumes 1 and 2 (published by Soleil), before creating volume 1 of the comic book adaptation of the “La guerre des Boutons” (published by Petit à Petit).

At the same time, she illustrated another children’s book “Perdus dans la forêt” (published by Magnard). She has now created her very own series “Agathe Saugrenu,” with Vincent Zabus on the script (published by Dupuis), and is continuing to do children’s illustrations for magazines on the side (published by Milan and Normandie Junior.)   

To learn more about this terrific illustrator visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE        

VALÉRIE’S BLOG    

GOODREADS           
FACEBOOK     
LINKEDIN          
  

**Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this graphic novel. 

DUMPLING CATS by Sarah Sloyer – An Adorable & Unique Crochet Pattern Book – 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Title: DUMPLING CATS      

Series: CROCHET & COLLECT THEM ALL

Author: SARAH SLOYER    

Genre: CRAFTS & HOBBIES

Length: 96 PAGES

Publisher: DOVER PUBLICATIONS 

Type of Book: EBOOK

Received From: NETGALLEY  

Release Date: JUNE 14, 2017  

ISBN: 9780486813431 (PAPERBACK)

Price: $19.95 USD (PAPERBACK)

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟     

DESCRIPTION: 

“Waffles is a relaxed feline who loves to read, and Cheeks just can’t get enough to eat.”

“These fun-loving characters are just two of the 25 dumpling-shaped crochet cats in this whimsical collection.”

“The cuddly crochet critters were inspired by the Pokémon™-like craze Neko Atsume, a game that enables you to attract cats to your backyard and “collect” them.”

“Each little dumpling has a name and personality points that add up to big fun!”

MY REVIEW:

What a visually stunning crochet pattern book!

There are 96 pages to this book. Yes! 96! That is absolutely amazing. Kudos to author Sarah Sloyer and to Dover Publications for not cutting corners. I have to admit that I am extremely impressed at the gorgeous and very detailed photographs for each of the 25 patterns.

Including the extra touches such as a pet bed, food bowls and even a box since everyone knows cats love boxes. These extra patterns are the icing on top of an already decadent and delicious cake.

I was thrilled to realize that due to the step-by-step detailed instructions and photographs, these crochet patterns can be created by crocheters of any ability; from beginner to expert.

I rate this book as 5 out of 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 and I will be recommending it to all my crafty friends and family.

* Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:   

                     SARAH SLOYER studied animation at the School of Visual Arts. She is a former designer at Animation Domination High-Def.

She lives in Pennsylvania. 

To find out more about SARAH SLOYER visit the following links:

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Get free patterns by Sarah or buy additional patterns in her RAVELRY STORE   

Do you read Apocalyptic Fiction? Enjoy Dark Humor? THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! A is for Asteroids … Z is for Zombies – A Bedtime Book for the Coming Apocalypse – Written by Paul Lewis – Illustrated by the talented Kenneth Lamug. 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Title: A IS FOR ASTEROIDS … Z IS FOR ZOMBIES   

Subtitle: A BEDTIME BOOK FOR THE COMING APOCALYPSE

Author: PAUL LEWIS    

Illustrator: KENNETH KIT LAMUG      

Genre: FICTION, APOCALYPTIC FICTION, HUMOR

Length: 40 PAGES

Publisher: ANDREWS McMEEL PUBLISHING    

Type of Book: EBOOK    

Received From: NETGALLEY    

Release Date: OCTOBER 10, 2017   

ISBN: 9781449486884

Price: $14.99 USD (Hardcover)   

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟  

DESCRIPTION:  

Are you a fan of dark humor? What about zombies? Are you the type of person who reads everything you can about the Apocalypse?

What about your kids? What do you tell them when they come home from school with questions about the future of our world? 

Well, if you are anything like  author Paul Lewis, you create a faux-children’s book of ABC’s that allows you to list all the ways our civilization might end.

The next step is to find an illustrator that can bring your vision to life. That is where KENNETH KIT LAMUG comes in.

Between the twisted imaginings of Paul Lewis and the equally, if not more twisted illustrations of Kenneth Kit Lamug, what you end up with is an uproariously funny book that is sure to become an instant Bestseller. I for one will be purchasing several hardcover copies for myself and my friends.

The fact that each page of the book is told in sing-song rhyming prose adds to the overall unreal quality of this hilarious book.  

If I had the skills to write a book of this kind, this would be exactly how I would want it to turn out.

What I want to say most, is that I recommend this book as highly as possible. If you do not add it to your must-buy list, then you will be missing out. In fact, I forsee many awards and accolades in this book’s future. Let’s just hope that Paul Lewis receives his rewards before one of his potential apocalyptic scenarios comes to pass.

