The New Book Review

This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Raja Krishnan Reviews Thriller Set in Rome

Book Title: Imperium: A Novel of Ancient RomeAuthor: Robert Harris
Publisher: Pocket
Publisher Address: 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 9780743498661
Genre: Historical Fiction
List Price: $14.00

Reviewed by Raja Krishnan for Excitement Books and Amazon
reviewer website: http://excitementbooks.blogspot.com/



Do you enjoy reading good legal thrillers, how about politics, or history? If the answer to this question is all of the above then I have the book for you. That book is Imperium by Thomas Harris. The first part is legal thriller a la Steve Martini meets ancient Rome, and the second part is about the politics in the first republic of the world. For those of you that have read Steven Saylor’s earlier historical mystery fiction on Rome, Thomas Harris’ Imperium is similar although more focused on the legal, and politics for Rome rather than the wonderful mystery of Steven Saylor’s books.

The central character that drives this story is the historical Roman oratorical figure of Marcus Cicero. The story is narrated from the perspective of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. At the start of the book the writing style can seem legal in nature and too Romanesque. As the story moves forward, I found that this same language and style immersed me into that period of time. It became as if I was taken back in time and were listening to Tiro directly.

In the first three quarters of the book the author builds a nice foundation, which picks up momentum to a dramatic climax and then leads to an exciting conclusion. The initial foundation is developed with the rise of Cicero as an orator and lawyer by taking on a challenging case. This case and all the political drama involved was conveyed through some descriptive storytelling.

I would highly recommend this book for advanced readers of court room dramas or political thrillers. Imperium achieves all this with the backdrop of ancient Rome. A way of getting excited about History is to start by reading Historical Fiction. This book may peak the curiosity and interest of those non-history lovers to give History a chance. In this case the excitement of Ancient Roman Republic history.


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Jessica DuLong's Novel Reviewed by BookSlut

My River Chronicles: Rediscovering America on the Hudson
by Jessica DuLong (www.jessicadulong.com)
Memoir/History
ISBN-10: 1416586989
ISBN-13: 978-1416586982


Reviewed by Eryn Loeb orignally for Book Slut

Jessica DuLong is one of the world’s only female fireboat engineers–certainly a nice hook for her excellent memoir-cum-social history, My River Chronicles: Rediscovering America on the Hudson, but hardly the most interesting thing about it. The book is really a love story, the product of a passion that arrived with sudden fierceness, prompting a major lifestyle change and shift in priorities, and triggering DuLong’s devotion not only to a new craft, but to a sprawling tradition that she believes forms the neglected heartbeat of American culture.

DuLong was a dot-com workaholic when she started a casual flirtation with the John J. Harvey, a fireboat—built in 1931—docked in the Hudson on a Manhattan pier. Retired from active duty and in need of constant repairs, the boat’s crew was running it as something of a floating museum. It was also an ongoing restoration project, supported by a bare bones non-profit that depended on donations, and volunteers wooed by the romance of a rusting boat. After impulsively volunteering to cut through old heating pipes one afternoon, DuLong was besotted. Soon she was spending most of her time on the boat, soaking up wisdom from the boat’s small crew. And she was increasingly captivated by the histories of anything that even glanced the edges of her new preoccupation: maritime trade and industry, apprenticeship, the emergence of “planned obsolescence,” the New York City waterfront, and the overlooked story of the Hudson River itself.

Much of the joy of reading My River Chronicles comes from witnessing DuLong’s enthusiasm unfold, watching as she begins to understand what she’s getting herself into, and then recognizes that when she set foot in the Harvey’s engine room, she crossed a point of no return. She’s thirsty for knowledge, determined to absorb facts and approaches and expertise, even when the subject and specifics seem impenetrable, foreign. Partly, the book is about the ecstatic possibilities of learning, the urgency that comes with feeling like you have endless catching up to do, and the delicious frustration of devoting yourself to honing new skills. As DuLong becomes more and more absorbed in her vocation, she mulls over clues that pointed to this path early on: her longstanding love of power tools (if not always her proficiency with them), a seventh grade “classroom discussion about internal combustion that made a tingle skip around under my skin,” her visceral attraction to the “wasting metal” of decaying industry and “the glitter of a power plant twinkling in the night.” As both a writer and an engineer, she’s relentlessly, gratifyingly curious, and her fine, richly detailed prose holds an appeal regardless of your level of interest in heritage histories and engine mechanics.

