Lily Hates Goodbyes
Jerilyn Marler Illustrator: Nathan Stoltenberg
CreateSpace
March 2011
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1460960707
$ 6.95
32 pages
Fiction
What can any of us do to help a military family who has to deal with being sent overseas?
Jerilyn Marler wondered about that exact thing when her granddaughter was having difficulty with her
father’s deployment with the Navy. From four-year-old Lily’s perspective, her life was ending.
This book allows a young child to talk about their temporary loss and feelings through Lily in the book.
Dealing with a deployment is difficult for any family, Lily Hates Goodbyes even guides the family
through this time and how to effectively deal with it.
Particularly for military families, this little book is excellent. Guiding through with some survival skills
such as looking at the moon and talking to it as if it were her father, talking to her mom, hitting a pillow
allows strategies for trying times. Also, the memory box for her father is a wonderful way for sharing
for any parent that has to be gone for any time.
Also available is a coloring book that accompanies Lily Hates Goodbyes. The illustrations are
wonderful. The story is well-told and perfect for any four-year-old to understand. The suggestions in
the story and the back of the book are well-thought out for any family loss, particularly deployments.
Jerilyn Marler resides in Oregon and has been a writer in the technical world for years. Nathan
Stoltenberg also lives in the Northwest and is an up and coming artist in numerous fields.
Lily Hates Goodbyes is the perfect gift for every military family.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Warlord
Warlord
Ted Bell
Harper
Harper Collins Publishers
July 2011
Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-06-185931-1
$ 9.99
681 pages
Fiction – Action- Adventure
Thank goodness that somewhere in the world there is one extremely gifted person who can be trusted
to do the right thing, even if it involves risking their own life. They truly feel that this is their sense of
duty and service to others. These people are rare but those few who feel this commitment are highly
valued by their peers, their superiors, and those everyday folks who need a champion. Fortunately for
us, Alex Hawke is that person in this fictional novel.
Mr. Smith has a long history of terrorism and now seems to be instrumental in the unification of two
known terrorist groups, the IRA and the Sword of Allah who interacts with the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
This Mr. Smith seems to be British but was somehow involved with the death of Lord Mountbatten in
1979 as well as Diana’s accident. Now, his target is the royal family beginning with the princes.
Being that Warlord is the sixth in the Alex Bell series, there are continuations regarding the
progression in their personal lives. Warlord begins with the James Bond-like character in his Caribbean
retreat reflecting on his personal loses from the previous novel, Tsar. Wallowing in his grief, Alex
receives a call from Prince Charles who asks for his help in protecting his family who has been
threatened. Alex instantaneously changes his attitude in response to his long-time friend that
reignites his sense of duty.
Added to that is a missing nuclear weapon which leads Alex and his associates to the Afghanistan desert
and into the mountains along with Mr. Smith.
Warlord is action/adventure with a James Bond attitude. Alex Bell seems to be a more focused Bond-
like character who only needs to focus on one woman. There is humor and a sense of being realistic in
that the characters do need to sleep and eat. Even without having read the previous novels, this one
is easy to understand and the characterization does not suffer.
I enjoyed reading this fast-paced novel. My criticism regards the Epilogue which obviously is leading
into the next novel. With most of the writing being tight and conclusive, this was wandering and
unevenly paced. It really didn’t blend well with theprevious story.
Ted Bell is a former chairman of the board of an advertising agency. He lives in Florida and Colorado
writing his adventurous novels featuring Alex Hawke.
I look forward to the next in this series.
Ted Bell
Harper
Harper Collins Publishers
July 2011
Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-06-185931-1
$ 9.99
681 pages
Fiction – Action- Adventure
Thank goodness that somewhere in the world there is one extremely gifted person who can be trusted
to do the right thing, even if it involves risking their own life. They truly feel that this is their sense of
duty and service to others. These people are rare but those few who feel this commitment are highly
valued by their peers, their superiors, and those everyday folks who need a champion. Fortunately for
us, Alex Hawke is that person in this fictional novel.
Mr. Smith has a long history of terrorism and now seems to be instrumental in the unification of two
known terrorist groups, the IRA and the Sword of Allah who interacts with the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
This Mr. Smith seems to be British but was somehow involved with the death of Lord Mountbatten in
1979 as well as Diana’s accident. Now, his target is the royal family beginning with the princes.
