Saturday, December 31, 2022

Student Saturday: Ghost by Jason Reynolds



 Student Reviewer: Benny G.

This is one of my favorite books. If you like dark backstories  but a good ending you will like Jason Reynold's other books because he has more dark stories like this. The character in this story is Ghost aka (Castle Cranshaw). He is the main character and lives in the poor area of town. Then his dad loaded up a revolver and figured out he could run fast. Rex joined track. He figured out that his shoes were not that good so he stole some. The coach knew he stole the shoes and didn't have his shirt. When he asked the coach where his shirt was the coach said, "Until you return those shoes you won't get them." They went to the story and Rex apologized and the coach bought the shoes for him.

I would recommend this book to guys that had some dark times, or just like to read a good book and enjoy it.

2022 Reading in Review

 
 

I set my reading goal at 100 books for the 2022 year.  I figured that would be do-able.  

According to my book stats on Goodreads, this is what my year looked like.

I read 117 books which translated to 14,361 pages.

My shortest book was 18 pages, and my longest book was 674 pages

I had attempted two unofficial challenges. I had an A-Z Title Challenge and an A-Z Author Challenge. Had I completed those two challenges my total books read would have gone up by twenty.  I have decided to work on my reviews next year by once again attempting the two A-Z challenges. I have already made my lists for the 56 books. I will be posting that the first of the year. Below is a list of the books I read this year by category. Check them out. All of these books were reviewed on Goodreads. I have not linked this list to reviews because the majority of them were reviewed on Goodreads and or LibraryThing and not my blog. I can't always access my blog from work due to the work "Addict" in the title. It is easier to just post on Goodreads and LibraryThing sometimes.

I encourage you to set your own reading goal for 2023. You don't have to publish it on Goodreads or anything. My students keep a reading log in the front of their writer's notebook. They write the title, author, and genre as well as the date they started the book. They are not required to write when they finish. For those who are slow readers it messes with their head destroying their confidence. For my fast readers they forget because they have moved on to the next book.  No matter what your decision, choose to do more reading in 2023. If you would like to leave a message telling me your goal feel free. 

Picture Books
A Boy’s Best Friend: 5 Happy Short Stories for Kids About curious Little Boy Who Loves Animals by Janice Ford
Adventures with Scarlet and Twinkle by Janice Ford
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella by Susan Loywell
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
Dayana, Dax and the Dancing Dragon by Once Upon a Dance
Ellery’s Magic Bicycle by Maria Monte
Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca J. Gomez
Grace and the Gravy Pirates: A HEINZ Thanksgiving Story by Aaron Cushley
I Didn’t do It by Sarah Read
It’s Not My Fault by Michael Gordon
It’s the Rules by Michael Gordon
Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
Learn to Trace Alphabet Letters and Numbers from 0 to 20
Little Aiden A Feelings Book for Toddlers by Albert Choi
Mr. Pancake Turkey by Christopher Francis
My Pandemic Diary by Vedika Agrawal
Noise by Kathleen Raymundo
Oh Kojo! How Could You by Verna Aardema 
Rodney the Rabbit Learns About Healthy Foods  by Janice Ford
Scissor Skills Workbook for 2 year olds and Older Kids by MamTalk
Springtime Rhymes by MamTalk
Summertime wit Snowman Paul by Yossi Lapid
The Barnabus Project by Eric Fan
The Empty Pot by Demi
The Girl Who Wore Too Much: A Folktale from Thailand by Margaret Read Macdonald
The Nativity Book for Toddlers by Kidsup
The Nativity Story by Kidsup Publishing
The One and Only Dylan St. Claire by Kamen Edwards
The Picky Eater by Betsy Parkinson
The Real Story of Christmas Directly from the Bible by MamTalk
The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote by Tony Johnston
The Tantrum Monster by Michael Gordon
The Tree and the Girl by Andrea Hahnfeld
There Once Was a Penny by Mark Restaino
We Don’t Eat Our classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
We Forgot Brock! By Carter Goodrich
When I Lie by Michael Gordon
 
