Title: The Sensitivity Factor:
Subtitle: The Missing Piece of Understanding Our
Health
Author: Janice Carlin
Author
Website: http://janicecarlin.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/theFHS
FB fan
page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=189617147787827
ISBN:978-1492855248
Genre:
health/wellness
Reviewed by: Matthew originally for Amazon
This book has
been helpful to me in understanding my own
hypersensitivity. It is a good
overview of the healing process.
She writes with compassion and joy and gives
a lot of good
information about healing and all sorts of things. Her
own
journey is fascinating and I can relate to much of what she
has
experienced. Some of it I skimmed through as it can be a
little
repetitive and I am already familiar with the concepts such
as
energy, resonance, and vibration.For anyone who is a very
sensitive
individual or for someone who is looking for answers
for difficult health
issues, this book will be helpful and could
be a life saver. This is a much
needed book for a world that is
becoming more and more hectic and unhealthy,
and is seeing more
and more immune system disorders from all the toxins
(energetic
and physical). If holistic practitioners would read this
they
would be able to better help a whole segment of people. I am
going to
order her foundations healing process guidebook right
away which is a self
healing method that allows you to clear,
stop reactions immediately, and stay
grounded. Thank you
Janice.
About the
Author:
Janice Carlin is the author of The Sensitivity Factor, Be
Free,
Toward Ascension, Empathic Sensitivity, and The Foundations
Healing
System Guidebook, a natural healing system she developed
for highly sensitive
people. She has also authored several
documents and e-books, including
Lightworkers Guide To Working In
The Light and Working With Sensitives,
Feeding Healthy Families,
Star Child (a children’s Ebook), Helping Your Child
To Heal, and
has a chapters in the Transform Your Life! series. Janice is
an
author, healer, intuitive channel and teacher. She is a
highly
sensitive empath who has learned to use her sensitivity and
her
other gifts to be of service in the most beneficial ways that
she can.
As a channel, she is committed to sharing only that
channeled information,
which is from, with and within The Light
in the highest benefit to all.
Janice has a Masters degree in
music conducting and is a certified K – 12
teacher. She spent
many years teaching music to children in public and
private
school settings. She developed her healing and intuitive
skills
due to her sensitive son’s health needs, as well as her
own.
Desiring to follow a path of natural healing and wellness, she
felt
entirely helpless in caring for their needs without the
skills and knowledge
that so many of the healers they were
seeing had. This led her to embark upon
a ten year journey of
learning, awakening, profound healing and
transformation. Now,
she and her son are self sufficient in living healthy,
thriving
lives. As she experienced her own journey, she realized that
so
many other sensitive people and parents of sensitive children
were also
feeling frustrated and helpless to create thriving
within their own lives.
She became impassioned to share all that
she had learned and developed that
was new, different and
completely empowering. Visit her online at Empowered
Thriving,
www.janicecarlin.com
SUBMITTED BY
Teresa Morrow aka The Author's
Cheerleader
http://theauthorscheerleader.com
Creating opportunities for
spiritual authors to gain visibility
on the
web. She is host of
"Inspiration Nation
Radio"
http://blogtalkradio.com/inspirationnationradio, Sharing Inspiration
through the World of
Words, the author of Life Lessons from the Heart, and Healing
from Broken Trust: A Journey of Transformation'
Visit her Web site at
http://TeresaMorrow.com.
-----
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.
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 11, 2014
Monday, December 8, 2014
Story about Foster Care for Puppies
Title of Book: The Adventures of
Sir Buddy and Mr. Pupples: The Rescue
Author: Richard McEwanIllustrator: Amy Rottinger
Author Website: www.twodogstales.com
Publisher: Halo Publishing, Int.
ISBN Number: 978-7-61244-307 -2
Publication Date: November 2014
Genre of Book: Children’s Picture Book
Review provided by: World of Ink
Network
About the Book:
This is an engaging story for
children to read or have read to them about a lost puppy. Hopefully, it will
encourage young ones to think about the story when they come upon a stray dog or
cat; and seek the guidance of an adult in helping to find it's family...or new
home.
