Book Review for Tales2Inspire ~ The Pearl Collection (Stories of Awesome Kids)

BOOK TITLE: Tales2Inspire ~ The Pearl Collection (Stories of Awesome Kids)

AUTHORS: Anthology of short stories written by Lois W. Stern (Publisher) and the following contributing authors and storytellers:  Mariah Rose Nablo, Elayna Hasty, Roman McConn, Jayla and Lakesia Newson, Mikayla Clarke, Carolyne, Rosie Westerbeck, Amariyanna ‘Mari’ Copeny’ story, Christian Bucks, Ethan Nielson, Sidney Keyes III, MacKenzey Kologlu, Jade Scott, Starling, Emma Gonzales

GENRE OR CATEGORY: Non-fiction, inspiring short stories

ISBN: 978-1798757772

FORMAT: Paperback, Kindle

PAGE COUNT: 123

AMAZON LINK:

https://www.amazon.com/Tales2I

Imaginative (and Humorous!) Young Adult Fiction Reviewed by Dr. Westley Britton

Title: Oops!: Tales of the Zombie Turkey Apocalypse 

Series: Life After Life Chronicles Book 4

Author: Andy Zach

Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date:  January 2, 2020 

 Publisher:  Jule Inc; 1st Edition (January 2, 2020) 

 ASIN:  B0825G9MPG

Purchase at Amazon 

 

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com 

 

You'd think after three oddball novels, Zombie Turkeys (How an Unknown Blogger Fought Unkillable Turkeys), My Undead Mother-In-Law (The Family Zombie with Anger Management Issues), and Paranormal Privateers, that Andy Zach would have exhausted all the comic possibilities in his world of killer zombie turkeys and superhero zombie humans.

You'd be wrong.  How about flying zombie pickles? Zombie zucchini? Zombie caterpillars? (How can you tell a zombie caterpillar from a normal one? Andy Zach can tell you.)

 

How about being injected with zombie blood which can cure any ill, regrow any lost limb, and be quickly cured with a widely available antidote? Who needs insurance with that sort of help?     How about organizing a zombie worker union at Amazon when zombies can outperform robots? And suggest the story is based on two real people, Anthony and Ravan Jones who contribute the foreword to the book?  Or zombie residents of a nursing home taking over the place? 

 

But all this silliness is just part of what Andy Zach has collected in Oops.  He has included other short stories by other authors like "The Story of Sound" by Olivia Smith and his own "A Phoenix Tale"   before diving into his zombie world. Then he offers a batch of stories based on his other book series featuring disabled  middle-schoolers who become superheroes,  the Secret Supers. Oh yea, there are the aliens who first appeared in Paranormal Privateers who are defeated by zombies working for the U.S. Government.  The aliens can provide you legal assistance in the form of a sexy avatar who looks exactly like Marilyn Monroe.

 

If you're getting the impression that one Mr. Andy Zach has a wide and wild imagination, you are on the right track. One obvious audience for his quirky tales is the YA readership, especially for all the contemporary references like video gaming and computer lingo. But even grumpy old sixty-somethings like me can have a lot of fun with Andy's characters, scenarios, and plots. I'm still laughing at the image of migrating flying zombie pickles.  Hard to get more original, unique, or surprising than Zach's "Life After Life" series. Have some fun with Andy Zach in 2020!

 

More About the Reviewer

 

 Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of The Beta Earth Chronicles and reviews for BookPleasures.com and #TheNewBookReview. Learn more with these links:

Reviewer, BookPleasures.com

 

Explore the Beta Earth Chronicles website:

 

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More About the Blogger and What This Blog Offers

  

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog 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.

Note about other #TheNewBookReview free services: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too!

Lois W. Stern, educator, anthology editor, and authors' advocate, offers a way for authors, readers, and publishers to find new reviewers for their books. It's also a way for reviewers to find new books at no charge. Find her submission guidelines in the tabs at the top of The New Book Review home page.  

 Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Join Our Team as a Volunteer Reviewer and Get a Free Image for Your Own Marketing

How would you like a FREE banner, similar to the one pictured above, but emblazoned with your name, book cover and headshot? Just imagine . . .  You will be able to place it on all your social media platforms, your website, Amazon profile page . . . even on places like your letterhead, signature file and more. Really, the skies the limit. And did I tell you it's all yours free of charge?

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, the creator of this award winning blog, invited me to be her #TheNewBookReview review coordinator. She then Tweets these posts to her over 41,000 Followers. Carolyn Wilheim is the talented banner/image gal for this blog. What a generous offer from a multi-talented gal! So now we have become a Team of Three.

You are part of our team too. All you have to do to get your own image/banner is read through the book descriptions below, select a book of interest to you, and click here to follow the posted directions. What a gift just for reaching out to help a fellow author! 

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More About Lois W. Stern

Tales2inspire® was a kernel of an idea I initiated in 2012, growing in proportions even I didn’t dare to envision. My innate curiosity about potentially fascinating human interest stories was the spark that ignited this idea, but there was something more propelling me forward - my belief in the power of stories to shape our thinking. Famed biographer, Doris Kearns Goodwin has repeatedly written about this theme in relation to some of our greatest presidents, who recognized the power of stories and used their storytelling abilities to reach the people they were chosen to govern. Each of the non-fiction stories published in one of the Tales2inspire® books was selected similarly - not only for its artful writing, but for its skill in delivering an underlying message to inspire each of us to reach for the best within us. Try us out. You can get a FREE sampler filled with six published T2I stories at: www.tales2inspire.com/gifts

Learn more about me and the Tales2Inspire® project at: http://www.tales2Inspire.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2

Carolyn Wilhelm Reviews "Flash Fiction for Animal Lovers"--an Always-Free Ebook

Title: Flash Fiction for Animal Lovers

Author: Theodore Jerome Cohen

Genres: Flash-Fiction, Animal Fiction

Available free at Amazon

Flash Fiction for Animal Lovers is always and permanently free! 

The eBook is FREE from Amazon, B&N, and Kobo. 

Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm

Dr. Theodore Jerome Cohen begins his book with a photo to inspire his flash fiction writing. Often the stories he imagines from the pictures are from actual historical or cultural events. They are from different time periods and countries, as well. Each piece ends with a zinger to ponder. 

Flash Fiction for Animal Lovers is always and permanently free! The eBook is FREE from Amazon, B&N, and Kobo.  Cohen uses both footnotes and end-notes, and this last section in his books are as entertaining and interesting as the stories. For instance, in Flash Fiction for Animal Lovers, the writing piece “Valor” (about a bomb-sniffing dog) has the following footnote. [iii] Valor U.S. Marines from 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 8, carry Drak, an injured bomb-tracking dog, to an awaiting helicopter at Forward Operating Base Jackson, Afghanistan, on September 8, 2011. Both Drak and his handler, Sergeant Kenneth A. Fischer, were flown out of the country for surgery and recovery. Eventually, in line with military custom, Fischer will adopt.

English teachers will be able to use this free eBook as a mentor text for writing students when teaching flash fiction. Students may think a short piece is easy to write but that is not necessarily so as the writing must be concise and thought-provoking. 

More About the Author

Theodore Jerome (Ted) Cohen is an award-winning author who has published more than ten novels--all but one of them mystery/thrillers--two books of short stories, eight flash-fiction anthologies, and an anthology of short stories and flash fiction. 

More About the Reviewer 

Carolyn Wilhelm is the author of The Wise Owl Factory site and blog. She has an MS in Gifted Education, an MA in Curriculum and Instruction K-12. She also offers free Twitter social media images to participants on this blog with permission for them to use in their marketing campaigns. Reach her at 

cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com

 Tweet with her @WiseOwlFactory.

More About This Blog

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. 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 and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. 

Carolyn Wilhelm is a blog associate who contributes study guides for books and film suitable to be used as teaching aids. She has an MS in Gifted Education, an MA in curriculum and Instruction K-12. 