Early Reader
Heroes of the Quest by Mirja Camphausen (fantasy)
The Dream Catcher Rescue Squad: The Basement by Christopher Francis (fantasy)
The Dream Catcher Rescue Squad: The Fear of Being Lost by Christopher Francis (fantasy)
The Dream Catcher Rescue Squad: The Fear of Falling by Christopher Francis (fantasy)
The Dream Catcher Rescue Squad: The Fear of School by Christopher Francis (fantasy)
 
Upper Elementary
 Ezcape from Sobibor by David Fischler (Short Stories)
Meeting Henry Greenfield by Christopher Francis
The Whispering Storm: Respecting Mr. Ravi by Christopher Francis
There’s an Ogre-Beast in the Playground by Christopher Francis
 
Middle Grade
Alone by D.J. Brazier (Realistic Fiction)
Andrew Jackson: The Making of America by Teri Kanefield (Biography, Memoir)
Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova (Graphic)
Bats and Bones by Jeffrey Hickey (Ghost Stories)
Diamond Willow by Helen Frost (Poetry)
Free Lunch by Rex Ogle (Memoir)
History for Kids the Illustrated Life of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Charles River Editors (Biography, Memoir)
I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937 by Lauren Tarshis (Historical Fiction)
Imperfect II by Tabatha Yeatts (Poetry)
Last Chance by Max Elliot Anderson  (Releastic Fiction)
Lonely Dead by April Henry (Mystery)
Long Way down by Jason Reynolds (Realistic Fiction, Poetry)
Maybe a Fox by Kathi  Appelt (Realistic Fantasy)
My Name is Layla by Reyna Marder Gentin (Releastic Ficiton)
One Last Word by Nikki Grimes (Poetry)
Punching Bag by Rex Ogle (Memoir)
Remembering Kaylee Cooper by Christopher Francis (Mystery)
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge (Poetry)
Spinning Through the Universe by Helen Frost (Poetry)
Stoneway by Christopher Francis (Mystery)
That Thing in the Sky by Christopher Francis Fantasy)
The Everlasting Seasons by I.K. Silver (Fantasy)
The Forgotten Girl by India Hill (Horror)
The Girl in the Lake by India Hill (Horror)
The Girl in the White Van by April Henry (Mystery)
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry (Realistic Fiction)
The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong ( Realistic Fiction)
The House on Screaming Ridge: Alex Was Here by Christopher Francis  (Mystery)
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (Traditional)
The Robber Girl by Franny Billingsley (Fantasy)
The Scarecrow by Max Elliot Anderson (Releastic-Fantasy)
The World Inside my Plastic Mirror by Christopher Francis (Fantasy)
What Waits in the Water by Kieran Scott (Mystery)
What Waits in the Woods by Kieran Scott (Mystery)
Wild River by Rodman Philbrick (Realistic Fiction)
Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina by Rodman Philbrick (Historical Fiction)
 
Young Adult
Blessed by Kandi J. Wyatt (Fantasy)
Child of Etherclaw by Matty Roberts (Science Fiction)
Exalted by Kandi J. Wyatt (Fantasy)
In A Dark, Dark Wood by Cece Louise (Mystery)
Perchance to Dream by Tamara Belko (Realistic fiction)
The Lake Never Tells by Alex Tully ( Mystery)
Uprooted by Kandi J. Wyatt (Fantasy)
Where She Fell by kaitlin Ward (Adventure)
 
 
Adult
After the Fall by Craig DeMartino (Christian Inspirational)
Anger and Death by Ron Ripley (Horror)
Anger’s Ruin by Ron Ripley (
Beyond the Storm by Carolyn Zane (Romance, Christian)
Bloody Anger by Ron Ripley (Horror)
Coffin Cemetery by Ron Ripley (Horror)
Feast of Fear by Ron Ripley (Horror)
Kurtain Motel – A.I. Nasser (Horror)
Of Wise Oaks and Weeping Willows by Diane Robertson (Poetry
Plum Springs by Dan Lawton (Thriller)
Purgatory bt A.I. Nasser horror)
Refuge by A.I. Nasser (horror)
Rise by Cain S. Latrani (Fantasy)
Streets of Anger by Ron Ripley (Horror)
The Shaker Murders by Eleanor Kuhns (Mystery)
The Twisted Road to You by Barbara Longley (Romance, Suspense)
What Hurst the Most by Willow Rose (Thriller)
Witness: Lessons From Elie Wiesel’s Classroom by Ariel Burger (Biography-Memoir)

