Title: THE GLOVEMAKER
Author: ANN WEISGARBER
Genre: FICTION, HISTORICAL FICTION
Length: 336 PAGES
Publisher: SKYHORSE PUBLISHING
Received From: NETGALLEY
Release Date: FEBRUARY 19, 2019
ISBN: 9781510737839
Price: $24.99 USD (Hardcover)
Rating: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐
PLUS+ IS BEING RELEASED TODAY – Get your copy and a couple extra copies to give as gifts.
The message of Body Positivity this book conveys is sorely needed in today’s world.
Title: PLUS +
Subtitle: STYLE INSPIRATION FOR EVERYONE
Author: BETHANY RUTTER
Genre: NON-FICTION, PHOTOGRAPHY, STYLE, LIFESTYLE, PLUS SIZED WOMEN, PLUS SIZED STYLE, DIVERSITY, DISCRIMINATION
Length: 224 PAGES
Publisher: ANDREWS MCMEEL PUBLISHING
Received From: NETGALLEY
Release Date: FEBRUARY 5, 2019
ISBN: 9781449493578
Price: $14.99 USD
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
*
DESCRIPTION:
Be inspired by 100 of the very best plus-size street style images from fashion influencers and tastemakers from around the world.
Plus-size fashion is daring, experimental, and deeply personal. There’s no longer any shame in not fitting the traditional ideals of beauty, as proven by Gabi Gregg, Tess Holliday, Beth Ditto, and thousands of bloggers and models around the world.
The online plus-size fashion community is loud, international, and confident. Millions of #ootd photos are shared every day, showing off amazing style and beautiful people. Plus+ gathers together the very best, and celebrates all shapes, sizes, and aesthetics—a beautiful, sharply designed, glossy collection to inspire everyone, plus-size or otherwise.
*
*
MY REVIEW:
“My style is practical, stylish, feminine (at times) but most of all, true to me.”
– Quote by Chloe Pierre
PLUS + is a must buy coffee table book.
Are you a plus size woman?
Have you ever been told that you couldn’t wear a specific outfit due to your size?
If so, PLUS + is the book for you. With photographs of plenty of plus-sized women wearing whatever they want, this book will easily become your go-to when you need some inspiration in your day.
Each professional photograph is accompanied by a quote from the model.
These quotes range from:
“I dress for the celebration I want my life to be”
all the way to:
“Fuck flattering! No rules. Just Style.”
The included quotes run the gamut from sassy to demure, and from angry to inspirational.
Finally there is a book that celebrates fashion for regular sized women, rather than for stick people with no curves. Body positivity is the message.
As an added bonus, each photo layout includes the @ tag for each model which allows readers to go online and follow their favorite model even after finishing reading this book.
If, after reading, you do not come away feeling better about your body, and your personal style, then you are missing the point and I suggest you read it again.
I rate PLUS+ as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I hope to see this book become the go-to present for all your female friends regardless of their dress size.
***Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.***
QUOTES THAT REALLY SPOKE TO ME:
“I’m probably one of the worst people to talk about trends. I wear what I want, how I want, whenever I want. Dressing for myself is the only rule I understand.”
– Fluvia Lacerda
*
“I dress according to my mood, and I love it.”
– Aileen Melendez Salinas
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
To learn about this author, blogger, and Podcaster visit the following links:
PODCAST – WHAT PAGE ARE YOU ON
INFO ABOUT BETHANY’S PODCASTS:
Prolific readers Alice Slater and Bethany Rutter take a literary theme, from ghost stories to crime to fat women, and chat about it for the next 40 minutes.
Follow them on Twitter @WhatPagePod
Title: RIVER PEOPLE
Author: MARGARET LUKAS
Genre: FICTION, HISTORICAL FICTION, WOMEN’S FICTION
Length: 375 PAGES
Publisher: BQB PUBLISHING
Received From: NETGALLEY
Release Date: FEBRUARY 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1945448225
Price: $18.95 USD
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
DESCRIPTION:
Set in Nebraska in the late 1890s, seventeen-year-old Effie and eleven-year-old Bridget must struggle to endure at a time when women and children have few rights and society looks upon domestic abuse as a private, family matter.
The story is told through the eyes of the girls as they learn to survive under grueling circumstances.
MY REVIEW:
What first drew my attention to RIVER PEOPLE by Margaret Lukas was the wonderful cover. Seeing the shack near the water, it evokes a feeling of isolation and even somehow emits a sense of desperation – all that just from the front cover.
Once I started reading this book, I was introduced to Bridget (who is an eleven year-old half-orphan), and to Effie, who is the unwanted seventeen year-old daughter of a settler family.
