The New Book Review

Friday, July 8, 2011

Award-Winning Novelist Writes Books for Youth

Title: Belle’s Star

Author: Connie Gotsch
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 136 pages
Publisher: Artemesia Publishing (August 11, 2009)
English
ISBN-10: 1932926011
ISBN-13: 978-1932926019

A herding dog who knows nothing but abuse and neglect is dumped by her cruel owners, who do not need her. She finds herself with Darcy, a spunky soccer-playing girl, and her Aunt Ellen. They show Belle kindness, but she has serious trust issues.

Aunt Ellen’s cat and dog try to convince Belle trusting people is okay. Because she begins to like these animals, Belle decides to hang around Ellen’s yard. She also proves herself useful, herding Ellen’s dog out of the flower garden when he tries to dig there. Just as she thinks she’s found an oka spot to live, Ellen’s husband, Jim, accidentally stomps on Belle’s paw. Terrified, she bites him. Bad choice. The dog and cat tell her she could have stepped away from Jim. Not fond of animals, he insists Belle go to the pound. Instead, Ellen sends her to Darcy’s house. Belle realizes her mistake, and resolves to do better when bullies come around.

Belle likes Darcy’s mother, but children have mistreated Belle, so she fears Darcy. Darcy’s puppy tries to convince Belle she’s safe. Belle falls asleep, too exhausted to argue. Awakening from a nightmare, she finds her teeth clamped on Darcy’s ankle. Belle again fears she will go to the pound for sure this time, since she has mishandled herself again. But to her surprise, Darcy apologizes for startling her. Belle begins to like Darcy.

Darcy’s dad arrives. When he treats Belle kindly, she learns that not all men are cruel. She begins liking Darcy’s whole family, and tries hard to get along with them.

Darcy and her parents take Belle to the park, where they meet Ellen, Jim, and pets. Belle is thrilled to see Ellen and the other animals, but she refuses to go near Jim.

The adults settle on a bench to talk. Belle and the animals wander to the lake, with Darcy. Belle’s former owners show up. The mean spirited pair intimidate Darcy and steal Belle. Belle escapes, and with her friends, devises a plan using her herding skills, to rescue Darcy.

When the plan succeeds, Belle realizes she can handle anything--even Jim--as he finally gives her a pat.

~Connie Gotsch is a multi award-winning author of several books including Snap Me a Future and A Mouth Full of Shell. She also wrote a sequel to this book called Belle's Trial. Connie blogs at conniegotsch.blogspot.com and is a radio host in the four corners area.
-----
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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Amazon Review Says "Really Strange and Really Good"

Title: God Drug
Author: Stephen L. Antczak
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror
Kindle Edition Available

Reviewed by Paul Lappen, originally for Amazon

Tom and Sparrow, his lover, are part of the punk music scene in present-day Gainesville, Florida. Sparrow is part of a band that has a gig at Dave-O's, the local punk music club. Earlier that day, they score some LSD, that was not meant for them, from Galactic Bill, the local drug source.

Meantime, near Atlanta, Georgia, a young woman named Hanna wakes up in a suburban house next to a fat, hairy guy. She has no memory of who she is or how she got there, except for flashbacks of having served in the Vietnam War, even though she is nowhere near old enough to have served. Hanna gets in a car and heads south, not knowing where she is going. Along the way, she meets The General, an older man in uniform who certainly remembers Hanna.

When they reach Gainesville, Hanna realizes that The General is some sort of alien whose task is to absorb certain people, and thereby become part of Jovah. She realizes this after seeing The General swallow Galactic Bill whole, like a snake eating a rat. Back at the punk club, the LSD begins to have an effect, and suddenly, everyone at the club is flying, as long as the music keeps playing. When a malfunctioning amp stops the music, gravity takes over, violently. While in the air, Tom, Sparrow and their friends watch as a giant mechanical dragon lays waste to Gainesville, like a modern-day Godzilla movie. They can't help but think that this is the ultimate drug trip, but this is reality (that's the magic word). They meet Hanna and The General, who must absorb Hanna to become "whole."

