The Penitent Part II Blog Tour and Giveaway

Genre:  Young Adult, Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy

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

From Goodreads:

The next novel in The Immortality Wars series continues . . . Her parents are viciously murdered by a band of killers. Hidden in the bottom of a roadside ditch as a baby in swaddling clothes, Evangel is only steps away from them. An old hermit, Matthew Greatworth, finds her the day after this tragedy unfolds. She is touched by a rare spiritual power and raised by Matthew in the heart of a sylvan wilderness. Evangel grows up in the quaint hermitage Matthew built years ago. In her 17th year, outlaws terrorize Matthew while she is away. The young girl reaches him just as his eyes are carved out of their sockets and placed on a stump before him. The miracles and struggles against those seeking to kill her, as well as those disbelieving the power of her presence, all come together in a battle of good versus evil. In a vision of clarity and prescience amidst her struggle for survival and meaning, she finds her future soul mate, Pall Warren, on a battlefield of death, and casts a prayer of protection around him. Evangel's remarkable journey to save herself, her newfound friends and then those who believe in her, brings to the reader a hauntingly beautiful and startling tale of wonder.

My Thoughts:

This book far exceeded my expectations, I loved the premise when I read it. The characters are so well developed. It is extremely believable.  I love both Matthew and Evangel.  Their spiritual growth and strength are what you want to read about in a book like this. At one point, Evangel sees a wolf give birth. The mother and all but three of the pups die. She takes the pups home where she and Matthew raise them.  It was at this point as the story began to unfold I was reminded of C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe".  The wolves had a role I had not foreseen which made this so endearing.  I really don't want to say too much. I had not read the first book in this series. I did purchase it because I loved this one so much and I wanted to find out what came before. This one reads as a stand-alone book, so if you have not read the first one you will be pulled in from the very first page. I had not heard of this author before. I will definitely recommend this book to others.

A. Keith Carreiro's Bio: A. Keith Carreiro earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard Graduate School of Education, with the sequential help and guidance of three advisors, Dr. Vernon A. Howard, Dr. Donald Oliver and Professor Emeritus, Dr. Israel Scheffler. Keith’s academic focus, including his ongoing research agenda, centers upon philosophically examining how creativity and critical thinking are acquired, learned, utilized and practiced in the performing arts. He has taken his findings and applied them to the professional development of educational practitioners.

Earlier in his teaching career he was a professor of educational foundations, teaching graduate students of education at universities in Vermont, Florida, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. He currently teaches as an adjunct professor of English at Bridgewater State University, as well as teaching English, philosophy, humanities and public speaking courses at Bristol Community College.

He lives in Swansea, Massachusetts. He has six children and 13 grandchildren. He belongs to an eighty–five–pound golden retriever, an eight–pound Maltese, and an impish Calico cat.

Due to his love of family, he has seen his fervor for history, as well as his passion for wondering about the future, deepen dramatically.

Starting on May 23rd until October 9th of 2014, he sat down at his computer on a daily basis and began writing the first book of a science fiction/fantasy thriller in a beginning series about the quest for human immortality. 

Links:

Website

Facebook

Blog

Goodreads

Amazon

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Guest Post: Judy Alter: Pigface and the Perfect Dog

Backlist blues – a happy look at the business of publishing

The backlist traditionally has been the backbone of publishing, providing a steady income in contrast to the spurts and uncertainty of front-list sales. Most of the cost of producing backlist titles has already been covered—and recouped in lucky cases. Backlist sales are often permanent, whereas the front list can suffer from the onslaught of huge returns, cutting profitability in half or more. These days, the backlist would seem to be even more important to publishers as Amazon encourages third-party sales of new titles, often at prices lower than those the publisher offers. Don’t ask me about the economics there, because I don’t understand it.

But what do authors do about their backlist? If they’re with a traditional publisher who does not want to revert the rights to the author, they’re stuck with whatever the publisher does with their titles. But if rights revert, and both major and small presses revert rights although one can’t always figure out their reasoning, authors have several choices in today’s bright new world of publishing.

