When the Silence Fell by Christopher Francis

 

Genre:  Young Adult, Dystopian

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

Christopher Francis has quickly become one of my favorite dystopian writers.  Mara is a survivor. She lives in a world coated with ash and silence.  She is on a journey to find her brother Gabe and her sister Cami. They left one day to find supplies and never returned. Now all she wants to do is survive and find them. Sometimes  life doesn't go as planned. When Mara finds a young boy named Silas, things change.  Silas has a device that leads him from one relay point to another. She is not sure how or why only he can receive the signal, but she is sticking with him to protect him and to hopefully locate her brother and sister.  Along the way she and Silas are saved by Jared, a young man they had encountered before. They also rescue a young girl who seems to be reacting to the signals the way a lot of adults do before they become hollow.

I kept reading to know more about the sickness and the signals and each of the characters we meet along the way. I kept reading to find out how a world could go so wrong, how adults who seem so ready to help and protect can be just the opposite. Although the ending was tied up neatly, it left us waiting for the next book in this series. 

How To Improve Leadership Development In Business: A Simple Blueprint to Build Strong Teams, Master Emotional Intelligence, Inspire Confidence, and Achieve Leadership Excellence Dr. Francis Dumbuya

 

Genre: Adult, Inspirational Leadership

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

This book is set up to teach you how to become a successful leader.  To do this you need to become well disciplined. Part of this is connecting emotionally with your team. This makes things so smooth. He talked about active listening and giving and receiving feedback. A lot of the things he talks about in the first half of the book are things we do with our students at school. We teach them to be active listeners. We teach them to be risk takers. 

The author describes different types of leadership shedding light on the pros and cons of each type. He gives examples throughout the book using real people and real situations. This is a very motivational book no matter what your leadership role is.

Project Human by Pen Avey

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Source: I won a copy. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I am so thankful I won a copy of this book from the author through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.  I read this book in under three hours. I had to take a break for breakfast. The major theme of this book is, What does it mean to be human?  This story about a girl named Eva and her father, and the android sister they created for her, caught my eye from the very beginning.  Eva and her sister Ann are home schooled. The reason? Ann is and android, called a simulant. Eva calls her a Humant. One day their father tells them he has to try to find a different job. He will need to have them stay with his sister. The problem is he hasn't exactly asked his sister Jo to keep them. He makes Eva promise not to tell anyone about Ann. For the first time in their life they will be going to a public school. The new neighbors below her aunt have a son named Rokas. He and Eva hit it off. When a day trip to a science museum leads to Ann's disappearance, Eva and Rokas set off to find Ann.  What happens next will keep you on the edge of your seat, reading. It brings into question what love will make you do for someone else. The major plot twist that happens about three-quarters of the way through was one I suspected. Every part of this book was a pleasure to read. I don't think five stars is enough. That is how much I loved this book.