I’m So Excited– :)

   Columbus by Aimee Stewart

This is how I feel right now. I feel like I have been sent into a world of bookshelves that are full of the most amazing authors. I have several reviews coming up. Here is my list in the order they will appear:

The Only City Left by Andy Goldman

Bright Lights and White Nights by Andrew Carter

Quiznot by Russell Stoll

Genesys by Aaron Denius Garcia

The Least Envied by Sean DeLauder

Now, while some of these books have not even been published yet, I still look very forward to reading each and every one of them. To the authors that have entrusted me with a review of your book, thank you. I feel a reading binge coming on. I may have some of these reviews out before their promised date. We will see. Happy Reading!!

~Bethanie

The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis

No, this is not a review, just an excited post. I get emails from Books-A-Million about new books that will be coming out soon. Well, this one for some reason has really caught my eye. I absolutely cannot wait for it to come out. I am going to read it with my children and then I will let you know what I think about it. It looks really good and it is the beginning of a new series for middle-graders. I am always looking for those. I’ll have to tell you about another series that I happened upon too. We read that one too and it was GREAT! I hope this new one that is coming soon will be too.

If you want to check out availability and other info here is the link on BAM   http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Map-Everywhere/Carrie-Ryan/9780316240772?&ad=AD102314#overview .

 

Here is the Overview of it:

“Anything you need–The Map to Everywhere can take you there.”
To Master Thief Fin, an orphan from the murky pirate world of the Khaznot Quay, the Map is the key to finding his mother. To suburban schoolgirl Marrill, it’s her only way home after getting stranded on the Pirate Stream, the magical waterway which connects every world in creation (Apparently she “shouldn’t “have climbed aboard the mysterious pirate ship that sailed out of nowhere and into a dry Arizona parking lot. How was she to know?).
With the help of a bumbling wizard and his crew, they must scour the many worlds of the Pirate Stream to gather the pieces of the Map to Everywhere, but they aren’t the only ones looking. A dark and sinister figure is hot on their tail, and if they can’t beat his ghostly ship to find the Map, it could mean the destruction of everything they hold dear-not least of all themselves
In Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis’ first installment of a fantastical new series, adventure, magic, and hilarity collide in the treacherous skies and dangerous waters of the Pirate Stream. Heart-pounding escapades and a colorful cast of characters will have readers setting sail through this wholly original and unforgettable tale.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m so excited!

Happy Reading!!

~Bethanie

Surprise

Normally I am not one that likes surprises. But this one email I received last night surprised me in a good way, so it was a welcomed surprise. My blog was nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award, by a very charming young man named Charlie. I was rather surprised when I found out he followed my blog. It was a surprise because he is a grade-school-age young man, although reading his blog I wonder if he is actually older. His blog could be a book in itself. He seems to have the gift of writing. So I thank you, Charlie , for the nomination.

Now, there is a list of things to do when nominated. So the first one I have already done, but I will thank him again. Thank you Charlie. It was indeed a pleasure to receive an email from you. I wish you the best!

The second thing I am supposed to do, I don’t really like to do, but I will give seven facts about me in keeping with the rules:

1)  I am a mother of two. A son, 13 years old and a daughter, 11 years old.

2)  I  have been homeschooling both of them for four years. If you wish to read about that then go to lovelaughlearnteach.wordpress.com

3)  I love photography. Natural surroundings with my children in the middle of them have made the best Christmas presents for many years.

4)  Running into spider webs seems to be my thing. I’ve learned some great karate moves doing this. 🙂

5)  I love reading, obviously, or I wouldn’t have a book review site. 🙂

6) I have two dogs, a German Shepherd named Ember and a Rat terrier named Charlie, and a cat, one of the sweetest little tabby kitties I have ever met, named Scarlett.

7) I am an author. I have written and published seven books. Two more are due out first of next year. I have about twelve more in the works.

