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, July 14, 2011

Horse Thriller? See What You Think


Title: The Bone Trail

Nell Walton

Soft Cover, 2010, $13.95 U.S.
ISBN: 978-1-45649-90799
Available from Amazon
Reviewed by Carol M. Upton: www.dreamsaloud.ca
First published in Horses All: www.horsesall.com
On the afternoon of the last day of Lindy Abraham’s life, she stood leaning against an old Jeep Cherokee, once red, now faded to kind of a dusky umber, rapping her heel impatiently against a tire. She waited in the Nevada desert in the middle of June; it was hot, and her peach colored cotton tank top stuck unpleasantly in the hollow between her narrow shoulders. ~ Nell Walton
In The Bone Trail, Nell Walton hooks the reader from the very start. We can feel the unrelenting heat and isolation of the desert, and the vulnerability of those who venture there. I was immediately drawn into this exciting story about the disappearance of two wild horse advocates – mystery, thriller and romance all rolled into one.
Walton’s book is inspired by the true-life events with which many horse lovers are familiar – the brutal helicopter roundups of wild mustangs off U.S. public lands, hearing of them being run to exhaustion into long-term warehousing facilities, where many face illness and death. But, there is more to this story, something far worse, and investigative journalist Kate Wyndham is determined to the discover the truth, even at great personal risk.
Every single character in this novel is lively and engaging – from the cold-blooded mining security staff to the Shoshone Reservation inhabitants to the stonewalling local police. Before we know it, we are following Kate’s terrifying trail, gripped with fear and sickened by the possible outcome.
This is one of those books the reader hopes will never end. Rumor has it that Walton is working on a sequel and there is no doubt readers will be lined up to get their hands on it.
~Nell Walton is a journalist and the founder of the online equestrian news magazine, The AllHorses Post (www.allpetspost.org/allhorsespost). She lives with her husband and four horses (including two mustangs) in East Tennessee.

~Submitted by Carol Upton (604) 886-8951
Dreams Aloud Promotions
~ Linking your dreams to the world
www.dreamsaloud.ca
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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 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 13, 2011

Young Adult Novel Gets Rave Review

Title - New England Witch Chronicles
Author - Chelsea Bellingeri
Link - www.chelseabellingeri.com
 Genre - Young Adult
ISBN - 9781463648978



Reveiwed by Lisa Luna originally for Amazon




This was a WONDERFUL BOOK! ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! Chelsea Bellingeri does an exceptional job drawing her readers into the world of her characters. I felt like I knew each and every one of them by the time I finished, and I cannot wait to see what will happen in the next book! You LOVE Alex from the start! Peters and her relationship is fantastic, I LOVED it! Then the author throws in a "hot new guy in town" James, and it really starts the fireworks! The nightmare scenes are really good! The ending left me really wanting to know what happens next! I will be the first in line for the 2nd Book in this series! I REALLY LOVE how Bellingeri writes she really takes you into their world and you get to know and LOVE the characters. She is my new favorite author! A great read I would HIGHLY recommend it!

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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 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 12, 2011

A Gypsy in New York Celebrates her 100th Birthday

A Gypsy in New York
Author: Juliette de Bairacli Levy
Ashtree Publishing
Genre: Memoir

 A revised edition of A Gypsy in New York by  the renowned author and healer, Juliette de Bairacli Levy, known as the Grandmother of Herbal Medicine who (11/11/12- 5/28/09) would soon have celebrated her upcoming 100th birthday.

Before her death in 2009, Juliette de Bairacli Levy collaborated with Susun “Wise Woman” S. Weed, to update several of her books, all of which will be re-released this summer.  http://bitly.com/kZziVJ
Levy was born on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1912 in Manchester, England. She was educated at Lowther College, one of the best girls schools in Britain, and went on to study veterinary medicine at the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool, but she left university after two years to study with the Gypsies and peasants of the world.

In the late 1930's Juliette ran a distemper clinic in London where, at a time when many dogs were dying, she treated and cured hundreds of dogs with fasting, herbs and a natural diet.  In the 1930's Juliette developed the first line of herbal supplements for animals known as Natural Rearing Products which are today distributed worldwide. She also worked with wounded soldiers and later cured thousands of sheep declared incurable by conventional vets.

In the 1940's, while travelling in America, Spain, France, North Africa and Turkey, Juliette gathered herbal remedies from the nomadic and peasant peoples of these lands. When her Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable was published in 1951, it was the first veterinary herbal ever to be published making information previously passed by word of  mouth available in print.

Thus Juliette became THE pioneer of what is known today as holistic animal care. She went on to write The Complete Herbal Book for the Dog. Both these books together with Juliette's Illustrated Herbal Handbook for Everyone and Natural Rearing of Children have become classics and many generations of humans & animals have been raised & healed on these books.  As well as her herbal books, she has written several travel books, two novels and three books of poems.

