Riduna
The Riduna Series, 1
by Diana Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Harriet always thought she had her simple life planned out. She would grow up on Riduna, marry and raise a family never leaving her tiny island home. Sometimes dreams aren't enough to face the realities of life, and the harsh realities of life can change even the best of dreams. Edward grwe up next door to Harriet and he had always dreamed of traveling, going to sea and adventuring but he always thought he would come back to the safe port of home in Riduna, and Harriet. When tragedies occur and Edward is far at sea and nowhere to be the rock that Harriet needs, his cousin Joe becomes her rock and protector. Riduna follows these three people through life and the developments of the world and war and all the changes that occur to change all of their dreams. Diana Jackson does a wonderful job of giving a family saga that touches your heart with love and heartache. You become involved in the family and want to know more and want to see what occurs.
Riduna is such a small island, but among the friends we met in the beginng, some can't wait to leave, some can never see leaving, and some who never planned to leave find things that they have no control over can change even the best of plans. Diana Jackson is a great writer and develops a wonderful story that has you feeling part of the lives of these people. You can almost imagine yourself on the island of Riduna right in their lives. There are historical events that truly occured mixed into the story that makes it feel even more real, and like this could really be someone's actual life. This is a great book, the first of two book in the series, and would be a wonderful read for anyone of interest.
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Embarkment 2577
by Maria Hammarblad
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Alex awakes but can't remember anything, and she is certain she is dreaming when the doctor, or at least the person in the white lab coat turns around and has yellowish-orange skin. Wake up, wake up, wake up Alex screams in her mind but nothing changes. Everyone in the room keeps saying everything will be better when Adam gets her, who is Adam? It seems that Adam is an android from the year 2577 that landed back in present day, and Alex helped him to get back home, but in her final act of bravery she took a bullet that killed her in our time, and Adam brought to this time to be saved. Now she has to learn life all over. Embarkment 2577 is actually a collection of three small stories about Alex and Adam and life in the year 2577. Alex learns to live on the ship, and in each book it seems she causes some problem, without meaning to or knowing it. How the crew and her friends have to work to get her out of some sticky situations are what all these stories are about Maria Hammarblad does a wonderful job of adding in enough information facts to make you really feel like you are learning about living in space along with Alex but not enough to bore you.
Alex has the needy quality to her, but not in a bad way. She can take care of herself, but her she is in a completely new world and has no idea what to do. Adam is supposed to be an android, but he is more human than anything we've seen before. Maria Hammarblad gives us a real life feel in this science fiction novel. The aliens sound plausible and interesting. If anything Embarkment 2577 make me want to delve more into science to see if we can't make some of this come true.
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The Anonymous Girl
by Holy Ghost Writer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The title and the author name of this book sparked my interest, I mean really, who wouldn't want to at least check out something written by someone calling themselves "Holy Ghost Writer"? After an author name like that, I found the whole book to be full of the same devil-may-care attitude and adventure.
Zaydee is in prison, and refusing to give her real name, so she has been nicknamed Princes Jane Doe in the press, but prison is nothing to Zaydee. This woman is a brilliant mind, a genius, and a top notch hacker. She is so confident in herself and her abilities, yet at the same time she is not completely cocky. She is independent and capable and is ready to rule her own world. This is the kind of character that you would want every girl to read about. The confidence and independence are traits that should be encouraged in young girls today. She is also a female in the world of computer hacking and internet stock trading, which are male dominated fields, so she is a role model in that respect as well for all girls. But, this is not a young adult or kids book, this definitely has some adult moments in the book, a couple of intimate encounters between characters, so I can't come out a recommend it to girls, but I love the character for girls to read about.
The book is so fun and there are so many things going on at one time, that sometimes you aren't sure exactly what Zaydee is planning next. There is buying and selling stocks, there is money making, there is just so much more and I can't tell you anything more than to tell you that you just have to read the book. You will enjoy the journey and adventure that Zaydee takes you on and the friends and confidants that she makes. They make the world seem like the good guys, or lesser bad guys can overthrow the corrupt good guys. This is a follow up to a previous book, and I did not read the first book, but had no trouble reading this book. It stands alone quite well.