The lives of girls and women in the 1890s were not their own. Females began life as property of their father, which only changed when she was married. At that point she became the property of her husband. Women could not vote since they were considered “non-persons.” Of course, in modern North American society, this seems ridiculous, but it was reality and very few people questioned it. In fact, if a man were to beat up his wife, the law would ignore it as being “none of their business.” Ridiculous I know, but that was reality and few people questioned it.
I do not think I would have done well living in such a society. In fact, I would probably end up like so many other women of that time who were labelled as “incorrigible” or as having “hysteria.” If a woman was so designated, her husband or family would have her admitted to an insane asylum to live out her days being considered crazy. Although this does not happen in this book, both Effie and Bridget must have known that it was a possibility, and that their fate rested in the hands of a man – one that neither of them liked very much.
Sixty four year-old Reverend Jackdaw has his heart set on building a church in Omaha, Nebraska and in having numerous sons to ensure his vision comes to fruition. To do this, he needs a wife, one young enough to bear multiple children. He sees his chance to begin fulfilling what he thinks of as his destiny when he stops at the farm belonging to Effie’s family. He convinces her father to allow them to wed by telling him that the Reverend and his new bride would be leaving for Omaha shortly after the ceremony and the consummation of the marriage.
When procuring supplies for their trek to Nebraska, Reverend Jackdaw comes across a sign offering “Free Orphans.” This is how Bridget becomes his adopted daughter. He sees her not as a person, but as a way to keep watch on his youthful bride. She tries to introduce herself, but he doesn’t care what her name is and tells her that from that day forward, her name would be “Rooster” due to her red hair.
The story then follows the unlikely trip as they trek through the wilderness and arrive at the “house” on the river that Reverend Jackdaw is being loaned the use of for free.
Author Margaret Lukas does a phenomenal job at world building and I felt as if I had been transported back in time. I loved the way she built up each character and they became real to me and I was invested in their survival. I just couldn’t put this book down and read the entire 375 in a single weekend.
Anyone who is curious as to how “real” people lived in the pioneer era should read this book. Unfortunately, many historical fiction authors take the easy route and choose to make their characters wealthy, but this just does not reflect the lives of average or poor people. To make a modern day analogy, it would be like writing about the Kardashians rather than a regular, every day person of middle class.
I enjoyed this book tremendously and as such, I am rating it as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
.
***Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.***
.
.
.
.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Margaret Lukas is an instructor at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She teaches creative writing in the Writer’s Workshop Program. She received her BFA from UNO’s Writer’s Workshop in 2004. In 2007 Margaret received her MFA from Rainier Writing Workshop in Tacoma, Washington.
She is a recipient of a 2009 Nebraska Art Council Individual Artist Fellowship.
She is a contributor to NEBRASKAland magazine and an editor for the quarterly literary journal, Fine Lines. Her writing also appears online and in the 2012 anthology, On Becoming, published by the University of Nebraska Press.
Her award-winning short story, “The Yellow Bird,” was made into The Yellow Bird, a short filmand premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Farthest House was her first novel.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
Title: PLUS +
Subtitle: STYLE INSPIRATION FOR EVERYONE
Author: BETHANY RUTTER
Genre: NON-FICTION, PHOTOGRAPHY, STYLE, LIFESTYLE, PLUS SIZED WOMEN, PLUS SIZED STYLE, DIVERSITY, DISCRIMINATION
Length: 224 PAGES
Publisher: ANDREWS MCMEEL PUBLISHING
Received From: NETGALLEY
Release Date: FEBRUARY 5, 2019
ISBN: 9781449493578
Price: $14.99 USD
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
*
DESCRIPTION:
Be inspired by 100 of the very best plus-size street style images from fashion influencers and tastemakers from around the world.
Plus-size fashion is daring, experimental, and deeply personal. There’s no longer any shame in not fitting the traditional ideals of beauty, as proven by Gabi Gregg, Tess Holliday, Beth Ditto, and thousands of bloggers and models around the world.
The online plus-size fashion community is loud, international, and confident. Millions of #ootd photos are shared every day, showing off amazing style and beautiful people. Plus+ gathers together the very best, and celebrates all shapes, sizes, and aesthetics—a beautiful, sharply designed, glossy collection to inspire everyone, plus-size or otherwise.
*
*
MY REVIEW:
“My style is practical, stylish, feminine (at times) but most of all, true to me.”
– Quote by Chloe Pierre
PLUS + is a must buy coffee table book.
Are you a plus size woman?
Have you ever been told that you couldn’t wear a specific outfit due to your size?
If so, PLUS + is the book for you. With photographs of plenty of plus-sized women wearing whatever they want, this book will easily become your go-to when you need some inspiration in your day.
Each professional photograph is accompanied by a quote from the model.
These quotes range from:
“I dress for the celebration I want my life to be”
all the way to:
“Fuck flattering! No rules. Just Style.”
The included quotes run the gamut from sassy to demure, and from angry to inspirational.