This book does a fine job at messing with conceptions of reality. One can almost hear the punk music in the background. This one is really strange and really good.
~Read more about the author's movie credits at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1379161
----- 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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Solo Novo's Wall Scrawls Inspired by Ohio Farm House

Title: Solo Novo Wall Scrawls Vol 1

Edited by Paula C. Lowe

Publisher Web site: www.solopress.org

ISBN: 09411490506

Pages: 92

Genre: Literary Journal/Poetry

Literary Journal Selects Best for Wall Scrawls

Editors of the literary journal Solo Novo Wall Scrawls Vol 1 was just published. It will include the poetry of UCLA Extension Writers’ Program instructor Carolyn Howard-Johnson.

The journal is published by Solo Novo Press, Carpinteria, CA and North Wilkesboro, NC. Editor Paula C. Lowe says, “Wall Scrawls” is inspired by an Iowa farm house wall. Eighty years abandoned and orphaned, it is a “hive of letters, a busy kitchen of words. Every kid with a can of spray paint somehow gets here and leaves his or her native tongue on the walls.” One of those walls has become the cover art of this journal.

The selected poem by Howard-Johnson is "Inevitably Walls.” It is inspired by the poet’s extensive travels where she has come upon walls that only occasionally impart hope for the future of mankind. A quote from the poem:

[This wall] like the one we found

years ago when we lost our way

in a dark forest somewhere

in Germany, cried when we

found it there—unexpected…

Howard-Johnson’s poetry has appeared in literary journals like the Mochila Review, Banyan Review, Pear Noir, Manzanita and Poetic Voices. One of her poems won a reader award at The Pedestal Magazine.

Howard-Johnson has studied at UCLA with Suzanne Lummis, editor of Speechless the Magazine (http://www.speechlessthemagazine.org/ ) which featured her chapbook Tracings, winner of Military Writers Society of America’s Award of Excellence and published by Finishing Line Press.

The poet's literary novel, This Is the Place, won eight awards. Her book of creative nonfiction has won three. She is developing a new Celebration Series of poetry chapbooks with Magdalena Ball. Among them are She Wore Emerald Then: Reflections on Motherhood (www.budurl.com/MotherChapbook) and Cherished Pulse: Unconventional Love Poetry (www.budurl.com/CherishedPulse ). She also advocates with authors as the author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers (www.howtodoitfrugally.com).

Learn more about Solo Novo and how to order a copy at: http://www.solopress.com .

Learn more about Carolyn Howard-Johnson at http://carolynhoward-johnson.com.

# # # #

Support Materials available on request.

-----
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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

By Dammit, We're Marines! Veterans Stories of Heroism, Horror, and Humor in World War II on the Pacific FrontBy Gail Chatfield
www.bydammitweremarines.com
Memoir/military
Military Writers Society of America Silver Medal 2009
Branson Stars and Flags Silver Medal 2009
View PowerPoint presentation at http://www.bydammitweremarines.com/photos.html
ISBN: 9780977903948

Reviewed by Col. Steve Fisher, USMC (Ret.)

Stephen Ambrose once said, "As I sit at my computer, or stand at the podium, I think of myself as sitting around the campfire after a day on the trail, telling stories that I hope will have the members of the audience, or the readers, leaning forward just a bit, wanting to know what happens next."

In "By Dammit, We're Marines! -- Veterans' Stories of Heroism, Horror and Humor in World War II on the Pacific Front," a collection of remembrances from Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen, Carmel Valley author Gail Chatfield gathers us around the campfire with 52 heroes of the World War II Pacific campaigns.

Culled from Chatfield's interviews with these representatives of the "greatest generation," she presents unique perspectives on the war as seen through the eyes of officers and enlisted personnel, cousins and neighbors, frontline combat and support troops, corpsmen and chaplains.

Their stories provide detailed, firsthand accounts of some of the most horrific fighting in that theater. They take us through America's entry into the war; their induction, training and deployment; combat; and reintegration into a demobilizing society. The short tales are candid, poignant and sprinkled with humor.

Many of the combat stories focus on the Iwo Jima campaign, the battle immortalized by the famous flag-raising photo taken by Joe Rosenthal on Mount Suribachi. The veterans in "By Dammit, We're Marines!" openly speak of their fear in battle on Iwo Jima, where approximately one-third of all Marines killed in World War II died. Looking back, the Marines try to assess why they survived, and what enabled them to endure and accomplish the mission despite fierce enemy resistance. Some credit the training. Some owe their survival to their buddies.

Whatever it was, they certainly weren't fighting for the money: One of the Marines calculated that he fought on Iwo Jima for $1.53 a day. They fought tenaciously and prevailed because, in the words of retired Sgt. Maj. "Iron Mike" Mervosh, "By dammit, we're Marines."

