Summer Reading Plans

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I have fallen so far behind on reading books.  Part of this was due to new testing at our school this year.  We literally tested from the middle of April to the end of May. I didn't personally test every day. However, it meant I had students missing at different times for different tests etc.  It meant I had more school related things to do and got behind on my usual amount of reading.  I am here to tell you that is going to change. I am reading everyday this next week. That means I will be posting anywhere from two to four book reviews a day throughout the month and hopefully throughout July. When given time to just read I can read anywhere from four to six books a day. This is especially true when I tell my mom and husband I am doing a reading challenge.  They leave me alone for a specified amount of time. I will continue with other things in my life during that time such as physical therapy, working out, and getting out of the house. But it is that undisturbed time to read which will benefit me. The only days I will have a single review posted is if it was previously arranged with the author or publisher. I plan on keeping up this pace until I have worked through a large number of my books. If I can get ahead enough then I will continue posting a morning and evening post until I am completely caught up. That may take me up until Thanksgiving, but I am willing to do this. Why? Because I don't like taking books from authors and pubishers and then getting behind. The second reason is that it is interrupting my own writing. I can't focus knowing I have made a committment to read and review books and then I have fallen behind in that committment. So, wish me luck.
Here is a list of books I will be reviewing this month. So far I written reviews through Tuesday the 16th. So let the fun begin.

My List for the rest of June beginning the 17th and July. There are 40 books here and I will see how it goes. Some of these are picture books that I have read but must write the review.  I will cross the off as I go and maybe add some more.

Pressed Pennies - Steven Manchester
Becoming Monsters - Liss Thomas
Qumran - Jerry Amernic
Heroes and Giants - Douglas Ashby
If Only - Norma Buden
Sacrifist - T. Mason Gilbert
You Are Not Alone - W.R. Watkins
An Obsessive Infatuation - W.R. Watkins
deepFreak - Mars Dumont
The Skye in June - June Ahern
City of Redemption - Jue Ahern
The FunGkins - C.Raymond Gray
Second Chance Friends - Jennifer Scott
The Circle - Mario Escobar
D.E.M. Deux Ex Machina - Lee Ness
Stereo Realism - Milton R. Trice
Kitty Hawk and the Case of the Yukon Gold - Iain Reading
Parents For Sale - Dr. Nicole Audet
The Enterprising Chipmunk - Gramps Doodlebug
The Karate Shepherd - Walter Rouzer
Diary of Chris & Boomer the Wonder Dog - Walter Rouzer

Wolf City - Walter Rouzer

Perfect Pam and the Big Bad Wolf - Walter Rouzer
Oliver and Jumpy Stories 10-12
Cool Magic Tricks You Can Do - Steve Black
A Light Shining in the Darkness - Karen A. Cooper
Blood Sweat Tears and Prayers - Gary Ludwig
The Jumble Jungle - Michael Sasson
Playlist of the Ancient Dead - Aaron Frale
The Diary of an Ugly Sweater - Cassie Eubank
Ninelands - K.E. Boyer
Dragon's Future - Kandi J. Wyatt
Nuts About Nuts - Shir Guez
The Mind of the Living - J. Kaihua
Witches Protection Program - Micahel Cash
Youngtimer - G.G.Fulton
Dinosaurs - Rose Leo
Two for Joy - Gigi Amateau
Sapient - Jerry Kaczmarowski
Mercy's Rain - Cindy K. Sproles

The Kidney Sellers by Sigfrid Fry Revere

Genre:  Adult, Nonfiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I agreed to read this book. This is the story of a woman from the west who ventures to Iran to check out their kidney donor system. Here in the U.S. if you need a kidney transplant you go on a waiting list, then dialysis and play the waiting game.  If you are lucky enough you survive until someone dies that matches you, and you get their kidney. According to Sigrid Fry-Revere, Iran has a system that has a waiting list of people wanting to donate their kidney. According to the author, there are government incentives for this. Would this work in the United States? I’m not sure.  I know this has been in the news lately and I’m not sure where I stand on the issue.  Maybe that is because I don’t personally know anyone in that situation. However, this was an interesting read on this subject.

