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Mailbox Monday #468

February 26, 2018 by

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at To Be Continued, formerly The Printed Page, has a permanent home at its own blog. To check out what everyone has received over the last week, visit the blog and check out the links. Leave yours too.

Also, each week, Leslie, Martha, and I will share the Books that Caught Our Eye from everyone’s weekly links.

Here’s what we received:

Accidentally Yours by Robin Helm, a Kindle freebie.

Two worlds . . .
Two centuries . . .
Two men who love the same woman . . .
Two prayers fervent enough to shift time . . .
Endless questions and possibilities . . .
What would a man give for a second chance at love?
What would he sacrifice to keep it?

What if the proud, arrogant Fitzwilliam Darcy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice never changed after his disastrous proposal to Elizabeth Bennet at Hunsford? What if the humbled man who successfully courted her was not the same Mr. Darcy?

In Accidentally Yours, Book 1 of the Yours by Design Christian fantasy romance series, worlds collide and time shifts when two men fall in love with the same woman.

Reader Diana Oaks said, “Reading this is a bit like eating something that mixes sweet and bitter – like French Vanilla Ice Cream with a bitter Dark Chocolate topping. I’m enjoying both, but the intermingling of the two does interesting things in the palette of my mind.”

A Bag of Hands by Mather Schneider, which won the 2017 Rattle Chapbook Prize winner.

When Mather Schneider met Josie she was an illegal immigrant from Mexico working at McDonald’s in Tucson and he was a cab driver who went to McDonald’s to buy coffee each day. One day she poured his coffee, then placed a small piece of paper over his money and slid it back to him on the counter. With that gesture she gave him a reason to get up in the morning. She also gave him more trouble than he wanted, more bliss than he could have imagined, and a coupon for a free Egg McMuffin.

How to Love the Empty Air by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz for review in March from Wunderkind PR.

Vulnerable, beautiful and ultimately life-affirming, Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s work reaches new heights in her revelatory seventh collection of poetry. Continuing in her tradition of engaging autobiographical work, How to Love the Empty Air explores what happens when the impossible becomes real―for better and for worse. Aptowicz’s journey to find happiness and home in her ever-shifting world sees her struggling in cities throughout America. When her luck changes―in love and in life―she can’t help but “tell the sun / tell the fields / tell the huge Texas sky…. / tell myself again and again until I believe it.” However, the upward trajectory of this new life is rocked by the sudden death of the poet’s mother. In the year that follows, Aptowicz battles the silencing power of grief with intimate poems burnished by loss and a hard-won humor, capturing the dance that all newly grieving must do between everyday living and the desire “to elope with this grief, / who is not your enemy, / this grief who maybe now is your best friend. / This grief, who is your husband, / the thing you curl into every night, / falling asleep in its arms…” As in her award-winning The Year of No Mistakes, Aptowicz counts her losses and her blessings, knowing how despite it all, life “ripples boundless, like electricity, like joy / like… laughter, irresistible and bright, / an impossible thing to contain.”

What did you receive?

Filed Under: mailbox monday, meme Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Mailbox Monday #467

February 19, 2018 by

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at To Be Continued, formerly The Printed Page, has a permanent home at its own blog. To check out what everyone has received over the last week, visit the blog and check out the links. Leave yours too.

Also, each week, Leslie, Martha, and I will share the Books that Caught Our Eye from everyone’s weekly links.

Here’s what we received:

Point Blank by Alan King, which I purchased at the DiVerse Gaithersburg Poetry reading this month.

“In Point Blank, we are given an intimate look at one man’s inner and outer life, but there’s no navel-gazing nonsense. There’s always an awareness, implied or explicit, of the sociopolitical crucible. With language both tough-minded and celebratory, Alan King ignites the important details of his experience, compelling us to ask what-plus-what added up to our own lives.” TIM SEIBLES, author of Fast Animal and One Turn Around the Sun

“Alan King is one of my favorite up-and-coming poets of his generation. His poems are not pop and flash, rather more like a slow dance with someone you’re going to love forever. Here you will find poignant slices of life, so bright in a rough age of race killings and hate speech. He reminds us that what matters has always mattered.” JOY HARJO, poet, musician, performer, and teacher.