If you think print copies of the book will sell you can choose POD (print on demand or print to order) and use such agencies as Create Space or Lightning, affiliated with Ingram distributors or it used to be. Easier and cheaper for many of us is the ebook format. You can post a book through Kindle Direct Publishing, Draft2Digital, or Smashwords for next to nothing—and sometimes nothing. Just remember that each new edition—print, digital, audio—needs a new ISBN.

Or you can license your book to a distributor yourself. And that happy occurrence is what happened to me. I have eight young-adult novels. Two are with an academic press that still holds the rights. The other six were with small presses that have since gone out of business, reverting the rights to me. Those six books have been requested and licensed to Speaking Volumes, a company that seems, from its web site, to have a strong interest in writing about the American West. Their list includes an impressive number of important writer of what we sometimes mistakenly call westerns. I will be, however, one of the few living authors. But Speaking Volumes also has a respectable front list—I just seem to be scooting in on the backlist side.

The six books will appear once a month, starting mid- to late-September. The first title is Callie Shaw, Stableboy. After that, I’m not sure of the order of the titles, but they are After Pa Was Shot (my first novel, published by a major New York house now gobbled up in the many mergers and later reverted to me whereupon I licensed it to a small press), Katie and the Recluse, Maggie and a Horse Named Devildust, Maggie and the Search for Devildust, and Maggie and Devildust—Ridin’ High! I am truly excited by this prospect.

Callie Shaw, Stableboy is set at the old Arlington Downs racetrack, midway between Fort Worth and Dallas. Here’s what Booklist said about the novel: “It's 1933, and the only economic boom in Callie's North Texas town is in horse racing. Fourteen-year-old Callie lives with Aunt Edna, who declares that the new race track is ‘the devil's work.’ When the girl loses her job as a maid, she disguises herself as a boy and finds work at the stables. Looking after a race horse becomes a labor of love, but soon Callie is trying to unravel a shady plot to fix races by doping, stealing, and even killing horses. Meanwhile she uses her new contacts to locate her father. As the pace quickens near the end, the loose ends are tied up …. this first-person story will engage readers while giving them a glimpse of bare larders, broken dreams, and stout hearts during the Depression.”

Authors need to remember that their backlist is a valuable asset. No, I don’t expect these books to make me rich at all, but they will provide some income, and they will help get my name and books into the hands of more readers. Every little bit helps, and I intend to be as active in promoting these titles as I am with my front list.

I’m excited about stepping back into the world of young-adult fiction. Another learning experience.

Author Bio

Judy Alter is the author of six books in the Kelly O’Connell Mysteries, two books in the Blue Plate Café Mysteries; and two in the Oak Grove Mysteries. Pigface and the Perfect Dog follows The Perfect Coed in this series of mysteries set on a university campus. Judy is no stranger to college campuses. She attended the University of Chicago, Truman State University in Missouri, and Texas Christian University, where she earned a Ph.D. and taught English. For twenty years, she was director of TCU Press, the book publishing program of the university. The author of many books for both children and adults primarily on women of the American West, she retired in 2010 and turned her attention to writing contemporary cozy mysteries.

            She holds awards from the Western Writers of America, the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame, and the Texas Institute of Letters. She was inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame and recognized as an Outstanding Woman of Fort Worth and a woman who has left her mark on Texas. Western Writers of America gave her the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement and will induct her into its Hall of Fame in June 2015.

The single parent of four and the grandmother of seven, she lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her perfect dog, Sophie.

