Null City books by Barb Taub

Dec15

I’d hate to be accused of being one of those people who runs themselves ragged during the holiday season, spending so much time preparing to have fun that they never relax and actually have fun. Luckily for me and my fun-loving self, I happen to be extraordinarily good at avoiding all my responsibilities for an hour or so at a time. I’m virtually an expert at sitting down in front of the fire with the cats and the dogs to read a bit of a book and let the stress of the day pass me by.

But it is the holidays, and I do have a million things to do and all kinds of fun I’d like to have, so I am a little bit choosy about the kind of book I’ll pick up. Now is not the time to finally read Middlemarch. I’m not even going to consider reading the second Stormlight Archive book right now, and if you hear Philippa Gregory has a new book out, don’t tell me about it until after the new year. Payback is a Witch by Barb Taub However, if a novella (or three) revolving around characters with superpowers, witches, goddesses, fairies – even the Krampus, and the city they can live in as “normal” people were to happen to be on sale for the holiday season… well, that would be basically perfect for me. Just for the Spell of it by Barb Taub

Would I recommend it? These books may not be for everyone, but I can’t imagine a better mid-holiday break for myself! Now I’m just hoping Santa brings me an Amazon gift card so I can read One Way Fare too!

I can’t forget to mention that Barb Taub, being that kind of a lovely lady, will be donating all her royalties this holiday season from these books, as well as her first (One Way Fare), to the No Kill Animal Advocacy Center and DogsTrust.

I encourage you to head over to Barb Taub’s site and read about her books, sale and donation plans.

Find it all here: http://barbtaub.com/2014/12/12/ho-ho-ho-my-new-book-release-special-sale-pricing-and-a-benefit-for-homeless-pets/

Desprite Measures by Deborah Jay

Dec3

First thing first.

There is a vampire in this book and he can’t tolerate the sunlight.

I like to get these kind of facts in the open right away so that if you are like my husband you will at least consent to hear about the rest book. Some people, are so touchy about these things. I mean seriously, what’s wrong with a little sparkle now and then?

But I digress.

Vampires, elementals, witches, fey… There are loads of creatures in this book living alongside humans in the Scottish Highlands – which is the best part of the book. Not just that they exist, but that they do so with a fairly well thought out strategy of how the creatures live aside humans and why they act the way they do. Fantastic for people like my vampire persnickety husband who can then just enjoy the story without shaking their heads too much over the technicalities. Even better, the author fits that information into the writing smoothly enough that the book doesn’t bog itself down with the details. Well some of the details. Apparently elementals need DNA to support a human guise and sometimes a girls gotta do whom a girls gotta do in order to get some… DNA…

Would I recommend it? This book is good! It’s quick and fun, with a well written, solid plot. If I weren’t warming my toes by the fire and battened down for cold weather I’d call this a perfect beach read!

Be warned, if you search for this book search engines everywhere will try hard to convince you that you mean “desperate measures” don’t believe them!

This honest review was given in return for a free copy of the book from its author.

Absolute Power: Book 1: Origins by Grayson Queen

Nov24

It was the morning of what was to be an extraordinarily uneventful day. Unpacking, laundry, cooking, more laundry… but before I even started my day I discovered that Grayson Queen’s new book was released. Of course, I had to go check it out, pin it to my board of books to read, add it to my Amazon wishlist… and that’s when I discovered that not only was it out, but that the e-book is free until the 27th! There was no reason not to “buy” and download it just at that moment, so I did.

And then it hijacked my day.

I wasn’t going to read any of it today, I’m in the middle of another book, but I had to at least check out the cover… and the first pages… and before I knew it I was knee deep in the history of Super-Human wars before I had even had breakfast.

I folded laundry at super speeds, promising myself another chapter (or three) if I finished it all.

Lunch time found me struggling to keep characters and their crazy abilities straight while reading, feeding the girls and eating myself. (Had I followed the directions of my grade school teachers I would have looked through the whole book and found a character list in the back, but where is the challenge in that?)

Once the kids were in bed I settled into the couch to enjoy the rest of the book in peace which was good, because things were getting a little crazy with space and time and I needed to concentrate.

Long before I was ready, the book ended with a bang and I was left desperate to know what happens next.

And my boring day? I hardly noticed all that laundry, I was too busy lost in a world of telepaths, heroes and intrigue.

Would I recommend it? Yes in the course of my day it moved from my Pinterest “Books to read” board right on over to my “Book Recommendations” board. It’s a fast-paced-blow-shit-up and intelligent-make-you-think read all at the same time.

Here is the Amazon link:

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Nov19

Reading…

…reading..

…reading…

…reading last chapter…

“Wait, what?!”

…re-reading last chapter…

“WHAT?!?”

…re-skimming last chapter…

“No, seriously, what! WHAT? What!?!”

Would I recommend it? I was finding the book interesting up until the end but after an end like that I just can’t recommend it. However, if you happen to read it as part of a book club, I can tell you from recent experience that when everyone ends a book thinking, “Wait, WHAT?!?” there is loads of discussion to be had!

A Place in the World by Cinda Crabbe MacKinnon

Nov12

I sat down to write this review, ready to say that nothing huge and dramatic happens in this book.

I was about to tell you that this is a lovely little book, set in dramatic Colombia, amongst the beauty of rain forests on a coffee farm, where a woman leads her life the best she can, as she finds her own place in the world.

But then I remembered the volcano.

It’s hard to claim a volcano isn’t huge and dramatic – it’s a volcano.

So I did some more thinking. How had my faulty memory managed to marginalize the volcano, and quite a few other notably dramatic events?