This is a really cute story from
a lost dog's point of view. It starts out with a lost pup, named Pupples,
scared, dirty and alone in the woods near a road. As the story begins, little
kids learn Pupples will not leave or venture too far from where he is lost in
case his family comes back to find him. What we liked about this part is it
teaches children to also remain where they are if lost.
As the story continues on,
children learn the process animal rescue goes through to find new homes for
dogs or any animal, how they find an animal’s owner if lost and also that
sometimes animals end up in foster care until a new home can be found.
We found this book to be very
universal on topics within and also the picture themselves can be used to
enhance storytelling and understanding how a story evolves.
EXCERPT:
Pupples paced the edge of the
road. He sniffed, but he could not find the scent of
his mother or siblings. The stench
of cars burned his nose. He whimpered. If onlyhe hadn’t crawled off to sleep under the bush. But his brother had poked and rolled over him so many times that he couldn’t get comfortable. When he woke his family was gone. He had barked and searched, tracking their scent until he lost it at the road.
If he could cross, maybe he would
pick it up again. He placed a paw on the black
surface. He took two steps then
froze as a car swerved to miss him. A horn blared and he raced back to the side of
the road. He crouched panting and shaking amongst the weeds. He waited until
it was quiet and forced himself to try again.Every time Pupples took a few steps onto the road, cars appeared forcing him to
run back. He howled in frustration.
About the Author:
Richard McEwan retired to the
Outer Banks of North Carolina after a long career in sales, marketing and
advertising. He lives with his wife, Christie, and their two dogs, Buddy and
River, one cat named Oyster and many photos of foster dogs. He was inspired to
begin writing because of his grandchildren's love of books.
BOOK TRAILER : http://youtu.be/0ZdOCfAO99s?list=UUjcOpPUInovIAsrR8HLtxYA
To learn more about the World of
Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com. Virginia S. Grenier is founder and partner. Phone: 435-625-1743. Follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook. Virginia is the author of Babysitting Sugarpaw. Learn more about her at http://vsgrenier.com.
----- 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.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Bone Up on Puccini and Have an Italian Crime Romp
Book title:
Murder in Hand
Series: Alicia Allen Investigates Book Three
Author: Celia
ConradSeries: Alicia Allen Investigates Book Three
Website: http://www.aliciaalleninvestigates.com
Where to buy the book: Amazon http://tinyurl.com/njd3bwl
Genre: Crime fiction
ISBN: 9780954623340 (Paperback) Also available in all ebook formats
Publisher: Barcham Books
Reviewed by Marlan Warren originally for
“Dancing in the Experience Lane” Open Salon Blog "Murder in Hand": Italian Probate, Puccini, & Dead Lawyers
Lawyers aren't the most popular
people, Miss Allen..."
—Murder in
Hand
-----
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.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Outdoors, Pennsylvania Make Book a Winner for Goodreads Reviewer
Title: A Season on the Allegheny
Author: Robert T. HilliardAuthor's Website: http://www.facebook.com/ASeasonontheAllegheny
Genre: Nonfiction, Outdoors
ISBN-13: 978-1475201161
Available on Amazon
Reviewer Name: Diane (Goodreads Reviewer)
Reviewer's Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Even
though I'm not a hunter, and I've never been to the Allegheny National Forest, I
thoroughly enjoyed this book. OK, part of it is chauvinism: I'm a Pennsylvanian,
and the author makes clear the uniqueness of this chunk of Pennsylvania, which
makes me proud. I'm also a big fan of public ownership of wilderness lands,
having spent many happy vacations camping, hiking, kayaking and canoeing in
national and state parks. The merits of the book itself, though, are what I
found most appealing. Although much of it is the story of a nine-month season of
hunting in the ANF, the author weaves in a great deal of information about the
forest, its history, its current uses (recreational and commercial), disputes,
and stories of other hunters, both those he hunts with in this season and some
from history.
For
me it was also a very intriguing look at the interrelationships between hunters,
the damage caused by over-large deer populations, and the ability of the forest
to maintain itself, as well as glimpses of the science behind the Forest
Service's interventions and attempts to strengthen the health of the forests,
rivers, marshlands, etc. It gave me greater respect for hunters, and a
compelling desire to spend some time in the Forest, myself. This one's a
keeper!