Finally there is a book that celebrates fashion for regular sized women, rather than for stick people with no curves. Body positivity is the message.
As an added bonus, each photo layout includes the @ tag for each model which allows readers to go online and follow their favorite model even after finishing reading this book.
If, after reading, you do not come away feeling better about your body, and your personal style, then you are missing the point and I suggest you read it again.
I rate PLUS+ as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I hope to see this book become the go-to present for all your female friends regardless of their dress size.
***Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.***
QUOTES THAT REALLY SPOKE TO ME:
“I’m probably one of the worst people to talk about trends. I wear what I want, how I want, whenever I want. Dressing for myself is the only rule I understand.”
– Fluvia Lacerda
*
“I dress according to my mood, and I love it.”
– Aileen Melendez Salinas
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
To learn about this author, blogger, and Podcaster visit the following links:
PODCAST – WHAT PAGE ARE YOU ON
INFO ABOUT BETHANY’S PODCASTS:
Prolific readers Alice Slater and Bethany Rutter take a literary theme, from ghost stories to crime to fat women, and chat about it for the next 40 minutes.
Follow them on Twitter @WhatPagePod
Title: GRIM LOVELIES
Author: MEGAN SHEPHERD
Genre: YOUNG ADULT FICTION, FANTASY FICTION
Length: 384 PAGES
Publisher: HMH TEEN – HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
Received From: HMH TEEN INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY
Release Date: OCTOBER 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-328-80918-6 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-328-80962-9 (eBook)
Price: $17.99 USD HARDCOVER
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
*
DESCRIPTION:
Seventeen-year-old Anouk envies the human world, where people known as Pretties lavish themselves in fast cars, high fashion, and have the freedom to fall in love.
But Anouk can never have those things, because she is not really human.
Enchanted from animal to human girl and forbidden to venture beyond her familiar Parisian prison, Anouk is a Beastie: destined for a life surrounded by dust bunnies and cinders serving Mada Vittoria, the evil witch who spelled her into existence.
That is, until one day she finds her mistress murdered in a pool of blood – and Anouk is accused of the crime.
Now, the world she always dreamed of is rife with danger. Pursued through Paris by the underground magical society known as the Haute, Anouk and her fellow Beasties only have three days to find the real killer before the spell keeping them human fades away.
If they fail, they will lose the only lives they’ve ever known… but if they succeed, they could be more powerful than anyone ever bargained for.
*
*
MY REVIEW:
Inventive and dazzling, with a host of characters readers will be unable and unwilling to forget.
With a diverse cast, this book has everything required to become an instant Young Adult Best-Seller. Having just been released a little over two months ago, it is already trending on social media, and, if I have my way, it will trend even more after I post this review.
I love that the Author chose animals turned into humans as her main characters. I love that she chose the city of Paris as the headquarters of the Royals who reign over all magical beings. There has always been something alluring and mysterious about the historic city of Paris, especially to those of us in North America. With the millions of bones in the city’s catacombs, Paris also has a barely hidden sinister air.
Best-Selling Author Megan Shepherd has created a magical world that secretly exists alongside our own. Of course, we humans, or “Pretties” as the witches call us, are completely oblivious to the magic surrounding us.
Within this world there are “Beasties;” animals and birds who have had spells cast on them to change them into humans (sort of like the mice in the tale of Cinderella, except the change is permanent.) Anouk is one such Beastie. She is a year and a half old which is the equivalent of being a seventeen year old girl. For the entirety of her human existence, she has not been allowed to leave the house she was “born” in. It is the home of Mada Vittoria, the witch who changed Anouk from animal to human.
This imaginative tale, filled with magic, mystery and mayhem is perfect for today’s Young Adult audience. Readers of all types, and of all ages will be able to find a character to relate to.
There is a theme of good vs. evil in this book, but what, or who is deemed evil is often in the eye of the beholder.
GRIM LOVELIES is also a unique Coming-Of-Age tale in which Anouk realizes that her captivity at the hands of Mada (Witch) Vittoria, has resulted in her knowing very little about either the Pretties world, or the magical world of the Haute.
GRIM LOVELIES and the world of the Haute would make for a terrific and visually stunning movie. I very much hope to see this series become optioned for film.
I rate GRIM LOVELIES as a 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Young Adult novel and am excited to read more about Anouk and her other “Beastie” friends in the next installment of this wonderous tale.
***Thank you to HMH Teen for hosting the Instagram contest in which I won a Grim Lovelies prize pack. ***
MY FAVORITE QUOTES FROM THE BOOK:
*
“Everything had a darker side, magic most of all.”
*
“He was a twat and she’d sooner kiss a frog, but even frogs deserved little moments of joy.”
*
“Even if we can find someone to recast our spell, I’m afraid that a spell alone can’t make us human. TRULY human. Only actions make a person human, not magic.”
