tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18121488006613965282024-03-04T23:54:07.011-05:00MALLORY HEART RECOMMENDSReviews by Mallory A. Haws
On Goodreads, Amazon.
In top 1% of Goodreads reviewers.Mallory Heart Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301735789955586567noreply@blogger.comBlogger1931125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-65093485755010699442020-08-28T11:47:00.004-04:002020-08-28T11:47:38.332-04:00Review: HIS ONLY WIFE <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzT8Aq70Ef38il3WoRXscdNg1KCN8YAMhsMlQ_qdiDb3cdiIs-eMnLmef775NbLUoUeCIIy7sgUDwZnHtXRzA9jBPUpN8hOvJAIJTLDNA_xK4vT9ac6CUqT9u6NDZR_eK0K6LXkhyh6x-0/s1600/54274960._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzT8Aq70Ef38il3WoRXscdNg1KCN8YAMhsMlQ_qdiDb3cdiIs-eMnLmef775NbLUoUeCIIy7sgUDwZnHtXRzA9jBPUpN8hOvJAIJTLDNA_xK4vT9ac6CUqT9u6NDZR_eK0K6LXkhyh6x-0/s320/54274960._SY475_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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5 Stars<br />
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As educational as it is enlightening and intriguing, HIS ONLY WIFE focuses on a young Ghanaian, Afi, who is linked in a traditional Ghanaian marriage to a man she doesn't know. Not only is this not a marriage of love, it's not even a marriage of convenience: she is chosen by the man's very wealthy entrepreneur mother, known as Aunty, to wed her son Eli in order to drive away the Liberian mistress whom Eli loves. So after a childhood of middle-class comfort collapsed into poverty after her father's untimely death, this young lady is shunted into an unasked for union with a man who might as well be alien, to fulfill a purpose not her own, to satisfy another Family.The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-68063703194945381162020-08-12T12:23:00.000-04:002020-08-13T19:33:53.739-04:00Tour: IMPERSONATION by Heidi Pitlor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtYMKurs-j1ZQpk7K2db5DF6Lfohvjnp2bYjitesjzTxsZ2FEoNeFfrZl9j50ctlAFjHZViBDckYo3jcFX-MTygxf_282Nc97lisiTpKvXpsFDAhQSPsMHSra-vdC6u6cZGNFlKIfo0g2/s1600/cover184916-medium.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtYMKurs-j1ZQpk7K2db5DF6Lfohvjnp2bYjitesjzTxsZ2FEoNeFfrZl9j50ctlAFjHZViBDckYo3jcFX-MTygxf_282Nc97lisiTpKvXpsFDAhQSPsMHSra-vdC6u6cZGNFlKIfo0g2/s320/cover184916-medium.png" width="213" /></a></div>
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4 Stars<br />
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Allie is a single mother of a biracial child she adores and a freelance ghostwriter and landscaper. As a ghostwriter, she knows fame will always elude her. Also as a ghostwriter she melds what others say, not what her creativity might provide, and she is a channel, as it were, for whatever others do in their lives, their beliefs and perceptions, not her own. It seemed to me that this was her life pattern: adapting herself to others, for even as a marketing copywriter at a Manhattan equity firm, Allie molded herself to what others wanted her to be. Now, however, she is confronted with evidence regarding a client's sexual offenses, an eruption that will greatly affect her own income and hopes to improve life for herself and Cass. It's time to stop being a reflection, a mirror, a channel, and find her True Self, the real Allie, whoever she is.The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-38212779082452580042020-08-06T12:28:00.003-04:002020-08-13T19:33:53.574-04:00A HOUSE IS A BODY by Shruti Swamy<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttC6Omw38_ojXQcadjQvR21KaFk0PyPjXdRVUwKZAdlGpWGn4FIy8rj4lTAxxY3GTRitcZeKfW3qof9WKZWD1PWu3afQJuWVqW02U5NSvFsyxeUtnB3R4AeDktrjpd8zhyn0-Rm6b8OUO/s475/48717291._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttC6Omw38_ojXQcadjQvR21KaFk0PyPjXdRVUwKZAdlGpWGn4FIy8rj4lTAxxY3GTRitcZeKfW3qof9WKZWD1PWu3afQJuWVqW02U5NSvFsyxeUtnB3R4AeDktrjpd8zhyn0-Rm6b8OUO/s0/48717291._SY475_.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>5 Literary Stars</div><div><br /></div>Shruti Swamy's debut short story collection is a marvel of stunningly delineated character, of fully conceptualized settings (in both India and San Francisco), of characters who are "not quite us" but simultaneously "like us." Best read one story at a time, accompanied by lots of thought and consideration, this collection of literary short fiction proves an eye opener for the psyche and imagination. The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-19869083270157941442020-07-28T16:23:00.005-04:002020-08-01T10:40:11.542-04:00Tour: WITH OR WITHOUT YOU by Caroline Leavitt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqLqaachwS2NdMkH1yHCaLNsP1jD3I4GtBd_XzLfIkQ4Fnh4lMsa9b1SiZDFPnqV0I0DyadxvdsKKUSvT3BWK4RVcPoLcgyVNcAH0ItFvJ9jRUPQc2HH-13qs3H867coZyW15UdqY6Gu2/s1600/49407575._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqLqaachwS2NdMkH1yHCaLNsP1jD3I4GtBd_XzLfIkQ4Fnh4lMsa9b1SiZDFPnqV0I0DyadxvdsKKUSvT3BWK4RVcPoLcgyVNcAH0ItFvJ9jRUPQc2HH-13qs3H867coZyW15UdqY6Gu2/s320/49407575._SY475_.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
4 Stars<br />
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<li>Sometimes there are fictional characters whom I want to metaphorically shake, and shout "Wake up! CHANGE YOUR LIFE!" That's how I felt about Stella and Simon in WITH OR WITHOUT YOU. If they could just change their individual perspective, I thought.. and sure enough, Life intervened. Stella descended into a coma. Simon therefore had to change in response to the new circumstances. When Stella awoke from the coma, she was different. Only time would tell if all these changes proved for the best...</li>
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<br />The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-75907049092526407652020-07-28T13:23:00.000-04:002020-08-02T18:00:26.420-04:00Tour: THE COMEBACK by Ella Berman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIDkjWHWyCZh_AKCCRBqDahCAA9Y1Vs3tiAscNa3iT5yP5SV-A-UT-2guN0nCJ7t4UTWDXROcoEUrGeuBV1j04B0QzrwDjsDOQHnKqhuVwZMQgKwkauRvOommSrBdZmtPv22sxlsuToss/s1600/49447605._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIDkjWHWyCZh_AKCCRBqDahCAA9Y1Vs3tiAscNa3iT5yP5SV-A-UT-2guN0nCJ7t4UTWDXROcoEUrGeuBV1j04B0QzrwDjsDOQHnKqhuVwZMQgKwkauRvOommSrBdZmtPv22sxlsuToss/s320/49447605._SY475_.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
