Last week I reviewed Sally Apokedak's young adult fantasy, The Button Girl. This week, I'm happy to provide an interview with her about the story behind writing this thought-provoking novel for Christians, non-Christians, young women and adults.INTERVIEWCAROL: How did you come up with the ideas for this book? SALLY: I had a hippy friend who had named… Continue reading The Button Girl: An Interview with Author Sally Apokedak and Autographed Giveaway Part II
Donna Everhart warned me that her newest book, The Forgiving Kind (Kensington, 2019) had some tough parts. She was right. Like her previous book, The Road to Bittersweet, The Forgiving Kind also features a young woman coming of age in rural North Carolina. The time is the 1950's and the place is 300 acres of Jones County--cotton territory. Although both… Continue reading The Forgiving Kind: A Review and Audio Book Giveaway
As most of you know, I generally review books for children or teens. But every once in awhile I share books for adults. This time, I'm tackling a serious topic in a book by psychologist, Dr. Susan Forward: Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them. Before listening to this book, I had never heard the word misogynistic… Continue reading Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them: An Audio Book Review
The forward of Blood Brothers makes clear Elias Chacour’s purpose in telling his personal story to author David Hazard: he wanted to show an unappreciated side of the Arab-Israeli conflict. First published in 1984, Chacour’s dedication to portray both Palestinian and Jewish prejudices is evident throughout the biography. Another theme is Chacour’s question, “What does it… Continue reading Blood Brothers: A Review and Audio CD giveaway
One of the highest compliments you can give an author is to finish their book and want to read it all over again. In the case of The Hired Girl, by award-winning author Laura Amy Schlitz, that's exactly what I did; happily spending hours on a recent car trip reliving the world of Janet Lovelace,… Continue reading The Hired Girl: A Review and an Audio Giveaway
Congratulations to Tonya Goettl who won Wonder at the Edge of the World in last week's giveaway. Stay tuned for another great giveaway coming up soon. But first, two posts about Alan Gratz's middle grade Holocaust book. I'm going to tell you from the start this review contains spoilers. It's a story driven by a young… Continue reading Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz
Congratulations to Melodye Shore who won a copy of Linda Phillips' book, CRAZY. ********** For the next two weeks I welcome North Carolina poet Grace Ocasio, to my blog. Today you will read about why she writes in a poetic style and will be treated to a selection from her recently released book, The Speed of… Continue reading Introducing Grace Ocasio: Poet and Performer- Part I
Congratulations to Vida Zuljevic who won the good braider audio recording in last week's giveaway. I met Diane Chamberlain at WNBA's Bibliofeast in 2013 and purchased her book, Necessary Lies, despite telling myself that I had enough books and wasn't going to buy one more! But when I saw it was set in North Carolina and written from… Continue reading Necessary Lies- A Review and a Giveaway!
Ernest Gaines paints a compelling portrait of life in the late 1940's in a small Louisiana town. A young black teacher, Grant Wiggins, is caught in the middle of a number of struggles. A graduate of the local university, he is respected and the recipient of high expectations from the black community as well as feared… Continue reading A Lesson Before Dying