I was so happy to receive The Secret of the Sacred Scarab
by Fiona Ingram for review. I worked in a book store before I had my son who is now 3 years old and I know how hard it can be to get boys interested in reading to begin with but combine that with the hole that is the lack of quality books for boys and it's no wonder boys don't pick up a book unless they absolutely have to.
It was wonderful following two boys, Justin and Adam as they explore Egypt trying to uncover the Secret of the Sacred Scarab all the while avoiding the evil Dr. Khalid who wants the keys to the secret as much as the boys but for totally different reasons. The boys are brave and smart working their way through some tight situations full of excitement and curiosity. I look forward to keeping this on my shelf and sharing it with my son when he is old enough to enjoy it.
From Amazon:
"Cousins Justin and Adam are ecstatic about accompanying their aunt to Egypt. Both love adventure and know the work of James Kinnaird, an archaeologist searching for the tomb of an ancient Egyptian ruler, the Scarab King. Some dismiss the tomb as legend, but Justin and Adam believe differently.From the moment their plane lands, Justin and Adam bounce from one mysterious event to another, starting from the moment a street peddler gives Adam an ancient scarab. Dr. Khalid, head of the department of antiquities and research at the Egyptian Museum, shows excessive interest in the cousins and their relic. Then, when the boys learn that James Kinnaird is missing, they realize something sinister is afoot.Kidnapped and taken across the desert, the boys are plunged into serious danger and chased by ruthless enemies. Dr. Khalid will stop at nothing to discover the Scarab King's tomb and claim its treasures. But he has underestimated the boys' ingenuity.Join Justin and Adam as they evade their captors and unravel the secrets of the Scarab King. Relying on their wits, courage, and each other, the boys must solve the mystery of the sacred scarab and rescue James Kinnaird before time runs out. "
Currently "Reading":
Book - Admit One: My Life in Film
E-Book - Logan And The Magic Fish
Audio - Count Karlstein
Book Review - The Secret of the Sacred Scarab by Fiona Ingram
Book Review - Rusty by Ellen F. Feld
I had a friend in high school who loved horses and by loved I mean LOVED HORSES. They were all over her room and last I heard she was working with a Veterinarian so I guess it worked out. As soon as I heard I was receiving this book to review I thought of her and wished we had stayed in better touch so I could pass this book on to her.
Rusty: The High-Flying Morgan Horse (Morgan Horse Series)
From The Willow Bend Publishing website:
"The third book in the popular Morgan Horse series, Rusty continues the adventures of Heather Richardson and her Morgan Horses. In this story, Frosty has her foal, a lovely gray filly. This adorable baby seems absolutely perfect, but is she? Meanwhile, Heather decides to try her luck in a new discipline and enters Rusty in several jumping competitions. Everything is going well until Heather begins to doubt herself. Will a new friend, Nicholas, be able to help Heather overcome her fears and win the Jump-Off?"
Currently "Reading":
Book - Admit One: My Life in Film
E-Book - Logan And The Magic Fish
Audio - Count Karlstein
Book Review - Terror From Beyond Middle England by Sarah Crabtree
I received this ebook through a giveaway on librarything and at first I was a little scared I had gotten myself into something I wasn't going to enjoy. The title is a little more horror than I usually like and the cover is a little more...well...ugly than I would usually pick off of a shelf but as I got deeper into the story I was pleasantly surprised. In the end I found this to be a great little story. I looked forward to going to bed every night so I could cuddle into the covers with my iPhone and read some more.
Terror From Beyond Middle England by Sarah Crabtree is available for sale from encpress.
Here's more info on Terror From Beyond Middle England from the encpress website:
The adventure spirit thus unleashed, Zara develops a knack for attracting the most fascinating people, among them a coterie of queer and transsexual activists on a crusade against genetically modified foodstuffs. Not such an eccentric rallying point, as it turns out when the naughty goings-on at the lab where Alan works are uncovered. These ultimately lead to the creation of the Doomsday Globe, a pretty little knickknack that contains deadly bacteria in place of a snowstorm.
Up until this wonderful stage of her life, Zara has never had so much control over so much chaos. Life has never been so sweet as Zara and Alan fall helplessly in love. But don’t get out the sick-buckets yet: Zara’s suicidal mother doesn’t want to miss out on the fun, and Cousin Julia turns up on the doorstep pregnant and in denial. And it’s all Zara’s fault. Well, actually it isn’t, but she’s just too darned kind and competent for everybody’s good.
This is an eternal saga of human bondage made possible almost entirely by wireless technology..."
Book Review - Interfictions 2
I was sent 
Interfictions 2: An Anthology of Interstitial Writing
Interfictions 2 is a great example of how many different forms Interfictions can take. For myself I thought for some reason Interfictions had to be science fiction in some way but that is so so so wrong. It's simply skirting genres and bending traditional literary "rules" there are many stories in this anthology with no science fiction or "fantasy" at all. My absolute favorites are hard to pick but I have two. Valentines by Shira Lipkin and Afterbirth by Stephanie Shaw.
