Monday, May 7, 2012
The Ice Cream Girls: Hot New Book
You will never eat ice cream again without thinking of Serena and Poppy once you read The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson.
If you are a fan of psychological suspense this book will hook you from the very first pages. It is an un-put-downable novel that I cannot stop thinking about.
Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe are teens in England when they meet Marcus Halnsey. what happens after each girl meets Marcus will change their lives forever.
As the book opens you are thrust into the headlines circa 1989. The Ice Cream Girls are accused and on trial for murdering history teacher Marcus Halnsey. Poppy and Serena both deny having committed murder, however, one girl is convicted of the murder while the other goes free.
After twenty years the convicted Ice Cream Girl is released from prison with a desire to prove her innocence. The story switches between the past and present as we learn what happened, what led up to the murder, and how this one event effects the lives of Poppy and Serena and their family.
Wow! I just happened upon this novel and relished ever page. Don't you love when that happens? You can download The Ice Cream Girls on your Kindle or purchase it in stores now.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Leap Day Means More Time to Read
Happy Leap Day!
With an extra day added to the year you can find time to read more books! Here are some of the new releases out this week in Fiction and Non- Fiction plus a great young adult novel. Download them to your kindle or purchase through Amazon or local indie bookstore.
By Blood Ellen Ullman
Cain at Gettysburg by Ralph Peters
Children of Wrath by Paul Grossman
Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke
Hunting Sweet Rosie by Jack Fredrickson
Living Proof by Kira Peikoff
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
The Scar by Sergey Dyachenko
So Damn Lucky by Deborah Coonts
Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper
The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont
Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas
Bleed for Me by Michael Robotham
Touchstone by Melanie Rawn
Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
Unwanted by Kristina Ohlsson
The Husband Hunt by Lindsay Sands
The Variations by John Donatich
Victims by Jonathan Kellerman
Redwood Bend by Robin Carr
Yours, Mine, and Ours by Maryjanice Davidson
Don't miss the follow up to the fabulous YA novel Wither by Lauren DeStefano - Fever! Plus, Amanda Hocking releases Torn...
And for non-fiction:
Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell and John Bruning
The Ten, Make that Nine Habits of Very Organized People by Steve Martin
Talking with My Mouth Full by Gail Simmons
With an extra day added to the year you can find time to read more books! Here are some of the new releases out this week in Fiction and Non- Fiction plus a great young adult novel. Download them to your kindle or purchase through Amazon or local indie bookstore.
By Blood Ellen Ullman
Cain at Gettysburg by Ralph Peters
Children of Wrath by Paul Grossman
Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke
Hunting Sweet Rosie by Jack Fredrickson
Living Proof by Kira Peikoff
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
The Scar by Sergey Dyachenko
So Damn Lucky by Deborah Coonts
Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper
The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont
Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas
Bleed for Me by Michael Robotham
Touchstone by Melanie Rawn
Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
Unwanted by Kristina Ohlsson
The Husband Hunt by Lindsay Sands
The Variations by John Donatich
Victims by Jonathan Kellerman
Redwood Bend by Robin Carr
Yours, Mine, and Ours by Maryjanice Davidson
Don't miss the follow up to the fabulous YA novel Wither by Lauren DeStefano - Fever! Plus, Amanda Hocking releases Torn...
And for non-fiction:
Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell and John Bruning
The Ten, Make that Nine Habits of Very Organized People by Steve Martin
Talking with My Mouth Full by Gail Simmons
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Inside North Korea: Escape from Camp 14
Mark your calendars for March 29. This is the release date for one of the best non-fiction books I have read this year. Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Hardin takes you inside the hidden 'Hermit Kingdom' like no other book I have read.
I have long been fascinated by North Korea and the atrocities that are reported to be committed inside the country's borders. I gobble up books about the country and have really enjoyed non-fiction accounts such as Somewhere Inside by Laura Ling and Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick. However, Escape from Camp 14 is a whole new ballgame.
How would you feel if you did not know what a bed was - you always slept on the floor, fighting others for a space near a heat source in bitter cold months? Could you survive on a diet of thin cabbage soup while doing hard labor? How would you live without a winter coat, shoes, or even new clothes?
And this is the simple stuff. Simple? From the first pages you will be immersed in life in a North Korea prison camp where children and adults fight and scavenge for food, snitch on their parents, and do not understand the word compassion.
Up to 200,000 people are currently in North Korea prison camps, many only there due to the supposed crimes of their parents or other family members. The camps are isolated, making any attempt at escape an immediate failure - and certain death. But, one young man did escape and this is his remarkable story. Shin Dong-hyuk was born in Camp 14 after his family was sent to the political prison camp for acts of 'treason' against the Dear Leader committed by his father's brothers. While there he competed with his mother for food and saw her and his brother brutally executed.
With today's dicey political situation, this book is very timely. It gives you great insight into the tortuous lives of the many individuals in North Korean prison camps. Plus, it follows Shin Dong-hyuk from childhood to working in inhumane conditions, and we see him plan his escape and his difficult adjustment to the free world.
As you read the book you can search Google Earth and see where events took place. This is the first time I had done this while reading a book and is was awesome. I was able to see where Camp 14 is and the border towns with China that Dong-hyck passed through on his escape.
Yes, you will have to wait to March 29 to purchase this book - as a hardback or kindle download - but you can read other excellent books about the 'Hermit Kingom' while you wait. Nothing to Envy and Somewhere Inside offer intriguing views of the Dear Leader and the North Korean people.
I have long been fascinated by North Korea and the atrocities that are reported to be committed inside the country's borders. I gobble up books about the country and have really enjoyed non-fiction accounts such as Somewhere Inside by Laura Ling and Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick. However, Escape from Camp 14 is a whole new ballgame.