5 Stars<br />
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I think that perhaps the world will not ever reach a point when it doesn't need revelations of abuse and women and children [and men] standing up for themselves and standing tall despite abuse. Sometimes, as protagonist/narrator Grace demonstrates, being true to ourselves, moment by moment and day by day, in each decision and choice, means the abuser(s) did not win, did not succeed in breaking us, did not "get over." Victims can become Survivors, and Succeed. Sometimes, in the immortal words of George. Herbert, "Living well is the best revenge."The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-7049609865877822512020-07-26T15:59:00.002-04:002020-07-26T16:04:57.476-04:00Tour: HIEROGLYPHICS by Jill McCorkle <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6K9wTi_RFyBFFhrtze3T2oHkazuTmJSGdQola0sQzB1CQGG_qp9WTsmq49U18jfL3bDBqEPD838qIjodgBDHTcWME8wWa9J6JK_cXQOwK1ppmVHncZC0MY7s7dqSvHmioZS_nH65rFvh/s1600/53040917._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6K9wTi_RFyBFFhrtze3T2oHkazuTmJSGdQola0sQzB1CQGG_qp9WTsmq49U18jfL3bDBqEPD838qIjodgBDHTcWME8wWa9J6JK_cXQOwK1ppmVHncZC0MY7s7dqSvHmioZS_nH65rFvh/s320/53040917._SY475_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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4 Stars</div>
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Walking through the memories: it's common among the elderly, sometimes unavoidable for younger persons, especially when the memories are painful. </div>
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Paging through the memories: sometimes studying history, sometimes expanding on genealogical findings, sometimes just yearning to know someone. </div>
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HIEROGLYPHICS unfolds around a long-married couple, both striving to recall, and a younger single mother, struggling to cope and to do her best for her son without fatherly input. Interaction of the couple and the mom sends memories unraveling like a yarn ball batted around by a playful kitten. </div>
<br />The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-25612011130463530122020-07-12T12:13:00.001-04:002020-07-13T12:40:32.237-04:00Review: MAYHEM by Estelle Laure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZS_OaG65QvelRadPmUKr8SvdkzFchpKsLXA4RhBUy_vE3fpPNwBUUhapSYHZXOZhK33uySgx2VgSZXvfJ8t6u2Er_LSUCeS8IRxohZdLryKAdJt_p9tABBV6Mkn1U_iEm-9yi77aauEO6/s1600/Mayhem_blogtourbanner_coming+soon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="900" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZS_OaG65QvelRadPmUKr8SvdkzFchpKsLXA4RhBUy_vE3fpPNwBUUhapSYHZXOZhK33uySgx2VgSZXvfJ8t6u2Er_LSUCeS8IRxohZdLryKAdJt_p9tABBV6Mkn1U_iEm-9yi77aauEO6/s320/Mayhem_blogtourbanner_coming+soon.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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4 Stars<br />
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Review: MAYHEM was a difficult novel to read, and will be for a reader with even minimal sensitivity. For readers who are survivors of childhood or adult abuse and violence, MAYHEM, like Emma Donoghue's powerful novel ROOM, will mean treading a difficult road of memory and emotional pain. Those readers will catch all the nuances, because the "excessive startle" reflex gifted as a consequence of Abuse works with figurative triggers, such as in Fiction, not just in "real life."<br />
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<br />The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-75523515585801630662020-07-07T10:48:00.003-04:002020-07-07T10:48:37.316-04:00Tour_IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF TRUE by Susan Kaplan Carlton <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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4 Stars<br />
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Historical Fiction<br />
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In the current sociopolitical uproar, focus is primarily on the importance of Black Lives and the prevalence of attitudes and practices of White Supremacy. As demonstrated in IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF TRUE, racism and bigotry doesn't only target People of Color. For several millennia, those of Hebrew lineage have been, and still remain, in the contempt of and often literally targeted by, individuals, groups, organizations, considering themselves superior by reason of ethnicity and /or religious preference. </div>
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In 1958, transplanting unexpectedly from New York City to Atlanta, Ruth determines that concealing her ethnicity is key to popularity among the wealthy country club set. But Truth will out, and oftentimes violence is what propels revelation. </div>
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I was particularly intrigued that this novel finds it setting in Atlanta, site of the murder of Mary Phagan in 1913, for which Leo Frank was convicted. At the commutation of his sentence for dearth of evidence, in 1915, Mr. Frank was lynched in nearby Marietta. A month later, at Stone Mountain, Georgia, the Ku Klux Klan reconvened. </div>
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The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-57466395591998583032020-07-01T12:34:00.000-04:002020-07-01T12:34:33.577-04:00Review: COPY BOY by Shelley Blanton-Stroud<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgr-gK8WXeGzubuikGXpbHA-kQr0Jh-HJdeIQdirQ5iDcY8Ba0FywGnQ0wQa8wICE3xBbDt0heIkyZF4hEEGk8z8_tNj7RDXmXwFQTvL9y7vZnrn2g1oaqw1fshB9d_-JUOzLuw646131-/s1600/cover188449-medium.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgr-gK8WXeGzubuikGXpbHA-kQr0Jh-HJdeIQdirQ5iDcY8Ba0FywGnQ0wQa8wICE3xBbDt0heIkyZF4hEEGk8z8_tNj7RDXmXwFQTvL9y7vZnrn2g1oaqw1fshB9d_-JUOzLuw646131-/s320/cover188449-medium.png" width="209" /></a></div>