This is part of the launch and online book tour for that book that includes bonuses for the purchase of this book. Find that bonus page and other information at   http://bit.ly/natmed .
Here's what people are saying about A Gypsy in New York:

In this richly detailed memoir, Juliette de Bairacli Levy – one of the founders of American herbalism – offers us a rare and compelling documentary. It is at once a travel book, and herbal guide and a compendium of Gypsy lore and Gypsy ways. Juliette gives us river winds, strange characters in the streets by day, rats scurrying by at night, and legions of cockroaches in the apartments, against whose window the blossoms of apple and pear trees toss, even in the great city’s cement heart. In this richly detailed memoir, Juliette de Bairacli Levy offers us a rare and compelling documentary.
If you love animals or plants, you’ll love Juliette de Bairacli Levy & her books.” ~ Susun Weed. http://bit.ly/natmed

This jewel-like memoir details Juliette’s love of nature & animals as she relates w/Gypsies.http://bit.ly/natmed

~This book launch tour comes to you from
Denise Cassino
Publicist
Book Marketing Specialist
303 838 3399
skype: denise.cassino
www.wizardlywebdesigns.com
www.spiritoftheseasoncatalog.com
www.mybestsellerlaunch.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 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 :

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Christmas in July: Prepare Memorable Greetings Now

Blooming Red: Unconventional Christmas Poetry
Co-authors Magdalena Ball and Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Genre: Poetry/holiday
Author's Web site: www.howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm

Little Known Poetry History: Chapbooks, a tradition in the poetry world since Elizabethan times, are named after the itinerant chapmen who travelled from village to village selling their goods.


Award-winning poets Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball figure nothing is more meaningful at any holiday than a poem—a real poem, not sing-songy impersonal verse from the shelves of card shops. They also noticed that many people order imprinted holiday greetings (very expensive ones!) in July. With that in mind they are offering a great Christmas-in-July incentive to those early birds who want to gift a chapbook Blooming Red: Christmas Poetry for the Rational to their most cherished friends. .


But how would poetry lovers, literature lovers and those who just like something different and beautiful to use as mini gifts or greetings know if this little booklet is for them?


These multi award-winning authors have arranged to get the e-book version for 50% off until August 6. That means your sample comes to you for a mere $1.98 using the special coupon code ZZ47S when you go to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/45393

Then, when you fall in love with the exquisite poetry and the beautiful artwork by award-winning California watercolorist Vicki Thomas, you can order 25 full paperback booklets for only $3.00 each. This is a substantial discount from Amazon’s price of $6.95 each. They become your card and gift in one and orders of 12 or more come autographed by one of the poets. That’s got to be more personal than an imprint.


You just send your shipping address with your check or money order to:

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
PO Box 1101
LaCanada-Flintridge, CA 91012-1101

Include $6. Ship charges for the continental US and $12 worldwide, any quantity. Please order before August 15th.

 Blooming Red includes Maggie’s science-inspired and Carolyn’s nostalgic poetry. It also includes some humorous poems for fair measure.

Magdalena Ball runs the highly respected CompulsiveReader.com review site.  She is the author of the poetry book Repulsion Thrust, which was published to unanimous 5-star reviews.  Her novel Sleep Before Evening, was a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist. 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's poetry appears frequently in review journals. She is listed in Poets & Writers and her chapbook of poetry, Tracings (www.budurl.com/CarolynsTracings ), was given the Award of Excellence by the Military Writers Society of America and She Wore Emerald Then won its highest honor of gold. One of her poems recently won the Franklin Christoph Poetry Prize. She is also an award-winning novelist and short story writer and instructor for UCLA Extension Writers' Program.

For more information on any of the chapbooks in this poetry series, contact either of the authors or visit media rooms at www.howtodoitfrugally.com or www.magdalenaball.com.
To learn more about artist Vicki Thomas and to see her selections of her work, go to www.vickithomasartist.com


                              ###

Support material available electronically or by post on request. E-mail hojonews (at) AOL (dot) 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 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 :

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Military Nonfiction Reviewed by Military Writer

Title: Humble Heroes, How The USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII
Author: Steven George Bustin
Publisher: CreateSpace (Amazon)
Author Websites: www.ussnashville.org, www.bustinmedia.com
Author Blog: www.humbleheroeswwii.blogspot.com
Genre: Historial Non-Fiction

 
Originally Reviewed by Donald J. Farinacci for Amazon.
 
The USS Nashville began its epic journey across the turbulant waters of World War II in February 1941 when it transported a contingent of U.S. Marines to Wake Island. When she finally sailed into San Francisco Harbor in January of 1946 on her return to the United States, she carried an incredible legacy to her native shores of pain, loss, horror, grief and death combined with heroism, devotion, selflessness, loyalty, skill and great distinction. If she could tell her own tale, it would no doubt be with the same humility shown by the humble heroes who served with such dedication upon her blood-stained and fire-scarred decks.

But, the job of telling that engrossing tale has fallen to Steven George Bustin, a writer of great clarity and instinctive empathy for the individuals whose exploits and travails he so lovingly depicts on the pages of this inspiring work. And the story of The Nashville and its intrepid crew is in good hands. "Humble Heroes" is meticulously crafted--both as a fond and poignant remembrance and a breathtaking tale of adventure in the perilous waters of the Pacific during WWII.
 
The Nashville seemed to be everywhere: on Lend Lease missions in the North Atlantic, as part of Doolittle's daring raid on Tokyo, at Midway, Hollandia, New Guinia, the Battle of Leyte Gulf and as MacArthur's flagship on his triumphant return to the Phillipines. Full of intriguing first-hand vignettes from former crew members, it is also a history of the War in the Pacific in micrcosm. "Humble Heroes" is masterful in its thoroughness and truly a great read, especially for World War II buffs and history buffs in general.

~The reviewer is Donald J. Farinacci, author of Truman and MacArthur,
  Adversaries For A Common Cause (Merriam Press) as well as three other  books.
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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 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 :

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.
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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 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 :