About the
Author:
Robert Hilliard has written numerous feature articles for magazines such as Upland Almanac, Pennsylvania Wildlife, Pittsburgh History Magazine, ESPNOutdoors.com, Ohio Game and Fish, and Pennsylvania Game and Fish. Hilliard was also a contributing author for the 2000 book Rivers of Destiny.
Robert Hilliard has written numerous feature articles for magazines such as Upland Almanac, Pennsylvania Wildlife, Pittsburgh History Magazine, ESPNOutdoors.com, Ohio Game and Fish, and Pennsylvania Game and Fish. Hilliard was also a contributing author for the 2000 book Rivers of Destiny.
You can
follow Rob on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ASeasonontheAllegheny , Google+ at plus.google.com/+RobertHilliard , or on
Twitter @RobHilliard_66
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.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Creative Stock Advice Rated "A Keeper"
Title: Dual Momentum InvestingSubtitle: An Innovative Strategy for Higher
Returns with Lower Risk
Author: Gary Antonacci
Author website: http://www.gary-antonacci.com
Nonfiction: Investing>Stocks
Nonfiction: Investing>Stocks
ISBN 10: 0071849440
ISBN 13: 978-0071849449
ISBN 13: 978-0071849449
Book publisher: McGraw-Hill
Reviewed by Brenda Jubin for originally for Reading the Markets blog
In 2012 Gary Antonacci won the Wagner Award for his paper “Risk Premia
Harvesting Through Dual Momentum”; the year before he was the runner-up with
“Optimal Momentum Investing.” Now, with Dual Momentum Investing
(McGraw-Hill) he has given the investing world a first-rate book-length analysis
of the two kinds of momentum and how to combine them to beat the
market.
For those who think momentum investing is “so 90’s,” Wesley Gray, coauthor of Quantitative Value, sets them straight. In his laudatory preface to the book he quotes Eugene Fama, who, despite the apparent challenge to his efficient market hypothesis, admitted that “momentum is pervasive.” But why is it pervasive, and how can investors capture the momentum anomaly?
Antonacci focuses on the second question but does address the first in a short chapter “Rational and Not-So-Rational Explanations of Momentum.” Let me start there. The rational explanation for why momentum works is that “high momentum profits are compensation for assuming greater amounts of risk.” The “not-so-rational” explanation is that “investors behave unexpectedly and irrationally in systematic and predictable ways.” (p. 36) In a nutshell, “herding/anchoring/ confirmation bias and the disposition effect complement each other and can lead to a unified, behaviorally based concept of momentum-inducing behavior.” (p. 43) If behavioral finance is more or less correct, “momentum lets us profit from human behavioral biases instead of being subject to them in adverse ways.” (p. 44)
All well and good, the reader might say. But we are all familiar with the adage that the trend is your friend--until it ends. How can the investor profit from momentum instead of being swept away by it?
Antonacci has thoroughly researched this question. Most important, he distinguishes between relative and absolute momentum. Relative strength “compares an asset to its peers in order to predict future performance. In academic research, relative momentum is often the same as cross-sectional momentum, which involves sectioning a universe of individual assets into equal segments and comparing the performance of the strongest segments (‘winners’) to the performance of the weakest (‘losers’).” By contrast, when viewed on an absolute or longitudinal basis, “an asset’s own past predicts its future.” (p. 84) Absolute momentum is “a bet on the continuing serial correlation of returns, or, in cowboy terms, absolute momentum says, ‘A horse is easiest to ride in the direction it’s already going.’” (p. 85)
The major weakness of relative momentum investing is that “relative strength does little to reduce downside exposure. Relative momentum may even increase downside volatility.” (p. 84) Absolute momentum, by contrast, not only provides greater downside portfolio protection than relative momentum; it even provides more downside protection than low volatility portfolios do “while preserving more upside market potential. It can also do this without the tracking error, sector concentration, and high turnover issues associated with low volatility portfolios.” (p. 88)
Antonacci’s recommendation is a deceptively simple one: “use absolute and relative together in order to gain the advantages of both. The way we do that is by first using relative momentum to select the best-performing asset over the preceding 12 months. We then apply absolute momentum as a trend-following filter by seeing if the excess return of our selected asset has been positive or negative over the preceding year. If it has been positive, that means its trend is up and we proceed to use that asset. If our asset’s excess return over the past year has been negative, then its trend is down and we invest instead in short- to intermediate-term fixed-income instruments until the trend turns positive.” (p. 89)
This is a dynamic approach to asset allocation, using only stocks and bonds for reasons that the author explains. The model (Global Equity Momentum--GEM) switches between the S&P 500 and the ACWI ex-U.S. based on relative strength momentum and uses aggregate bonds as a safe haven during bear markets based on absolute momentum signals taken from the S&P 500.
