The Fortress: A Historical Fiction Novel Based On A WW2 True Story by Jonathan Hillinger, Simon Vance (Narrator)
Published August 13th 2019 by Tantor Audio Continue reading “The Fortress by Jonathan Hillinger, Simon Vance (Narrator) Audiobook Review”
The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner, Kimberly Farr (Narrator )
Published March 19th 2019 by Penguin Audio
4 Stars: 
Continue reading “The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner, Kimberly Farr (Narrator )”
From a Distant Star by Karen McQuestion
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: November 15, 2018
Published by WhiteFire Publishing
AMAZON US | AMAZON UK Continue reading “Gone Too Soon by Melody Carlson, Review and Giveaway”
4 Stars: 
Published June 5th 2018 by Berkley, Published June 5th 2018 by Dreamscape Media
Continue reading “The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1) by Helen Hoang”
3 Stars:
Published March 7th 2017 by Sourcebooks Fire, 432 Pages
Continue reading “The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1) by Rin Chupeco”
4 Stars
Published June 5th 2018 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
If you know someone that is getting married, do not let them read this book. As the Grant family comes together for the wedding of the oldest sibling, Linnie to Rodney, Charlie is hoping it will be like old times. Unfortunately from the moment J.J. shows up at the house until the end of the story, there is one disaster after another. The story is basically told from Charlie’s perspective. She is the youngest Grant and will be heading off to college in the fall. A lot of decisions for her to makes, specifically what college to attend.
The Grant Family is a happy well-adjusted family on the surface, but when their mother uses Mike’s situation in her comic strip after he specifically asked her not to, he ends up estranged from his family. He comes home for the wedding but stays at a friend’s house, the friend that Charlie has had a crush on since she was a little girl. Charlie was so hoping this would be a wonderful family get together for the wedding weekend, but when her oldest brother and the one she idolizes shows up with his girlfriend, the weekend takes a turn. With their home being sold, the Grant Family Comic strip coming to an end, Good Morning America doing an interview for their Monday morning segment and the wedding planner skipping town with all the funds, you know this will be a disastrous weekend. Charlie and the new wedding planner’s nephew Bill, come to the rescue and even though things are not as planned, they try to save the day.
Overall this was a fun story. It showed how families can love one another, yet still be angry at each other. It also was a growing experience, especially for Charlie but others as well. They were not the perfect family, but they were the Grant Family and they made the best of their time together. It would be nice if there were another books showing what came next in Charlie’s life but we shall see. I laughed a lot while reading this book and cringed at other times but it was a great YA story that adults could enjoy as well. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.
by R.J. Palacio
My Review: I wanted to read this book before seeing the movie. I was expecting a sad story but was pleasantly surprised. August (Auggie) was going to school for the first time in grade 5. He did not want to go, but his parents convinced him it was time and that his mother, who had home schooled him, was not able to teach him what he needed to know. This is the story of the great courage and character it took for this boy to face the harsh, often cruel and judgmental world of school, one day at a time, and not only survive, but grow. It is a very moving story and probably a good one for middle-school children to read to learn more about what it feels like to be so different on the outside yet only desiring to be seen as normal and to be accepted. The ending was a bit too happy for me. Having taught in the school system, I know it is not that easy to change people’s perceptions. I liked that they included Olivia and how Auggie’s facial anomaly effected her life as well. It is hard to be the sibling of a child with a physical or developmental issue. It is important that parents read this book as well. It is true that a lot of the things that were said or done to Auggie and Jack were condoned by adults in a way by allowing it and supporting it. A book that all ages could learn something from.
My Review: It is a week before school starts for the year. Freshman students are at the school to get identification cards. A few others are there for various reasons when the first bomb explodes. As the school starts to crumble survivors on the second and third floors are trapped and the school is on fire. Seven students manage to congregate in a classroom on the third floor awaiting rescue. We find the quarterback football star, Ms. Perfect, who is a Senator’s daughter, the tattooed bad boy who very seldom even comes to school, an overweight and bullied girl who is an outsider, another cool football player who has recently come out to his family as gay as well as being mixed race, and finallly a a Muslim boy who deals with the teasing and racial stereotypes from the students. As time progresses we meet each student and find out that they are all dealing with something. When it is made known that one of the students in the school is one of the bombers, it is hard to determine which one it is. They all have issues, they all seem to be on some kind of a mission, yet they all seem to want to get out of the school alive. The story takes place over a few hours with the point of view changing among the six characters by chapter. during a time a few students were in their school when bombs began to explode. It changes the point of view between six main characters that are each still alive and struggling with how to get out of the school. I read this book over a day as I wanted to find out which of these characters was involved in this sinister activity. With all the violence in schools today and people being urged to report behaviour that could become dangerous to others, this book shows us that is not always easy to do. A well written story that leaves you thinking. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.
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