*
“I’m not a bird with broken wings… I don’t need to be sheltered.”
*
“Through all this darkness, you’ve held on to love and hope, and that’s true strength.”
*
*
THE CHARACTERS:
A
BOUT THE AUTHOR:
MEGAN SHEPHERD – New York Times bestselling author Megan Shepherd grew up in her family’s independent bookstore in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
She is the author of several young adult and middle grade novels. She now lives and writes on a 125-year-old farm outside Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, two cats, and an especially scruffy dog.
To learn more about this author, visit the following links:
MORE BOOKS BY MEGAN:
*** Leave a comment and let me know if you have read any of Megan’s books?
And if so, which was/is your favorite? Why?
Title: LOVE LIKE SKY
Author: LESLIE C. YOUNGBLOOD
Genre: MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION
Ages: 8 to 12 YEARS
Length: 304 PAGES
Publisher: DISNEY BOOK GROUP
Received From: NETGALLEY
Release Date: NOVEMBER 6, 2018
ISBN: 9781368016506
Price: $16.99 USD
Rating: 5+ OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
DESCRIPTION:
G-baby and her younger sister, Peaches, are still getting used to their “blended-up” family. They live with Mama and Frank out in the suburbs, and they haven’t seen their real daddy much since he married Millicent. G-baby misses her best friend back in Atlanta, and is crushed that her glamorous new stepsister, Tangie, wants nothing to do with her.
G-baby is so preoccupied with earning Tangie’s approval that she isn’t there for her own little sister when she needs her most. Peaches gets sick-really sick. Suddenly, Mama and Daddy are arguing like they did before the divorce, and even the doctors at the hospital don’t know how to help Peaches get better.
It’s up to G-baby to put things right. She knows Peaches can be strong again if she can only see that their family’s love for her really is like sky.
MY REVIEW:
In the opening scene of LOVE LIKE SKY, G-baby is entertaining her younger sister Peaches by repeatedly dancing the “Nae Nae” and the “Dougie.” I defy anyone to read this and not smile. I believe that would be impossible.
LOVE LIKE SKY is set in the town of Snellville, Georgia, where eleven-year-old G-baby, her younger sister Peaches (real names – Georgiana And Patrice) and their mother have moved to a new town after their mother’s marriage to their new stepdaddy, Frank. G-baby had initially been excited about the marriage because it meant she would be gaining a big sister. However, she has since discovered that her new stepsister wants nothing to do with her or Peaches. On top of all the other changes, G-baby misses her best friend Nikki, whom she left behind in Atlanta.
G-baby becomes obsessed with trying to get her new stepsister to pay attention to her. This leaves baby sister, Peaches at loose ends and feeling left out.
When Peaches gets really sick, neither her parents nor her doctors know how to make her better.
G-baby is convinced that she knows how to make Peaches better. She just has to figure out how to convince her that her family loves her as much as the sky is wide.
Blended families are often more common than “traditional families” which means that many readers will be able to relate to the struggles that G-baby and Peaches face. The topic of blended families is only one of the many themes explored in this amazing debut novel. Other themes include:
– Divorce
– Parents fighting
– Death of a sibling (not Peaches, so don’t think I am giving away any plot points)
– Moving to a new town
– Leaving friends behind and trying to make new ones
– Hospitalization and siblings with a serious illness
– Growing up and a girl’s changing body and feelings
– Racial inequality
– Peaceful protests
– Trayvon Martin and the shooting of unarmed young, black men
– Parents getting remarried and jealousy of the new spouse
– and many more.
The author does an incredible job of making the characters feel real. For instance, G-baby’s father has remarried and his new wife’s name is Millicent. Instead of thinking of her by her given name, G-baby has nicknamed her “Millipede.” This is a very typical tween way to rebel against the new spouse. She is too young to conjure up any truly mean-spirited nickname, yet still needs a way to express her jealousy at what she sees as the reason her beloved Daddy doesn’t spend as much time with them as he used to.
The author’s gift for creating believable and unique characters is displayed in one of my favorite scenes – which captures the fierce loyalty six year old Peaches has for her mother. This scene takes place when G-baby comments about Tangie’s cooking and says it is better than their mother’s. “Peaches eyes widened. ‘Nobody cooks better than Mama.'” I loved this scene. In the grand scheme of the book, this scene is minor, but it is so believable that I found it memorable for it’s simple, yet powerful portrayal of familial loyalty.
If I had to choose a single theme to describe this book, it would be EMOTION.
“Why we gotta jump when he’s ready? What about the times we waited on him and he didn’t come? I bet he doesn’t keep Ms. Millicent Parker waiting for nothing. She’s his ‘best girl’ now.”