Follow her at (Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/Judy-Alter/e/B001H6NMU6/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1377217817&sr=1-2-ent;

her blog: http://www.judys-stew.blogspot.com;

and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Judy-Alter-Author/366948676705857

Buy link for Pigface and the Perfect Dog:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073VSDKMH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499795957&sr=8-1&keywords=Pigface+and+the+Perfect+Dog

Buy link for The Color of Fear:

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Fear-OConnell-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0714CLJ1L/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498930807&sr=8-1&keywords=the+color+of+fear+alter

Journey from Skioria by Kandi J. Wyatt

Genre:  Middle Grade, Fantasy

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

Kandi J. Wyatt has been one of my favorite authors since I was first introduced to her “Dragon’s Courage” series.  She has the ability to suck you in from the very beginning. Her world building is always exquisite. In this book, we meet Tania who falls overboard and wakes up in a strange land with strange people around her. As she travels with her new friend, Trilicius to his home of Skioria, he describes all that she sees. Kandi’s world building puts you right in the middle of the world. I equate it to the first time I watch the movie Avatar. I was amazed at the creativity of the world.  That’s what Kandi does with words.

The Characters she has created are wonderful. I loved that Tania was taller than the Skiorians, Terrans and people from Avary.  She has given them each their own culture that we can relate to.  I found Tania to be very believable. This is probably because I have taught that age and have grandchildren that age. I absolutely loved the idea that a council had to be convened to decide how to help Tania get back to her family.  This gives us a look at how their world operates. This is a great fantasy,  adventure story.  Since I am one of those adults that absolutely adore reading middle-grade fiction I can recommend it to middle-grade kids that I teach. I am always pleased to place Kandi’s books on my shelves.  This one is another I will recommend to my students and to all adults like me who love not only great stories but specifically middle-grade stories.

Our Good Father Seeing God Through the Eyes of Jesus by Pierre Eade

Genre: Adult, Christian, Inspirational

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

The beginning of this book is wonderful. The author references the late painter Bob Ross. He talks about how Bob would paint these realistic pictures. What the author has done has shown us through scriptures the most wonderful painting of our heavenly father.  I had never seen so many references in one place that paints such a clear picture of everything our father is.  This is not a book you read one time and put down. This is a book you read over and over again because each time you read it you discover something else about our Good Father.  There was one part of the book that I absolutely loved. Yes, I loved all of the scripture references. But that is not it. On pages 178 to 179 the author has taken a collection of scriptures and put them together to create the “Father’s Love Letter”.  It is probably the most beautiful part of the book.  There are so many scriptures taken from different parts of the Bible and put together into a beautiful love letter. 

This is not only a book I will read again and again, but will recommend to friends everywhere.

Wifi Kicked the Bucket by Kishmi Davis

Genre: Children's Picture Book
Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This should be a must-read book for all parents who are concerned their children are spending too much time on their electronic devices.


This is a cute little book that teaches children to use their imagination and get outside to play more. When the Wi-Fi won't work for the bunny family, Mama Bunny suggests they find something else to do. The bunny family have  fun playing outside and with each other. Even Daddy Bunny gets in on the fun. Only Mama Bunny knows the real reason the Wi-Fi doesn't work.  This is a great book for all kids today because they can't seem to get along without their technology.

My Dream Reading/Writing Area.

Picture found at: http://www.yellowtrace.com.au/sheds-cabins-retreats/

I was recently was thinking what my dream reading area or reading nook would look like.   I really put some thought into it.  I just returned last weekend from a three-week writing retreat at the Hermitage Artist Retreat. I had a cottage right on the beach. I could sit at my desk and listen to the waves. I could see the Gulf of Mexico from the window. If I looked out my side window across the street I could see the bay. I remembered how relaxed I was while I was there. So when Molly Kay from Arhaus started a conversation with me about books and my dream reading area I was brought back to those weeks.

My dream reading area would be a combination reading/writing room.  I would want as many windows in it as possible.  

Picture found at: https://www.arhaus.com/furniture/living-room-furniture/chairs-and-chaises/

I would want a chair I could curl up in with a book or my Kindle. The arms on this one curl outward just enough I'd probably add a pillow and curl to one side.  I used to think I would love to have a window seat to sit in and read.  However, my dream became bigger.  I want an oversized chair so I can snuggle up or curl up in it.  

Picture found at:  https://www.arhaus.com/furniture/outdoor/outdoor-chaise-lounges/spinnaker-outdoor-56-inch-slipcovered-chaise-in-sail-sailor/

I would also love a chaise lounger for the same reason. Besides, it would be perfect for reading books to the grandkids. 