4 Stars<br />
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Strongly feminist metaphysical historical fiction focusing on a young girl who travels from dusty Texas to San Francisco to develop her own strengths of purpose and to rise beyond the frailties of her family.The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-56240350194850455872020-06-24T10:52:00.002-04:002020-06-24T15:11:44.000-04:00Tour: IN THE ROLE OF BRIE HUTCHENS by Nicole Melleby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwt8zs6HrAFGVQcch8tEEEkTnIfZ-pbAH6Ga3Mx0ZMVJ2l0QZnlNUo_y5SITwWTDrEOGG_iabNrjp0Olr3F1vtbZRVWg2-QArHitsmeCsXHKm9EbPOpPgqcJvDWRVIx9N7SM140zsb01jr/s1600/IN+THE+ROLE+3D+jacket.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="545" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwt8zs6HrAFGVQcch8tEEEkTnIfZ-pbAH6Ga3Mx0ZMVJ2l0QZnlNUo_y5SITwWTDrEOGG_iabNrjp0Olr3F1vtbZRVWg2-QArHitsmeCsXHKm9EbPOpPgqcJvDWRVIx9N7SM140zsb01jr/s320/IN+THE+ROLE+3D+jacket.png" width="254" /></a></div>
5+ Stars!<br />
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LGBT YA<br />
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How I love this novel! Brie is all of us at one point or another, when our path seems clear before us, but we just can't manage that first step, or those around us seem more like obstacles to our course than like cheerleaders or fulcrums. Brie is so admirable and so adorable; I couldn't help but love her character and integrity.</div>
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Brie wants to be an actress, but her parents' finances barely maintain her in parochial school. There's no funds for the Performing Arts High School [remember the film and TV series FAME? Different schools, same purpose. ) Brie, at thirteen, even more importantly struggles with her personal identity--including the early unflowering of potential interest in girls. It's so much for anyone to cope with; but I cheered for Brie, who after all is a remarkably special character. </div>
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<b style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">An own-voices LGBTQ novel from the acclaimed author of <i style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">Hurricane Season</i>, about eighth-grader Brie, who learns how to be true to herself and to her relationships with family, friends, and faith.</b><br style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;" />Introducing Brie Hutchens: soap opera super fan, aspiring actor, and so-so student at her small Catholic school. Brie has big plans for eighth grade. She’s going to be the star of the school play and convince her parents to let her go to the performing arts high school. But when Brie’s mom walks in on her accidentally looking at some possibly inappropriate photos of her favorite actress, Brie panics and blurts out that she’s been chosen to crown the Mary statue during her school’s May Crowning ceremony. Brie’s mom is distracted with pride—but Brie’s in big trouble: she has <i style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">not</i> been chosen. No one has, yet. Worse, Brie has almost no chance to get the job, which always goes to a top student.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;" /> <br style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;" />Desperate to make her lie become truth, Brie turns to Kennedy, the girl everyone expects to crown Mary. But sometimes just looking at Kennedy gives Brie butterflies. Juggling her confusing feelings with the rapidly approaching May Crowning, not to mention her hilarious non-star turn in the school play, Brie navigates truth and lies, expectations and identity, and how to—finally—make her mother really <i style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">see </i>her as she is.</div>
The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-78752941960355334372020-06-19T13:54:00.001-04:002020-06-22T12:46:46.810-04:00Tour: WHAT UNBREAKABLE LOOKS LIKE by Kate McLaughlin <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Review 5 Stars<br />
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Early in this unflinching novel of sexual violence and human trafficking, a rescued young woman, our narrator, exclaims, "We ain't never going to be okay. Never." While that proves to be true for some of the secondary characters, and while "Poppy" (Alexa) still has trouble and danger in her future, she has an unbreakable, ultimately untrammeled, spirit. For those readers who can endure, the ultimate outcome will prove hopeful, inspirational, and well worth the wait. Ultimately, Alexa has won, despite all the horrors, because her spirit and soul remain unbroken.<br />
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WHAT UNBREAKABLE LOOKS LIKE Book Info<br />
Jacket Copy:<br />
Lex was taken–trafficked–and now she’s Poppy. Kept in a hotel with other girls, her old life is a distant memory. But when the girls are rescued, she doesn’t quite know how to be Lex again.<br />
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After she moves in with her aunt and uncle, for the first time in a long time, she knows what it is to feel truly safe. Except, she doesn’t trust it. Doesn't trust her new home. Doesn’t trust her new friend. Doesn’t trust her new life. Instead she trusts what she shouldn’t because that's what feels right. She doesn’t deserve good things.<br />
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But when she is sexually assaulted by her so-called boyfriend and his friends, Lex is forced to reckon with what happened to her and that just because she is used to it, doesn’t mean it is okay. She’s thrust into the limelight and realizes she has the power to help others. But first she’ll have to confront the monsters of her past with the help of her family, friends, and a new love.<br />
