Can love trump faith?
Seventeen year old, South Floridian Trina Weber has the world at her feet: beautiful, part of the in-crowd, and with almost enough college credits to earn her AA while only a junior at Stonehaven High.
With her whole life planned, all she needs to complete her perfect world is a boyfriend.
But not any guy will do.
This boyfriend must accept her goals to become a family doctor.
When the gorgeous, equally ambitious college freshman Stuart Grant blazes into her world, he fits right in. He’s everything she dreamed of and more…except he doesn’t agree with the most important part of who she is.

 

www.amazon.com/dp/B071F9L2Y3/

 

In Thinking About Love we follow a girl who is crushing badly on a lifeguard. Good news for her is that he likes her, too. We see the relationship blossom. Only one thing is getting in the way, however. It’s the most important thing to Trina, but not even on Stuart’s radar. I’ll let you in on a little secret as to what that “thing” is…it’s faith. In Part 1 of Thinking About Love, we see what happens in regard to this hurdle.

There were many things that I loved about this book. The first was that right at the beginning of it, the scene is set on a beach. I could actually picture myself hanging out with the girls, the wind blowing through our hair, and the sun shining down on us. I could picture the waves. Audrey Rich did such a good job describing each scene that I felt like I was actually there. And I love being at the beach!

Another thing that Audrey did well at was developing each character. Not just the main character, but all the supporting roles as well. And they were believable! It was neat to see how all the personalities came out in each person.

I love that this was a clean, Christian, young adult love story. I would highly recommend it to those who are interested in this genre. And remember, Part 2 is coming so that’ll be something I will watch for.

One slight, slight, slight, slight, teeniest possible downfall, however. So much of the first part of the book is all around the beach and following day or so. Towards the end of the book it seems like much more time passes on. Nothing was confusing. I’m just simply stating that the pacing wasn’t equal from beginning to end. For me, not a problem. For others, maybe.

Overall, 4 stars!!!

 

If you are into books and cats, this is the book for you! Just look at the cute cat on the cover! (There’s also a pic of a cat for each chapter heading!)

In this novel, Jenny Kalahar did a phenomenal job describing different behaviors of cats. There were times I had to laugh because I know all too well just what cats act like. Each cat has their own personality, and it was neat to see some of the different ones in this book.

I also think that the events that took place in Shelve Under C were believable. There was one instance that I had to question (the price of used books), but overall, the story was written in a way I could picture what was going on and it all made sense.

This is a light, easy-to-read book. There is not a lot of depth to it. Basically, you will read the day ins and day outs of the life of bookstore owners and the cats they have roaming in their store. There is a side story of a foster child woven in that I think was cute. How everything ended melted my heart.

Shelve Under C is a book I would recommend to anyone. It’s clean! I think people of all ages would find enjoyment out of it. Just don’t expect anything deep. Overall, I rated this four out of five stars.

Here is the blurb of Shelve Under C by Jenny Kalahar:

A novel for everyone, Shelve Under C is a big, leaning stack of humor, heart, stray cat hairs, old book dust, mystery, family drama, longing and hope.

Used bookshops often have a cat or two roaming the aisles, sleeping on the shelves, or sleeping on the customers. Here is a novel all about one bookshop and its resident cats, Stomper and Buglit; and about Kris, a 12-year-old boy who apprentices in the shop. Kris is a little bit like the cats: he’s a foster child getting used to a new family, and the cats are being fostered in the bookshop for the local shelter. Stomper and Buglit are a little bit like Kris: they get into trouble, have some wild adventures, and find out just what being part of a family really means.

Unlike some novels that have a bookstore setting, Shelve Under C has the real spirit of the store, its owners, its apprentice, its customers, and, especially, its cats as the beating heart of this fuzzy beast. It’s full of wonderful characters, a wild storm, a doggy bucking bronco, catnip capers, an almost-deadly chicken salad sandwich, and . . . books! No need to knock — the door is open. So come on in, grab something to read, and get comfy on the big, red sofa.

Sound good to you? I thought it would! Here is the buy link so you can get your own copy! It’s only $0.99, too!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0089S7M3S

 

I have to laugh a little. Out of all the book reviews I have done, this one is really tough. Not because of the material or anything. Well, in a way it’s because of the material. But really I just can’t figure out what I even want to say.

Let me just break it down between the positives and negatives:

Positives:

  • The author used amazingly descriptive imagery
  • It was easy to read
  • The struggle between the main character and her mind was interesting

Negatives:

  • The ending was just ‘eh’
  • Some scenes were difficult to follow
  • There wasn’t any real depth
  • Personally, I didn’t think there was much to the story, period

Now, having said this, maybe you can see my point. When there isn’t much to a story, there isn’t much to say. Yes, it flowed nice. It’s not like it was boring or difficult to understand. The problem is there was really no story! The main character dares to enter a tower that everyone says to stay away from. She meets the man that lives there. Has a couple of mental issues. Decides it’s best to let it all go and leaves. That is really the basis of the whole book! That’s it! No climax…no huge struggle (just one with self)…no nothing. Because of this I rated it 3 stars.

The Orchid is a clean book for the most part. There are a few questionable words, and one steamy part (but no graphic details).  And it is beautifully written. So the author has real talent, no denying that. Let me give you a pic of the cover and the blurb in case you’d like to check it out. Perhaps you’ll get more out of it than I did!