Being that Warlord is the sixth in the Alex Bell series, there are continuations regarding the
progression in their personal lives. Warlord begins with the James Bond-like character in his Caribbean
retreat reflecting on his personal loses from the previous novel, Tsar. Wallowing in his grief, Alex
receives a call from Prince Charles who asks for his help in protecting his family who has been
threatened. Alex instantaneously changes his attitude in response to his long-time friend that
reignites his sense of duty.
Added to that is a missing nuclear weapon which leads Alex and his associates to the Afghanistan desert
and into the mountains along with Mr. Smith.
Warlord is action/adventure with a James Bond attitude. Alex Bell seems to be a more focused Bond-
like character who only needs to focus on one woman. There is humor and a sense of being realistic in
that the characters do need to sleep and eat. Even without having read the previous novels, this one
is easy to understand and the characterization does not suffer.
I enjoyed reading this fast-paced novel. My criticism regards the Epilogue which obviously is leading
into the next novel. With most of the writing being tight and conclusive, this was wandering and
unevenly paced. It really didn’t blend well with theprevious story.
Ted Bell is a former chairman of the board of an advertising agency. He lives in Florida and Colorado
writing his adventurous novels featuring Alex Hawke.
I look forward to the next in this series.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Durham Deception
The Durham Deception: A Cathedral Mystery
Philip Gooden
Severn House
Hardback
2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-15722-6
248 pages
$28.95
Fiction, Newlyweds, Lawyers, Mediums, Magicians, Murder Investigations, 19th Century
Sometimes the only way to stop a family member from doing something possibly stupid is by an intervention from a family member, even in nineteenth century England. That is the situation for newlywed Helen Ansell and her husband, Tom.
Helen’s aunt, Julia, lives in Durham, away from the rest of the family in London. Julia, although never married, managed to make many fortunate investments in her younger days, and now money is not a concern. Julia is fascinated by an older gentleman who is a medium for those dearly departed from their loved ones. Can Helen stop her spinster aunt from marrying this fraud?
Conveniently, Tom has also been sent to Durham on an assignment as a young lawyer. He is to meet with the stage magician, Major Sebastian Marmont who wants an affidavit verifying his ownership of an unusual and valuable weapon, the Lucknow Dagger. Both Helen and Tom are pleased when their purposes coincide.
This was a logical and intricate mystery that was not predictable but was easy to follow. Especially outstanding were the references to life in the 1800s such as working with the gaslights. This allowed a true picture into the daily life of this time period.
The story is a well-written page turner. The characters are believable and the references within the setting were true to the time period. The mystery is fast –paced while still being plausible. Added to that are the intricate details important which support the setting.
Being The Durham Deception is the second book of Philip Gooden’s Cathedral series, many readers might be hesitant because many important elements in character development and relationships are only in a first novels. This particular novel is easy to understand without having read the first one.
Philip Gooden has written two separate mystery series. So far, he has six novels in the Shakespearean Murder Mystery series, and two in this Cathedral series. Originally The Durham Deception was published in England in 2008 as The Durham Disappearance. He has also written The Mammoth Book of Literary Anecdotes, The Open Door: and other Ghost Stories, Faux Pas, Who’s Whose?, Name Dropping: A No-Nonsense Guide to the Use of Names in Everyday Language, and The Story of English: How the English Language Conquered the World.
The Durham Deception is a delightful quick mystery. Personally, I plan to read other novels by this British novelist.
Philip Gooden
Severn House
Hardback
2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-15722-6
248 pages
$28.95
Fiction, Newlyweds, Lawyers, Mediums, Magicians, Murder Investigations, 19th Century
Sometimes the only way to stop a family member from doing something possibly stupid is by an intervention from a family member, even in nineteenth century England. That is the situation for newlywed Helen Ansell and her husband, Tom.
Helen’s aunt, Julia, lives in Durham, away from the rest of the family in London. Julia, although never married, managed to make many fortunate investments in her younger days, and now money is not a concern. Julia is fascinated by an older gentleman who is a medium for those dearly departed from their loved ones. Can Helen stop her spinster aunt from marrying this fraud?