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The Jewel Box
by C. Michelle McCarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Follow the life saga of a naive young, small town Texas girl from the late 1960's when she was a young newlywed looking to get out of town until the present. Jill Novak is pretty and spunky, but when it comes to the real world and life, she knows almost nothing. At 18 she marries the first guy that promises her a way out of the small town of Lake Jackson, Kent Novak and they are gone. Married life turns out to be a whole lot different than she expected or planned, and it's not all her fault, needless to say it ends in a divorce, but she comes out with Jacy Nicole, or Nikki, a beautiful daughter.
The box follows Jill, from her point of view, in fact this is her retelling her life to the reader of how she got to where she is today. It watches her grown and mature, learn and lose, love and hurt. She makes hard choices to do things that she never thought she would ever do, and she lives with the guilt and grief from them long after they have past. She blames herself for events she had no control over, don't we all sometimes, and yet through it all grows into a reliable able adult.
She is not always the greatest judge of men. She will met the willy boss who uses her, the oversure of himself administrator that thinks he can cure anything with marriage, the handsome rich guy who loves her but she can't love back, her one true love and all the problems that brings, and someone so like her true love that she can't stop comparing them enough to actually love him.
Throughout it all she keeps going, keeps moving and trying to make a life for herself and her daughter. Best of all Nikki grows to be a wonderful young woman, in spite of all she see's her mom go through, or maybe it is because of all she sees. She learns from her mom's mistakes and bumps and takes her time and she is a treasure.
You will cry along with the book as you watch her with her true love try to be together, time after time, only for them to allow children and family, and in-laws to come between them. It happens to so many relationships, and I personally have seen the exact thing happen to some friends, so I think I cried even harder, but that is part of what make the book so perfect. The whole story really could have taken place, you can really see this life unfolding, and you can see people you know and love in parts of the book, and people you recognize in other parts and even people you were when you were younger sometimes.
It is a curl up by the fire and take the time to read kind of book, because it will take you a bit to get through. Sometimes you will have to put it down to cry, but you will want to continue to read to see just where it ends. Does true love win in the end, or does the interferences of life keep them apart.
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The Heir to the Amulet
by S.P. Meijer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
The Heir to the Amulet mixes the ideas of Knights and old world, medieval places and areas or countries with futuristic, high-tech places and areas or countries and blends them into a story of mystery and intrigue, kidnapping and sabotage. Raith was success in her attempt to take over the country of Cymnosa, but the Queen and her children managed to escape. Years later, Queen Sarah has vanished in a plan crash, and the heir, Lora is living under a false identity in another country, while Richie is under the control of an evil Uncle. When Raith makes a bid to get the remaining two nations fighting, Lora undertakes the adventure of a lifetime to save her brother, her best friend and new friend, along with the rest of the world, in +S. P. Meijer's fantasy epic adventure.
Lost heir's are a dime a dozen, but Lora is different, she is 16 but packs a powerfulful determination into that body to right the wrongs of the world. You like her from the beginning. Her best friend Stephen is the son of the King of Magoria, although the King doesn't quite like her.+S.P. Meijer focuses on the kids, they are the heros of the book, they are the ones who get out there and make things happen. It's not the King or The Queen or any adult, although at times they help a bit, but it is mainly a group of 16 to 10 year old kids. That is what makes The Heir to The Amulet so good for kids to read. It gives them a sense of empowerment and encouragement, that they aren't too small and their voice matters.
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A Voice to Be Heard
by Dell Brand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Travel back to the 1800's to a time when society was ruled by men, and women were window dressing. A Voice to be Heard starts with a young girl, Florence who is well educated, which is not common for that era. Yet she is seduced and becomes pregnant by the Lord of the house's son, only to be held in high regard by the Lord, who takes care of her and her twin daughters for the rest of his life. Within days, grandfather is killed in a freak carriage accident and mother dies after and run-in with her seducer. The twins go to their grandfather's lawyer with a plan, he having heard all about the intelligence and education that grandfather and mother imparted on them. The lawyer is more than happy to help and sets plans into action, within a month the girls are on a boat to Australia. Despite all society conventions,the girls proceed on their own, and buy a house, build another, turn the first into a hotel, and thus an empire is created. Along the way, each twin runs into problems with men. Joey falls for a married man, has his child, but never tells him about it and lets Maddy raise her as her own. Maddy marries a thug who hides his true intentions from her until after their marriage. He drains their bank account and beats up Maddy, only to later try to rape Joey and get knocked over the head and killed. Happier times and sadder times follow, just as in life. Dell Brand does a wonderful job making you feel like you are really living in Melbourne in the 1840's.