Kids with divorced parents will easily relate to the characters in this excellent middle-grade novel. Author Leslie Youngblood understands just how perceptive kids can be. This is clearly demonstrated in the following scene:
“Just like Mama, he didn’t know that I could tell a fake smile from a real one. Mama and Daddy’s separation made me an expert, especially when we’d have family dinner and they’d wear their mannequin smiles.”
I apologize for the length of this review, but I felt compelled to explain why I am giving this book the highest rating possible which is 5+ OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I realize that it is technically impossible to give a rating higher than 5 out of 5, but this book deserves to be in a category above all others.
*** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
*
*
FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Mama said I got the name G-baby because I’d run to Daddy for every little thing. He’d swoop me up and say, ‘What’s wrong with George’s baby?’ Peaches real name is Patrice, but Mama loved Libby’s sliced peaches when she was pregnant with her, so that’s how she got her nickname.”
“Being a big sister was hard work.”
“Even though Mama says I can always talk to her, she means Mama stuff, like if someone is bullying me, or if a teacher is mean. Not like how to kiss a boy, or when it’s time to sneak a few cotton balls in my bra…”
“I’m supposed to have all the answers. That’s what it means to be a big sister, and why I want one of my very own.”
“When Mama and Daddy first tried to explain {why they were getting divorced}, Mama Said sometimes grown-ups ‘fall out of love.’ The best I can figure it: love is just a big old bed. When you’re not happy, you fall out of it.”
“There’s no reason on God’s green earth a boy should walk down the street with his boxers hanging out.”
*
EXCERPT
“Love ain’t like that.”
How is it then?” Peaches asked, turning on her stomach to face me.
“It’s like sky. If you keep driving and driving, gas will run out, right?”
“That’s why we gotta go to the gas station.”
“Yep. But have you ever seen the sky run out? No matter how far we go?”
“No, when we look up, there it is.”
“Well that’s the kind of love Daddy and Mama got for us, Peaches—love like sky.”
“It never ends?”
“Never.”
*
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Leslie C. Youngblood received an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A former assistant professor of creative writing at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, she has lectured at Mississippi State University, UNC-Greensboro, and the University of Ghana at Legon.
She began her undergraduate degree at Morris Brown College and completed her bachelor’s at Georgia State University. After graduation, she served as a columnist and assistant editor for Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine.
She’s been awarded a host of writing honors including a 2014 Yaddo’s Elizabeth Ames Residency, the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Prize, a Hurston Wright Fellowship, and the Room of Her Own Foundation’s 2009 Orlando Short Story Prize. She received funding to attend the Norman Mailer Writers’ Colony in 2011. Her short story, “Poor Girls’ Palace,” was published in the winter 2009 edition of the Indiana Review, as well as Kwelijournal, 2014.
In 2010 she won the Go On Girl! Book Club Aspiring Writer Award. In 2016 she landed a two-book publishing deal with Disney-Hyperion for her Middle-Grade novel, LOVE LIKE SKY (Nov.6). She often teaches creative writing classes at Rochester, New York’s literary center, Writers & Books.
Born in Bogalusa, Louisiana, and raised in Rochester, New York, she’s fortunate to have a family of natural storytellers and a circle of supportive and family and friends.
To learn more about this author, visit the following links:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
www.lesliecyoungblood.com
About the Audiobook:
Title: A TEMPLE OF FORGOTTEN SPIRITS
Author: William F. Wu
Narrator: Anthony Lee
Length: 7 hours 41 minutes
Publisher: Moira Nelligar
Genre: Fantasy
Release date: July 6, 2018
Synopsis:
A young guy named Jack Hong hitchhikes throughout America following the
keilin, a mystical unicorn outof Chinese mythology.
The keilin leads him to ten adventures with ghosts and other supernatural figures. These experiences reveal to him not only parts of American history he never knew, but also his own identity and the role he will
choose for his life.
*
*
MY REVIEW:
“The moonlight was still strong, and Lo Man Gong still sat up on the overhead window, where few people and no old men could ever get.
“Feel better, Chinaman?” he asked mildly.
The night before, my resistance had been low, and his presence had somehow seemed tolerable, if not rational. Now I was more clear-headed … yet he was still here. I didn’t like him as much.
I let my eyes drop closed again. Once I was cured of malaria, I’d be free of him. I had eaten twice today; now, if I slept well, I’d be in sound shape pretty soon.
“You know the keilin, Chinaman Jack?”
That was the Chinese unicorn, a mystical animal whose rare appearances were highly auspicious. In the Cantonese I normally heard, it was pronounced “keilun.” It wasn’t like European ones, though. This unicorn had the body of a deer, the hooves of a horse, the tail of an ox, and a fleshy horn. I knew that much.
“The unicorn?” I opened my eyes and looked at him. As before, the moonlight glowed through his shape.
