Monday, April 28, 2014
April Sweepstake winner
Congratulations to Leah Postma of London, Ontario! She is this month's sweepstake winner and will be receiving a copy of "Alone but Not Alone"
Thursday, April 24, 2014
"For Such a Time" book review
Hold onto your horses gals; it's romance novel review time! I was given a copy of "For Such a Time" by Kate Breslin for free in exchange for an honest review so here it is.
Nice cover isn't it. :) I really like it.
Ms. Breslin is a talented writer! This historical fiction is roughly based on the Biblical account of Esther except that it's set during the Holocaust. Character development and plot exposition are artistically woven into a great piece of storytelling. I had no problem seeing what the author wanted me to see and feeling what she wanted me to feel(especially during the kissy parts).
My only pause and why I would only give it one and a half thumbs up instead of two is this: To write a love story between a Jewess and a Nazi Commandant, the Commandant of Theresienstadt no less, borders on hurtful. In the true story of Esther, there isn't one verse in the Bible that would lead us to think Esther was head over heels in love with Xerxes, nor that Mordecai fully accepted him with welcome arms as his in-law. They accepted what they had to and overcame tremendous obstacles by making the most of a horrid situation. In "For Such a Time", regardless of how heartless the main man in the story acts, a passionate kiss reminds her of how she can't live without him. Right.
Then again, this is a romance novel. They aren't read to learn life lessons. They are read for entertainment. On that level this novel definitely delivers. I happily spent many hours all in a row to finish this one. Happy reading.
Nice cover isn't it. :) I really like it.
Ms. Breslin is a talented writer! This historical fiction is roughly based on the Biblical account of Esther except that it's set during the Holocaust. Character development and plot exposition are artistically woven into a great piece of storytelling. I had no problem seeing what the author wanted me to see and feeling what she wanted me to feel(especially during the kissy parts).
My only pause and why I would only give it one and a half thumbs up instead of two is this: To write a love story between a Jewess and a Nazi Commandant, the Commandant of Theresienstadt no less, borders on hurtful. In the true story of Esther, there isn't one verse in the Bible that would lead us to think Esther was head over heels in love with Xerxes, nor that Mordecai fully accepted him with welcome arms as his in-law. They accepted what they had to and overcame tremendous obstacles by making the most of a horrid situation. In "For Such a Time", regardless of how heartless the main man in the story acts, a passionate kiss reminds her of how she can't live without him. Right.
Then again, this is a romance novel. They aren't read to learn life lessons. They are read for entertainment. On that level this novel definitely delivers. I happily spent many hours all in a row to finish this one. Happy reading.
Monday, April 14, 2014
'Alone Yet Not Alone" Book review and sweepstake
I received a copy of "Alone Yet Not Alone" by Tracey Leininger Craven this morning in the mail. Perfect! It's raining and miserable outside. Plus, all three kids are ill so we won't be homeschooling today. 
As embarrassing as this is, about two pages into this book, I thought to myself, "Man, this isn't that well written. The vocab is really limited." Then for whatever reason, I flipped it over and saw the word Zonderkids on the back. Oops, it's a Juvenile Fiction book. With that in mind, it's a good book. It isn't one your early teen is going to read over and over but I love that it's based on a true story.
Imagine - being captured by natives, the horror of knowing your captors are the ones who killed your brother and father, knowing your sister is who knows where, and living to tell the tale! At the end, I even got teary. (I won't tell you how it ends; it's yours to discover) The funny thing is that I would have rated this book for lower if I didn't know it was a true story because it all seems too good to be true. Again, I'll leave it up to you to read and find out what that means.
If you have a younger teen who likes books sent around the year 1755, I might recommend this one. There's nothing bad, no sexuality, no explicit violence. (spoiler - one person is burned at the stake but there isn't much detail)
NOW FOR THE GOOD PART! I've got a copy to give away!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY DANCE!
If you want your name in the draw, just let me know in the comments or by email by April 24, 2014. Good luck. :)
"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
As embarrassing as this is, about two pages into this book, I thought to myself, "Man, this isn't that well written. The vocab is really limited." Then for whatever reason, I flipped it over and saw the word Zonderkids on the back. Oops, it's a Juvenile Fiction book. With that in mind, it's a good book. It isn't one your early teen is going to read over and over but I love that it's based on a true story.
Imagine - being captured by natives, the horror of knowing your captors are the ones who killed your brother and father, knowing your sister is who knows where, and living to tell the tale! At the end, I even got teary. (I won't tell you how it ends; it's yours to discover) The funny thing is that I would have rated this book for lower if I didn't know it was a true story because it all seems too good to be true. Again, I'll leave it up to you to read and find out what that means.
If you have a younger teen who likes books sent around the year 1755, I might recommend this one. There's nothing bad, no sexuality, no explicit violence. (spoiler - one person is burned at the stake but there isn't much detail)
NOW FOR THE GOOD PART! I've got a copy to give away!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY DANCE!
If you want your name in the draw, just let me know in the comments or by email by April 24, 2014. Good luck. :)
"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
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