Veteran Educator Carolyn Wilhelm Reviews Third Edition of The Frugal Editor

Title: The Frugal Editor

Edition: 3rd edition

Publisher: Modern History Press

ISBN: 9781615996001

Available on Amazon

Pages 279 including Index

Awards: Reader Views, USA Book News, Irwin Award, and more

Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm originally for Amazon

Technology changes and changes - a reliable book to keep up with the times. Like the addition of the chapter on making back-matter work harder for authors. Yes, please.

Why is it so difficult to find mistakes in our own writing? Why is editing so difficult? Why do writers need editors - many in fact. It is because writers and authors know what they mean to say. Our brains fill in the missing words and fix errors as we try to edit our own work. It is really difficult to notice our own mistakes. Having taught first grade, I see how children learn to read and write - with plenty of errors. And teachers could not understand children’s writing without filling in mistakes and making sense of it.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson understands the great difficulty of perfect final drafts, and even books published professionally. Using tools like Word in specific ways (but never relying only on Word) she helps writers and editors by giving strategies to catch gremlins and typos. Even library books might have 5% of errors.

I was in a writing group where members would divide and conquer by separating editing tasks. One person reads for understanding, one for punctuation, one for consistency, and so on. But there are tools and tricks to weed out problems before paying professional editors. Carolyn Howard-Johnson knows them all!

Avoid publishing scams, hire help after most of the editing is done, and adapt the included sample query letters to your own style.

Great book to keep on your writing desk ad use as a reference during your writerly life.

More About the Reviewer

Carolyn Wilhelm is a veteran educator with a pile of academic letters behind her name as well as a frequent reviewer for Midwest Book Review, Amazon.com, and others. Find her teaching aids on Pinterest at WiseOwlFactory, many of them free.

More About #TheNewBookReview 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 on her The New Book Review blog. Find guidelines for submitting to that blog and other free services in the tabs at the top of the home page of this blog or go to https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews. It is open at no charge to 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.

Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. 

 Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Elise Cooper Reviews Women’s Fiction

A Wish For Home 

(Secrets of Bliss Valley Book 1)

Jo Ann Brown

March, 2021

Love Inspired Pub

Women’s Fiction

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

 

A Wish For Home by Jo Ann Brown is a wonderful read.  It delves into love, forgiveness, and second chances, something every reader can relate with.  The heroine, Lauren, must reconcile her anger and resentment toward the Amish community for shunning her parents but also must deal with the boy who bullied and tormented her as a young teenager.

 

“Two of my children are adopted.  About two years ago my son’s birth mother reconnected with him through his adoption agency.  She was looking for him for a long time.  It was wonderful to see the connection they made and to see how the family came back together.  I am fascinated with those who are adopted and how their birth family finds them.”  

 

The book opens with Lauren driving her 1966 VW Beetle through her old hometown of Bliss Valley Pennsylvania. Now part of the English world, she no longer goes by the Amish name Laurene, wanting nothing to do with the Amish community she belonged to.  She planned on just driving through it on her way to Lancaster to meet with developers who want to build a casino. Unexpectedly, Lauren gets caught in an ice storm and hits a pothole that damages her car. At the local garage she must deal with the mechanic, Adam Hershberger, the boy who bullied her all those years ago. Life’s circumstances have changed him considerably.  Now a widower and raising a four-year-old daughter, Mary Beth, he regrets how he treated Laurene. But she must also come to grips with her past and is helped by her Great Aunt Sylvia Nolt. To make matters worse, she is also dealing with the fact that she was adopted, a bombshell her parents just laid on her. 

 

“Amish romance is incredibly popular the last five to ten years.  Writers of this genre realize that the simpler and quieter life of the Amish is attractive. Of course, there is the illusion that the life is simpler. I live in a small town and have Amish neighbors, so I understand that feeling.  But when I lived in larger cities, I realized you do not know your neighbors.  Readers of Amish stories also like the sense of community and how the Amish want to keep the family and community together. I live in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania.  There are casinos here.  One is being built in the city of York.  Because they pay taxes the Amish can go to meetings and have a say.”

