a quill and vellum

Free eBook Download: Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand

My bookish friends, J. Mark Bertrand is making the first book in his Roland March Series available for free ebook download.

From J. Mark Bertrand: "If you love my Roland March series and wish you could introduce more people to the dogged and depressed Houston homicide cop, here's a perfect opportunity. Since Friday, the first book in the series, Back on Murder, has been available as a free e-book on a variety of platforms -- Kindle, Nook, and more. The goal in sharing the book this way is to hook more readers on the series. Over the weekend, Back on Murder became the #1 free title in Amazon's Kindle Store. Those numbers fluctate all the time, but it's good to know more readers are discovering Roland March for the first time."  via crimegenre.

Review: Eon by Alison Goodman

Book:  Eon:  Dragoneye Reborn

Author:  Alison Goodman

Published:  31 August 2012, by Firebird of The Penguin Group, 576 pages

Date Read:  26 January 2013

Format:  Kindle Book

First Line:  "No one knows how the first Dragoneyes made their dangerous bargain with the twelve energy dragons of good fortune."

Genre/Rating:  Fantasy with Asian-theme, 5.0

GoodReads Rating:  4.02

Review:  Being a lover of both fantasy fiction and anything Asian-themed, I was thrilled to discover a duology combining both of these elements into one amazing story.   

In Goodman's fictitional world, there are twelve energy dragons who assist those chosen as Dragoneyes to protect their land and its people.  The energy dragons are associated with the Chinese Zodiac and consist of the following:  Ox Dragon (North, Keeper of Determination), Tiger Dragon (North-Northwest, Keeper of Courage), Rabbit Dragon (East-Northeast, Keeper of Peace), Mirror Dragon (East, Keeper of Truth), Snake Dragon (East-Southeast, Keeper of Insight), Horse Dragon (South-Southeast, Keeper of Passion), Goat Dragon (South, Keeper of Kindness), Monkey Dragon (South-Southwest, Keeper of Resourcfulness), Rooster Dragon (West-Southwest, Keeper of Confidence), Dog Dragon (West, Keeper of Honesty), Pig Dragon, (West-Northwest, Keeper of Generosity), and the Rat Dragon (North-Northwest, Keeper of Ambition).

The protagonist of the story is Eon, a young boy rescued from the salt mines to train as a Dragoneye apprentice.  Based upon the Chinese New Year, each turn of the calendar brings an opportunity for apprentice candidates to be chosen by the ascending energy dragon.  The new apprentice will train for twelve years as an apprentice under a Dragoneye before he assumes his full position and power as the new Dragoneye.  Eon and the other candidates were born under the sign of the Rat and it is the Rat Dragon whose attention and favour they hope to gain on the day of the choosing of the new apprentice Dragoneye.  In the ceremony, the Rat Dragon chooses an apprentice named Dillon, but in unusual circumstances, the Mirror Dragon, who has been missing for the last 500 years, reappears and chooses Eon as the Mirror Dragoneye apprentice. 

This book is quite a page turner and I look forward to the second book in the Duology:  Eona. 

Review of Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Icy Sparks is the sad, funny and transcendent tale of a young girl growing up in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky during the 1950’s. Gwyn Hyman Rubio’s beautifully written first novel revolves around Icy Sparks, an unforgettable heroine in the tradition of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird or Will Treed in Cold Sassy Tree. At the age of ten, Icy, a bright, curious child orphaned as a baby but raised by adoring grandparents, begins to have strange experiences. Try as she might, her "secrets"—verbal croaks, groans, and physical spasms—keep afflicting her. As an adult, she will find out she has Tourette’s Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, but for years her behavior is the source of mystery, confusion, and deep humiliation.

Narrated by a grown up Icy, the book chronicles a difficult, but ultimately hilarious and heartwarming journey, from her first spasms to her self-acceptance as a young woman. Curious about life beyond the hills, talented, and energetic, Icy learns to cut through all barriers—physical, mental, and spiritual—in order to find community and acceptance.

Along her journey, Icy faces the jeers of her classmates as well as the malevolence of her often-ignorant teachers—including Mrs. Stilton, one of the most evil fourth grade teachers ever created by a writer. Called willful by her teachers and "Frog Child" by her schoolmates, she is exiled from the schoolroom and sent to a children’s asylum where it is hoped that the roots of her mysterious behavior can be discovered. Here Icy learns about difference—her own and those who are even more scarred than she. Yet, it isn’t until Icy returns home that she really begins to flower, especially through her friendship with the eccentric and obese Miss Emily, who knows first-hand how it feels to be an outcast in this tightly knit Appalachian community. Under Miss Emily’s tutelage, Icy learns about life’s struggles and rewards, survives her first comical and heartbreaking misadventure with romance, discovers the healing power of her voice when she sings, and ultimately—takes her first steps back into the world.