For dreary days or nighttime, I would like pendant lights over each of my areas. Here are some more hanging lights from Arhaus.

I want the reading area on one side of the room and the writing area on the other side. Of course, I definitely need walls of bookcases.  If you would like to get an idea of what I would like my dream reading/writing place to look like then visit my Pinterest page.  I have a board for it. I’m sure I’ll add more to it as I find other items that would possibly become part of that dream.  You will notice that I am going for kind of a beachy feel. I want it really light in color. I think I would stick with that even if I lived in the woods. I want it to feel open and airy. I want to feel like I am sitting out in nature while I am actually inside.   I want really deep porches around the entire house. I would like to create a reading area out there as well.  Now I need to find a writing table that will fit over the chaise so that I can really relax while I sit back and write.

What about you? Do you have an idea of what you would like your dream reading or writing area to look like?  If so leave a description or a link to pictures that show your dream.

Guest Post from J.T. Bishop

I have always been fascinated with the unknown. From a young age, I’ve questioned where we come from, why we do things, what motivates us. Growing older, those questions grew to what happens after we die, where are those loved ones who’ve crossed over? Can we talk to them? And what about life on other planets? Do they exist and do they visit us? What is the explanation for those strange lights in the sky that can’t be explained?

Lots of questions, but not a lot of answers. Just based on my own experience and gut instincts, I do believe there is life after death. I do believe our loved ones are with us after they die and I do believe there is life on other planets. These ideas spur my writing and inspire me. They allow me an open range of possibilities where I can create a world of possibilities.

In 2012, I saw a Facebook video that theorized the origins of our planet. It discussed how earth was a gathering place of extraterrestrials thousands of years ago. They would gather here to meet and exchange ideas. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it got me to thinking. What if they were still here? What if extraterrestrials walked among us and we didn’t know it? What would their story be?

And I started writing. The idea spawned four books with a fifth one coming in September plus a sixth in the works. I love creating a world of unique individuals that deal with their own special skill set, while living among those that don’t know who they are or what they’re capable of. And then to put that set of characters into a challenging set of circumstances that only they can deal with, that requires them to rely on each other, even when they have their own interpersonal issues just like everyone else.

It’s been a fun ride. I love the thrill of a great idea flowing through my fingers and into the keyboard. It came naturally to me as if the story was looking for a landing place and it found me. I may have dabbled in writing before, but now it’s in my bones. Finding that inspiration made all the difference.

And now as I promote my fourth book, and begin to prepare for the launch of my fifth, I have found the fun in adding in a little murder mystery on top of everything else. A little whodunit ramps up the suspense and creates an additional tension among my group of earthly extraterrestrials.

So my question to you is, what inspires you? Do you act on it? Do you read about it? You are likely compelled to read certain books. What gets your juices flowing? I would guess that most writers write about what compels them. Otherwise, why write? Can you tell the difference between an inspired story and one that is not? My guess is you can.

So take a moment to think about your favorite books. What was it about them that stirred you? That left you wanting more? Comment below and let me know. Was it the characters? The mystery? The unknown? And maybe one day, if I’m lucky, one of my stories will join the list.

About the Author

Born and raised in Dallas, TX, J. T. Bishop began writing in 2012. Inspired by a video that theorized the meaning of the end of the Mayan calendar, J. T. began the Red-Line trilogy. The video surmised that the earth was the central hub of activity for extraterrestrials thousands of years ago. J.T. didn’t know whether that was true or not, but it did spawn an idea. What if those extraterrestrials were still here? Two years and a lot of work later, the first three Red-Line books were complete, but she’s not done. The Red-Line saga develops as she continues to write new books.

