Never Lost
by Riley Moreno
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Romance and Paranormal are popular genre's today, and add in a young adult main character and you have most of the recent top sellers. Given that information, Never Lost is something of its own completely.
The main character is Harper who at 16 is forced to move from Chicago to a tiny farm village in Wisconsin where her mother grew up. Life is changed in an instant, and not to the better as far a Harper can tell. The first person she meets in this new town is Danny Benson, the problem, Danny is a 17 year old ghost who has been wandering the woods for the last 39 years!
The interactions and relationship that develops between Harper and Danny is unlike any ghost-human relationship you have ever read about, in fact Danny appears more human than ghost. It is an intense relationship and it helps Harper to adjust to the move, but it won't last for long.
Although this is a short book, it was originally written in five small installments, but I read them all together at once. This book packs a powerful story and kept me wanting more till the end, in fact I still want more of the story.
This is a great young adult or teen story, the trials of moving to a new town, all fit with life and make this story so easy to relate to in many ways.
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SHIT (Our Dollies Have No Holes) or Remember Miley's Brown and Brawn Sugarheld
by Jackson Hodge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Reviewing a book that doesn't fit the normal format of a book is sometimes difficult, sometimes it's easy and then there are times when you are at a loss for words. Thus is the case when talking about Shit, by Jackson Hodge. This is not a book that you can sit a read cover to cover, in fact it's not even really a story but more of a collection of random thoughts and encounters.
There are times you will read things and shake your head and wonder why and other times, you will be compelled to act or think deep and morsley about what you just read. You never know what the next set of thoughts will provoke. Some are entertaining, some enlightening, and some defye classifications.
The author, Jackson Hodge lets his random thoughts and encounters dictate the book, and it becomes a bit of a journal but in a more thought provoking and mind unsettling way. If you are looking for something to challenge your mind, then this is definitely a book that will do that. Just don't expect a fluffy little feel good story.
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The Irish Princess and the Pearls of Eetanam
by Jamie Scheid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
When Mathius takes over the kingdom from his father, who was not the sort of king you wanted to have, his only thoughts are how to make sure people know he is nothing like his father. His first challenge comes in the form of Vikings attacking villages, and once the Vikings are dispatched, King Mathius dies in his sleep. His widow and young daughter are left to change the kingdom, and he leave a heroic legacy. His death effects a fisherman, who is given a magic medallion, and he passes it on to the Queen. The time comes when the queen needs to find out if Cassidy, her daughter is ready to take the throne, and she tells her of the medallion and sets her on a mission. The future of the kingdom is borne on the mission and the leaders emerge. The Irish Princess and the Pearls of Eatanam follows Cassidy and her journey, along with the fate of the kingdom. Jamie Scheid writes a fairy tale of sorts with wisdom and character.
Cassidy is the perfect princess, caring more for people and her kingdom than herself. The Irish Princess and the Pearls of Eatanam follows Cassidy and teaches of her gentleness and kindness. A kingdom ruled by a widow Queen, but covered in the legacy of a heroic king gone before he had time to do anything. The daughter born to take over, and the children of the kingdom that will be her help and guidance forever. Jamie Scheid gives us a story part historical, part fairy tale, and part realistic. So much to learn from the characters and the way they respond to everything that life offers them.
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An Untitled Lady
by Nicky Penttila
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
An Untitled Lady takes a real life political event, the Peterloo Massacre, and gives it life and voice in the form of fictional characters. Madeline has grown up alone, but her godfather has been grooming her to be his son's bride. Too bad he forgot to tell his son about this development. When Madeline arrives at Shaftsbury, nothing is what she was lead to believe it would be and her world is turned upside down. The younger brother of the Earl of Shaftsbury marries Madeline, and as he is a merchant takes her to town. The plight of workers and the factory owners becomes the main focus as +Nicky Penttila tells the story leading up to what would be later called the Peterloo Massacre when the workers rose up in passive protest to the treatment by the factory owners. As Nash and Madeline strive to learn to live together, they are in the middle of the arguments, he as a factory owner but one who understands the workers. Madeline is pulled in as she searches for her family of birth.