Gwyn Hyman Rubio’s Icy Sparks is a fresh, original, and completely redeeming novel about learning to overcome others’ ignorance and celebrate the differences that make each of us unique.

On Saturday, I completed my reading of Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio.  This book was recommended to me by my son, Andrew, and is one of the best books that I have ever read.  The story is set in 1950s Kentucky and concerns the life of Icy Sparks.  Orphaned at an early age, she is being raised by her maternal grandparents, in the remote hills of Kentucky.  From the onset of the narrative, we quickly learn that Icy is a young girl plagued by tics, croaks, twitches, and profanity.  Although not diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome until later in her life,  this is certainly the malady that makes her a social outcast in her community.  As an outast, Icy forms her own community of other outcasts.  Miss Emily is an endearing character who I quickly fell in love with.  She weighs in excess of three hundred pounds and her size places her into lonely isolation from her community;  however, Miss Emily's heart and spirit are as large as her body and she becomes a mentor to young Icy.  This coming of age story, focusing on empathy, is one not to be missed and I highly recommend it.

 

 

 

 

 

Show more

Book Review of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Last evening was bittersweet for I completed my reading of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  The story was amazing, absolutely amazing, and even though the book had a beautiful ending, I wanted it to go on for many more pages.   I would dare say this is the best book I have read in 2012.  The novel is written in epistolary form and has the nazi occupation of Guernsey as its epicenter.  The book shines because of its wonderful character developement as you get to know the antagonist and the members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society through the letters that they exchange.  This is my first experience with epistolary writing and I am now a fan of the form. 

Our protagonist is Juliet Ashton who has found some success as a writer.  Beginning with a letter from Guersey native Dawsey Adams to Juliet, the novel introduces us to the backstory of the conception of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and the society members, themselves. 

This book must be read and savored by anyone who loves a good book with exceptional character development.

      

Book Review of Bookmarked for Death

Title:  Bookmarked for Death
Series:  Book Two of the Booktown Mystery Series
Author:  Lorna Barrett
Publication Date:  3 February 2009
Publisher:  Berkley
Pages:  304
Genre:  Mystery
Cover:  eBook
Price:  $7.99
Purchased from:  iBooks

I was so enthralled by the first book in the Booktown Mystery Series, that I quickly delved into the second book of the series.  Bookmarked for Death returns us to Stoneham, New Hampshire, six months following the events of Murder is Binding.  Tricia Miles, owner of Haven't Got a Clue Bookstore, is preparing a celebration for her first year anniversary of her book shop and has invited bestselling mystery novelist, Zoe Carter, to attend a book signing event.  During the signing, Zoe is found murdered in the bathroom and Haven't Got a Clue Bookstore is closed as a crime scene.  Once again, Trish steps forward to use her crime solving acumen to see if she can solve the mystery and catch the killer. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the story line in Bookmarked for Death.  Not only was the mystery compelling, but the character development was very endearing.  Grace Harris returns from book one and it is so nice to see her developing relationship with Mr. Everett, one of my personal favorite characters from the series.  As much as I enjoyed the first book in the series, I loved Bookmarked for Death, even more.

 

In Defense of eBooks

Of late, I have been hearing many in booktubia espousing the delights in book ownership and denouncing the eBook.  Now, I love books in all their forms, with the exception of audio books, and have many books filling my book shelves at home.  Yes, booktubia, I agree with you.....books do smell nice, and feel nice in the hand, and look pretty on a shelf, and there is a tactile pleasure in turning pages, and you just can't beat deckled edges...but eBooks have their own pleasant characteristics, as well.

I have owned an iPad since they were first released and I absolutely love using it as an eReader.  Now I will always love tangible books, but an eReader makes for such a pleasurable reading experience, and I find myself reading eBooks with more frequency.  The benefits of using an eReader are quite numerous.

• AFFORDABILITY.  eBooks are quite a bit cheaper than a physical book.  I can generally purchase an eBook from $0.99 through $12.99 and there are a lot of books, in the public domain, which are available for free.  Sue Moro has a fantastic video on Nooks, Kindles, and Free eBooks, and I recommend that you watch her video if you have an eReader.
• AVAILABILITY.  I live in an area with limited access to local book shops and my nearest Barnes and Noble is 90 miles away, so I appreciate the availablility that I have to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes (for iBooks).  If I have a desire to purchase a new book, I can make that purchase in mere seconds. 
• PORTABILITY.   With my eReader, my entire eLibrary is portable and available to me at all times.  Andy Moosernan has produced an excellent video entitled eBooks, Kindle, & Me which addesses the issue of portability extremely well.
• ACCESSIBILITY.  eBooks have a unique ability to enlarge fonts, change fonts, change the background, and can be read easily in the dark.