Between 1974 and 2013 GEM had an annual return of 17.43%, which soundly trumped relative momentum (14.41%), absolute momentum (12.66%), ACWI (8.85%) and ACWI + AGG (8.59%). Its annual Sharpe ratio was 0.87, in contrast to 0.52, 0.57, 0.22, and 0.28. And its maximum drawdown was 22.72%, as opposed to 53.06%, 23.76%, 60.21%, and 45.74%. “GEM benefited from absolute momentum in 1982, 2001, and 2009, when relative momentum offered no advantage over the market. On the other hand, GEM benefited most from relative momentum in 1986 through 1988 and 2004 through 2007 when stocks were strong and absolute momentum provided no advantage over the market.” (p. 105)
Although GEM is a simple long-term model, it is powerful. Antonacci’s extensive research and his clear-headed thinking have led to a book that every investor should read. The academically oriented reader will be grateful for his occasional excursions into the weeds, his carefully laid-out data, and his lengthy bibliography. The practically oriented investor will find a road map for moving ahead and staying out of really big trouble. And those who enjoy an infusion of humor will laugh at his mini-essay “All Aboard!” that wraps up the main text of book. This one’s a keeper!
MORE ON THE AUTHOR For those who think momentum investing is “so 90’s,” Wesley Gray, coauthor of Quantitative Value, sets them straight. In his laudatory preface to the book he quotes Eugene Fama, who, despite the apparent challenge to his efficient market hypothesis, admitted that “momentum is pervasive.” But why is it pervasive, and how can investors capture the momentum anomaly?
Antonacci focuses on the second question but does address the first in a short chapter “Rational and Not-So-Rational Explanations of Momentum.” Let me start there. The rational explanation for why momentum works is that “high momentum profits are compensation for assuming greater amounts of risk.” The “not-so-rational” explanation is that “investors behave unexpectedly and irrationally in systematic and predictable ways.” (p. 36) In a nutshell, “herding/anchoring/ confirmation bias and the disposition effect complement each other and can lead to a unified, behaviorally based concept of momentum-inducing behavior.” (p. 43) If behavioral finance is more or less correct, “momentum lets us profit from human behavioral biases instead of being subject to them in adverse ways.” (p. 44)
All well and good, the reader might say. But we are all familiar with the adage that the trend is your friend--until it ends. How can the investor profit from momentum instead of being swept away by it?
Antonacci has thoroughly researched this question. Most important, he distinguishes between relative and absolute momentum. Relative strength “compares an asset to its peers in order to predict future performance. In academic research, relative momentum is often the same as cross-sectional momentum, which involves sectioning a universe of individual assets into equal segments and comparing the performance of the strongest segments (‘winners’) to the performance of the weakest (‘losers’).” By contrast, when viewed on an absolute or longitudinal basis, “an asset’s own past predicts its future.” (p. 84) Absolute momentum is “a bet on the continuing serial correlation of returns, or, in cowboy terms, absolute momentum says, ‘A horse is easiest to ride in the direction it’s already going.’” (p. 85)
The major weakness of relative momentum investing is that “relative strength does little to reduce downside exposure. Relative momentum may even increase downside volatility.” (p. 84) Absolute momentum, by contrast, not only provides greater downside portfolio protection than relative momentum; it even provides more downside protection than low volatility portfolios do “while preserving more upside market potential. It can also do this without the tracking error, sector concentration, and high turnover issues associated with low volatility portfolios.” (p. 88)
Antonacci’s recommendation is a deceptively simple one: “use absolute and relative together in order to gain the advantages of both. The way we do that is by first using relative momentum to select the best-performing asset over the preceding 12 months. We then apply absolute momentum as a trend-following filter by seeing if the excess return of our selected asset has been positive or negative over the preceding year. If it has been positive, that means its trend is up and we proceed to use that asset. If our asset’s excess return over the past year has been negative, then its trend is down and we invest instead in short- to intermediate-term fixed-income instruments until the trend turns positive.” (p. 89)
This is a dynamic approach to asset allocation, using only stocks and bonds for reasons that the author explains. The model (Global Equity Momentum--GEM) switches between the S&P 500 and the ACWI ex-U.S. based on relative strength momentum and uses aggregate bonds as a safe haven during bear markets based on absolute momentum signals taken from the S&P 500.