A Voice to be Heard is an inspirational read to any woman, allowing them to realize that they can accomplish whatever they want, no matter what society says. It won't be easy, there will be hurdles and bad times, but good times too, you just have to stay focused. Dell Brand cover a long period of time, from the early 1800's when Florence is young, to the 1850's after the death of Thomas, the twins father. It's truly a family saga, although it does skip huge parts of time, which of course you would have to, to cover the length of time it does. I enjoyed Joey's drive to be held under no ones thumb, to be her own person and to build this empire for her family. Maddy is more the romantic of the two and craves marriage and children. Yet for all Joey's strength, one man can still bring her crumbling, her first and only love. She never stops loving him. Overall the family saga, historical nature of the story first drew me in, but the characters kept me there until the end. It had me wishing I could have been there, almost. I couldn't handle the fashion!
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Plain Peace
by Beth Wiseman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Plain Peace is the latest novel in the Daughters of the Promise series by Beth Wiseman. I have to admit that this is the first of this series that I have read, and normally I hate to do that but at the time I picked this book I wasn't aware of the series. That being said, if you haven't read the series, you can still pick up this book and the story makes sense all on it's own, you don't have to have read the previous books. Although if you are like me, now having read this one, it makes me want to go back and read the others.
Anna is the bishop's granddaughter, and although she is growing her grandfather may be a little blind to that, along with a number of other things. Bishop Byler is old-fashioned and strict, some think too strict, but his strictness has a reason and it has purpose for him. Anna's parents died when she was young, in an auto accident as they were being driven by and Englisch. Anna has never minded his strictness, she has always felt loved, until now when it starts to effect her future and courting.
Jacob and his family are new to Paradise. The move was to be a fresh start for the family, yet it seems that they have brought all the brokenness with them. Jacob doesn't know the Bishop and so he tries to court Anna, the only person in town willing to try, despite the fact that she is sweet and beautiful. As Anna and Jacob develop a friendship, can she help to heal his family's hurts.
This is a story of life. So many things happen in lie that influence the decisions we make and the people we become. This story shows how the Bishop was influenced by his son's death. How the Bishop's wife rebelled in secret, and how all the people of the town mix together to heal each other. No one character stands on it's own, in fact they are all so intertwined together, I found myself flipping to the family tree's at the beginning of the book over and over again.
I have always enjoyed Amish life stories, and this was no different. I love the deep sense of family and connectedness that seems to come in that community. Sometimes I think that is what is wrong the world today, too much emphasis on self and not enough on family. I will have to say that this book does introduce a great deal of Englisch technologies into the Amish community, more than I have ever seen in an Amish book before, but it also has some sound reasoning for most of it. I didn't think it upset the story in any way, in fact it may be a more accurate picture of how the Amish have to deal with today's world. Whether it is or not, the story still focused more on the family and the influences of past events on their decisions and choices.
Anyone who is looking for an uplifting story, one to remind you of the value of family and being together. Working through all problems and finding faith and a way in the world, then this is for you. It was a sweet and enjoyable read.
Reviewed for +Book Sneeze.
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The Sundered
by Ruthanne Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers Favorite
Water is no longer blue, it's black and it's dangerous. Not only is it dangerous, but it covers most of the world. The world is inhabited by the humans and those they can The Sundered. The Sundered come from the water, but can be controlled by the human mind. It can be difficult, but they have to be harnessed for humanity to live in this world. Ruthanne Reid weaves a story of co-dependency and mutual distrust. The humans need the sundered to grow food and survive on the world. The sundered don't need the humans, but they are less powerful and submit to the control, for the most part. The story follows one young man, and his group as they search the world over for the Hope. The Hope of Humanity is rumored to be what will fix the world back to what it used to be. Other's want to destroy the Hope to in turn destroy the sundered and take the planet for themselves. The truth, is somewhere altogether different.