At the time, most didn't know why they were ordered to take the tiny island of Iwo Jima -- they didn't need to know why -- until the first crippled B-29 airplanes returned from bombing Japan, and the pilots found a safe haven on which to land them.

While many initially enlisted for the challenge or to fulfill a patriotic duty, in combat they kept fighting for the Marine to their left or right, for the Marine who counted on them to protect their flanks. And, when wounded, they knew they had to get back in the fight as soon as possible.

Retired Lt. Gen. Lawrence Snowden summed it up best. After being wounded and evacuated to Guam for medical care, he found a Marine colonel and said, "'I would like to go back to Iwo Jima -- that is my family up there.' I hadn't seen my wife or infant son for two years by that time, but my family was on Iwo."

When I was boxing at the Naval Academy, our coach, Emerson Smith, once spoke of his years in the Navy during World War II. Just as many of Chatfield's veterans did, Smith married just before deploying to the South Pacific for several years. He once confided to me that the scariest experience he had was at the end of the war: He had arranged to meet his wife in the lobby of a hotel and was afraid that he would not recognize her.

I highly recommend this book. These warriors cum schoolteachers, librarians, husbands and fathers are part of this country's legacy. Chatfield, whose father served in the Marines, says it best as she ends: "Without Marines we're toast!"

As our nation is again engaged in a global conflict, Chatfield provides a window to our past, a look at the timeless horrors of war up close and personal, the sacrifices and dedication of our military and their families, and a chance to gather around the campfire.

~ Reviewer Steve Fisher of Fallbrook is a Vietnam veteran and retired U.S. Marine colonel who is working with the First Marine Expeditionary Force.

-----
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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Monday, July 4, 2011

Title Reveals New Book's Link to Filmmaking

Book Title: Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot

Author: Guy Magar

www.kissmequickbeforeishoot.com
Genre: Memoir/Filmmaking
ISBN: 978-0982866344
Publisher: Sea Script Company; First edition (May 4, 2011)

Reviewed by Vonnie Faroqui for Inkslingers Whimsey

Rating: 5 Stars, 2 thumbs up

Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot, is Hollywood filmmaker Guy Magar’s memoir detailing his journey from child immigrant, through college, years of filmmaking, and love along the way to becoming an accomplished director, writer and producer. In an industry known to gloss and glamorize a turd until it looks appealing, this book is being given all the best hype and promotional backing you might imagine the autobiography of a recognizable celebrity and talent would get. However, in this case the hype is REAL. Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot deserves every bit of praise and recognition it gets and more.

For those of us that love the movies or have ever dreamed of, aspired to, danced around, or dived into a career in motion pictures or television, Kiss Me Quick is a “director’s cut” commentary of life on the road to and inside the industry. When I read Guy’s recollections and experiences, I wept just thinking of all the hopeful seekers and dreamers struggling for a break that never get one. The detailed behind-the-scenes knowledge and wisdom he so generously shares is beyond priceless to any aspiring film or television talent seeking entry into the industry. This is “must” reading for acting and directing students seeking film and television careers. Theater and film school do not prepare you for the cold reality of the industry, but Guy’s conversational and revealing memoir sure will.

Readers looking for a Hollywood fix, an insider’s candid perspective on breaking into the business or stories of life among the stars will lock themselves behind closed doors to indulge their celluloid passions with this master story teller. I think I’m in love. Too bad Guy is taken. Which leads me to another aspect of this book, which I think places it a cut above other memoirs and books of its genre. Kiss Me Quick is more than a Hollywood success story, it also relates the very real human drama and love story between Guy and his wife, Jacqui; sharing intimate details of her diagnosis with Leukemia and of the trial medical treatments that saved her life. Guy opens his heart and with incredible spirit, courage, and candor shares it all.

The creativity and passion which infuses Guy’s film work also comes through in his writing. Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot has all the excitement , flare, human interest , and drama Hollywood promises the hopeful, with a measure of reality, and God’s grace thrown in. Both of my thumbs are up for Magar’s Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot. Hand me the popcorn. I am reading that again.