An Untitled Lady may take place in 1819, but the ideals are progressive, and as we watch Nash and Madeline together, we see them learning that the rules of the past will not fit the new order of the world. Nash is a merchant, but he is more understanding to his workers and wants a peaceful resolution. Madeline is drug into the conflict as she search for her birth family, only to find them high in the reform movement. Does she follow her family of birth or the rules she was raised under? Throw in an evil Uncle that has clouded Madeline's judgment and you find a wonderful story of the time period. +Nicky Penttila mixes history and fiction to give life to a moment in time that deserves more understanding.
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Slow Cooker Recipes Quick & Easy Cookbook: Mouthwatering Recipes Prepared in 30 Minutes or Less!
by Kathy KNIGHT
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
From some reason I had the idea in my head that as my children got older, cooking for them would become easier and I would be able to make fancy dinners. Now I realize that it was a dream, as my kids get older they are more involved in activities at school and I have even less time to cook. Over the years I have received a couple of slow cookers as gifts, but never really made the best use of them. As I was looking through kindle titles the other day, I came across this book of Slow Cooker Recipes and I knew I had to give it a try.
The book is wonderful in that it gives you some great starting recipes to have you using your slow cooker the same day. Not only are there great recipes that are easy to follow,they use ingredients you already have on hand and can be made on a budget. There are even some healthy eating variations and recipes included in the book as well. Aside from the recipes, there is another chapter devoted to the slow cooker itself. This gives you excellent advice on what to look for in a slow cooker if you don't have one, the best types of slow cookers, and other great information to make it easier for you to use.
Slow-cooked Lasagna is on the menu in our house now on basketball game nights, since we get home from school and have to run out to the game quickly. Now I can have a great dinner ready when they get home from school and we can eat before heading to the game. This means no more concession stand dinners! This book gives you great recipes that will help to make you feel better about what you are feeding your family.
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The World of Karov (Children of Demilee, #1)
by Elyse Salpeter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Adam and Alec are identical twins, in looks only. In their minds they are complete opposites. Alec is deeply disturbed, and takes after their father. Adam longs for a normal life, and he risks it all to runaway and try to find that life. Just as he thinks he has found the answers and is about to marry, his twin Alec kidnaps the bride and disappears. Adam searches with no luck, only to come upon someone who offers him a chance to start over in a new life on a new world. The World of Karov needs Adam, and he finds a place of respect. Adam may have left his past behind, but it will forever color his feelings and what he does? Can he make a new life or will his past continue to haunt him forever? +Elyse Salpeter weaves a wonderful tell of two worlds, two lives and two twins completely different yet always interconnected.
The World of Karov is a wonderful place for Adam to be. He is respected and not pitied because of his brother and father. He has a talent that is useful and he finally begins to feel that he has a place, even if it is on a different world than that of his birth. Somehow though, family can not be forgotten or left behind, and one day Adam will have to face his again. +Elyse Salpeter has written a tale that is so bold and different, you just have to keep reading. While the main character starts the book at age eight, this book is directed towards Young Adults and Adults alike. There is meaning in everything for both generations to glean.
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A Healing Heart
by Melissa A. Hanson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Bailey is young and pretty, she has everything going for her until a drunk driver changes her world. In the blink of an eye she goes from a happy teen to the only survivor of a terrible accident. Why did she survive? How can she go on in life? Will the nightmares ever end? A Healing Heart is a wonderfully touching story that follows Bailey, two years after the crash as she tries to rebuild her life and move on. It will take a chance encounter with another teen who has faced their own struggles for her to come to grips with the pain and move on. Melissa A. Hanson tells a remarkable story of loss, pain and guilt that is slowly overcome by love and happiness. All this through the eyes of teenagers making it a moving and inspirational story.
A Healing Heart is a wonderful book for teens, as the main characters are high school teens who have had to face some terrible events in their lives. How they rebound from those events and what happens next will leave you in tears as you journey with them to a healing place. Viewing the story through the eyes of the teen characters sheds a different light on the feelings and emotions they have to deal with. Melissa A. Hanson writes a powerful story of survivor guilt, and how to get past it with the help of friends and family. It is an inspirational story for the young adult and teen readers, but at the same time as an adult it is a compelling read as well.
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Kathryn Cooper Review