I give 5 out of 5 Stars for this highly imaginative, highly entertaining, and uproariously funny book. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟   

*I would like to say a special Thank You to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

PAUL LEWIS is an English professor at Boston College, the president of the Poe Studies Association, and the author of Cracking Up: American Humor in a Time of Conflict (U Chicago Press).

A fascination with gothic fiction and horror films prepared him to publish “The Funeral Game” in Crazy Magazine while he was in graduate school, coin the word “Frankenfood” at the dawn of the GMO era, and write A Is for Asteroids, Z Is for Zombies.

As a freelance writer, Lewis has published op-ed and humor pieces in leading newspapers.

To learn more visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 

AMAZON    

CHAPTERS    

PUBLISHER’S WEBSITE   

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: 

Kenneth Lamug is an author/illustrator based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As a child, he made comics and books from scraps of used copy paper. Then, stopped drawing for the longest time when his entire family moved to the US from the Philippines.

He finally got back to his creative roots and has been having loads of fun making books and comics for all-ages.

Kenneth’s debut picture book “A Box Story” won the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, Literary Classics, Pinnacle Awards and the National Indie Excellence Book Awards.

 In 2014, he launched a Kickstarter campaign which funded the all-ages graphic adventure book, “The Tall Tales of Talbot Toluca.” 

His most recent books include the macabre children’s fairytale, “The Stumps of Flattop Hill” (One Peace Books) and the parenting parody book, “HURTS LIKE A MOTHER” (Doubleday).

Kenneth is a husband, and father of three rabble rousing boys.

AWARDS KENNETH LAMUG HAS WON: 

* 2016 SCBWI National Postcard Contest Winner   

* 2016 Children’s Book Academy Golden Ticket Winner

* 2016 Literary Classics (The Stumps of Flattop Hill)  

* 2014 Moonbeam Children’s Awards Graphic Novel (Talbot Toluca Quest For The Ore Crystals)

* 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards (Talbot Toluca Quest For The Ore Crystals)

* 2012 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards (A Box Story)  

* 2012 Literary Classics Seal of Approval (A Box Story)  

* 2012 Nation Indie Excellence Awards Finalist (A Box Story)

* 2012 Pinnacle Awards (A Box Story)

To learn more about this amazing illustrator, visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

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STARBORN by Lucy Hounsom may just be one of the best YA Fantasy books to be published in the past few years. A 5 Star Read that will appeal to everyone 16 and up.

Title: STARBORN     

Series: THE WORLDMAKER TRILOGY: BOOK ONE    

Author: LUCY HOUNSOM 

Genre: FANTASY FICTION, YOUNG ADULT FICTION, NEW RELEASE /COMING SOON 

Length: 544 PAGES

Publisher: TOR – An Imprint of MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS LTD    
Type of Book: EBOOK

Received From: NETGALLEY   

Release Date: AUGUST 24TH, 2019 

ISBN: 978-1-4472-6845-1 (Hardcover)   

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟    

MY REVIEW:     

Firstly, I need to address the title of this book. If you are the type of person to judge a book by its cover, (everyone does this at least to some degree) you will miss out on a phenomenal book. The cover and title tend to make potential readers think this book will be about outer space and will be a sci-fi novel, however, this is not the case. Starborn is a perfect example of fantasy fiction at its finest.

I literally devoured this book. The characters are so vividly described that a picture of each of them immediately formed in my mind. Not only that, but each character has a fully imagined history that further fleshes out their believability.

This is the first book in the WorldMaker trilogy and even though this book hasn’t been released in North America yet, I am already wishing that I could get my hands on the next book in the series. I believe not only that this book is destined to become a Bestseller, but that it will also be optioned for it’s film rights.

This story has just the right amount of betrayal and dedication, fantasy, magic, history, romance, frustration,  ingenuity and truly astounding world-building which all combine to create a surefire winning combination.

Not since the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hunger Games trilogy have I encountered an author with the ability to so seamlessly craft a complex epic tale of right and wrong, of good and evil and with the ability to build an entire world from nothing but their own imagination. The name of Lucy Hounsom will soon be on the lips of North American readers and publishers all over the continent, and rightly so. 

I highly recommend this book to both youth and to adults who love epic adventure stories.

This book will grab your attention from the first page and it will not let go. It is because of its ability to entrance the reader and because of the author’s incredible world-building, that I have no choice but to rate this book as 5 out of 5 Stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟  

My recommendation is to mark your calendars for August 24th and grab your copy right away since this amazing book is bound to sell out quickly.