How would you feel if you did not know what a bed was - you always slept on the floor, fighting others for a space near a heat source in bitter cold months? Could you survive on a diet of thin cabbage soup while doing hard labor? How would you live without a winter coat, shoes, or even new clothes?
And this is the simple stuff. Simple? From the first pages you will be immersed in life in a North Korea prison camp where children and adults fight and scavenge for food, snitch on their parents, and do not understand the word compassion.
Up to 200,000 people are currently in North Korea prison camps, many only there due to the supposed crimes of their parents or other family members. The camps are isolated, making any attempt at escape an immediate failure - and certain death. But, one young man did escape and this is his remarkable story. Shin Dong-hyuk was born in Camp 14 after his family was sent to the political prison camp for acts of 'treason' against the Dear Leader committed by his father's brothers. While there he competed with his mother for food and saw her and his brother brutally executed.
With today's dicey political situation, this book is very timely. It gives you great insight into the tortuous lives of the many individuals in North Korean prison camps. Plus, it follows Shin Dong-hyuk from childhood to working in inhumane conditions, and we see him plan his escape and his difficult adjustment to the free world.
As you read the book you can search Google Earth and see where events took place. This is the first time I had done this while reading a book and is was awesome. I was able to see where Camp 14 is and the border towns with China that Dong-hyck passed through on his escape.
Yes, you will have to wait to March 29 to purchase this book - as a hardback or kindle download - but you can read other excellent books about the 'Hermit Kingom' while you wait. Nothing to Envy and Somewhere Inside offer intriguing views of the Dear Leader and the North Korean people.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
We Are Back with A Walk Across the Sun
Sorry to all of you for the unexpected break. Shall we call it a medical vacation? But we are back online, and back in the schools with My So Call Kindle Life Kares helping the children of the Cumberland Plateau in any way we can.
During my break I read a book that fascinated me, A Walk Across the Sun. Most books we review are advanced reader copies sent to us to review on this blog. This book sounded so interesting I purchased it on my own and was glued to the pages....
Corban Addison, the author of A Walk Across the Sun, tells the story of how this amazing book came to be in an interesting article on the Huff Post. This article is definitely worth a read, even before you read the book, just to understand how he came to write the book and the daunting numbers that reflect the sex trading business.
Yes, A Walk Across the Sun sounds like a beautiful love story, possibly a title by Nicholas Sparks, and it does include a subplot of a love story, but the main issue of the novel is sex trafficking in India, Europe, Eastern Europe, and America.
The book is so well researched that you forget at times that you are reading fiction. Addison has used the format of a novel to tell the world about a problem that many of us are totally unaware of - or at least do not think about on a day to basis.
The truth of the book hits home. You will never feel the same after reading about brutal sex traders, pimps, minor children forced into a life of prostitution, drugs, and so much more. You will cheer for the many NGO workers who personally put their life on the line to help rescue these young girls.
This is a book to download to your kindle now. It is book to buy at your local bookstore. It is for book clubs to talk about. After reading the book I sat down and talked to my 13 year old daughter about the book and the problems that exists. I am so sad that it is not something we can bring to the schools to discuss with other young girls, especially when I now recognize the problem exists in America. But, just look how hard it is for school officials to let teachers discuss homosexuality or bullying or even safe sex.
However, I am interested in finding out how we can help. So far, all of the money donated to My So Called Kindle Life Kares has gone to the local schools and reading programs, buying kindles for the classrooms and books. I have shared this book with others who help and we are reading the suggested literature at the end of the novel and trying to come up with a way to use some of our funds to help with this horrible issue.
I can tell you that once you read the book it will be with you always. Just this morning, taking a shower, I was so thankful that I had the ability to do so and that my children were with me. It is a powerful issue and I do hope you will read this book. I think it is one book that will really make a difference in your life this year.
During my break I read a book that fascinated me, A Walk Across the Sun. Most books we review are advanced reader copies sent to us to review on this blog. This book sounded so interesting I purchased it on my own and was glued to the pages....
Corban Addison, the author of A Walk Across the Sun, tells the story of how this amazing book came to be in an interesting article on the Huff Post. This article is definitely worth a read, even before you read the book, just to understand how he came to write the book and the daunting numbers that reflect the sex trading business.
Yes, A Walk Across the Sun sounds like a beautiful love story, possibly a title by Nicholas Sparks, and it does include a subplot of a love story, but the main issue of the novel is sex trafficking in India, Europe, Eastern Europe, and America.
The book is so well researched that you forget at times that you are reading fiction. Addison has used the format of a novel to tell the world about a problem that many of us are totally unaware of - or at least do not think about on a day to basis.
The truth of the book hits home. You will never feel the same after reading about brutal sex traders, pimps, minor children forced into a life of prostitution, drugs, and so much more. You will cheer for the many NGO workers who personally put their life on the line to help rescue these young girls.
This is a book to download to your kindle now. It is book to buy at your local bookstore. It is for book clubs to talk about. After reading the book I sat down and talked to my 13 year old daughter about the book and the problems that exists. I am so sad that it is not something we can bring to the schools to discuss with other young girls, especially when I now recognize the problem exists in America. But, just look how hard it is for school officials to let teachers discuss homosexuality or bullying or even safe sex.
However, I am interested in finding out how we can help. So far, all of the money donated to My So Called Kindle Life Kares has gone to the local schools and reading programs, buying kindles for the classrooms and books. I have shared this book with others who help and we are reading the suggested literature at the end of the novel and trying to come up with a way to use some of our funds to help with this horrible issue.
I can tell you that once you read the book it will be with you always. Just this morning, taking a shower, I was so thankful that I had the ability to do so and that my children were with me. It is a powerful issue and I do hope you will read this book. I think it is one book that will really make a difference in your life this year.
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