Drift by Alan King, which I also purchased at the DiVerse Gaithersburg Poetry reading this month.

Poetry. African American Studies. “Alan King reminds us of the beauty of efficiency. His poems do not waste moments or words. These are wonderful journeys into the lives of everyone (something of you is here, I guarantee it), effortless, peaceful but powerful walks that focus upon the compassionate things: friendship, love, family, justice, tradition. Alan King has started his own tradition in DRIFT, one born of his own generation but timeless and strong; a voice we should all hope will be showcased for years.”—Brian Gilmore, poet, public interest lawyer and columnist for The Progressive Media Project

Walk with Me by Debra Schoenberger for review from iRead Book Tours.

Whenever I’m asked “which is the best camera?” I pretty much respond: “the one you have on you.” In fact, most of the images in this book were taken with my cell phone simply because I always have it with me. ​

This is not only a book about street photography but a visual diary, or collection of quirky, unusual and sometimes just plain weird photos I’ve taken over the course of the last decade. ​
​
As a street photographer, I need to be an assiduous walker. My sneakers often take me to little known, hidden corners, seaweed strewn (and sometimes stinky) beaches and really cool back alleys of my rather small island city of Victoria, BC.​

I’ve also included images of curiosities I’ve seen throughout my travels.
​​
Everyone sees the world differently and this is my collection of the quirkyness that I call life.

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

It’s the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can’t wait to meet her classmates. But it’s hard to make human friends when they’re so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all. . . .
Readers will gobble up this hilarious new story from award-winning author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins.

What did you receive?

Filed Under: mailbox monday, meme Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

2nd DiVerse Gaithersburg Poetry Reading Recap

February 13, 2018 by

This past weekend’s DiVerse Gaithersburg Poetry Reading and Open Mic was once again at the Gaithersburg Public Library, with featured poets Joanna Howard from A Splendid Wake, Alan King, and Sarah Browning of Split This Rock fame (celebrating 10 years this April).

I was really looking forward to this event because I’ve seen and connected with Sarah Browning on a couple of occasions, more recently through Facebook than anything, and I wanted to chat with her in person. I’ve also never heard her read her own work! What have I been doing? She’s dynamic as a speaker and a poet.

If you missed out on this event, you better not miss the next one in March.

Alan King and Joanna Howard are new-to-me poets, and I enjoyed Alan’s work so much I bought both his books at the event.  Joanna’s book is forthcoming and I cannot wait to get my hands on that too.  Please check out the Facebook Live of the event.

Here are some photos from the event:

We had a smaller than usual open mic session this go around, but I did read another poem this month.  I’m really making good on a promise I haven’t voiced aloud to anyone — I want to read more in public and more of my own poems. I hope to read at every one of these events, though some poems may be older as newer ones are not coming along fast enough.

If you’re in the Gaithersburg area on March 11, 2-4pm, I hope you’ll stop by and join us when Michele Wolf, Jennifer Wallace, and Maritza Rivera read their poems. Here’s the 2018 calendar of events.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: , , ,

Mailbox Monday #466

February 12, 2018 by

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at To Be Continued, formerly The Printed Page, has a permanent home at its own blog. To check out what everyone has received over the last week, visit the blog and check out the links. Leave yours too.

Also, each week, Leslie, Martha, and I will share the Books that Caught Our Eye from everyone’s weekly links.

Here’s what we received:

Marrying Well for Fun & Profit: Persuasion’s Sir Walter Elliot advises the Upwardly Mobile Miss by Laura Hile, which was a free Kindle.

Was there ever a snob like Sir Walter?

He fairly leaps from the pages of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
With one eye on the looking glass and the other the Baronetage,
Sir Walter is Regency England’s society expert.

Who better to give advice to the modern young woman
wishing to improve her worth through marriage?

Because marrying into wealth and privilege—thus improving the family gene pool—is not as easy as it appears.

And so Sir Walter Elliot has consented to share advice with the less fortunate.

That would be us.

Anne de Bourgh Manages by Renata McMann, which was a free Kindle.

This short story is a “Pride and Prejudice” variation, which centers on Anne de Bourgh, the daughter of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. After Darcy’s disastrous proposal to Elizabeth, Elizabeth saves Anne de Bourgh’s life. In the process of doing something for Elizabeth, Anne makes decisions about her own life.