 

The other piece to the story is a gripping mystery.  Someone is starting fires at Amish homes, a serial arsonist.  Since Adam is a volunteer firefighter, he intends to find the person behind the fires.  Although he and Lauren are reconnecting and having some romantic feelings toward each other they must overcome the past and the present, where he resents her for encouraging a casino in the area.

 

From the very beginning readers will be drawn into Lauren’s story.  The plot, mystery, romance, and characters blend for a great novel.

More About #TheNewBookReview 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 in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Kudos to Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot, Winner of the Tales2Inspire Reviewer-of-the-Month Award

TITLE OF YOUR BOOK: 

Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series I

NAME (AUTHOR OF BOOK): 

An Anthology of stories collated by author/editor Lois W. Stern 

GENRE OR CATEGORY:

Non-fiction anthology of short stories

FORMATS:

Paperback, Kindle

NUMBER OF PAGES

230

ISBN-13 : 978-1505558166

ISBN-10:  1505558166

PUBLISHER:

Self-published by Tales2Inspire viaAmazon.com

AMAZON LINK:

https://www.amazon.com/Tales2Inspire-Diamond-Collection-I/dp/1505558166/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Tales2Inspire+Collection&qid=1669911629&s=books&sr=1-4

REVIEWED BY:

Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot 

YOUR BEST REVIEW:

The short story continues alive and well, and Tales 2 Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series I. The overriding factor which struck me while reading Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series I was that these writers were living, breathing people with relatively ordinary backgrounds. At the time of their experiences, they were everyday people struggling to understand their own circumstances. No one was paying them millions of dollars to act on the silver screen or to throw or catch a ball on a field of athletic play. Rather, these were ordinary people who faced challenges that came their way. What made them courageous and/or heroic was that they did not back away; they did not cower in the face of adversity. They accepted what was not asked for and they made their way through to moments of personal victory.

MORE ABOUT LOIS W.  STERN

After twenty years as an active educator, Lois continued to pursue her love of writing, soon becoming co-editor of a popular Long Island web-zine. As she created and authored her column Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, she began to solidify her special niche of investigative journalism, and put those same talents to work while writing Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery, for which she interviewed over 100 women about some of the most intimate aspects of their lives. She followed up with her second book, Tick, Tock, Stop the Clock. Getting Pretty on Your Lunch Hour  to address many of the less invasive paths to beauty. 

Tales2Inspire began a whole new chapter in her life. 

Visit her website at: https://www.tales2inspire.com to learn about her he Tales2Inspire® books, contest and ghostwriting services..

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER:

A clinical psychologist until retirement and prolific author. (See more about thus reviewer following this review, below)

YOUR FAVORITE LINKS: 

https://www.tales2inspire.com

www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2

wwww.facebook.com/tales2inspire

ADD THIS ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW: 

 X Yes, I previously received permission from the reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety. 

REVIEWER’S BYLINE

Clinical psychologist, author

BOOK COVER

 

ABOUT THIS REVIEWER:

Dr. Pirnot has worked with children and their families through the Department of Human Services, the Juvenile Justice System and in private practice. Until her retirement she treated special needs children as well as those with transitional life issues.  Dr. Pirnot established  a thriving private practice in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but eventually relocated to Sarasota Florida to be close to her family. A prolific writer, she has published over forty books, many of which reflect her personal experiences in and out of private practice. Several titles include: Nothing Left To Burn, a journal of sorts, detailing her experiences with her husband during his slow decline with Alzheimer’s disease;  Benny and the Butterfly, the story of an eight-year-old boy, unable to use his hands, who used a laser device affixed to his head to make pictures on the computer; The Blue Penguin, a great lesson to young readers that it is okay to just be YOU! The Ghost of Gasparilla: A Silky and Sly Adventure, is an imaginary tale of an old offshore shipwreck and the adventures and courage of the  children who discover it; Just a Common Lady, a story of the weathering process of tragedy and opportunity. When not writing or gardening, Karen takes great pleasure in her grandchildren and the many projects and adventures they share,

Kudos to Ellen Lenox Smith, Winner of the Tales2Inspire Reviewer of the Month Award

TITLE: Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series III 

(This book is the double header compilation of two individual T2I books: 