The last thing on the list is to nominate 15 other blogs, and inform them on their site, well I do not follow fifteen other blogs, I only follow about five. Here they are:

Writers Write

The News in Books

The Universe According to Charlie 

Dodinsky

A Homeschool Mom

The Cat’s Maw by Brooke Burgess–Review by Bethanie

The Cat’s Maw

by: Brooke Burgess

Genre: YA Fiction, Mystery, Horror

I cannot remember a book making me so very angry, so very sad, sometimes sick, and giving me a sense of foreboding all at the same time. In saying that, it was also very edge-of-your-seat-ish. So if Mr. Burgess wanted to write a book that can leave the reader feeling full of dread, yet dying to read the next book, then I guess he accomplished what he set out to do.

I love books with animals in them, especially cats. Cats have always lent an air of mystery to any family who happens to have one as a pet or more than one, whichever the case may be. This book reminds me a lot of the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. The main difference being that I would consider this more of a horror-type book than an adventure-type book. It is very Stephen King-ish.

WRITING AND STORYLINE:

The writing was fine, but less than I anticipated. Here is where I will probably not be liked. However I cannot make everyone happy, so I will do as I am expected to and give my honest opinion.

First of all let me say this. This book had a storyline, but there was not enough of the storyline in it. I will not give anything away but to say this. It seemed to be more human than cat and with a title like The Cat’s Maw, I just expected more of the cat theme than I read. Now, that being said, this was just the first book of the series so I may get more of what I am looking for in the next book or books, however many there might be.

I normally can read quickly through a book because it flows well. Please take this with a grain of salt, but for me the book did not flow well, and there seemed some parts that could have been left out altogether. A few of the characters I cannot see a place for in the book, and still others I think need more of a place in the book. Again, my opinion, others may not feel the same way. They may think it is great and for them it might be.

This was supposedly written for middle grades, but I would move it into the Young Adult range. Just because the book uses middle-grade aged children does not necessarily deem it middle-grade fiction. There were also a few words in it that most parents of middle-grade students would not want them to see. I am one of those parents. Some may not care, but some may. It will be left up to the parent to make that decision.

OVERALL:

The book itself was not bad. The only problem for me was the flow of the story. It jumped around way too much, but again, my opinion. Please, however, do not let this review sway you from reading the book. Not every reader is alike and therefore each has their own opinion. I appreciate the opportunity to read the book, and I will look for the next one to read. Happy reading!

~Bethanie

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. No monetary exchange was made.

Gumshoes: The Case of Madison’s Father by Russell Nohelty–Review by Bethanie

Gumshoes: The Case of Madison’s Father

By: Russell Nohelty

So, I am a big fan of Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries, always have been. However if I had to choose between Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or Gumshoes, my choice would be GUMSHOES. When asked to review this book and they said it was similar to Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, I thought no one could outdo those. I was wrong. Gumshoes: The Case of Madison’s Father, I enjoyed more than the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. Mr. Nohelty hit the life of a middle-schooler dead-on. I was even more impressed that Mr. Nohelty was able to mold middle-school life plus mystery together into a very fun book.  There were funny parts, semi-serious parts, and just down-right unbelievable parts. For a moment I thought we would not have a happy ending, but I was happy to be proven wrong.

The book itself was a roller-coaster ride. In reading it I would think Woohoo, they finally found them, only moments later to be thwarted in my excitement. That is the mark of a good “mystery novel.” It was obvious that it was written for a middle-schooler and since I teach middle-schoolers. I thought he nailed their interests. I was rather pleased by that.

Writing and Storyline:

The writing was just right for middle-school age children. The storyline, although a roller-coaster, was well-done. It was paced just enough to keep me interested, but not in such a hurry that I couldn’t follow.

Reccommendation:

If you are looking to get middle-schoolers interested in mystery novels, I would start with this one. Although Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew will always be the classics to me, Gumshoes is a fun way to pull in modern-day middle-schoolers to the exciting world of detectives and mystery sleuths. Thank you Mr. Nohelty. Happy Reading!

~Bethanie

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review Requests

I would like to thank all of the authors who have chosen me to review their books. I have enjoyed each and every one of them. I am still open for reviews, but have them booked well into January right now. So just a note to let you know that. Keep on writing and I cannot wait to read more! Just let me live in a library and I will be the happiest person in the world!

  Columbus by Aimee Stewart