Website URL: https://jtbishopauthor.com/

Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/jtbishopauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtbishopauthor

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judybishop99?trk=hp-identity-name

Buy link for Curse Breaker

https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Breaker-Red-Line-Book-4-ebook/dp/B01LX290GS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498784518&sr=8-1&keywords=curse+breaker+bishop

When Work Gets in Your Way or How to Forget to Post Reviews You Wrote

Every year I find reviews that I had written and never posted. How does that happen you ask? Well usually it happens when I have had a couple of days of downtime and tell my family that I am going to work on my book stack. My days are finished I go back to work and think to myself, "Well, I have an extra ten minutes of my planning period. I think I'll try to work on reviews for the books I read this weekend. "  Along the way the pages get ripped from my notebook and put into my calendar to be typed up. They get moved from there to any number of places and then forgotten. As I do every year at the end of the year I try to organize and clean up before I leave school.  When I am finally home I begin to do the same thing, clean and organize things on my bookshelves, my notebooks, and folders.
In this case, I was going through my composition notebooks preparing for my writing retreat and came across all types of papers. Some were notes to go into my writing notebook and some were school papers I'd scribbled a valuable writing idea on and kept the whole paper until I could transfer that small idea. In the midst of all of those papers I found not one book review, but ten I had written and never typed up.  So, I might as well get them up now. I have a couple of other books that when I see them on my TBR list I keep searching for their review because I've read the book but can't find where I wrote the review, and I know I wrote it.  Guess I need to just rewrite them and post them, because who knows when or where I will find them?  I hope you enjoy these reviews. These have been some of the most popular books in my classroom or with other teachers in my school.

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Source: Classroom shelves

This series has been one of my favorite. It is also one of the most stolen series in my classroom. I don’t know if they are keeping them, passing them on and they never return or what. I have bought this entire series twice just this year. Desires of the Dead is the second book in the Body Finder series. Violet has always been able to locate dead bodies. That doesn’t mean she can go into a graveyard blind folded and point them out. I’m talking about those bodies that have been disposed of.  Her family has been very supportive as has her boyfriend Jay.  This “gift” has been passed down in her family.  Unfortunately, in this book she has two people after her, the FBI and a creepy stalker. We see her relationship with Jay build, we meet new characters, Rafe and others. We see the toll this “gift” take on her and her relationships.  This is a series I would definitely recommend to more mature readers. On my shelves this one required parental permission because of some of the content and the fact I was teaching 6^th graders.  I definitely recommend this book.

Skull Creek Stakeout by Eddie Jones

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery

Source: Classroom Shelves

This is the second book in the Caden Chronicles and is what I call a clean read. Nick Caden has so many qualities for a reader to like. First and most important to me he loves to solve mysteries. He is trying to discover who murdered a man found dead on a golf course. As a fourteen year-old boy, Nick is a very likeable character for all ages who read this book.  My students will love the fact that he puts himself in danger to solve murders. In this book they will love the creep factor of an old mansion. Who wouldn’t feel creeped out if locked in a creepy old mansion? Dead Low Tied is the third book in this series. I have not yet read it, but it will be purchased for my shelves at school. If you have read any of Max Elliot Anderson’s “Sam Cooper” books you will definitely enjoy this series. Highly recommended and on the to be purchased list for my granddaughter for Christmas.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Source: Classroom Shelves

As so often happens I plan on reading a book, but because of all the hype behind it my students get before me. It doesn’t matter I have four copies of this book on my shelves. That just meant more students would get their hands on it. I will always let a student read it first unless they find it on my desk because I am trying to read it for a requested review from the author. Okay, sometimes I let them read it before me.  This book was awesome. In this conclusion to the trilogy we find those we loved throughout the books coping. They are coping with the devastation of a war that was largely thrust upon them. They are coping with physical and mental loss.  One thing I really loved about this book is that the author didn’t take the easy way out. She lets us see the effects war has on all parties and how each deals with it. She tied everything up neatly, yet for some they will hate the ending. Me, I loved it. Everyone wants a happily ever after ending. But, this is a realistic outcome.  I like that even better. It makes it relatable to everyone. Listening to my students talk about the book before I could read it and seeing the connections they made to real life and how something like this could really happen opened my eyes to how deep some of my students are.  Books like this make them really think about their future. That is why I loved this book and will continue to recommend it to my students.