“Ah, you know the keilin. He smiled and nodded thoughtfully. “The keilin means good things happen. It’s very powerful.”
I watched him silently.
After a while, he looked into my eyes again. “Nobody remember me, Jack. Some people remember, some of my frien’. A few of them. Most, nobody remember at all. No children, no relative. You, Jack. You like me. Unless you change.”
Yes, I knew that. I had already come to understand that. And I knew that he had come for me, here in the middle of the country, away from his home as longtime Californ’. But I didn’t know why.”
This is a collection of short stories that when put together as they are in this audiobook, make up an entire novel.
This was my first experience reading any of William F. Wu’s work and I found it both interesting and informative.
Prior to listening to this audiobook, I had never heard of the word “keilin.” What the heck is a keilin? Well, it is the Asian version of a unicorn, but it is miles away from what most people envision a unicorn to look like. Instead of looking like a horse with a single horn on its head, the keilin had the body of a deer, the hooves of a horse, the tail of an ox, and a fleshy horn.
Narrator Anthony Lee has done a good job of keeping the pacing just right and is able to provide just the right accent for this collection.
I rate both the audiobook and the narration as 4 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
**I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Anthony Lee. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.**
*
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
William F. Wu may be best known for his contemporary fantasy short stories, such as
“Wong’s Lost and Found Emporium,” a multiple award nominee that was adapted into an episode of the Twilight Zone in 1985.
When he started his career, he decided that he would write some stories on universal issues and some about Chinese American ethnic matters. All of his novels and short stories have a character of East Asian descent, usually the protagonist.
When he was young, he did some long-distance hitchhiking throughout the nation, though he makes no claim to experiencing the supernatural.
He has had thirteen novels, one short story collection, one book of literary criticism, and over sixty short stories published by traditional publishers and is in the process of bringing
out much of his backlog through Boruma Publishing.
Wu has spoken for over thirty years on panels at science fiction conventions, and he has also been guest of honor and toastmaster.
He has participated in and hosted writers’ workshops frequently over the years and taught fiction at the college level.
A 5-time finalist (and a sixth time as part of the group of Wild Cards authors) for the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards, Wu is also a finalist for the Sidewise Award for alternate history and for Canada’s Aurora award.
He’s the author of the six-volume young adult science fiction series titled Isaac Asimov’s Robots in Time, the first series in Asimov’s universe licensed by his estate after his death.
His novel Hong on the Range was based on another Hugo and Nebula Award nominee, the short story “Hong’s Bluff.” Hong on the
Range was chosen for the Wilson Library Bulletin’s list of science fiction “Books Too Good to Miss, 1980 – 1989,” and was a 1990 selection for the American Library Association list of Best Books for Young People, for the New York Public Library’s recommended Books for the Teen Age, and was a Young Adult Editor’s Choice by Booklist Magazine.
Wu adapted the novel for a three-issue comic book series brought out by Image Comics and Flypaper Press in 1996.
He has upcoming stories in Texas Hold’em: A Wild Cards Novel, edited by George R.R.
Martin, due out in the fall, and in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.
Wu was born and raised in the Kansas City area, and educated at the University of
Michigan, where as a student he represented the third generation in his family. He has an A.B. in East Asian Studies and an A.M. and Ph.D. in American Culture; his dissertation was
published as The Yellow Peril: Chinese Americans in American Fiction, 1850 – 1940.
He and his wife live in Southern California.
To learn more about this author, visit the following links:
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ABOUT THE NARRATOR:
Anthony Lee has been told that his voice is deep, resonant, smooth, and clear. Yet, it would be years before he would finally embrace that gift and start using it artistically.
A native of California, Anthony grew up with an equal fascination for knowledge and leisure. He would enjoy studying various subjects in school as well as doing fun things in his spare time. His motivation for success and happiness helped him achieve a solid education, a successful job, and a new life to live as his reward for years of hard work.
His decision to try voice acting came after receiving plenty of compliments about his vocal quality over a short amount of time. Whether those words came from friends or strangers, he could no longer deny the possibility that there may be something special about his voice. Hence, from October 2015 to June 2016, Anthony enrolled in night and weekend classes at Elaine Clark’s Voice One Academyin San Francisco, where he trained in the art of voiceover for narrations, commercials, and characters. He thoroughly enjoyed honing his voice for things like audiobooks, technical materials, corporate narrations, e-learning modules, documentaries, commercials, promos, animations, video games, and talking products. Overall, he considers his journey into voiceover to be very rewarding, not just for what he learned but also for the great instructors and classmates he met along the way.
Now with professional voice training, Anthony is stepping out into the world to lend his voice. He loves to take virtually any kind of script and work to deliver the message in a suitable way. His enthusiasm for voiceover makes him strive to be a versatile actor in the craft. Every time he is given an opportunity to provide a voice, he hopes to leave a lasting positive impact.