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Kate McLaughlin’s What Unbreakable Looks Like is a gritty, ultimately hopeful novel about human trafficking through the lens of a girl who has escaped the life and learned to trust, not only others, but in herself.<br />
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Author Bio:<br />
KATE McLAUGHLIN likes people, so much so that she spends her days making up her own. She likes writing about characters who are bent, but not broken - people who find their internal strength through friends, strife and sometimes humor. When she's not writing, she likes studying people, both real and fictional. She also likes playing board games with friends, talking and discovering new music. A proud Nova Scotian, she'll gladly tell you all about the highest tides in the world, the magical creation known as a donair, and people who have sofas in their kitchens. Currently, she lives in Connecticut with her husband and four cats. She's the author of What Unbreakable Looks Like.<br />
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Early Praise:<br />
"With unflinching honesty, What Unbreakable Looks Like exposes the injuries and scars we wear on our skins or in our souls. Hidden damage is tragically common, but helpful others who dared embrace hope invite Alexa to step onto the healing path. This novel may offer a springboard for a reader's own healing or foster empathy for life's walking wounded." - Liz Coley, author of international bestseller Pretty Girl-13<br />
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"Raw, unflinching, and authentic, Kate McLaughlin's thoughtful What Unbreakable Looks Like carefully crafts a story exposing the vulnerability of underage trafficked girls and what it takes to begin the process of healing from sexual trauma." - Christa Desir, author, advocate, and founding member of The Voices and Faces Project<br />
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“This is a powerful book about a sobering topic that I found myself thinking about for days after I completed it. It is wonderfully poignant, painfully real, and even laugh out loud funny at times. Not everyone can truly wrap their minds around the trauma these victims endure and yet somehow, despite all of it, are still just regular kids. But Kate McLaughlin gets it. ‘Lex’ is truly what unbreakable looks like and you’ll fall in love with her spirit.” - Tanya Compagnone, Trooper First Class<br />
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“Sex trafficking continues to seep into all our communities. In this novel, Kate McLaughlin brings to life the trauma that transpires in youth who forced into the life of sex trafficking. Her novel is a reminder that each of us can make a difference in someone’s life.” - Dina R. St. George, MSW, Juvenile Re-Entry Unit OCPD<br />
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Buy Link: https://wednesdaybooks.com/the-real-deal/what-unbreakable-looks-like/<br />
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Social link: https://twitter.com/alterkates<br />
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<br />The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-71205899458326674142020-06-15T14:46:00.000-04:002020-06-15T14:46:02.052-04:00Tour_ORDINARY GIRLS by Jaquira Diaz <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="ni pi ">Synopsis of ORDINARY GIRLS:</span></div>
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<span class="ni pi ">In this searing memoir, Jaquira Díaz writes fiercely and eloquently of her challenging girlhood and triumphant coming of age.</span></div>
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<span class="ni pi ">While growing up in housing projects in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach, Díaz found herself caught between extremes. As her family split apart and her mother battled schizophrenia, she was supported by the love of her friends. As she longed for a family and home, her life was upended by violence. As she celebrated her Puerto Rican culture, she couldn't find support for her burgeoning sexual identity. From her own struggles with depression and sexual assault to Puerto Rico's history of colonialism, every page of Ordinary Girls vibrates with music and lyricism. Díaz writes with raw and refreshing honesty, triumphantly mapping a way out of despair toward love and hope to become her version of the girl she always wanted to be.</span></div>
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<span class="ni pi ">Reminiscent of Tara Westover's Educated, Kiese Laymon's Heavy, Mary Karr's The Liars' Club, and Terese Marie Mailhot's Heart Berries, Jaquira Díaz's memoir provides a vivid portrait of a life lived in (and beyond) the borders of Puerto Rico and its complicated history-and reads as electrically as a novel.</span></div>
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<span class="ni pi ">Review: </span></div>
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<span class="ni pi ">5 Stars</span></div>
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<span class="ni pi "><table border="0" cellspacing="1" class="myActivity" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"><span id="freeTextContainerreview3389806864">The best memoirs are those in which the author is unafraid of transparency and vulnerability, of holding themselves accountable for living their lives, able to write with clarity of the good and bad. With such emotional exposure, the reader is able to examine the author's life, to relate, to learn, and sometimes even to gather renewed purpose. In ORDINARY VOICES, Jaquira Diaz explores her life vividly and saliently.</span></span></td></tr>
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<br />The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-67128544569402092732020-05-29T15:49:00.000-04:002020-05-31T14:41:00.885-04:00THE TALKING DRUM by Lisa Braxton _ BLOG TOUR <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Review: 5 Stars<br />
