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The School Library Journal compares Secret Speakers to the Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Wizard of Oz novels in their starred review: "�Kingworth has created a rich, detailed fantasy world that is unique and as vivid as all of them, with charming, whimsical touches.” Hidden in the depths of Cloven Grave, the harsh impostor Harrold King hides a deep secret the parents know nothing about. After spending nine years hidden in a cellar, thirteen year-old Fair O'Nelli finally assumes it's safe to be seen. She knows that her father and brother are missing or possibly dead.

But when she sets off in the company of three guardians to find Selador's Gate, she heads right into Harrold King's secret. If she and countless others are to survive, she will have to start making choices that place friendship above fright, faith over doubt, and compassion over fear.

The audio book adaptation is brought to life by Booklist's Voice of Choice, Simon Vance. (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, The Girl Who Played with Fire.) British-born Vance was awarded Audiofile Magazine Golden Voice status, June 2009.

I listened to the audio version of the book Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador's Gate by K.S.R. Kingworth.  The narrator did a great job with this story.  It was a cross between The Chronicles of Narnia and the Wizard of Oz.  I'm not one who reads for deep underlying messages.  I simply read for storyline and enjoyment.  My mother always used to say that one day she was going to write a book that had no deep meaning and some English teacher would find the meaning. This book obviously has a message.  It has an entertaining storyline that overlays an allegory for the Plan of Salvation.  Like the Chronicles of Narnia it can simply be read as a great story or you can dive deeper to look for the underlying message.

This is K.S.R. Kingworth's (AKA Karey Shane) debut fantasy novel.  I would recommend it to those who enjoy high fantasy.




Content: Clean Read

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: Audio download from Audible

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I Am Santa by Kristy Haile:
“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the parent of an important figure? How much would it take of you to believe in your child even when nobody else did? What would you do if all of a sudden your son believed and I mean truly believed with all of his heart, that he was indeed the new real Santa Claus. One may think this scenario could never and would never happen. However, I am happy and proud to say that I am the mother of the new real Santa Claus! I believe in my son no matter what other people may say. The question is, do you believe?”

I Am Santa by Kristy Haile is a cute story told from the perspective of a mother whose son has been chosen to be the next Santa Claus.  The book is based on Kristy's son Ty's imagination.  I found a fun article that describes the story behind this story. 

I liked the idea that as parents we should encourage our children's imaginations and support our children in whatever they want to do with their life.  This book also explores the feeling family members have and their reactions when someone is unkind towards one member of the family because they are different.

This book is 343 pages and could have easily been shortened by at least a hundred pages with the help of a good editor.  There was a lot of repetition, run-on sentences, spelling errors, etc.  If you are one who reads for story and are able to overlook errors then this is a sweet story you'll enjoy.  This is a clean read that I would recommend to mothers of children who have a big imagination.

You can visit the author's website for more information: http://iamsantabook.com/

I Am Santa can be purchased directly from the author's website.

For the rest of the Tour Stops please visit Pump Up Your Book.

Content: Clean Read

Rating: 3 Stars

Source: Pump up Your Books
BOOK GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

I've got a copy of I Am Santa up for giveaway.  Open to those with a US or Canadian mailing address.  Last day to enter is 12/20.  To enter follow this blog and fill out the form. (Unfortunately this book won't arrive until after Christmas but you can enjoy it as an after holiday read or save it for next year).

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Luke Millward is a man who does not know he is lost. His girlfriend loves him, his career is going well, and every night he falls asleep knowing that his life is good and meaningful. Only when the past reveals its twisted smile in a phone call and a disconnected voice asks him to come find his father in post-Katrina New Orleans is Luke compelled to find out what kind of man he truly is.

This was the pick for my Book Group this month.  I listened to the audio version of this book and found myself pulled into the story.

Recovering Charles takes place in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina.  Luke has been estranged from his alcoholic father for quite some time but finds himself in New Orleans searching for his father in the aftermath of Katrina.