When he is not doing voice work, Anthony enjoys playing chess, ice hockey, pool, Sudoku, and video games, as well as watching movies, reading about random topics on the Internet, and traveling. He lives in Northern California.
To learn more about this Narrator, visit the following links:
ACX -Listen to his voice samplesHERE
*** To read my review of another Audiobook narrated by Anthony Lee, click HERE.
*** A Special Thank You goes to AudioBookWorm Promotions for providing me with a free copy of this Audiobook.***
To learn more about AudioBookWorm Promotions visit the following links:
Title: REBELLION
Series: STONE THE CROWS: BOOK ONE
Authors: J. THORN, ZACH BOHANNON and KIM PETERSEN
Genre: FICTION, DYSTOPIAN FICTION, POST-APOCALYPTIC FICTION, SCIENCE FICTION, SPECULATIVE FICTION
Length: 244 PAGES
Publisher: MOLTEN UNIVERSE MEDIA
Received From: ONE OF THE AUTHORS
Release Date: JUNE 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1983174193
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
DESCRIPTION:
If you knew the truth, would you live in shackles or die for freedom?
High above the ruins of Seattle sits the Nest, a settlement filled with the aristocratic Crow class, governed by the iron fist of Lord Corvus.
For decades, Rayna and her fellow Hydrans have crawled the bottom of Lake Union for scrap metal which they trade with the Crowd until a mysterious boy shows up and shares a disturbing, dark secret with Rayna – one that could bring the factions to the brink of war.
Will Rayna fight for the truth even if it costs her everything?
Is she fated to spark the Rebellion?
MY REVIEW:
If you are looking for a fast-paced, action-filled Dystopian drama, you need look no further than REBELLION – The first book in the new STONE THE CROWS Series – a collaborative effort by authors J. Thorn, Zach Bohannon and Kim Petersen.
Main character – Rayna is a young Hydran Crawler. What does that mean? Well, Rayna and the others who live in her village are Hydrans who are ruled over by the higher class Crows and their cruel leader; Lord Corvus.
Rayna’s job is to swim in the highly polluted Lake Union and to locate any aluminum from its bottom.
One day Rayna sees a drowning boy and whether she rescues him or not, her future and that of her village will never be the same.
With excellent world-building, compelling characters and a fast-paced plot, this book is a must read for fans of Dystopian Fiction. I read this entire book within 24 hours. I just could not set it down.
I rate this book as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and am eagerly awaiting UPRISING, the second book in the series.
* Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of this book.*
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
AUTHOR : J. THORN
BIOGRAPHY:
(Information copied from www.jthorn.net )
J Thorn believes reading dark fiction can be healing. His overriding mission is to connect with people through his art, and he hopes to inspire others to do the same.
He is a word architect and driven visionary. He is obsessed with heavy metal, horror films and technology. And admires strong people who are not afraid to speak their mind.
He grew up in an Irish Catholic, working class family and was the first to go to college. He didn’t have expensive toys, so he used his imagination for entertainment.
Then he abused alcohol for entertainment. He spent the first thirty years of my life convincing himself that he wasn’t an addict and the last ten years worrying about all the potential threats the substances hid from him.
He states: “Anxiety and depression are always hiding in the corner, waiting to jump me when I start to feel happiness.”
He had to break through family programming and accept the role of the black sheep. In his 30s, he started writing horror and formed a heavy metal band while his family rolled their eyes, sighed and waited for the “phase” to end.
“I spent years paralyzing myself with self-loathing and criticism, keeping my creativity smothered and hidden from the rest of the world. I worked a job I hated because that’s what Irish Catholic fathers do. They don’t express themselves, they pay the damn mortgage. I may have left my guilt and faith behind long ago, but the scars remain.”
His creativity is his release, his therapy and the place he works through it all.
He hasn’t had a drink in a long time, but the anxiety and depression are always lurking. Writing novels and songs keeps it at bay. He scream over anxiety with his microphone and turns his guitar up loud enough to drown out the whispers of self-doubt.
J. Thorn hopes to leave a legacy of art that will continue to entertain and enrich lives long after he is gone. He wants others to see that you don’t have to conform to the mainstream to be fulfilled.
“Don’t be afraid of the dark. Embrace it.”
Experience:
J. Thorn is a Top 100 Most Popular Author in Horror, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure and Fantasy (Amazon Author Rank). He has published two million words and has sold more than 185,000 books worldwide. In March of 2014 Thorn held the #5 position in Horror alongside his childhood idols Dean Koontz and Stephen King (at #4 and #2 respectively). He is an official member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, and the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers.
Thorn earned a B.A. in American History from the University of Pittsburgh and a M.A. from Duquesne University.