Draw in Perspective By this Weekend by Liron Yankonsky

Genre: Informational, Art

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I’ve always had an issue with perspective. Tht may be because no onne has ever taught me. The author shows step by step how to do this. The pictures, instructions and explanations make it easy to learn. There are a lot of examples. The only art class I’ve ever taken was for elementary art. It never covered shading or light source. However, the one project we had to do, my professor pointed out, in front of my fellow classmates, my perspective and light source were wrong but didn’t explain why, or how to fix it.  I was well aware that the picture was wrong but couldn’t figure out on my own why.

Since I’ve found this book and his method was so helpful I am willing to check out his other books. We need more people willing to take what some of us consider to be so difficult and point out ways we can understand it and realize that with practice it is not all that difficult.

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Three Wonderful Picture Books With Great Messages

The Letter by N.D. Byma

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is the story of a young girl who sets out to write a special letter. When she can't think what to say she goes for a walk to think, leaving the letter on the park bench. The letter is blow around Different people find it and add to it. It always makes its way back to the bench.  The letter is a special one indeed. Read this wonderful story to find out what the letter says.



The Gnomes of the Night by Itzik Klein
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.


First I have to say that the book's illustrations are magnificent. This is the story of a little boy who seems to have trouble reebering to put things away. He leaves his dishes, his shoes and clothes. His dad tells him the gomes of the Night will take them. This is a great book to read to children, who like Ryan seem to have difficulty putting things away.

Monday Morning Leadership for Kids with Paw Paw & Baxter by Evelyn Addis & David Cottrell
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
As a grandparent this story resonated with me. I want to be an influence in the lives of my grandchildren. The main characters are bears. However, children will be able to identify with them. baxter is the young bear telling the story of time spent with his Paw-Paw every Monday morning. These trips with his Paw-Paw are special. He learns lessons about accepting responsibility for his own decisions. He learns that the choices he makes can have an effect on others. he learns he needs to do the right thing when no one else is watching him.  He also learns the importance of making good choices, especially when it comes to choosing his friends.

I passed this book on to my best friend who has a so the same age as my grandson.  She said her son repeatedly asked her to reread the book.  It is important that I place good books not only in the hands of my own grandchildren ad their parents but in the hands of my friends with young children as well. After all, one day these children will grow up to be adults and I want to make sure I've done my part in helping them to grow up to be great people.

Finding My Thunder by Diane Munier

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:
The story takes place in the late sixties. Hilly Grunier has been in love with Danny Boyd since she was a kid telling scary stories on summer nights at the fire hydrant while Danny pulled lcose on his bike. But when Danny is thirteen, their friendship ends when he and his brother Sukey have a vicious fight over Hilly. Years pass, and Hilly carries a secret and growing love as she watches Danny rise athletically to the top of their school's food chain. He even dates the prom queen and rumor says they are engaged. Now Danny has graduated and shows up in her dad's shop looking for some temporary employment until the army picks him off for Vietnam. He's thrown aside his college scholarship and the golden girl. He seems to be searching for something new before he leaves town. he seems to be searching for her. Hilly can't let him go overseas without showing him how she feels. But once he's gone, her own battle intensifies. It's a long road to finding her thunder.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book.  Hilly Grunier plods along in life with an alcoholic, abusive father who doesn't really seem to know she exists, and with  a mother who is mentally ill.  She is and has been in love with Danny Boyd for years. Danny is good for Hilly.  With him she learns to be stronger than what she thought she was.  She learns her family's secrets and decides to let them make her into a better person.  The author did a wonderful job of creating the time period and the characters.  You feel the tension of the time with all the racial tension, the Vietnam War, the hippies and free love.  She gives you characters that are so well drawn that you can't help but hate some of them.  Hilly's father was a real piece of work.  I hated him from the beginning.  I understood part of what shaped him, yet I could not forget the way he let his hatred of her mother and Naomi cloud his opinion of Hilly.  I think I realized how strong my feelings were when he tried to get to move out of the house.  This author has a way of weaving the feeling through the writing that makes it almost poetic. I will be reading and reviewing her book Me and Mom Fall For Spencer in a week and now that I've read this one I can't wait to start on it.




About the Author:
Diane Munier was raised as a midwestern urban kid. She spent a lot of time nosing around in the many establishments that filled the neighborhood. Love of story grew as she sat in various places--pews, restaurant chairs, barstools, and listened to the story-tellers, the keepers of the tales that patched us together. Lots of colors in the neighborhood quilt, lots of threads and shapes and patterns. It was all music ad she wondered how to capture what she was feeling; she wondered how to share it. Diane wanted a voice and to take her place in the quilt. She's currently learning to stitch some small part of it together.