First off let me be honest, Shira is the friend who sent me the book but here is what surprised me, her story really is one of my favorites. I have tons of faith in her and her writing but other than her livejournal I had never read any of it. I am a brutally honest person and I was so hoping I would just love her story. As soon as the book arrived I skipped right to it and read it immediately, then I read it again and then again when I actually got to her story again chronologically. I loved it, I got it, my husband suffers from occasional unexplained epilepsy, the traveling between worlds as described in Shira's Valentines seems to happen to him as well, I have never experienced it myself but I see it happening to him and so when I read this story each piece fell into place in my mind without a moments hesitation, there was no translation needed I just accepted it and understood.
I have a three year old little boy and although I do not go around all day thinking about his birth I can say it is there as a solid life experience and can be easily reclaimed and relived. Afterbirth is a great story about the just before and the actual birth of her children. There's only one little hitch, dragons. They are just there, in the bedroom, in the delivery room and in the OR. If you have ever given birth you will know that despite how incredibly bizarre the dragons in this story may be it is spot on. How do you put into words the crazy, chaos that is happening all around you in the weeks leading up to the birth of your kids and then the actual delivery? Well, if you are Stephanie Shaw you don't put it in words so much as give the feelings characters all their own.
Kate Gosselin's new book Why do I care?
I don't care, I don't, I mean I keep telling myself that I don't care but I keep reading the articles about the book. I can't seem to stop myself. I won't read it, I will shoot myself in the eye before I read this book (go ahead send me a free copy to review now). I don't care what the letters to her children say and the fact that it is published by Zondervan makes me think it's just a bunch of religious propaganda bullpucky anyway. So I ask myself why am I posting this because in the long run I am only adding to the hype and the answer is this much like a song that I can't get out of my head until played on my iPod, I am putting my thoughts out there only to release my inner demons maybe I will stop thinking about it after this post, I'm simply getting it out of my system. Besides I will not deny this book it's right to be crappy, whether it's getting press for being god or being bad makes no difference it's the fact that it's getting press at all that will push it on which in the end will put food in those kids mouths, it will send them to good schools and give them lots of wonderful things to play with. More power to Kate and her potentially craptastic book.
Spotlight - Tales for Delicious Girls by Barbora Knobova
I was recently approved to review Tales for Delicious Girls
Book Description:
"Tales for Delicious Girls" offers witty, refreshing, clever and ironic insight into relationships between men and women from all points of view. The book is a modern relationship manual, providing answers to the most pressing dating and friendship questions that strong, independent, modern women want to know. "Tales for Delicious Girls" deals with wishes, desires and dreams - as well as hilarious mishaps and dating disasters. However, "Tales for Delicious Girls" is not simply a humorous book. In addition to entertaining the readers, the tales will inspire women to think about their own life and relationships, see themselves through different eyes and realize that they are their own best friend, the pillar of their own life, and the only person they can always count on. "Tales for Delicious Girls" encourages women to love, respect and appreciate themselves, to live the life they have always wanted, and become aware of their true uniqueness and deliciousness. This book will make you cry till there are tears in your eyes. It will become your faithful companion, and will help you find yourself. It was written for you because you're delicious - the most delicious girl in the world.Spotlight - Icon and Idols by Victor Pross
I will be reviewing Icons & Idols: Pop goes the Culture
Book Description:
Icons & Idols is a lavish ART book by Victor Pross Icons & Idols is based on the idea that actors, politicians, writers, musicians--the famous--constitute a modern mythology. It is an eye-popping visual homage and satire of pop culture that is sure to tickle a funny bone and hatch a few thoughts. ICONS & IDOLS contains Pross? painterly and penciled twists of Robert De Niro, Elvis Presley, George Bush, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sylvester Stallone, The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Clint Eastwood, Iggy Pop, Johnny Cash and other icons from the worlds of film, music and literature. This stunning book has over 60 art works of fantastic famous people--unlike you have ever seen them! A few comments from Pross? admirers: ?Victor's stuff has goddamn edge to it. It has lots and lots of elements. It has wonderful color. It pushes the boundaries.??Richard Engle, musician. ?Here you have a pencil and paintbrush virtuoso player!?---Pablo Morales de los, artist and caricaturist. ?The work of Victor Pross goes beyond the realm of caricature and explores German expressionism at its finest. A true Fine Artist!??Don David, artist. ?Victor is an iconic artist and will be worldly renowned and historically respected for his works.? ---John Elliott, artist. ?The mind behind this man's work leaves me even more breathless than his flawless, boundary-pushing artistic endeavors.?---Crista Bones, photographer and artist. ?Victor?s caricatures, aside from being clever in their own right, also convey an intelligence and knowledge of his subjects that is sometimes absent in similar sketches.? ?George H. Smith, author of Athesim: The case against God.
About the Author:
Victor Pross is a professional artist born and raised in Toronto now residing in British Columbia. He is known for his ?extreme caricaturing? and surrealist paintings. He has many high profile commissions to his credit including painting Ron Howard?s caricature portrait as a gift for the famous director as well as painting various agents of the William Morris Agency. He has rendered numerous International celebrities and Canadian media personalities for commercial and private purposes. Victor Pross has been interviewed on television shows such as: Canada AM, Breakfast Television, News at Noon and has been pegged by Canadian Media as ?Canada?s foremost caricature artist.? Icons & Idols is Victor's first book. www.victorprossart.com