Lois W. Stern, also an associate,  edits an anthology series and is an educator. She provides a free service for authors to find new reviewers and reviewers to find new books to read. Find her submission guidelines in a tab at the top of the page of this The New Book Review blog. 

Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

L. Artzer Reviews Diane Mullins New Book on Empowerment

Title: Dying to Belong: How I Accidentally Found Myself  

Author: Diane Mullins  

Website: https://diane2mullins.com/  

Genre: memoir, self-help, empowerment  

ISBN 978-0997431605 

Available on Amazon 

Reviewed by L. Artzer

 

This book will get your attention for anyone captivated by a true story. Dying to Belong is an inspiring book about a young girl desiring to belong anywhere or with anyone.  Throughout her life and her journey that God has taken her on woke her up to an important realization.  Through an unbelievable tragedy, she begins to find out and to know who she really is. I was attracted to the title of this book because I too wanted to belong to something.  It helped me to go after finding myself. So, if you are looking for help to find yourself, then this book is for you. 

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Diane has her master’s degree from Grand Canyon University where she studied psychology to better understand people and how to help them succeed. As an author she tells how a tragic accident literally saved her life. She is now inspired to help others.  Learn more about her at:

https://www.facebook.com/diane.boydmullins/  

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

MORE ABOUT BLOGGER AND WAYS TO GET THE MOST FROM THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog 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.

Note about other #TheNewBookReview free services: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too!

Lois W. Stern, educator, anthology editor, and authors' advocate, offers a way for authors, readers, and publishers to find new reviewers for their books. It's also a way for reviewers to find new books at no charge. Find her submission guidelines in the tabs at the top of The New Book Review home page.  

 Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Poet LB Sedlacek's Review of "Nature Sketch" in Its Own Poetic Form

“Nature Sketch” 

A poem about the 12 Apostles in Victoria, Australia

by Jimmy Tan San Tek

ISBN 978-981-11-7595-4

Copyright 2018

https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Sketch-Apostles-Victoria-Australia/dp/1983023140

Reviewed by LB Sedlacek

“Nature Sketch” is reminiscent of romantic

poetry.  It is the first book by Jimmy Tan

San Tek.  He was inspired to write it after

visiting the coastal landforms.

His verses are accompanied by gorgeous

pictures which help bring the words to life.

You can simply imagine being there seeing and

experiencing what he saw with lines such as

“Here I am, peering agape at the churning 

froth, / tracing the shadows that veil like

ebony cloth / of the trapped towers confined

to isolation / (Lonesome not as they huddle

in congregations).”  

One of my favorite poets is Coleridge – some

of the lines here are in the same style and form.

This poetry book is a calling card of sorts

bringing the 12 Apostles to a natural life

in his words and verses.  

His writing style is compelling and each line

not only shows a contemplation of what 

might be happening, what could be 

happening with the rocks as well as a respect

for them and their presence, necessity.

Observation is key as a poet.  With this

work, Jimmy has accomplished maybe

the impossible – putting those magnificent

natural wonders into words and sharing

them with everyone as well as inspiring

them, too.

He sums it up with “I cast a backward

glance at the silent sentries / which have

stood vigilent over countless centuries.”

The book is beautiful and in itself the 

poems are a work of art.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER LB SEDLACEK

LB Sedlacek’s is the author of several books

of poetry including “The Poet Next Door”

(Cyberwit), “Happy Little Clouds”

(Guerrilla Genesis Press), “The

Adventures of Stick People on Cars” (Alien

Buddha Press) and “Words and Bones” 

(Finishing Line Press).  Her first short story 

collection, “Four Thieves of Vinegar & Other 

Short Stories” came out on Leap Day 2020 from 

Alien Buddha Press.  Find out more:  

http://www.lbsedlacek.com

Twitter:  @lbsedlacek

MORE ABOUT BLOGGER AND WAYS TO GET THE MOST FROM THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog 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.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too!

 Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Book Review for Tales2Inspire ~ The Opal Collection