The Fall of Brackenbone by Roy Huff

Genre:  Young Adult, Fantasy
Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:
Two very different worlds. Easton Falls University and the magical realm of Everville are in dire need of a hero. Owen Sage embarks on an epic journey of monumental proportions to save these worlds all while fighting to keep the world within himself intact. This quest is not for the faint of heart nor is it for the weak of mind--only the brave will succeed. Discovering the well-kept secret of The Fourth Pillar of Truth is only part of the feat. Owen will have to outwit the ever-powerful villain Governor Jahal and overcome countless other challenges along the way. Amongst all of the dragons, giants and grand chaos, will Owen's acquired skills and wisdom be enough to save both worlds or will peril be the ultimate fate of all?

My Thoughts:

This is the fourth book in the series. In this book we find Owen looking for the fourth Pillar of Truth. This time he will have to battle Jabel the evil governor. This time a human is working with the evil governor. I’ve read the other three books in the series. However, if you were to pick up this book and read it first you would be able to follow along. Mr. Huff has done a great job of providing enough background information for the reader to catch up.

This is a great fantasy where the world building continues to draw you in and make you a participant in the story, I highly recommend the entire series.

Spinner by Michael J. Bowler

Genre: Young Adult, Horror

Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Spinner Book Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Alex is a “spinner.” His friends are “dummies.” Two clandestine groups of humans want his power. And an ancient evil is stalking him. If people weren’t being murdered, Alex might laugh at how his life turned into a horror movie overnight.

In a wheelchair since birth, his freakish ability has gotten him kicked out of ten foster homes since the age of four. Now saddled with a sadistic housemother who uses his spinning to heal the kids she physically abuses, Alex and his misfit group of learning disabled classmates are the only ones who can solve the mystery of his birth before more people meet a gruesome end.

They need to find out who murdered their beloved teacher, and why the hot young substitute acts like she’s flirting with them. Then there’s the mysterious medallion that seems to have unleashed something malevolent, and an ancient prophecy suggesting Alex has the power to destroy humanity.

The boys break into homes, dig up graves, elude kidnappers, fight for their lives against feral cats, and ultimately confront an evil as old as humankind. Friendships are tested, secrets uncovered, love spoken, and destiny revealed.

The kid who’s always been a loner will finally learn the value of friends, family, and loyalty.

If he survives…

Release: July 25, 2015

My Review:

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and was thrilled once I started it.  As a teacher I see kids kids like Alex, Roy and their friends every year.  I have always fought for those students who have been told over and over that they are stupid or a loser.  That might be why I start each year off reading a book with the class called "Loser" by Jerry Spinelli.  These kids need to know that they are not losers.  Alex and his friends have problems yet there is a part of them that are coping with the bullying and name calling.  A part of them realize they are not losers.  

Alex is in  a wheelchair because he has spina bifida.  He also has the ability to "spin" people. This means he can take their pain and heal them. Having dreamed about his parent's death the day before it happened and being pushed from one foster home after another because of his "strange ability", he finds himself in the worst foster home yet.  His foster mother is cruel and abusive and knows about his "gift".  She want to make money off of him. When Alex dreams about his teacher's death and it comes true he finds he is in the crosshairs of some very evil people.  They will do whatever it takes to get to him.  Along the way he learns a truth about his family. I don't want to give it away because I never saw it coming and want you to be just as surprised. Alex learns exactly what it means to have true friends.

I read this book the last day of school since we had nothing for the students to do in the morning. My afternoon was mine as I'd already cleaned up my room.  This was a perfect way to end my school year by relaxing with a great book.  I read this in electronic form.  I will definitely purchase a copy for my shelves.  I will mark it as more mature because of the language used.  I could see this as a movie in my head.  The author is great with his descriptions.  I felt fear, I felt the pain some of them felt.  I will definitely check out more books by this author.

About the Author:

Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author of eight novels––A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time (Silver Medalist from Reader’s Favorite), and The Knight Cycle, comprised of five books: Children of the Knight (Gold Award Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards), Running Through A Dark Place (Bronze Award Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards), There Is No Fear, And The Children Shall Lead, Once Upon A Time In America, and Spinner.