The Garnet Collection and The Pearl Collection

SERIES TITLE: Tales2Inspire

AUTHOR: Anthology of authors of contest winning inspiring stories

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: https://www.tales2inspire.com 

GENRE: Inspirational, non-fiction personal stories 

AGE / INTEREST LEVEL: 14 + 

PAGE COUNT: 236

PUBLISHER: Independently Published

PURCHASE LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Tales2inspire-Diamond-Collection-Moonstone-Collections/dp/B09MBVRB2S/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Tales2Inspire+Collection&qid=1649016550&s=books&sr=1-3

REVIEWED BY: Ellen Lenox Smith

REVIEW: 

 Feel Inspired and Add A Smile to your Day

If you want to have a reason to smile, feel inspired, and be in awe, read these true stories of inspiration and adventure in this series. You will not regret the time it takes to read and enjoy these stories that will impress you and bring joy to your heart.

 

LINK: https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AF3GIOZ5BOE6DTVHDYOMDPBOGBFQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_gw_tr?ie=UTF8

Reviewed by Ellen Lenox Smith for Amazon.com

About the reviewer: 

Ellen Lenox Smith has emerged as a leading voice for patients living with pain in Rhode Island. Featured in local and national press accounts, Mrs. Smith brings a reasoned and compassionate perspective to the need for safe patient access to medicine. Mrs. Smith suffers from two rare conditions. One is a degenerative collagen disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. This crippling disease allows her joints to become easily subluxed, causing vice-like pain and that confined her for four years in a wheelchair.  In 2006, she was accepted into the Connective Tissue Research at the National Institute of Health to help search for a cure to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Her second condition is called sarcoidosis, which has allowed enlarged lymph nodes and granulomas in her lungs. Both these conditions are presently not curable. She presently has endured twenty-seven surgeries and countless visits to her doctors.

 Mrs. Smith has enjoyed a long and distinguished career, predominantly in the field of education. The last position she had before needing to resign, due to health, was teaching middle school social studies. Presently, she is a Rhode Island ambassador for the US Pain Foundation as the Co-Director for Cannabis Advocacy, on the board of both the US Pain Foundation and the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition (RIPAC) as media coordinator, appointed by the governor to the ATEL Program, (Adaptive Telephone Equipment Loan Program), is appointed on the Medical Cannabis Oversight Committee representing patients, helps with media exposure for the five-year-old EDS RI Support group and brings in speakers to educate the group and recently was selected to represent patients on the Oversight Panel in RI that will oversee the medical marijuana program. She was a staff writer for National Pain Report and 1000 WATTS Magazine before their shut down, was a former staff writer for Pain News Network and with her husband, speaks out to educate others about her condition and pain management. Some places she has spoken to are the FDA, Brown Medical students, Blue Cross nurses, and physical therapy students in RI and Ct along with speaking at the EDS national conferences. She is also the author of two books: It Hurts Like Hell!: I Live With Pain-- And Have A Good Life Anyway and My Life as a Service Dog! Mrs. Smith is a resident of Scituate, Rhode Island with her husband, Stuart. They have been married for  49 years!  They are proud parents of four adult children and three grandsons and two granddaughters. Ellen is also an organic gardener and prior to her disability, was a master swimmer and high school swim coach.

Karen A. Wyle Releases New Nature Picture Book

Title: Wind, Ocean, Grass

Author: Karen A. Wyle

Illustrator: Tomasz Mikutel

Author's website: http://www.KarenAWyle.com

Genre: Picture Book, Nonfiction: Nature \

Age/Interest Level: ages 2-8

Page #: 50

Publisher: Oblique Angles Press

Purchase the paperback at Amazon,  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1955696004 and other retailers

 Kindle edition coming soon. 

Reviewed by Jill Franclemont originally fort All Things Jill-Elizabeth.

By now, readers of my blog are familiar with the work of the talented Karen Wyle. From adult books to children’s picture stories, Wyle’s work is consistently original, lovely, and magical. (If you need a refresher, check out my posts on a number of her previous adult titles and her writing experiences – Twin-Bred, Wander Home, Division, Leaders, and Water to Water in a two-part series of posts – as well as her first few forays into children’s books – You Can’t Kiss a Bubble and When It’s Winter. This latest book is no exception. The focus is on nature, and the results are as lyrical as the movement of the eponymous wind.