Chick Lit Reviewed by Blogger/Reviewer

Title – Something Blue

Author – Emily Giffin
Author’s Website – http://www.emilygiffin.com
Genre - Chicklit
ISBN-10: 0312323867
ISBN-13: 978-0312323868

Originally reviewed by Lyndsay Digneo for her Simply Lyndsay blog

After reading and loving Emily Giffin's first novel, Something Borrowed, so much, I was anxious to read the sequel, Something Blue, which highlights the flip side. Again, Giffin didn't disappoint me. Something Blue is a must read after Something Borrowed.

Darcy Rhone has sailed through life by using her good looks and smooth charm. Rules? She didn't play by them. And karma? She never worried about it. However, her seemingly perfect life gets flipped up-side-down when she learns her "plain Jane," good girl best friend, Rachel, has had an affair and fallen in love with her fiancé. To add to her predicament, she finds herself pregnant and alone.

For the first time, Darcy is struck with the harsh reality that her life has become. While she doesn't fully grasp that her lack of sincerity and 30 years of not playing by the rules has led her to her current situation, Darcy decides to start fresh and flees from her luxurious New York City apartment to London, where she bunks with her childhood friend, Ethan, in his one bedroom flat. When Darcy first arrives in London, she's still very much the superficial Darcy. However, as her pregnancy progresses, Darcy's outlook on life, love, and what truly matters transforms as well.

One of the things I love most about Giffin's writing is her ability to characterize the characters of her books so well in addition to highlighting tough life decisions. I made a similar comment in my review of Something Borrowed, but I think it's worth repeating. Giffin makes a subtle case throughout the story that life decisions aren't always black and white. There is a lot of gray area, and sometimes you just have to live life to realize that truth and learn from it.

Something Blue was most definitely the other half of Something Borrowed. I was happy to gain more insight into Darcy's point of view, but more importantly, I enjoyed how Giffin tied up the loose ends of Rachel and Darcy's saga. If you haven't already, place Giffin's second novel on your summer reading list so you can find out exactly what is Darcy's "something blue!"

Sunday, July 3, 2011

A Book Tour Parents of Young Kids and Teachers Will Love

Parents and teachers will love this book tour coming to you from author Kathy Stemke. Scroll down for trivia questions and how to win prizes (fun ones!), but be sure to read the synopsis of this great little children's book, too, and the sample workbook questions designed to make learning fun!

When Zachary puts on his thick black glasses, he becomes a super hero. This enables him to protect his new baby sister from all kinds of problems. In the process he learns how much he loves her. This action packed book with clever rhymes focuses on teaching consonant blends. The teacher supplement includes comprehension questions, songs, worksheets and activities.

In Kathy Stemke’s book, Sh Sh Sh Let the Baby Sleep, you will find adorable rhymes for each of the following consonant blends: sh, br, th, ch, and gr. Parents and teachers will find these as well as the activities in the back of the book useful for teaching these blended sounds to children. As a retired kindergarten teacher, Kathy always includes comprehension questions, activities, songs, rhymes, and worksheets in her books to help children learn. Here’s some additional educational activities to go with the book.

Teacher’s Language Guide

Sh Sh Sh Let the Baby Sleep

Comprehension Questions:

· Look over the cover. What do you think the story is about?

· Name the letters in the title.

· Note that SH is a consonant blend. Practice its sound. What does it mean?

· Read the book using volume, pitch and tone variation.

· Who is the main Character? Why do you think so?

· Do you know anybody like Zachary?

· What happened to Zachary when he put his black glasses on?

· How did Zachary stop Mr. Wind?

· Why did the baby bird squawk?

· How did the train wake up Layla?

· How did the train help Layla fall asleep?

· What did the grizzly bear give Layla?

· What did Zachary learn by the end of the story?

· What is your favorite part of the story? Why?

Finish the Sentence:

· The baby’s blanket flew out of the _______________.

· Zachary flew the baby bird right back to its soft ________.

· Super Zachary zoomed up to the whistle and tied it down with a ___________.

· “Come aboard,” said the friendly __________________.

· At that moment a giant grizzly bear stomped out of the _____________.

· Zachary leaped into action and jumped on the bear’s __________.

· “I love my little _______________.”

Name the Shapes:

Mom smiled and handed him a book.

· What shape are the wheels on the stroller/

· What shape is the book?

· What shape is the Kid’s Corner decal on Zachary’s shirt?

· What shape are the eyebrows?

Consonant Blend Song

(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Sh, sh, sh don’t cry.

Quiet, not a peep.