A couple weeks ago, I promised you three reviews over the next three weeks. Well, uh, I switched web hosts and can’t seem to figure out the new scheduler. Last week’s post is still sitting in my draft folder. Sigh. I’ll try again. In the meantime, I’ll publish this week’s manually. I’ve highlighted Annie Douglass […]
OFFENDER, by Michael Brooks
I want to share with you a book for which I had the privilege of being an advanced reader. It just released in early June and is being offered at a discounted price for a limited time. I believe that’s through the end of June, which is why I didn’t wait a full week to […]
The Beast of Talesend: After Beauty and the Beast (Beaumont and Beasley, 1), by Kyle Robert Shultz, 2017
The last book I’d like to feature from my Colorado trip is another self-pub, and it’s my favorite of all three. And that’s saying quite a lot, seeing as I read through the entire Princess Academy series (which I rarely do), and Joss the Seven received a Squeaky Award. But this one was just as […]
Joss the Seven (Guild of Seven, 1), by J. Philip Horne, 2016
The next book I’d like to feature from my Colorado trip is an example of self-publishing at its finest. J. Philip Horne has a natural ability to craft a story, his prose flows smooth as fresh cream, and he’s taken great care with the editing process. That’s a great beginning. Kudos, Mr. Horne!! So…how about […]
Princess Academy, Shannon Hale, 2005
At the end of January, my husband and I decided our kids were old enough to take care of themselves for a week (the oldest is in college, the youngest in middle school), and we hit the Colorado slopes for the first time in two decades. It was a fantastic trip. We traveled […]
What's Next?
I’ve had a few people ask me what’s next on my agenda. I’ve been a little secretive. I’m still going to be a little secretive, but I’ll give you a broad hint at the end of this post. But first, what have I been doing? Reading. Reading and reading and reading. I’ve reread old favorites […]
The Nameless Soldier
Once upon a time I posted many, many book reviews on here. I’ve gotten away from that due to writing time constraints, but there are a few middle grade series I do like to keep on top of. I’ve got one I’d like to highlight for you today. Perhaps five or six years ago, one […]
Confessions of a Newly Full-Time Writer
I’ve been pretty silent on here lately. Those who have been hanging with me awhile know everything changed for me last spring when I decided to send my last homeschooler to public school. I made the decision to go mercenary–write in a popular genre and see what I could accomplish and what kind of money […]
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham, 1955
One of my favorite things as a reader is to find an aging book that has worn well. That is certainly the case for this 1956 Newbery winner. It tells the life story of historical figure Nathaniel Bowditch. Bowditch spent most of his life in the seaport of Salem, Massachusetts. He was only two years old […]
M. C. Higgins the Great, by Virginia Hamilton
This book wasn’t my favorite, but I want to review it because it won the Newbery in 1975, and as many of you know, I’m on a (long, slow) quest to read all the Newbery winners. It also won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the National Book Award and became the only book to […]