By LK Gardner-Griffie on April 15, 2009
I fell in love with Mary Hellick on page one and nothing through the course of the book caused me to change my mind. Mary is a prickly teenager who is an outcast at her school. Shunned by most of the students who taunt her and generally make life hell for her, Mary tries to keep to herself and not draw any attention to herself, but sometimes strikes back. This means that Mary has regular sessions with the guidance counselor, Mr. Landa. Mary is your typical awkward, rebellious teenager, with one exception. Mary is also clairaudient, which means that she can hear the dead, and that tends to complicate her life.
Posted in Horror/Supernatural, LK Gardner-Griffie, Young Adult/Juvenile | Tagged ll book review, Lulu, lulu.com, s. a. hunter, scary mary, teen lit |
By Shannon Yarbrough on April 10, 2009
I first came across Dawson Vosburg in the Lulu Forums and, like many, I found it hard to believe that Dawson is only 14 years old because he is so well spoken. At 14, I was filling up pages of my journal with short stories and poems and dreaming that I might one day be a published author. Thanks to computers and the self publishing technology of today, Dawson has far surpassed my dreams from way back when. Lulu helped me to eventually achieve my own dreams, but had I known Dawson back then, I have to admit I would have been totally jealous.
Posted in Science Fiction/Fantasy, Shannon Yarbrough, Young Adult/Juvenile | Tagged dawson vosburg, double life, imagination, Lulu, lulu book review, lulu.com, secret agent, teen book, teen lit |
By Shannon Yarbrough on March 25, 2009
Condition Black by Edwin Ong arrived with the look and feel of a graphic novel. It’s slick black cover with just a touch of glowing red from the trooper’s night vision goggles make the book exceptionally marketable, but the cover and the brief blurb on the back of the book do not prepare you for the thrill ride waiting on the pages inside. Unfortunately, there are no graphics, but the 96 pages of text are packed full of action and adventure. It begins like this…
Posted in Horror/Supernatural, Shannon Yarbrough | Tagged condition black, edwin ong, Lulu, lulu book review, lulu.com, vampire |
By Dan Marvin on March 20, 2009
I didn’t want to like D by Baron Brady. I read the first several chapters and thought with a certain amount of disdain that it was simply a whodunit, the kind of story I’ve written myself. Pull Sam Spade into the present, photoshop a cell phone into his hand, and he becomes Birk Dillinger our dashing protagonist. Birk is a fun character to write, a hard drinking, hard charging private eye. Unfortunately, he’s not a fun character to read. His dialogue is too simple, his character too much of a cliché.
Posted in Dan Marvin, Mystery/Suspense | Tagged Baron Brady, D, Lulu, lulu book review, lulu.com |
By LK Gardner-Griffie on March 16, 2009
What more fitting way for the Lulu Book Review to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with a review of a book about leprechauns. I was delighted to run across P.J. Cowan’s Michael O’Brien and the Magic Hat. Michael is a young leprechaun who, unlike other leprechaun children, was born without magic. So, when Michael turned seven, the Leprechaun council had a tailor make him a magic green hat that when he wore gave him as much magic as any other leprechaun child. Michael would put the hat on his head the moment he woke up in the morning and take it off only to go to bed at night.
Posted in Childrens, LK Gardner-Griffie | Tagged green, leprechaun, leprechauns, Lulu, lulu book review, lulu.com, michael o'brien and the magic hat, p.j. cowan, shamrock, st. patrick's day, st. patrick's day book for kids, st. patty's, st. patty's day |
By LK Gardner-Griffie on March 13, 2009
When I saw this book posted for a review request, I knew that I wanted to read and review it. The title says it all. I immediately thought of the past several years of attempting to bring my own mother into the computer age. It has been a slow and go process and one day, she will finally give in and buy a computer. The frustrating thing is that she has taken some classes and does very well in the classes, but then when it comes time to buy, she postpones because “she needs to know more about that whole internet thing.” I haven’t given up hope.
Posted in Childrens, LK Gardner-Griffie | Tagged grandma's first computer, kids book about computers, linda hayes, Lulu, lulu book review, lulu.com, POD |
By LK Gardner-Griffie on March 9, 2009
Knowing Jack is a book written by LLBR’s very own roving reviewer, Julie Elizabeth Powell. I first encountered Julie on the Lulu forum boards and was struck by her enthusiasm and encouragement for other authors work. In addition to this her dedication to writing is evident, and I felt like I had encountered a kindred spirit from across the pond. I was very happy to have been instrumental in bringing Julie onboard here at the Lulu Book Review, because she brings an added dimension to the team, allowing us to provide reviews of Lulu authors work who have not necessarily requested a review.
Posted in Horror/Supernatural, Julie Elizabeth Powell, LK Gardner-Griffie, Young Adult/Juvenile | Tagged Julie Elizabeth Powell, knowing jack, Lulu, lulu book review, lulu.com, prescience, psychic ability |
By LK Gardner-Griffie on March 3, 2009
Escaping Innocence is set in a time when the world, or at least the United States, was a little more innocent. During the turbulent times of the sixties, we as a nation lost some of that innocence through war, drugs, and the sexual revolution. Each generation has grown up knowing more at an earlier age, experiencing more, and therefore, the innocent days of youth are gone in the blink of an eye.
Posted in LK Gardner-Griffie, Mainstream/Nostalgia | Tagged escaping innocence, joe perrone jr., Lulu, lulu book review, lulu.com |
By Shannon Yarbrough on March 2, 2009
Check out the Lulu blog today for a recent interview we did with Carol Housel, a community advocate who works for Lulu.Thanks to Carol and to everyone at Lulu for their support!
Posted in Interviews, Shannon Yarbrough | Tagged Lulu, lulu blog, lulu.com |
By Shannon Yarbrough on February 27, 2009
Like many writers, Alex Geana probably keeps a journal. When his Mead black and white notebook isn’t at hand, he grabs a cocktail napkin at the bar and borrows a pen from a waiter to record the thoughts forming in his brain. He says so in the introduction of his anthology called Side Step Me. One poem is even labeled “Poem on a Bar Receipt.” My favorite surface was always using the back of the cardboard beer advertisement tents on the table. Geana says the collection of poems in Side Step Me spans ten years. You’d think he was in his fifties because he mentions a dead mentor in the first sentence of the introduction, and his writing style is extremely adult and somewhat weathered.
Posted in Poetry, Shannon Yarbrough | Tagged alex geana, drug use, Lulu, lulu book review, lulu.com, poems about drugs, poems about sex, sex poem, side step me |