In her own words: This unique picture book has neither human nor animal characters, but instead features the wind speaking to the grass, explaining how long grasses are both like and unlike the waves of the ocean. Through lyrical prose and breathtaking impressionist-style paintings, the reader follows the wind’s journey over sea and land: the many moods of the ocean, the different seasons of the grassy field. We see glimpses of the birds that live off the bounty of the ocean, and the birds and flowers that live among the  grasses.

Through this nature metaphor, the story, without becoming didactic, teaches children about seeing commonality and celebrating differences.

And if that description doesn’t encourage you to take a look, the lush and evocative illustrations certainly should. For each of her children’s books, Wyle has done an absolutely magnificent job finding the perfect illustrator – and illustrative style – to convey the wonder of her story. Mikutel’s art is visually stunning and provides a counterpoint to the language of the tale that makes both more robust an experience.

I really love the message here. The back and forth between the elements reminded me of the way a parent talks to multiple children about how it is possible to love them each differently but equally – and  how the happiness of the parent requires the thriving happiness of each child. I am constantly amazed at Wyle’s knack for taking complex subjects – life, death, love, nature – and putting them into narratives that children can appreciate and that can help parents teach life lessons. It is no easy task, and I applaud her willingness to tackle the large subjects – and her deft hand at managing them.

The book is truly lovely and I encourage you to take a look!

----------

More About the Reviewer

The reviewer is Jill Franclemont, who blogs at All Things Jill-Elizabeth. Here's the link to the review: http://blog.jill-elizabeth.com/2022/05/09/book-review-wind-ocean-grass-by-karen-wyle-author-and-tomasz-mikutel-illustrator/. The general blog URL is http://blog.jill-elizabeth.com/. Jill has given permission for the review to be reprinted. She's on Twitter as @jill_a. Her email address (which she's allowing me to provide) is jillelizabeth@jill-elizabeth.com.

Author bio:

Karen A. Wyle is an appellate attorney, author, and photographer. She graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in English and American Literature. Also interested in both logic and psychology, she applied to law school in the hope of combining those subjects with her love of writing. She has been writing novels since 2010, and has published eleven of them, their genres including science fiction, afterlife fantasy, and Western historical romance. Wind, Ocean, Grass is Wyle’s third picture book, with more on the way.

Learn more about her at:

http://www.KarenAWyle

https://www.facebook.com/KarenAWyle 

https://www.twitter.com/KarenAWyle

Illustrator bio:

Tomasz Mikutel is an independent artist living and creating art in Northampton, UK. He was born in Lodz, Poland, and began drawing as a child, inspired by his oil painter father. He often paints animals, but his favorite watercolour artists include Alvaro Castagnet and Joseph Zbukvic. He describes his style as classic and traditional. He prefers painting “loose,” as opposed to photorealism: the looser style allows him to express more emotions and to “leave part of himself inside the painting.”

More About #TheNewBookReview 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 in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Kudos to Emily Jane Hills Orford - Winner of the Tales2Inspire Reviewer of the Month Award

TITLE: Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection - Series V

SUBTITLE: Stories of Turning the Page 

SERIES TITLE: Tales2Inspire ~ The Diamond Collection 

AUTHOR: Anthology of authors of contest winning inspiring stories

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: https://www.tales2inspire.com 

GENRE: Inspirational, non-fiction personal stories 

AGE / INTEREST LEVEL: 21 + 

PAGE COUNT: 236

PUBLISHER: Independently Published

PURCHASE LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Tales2inspire-Diamond-Collection-Moonstone-Collections/dp/B09MBVRB2S/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Tales2Inspire+Collection&qid=1649016550&s=books&sr=1-3

REVIEWED BY: Emily Jane Hills Orford

REVIEW LINK: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/tales2inspire

X  PERMISSION RECEIVED FROM REVIEWER TO REPOST THIS REVIEW

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

“Change is the current that drives our lives.” Janet Rice wrote these poignant words in her creative nonfiction story, Bygone Brooklyn. Change is also what makes our stories so empowering, so sensitive and compassionate, and so important. Life is all about stories; it’s what defines us as humans. Stories reveal our history, but stories also heal, nourish, and make us whole, make us complete, like the protective powers of the moonstone. Stories like a father hearing for the first time from an adult daughter he never knew existed; a woman who explores her connection to Holocaust survivors after attending a talk given at her grandson’s school; a child who blends in well with children of different races and doesn’t experience her own sense of alienation until her comfort zone, her home, changes; a teacher struggling with the pandemic-infused new teaching format and, stressed to the limits of endurance, seeks another path to follow. Powerful stories and there are many, many more that will open your hearts and minds to the depth of the human spirit and the strength to survive against all odds.