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A fascinating and original exploration of urban "gentrification" from the viewpoint of the residents and shopkeepers most directly affected, rather than the upscale citizenry who directly benefit from sports stadiums, gourmet shops, and hugely expensive loft apartments. The characters are deeply delineated and the urban setting is brought vividly to life along with the concomitant issues, domestic, political, and socio-economic.<br />
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Info Sheet / THE TALKING DRUM by Lisa Braxton</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">THE TALKING DRUM by Lisa Braxton / Info Sheet</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">On sale date: May 30, 2020</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Inanna Publications</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">ISBN: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #21282d; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">9781771337410</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Price: $22.95</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Buy Link: </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.amazon.com/Talking-Drum-Lisa-Braxton/dp/1771337419/ref%253Dsr_1_2?dchild%253D1%2526keywords%253Dthe%252Btalking%252Bdrum%2526qid%253D1587770528%2526sr%253D8-2%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1590784858474000&sa=D&ust=1590784858494000&usg=AFQjCNG7SMwBwYjf1YmKGfqVdjTCqUb9nA" style="text-decoration: inherit;">Amazon</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">; </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.indiebound.org/book/9781771337410%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1590784858474000&sa=D&ust=1590784858494000&usg=AFQjCNGriLR_XT6MqcIvgoZYvDvQwET8hw" style="text-decoration: inherit;">IndieBound</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">; </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-talking-drum-lisa-braxton/1134799339?ean%253D9781771337410%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1590784858475000&sa=D&ust=1590784858495000&usg=AFQjCNEPOOBpX1Qy2Oc-skCJ7FdnRiSICg" style="text-decoration: inherit;">B&N</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Author website: </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttp://www.lisabraxton.com%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1590784858475000&sa=D&ust=1590784858495000&usg=AFQjCNF5_5ou71j8VTgRSVlJiCrzqHudeA" style="text-decoration: inherit;">www.lisabraxton.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Author Instagram: </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.instagram.com/lisabraxton6186/%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1590784858476000&sa=D&ust=1590784858495000&usg=AFQjCNFmKOa7FFjaeblKf2bhRUBLQZ6EOA" style="text-decoration: inherit;">https://www.instagram.com/lisabraxton6186/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Author Facebook: </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.facebook.com/lisa.a.braxton?ref%253Dbookmarks%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1590784858476000&sa=D&ust=1590784858495000&usg=AFQjCNE599X7JNMNHnSxKEZ4momp3QQqYg" style="text-decoration: inherit;">https://www.facebook.com/lisa.a.braxton?ref=bookmarks</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Author Twitter: </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://twitter.com/lisareidbraxton/%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1590784858476000&sa=D&ust=1590784858495000&usg=AFQjCNHhfQ5Ci02Ts4nvklXgRtcJ1B-8WA" style="text-decoration: inherit;">https://twitter.com/lisareidbraxton/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Author GoodReads: </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19923317.Lisa_Braxton%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1590784858477000&sa=D&ust=1590784858495000&usg=AFQjCNGG4EzDTEzK5sUbmhA9jo6bvaolGw" style="text-decoration: inherit;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19923317.Lisa_Braxton</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">In 1971, the fictional city of Bellport, Massachusetts is in decline with an urban redevelopment project on the horizon. The project promises to transform the dying factory town into a thriving economic center, with a profound effect on its residents. Sydney Stallworth steps away her law degree in order to support her husband Malachi's dream of opening a cultural center and bookstore in the heart of their black community, Liberty Hill. Across the street, Della Tolliver has built a fragile sanctuary for herself, boyfriend Kwamé Rodriguez, and daughter Jasmine, a troubled child prone to frequent outbursts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Six blocks away and across the Bellport River Bridge lies Petite Africa, a lively neighborhood, where time moves slower and residents spill from run-down buildings onto the streets. Here Omar Bassari, an immigrant from Senegal known to locals as </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">Drummer Man</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">, dreams of being the next Duke Ellington, spreading his love of music and African culture across the world, even as his marriage crumbles around him and his neighborhood goes up in flames. An arsonist is on the loose. As more buildings burn, the communities are joined together and ripped apart. In Petite Africa, a struggling community fights for their homes, businesses, and culture. In Liberty Hill, others see opportunity and economic growth. As the pace of the suspicious fires pick up, the demolition date moves closer, and plans for gentrification are laid out, the residents find themselves at odds with a political system manipulating their lives. “It’s a shame,” says Malachi, after a charged city council meeting, where residents of Petite Africa and Liberty Hill sit on opposing sides. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">“We do so much for Petite Africa. But still, we fight.