Jack Regan captured me from the get go with his young adult fantasy T’Aragam, which is aimed at the tween age group (9-13).
I dare you not to like Stubbs and Bernadette by Levi Montgomery. Double dog dare you! This book made me late for work on more than once, its that hard to put down. There is something so compelling and sweet about the way that Montgomery describes Bernadette, you just want to shield her from the world. Bernadette in this case is Bernadette Elsbeth McIntyre and the name is bigger than the girl that wears it. She is described as a waif, an elf, a sixteen-year-old in a twelve-year-old’s body and you’ll be able to immediately picture her. There was always someone in everyone’s High School that resembles her. She is the artsy girl, the one that doesn’t dress just right, the one that never quite fit in.
As I Rode with Cullen Baker opens, we are met with a scene evocative of Gone with the Wind with Tara burning in the background. Set in the South in the midst of the civil war, fifteen year old Jessica Linville watched while the Federal cavalry burned her house to the ground.
Have you ever been in a situation in which you have been uncomfortable? Where you don’t know what to say? Or, when faced with a new task tend to panic? If you understand any of those feelings, think how Leah Nells feels, because every minute of every day is a struggle for her to get through.
It’s interesting that Life’s a Gas was published on the 25th Anniversary of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy because it will appeal to the same, slightly ‘off’ sense of humor as the Guide but it includes more modern innovations as cell phones and Eminem. It also has a bit more implied (and actual) sex, usually with holograms or shape shifting aliens, so don’t say that I didn’t warn you.
Loyal readers may notice The POD Diary tab has been removed from the top of the page. This is a detailed journal I’ve been keeping since earlier this year concerning my own recent self-publishing journey. If you have enjoyed the journal, don’t worry. It’s not gone completely. You can still find it under the list of Pages on the left column of the blog.
When I first began reading Separation by Ben Bell, I thought it was going to be another collection of short stories. My reasoning was because of the stream of consciousness-type inner dialog that the reader is presented with on page one. Dan Crake, the main character, is waking up and getting ready to go out with a friend.
Due to the lack of interest in the Success Stories feature I had created last month, and at an attempt to keep things fresh and interesting here at the LLBR site, I have replaced that tab with something I’m calling the POD Diary.
Chapter 1 of Paul Ciccone’s book is entitled “Believe It or Not,” which were my words exactly as I began reading his book for this review. I could NOT believe the tight cogent prose this author has penned! Believe it or not, I almost felt a bit under educated to even be reading this. Ciccone’s writing reads like a fine college thesis, but he has the aptitude to write theory or psychology textbooks, even speeches, for a living if he wanted to.
Mark, a Lulu engineer, has been making the rounds, recently commenting on my previous post and also commenting on Veinglory’s recent remarks concerning Lulu over at Podpeep.
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