He is a full-time writer, part-time professor at John Carroll University, co-owner of Molten Universe Media, podcaster, FM radio DJ, musician, and a certified Story Grid nerd.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
ZACH BOHANNON
Bohannon writes post-apocalyptic science fiction, horror, and fantasy. He is the author of the bestselling zombie series, Empty Bodies, as well as the bestselling post-apocalyptic horror series, Final Awakening. He’s the co-owner of Molten Universe Media and the co-host of The Career Author Podcast.
He lives in Tennessee with his wife, daughter, and German Shepherd. Among writing and being an avid reader, he loves to watch and play hockey, and to listen to heavy metal. He spent his 20s playing drums in metal bands, and he had a beard way before it was cool.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kim Petersen is author of The Ascended Angels Series. A paranormal romance thriller fantasy tale about angels on earth, love and demons. Her debut novel, Millie’s Angel received a gold award in the 2017 Dan Poynter’s Global eBook Awards.
Based in Australia, Kim forces herself out of bed in the wee hours to walk the oceans roads of the NSW sleepy south coast town where she lives with her family. She is always grateful she did because she thinks there is much to be said about those small hours.
She loves to explore the meta-physical aspects of life, and the universal bonds of love and friendship – then find expression through creating works of urban fantasy, paranormal and dystopian fiction. She drives too fast because sometimes it feels good to be reckless. She loves to travel, and listens to music at any given chance.
Reading books is an obsession, and mindlessly munching on popcorn at the movies can be a satisfying pastime. Mostly, she loves to ponder anything mysterious and beautiful.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
Title: A DANGER TO HERSELF AND OTHERS
Author: ALYSSA SHEINMEL
Genre: YOUNG ADULT FICTION, DIVERSE FICTION
Ages: 14 and up
Length: 352 PAGES
Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS INC.
Received From: NETGALLEY
Release Date: FEBRUARY 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6724-7
Price: $17.99 USD (HARDCOVER)
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
DESCRIPTION:
Four walls. One window. No way to escape.
Hannah knows there’s been a mistake. She doesn’t need to be institutionalized. What happened to her roommate at that summer program was an accident. As soon as the doctors and the judge figure out that she isn’t a danger to herself or others, she can go home to start her senior year. Those college applications aren’t going to write themselves. Until then, she’s determined to win over the staff and earn some privileges so she doesn’t lose her mind to boredom.
Then Lucy arrives. Lucy has her own baggage, and she’s the perfect project to keep Hannah’s focus off all she is missing at home. But Lucy may be the one person who can get Hannah to confront the secrets she’s avoiding – and the dangerous games that landed her in confinement in the first place.
MY REVIEW:
In “A DANGER TO HERSELF AND OTHERS” readers meet Hannah Gold who presents as a typical teenager. She may seem a bit arrogant, but I found that trait easy to overlook.
Hannah has been sent to a mental institution after her roommate was injured in an accident. She knows she isn’t like the other residents, she is only there because of a misunderstanding.
It is the way that Hannah comes across initially that makes her such a memorable character. Even after the book ends, Hannah’s journey will stay in the hearts and minds of readers for a long time.
Once in awhile a Young Adult book is published that actually provides an authentic look at the lives of a segment of the teen population that has been largely ignored by the majority of authors. This lack of diversity is finally being charged with the publication of books like this one.
While mental illness is starting to be talked about more and more – with such movements as the “You Are Not Alone” and events such as “Mental Health Awareness Week” we still have a long way to go before the societal stigma attached to mental illness is a thing of the past.
That is why books like this are not only entertainment. They are also eye-opening and help people to identify with the person rather than the illness.
In Chapter Seven, Dr. Lightfoot says: “We need to wait until my evaluation is farther along before making any changes to your treatment plan.”
In her head, Hannah thinks:
“Further, not farther, I think. They could at least give me a doctor who knows basic grammar. It’s not exactly comforting that my fate is in her hands.”
I had already begun to like Hannah’s character, and her reaction to the doctor cemented it for me. I like this girl.
I barely knew anything about her yet, but somehow the author has created a sympathetic character that I could relate to. Other readers will likely have the same reaction which means they will become invested in the outcome of her incarceration, making it likely they will not want to put this book down.
I rate “A DANGER TO HERSELF AND OTHERS” as a full 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I believe this book will not only be on the 2019 Bestsellers List, but will also win multiple awards.
Thank you very much to the Publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book.
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QUOTES:
“Reset. Like I am an appliance that needs tinkering, a frozen laptop that needs to be rebooted. I don’t think Ctrl + Alt + Delete is going to cut it here.”
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“…the hospitals on television don’t look like this place: On TV, the doors don’t stay locked, the furniture isn’t bolted to the floor, and people who are perfectly capable of walking don’t use bedpans.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
To learn about this author, visit the following links:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
www.alyssasheinmel.com
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