It’s truly exciting to see her pull together the pieces, tracing where this passion for old boats comes from, and figuring out where it’s going. “I have to take into account the wind and current, using the immutable, natural forces to my advantage instead of barreling through them like I might if I steered a more modern vessel, with bow thrusters and joystick controls,” she writes. “Every fragmentary decision counts in shaping the form and the flow. It’s like writing poetry.” History, handiwork, the importance of preserving and teaching the past—her concerns are welded together in the form of the ailing Harvey and the river she’s made her own.

Not long after she began volunteering regularly on the Harvey, DuLong was with its crew as the boat docked in lower Manhattan right after the towers collapsed on 9/11. Hers is one of the more vivid, searing accounts I’ve read of being downtown in the aftermath of the attacks, when fireboats like the Harvey were the only water sources at the World Trade Center site (“When firefighters on land bent over their hoses to rinse the ash from their faces, they spit and sputtered in surprise, tasting the salt of the Hudson,” she writes). And yet, the whole book is so layered and compelling that the intensity of 9/11 doesn’t overpower the slower, more meditative sections.

When DuLong encounters incredulity about the fact that she’s a female engineer, “I find a neutral place to set my impassive gaze until people have appeased their curiosity so I can get on with doing my job,” she explains. “My blank expression opens no doors, offers no invitations, and that impenetrability allows me to get back to work faster. It’s a way of letting the awkwardness roll off.” This works fine—for most of the book, her gender is not much of an issue—until the male instructor of a two-week class she’s taking to prepare for her engineering licensing exam decides to make an example of her, the only woman in the room. He fixates on her to the exclusion of everyone else, relentlessly pelting her with questions and explaining, “I just need to make sure you’re getting it, since you don’t have as much experience as the rest of these guys” (in fact, she has more sea time and higher ambitions than half the class). The raw sexism of this encounter—which also gets personal, with the instructor telling DuLong he wants to know her name “so well it’s the name I call out to my wife”—dredges up insecurities along with rage. DuLong tackles the experience with a characteristic mix of thoughtfulness and practicality—and she passes the exam, becoming a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed Merchant Marine Officer, an impressive, well-earned title to burnish what started as an obsession, and became a way of life.

DuLong’s passion for her craft is contagious, making My River Chronicles one of the most moving, unusual books I’ve read in a long time. “Sometimes in the midst of my work I catch myself wondering: Why are you here? Why do you like this job? Why do you put your life on hold, earning so little money restoring this hunk of wasted steel?” she writes. “But every time I try to reason through the questions, my heart blows me off with a snort, my head rallying to try to cover for my heart’s insolence.” That’s true love for you.

http://www.bookslut.com/girl_interrupting/2009_09_015114.php


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Linda Pilkington Bases Young Adult Novel on Classics

Book Title: Arthur Collins and the Three Wishes
Author: Linda Rash Pilkington
Author's email: linniepilk@comcast.net
Genre: Fiction:Young Adult
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-615-22213-4
Softcover ISBN: 978-0-615-26743-2
Reviewer: Tim Miller
Review link: http://denver.yourhub.com/Denver/Stories/Arts-Culture/Story~673195.aspx
Original publisher: Yourhub.com



by Tim Miller for YourHub.com

In the tradition of classic stories like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Le Morte d'Artur, Colorado author Linda Rash Pilkington mixes Arthurian legend with the story of a modern-day elementary school outcast in her children's novel Arthur Collins and the Three Wishes. Readers of all ages will relate to this coming of age story about a fearful kid who finds his courage amid a time traveling adventure into ancient Britain.

Arthur Collins is a fearful fifth grader from Castleton, Colorado. Three bullies, known as the "Ruffians," have tormented Arthur for most of his days at elementary school. Unlike his courageous and popular older brother Lance, Arthur can't find the courage to stand up to the Ruffians. Now, if Arthur doesn't figure out some way to cow the bullies, his younger cousin Gwynie might become their next victim.

Desperate to improve his plight, Arthur looks into a mirror and makes three wishes. One of these wishes causes him to go back in time to ancient Britain, just a few years before Arthur Pendragon became king. Arthur Pendragon has disappeared, so Arthur Collins must stand in as a look-alike until he and Merlin can locate the real future king. A grand adventure ensues, in which both Arthur and the reader learn to
be brave.