Conveniently, Tom has also been sent to Durham on an assignment as a young lawyer. He is to meet with the stage magician, Major Sebastian Marmont who wants an affidavit verifying his ownership of an unusual and valuable weapon, the Lucknow Dagger. Both Helen and Tom are pleased when their purposes coincide.
This was a logical and intricate mystery that was not predictable but was easy to follow. Especially outstanding were the references to life in the 1800s such as working with the gaslights. This allowed a true picture into the daily life of this time period.
The story is a well-written page turner. The characters are believable and the references within the setting were true to the time period. The mystery is fast –paced while still being plausible. Added to that are the intricate details important which support the setting.
Being The Durham Deception is the second book of Philip Gooden’s Cathedral series, many readers might be hesitant because many important elements in character development and relationships are only in a first novels. This particular novel is easy to understand without having read the first one.
Philip Gooden has written two separate mystery series. So far, he has six novels in the Shakespearean Murder Mystery series, and two in this Cathedral series. Originally The Durham Deception was published in England in 2008 as The Durham Disappearance. He has also written The Mammoth Book of Literary Anecdotes, The Open Door: and other Ghost Stories, Faux Pas, Who’s Whose?, Name Dropping: A No-Nonsense Guide to the Use of Names in Everyday Language, and The Story of English: How the English Language Conquered the World.
The Durham Deception is a delightful quick mystery. Personally, I plan to read other novels by this British novelist.
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Paris Wife
The Paris Wife
Paula McLain
Ballantine Books
Hardback
2011
ISBN: 978-03421309
336 pages
$25.00
Fiction
“Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another. “ Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway is remembered as a phenomenal author but also as a person who lived and died by his own set of rules. With four wives, bull fights, friendships or enemies with other authors, and suicide, all of these set his life apart from anything but normal. In The Paris Wife, Paula McLain magnifies one section of Ernest Hemingway’s life, the time with his first wife, Elizabeth “Hadley” Richardson.
This story revolves around when Hadley and Ernest first meet through when they divorce. Hadley was twenty-nine years old when she met the twenty-one year old Hemingway. There was an instantaneous attraction. They quickly married and moved to Europe, centering mostly in Paris. At this time, numerous legendary authors formed a close-knit community here and spent much time together with the couple such as Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, John Dos Passos, and F. Scott Fitzgerald as well as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Juan Gris. Most of this time, Ernest worked as a journalist while being a financially struggling writer on the side. Their experiences and the visits to Spain for the bull fighting and the runs became much of the content of the memorable novels.
Pauline Pfeiffer, eventually the second wife, becomes an interesting character as she befriends both Ernest and Hadley and is a close and valued friend to both. This awkward friendship eventually caused the dissolution of the marriage.
The Paris Wife tells the story from Hadley’s perspective. Yes, I would consider this to be an advanced chic lit book. Men, you won’t enjoy it unless you enjoy reading romances. The idea to write this book came from when the author read Hemingway’s memoir, A Moveable Feast. One of the last lines about Hadley stated, “I wished I had died before I ever loved anyone but her.” That is the basis for this story.
I enjoyed this novel. However, it came already installed on my Kindle. It flowed easily. It is not a guy novel at all. The Paris Wife is for those who enjoy an involved and realistic love story.
Paula McLain
Ballantine Books
Hardback
2011
ISBN: 978-03421309
336 pages
$25.00
Fiction
“Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another. “ Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway is remembered as a phenomenal author but also as a person who lived and died by his own set of rules. With four wives, bull fights, friendships or enemies with other authors, and suicide, all of these set his life apart from anything but normal. In The Paris Wife, Paula McLain magnifies one section of Ernest Hemingway’s life, the time with his first wife, Elizabeth “Hadley” Richardson.
This story revolves around when Hadley and Ernest first meet through when they divorce. Hadley was twenty-nine years old when she met the twenty-one year old Hemingway. There was an instantaneous attraction. They quickly married and moved to Europe, centering mostly in Paris. At this time, numerous legendary authors formed a close-knit community here and spent much time together with the couple such as Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, John Dos Passos, and F. Scott Fitzgerald as well as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Juan Gris. Most of this time, Ernest worked as a journalist while being a financially struggling writer on the side. Their experiences and the visits to Spain for the bull fighting and the runs became much of the content of the memorable novels.