* A special Thank You to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (In Her Own Words):   

* obtained from her website
* Author Photos by LOU ABERCROMBIE

I live in the hilly, red shores of the Jurassic Coast. It’s a beautiful, mysterious part of the country (U.K.), steeped in myth and folklore. And so unsurprisingly, it’s a perfect place in which to make up stories.

In the vein of most writers, I’ve been making up stories for a long time. I grew up in the tamer neighbourhood of the Thames Valley, where I used to think I’d be an actor. I attended theatre school for six years, worked professionally on stage and screen and took an awful lot of dancing exams. That changed when I hit 15. I was writing a novel (like most normal teenagers), and quite randomly thought: wouldn’t it be cool to do this all the time?  

I’ve always loved books, perhaps because my parents read so much to us as children. Dad favoured classics like The Day of the Triffids andHothouse, which – though possibly a bit advanced for under 10s – exposed us both to a multitude of words. (Yes, my sister’s a writer too). But the books that really stayed with me were J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

I am irrevocably drawn to fantasy. As an unsociable teenage misfit, I read mountains of it. Growing up, some of my favourite writers were Robin Hobb, the three Terrys (Brooks, Goodkind and Pratchett), Robert Jordan, Patricia A. McKillip, Ursula Le Guin, David Eddings and Alan Garner. J. K. Rowling holds a special place in my heart for all those summer evenings I spent re-reading Harry Potter, wishing for adventures at Hogwarts.

That first novel still exists on my hard drive, quietly embarrassing me, but despite its flaws, I’m glad I wrote it. Working on the principle that if you’ve done something once, you can do it again, I studied creative writing at university for four years in the hope that I’d be better prepared the second time around. Creating something as vast and complex as a novel is fun, terrifying, exciting, torturous and pretty much every emotion in between. 

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

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4 Stars for the Speculative fiction short story LEVIATHAN by SAUL TANPEPPER.

Title: LEVIATHAN – A SHORT STORY 

Author: SAUL TANPEPPER  

Genre: SPECULATIVE FICTION

Length: 31 PAGES

Publisher: BRINESTONE PRESS

Type of Book: EBOOK

Received From: THE AUTHOR

Release Date: FEBRUARY 11, 2017

Rating: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟

OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION:

Earth is dying.

On a barren, windless shore of a dead sea, two people, a father and his child, eke out a meager existence. They eat what little they can find. They are tormented by memories and tales of what the world once was.

Then, on a day no different than the thousands of others they have lived, the child hears the ghostly call of a sea creature presumed extinct for decades. Was it real? Or was it the last gasp of planet nearing death?

Leviathan is a short, dark, and haunting post-apocalyptic story (6500 words) written in stream-of-consciousness. Fans of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, which inspired this story, will recognize similarities.

Appropriate for readers of all ages. 

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER: 

MY REVIEW:

As the world nears its end, a father and his child are tormented by the ghostly call of a sea creature presumed extinct for decades.

Is it the last gasp of a dying planet? Or a reason to hope?

This is an thought-provoking and extremely interesting story. It may have been short, but it packed a punch. It is worth reading.

I rate LEVIATHAN as 4 out of 5 Stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Saul Tanpepper is the speculative fiction pen name for Ken J. Howe, a retired PhD molecular biologist and biotech entrepreneur who writes full time in multiple genres. The pen name honors the memory of his high school buddy, who passed away at age 27. “Salt and Pepper” was a favorite epithet, given the author’s premature graying.

After a childhood in a small town in Upstate New York, he entered the U.S. Army and was trained as a combat medic. He did a tour in West Germany before the wall came down, working as both a medic in an armored infantry unit in Mannheim and a hospital attendant in Frankfurt. After returning Stateside, he did a tour as a trauma specialist in the emergency room at Walter Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and at Lawrence General Hospital in Massachusetts.

He attended university in Santa Barbara, CA, majoring in biology and creative studies while working as a medical assistant. He studied molecular biology and genetics as a graduate student, then completed his post-doctoral fellowship at Berkeley.
Prior to entering the work force, he and his wife spent six months traveling through the Middle East and Africa, logging over 50,000 miles in a refurbished garbage truck.

He spent 10 years in biotech, working his way from bench scientist to Director of R&D and site manager of a major pharma company. He then formed his own company, Collabria BioSciences, and was VP of R&D of another startup.

He retired from the business in 2011 to write and publish full time. Under his real name, he writes literary young adult, middle grade, and children’s picture books. As Saul Tanpepper, he writes and publishes speculative fiction (scifi, horror, fantasy).
​
​He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, children, and many pets and farm animals.

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE   

FACEBOOK 

PINTEREST     

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SMASHWORDS    

TWITTER         

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CHAPTERS    

BY EMAIL: Send email to: authorsaultanpepper@gmail.com  

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