Many authors tend to write Arthurian fiction with little or no attempt to put a quasi-original spin on the ancient tales about The Knights of the Round Table. In a time when publishers print several novels about Camelot and King Arthur every year, Arthur Collins and the Three Wishes stands out as a story of a present-day underdog's attempt to find his own courage amid the perils and chivalry of British legend.

Arthur Collins and the Three Wishes contains an eclectic mix of Coloradoan and Arthurian culture. Although Arthurian Legend is moreindicative of chivalry in medieval times-rather than post-romanBrittan-kids won't know the difference. Most children, and many adults, will enjoy Arthur Collins's transformation from a bullied kid to a brave adolescent who knows how to stand up for himself.

...read more about Pilkington's kids books at citycastles.com.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:

Friday, December 4, 2009

Living According to Your Nature

Book: It's Just My Nature! A guide to Knowing and Living Your True Nature
Author: Carol Tuttle
ISBN: 978-0978543693
Genre: Self Help



Submitted by TWS Marketing Communications originally reviewed by Karisso Morgan, Amber Campbell and others for Amazon


Why do we use the term Human Nature? What do we mean by nature? What does it mean when we say someone has a natural gift? Where does this gift come from? Best-selling author Carol Tuttle provides compelling and life changing answers to these simple questions in her newest book It’s Just My Nature! It’s Just My Nature! Reveals a startlingly accurate method for assessing your personality and behavioral tendencies with a new system called Energy Profiling TM. Energy Profiling is a unique system that helps define personality traits, as well as human behavior and physical characteristics, to reveal the true you.

While Carol offers a variety of assessment tools-including her Dressing Your Truth TM events – she leaves the realization of your true Type to you! • Discover those characteristics (Types) that markedly resemble you and those close to you. • Learn that what you may have considered your greatest weaknesses is actually your greatest gift. • Understand why people act the way they do and discover how you can enjoy harmony with anyone. • Develop the skill to assess your Type and the Types of others. • Find renewed peace with yourself and in your relationships • Just by looking at someone and reading their facial features and body language you will know their Type and their true nature.

It’s Just My Nature! Has been hailed as groundbreaking work that is bound to change the way we experience ourselves and others. “I loved this book. There is so much information that is life changing. It is an amazing resource to return to again and again for solving the challenges of life,” – Amber Campbell

“Absolutely Amazing! The information in this book has changed not only my relationship with myself, but with everyone I come in contact with! Thank you, Carol for this fabulous, fulfilling information that allows me to create what I want in my relationships.” – Kerissa Morgan



Author bio:

Bestselling Author Carol Tuttle is a personal development pioneer and fashion/feauty insider. She created Dressing Your Truth™, a fashion guide, Dressing Your Truth™, and personality profiling system, Energy Profiling™. Carol has appeared on over 150 radio and television talk shows in the last year providing pioneering insights on Weight, Sex & Intimacy/Relationships, Depression, Self-esteem, Parenting, Finances, Physical Health and Spiritual Health. Her media appearances include features in national print such as: Redbook, Health and Writer’s Digest. Carol has also appeared on several local radio shows all over Utah and was the resident life issues expert on Good Things Utah for several seasons.

Make shopping easy and affordable and bring out your natural beauty with Carol's do-it-yourself makeover system, Dressing Your Truth http://www.dressingyourtruth.com . Once you know your personality profile with Carol's innovative Energy Profiling™ chronicled in her latest title, "It's Just My Nature! A guide to Knowing and Living Your True Nature", learn your personal style with Dressing Your Truth™. For more information on Tuttle and her work, visit: http://www.caroltuttle.com.

Carol is the Founder of The Center for Living Your Truth in Draper, Utah. Carol and her husband Jon reside in Utah and are the parents of 5 children.


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Sensitive Heterosexual Male Shares

Sensitivity 101 For The Heterosexual Male
By Philip Nork
ISBN: 9781438967448 (PB)
ISBN: 9781438967455 (HC)
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Genre: Narrative Nonfiction

Reviewed By Tara Hopkins of Apex Reviews www.apexreviews.net

Official Apex Reviews Rating: 5 stars


The age-old “Battle Of The Sexes” is still going just as strong as it ever was--and chances are it won’t lose any steam anytime soon. So, rather than lament the fact that the game exists, men and women around the world are instead better off learning to play it to the best of their ability.