Pauline Pfeiffer, eventually the second wife, becomes an interesting character as she befriends both Ernest and Hadley and is a close and valued friend to both. This awkward friendship eventually caused the dissolution of the marriage.
The Paris Wife tells the story from Hadley’s perspective. Yes, I would consider this to be an advanced chic lit book. Men, you won’t enjoy it unless you enjoy reading romances. The idea to write this book came from when the author read Hemingway’s memoir, A Moveable Feast. One of the last lines about Hadley stated, “I wished I had died before I ever loved anyone but her.” That is the basis for this story.
I enjoyed this novel. However, it came already installed on my Kindle. It flowed easily. It is not a guy novel at all. The Paris Wife is for those who enjoy an involved and realistic love story.
Withering Tights
WITHERING TIGHTS
Louise Rennison
Harper Teen
Harper Collins Publishers
Hardback
2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-179931-0
288 pages
$16.00
Fiction, Interpersonal relations, Camps, Performing arts, Self-confidence, Yorkshire, England
Many fourteen-year-old girls desperately are trying to fit in and to become popular. It is difficult when you grow unevenly and feel like you are all legs even if you’re living in Britain.
Tallulah Casey is thrilled to be able to fulfill her dreams since she has been accepted to spend the summer at a Performing Arts College. Being that her application was accepted late, there wasn’t room for Tallulah in the dormitory. The school does arrange for her to stay at a nearby home with an eccentric local family.
The theme for the summer program is Wuthering Heights in this moorland of the Yorkshire Dales. Where sheep abound in the town and squirrel slippers keep you warm on chilly mornings, Tallulah begins to awkwardly grow into her height, starting to understanding embarrassing families, kissing boys, making friends, and discovering if she has any talent for this performing arts school.
Making new friends seems fairly easy. The school itself is a challenge since none of her teachers seem to think she has any talent, just clumsiness. Also interesting is that there is an all boys school also in the town. So knowing that boys are around, maybe Tallulah will be kissed for the first time. More importantly, maybe she will finally begin to fill out and need a bra.
Withering Tights is the first book in a new series by Louise Nicolson who is known for her Georgia Nicolson stories. This is a fun-lighthearted book for those girls who are not in high school and enjoy the companionship of a fourteen-year-old girl point-of-view, complete with her mistakes and ungraceful life. Also, most importantly, is the learning from Tallulah about learning to laugh with others, even about yourself. The reading audience is for girls who are in their early teens.
Withering Tights is a funny and realistic journey into the life of a typical British fourteen year-old girl.
Louise Rennison
Harper Teen
Harper Collins Publishers
Hardback
2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-179931-0
288 pages
$16.00
Fiction, Interpersonal relations, Camps, Performing arts, Self-confidence, Yorkshire, England
Many fourteen-year-old girls desperately are trying to fit in and to become popular. It is difficult when you grow unevenly and feel like you are all legs even if you’re living in Britain.
Tallulah Casey is thrilled to be able to fulfill her dreams since she has been accepted to spend the summer at a Performing Arts College. Being that her application was accepted late, there wasn’t room for Tallulah in the dormitory. The school does arrange for her to stay at a nearby home with an eccentric local family.
The theme for the summer program is Wuthering Heights in this moorland of the Yorkshire Dales. Where sheep abound in the town and squirrel slippers keep you warm on chilly mornings, Tallulah begins to awkwardly grow into her height, starting to understanding embarrassing families, kissing boys, making friends, and discovering if she has any talent for this performing arts school.
Making new friends seems fairly easy. The school itself is a challenge since none of her teachers seem to think she has any talent, just clumsiness. Also interesting is that there is an all boys school also in the town. So knowing that boys are around, maybe Tallulah will be kissed for the first time. More importantly, maybe she will finally begin to fill out and need a bra.
Withering Tights is the first book in a new series by Louise Nicolson who is known for her Georgia Nicolson stories. This is a fun-lighthearted book for those girls who are not in high school and enjoy the companionship of a fourteen-year-old girl point-of-view, complete with her mistakes and ungraceful life. Also, most importantly, is the learning from Tallulah about learning to laugh with others, even about yourself. The reading audience is for girls who are in their early teens.
Withering Tights is a funny and realistic journey into the life of a typical British fourteen year-old girl.
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