The Cassini Code – Dom Testa

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult Science Fiction

Source: Classroom Shelves

The Cassini Code is the third book in The Galahad series. If you haven’t read the first two you must. I’ve had this book on my shelves for quite some time. The problem has been my students have had it checked out so much I’d not gotten to it. I took advantage of it coming in on a Friday to read it. Each book in the series seems to be better than the previous one. That to me is amazing since the first book has long been one of my favorites.  It becomes very obvious why Triana was chosen as leader. We have a new leader emerging. Merit has started a movement to return to Earth.  This discord keeps the tension going throughout the book. We have the same excellence with all of the other characters we’ve come to love, or hate and those who are freshly introduced to us.  My favorite is and probably always will be ROC. If you don’t know who this is then you definitely need to get the series and read it.

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlit

Genre: Children, Middle Grade, Fantasy

Source: Classroom Shelves

I first purchased this book because of the cover. That rarely happens. This is a beautiful book both in story and the pictures within. Flory, a night fairy has lost her wings in a tragic accident. For most fairies this would have caused them to give up. Not so with Flory. She can’t fly, but she can survive and make the best of the situation. She makes friends with a squirrel and goes about life the best she can. Her one dream is to be able to fly again. This is a hopeful book, full of adventure. I am sure it will be loved by all who read it.

The Real Boy  by Anne Ursu

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

Source: Classroom Shelves

Oscar works for the magician Caleb. He works in the basement. He strikes up a friendship with Callie who is an apprentice to the village healer.  He is constantly tormented and put down by Wolf who also works for Caleb and thinks himself so much better than Caleb. One day Caleb disappears and Wolf gets killed. This means that Caleb must leave the basement and wait on the customers. He is shy and backwards, yet he truly has a gift. When the children of the village get very sick, Callie and Caleb set out to find out why, and to solve the problem. I loved the feeling of being vulnerable the author created with Caleb. With the boy ‘Wolf’ she created a perfect bully. One the reader could easily despise. Caleb is happy staying out of everyone’s way in the basement. He reads at night when he’s had nightmares. He waits until everyone is in bed then he sneaks into the Magician’s library and reads.  There is plenty of adventure and suspense in the book to keep you reading. The best part about all of it is the ending you don’t see coming.  This was one book that was consistently checked out of my classroom this last year.  Such an awesome and fun book to read.

Tuesdays at the Castle – Jessica Day George

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

Source: Classroom Shelves

I absolutely loved this book. To me Castle Glower was almost like a character itself.  On Tuesday’s in particular the castle would get bored and create a new and hidden room. For our main character, eleven year old Celie would be off exploring the new addition. When Celie’s oldest brother graduates Wizard school her parents go off for his graduation.  This leaves siblings Celie, Rolf, and Lilah in the castle alone. Their parents are attacked on their journey and word gets back that they have been killed. As people from other lands come to pay their respect it becomes clear they are there also in the hopes of obtaining the kingdom. What they don’t realize is that this magical castle hasn’t changed anything in the king and queen’s suite and this lead the children to believe their parents are not dead. With the castle’s help they will defend their kingdom at all cost. This is a wonderfully, adventurous book to read. I really need to read the other books in the series.

Everyday Editing by Jeff Anderson

Genre: Adult, Informational, Educational

Source: I purchased

Most books I have purchased in the past along this line give students sentences to correct. Jeff on the other hand has taken sentences from great works and used them to teach students.  These are mentor texts.  You can take examples he has there and use them in your classroom.  Great examples to help you with your classroom writer’s workshop.

Polishing the PUGS by Kathy Ide

Genre: Adult, Informational, Educational

Source: I purchased

PUGS, in case you were unfamiliar with this acronym stands for punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling. Kathy Ide has taken information teachers are always searching for and placed in one book to make a great resource.  I have recommended this to other teachers. However, I find this most useful for my own writing. This should be on every writer’s bookshelves.

Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller

Genre: Adult, Educational

Source: I purchased

Donalyn is by far one of my favorite authors when it comes to reading about ways to inspire kids to learn to love reading. I purchased this book and addedbook she makes recommendations about the right way to encourage students to read, the right way to recommend books and genres. The right way to make sure your kids are reading “in the wild”, when they are away from you, instead of only when they are in your class.  This should be a must read for all beginning teachers no matter what subject they teach. In the real world of teaching, no matter what subject you teach, if your student can’t read well then they won’t really do well in any of their classes. All subjects require the ability to read and comprehend.  Put this on your list of must read books for this year.

Something for Everyone

I spent the week before last just reading books with the intention of writing reviews for them the next week. It seems that writing the reviews takes longer than reading the books. I have to go back and look at the notes I jotted down and then try to form them into some sort of cohesive piece of writing. Below you will find several reviews of some of the books I read. 

The Mind of the Living – J. Kaihua

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

A man traipses through the desert to find a man they call “Old Fool”. He is seeking a book. He finds the old man and offers him gold for the book. The old man refuses the gold and tells him he may read the book. Upon opening it the book is blank. When he asks the book a question the book speaks to him. The book is short yet full of wise advice. One of my favorite quotes from the book was:

“The only thing that doesn’t change, is that everything changes.”  I think if we were to remember this then we will be able to move ahead with no major surprises. It is a quick and uplifting book with a multitude of old pictures.  I enjoyed it.

O.K. Is Great by David Tiefenthaler

Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

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

Since I teach middle school I am always looking for books for my shelves that will entertain and interest my students. This is that type of book. First it has a student nicknamed O.K. I am sure my students will get the name connotation there and be able to identify. After all, they are in middle school.  I don’t know of very many middle school students who don’t want to do something that will get the recognized and remembered. Often it backfires like it did for O.K.  Unlike the character in this book many of my students would just give up. However, O.K. with his new friend Leo by his side push on.

Kids will be able to identify with this character. They will recognize the hardships that go along with being in middle school and trying to live up to an older sibling who can’t seem to do anything wrong. Many kids will be able to identify with being the ‘middle child’ and what that entails. They will understand this character’s feelings and in the end, will realize that they can overcome middle school obstacles. They will identify with this character and realize they aren’t out there going it alone.

No Rest for the Wicked – Dane Cobain

Genre: Adult Horror, Thriller

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

Warning:  Some of the descriptions are graphic and so not recommended for everyone.

I don’t usually read stories that contain angels or demons. But the premise of this one was different so I agreed to read and review it. These are not the angels we read about in the Bible. These angels are attacking humans. They are choosing who will die and in what horrific manner they will execute them. Enter our two heroes, Father Montgomery and Robert Jones. They set out to stop these angels.  I won’t say too much because it would be so easy to give things away. There are lots of twists and turns.  Since I am an eclectic reader I enjoy things a little darker at times. This one fits the bill.  I have to comment on the cover, isn't it just delicious?

Stop the Diet I Want to Get Off by Lisa Tillinger Johansen

Genre: Informational

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

This is quite a comprehensive book. The author is a registered dietitian. She has provided an extensive look at the different diets out in the world. Some of them I had never heard of before.  Some made me cringe.  I was a little saddened to learn that she placed the paleo diet into the “fad” category. I started a paleo diet approximately two years ago and not only did I finally begin to lose weight, but a lot of my health issues went away. I am no longer pre-diabetic, no longer have a heart issue. My thyroid meds have been cut in half. I no longer have acid reflux.  I believe the main message from this book is that you don’t need to just jump on the bandwagon. Do your research. Make sure you are eating healthy. I’ve seen many people follow every diet out there because a friend or a celebrity personality lost so much weight. Be informed. This rather lengthy book will help you do just that.

Mindful Parenting by Susan Burgess
Genre: Informational
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have gone through the parenting phase in my life. I would recommend this book to young parents everywhere. Parenting is without a doubt one of the hardest jobs we face. One of the things I found useful in this book was finding a balance between parenting and our own needs. Balancing our life is another area we have forgotten about. I realized that as a teacher I am often put in a somewhat parental role. Some of the advice in this book carries over into my job. It is important that we learn to apologize when we are wrong. Children respect that and it breaks the tension and teaches a lesson from which you can move on. Great advice in this book.