His horror screenplay, “Healer,” was a Semi-Finalist, and his urban fantasy script, “Like A Hero,” was a Finalist in the Shriekfest Film Festival and Screenplay Competition.

He grew up in San Rafael, California, and majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University. He went on to earn a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and another master's in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills.

He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which are much more fun than the actual movies.

He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for twenty-five years, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook.

He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to eight different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California, something that is sorely lacking in this state.

He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed he and three of his Little Brothers to visit the clear House and meet the president in the Oval Office.

He is currently outlining a sequel to Spinner.

His goal as a YA author is for teens to experience empowerment and hope; to see themselves in his diverse characters; to read about kids who face real-life challenges; and to see how kids like them can remain decent people in an indecent world.

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Student Saturday: The Cassini Code by Dom Testa

Student Reviewer:  Isaac
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

The Galahad crew are on their way out of the solar system through the Kuiper Belt, a massive ring of several objects orbiting the sun. With thoughts an alien they contacted the Cassini might be helping humans fight Bhaktul disease. Many have started to decide to go against the idea of heading to the solar system Eos. The council members will have to make hard choices between right and wrong.

In the story, some crew members go against the protagonists. I’ve felt like this when some of my friends have been rude to me sometimes. I’d recommend this to readers who like drama and conflict.

Each book in the series has its own atmosphere and plot, another great book!

Down the Wormhole by Ana Franco

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Ana Franco has created a story for all ages.  She has taken mythology and turned it on its head.

For fans of the Percy Jackson series they will find a friend in this book.  You have two orphanages separated by gender.  When Kitty shows up at the girls orphanage and is accepted in, she learns a fantastic secret about the teens you will meet in this book.  Although they have everyday names like Andrew, Anna, Natalie and Thomas they are in reality gods and goddesses.  The author has combined several different myths to create this story. You have of course a couple of gods who are up to no good.  There were some liberties taken with the gods in her story.  I like that.  I hate having the same thing rehashed in different stories.  For those who are not familiar with the different myths some back story would have helped.  That would be my only suggestion.  Over all I really enjoyed the book and can say with all honesty that this is an author I will recommend to students and one I will be watching for more great books.

Elijah Hael: The Genetic Code - Steve Goodwin

Genre:  Adult, Christian Fiction
Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:
A dazzling, thought provoking, combination of faith versus secular beliefs, science fiction, spiritual warfare, action adventure and romance.

Yesterday’s gone. Tomorrow is a distant hope. Now means everything…

Nya struggled to believe her accomplishment. Nearly a decade’s work was all coming together. This was her moment. The Nobel Prize would be hers for the taking. Her work was going to change the face of bio-science forever.

The only problem was someone with an exceptionally dark desire wanted to twist her work for sinister purposes that would change the face of life on earth forever. And he was prepared to go to any lengths to get it.

Thus began a chain of startling events that would force Nya to place her trust in an unknown man whom she discovered from archived news reports … had died years ago.

Journey with Nya, a believer, as her faith is tested. Join Isaac, a non-believer, who questions his existence. Discover how they face death together in a remarkable adventure. An emotionally rich, adventure story which will delight those who quest personally challenging and thought provoking reads.

My Thoughts:
The characters in the story are very real, very believable. We have your good versus evil. Humans are unaware that a battle between demons and angels are taking place around them. Humans are the pawns caught in the middle.  Nya is sick.  She has been working on a DNA project for over a decade and now someone else is trying to steal it.  I thought it great naming this person Cain.  You immediately get the idea that he is working for the wrong side.  He is actually trying to he a group of demons called "The Shadows".
The angels, Elijah, Castiel and Sophia have been tasked with protecting Nya and her boyfriend Isaac.

This is not your typical angel versus demon book.  This is not the first book in the series, yet I was able to get right in and enjoy it.  I will definitely need to read the first book to see what I had missed.

About the Author:
After a difficult childhood Steve developed a fascination with the natre of the supernatural, spiritual and physical words and how they affect the lives around us. This led him on a journey spanning two decades of studying, experiences and discovery. As well as demonstrating a profuound respect for faith and the battles of doubt, he seamlessly mixes reality with creativity, inspired by Biblical concepts and personal understandings, constructing worlds, dimensions, events, and stories that are relatable.  Steve is inspired by authors such as J.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) and C.S. Lewis (Chronicles of  Narnia) who mix fantasy and reality while promoting Christian values.