Eventually, I came to the conclusion that it was the main character’s unique attitude. As an American who has lived for many years in Colombia, she handles things with an amazing blend of the two cultures. Stepping back and forth between them so well that the big drama fades into the background, leaving the focus of the book right where it should be, on the young woman in search of her place in the world.

It just so happens that her world is run by men, contains active volcanoes, guerrilla fighters, monkeys, a bit of political turmoil, coffee crops and an occasional iguana in the water tank – making it infinitely more interesting to read about than our own.

Would I recommend it? I would. Drama aside, the information on the culture, rain forests and coffee growing would have been enough to keep me interested.

This honest review was given in return for a free copy of the book from its author.

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman

Oct29

As a mother of girls, I love this book.

But when I looked at it’s reviews online it seemed that for as many people who love this book there are just as many who don’t think children will like it, that it is nothing more than a book for mothers-to-be.

My children and I are here to respectfully disagree.

I asked Clara (5) to show me her favorite part.

Clara (flipping pages as she goes): “This, and this, and this, and this…”

Me: “Yes, but why do you like those parts?”

Clara: “Because they are so COOL!”

Then I asked Ivy (7). She said, “My favorite part is…” and proceeded to take the book and read it to me.

Jane (2) answered my question with an enthusiastic, “Gifts for a blueberry girl!!!”

And, if you need more convincing to check it out, here is the animated trailer for the book (I know? Who knew, right?) read by Neil Gaiman himself.

Would I recommend it? Yes, for expectant mothers and beyond.

Zen Ghosts by Jon J. Muth (again)

Oct22

In my world there are two good things about Halloween: candy pumpkins and this book.

Would I recommend it? Yes, even crazy people who loath candy pumpkins have been known to enjoy this sort of ghost story.

You can read a more through review on this book that I wrote three(!) years ago here: Zen Ghost by Jon J. Muth

I still hate Clifford and I still hate Halloween but three years later we all still love this book!

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

Oct15

I’ve done absolutely nothing but read.

My house is messy, my kids are bored, my husband has been ignored, I’m slightly sleep deprived and we have minimal food in the fridge.

I can’t sit down and write a real review -I have two days of neglect to make up for!

Would I recommend it? I couldn’t recommend the last book of a trilogy, it just wouldn’t be right. You have to start with the first one, A Discovery of Witches, and go from there. The only additional thing I will say after reading all three is that the vampire warning still holds true and that I liked each book better than the one before.

A Year in the Life of a Playground Mother by Christie Barlow

Oct9

Today I am participating in a Brook Cottage Books book tour! Click on the banner above for more information about the book and links to more stops on the tour.

I am part of a book club. One of the many small groups of women who get together once a month, theoretically having all recently read the same book. Of course, before we can talk about the book we have to pour some drinks, eat some snacks and catch up on the last month. And, yes, that can take most of our time, but we always get around to the book… eventually.

Reading this book, was like having a surprise guest at book club. She comes in though the door, wearing comfy clothes and monster slippers, which seems like a pretty good mark in her favor. Then she brings out her drink of choice which she brought to share – also a mark in her favor. The fact that it’s sherry is a bit odd because I’ve never known someone to do anything other than cook with the stuff but, well, she’s from England and it’s not like anyone else in the group wants my bourbon on the rocks, so we’ll roll with it Of course, then someone asks her about herself…

A long time later we have learned many things. First off, this new one is a bit of a conversation hog. I mean really, we asked how things were going and she gave us a whole year in review! But we’ve been giggling pretty constantly so I think everyone is ok with it. Her stories are hilarious! At least I think they are hilarious, sometimes it’s hard to tell. One wouldn’t think you’d need a translator to translate English to English but I definitely feel I’m missing some things. The only unfortunate thing is that as time has gone on the sherry has kicked in. Arms are waving, stories are louder and while she is still funny there are few topics and phrases that she seems to think have gotten funnier as the night goes on. But we’ve all been there so when she wanders I take the moment to sip my own drink and let my mind drift and quickly come to a conclusion. Girls can be mean, moms can be meaner. And this new mom, despite her humor, is no exception!

Would I recommend it? I would have invited her back for another book club, but I don’t think she actually read the book…

It was a funny, quick read, and it can be yours! Click on the book below for a chance to win your own copy of A Year in the Life of a Playground Mother!

Rafflecopter Giveaway!

This honest review was given in return for a free copy of the book from its author.

Wild Water by Jan Ruth

Oct1

It is always sad to read a tale of adultery, divorce and families torn in two, but Wild Water is heartbreaking.

And it’s the husband, Jack, who extends this book beyond the general, wife leaves husband, depression and right into heartbreak territory. He makes a joke, and you want to give him a sad pathetic kind of smile because he’s trying so hard. He loses his temper and makes another poor decision and while you can see the train wreck coming, your gut sort of aches for him anyway. He helps his family along and you want to give him a hug because he’s managing to think of others even as he’s falling apart in all the ways a man can. Even when his childhood sweetheart arrives on the scene it’s hard not to cringe knowing that that this guy can’t possibly not screw something up.

Would I recommend it? This isn’t a light hearted romp in the hay romance, nor is it a drama with deep wells of prose. This is something different, a blend of the two, that might have gone awry except for the emotion that Jan Ruth endows Jack with. Jack carries the story and while feeling as though I’ve given myself a sympathy ulcer while reading isn’t always the most enjoyable feeling, it’s undeniably a sign of an author who knows people. And what are books about, if not people?

This honest review was given in return for a free copy of the book from its author.