Guest Post - Judy Alter Author of "The Color of Fear"

The day my library flooded

It was a book lover’s worst nightmare. In the spring of 2016, one of Texas’ spring storms hit in the night with hail and rain driven sideways, hard as nails, against the house. My nine-year-old grandson and I watched it, counting our blessings that no windows shattered. Eventually, the storm moved on, and we went back to bed. Next morning when I woke up I went into the kitchen and smelled—wet. I can’t explain how I knew—it wasn’t mildew or anything, it was simply a wet smell.

I was dramatically downsizing my library from the eight overcrowded bookcases spread throughout the house. I was also having a new roof put on the house. The roofers had finished all but the flat roof over the add-on family room, and they’d protected it with a huge tarp. My daughter had spread my large overstock of juvenile and young-adult books on the couch in the living room. We intended to have a special sale for moms at the elementary school across the street, where my grandson attended school and his mom knew lots of other moms. We were ripe for a disaster.

The wet smell unnerved me, and I waited until Jacob got up and then sent him into the family room as a willing scout. He ended up ankle deep in water. Everything was soaked—books, new long L-shaped couch, table, and chairs. The new supersize built-in TV dripped water, and the floor was awash.

Daughter Jordan organized a work crew before I could even begin to think clearly. The contractor remodeling my garage into a cottage for me and the owner of the roofing company were on their hands and knees, mopping up water. A neighbor was sweeping water into a bucket. Jordan established a line of runners who carried dripping books to the front porch where she sorted damaged from ruined. There were none untouched.

I am forever grateful to all those who helped for hours that day. I was awaiting surgery on a severely disintegrated and painful hip and could do little but wring my hands and say thank you. I hope to this day they know how grateful I was and am.

Fortunately, most of the books I wanted to keep as I downsized were already boxed and stacked in another room. Many more had gone to libraries, Goodwill, and the like. The children’s books were a loss because I would have preferred to put them in the hands of children, rather than destroy them. Insurance did compensate me to some degree for lost revenue.

The real tragedy was my entire cookbook collection, which had been on the chest-high top shelf of one bookcase. I lost practical books that had belonged to my mom and I still used, and I lost coffee table books, like one from the Four Seasons that I had treasured for years and Terry Thompson Anderson’s Texas on a Plate, a new acquisition that I loved for its layout and design as well as its recipes. I lost the odd occasional one—a Santa Fe cookbook, one devoted to pasta (I can’t even remember the title), the I Hate to Cook Cookbook, several from various junior leagues, and so on. A particular loss: my mom’s battered Good Housekeeping Cookbook, so old and used that the index had fallen off, and my vintage Joy of Cooking.

It could have been worse—injuries, fire, lasting damage to the house. But to see all those books, pages wrinkled and twisted, covers bent beyond saving, broke my heart. I’ll never forget that day.

An award-winning novelist, Judy Alter is the author of several fictional biographies of women of the American West. In The Gilded Cage, she has turned her attention to the late nineteenth century in her hometown, Chicago, to tell the story of the lives of Potter and Cissy Palmer, a high society couple with differing views on philanthropy and workers’ right. She is also the author of six books in the Kelly O’Connell Mysteries series. With the 2014 publication of The Perfect Coed, she introduced the Oak Grove Mysteries.

Her work has been recognized with awards from the Western Writers of America, the Texas Institute of Letters, and the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame. She has been honored with the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA and inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame and the WWA Hall of Fame. http://judyalter.com/

Blog URL: http://www.judys-stew.blogspot.com

Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/judy.alter

Skype: juju1938

Buy link for Murder at Peacock Mansion:

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Peacock-Mansion-Plate-Mysteries/dp/0996013156/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485799111&sr=1-1&keywords=murder+at+peacock+mansion

Buy link for The Gilded Cage

http://www.amazon.com/Gilded-Cage-Judy-Alter/dp/0996013121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460738028&sr=8-1&keywords=the+gilded+cage+alter