The Orchid

Sahar Ayachi

“You will bring light to my darkness, you will bring hope to my despair. You will be my knight though you will first be a slave, but I know which spots to hit to make you brave.”

Dreamy, impulsive, but mostly confused—this is Lola.


On a journey where she just tries to live, love, and be loved, Lola is being followed by the one thing she thought she escaped from—a presence that will find her wherever she goes . . . a presence that isn’t happy with her decisions—not happy at all.


Follow Lola through a story where the lines between dreams and reality are blurred, where she will be faced with struggle—emotionally and physically—and where she is trying her best to make sense of the confusing situation she got herself into.


What is this scary unknown that Lola is running away from, and will she eventually be able to face it?

See? It did sound good on paper! The innards just weren’t quite living up to the premise.

As a side note, I think this book is only available in paperback at the moment. But here is the link in case you would like to view more:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1482899884

 

 

 

My boys love Star Wars. Wait, is there a stronger word for love? If there is, that’s what they feel about Star Wars! It’s almost an obsession, especially for my six-year-old. It’s what he likes to wear, watch, collect, play, et cetera. He almost lives and breathes it. And his younger brother may not feel as strongly about it as he does, but that younger brother of his does like it because he likes it.

Anyway…the local library was doing a special event called “Jedi Academy”. I just had to bring my boys!

 

We had no idea what to expect, but are glad we went. Upon arriving, we had to get a checklist of tasks each boy had to complete. When completed, a signature would go in the respective spot on the checklist, confirming they did, in fact, pass that part of their training.

There were three training areas. One was an obstacle course where they had to practice shooting, tossing, throwing, jumping, and kicking.

Another area was training the ability to use ‘the force’. Using teamwork, each young Jedi had to raise and lower a ball without the ball falling off its platform.

The last training area was creating a light saber. Here is what each of my boys came up with (and, yes, we helped):

 

 

When all things on the checklist were crossed off, they had to return it to the front desk at the library where they received this:

 

 

That wasn’t it, though! They had one last mission to go on now that they were Jedi Knights. They were given 10 stickers. Their job was to find 10 bad guys throughout the library that were evil, and then shoot them with the stickers. Some of the evil characters they had to find were Kylo Ren, Jabba the Hutt, Boba Fett, and my personal favorite, Darth Vader. Take a look at these stickers:

 

 

As you can see, many kids enjoyed taking a shot at Darth Vader! All in all, a great event. I appreciate the library doing things like this, getting kids involved in healthy activities, and hopefully, getting excited about the library itself. I know my boys walked out of there with some books to read! And, yes, I need to get them there more often!

And though this was fun, one day I hope to take my kids to the Star Wars-themed land down in Disney World that is set to open in 2019 or so. That would be super enjoyable for us all!

If you’re into young adult fiction, you have to check this event out! By signing up at the link I have listed below, you will have 30+ young adult books for you to download. The best part is it is for FREE!

You’ll even be entered to win one of five $10 gift cards! How neat is that?

And maybe best yet, you’ll be in contact with the best young adult authors out there today! This is one great event you won’t want to miss out on!

My book, Growing Up Neighbors, is a part of this event so please come check it out. You have until June 20! You can find all details, including the books you’ll receive, at this link:

https://mybookcave.com/g/23db98a2/

If you’re into music and books, I may have something you’d be interested in reading. It’s called 2000 Tunes by Karl Drinkwater, and, well, it features a main male character who lives for music. Though it speaks of music of the late 80s through the 90s, I actually knew some of the references! That was kind of neat.

Let me tell you more about this book by, first, giving you the book’s blurb; and then second, my review:

 

2000 TUNES

 

“He started to sketch a face. A random face. With dark eyes and hair. Just any old face. He made the chin too small and drew over it, but then it looked like a double chin. That wasn’t appropriate for… Ah. He had been drawing Sam.”

Mark Hopton’s an outsider obsessed with Manchester music. He knows the dates, facts, band members, lyrics, histories and places. He can join them in complicated webs of association because he knows the secret: everything’s connected. Music’s his escape into a better world.

Oh man, he needs that escape. His dad’s in prison, his psycho brother’s only one step away, and they’re twisting his melons trying to make him risk his freedom by smuggling drugs. It ain’t easy saying no when family and their shady contacts can be bone-breakingly persuasive. Heaven knows he’s miserable now.

The summer sun does bring one ray of light: he secretly admires Samantha, a beautiful Welsh girl at work. Watching her is like listening to music, it strengthens him, she’s his wonderwall of true faith. He’s happy with that. Love is fool’s gold.

Meanwhile, Samantha’s been caught up in a hedonistic lifestyle of cigarettes and alcohol with the 24 hour party people but now she’s had it up to here with Mancunians. Cheaters, weirdos and two-faced scummers, the lot of ’em. When the drugs don’t work it’s time to grow up but no-one’s going to take her for granted again. Don’t look back in anger? Screw that. She’s never been one to walk away.

2000 Tunes is a meditation on life, family, friends, growing up, and following your dreams.

 

My Review

 

Like I briefly mentioned already, there are a lot of Continue reading “2000 Tunes”