Ruthann Reid creates a world that feels like Earth, only many years advanced when water covers most of the planet and land is rare. The humans can't touch the water, it will drag them in and kill them. They have to have the sundered to get the water to live. The Sundered is well written and has you really thinking. There are the two factions, one that says the Hope will fix the world, the other that says the Hope must be destroyed. As the story progresses and you learn more, things are uncovered that make you question each faction. Can two cultures survive on the world together, or does it have to be just one or the other? Which culture is really the one that invaded the other and forced themselves on the planet? Great read for adults and teens alike.
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Nelson Mandela - The Inspirational Life Story Of Nelson Mandela, The Best Of A Legendary South African Leader
by Gregory Watson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As a parent and a teaching assistant, I am always looking for good and short biography books that I think will interest my kids. They also need to be about people who have done something inspirational, not just made a lot of money. I am so glad to have found this one. I think it is perfect for my advanced level 4th grade, and would be good up through high school.
We have all heard of Nelson Mandela, but maybe our children don't see the importance of him the way we did. This book takes you back and tells you of his life, from birth to death. The triumphs and trials, the joys and sorrows, and everything that went into making Nelson Mandela the man he was.You learn things that you might not have known before, the type of student he was and what motivated him to do the things he did.
This book is a great way to introduce a young, new generation of children to the legacy of Nelson Mandela and to see that they learn of his principals and commitments. To teach them what he stood for and to make sure that they know the importance of standing for something. Definitely one that I want in my library.
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Orphan of the Olive Tree
by Mirella Sichirollo Patzer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed by Michelle Randall for +Reader's Favorite.
Orphan of the Olive Tree is a beautifully crafted story of the life-long friendship of two men, sent to war and yet brought safely home. The are best friends, live next door, and because of the war make a blood oath to marry their firstborns to each other. Enrico is married to the sweet and honest Felica, and they have twin boys. Carlo is married to the ever envious Prudenza, who can not stand to let someone else enjoy their happiness, and on the day of the birth of the boys spread a cold-hearted lie. As with all lies, they tend to come back to haunt you, and when in the next year Prudenza herself gives birth to twins, she refuses to admit her lie and instead sends one child away never to be talked about. +Mirella Sichirollo Patzer knows that lies and fate have a way of deciding for themselves what should happen, and you are not in control, and Prudenza slowly finds out.
Orphan of the Olive Tree is so well written and flows so beautifully that you really have a hard time putting it down. You always want to know whats next. +Mirella Sichirollo Patzer weaves an amazing story of friendship and bonds, of rivalry and envy, of love and betrayal so effortlessly together. Some of the drama comes from superstitions of the 13th century, but most is just the down right evil of one person, who wants their own way. As you follow along you begin to develop a relationship with the characters and get to know them and you know what you want to happen, and you get mad when things are not going that way. I will have to say that anyone that loves a good family saga will love this story, not only that by the Spanish influence and the romance and the betrayal. It is just a perfect read.
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The Silver Arrow
by Larry Itejere
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed by Michelle Randall for +Reader's Favorite.
Part knights of the round table, part knights of the templar, part historical, part fantasy, part paranormal powers and a classic good vs. evil storyline is what defines Drops from the Kingdom. Most of the book tells the story of Isesac, and how he came to be the guardian and guiding figure that he is today. There is some history of the world this story is being set in, which is a mix of old world, nordic and fantasy. There is also the story of Samuel, and his gifts. How he finds out about them, Iseasc's search for him and later his search for Iseasc. +Larry Itejere has set this up along the lines of a grand adventure like the knights of the round table, or King Arthur. Even better still, it is only the beginning of the story. The epilogue entices you to wait to continue the journey with Jayden.
+Larry Itejere has written a well-balanced story that has adventure and intrigue, mystery and suspense and just enough paranormal powers to draw in just about every pre-teen and teen boy. Drops from the Kingdom reminds me of a better version of the Knights of the Round Table, only set in a different location, a different time period, and with a different story. The paranormal powers and the idea of patrons and guardians will interest all those kids that are looking for a slightly magical twist in their stories. There is adventure and warfare, enough to keep the boys reading, but not so much has to drive the girls away. This is a great book for that pre-teen set, as the characters range from 12 to 17 for the most part during the story.
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Exiles of Gaia
by H. R. Olsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Exiles of Gaia is aptly titled. As humans in this future world we are exiled from Earth. We did not take care of the planet and it could no longer support life. Everyone now lives in space stations or colonies on the moon. Only one mission to Earth has taken place in the time they have lived in space. That mission ended badly, now another is in the works. H.R. Olsen does a wonderful job of weaving together the flight crew, the movements, political intrigue and murder to create a captivating story. As there are grass root movements today, there are groups that want to return to Earth, some that want to stay in space, and still others that love the Earth but don't want to return to it. As each of these groups plot against each other and political rivals face off over the planned Earth trip we follow the story, twisting and turning until the end.
H.R. Olsen is a wonderful writer, in that I started reading this book, and just couldn't put it down. I wanted to keep reading to find out who and where. As you turned each page in Exiles of Gaia and got further into the story, what once seemed like random characters are starting to come together. They are crossing paths and being connected to each other, making for unplanned twists in the storyline. It is a great science fiction book, even for young adults and teens, as well as the older crowd. Everyone would get enjoyment out of this book.
Reviewed by Michelle Randall for +Reader's Favorite
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Roadblocks to Nirvana
by Patricia Halloff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
After a particularly rough fight with her mother, Agnes goes for a walk to cool down and finds herself in the cemetery. While she is there she has a vision of an archangel named Elias coming to tell her the first steps she needs to take to reach nirvana. Roadblocks to Nirvana is the tale of Agnes' quest to find that nirvana and the reactions of people around her that set roadblocks in her path. The strange thing is that although Agnes will tell you he is an archangel, she does not believe in religion. Enter the street preacher and you have a whirlwind of turmoil brewing. Mix in a holocaust survivor in the form of a pharmacist and even more challenges emerge. Patricia Haloff captures the worlds views of this archangel visit so well, from those who agree, to the church who denounce her. Divest, Simplify, Purify. It all sounds so easy.
Roadblocks to Nirvana could have taken place in any city in the world. The reactions and comments would have been the same. Patrica Haloff nailed the sentiment of the people so well. She developed a great character in Agnes, who has always been timid. The joy of this book is to watch Agnes as she tries to follow what Elias asks of her, and those who should be supporting her the most are the ones who are crying out against her the most. This book is best for adults, as there is some brief adult content, not much, but some. Divest, Simplify, Purify, it all sounds so easy, but the roadblocks are many and the path is narrow.
Reviewed by Michelle Randall for +Reader's Favorite.
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The Conquered Shore
by Mark Whiteway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book may be the fifth book in the series, but it is the first one that I have read. Normally, I hate to do that. I have this thing about reading books in order. It just happened that I got this book without knowing about the others until it was too late, so I went ahead and jumped in. Let me say this about that, you can do that. This book can easily stand on it’s own very well. I don’t think I missed anything by not reading the others first, although now I want to read them.
Science Fiction has always been a favorite genre of mine. It allows you to think of worlds so far away and so different. That is one of the things I loved the most about this book, the world that it created. This is the story of how the people that live on the planet now actually came to live on the planet and how the planet came to look the way it looks now. It hasn’t always been like this.
You meet Keris and McCann and they are searching for a stolen memory ball, or orb. You will really only see these characters and the now timeline, briefly in the beginning of the book to set up the story, a couple of times in the story and at the end of the story. The rest of the book is what they see in the memory ball of when the people first landed on the planet and what happened to make it what it is now.
I found myself understanding certain characters more than others. Being able to relate to them and wanting them to win out over others. It’s not a typical good vs evil, it is more can two cultures co-exist together on the same planet? I knew pretty quickly where I landed and it was easier to see the reasoning that one side put forth. The beauty of it is that you can take some of the bits of the final ten chapters and apply them to current life. Use them as teaching moments with your teens. I am always looking for books that I can do that with, and I will be able to do that with this one.
It is well-written. The dialogue and descriptions are not too wordy, but give you enough to allow you to picture it in your mind. I would recommend it to adults and teens alike. In fact I have already passed my copy on to my teenage son. This is a great book. If you like science fiction, or even if you think you might like reading about another planet, this is one you should go for.
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