Cinder and Ella are two of four sisters. Both their older and younger sisters are selfish, their father quit doing anything to help the family before disappearing altogether, and their mother spins all day at her spinning wheel, effectively ignoring her daughters to the point that she has forgotten that Cinder and Ella are two... Continue Reading →
Terri Rochenski Where did you come up with that?! Know how many times I’ve been asked that question? Countless. I write fantasy and the occasional romance, so oftentimes my stories are ‘out there’. Some readers don’t get it. Stories come to me in all kinds of shapes and forms. The first flash fiction I had... Continue Reading →
Children's literature abounds with books full of strong males, so much so that I actually get excited when a new book comes out showcasing a strong female just for the fact that there s a strong female in the book. It shouldn't be that way. Our species has a general 1:1 gender ratio, changing a... Continue Reading →
The Chicken Encyclopedia: An Illustrated Reference by Gail Damerow comes out in a couple of weeks. As the title implies, it's written in encyclopedia/dictionary format with topics alphabetized. It may seem strange to sit down to read an encyclopedia for entertainment puposes (unless you share genes with me), but I found the book to be quite... Continue Reading →
Snow days are always more fun with a freshly built snowman. However, when the children in The Snowman's Revenge head in to warm up and enjoy some hot cocoa, the snowman is left all alone outside in the cold. Hurt and lonely, he quickly comes up with a plan for revenge. Mark Smuthe's prose is entertaining, if a little choppy,... Continue Reading →
Jessi Bloom's Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard, available at the end of January, is the quintessential book for chicken owners and gardeners alike. Chock full of information for the chicken novice, Bloom's book makes a compelling argument for allowing chickens to free range in your garden to create a symbiotic... Continue Reading →
Twins Katie and David haven't always lived a charmed life. Until recently, their family has struggled in poverty. However, life as been looking up since their parents invented Rover. When their parents fly overseas to adopt a new baby girl, the children's excitement quickly turns to fear as they find themselves in the middle of... Continue Reading →
Tara Hudson's new novel, Hereafter, promised to deliver an enticingly unique young adult book, different from the rest of the watered down love stories on the market. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver. Amelia, a ghost who doesn't remember anything except her first name and parts of her death, wanders around aimlessly, as do the first 50... Continue Reading →
Family means something different to every person. The strings that bind us to others vary in strength, length, and color, but they pull us to some extent, nonetheless. In pullitzer nominated author Janice Daughtery's Heir To the Everlasting, we see the ties between the strong women of the Alexander family throughout their century long reign. Through... Continue Reading →
Sarah Porter's new book, Lost Voices, seems depressingly lost. Addressing the abuses of young girls at the hands of the people who should love them and take care of them, the book missed a great opportunity for empowering the young readers who may look to it. While the writing is beautifully descriptive, it rambles along... Continue Reading →
Novel Obsession 