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">AUTHOR BIO</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #ed7d31; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">Lisa Braxton</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> is an Emmy-nominated former television journalist, an essayist, short story writer, and novelist. She is a fellow of the Kimbilio Fiction Writers Program and was a finalist in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University, her M.S. in journalism from Northwestern University, and her B.A. in Mass Media from Hampton University. Her stories have been published in anthologies and literary journals. She lives in the Boston, Massachusetts area.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://lauramariepr-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com/Redirect?ukey%253D1atU3QaL4CsS1YeQLdEi9Db7avl94VgHEM35qblqwqYs-117635887%2526key%253DYAMMID-70201370%2526link%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.lisabraxton.com%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1590784858478000&sa=D&ust=1590784858496000&usg=AFQjCNHnE89QJEPfeBHZrrtMrybZQjNnjw" style="text-decoration: inherit;"> </a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://lauramariepr-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com/Redirect?ukey%253D1atU3QaL4CsS1YeQLdEi9Db7avl94VgHEM35qblqwqYs-117635887%2526key%253DYAMMID-70201370%2526link%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.lisabraxton.com%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1590784858478000&sa=D&ust=1590784858496000&usg=AFQjCNHnE89QJEPfeBHZrrtMrybZQjNnjw" style="text-decoration: inherit;">www.lisabraxton.com</a></span></div>
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The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-74202821181208424542020-04-30T17:35:00.001-04:002020-04-30T17:35:49.538-04:00Review: WHEN ENEMIES OFFEND THEE by Sally Whitney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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5 Stars<br />
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A painful, angry, novel suffused in hope. This could have so easily been yet another account of #Metoo, but the author chose to really dig deeply into her characters and to examine the backdrop of their culture, economy, history. Reading what happened to protagonist Clementine, the ugly crime and the ugly aftermath, frightened and infuriated me. But the novel didn't drop us there. What ensues is a marvel of character evolution, acknowledgment that joy can come eventually after grief. I would never say Clementine 's tribulations should be visited on anyone, but her ability to strengthen in the Crucible of Adversity made me proud for her.The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-59238913782227507592020-04-13T11:40:00.003-04:002020-04-13T11:40:43.328-04:00Review: STEPHEN KING'S THE BODY BOOKMARKED by Aaron Burch <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This entry in Ig Publishing's BOOKMARKED Series, in which writers discuss a life-changing book, is author Aaron Burch's nonfiction essay/memoir of his discovery of, and his life of admiring, Stephen King's novella "The Body," and its film version, "Stand By Me."</div>
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Actually this is an ode to both film and story, perhaps because the author seems to identify so strongly with the protagonist Gordy [also quite possibly a function or alter of "The Body"'s author, Stephen King]. I found intriguing the lengths to which Aaron Burch "followed" the film and novella.</div>
The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-25144144918882694202020-03-31T12:52:00.003-04:002020-03-31T12:52:25.290-04:00Review: MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD by Robin Talley <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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5 Stars<br />
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LGBT<br />
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Sometimes I am so blessed by a book, when it moves me, moulds me, and changes or improves my perspective. MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD gave me all that, in addition to a long stroll down Memory Lane coupled with seeing those memories of history through others' perspective. Yet at the same time the characters' emotions so powerfully resonated with me, not just the YA protagonists (Sharon, Tammy, Peter) but of some of the adult characters as well such as Tammy and Peter's single mother. I just fell into this story immediately and never wanted to surface. I "lived it," I "was right there," thanks to a very gifted author, Robin Talley. It's an enormous pleasure to encounter a novel so touching and thought-provoking and eventually life-changing.The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-87023559479133079902020-03-28T16:36:00.004-04:002020-03-28T16:36:51.808-04:00Review: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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5 Stars </div>
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My immediate thought when I first commenced WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, a selection of the Rising Stars Book Club at Writing. Com, was to remember BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA by Dorothy Allison, a novel also notable for the power of its Setting. Indeed, in both novels Setting is a character in itself, and this is overpoweringly true of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, which opens and closes and is rife throughout with the importance of Setting. Ar times, I felt as if character were unimportant, as Setting carried the day in every instance. I think this is a novel of which Thoreau would be proud.</div>
The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-81425794521495102402020-02-01T16:01:00.000-05:002020-02-01T16:01:22.993-05:00Review: THE FIRE AND THE DARKNESS by Sinclair McKay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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5 Stars<br />