Friday, December 30, 2022

Tortured Souls Series By Ron Ripley

 Source: I purchased the first six books in this series. I won the sixth book from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Genre:  Adult, Horror


Evil comes in so many forms. Sometimes in the form of ghosts, and sometimes in the form of those who use the ghosts for their own purpose. Janet Ladd is one who uses the spirits to get her what she wants, even if it means people are injured or killed.

Dan Tate lives in a historical school house and takes care of Coffin Cemetery attached to it. He was a former journalist who suffers from PTSD. While interviewing a young high school girl she is shot by an active shooter, along with several other students and teachers. Dan is helpless to do anything except hold her as she dies. His inability to move on from this event cost him his family, his job, everything.  When Eli, a young ghost living in the cemetery comes to him and explains what Janet is doing he agrees to help.

Ron Ripley has created a wonderful world filled with ghosts and a great plot line to go with it. I purchased this and the next four because I had won a copy of the last book. I am one that needs to read the whole series if possible. It is a good thing that I have spent my Christmas break doing exactly what I told my principal I would be doing, reading. Can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series.


Something that is very important for the reader to know is that the story takes place in Anger, New Hampshire. Dan is still battling Janet and her ghosts. However, things are getting a lot hotter on the ghostly front. The evil seems to be growing. I kept wondering if Dan would be able to handle it all with everything he was going through. He still battles his PTSD. He has the help of the local sheriff who is also a distant relative to the young ghost boy Eli. They ban together to try to save the city that is being terrorized by the ghosts that Janet has unleashed on them.

It seems like each book in Ron Ripley’s “Tortured Souls” series is getting better. That is definitely what I enjoy in a good series. 


Dan continues to restore the school house and work out his issues from being involved in an active shooting at a high school. Unfortunately, he has made a big time enemy of Janet Ladd and the ghosts she has set after him.. She is the local medium who is using the ghosts to take people’s money. Unfortunately, Dan is the target of Janet’s latest ghost. Someone who is very evil and will do anything to Dan, including killing him.

We are introduced to a cannibal ghost in this book. That should say it all. This book is very gruesome. Good thing I like gruesome books.  It is very important that Dan keep on his toes in this book. I am finding that I have to read from beginning to end because this is not a book you can start and then go to bed only to pick it up the next morning. I am looking forward to the fourth book in this series.




This is the fourth book in the Tortured Souls series by Ron Ripley. I am enjoying this series immensely. We are introduced to Olivia. She is a ghost who is determined to kill Dan. Part of the reason is Mary's house. Dan has inherited it and the ghosts want it for the power it has. Each book seems to bring the tension up ten-fold. The ghosts get more violent and evil and Dan and his friends become more determined to stop Janet and her ghosts. Each book ends in a way that makes you yearn for the next book.  I'm not sure I would have stuck with this series had I started it when the first book came out and then had to wait so long for the next book in the series.  If you like ghost stories then this series is a must read.



True to form we are introduced to a new ghost. As I have read reviews about this series people have talked about a character from another series. Now that I have met him I will need to read the Berkley Street Series to find out who this Shane Character is. If that series is as good as this I know I will enjoy it.  Something else we find out in this book is who is behind controlling Janet. The violence gets worse. Dan's state of mind is worse. The tension is so high I couldn't put the book down. Looking forward to the last book in the series.


I feel so bad for Dan in this series. It seems like the harder he tries the more things he is up against.  He is worried about his children, having trouble with his ex-wife and now he has to try to do everything in his power to save the town of Anger. This is a town he has come to love.  How much more can he handle?  You will need to read this book and the rest in this series.  Definitely one of my favorite authors.  This is a must read series.