Between 1974 and 2013 GEM had an annual return of 17.43%, which soundly trumped relative momentum (14.41%), absolute momentum (12.66%), ACWI (8.85%) and ACWI + AGG (8.59%). Its annual Sharpe ratio was 0.87, in contrast to 0.52, 0.57, 0.22, and 0.28. And its maximum drawdown was 22.72%, as opposed to 53.06%, 23.76%, 60.21%, and 45.74%. “GEM benefited from absolute momentum in 1982, 2001, and 2009, when relative momentum offered no advantage over the market. On the other hand, GEM benefited most from relative momentum in 1986 through 1988 and 2004 through 2007 when stocks were strong and absolute momentum provided no advantage over the market.” (p. 105)
Although GEM is a simple long-term model, it is powerful. Antonacci’s extensive research and his clear-headed thinking have led to a book that every investor should read. The academically oriented reader will be grateful for his occasional excursions into the weeds, his carefully laid-out data, and his lengthy bibliography. The practically oriented investor will find a road map for moving ahead and staying out of really big trouble. And those who enjoy an infusion of humor will laugh at his mini-essay “All Aboard!” that wraps up the main text of book. This one’s a keeper!
Gary Antonacci is a portfolio management consultant and award-winning writer. Learn more at http://optimalmomentum.com
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.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Barbara Venkataraman Leaves You Smiling
“A Trip to the Hardware Store
& Other Calamities”
By Barbara Venkataraman
Author's blog: www.barbaravenkataraman.blogspot.com
Published on Amazon
Reviewed with five stars
Reviewed by Brad Teare originally for Amazon
-----
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.
By Barbara Venkataraman
Genre: Humor
ASIN:
B00IO94GAYAuthor's blog: www.barbaravenkataraman.blogspot.com
Published on Amazon
Reviewed with five stars
This review is from:
A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities:
Quirky Essays for Quirky People (Audible Audio Edition)
This is a collection of humorous
stories akin to Erma Bombeck to which the author will be oft compared. Some of
the stories were laugh-out-loud funny. I especially enjoyed Lazybones and
Gadget. Writing comedy is really hard and I take my hat off to any author who
can do it well. I listened to the Audible book audio and I really liked the
narrator. Her voice is similar to Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars). Her voice has a
young, perky timbre that is easy to listen to and apropos for humorous
writing.
The only reason I deduct a star is I didn't think the first two stories were the best and I felt the collection was marred by them being first. It's a slight gripe I know but if I were editor I would have started with Lazybones which was very insightful as well as funny. But that bit about being a waitress and the customer wanting the omelet pie (I don't want to spoil anything) was hilarious. I think I will add a star just for that episode alone. So five stars it is!
The only reason I deduct a star is I didn't think the first two stories were the best and I felt the collection was marred by them being first. It's a slight gripe I know but if I were editor I would have started with Lazybones which was very insightful as well as funny. But that bit about being a waitress and the customer wanting the omelet pie (I don't want to spoil anything) was hilarious. I think I will add a star just for that episode alone. So five stars it is!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Winner of the "Indie Book of the Day" award and
Honorable Mention for nonfiction humor in the "Readers' Favorite" Contest. At
8,000 words, this collection of humorous essays explores such quirky topics as:
disastrous home repairs, ("A Trip to the Hardware Store"), an unfortunate dinner
party ("Dinner is Served"), the truth about lazy people ("Lazy Bones"), the
weird life of a debt collector ("Your Account is Past Due") and obsessions with
gadgets ("Gadget Girl"). Other essays examine how surreal the aging process is
("Where Did the Time Go?"), why you shouldn't judge a person by their job
("Beyond Belief"), and how to complicate simple transactions ("High Finance").