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Reading about the Dresden Firebombing of February 1945 is a painful and horrific encounter, as is reading about Hiroshima or Nagasaki, September 11 2001, the Holocaust or the history of lynching. Yet we as readers and thinking humans need to be aware of the evils of history as well as the glories. On the other hand, Dresden 's history also testifies to the invincibility of the human spirit, above and beyond the biological drive to survive. For biology alone cannot account for the city 's reconstruction nor for the impetus to record for posterity its tragedy, nor for those outside Dresden who strive to repair and to improve it. There is something in humanity that is propelled to rise above its frequent inhumanity and destruction.The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-10421038416979199002020-01-26T17:20:00.004-05:002020-01-26T17:20:51.375-05:00Review: GLISSANDO by Debbie Burke <div>
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5 Stars</div>
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Jazz is the background, backstory, and thematic soundtrack for this unusual and intriguing novel of a Catskills native, product of a non-practising Jewish household, who trains as a paralegal, happily marries a local correctional officer, then finds herself the wronged spouse and determines successfully to form her own life. Until--at age 55, she joins a university-community jazz band, a great artistic outlet and lots of fun. It's also the commencement of her own midlife crisis, as she finds herself stunningly enraptured by an accomplished trumpet player, her age. When it rains, it pours, and soon she is professionally and romantically involved with an attorney through her firm, while remaining starry-eyed over the jazz musician.</div>
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What impressed me the most in this character-driven novel is the protagonist's self-awareness, her acceptance of herself at various life stages, her willingness to grow. She is strong in the right sense: a strong, self-aware, independent woman (who loves dogs). </div>
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This story does include love, romance, lust, marriage. It's erotic but not Erotica. It's the story of a metaphorical "coming of age" and personal growth that lasts a lifetime.</div>
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The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-33856519186060189092020-01-17T15:37:00.000-05:002020-01-17T15:37:00.805-05:00Review: AND THROW THE SKINS AWAY by Scott Archer Jones <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafhRtqLGC7Tez4pAYk-AAuwvreE1yW2VelEbvlmJRJCSihu3IKCrO6_yMK3fHmGQWMVVRVYVZerYXczn_IUoI-BSrkkLuib12ha8QR5WXJBUGmH_OJHNugkVRZFFPqBxOblzIm6PAciUG/s1600/44589560._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafhRtqLGC7Tez4pAYk-AAuwvreE1yW2VelEbvlmJRJCSihu3IKCrO6_yMK3fHmGQWMVVRVYVZerYXczn_IUoI-BSrkkLuib12ha8QR5WXJBUGmH_OJHNugkVRZFFPqBxOblzIm6PAciUG/s320/44589560._SY475_.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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4 Stars<br />
Literary Fiction<br />
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A literary novel of Survivorship, the protagonist Rebecca (Bec) survives an ugly childhood, a perverted pastor, breast cancer, her pastor husband's faith crisis, depression, and subsequent military overseas deployment. She also after moving to Northern New Mexico from Dallas, survives his loss and an up-and-down involvement with a nearby disabled veteran. Even when she doesn't know her own decisions, Bec survives.The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-89617966902777965402019-02-19T17:13:00.000-05:002019-02-19T17:13:32.803-05:00Review of THE PUBLICIST (1-4) by Christina George<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30180817-the-publicist-series---book-1---4" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Publicist Series - Book 1 - 4: Contemporary Romance Series PLUS a Bonus Book!" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463146127m/30180817.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30180817-the-publicist-series---book-1---4">The Publicist Series - Book 1 - 4: Contemporary Romance Series PLUS a Bonus Book!</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6556822.Christina_George">Christina George</a><br/><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2722033539">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />
I started reading this series a couple of years ago, and even though I don't often select chick lit or women's fiction or anything with romance. However, I do admire a feckless hero or heroine and Kate Mitchell, the eponymous publicist of this heartwarming series, is Feckless with a Capital, but that's why she's lovable. And for those who do like chick-lit and romance, and those who like insights into the publishing kingdom, there's plenty here to love for those readers too. The author has paid her dues in the publishing world and clearly knows well whereof she speaks (or in this case, writes).<br />
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The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-86259969656953814892018-11-02T12:17:00.003-04:002018-11-02T12:17:43.883-04:00Review_OSLO SPIES<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39074903-oslo-spies" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Oslo Spies" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528203458m/39074903.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39074903-oslo-spies">Oslo Spies</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13550573.S_J_Slagle">S.J. Slagle</a><br/><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2581295179">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />
Review of OSLO SPIES<br /><br />One of the blessings of historical fiction is that when well-written and thoroughly researched, authors enlighten and vivify a given historical period, bringing it to life and simultaneously humanizing it. Such is true of OSLO SPIES, which from the very beginning captures the era, the culture, the history, while creating vivid and vibrant characters with whom readers will resonate. In addition, due to the author's fine grasp of the historical era and what it meant, not just for a nation, but for individuals living through it and after it (World War II, Norway), we are educated in a way that makes us visualize the setting and realize “what life was like” for those living in that era. The novel is also well-written and maintains readers' attention and intrigue.<br />
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The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-11615107887759901482018-08-22T16:17:00.001-04:002018-08-22T16:17:32.775-04:00NOT HER DAUGHTER by Rea Frey_ Review<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36504901-not-her-daughter" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Not Her Daughter" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1509387961m/36504901.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36504901-not-her-daughter">Not Her Daughter</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4235710.Rea_Frey">Rea Frey</a><br/><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2502311217">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />
Review: NOT HER DAUGHTER by Rea Frey<br /><br />How far would any of us go to follow our conscience? I'm reminded of American conscientious objectors during the Vietnam War who emigrated to Canada, of Southeast Asian Buddhist monks during the same era who self-immolated, and of the "vigilante" who stalked the New York City subways to kill criminals. Ultimately, it's an individual choice: obey one's conscience, or follow the law. For Sarah Walker, Portland CEO of a digital company focused on the education of children, there is no choice. There is only despair and impetus. <br /><br />Witnessing a fairly obvious child abuse event in the airport, Sarah is shocked and distraught. Surely this was a one-time event, the consequence of stress and marital turmoil. But when fate puts her at Emma's Montessori School in Washington State, Sarah decides the girl is in need of immediate rescuing. Instead of calling in Child Protective Services, Sarah (who had a neglectful childhood with a bipolar mother and a father who could never focus beyond his own loss), abducts little Emma, and absconds with the child.<br />
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The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-12444190097885127122018-07-12T12:03:00.001-04:002018-07-12T12:03:10.665-04:00Review: BETRAYED ANGEL by Tom HaaseRelease Date: July 15 2018<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40537835-betrayed-angel" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Betrayed Angel (Coastal Adventure Series Book 1)" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529133093m/40537835.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40537835-betrayed-angel">Betrayed Angel</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7143358.Tom_Haase">Tom Haase</a><br/><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2454554632">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />
Review: BETRAYED ANGEL by Tom Haase<br /><br />Hard-charging Chuck McGregor, former Savannah police officer, former Army Airborne on special ops for the Defense Intelligence Agency, finds himself at a loss after finally leaving the military. Almost immediately, his father, a very wealthy hedge fund owner, dies and leaves Chuck majorly well-off. But that doesn't satisfy the void in Chuck 's spirit, and neither does heavy consumption of alcohol. <br /><br />But finding a purpose does, and in this, having friends on the Savannah Police force does. In an accidentally witnessed event on the Tybee Island beach, a purpose reveals itself. Suddenly Chuck discovers the bugaboo of contemporary society-human trafficking--and Chuck 's own moral compass unleashes a new Rambo, as he determines to take down all and sundry, while saving all the victims he can. Go, Chuck!!<br />
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The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812148800661396528.post-5117752064765364532018-06-28T18:33:00.001-04:002018-06-28T18:33:31.541-04:00Review_OOPS-A-NAVY by Gregg Bell<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40664357-oops-a-navy" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Oops-A-Navy (Navy SEAL Misadventure Book 1)" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1530217164m/40664357.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40664357-oops-a-navy">Oops-A-Navy</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7148350.Gregg_Bell">Gregg Bell</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2439097312">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Review: OOPS-A-NAVY by Gregg Bell<br /><br />Honestly: how did these two ever enter the Navy SEALS in the first place? (Laughing) Let alone survive "Hell Week"? Earl and Shelby are--not a pair, oh no--assigned partners, sent first to Hawaii to "calm down," then, at the Admiral' s discretion, to Guantanamo to track down a "missing" golfer Senator! (For some reason, I kept remembering the visiting Congressman killed at Jonestown.)<br /><br />Now let me tell you WHY Shelby and Earl don't form the ideal covert partnership. There is nothing covert about Shelby: she is an on-fire loose cannon in the SEALs for one reason: to revenge the deaths of her parents, killed on their catamaran by a Russian torpedo! (So the Admiral sends her to CUBA?!) Earl is a Chicago poet, scion of wealth, mellow. Earl is also recovering from Shelby' s shooting him with a speargun in Hawaii. Tracking through swamp and jungle is so not helpful. (And probably not poetic).<br />Earl and Shelby bring whole new definitions to the term "feckless." Can anything ever go right?
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Mallory Heart Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301735789955586567noreply@blogger.com0