August 28, 2009

Back to School Fiction

vent I hate blogger when you somehow delete your whole post when you just wanted to go back and fix one sentence and there is no way to get it back. /vent

These next books I have to tell you about are part of the Back to School Fiction Blog Tour. What? you aren't going back to school? That's okay because really it’s just three really good stories that hopefully you will have time to read now that your kids are back to school. So you don't have kids, nor do you even know anyone headed back to school? I'm tired of the excuses, they're good stories.

I'm currently reading Knit for Love, by Beth Pattillo. It's part of The Sweetgum Ladies Series. It features 6 women in all stages of life that do not have very much in common (kind of like the Yada-Yada books), except for a desire to read and knit. They are a Knit-Lit Club. This round they are focusing on Love stories, everything from Romeo and Julie to The Song of Solomon. For each book they read, they complete a knitting project that somehow relates to the story. I makes me feel like finding that scarf I started last winter and finishing it. My only concern is that I have not yet found a way to read and knit at the same time.

The next book in the Blog Tour is The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper written by Kathleen Y'Barbo. I like this girl. She is part of New York's Society, but she has this thirst of adventure. She just once wants to shrug of the demands of proper society to do the things she only reads about. She has an opportunity to go west into Colorado Territory, which she seizes, but what happens there is something she did not expect. I also want to mention how I love this cover. You can just see the mischief in her eyes.

The last book in the tour is called Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner. It’s a story of great loss and the search for hope. Lillian lost her family and she is grieving when she visits the Rose House and finds a painting of her in a moment when she thought she was alone in her misery. It is through this painting that she is forced to confront what happened and works through her pain to find beauty.

August 18, 2009

NORTH! or Be Eaten

I've been so excited for this day. First, because its my 2 year Wedding Anniversary! The other exciting thing about today is the arrival of Andrew Peterson's new book. North! or be Eaten. Its the second book in the Wingfeather Saga. I even have a guest blogger for you today. My little sister Danielle, has been waiting forever for it to come out. Since she really wanted to read the book as soon as apossible, and I received a review copy early, we struck a deal. She could read the book first, but she had to write a review.

So here is what Danielle a 13 year-old girl from the midwest thinks about N!OBE.

North! or Be Eaten is definitely one of the most thrilling books I have ever read! Its is fun to read with its unpredictable plot and original characters. They seem so real, despite the uncommon problems they face. I like Janner and Peet the Sock Man the most, because Janner is easy to relate to and Peet the Sock Man, is well, by far the most intriguing.
Andrew Peterson is a brillian writer with a unique imagination. He grabs my attention and keeps it; not many other authors are able to do that so well. I absolutely love all the dangerous and facinating creatures. now, when I eat fruit, I think fo Ridge Runners. Perhaps the Gargan Rockroachs are the most deadly, though nearly all the animals in Aerwiar pose at least some threat to humans.
North! or Be Eaten seems to have no climax; the entire book is full of awesome adventure. The characters have very interesting stories. Podo's for example, you would never guess.
One thing North! or Be Eaten is not lacking in is humor. Just one of the many amusing occurances is when Oskar decides to quote someone. The quotes are often so mediocre they're funny. In the words of Moriah the Mud Pup discoverer (1), "North! or Be Eaten is exceedingly squishy, and that is a Squishly awesome thing."

(1) Moriah the Mud Pup discoverer is the younger sibling of Danielle and uses the word "squishy" at every opportunity.