Such is the premise behind Sensitivity 101 For The Heterosexual Male.

Skillfully penned by author Philip Nork, Sensitivity 101 is less a self-help guide to
relationships and more a vicarious journey through one man’s quest for self discovery.

Along the way, Phil--playing the role of his own protagonist--learns to appreciate the fairer sex and develops a higher understanding of just what it takes to make them happy. In so doing, he ultimately becomes the desire of all women--and the envy of all men--and provides readers with invaluable insights into improving their own relationships.

Straightforward and refreshingly candid, Sensitivity 101 For The

Heterosexual Male is an impressive presentation of a life with a plethora of
helpful lessons to share. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to cut through
the typical facade of relationship “politics” and learn the roots of true, lasting
happiness.
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Follow the author on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Sensitivity101 and on Twitter - @Sensitivity101

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Get Reviews or Review: Opportunities for Writers

This seemed like an opportunity my subscribers and visitors would want to know about. I haven't tried the program, but I am familiar with the owners of the organization. They are reliable and principled. Having said that, it it important that each writer carefully research any service to be sure it suits their needs.

As the current economic slump causes several reviewers to close up shop, and print reviews become much less frequent, savvy authors are embracing the Internet as the place to market their books. An innovative, newly launched online site, “Review the Book,” is ready to meet the challenge.

“Review the Book,” a new online book review service, has just been launched, and already hundreds of authors are signing up to get their books reviewed. The new service has assembled a team of quality reviewers; many have been reviewing books for other review publications for many years. “Review the Book” provides a simple and effective way to provide a much-in-demand review service for authors to find and connect with their readers.

Authors who wish to submit their books for consideration by “Review the Book” can go to www.ReviewtheBook.com, create a username and password, and then list their book titles. Once titles are posted, reviewers select the books that interest them, and the author is contacted to request a review copy. This process insures review copies are not sent and ignored, and the author is guaranteed a review within three weeks once the review copy is mailed. While a small fee is required per title for administrative costs, discounts exist for listing multiple titles.

Book Reviewers agree to post a 300- to 600-word review to “Review the Book,” Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s websites, as well as seven additional websites of their choice. As many as five reviewers may choose to review the same book, which means the possibility of 50 book reviews across the worldwide web for one book in places where the reviews will gain the attention of interested readers. Studies show that reviews posted online are now a deciding factor for readers in choosing books to read. A good book review can propel book sales for an author, and well-written reviews by the experienced reviewers at “Review the Book” will ensure that quality books get the attention they deserve.

Because reviewers at “Review the Book” receive no compensation, other than a free book, but write reviews from a love of reading, impartiality and honesty are trademarks of the reviews. Reviewers are forbidden to resell books and must pay a deposit to “Review the Book” to ensure they will post reviews. And because reviewers choose the books they want to read, their reviews serve as a fair representation of a book’s reading audience. Interested potential reviewers can apply at www.ReviewtheBook.com

“Review the Book” is the brainchild of Reader Views, based in Austin, TX. Reader Views has been reviewing books and offering author publicity services since 2006. With the decline of many other review services, Reader Views decided to launch a new book review site and assemble a fresh team of reviewers to provide more book review opportunities for authors. More information about Reader Views can be found at www.ReaderViews.com
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:

Monday, November 30, 2009

The Sid Series of Books for Children
Author: Yvonne Perry
ISBN 978-0982572207
52 full-color pages
Perfect Binding
Write On! Publishing, 2009


Reviewed by Katie Chalfont



The Sid Series is an adorable book with some really sweet pictures that help illustrate the twelve stories. The book is written for children ages 2 to 5, but older kids and parents will also like it because the stories teach a lesson and help folks understand some “grown up” topics such as recycling, talking to angels, finding the gifts within yourself, dealing with the death of the family pet, and accepting a new baby into the family. I like the way the author wrote herself into the story as Von-Von. She is the grandmother of a boy named Sidney who has a special gift of healing and a big understanding of spirit life. I’m recommending this book to my kid’s teachers to read to the class. My kids love the book. We hope Yvonne comes out with a coloring book for the series.


The book is available at http://writersinthesky.com/holistic-children.html as a printed book or as an e-book.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.