This book brought insights into the reality of what life was like for those who didn't evacuate and chose for various reasons to remain in New Orleans.  This book portrayed feeling and emotions that I never clued into while watching the news coverage of Katrina.  I connected with characters in this novel who were dealing with the subjects of forgiveness, death, alcholism, love and loss.

Jason has written several other books including The Wednesday Letters & The Christmas Jars that I'm going to check out and read.

Content: Clean

Rating 4.5 Stars

Source: Library

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Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

I must admit Young Adult Fantasy is my favorite so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this book.  The Iron King by Julie Kagawa is a great story.  There's a great mix of romance and adventure in this novel where characters from  A Midsummer's Night Dream make an appearance.  The story moves along at a fast paced but still has plenty of character development. 

If you like this genre I would recommend reading his book. My only complaint is there was just too much swearing throughout, so if you're sensitive to language you might want to skip this one.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Rating: 4.5 Stars.

Content: Some innuendo and sensual content, plenty of language throughout including 1 F Bomb.

Source: Download from Audible.com

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Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school, and the two girls become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory's magnetic older brother, Ryland, shows up during their junior year. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe, but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself. Soon she'll discover the shocking truth about Ryland and Mallory: that these two are visitors from the faerie realm who have come to collect on an age-old debt. Generations ago, the faerie queen promised Pheobe's ancestor five extraordinary sons in exchange for the sacrifice of one ordinary female heir. But in hundreds of years there hasn't been a single ordinary girl in the family, and now the faeries are dying. Could Phoebe be the first ordinary one? Could she save the faeries, or is she special enough to save herself?

I'd read some mixed reviews on Extraordinary so I wasn't sure what to expect. Some friends love it and others not so much. Odd thing was I had no idea what this book was about. I had never read the back cover and had only skimmed ratings & looked at how many stars people gave it to avoid spoilers. From the cover I had no idea I had picked up a Faerie Book.

I really enjoyed Nancy Werlin's writing style. This story drew me in and kept my attention through the whole book. I really enjoyed the first half of the story. But midway through I was a little put off by how cruel Mallory and her brother were towards Pheobe and wasn't sure the story could wrap up in a satisfying way. It wrapped up a little too quickly but ultimately I was happy with the way things were resolved in this story.

A unique story that loosely combines the history of the Rothchild family with a mythical faerie world. I'll most definitely read some of Nancy's other books.

Content: Some mild swearing

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: From Publisher For Review

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I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do-I fell in love with him. Zoe's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoe lost in her broken life. Zoe escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoe's autistic sister. After Zoe is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever.

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed reading Heavenly. Although classified as fantasy, Jennifer Lauren's version of "guardian angels" is a version I can believe actually exist.

Zoe start off as a very self centered character who enjoys partying and hooking up with guys as a way to escape her life at home. Through the course of the novel she is transformed and grows into a very different character than she was in the beginning. We see her relationship with her family develop and see her start to make better choices.

The depiction of life and the feeling of those who live with an autistic child seemed like a very realistic portrayal.

Matthias is a great character. Who wouldn't love a guardian angel such as he. I was drawn into this story and was surprised by the ending and then the twist with the glimpse into the first page of the second book in the series, Penitence.

Penitence is one book that is going to the top of my wishlist!

Content: The main character escapes by partying and hooking up with guys, her brother is using drugs. There are a few scenes that take place at a party and a couple conversations between friends that I can't classify as "clean" but there is nothing graphic or descriptive. A realistic portrayal of real life situations that teenagers might find themselves. This coming of age story is written in a way that does not glorify the bad choice or actions. There were a couple of the most mild of expletives.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Source: I won this book in a giveaway.