Lois W. Stern’s book, Tales2Inspire – The Diamond Collection - Series V, is a compendium of stories from the two Moonstone Collection anthologies. The stories collected cover a number of topics, from grief to love, from family tragedies to triumphs, and so much more. The binding theme of these stories is the ability of the author of each story to overcome the trials, the challenges, and to find another way forward, to accommodate the change that life presented. Like the heartwarming stories of Chicken Soup for the Soul and many others like Trisha Faye, these stories will have you laughing and crying and often cheering on the author, as we all can relate to these life-changing, challenging moments. Coupled with photographs, these stories are meant to be savored and enjoyed, one at a time.

The Bridges We Will Build by Kacie LeCompte Renfro Book Review

What if read for people who have thoughts about Jesuit Volunteer Corps or other poverty schools

by Carolyn Wilhelm

A "what if" read for people who have thoughts about volunteering and living in another city for the Jesuit or other diverse domestic service programs. The book centers on the interwoven lives of a few women and how they came to be paid or unpaid workers at a diverse primary school. From different backgrounds, life experiences, ages, and religions, they form a tight bond beginning with loving the students. Refugee and immigrant lives are explained so well readers will truly understand what they go through, and some endure unimaginable hardships yet survive. A story from the BBC alerts one of the retired volunteers, Lydia, to the fact that one teaching assistant has something very personal in her background she would rather not reveal, and keeps the secret. She does not reveal the information to anyone until a gathering in the cafeteria and as a witness in court.

A riveting read yet heartwarming book that might inspire actual volunteer participation for the brave at heart.

Highly recommended for those considering working in a diverse environment and teachers who dearly love children, as well as those who would like to understand more about the lives of refugees.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you for reading!

More About #TheNewBookReview 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 in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Carolyn Wilhelm Reviews Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Balls' Christmas Poetry

Title:  Blooming Red

Subtitle: Christmas Poetry for the Rational 

Series: Celebration Series of Chapbooks
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Magdalena Ball
Publisher: Indy 
Publisher Website Address: https://howtodoitfrugally.com 

Author Email Address: HoJoNews@aol.com

ISBN-10: 1449948243

ISBN-13: 978-1449948245

ASIN: B004GXB4AW

Price: $5.95 Paperback, $2.99 Kindle
Page Count: 60 pages
Formats: PB, Kindle

Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm

 

Profound and moving poetry reflecting the reality of Christmas, which may not be that of commercials and photos. Early rising when the children are young, aching for those times when they are grown and perhaps have moved away. Howard-Johnson writes of the "echoes of foil tearing, and crushing of frail tissue." She writes the baby in the nativity set is always the first to go missing. 

 

Ball writes about how time is different for children, and "we touched each moment with tiny, trembling hands." She was a child six million years ago, according to one of her poems. She says, ". . . after hours at the mall, belief wears thin." 

 

The poetry is so beautiful, and my review cannot begin to do justice to the writing. This is a book to read again and again. It is the right size to add to a holiday card and would make a perfect present. 

More About the Reviewer

Carolyn Wilhelm reviews for Midwest Book Reviews and The New Book Review. She is a veteran educator who builds teaching aids for parents and teachers, many of them free and available on Pinterest. It is an especially valuable time during these long months of teaching via Zoom and working in isolated situations. 

More About #TheNewBookReview 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 in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the form at https://www.bit.ly/FinishedReviewSubmissions. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. And know that Carolyn Wilhelm, our IT expert, award-winning author, and veteran educator, makes an award image especially for those who volunteer to write reviews from Lois's review-request list and post them in the spirit of her "Authors Helping Authors" project. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing