This is Book One of The Misadventures of Edgar & Allan Poe series. And what a start it is!
Listening Library and Random House sent me a copy of the audio book for review (thank you). It has been published and will keep you busy for three hours. This is appropriate for middle schoolers and older.
Audio books (CD's in this case) remind me of the old radio programs. You don't have to suffer through commercials here, though. Mr. Johnson has an enthusiasm in his voice that excites you as a listener. He adopts different voices very easily and some of the written word become even more entertaining than reading would be as he plays the parts.
Edgar and Allan Poe are identical twins; they are so close they can read other's mind and they think exactly the same. They can quickly adjust to situations, have learned more in school than other of the other students, and they will need all those skills to stay alive. Their parents have already been killed, so it's just them (and their aunt and uncle) against the evil forces after them.
The story is a cross between silly, scary, and funny and I enjoyed hearing it. The last part of the book sets up the premise for the next in the series. I'll be watching for that one, too.
Happy listening!
This is a dark tale filled with despair until the end. There is no sweetness and light in this story; it's mean all the way through. If that hasn't scared you off, go ahead and read it. I bet you won't forget it.
Solomon Caw Publishing and Net Galley allowed me to download and read an ebook of this story for review (thank you). It was published in March, so you can get a copy of the ebook now from any vendor who offers them.
Margaret's father travels for his work and is gone months at a time. Her mother is abusive and angry all the time. Margaret has even been abused by her mother's male friend. Her only solace is to cause herself enough pain that she can forget the horror...
Her father is a loving man and he can tell that something is wrong, but he will be going away again. She can't tell him; it's bad enough when he's gone now and it would get worse. She's right. When it all comes to a head, it's a horrific ending.
This is part of the Never Chronicles. There will be a sequel to this story I'm sure; the ending gives you a suggestion why. I found this tale almost too dark for me. I was waiting for redemption and love to save Margaret but that was false hope. She does have a chance for a new beginning and I guess I'll have to be happy with that.
If you're someone who can read anything and it doesn't bother you, I still think this book will stick in your memory and make you think about it. Go ahead, read it, and tell me what you think about it. I'd be interested in hearing.
Happy reading.
First she was accused of embezzlement. Now she's accused of murder!
Gallery Books and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this ebook for review (thank you). It will be published in September and is the start of a new cozy mystery series, so make a note to pick it up at your local bookstore.
Maggie lost her apartment, all her belongings and most of her life when she got accused of embezzlement. She was innocent, but no one believed her. So she heads home to North Carolina and her aunt's pie shop. Her aunt raised her and she worked in the pie shop in her youth, but she loved her new life. "Loved" being the right tense for that life because it was over. Now she just wants to calm down, think about who might have framed her, and to get back into the game again.
It looks like she might have a chance at that when her ex-boss shows up and says he's having a news conference the next morning and will disclose the name of the real embezzler. He won't tell her who it is because he like grandstanding and taking all the credit. It gets even worse when she finds him dead at shop's back door when they get ready to close in the evening. The local police think she poisoned him!
This is a pretty good mystery and with a bit romance thrown in. The story flows well and the killer was surprise to me. I especially like the last few lines in the book that set up the premise for the next story. She presents it well and hooks your interest. I'll be watching for it.
Happy reading.
Harry Hole is sent to Australia to help investigate a young Norwegian woman's murder there. It's also to help him recover from the car accident that killed his partner and made him an alcoholic. This is the first Harry Hole mystery Mr. Nesbo wrote.
Edelweiss and Black Lizard allowed me to download an ebook and read it for review (thank you). The book will be published the second of July, so make a note to pick it up now. If you've read any of Mr. Nesbo's books, you will certainly want to read this one.
Harry is a very complex character. He's a good cop, a faithful friend and he believes in right and wrong. The fact that he's often in the wrong doesn't bother him a lot. There's the right way, the wrong way, and Harry's way.
I was amazed to find that Harry's love life is doomed even from the first book. He's not a hard man to love, he just has a problem keeping his women. Somehow, they all slip away from him.
This mystery is complex and odd. The killer is not who I suspected, the motive was strange, and the ending is very ironic. The killer got his due at the end.
You won't be bored. As the bodies stack up and the pace intensifies, you'll turn the pages faster. Harry makes some wrong guesses in the beginning, but he finally homes in on the killer. You'll be running as fast as he is to catch him.
Check it out; these books always fascinate me and make me want to read more. Mr. Nesbo's work captures me and fascinates me to the end of the story. Why not give him a try?
Happy reading.
Mike,
the one eyed monster, sets his life goal at first grade: He's going to
be a scarer! The fact that he's the smallest in school has nothing to
do with it. He KNOWS he's going to be a scarer.
Golden
Books/Random House sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).
It has been published, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.
I
never saw the movie, so I had great fun meeting all the monsters that
the Disney Pixar team created. My favorite was Sully. He's big,
fluffy, and likes to bend the rules a bit. Mike's team for competition
is the one least likely to succeed. They start awful, begin to do
better, and when Mike does the final scary moment, they win. Then Mike
finds out Sully cheated so Mike would pass the scream test...
This
story is done tastefully and with a good message for children. It's a
delight to read and Monster fans should be happy to see them again.
Give it a try.
Happy reading.
What do a young greyhound who has refused to run and a young woman who's hiding from life have in common? The one who loves them both.
Library Thing and Ashland Creek Press shared this ebook with me for review. It has been published and you can get it at any place that carries ebooks.
If you like raw, gritty stories, this short story anthology is for you. This author understands how fragile relationships can be and how wounded people can attach themselves to animals or a function just to remain sane. Most of her characters are lesbian if that should matter to you.
I like her plain talk and her insight. These are not cheery stories, but they are believable life stories. My favorite story was the very first in the book, Greyhound. If you have done any work with feral or abused animals, you'll recognize the small steps it took to develop the animals trust. Sometimes those same techniques work with humans.
Happy reading.
She lives in a world of mist and never sees the sunshine. She's not even sure what it looks like...
Delacorte Press sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you). It has been published so check with your local bookstore for a copy.
Anglavia is a dark place, in more ways than one. Jemma has always felt like she didn't really fit in there and not just because she had red hair. They rejoiced in evil and she could not make herself find pleasure there. When she decides to leave before her birthday, she begins to find the depth of their evil. They had plans to make her the next sacrifice at their festival. They had bones hidden in secret passages. They had secrets she didn't want to know.
When she steals her mother's pendant and finds her way out of the castle, she learns the mist can confuse her and mislead her. Getting away is not easy. Fearing the hunters and their dogs, she does what she must to stay alive.
This story is action packed, has a lovely young heroine who wants to save the land and the people (if she lives long enough) and ghosts and magic are involved. I enjoyed this fantastic fantasy tale; it's not just for young adults.
If you want to take a walk on the dark side of the world and don't mind a few dead people, this is a good read for you. It's also a battle between good and evil and you don't know which way it's going to go until the end of the story. Are you brave enough to read this?
Here's the link to the trailer for the book: Flame in the Mist
That should tweak your interest!
Happy reading.