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This book is a simple, straightforward, logical guide to dating the right way. No gimmicks, no tricks, just practical advice that really works. If you're new to the dating scene, fed up with short-lived relationships, sick of awkward dates with girls, or would just like to fine-tune your dating skills, this book is definitely for you. The advice in this book will restore your perspective, help you find relationships that last, and give you some practical hints and tips to help you-and the girl you asked out-feel great about the first date and beyond. Whether you're new to dating, or you've been doing it for years, you'll walk away from this book with the skills necessary to have success in dating.

I met Jarett Waite at the St. George Book Festival on Saturday. He was kind enough of offer me a copy of his book I Asked Her Out, She Said Yes - Now What?

I am obviously not the target audience for this book but I do have a son who turns 16 next month and thought it might be a book I could pass on to him.

I Asked Her Out, She Said Yes - Now What?: A Crash Course in Dates that Lead to Relationships is a quick, easy read. It's just 75 pages long which is a great length for the target audience. It's not intimidating and short enough to read in a single sitting. The books discusses dating basics including being creative, having fun, being yourself and a step by step walk through on planning a date.

Ironically when I got home on Saturday afternoon I found my son and his friends getting ready to go to a dance. They were surfing the internet looking for ideas on how to ask a girl to dance and how to talk to her. I'm sure this book would be right up their alley. Now to get them to read it. If I hand it to my son I'm sure he'll balk and want nothing to do with it so I'm just going to put it on his nightstand and hopefully he'll pick it up and read it.

If you have a son, grandson (or boyfriend) who is just starting to date this would be a good book to give to them. Even better for those who are a little older and need a few tips.

Content: Clean

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: From Author for Review

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Change can happen in your life as quickly as you'll believe it.

Jason Snow has lived his life making choices that he believed would bring him happiness. Ironically, he acted in ways that got him the exact opposite of what he wanted. Now, his relationship with his wife is hanging by a thread, he is miserable at work, and worst of all, he feels disgusted at the thought that his kids are suffering because of choices he-s made. Is there a way out?

Although this book follows Jason Snow on a life-changing quest beginning at the base of Mt. Hood, Snow Rising is not a novel. It-s an invitation to take a personal journey. Author Matthew Baldwin says, -I invite you to join Jason Snow, and leave you with two questions: one, can you be an advocate for the changes you desire to see in yourself and in the world around you; and two, do you have the audacity to find out?-

Snow Rising can put individuals back together, revitalize marriages and families, and help recover fractured organizations. It shares four axioms, absolute truths, that are at the root of all happiness. But as the author says, -Then again, perhaps the answer is not in the answer, but in the journey to the answer.-

Take the journey. Make the change. Know the peace.

Snow Rising by Matt Baldwin is a self-help book in story format. The author uses a fictional story to teach life changing truths. This was not a fast read for me. In fact it took me nearly a month to get through it. I could only digest a couple chapters a night until I reached the last 100 pages. Then I didn't want to put the book down.

Snow Rising is a book worth taking the time to read. I could relate to the problems facing the different characters in this book and enjoyed the way the author used a story format to teach life changing principles.

I could share tons of amazing quotes from the book but I'll just share two:

Human behavior is an avalanche, subject to the same sequence that governs all of nature. We choose what we believe, and we choose our actions. Everything else is a consequence. Life is a sequence that begins in choice and ends in consequence.

Life is about the small things...Do the small things...
It means that when you come to the end of your life and look back, a slow walk with your daughter will mean more than your account balance. It means that flowers and a note for your wife for no particular occasion, only because you adore her, will mean more than diamonds on an anniversary. It means that showing gratitude to a friend for absolutely no specific reason will have more impact than picking up a lifetime of dinner checks.

I'm looking forward to the sequel that will be released in 2011.

Content: A clean, motivating read

Rating: 5 Stars - This was a hard book to rate but ultimately I couldn't give it less than 5 stars. I could put it down and walk away, in fact it was a book I had to put down because I could only digest a chapter or two a night. It was also a book that got me thinking and kept me thinking when I put it down. It's well written and full of truth and I would recommend it to anyone looking to make changes in their life and in their relationships with others.

Source: From Publisher for Review

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