Like the author's first work, "I'm Not Talking About You, Of Course...," these
essays will give your spirit a lift and leave you
smiling.
-----
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.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
New Fantasy Features New World Mythologies
Title: The Obsidian Mirror
Author: K.D. Keenan
Authors website: http://theobsidianmirror.net/
Genre: Urban fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-940820-16-3
Name of reviewer: Linda M. Duyanovich
Publisher: AEC Stellar Publishing
Reviewer's rating: 5 stars
Purchase on Amazon
Author: K.D. Keenan
Authors website: http://theobsidianmirror.net/
Genre: Urban fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-940820-16-3
Name of reviewer: Linda M. Duyanovich
Publisher: AEC Stellar Publishing
Reviewer's rating: 5 stars
Purchase on Amazon
Format:
Paperback
“The
Obsidian Mirror” is an urban fantasy based on New World mythologies and legends.
It’s an action-packed page-turner, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
There are plenty of tense moments and some really evil bad guys, but it’s all
enlivened by the author’s ability to weave humor throughout the drama.
I enjoyed the well-rounded characters—especially Fred, who’s a mannegishi (sort of a Native American leprechaun). Fred’s a greedy, irresponsible little thief, but you’ll wind up loving his brand of goofy innocence. Chaco, another supernatural character, is another of my favorites. Chaco is kind of a lech, but he’s so cheerful and good-natured that he never offends.
The action mostly takes place in modern-day Silicon Valley, and at the heart of the story is how an evil Aztec/Mayan god takes advantage of modern technology to execute his dark plans. For those familiar with Silicon Valley or Northern California, you will recognize the locale and the culture of the Valley. If you aren’t familiar with this area, take my word for it—the local color is dead-on accurate.
There’s a friendship that forms among three secondary female characters that I particularly enjoyed. None of the three are acquainted before the story begins, but as it unfolds, they form a sort of sisterhood that I found very appealing. I found myself believing in their role in the story and cheering them on.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. It has basically everything I love in a story: characters I care about, action, drama and humor, all tied up with creative storytelling that has enough unexpected twists and turns to keep me interested—and make me genuinely sorry when the story ends. I hope there’s a sequel."
I enjoyed the well-rounded characters—especially Fred, who’s a mannegishi (sort of a Native American leprechaun). Fred’s a greedy, irresponsible little thief, but you’ll wind up loving his brand of goofy innocence. Chaco, another supernatural character, is another of my favorites. Chaco is kind of a lech, but he’s so cheerful and good-natured that he never offends.
The action mostly takes place in modern-day Silicon Valley, and at the heart of the story is how an evil Aztec/Mayan god takes advantage of modern technology to execute his dark plans. For those familiar with Silicon Valley or Northern California, you will recognize the locale and the culture of the Valley. If you aren’t familiar with this area, take my word for it—the local color is dead-on accurate.
There’s a friendship that forms among three secondary female characters that I particularly enjoyed. None of the three are acquainted before the story begins, but as it unfolds, they form a sort of sisterhood that I found very appealing. I found myself believing in their role in the story and cheering them on.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. It has basically everything I love in a story: characters I care about, action, drama and humor, all tied up with creative storytelling that has enough unexpected twists and turns to keep me interested—and make me genuinely sorry when the story ends. I hope there’s a sequel."
MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
You can reach K.D. Keenan at kdkeenan@theobsidianmirror.net and learn more about her at:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1sA84Iv
Website & Blog: http://bit.ly/Obsid
Facebook: http://bit.ly/fbObsid
Twitter: @silverbough
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22039676-the-obsidian-mirror
Noveltunity: http://www.noveltunity.com/profile/Mannegishi
Google+: Google.com/+KathyKeenan
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1sA84Iv
Website & Blog: http://bit.ly/Obsid
Facebook: http://bit.ly/fbObsid
Twitter: @silverbough
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22039676-the-obsidian-mirror
Noveltunity: http://www.noveltunity.com/profile/Mannegishi
Google+: Google.com/+KathyKeenan
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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.
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