Mischief and Misunderstanding: A Darcy and Elizabeth Variation by Cassandra Knightley, which was a free Kindle.

A stolen kiss at the Netherfield Ball sparks a merry war between Darcy and Elizabeth.

After unexpectedly inheriting both a title and the fine estate of Messina Grove, Lord Bennet and his family leave Longbourn forever to start a new life of nobility. And why should they not? Mr. Bingley and his party had quit Netherfield no more than a week earlier, leaving Jane quite publicly heartbroken, and Elizabeth secretly so.

But two years later, Lord and Lady Bennet receive a request from Lady Catherine De Bourgh asking if her Nephews and a small party would be welcome to stay at Messina Grove for a short duration.

Jane is very excited to have a second chance with the still unmarried Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth does not care what Darcy does because she does not care at all about him! In this week of mischief and games, true love will be reunited and discovered, but hearts will also be broken when jealousy and old hurts rise.

Georgiana’s Folly: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (The Wickham Coin Book 1) by Renata McMann and Summer Hanford, which was a free Kindle.

In this Pride and Prejudice variation, Darcy enlists Elizabeth’s aid to help him deal with Georgiana, a tricky task with Wickham in town. This is the first of the two novella The Wickham Coin Series, and this novella is about 35,000 words in length.

This is the first of a two-novella series. Both novellas have different interpretations of Wickham, although he is not the main character in either. Both bring Darcy and Georgiana to Hertfordshire, both show another way Elizabeth and Darcy find each other, and both involve Wickham. In this novella, Georgiana’s Folly, an attempt was made to make Wickham as good a man as possible and still be consistent with Pride and Prejudice. This is partly Georgiana’s story. In the second novella in this series, Elizabeth’s Plight, Wickham is definitely a villain.

Together, the two novella’s, “Georgiana’s Folly” and “Elizabeth’s Plight,” make up “The Wickham Coin Series,” which is also available in paperback. The ebook version of the paperback was released for the convenience of customers who have not bought either novella.

Please note, this is the second edition of Elizabeth’s Plight, with special thanks to our new editor, Joanne Girard.

What did you receive?

Filed Under: mailbox monday, meme Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Guest Post: 3 Tips for Launching a Successful e-Commerce Store

February 9, 2018 by

Owning an eCommerce store can be one of the most fulfilling ventures into entrepreneurship there is. Not only is this a chance to own a business, but be a part of a community or industry that you’ve always wanted to contribute to. However, with how competitive eCommerce can be, it can be tough to know how to get started, which is why I’m giving you a few helpful tips on how to get started. Check them out below:

Figure Out Your Structure

Perhaps one of the first steps to launching an eCommerce store is defining your structure. Not only will this determine the inventory you receive, but how you’ll deliver that to your customers. And whether that be through epacket tracking or dropshipping, these steps are going to be crucial in figuring out your ROI; because as noted by Business Insider, 82 percent of businesses fail because of cash flow problems. Which, the best way to avoid that is by having a stable revenue structure in place.

To begin, look at what inventory you’re going to have, as well as where you plan to source from. For example, if you’re selling your own line of t-shirts, then your primary driver will be the quality and price point of your supplier. However, if you were to say be a shop for athletic apparel, then pulling in from multiple sources in a timely fashion would have higher precedence. All-in- all, your structure should be focused on producing the best quality product and experience at the best price for both you and the consumer, so take your time in getting this right.

Come Up With A Solid Brand

Once you’ve learned what you’re going to sell, it’s time to think about the identity of your company, as well as how that’s going to connect with its audience. And with competitive the world of eCommerce can actually be, coming up with a solid brand is a must. Not only is it going to give you a sense of the type of products that you sell, but will additionally give your company a personality and voice that can resonate with your customers. However, being successful with branding is going to take a fair amount of self-reflection beyond just how you’re going to attract customers, but build a community.

In analyzing what brand you’re going to have, you first need to decide on where this will fit, as well as what purpose it’s going to serve. Remember, your brand should be the identity that sets you apart from the crowd, showcasing the kind of problem you’re looking to solve with your eCommerce shop, as well as why you exist. This will go into having an overarching aesthetic, as well as what builds up to that.

An excellent example of this is how color and typefaces come into play. For example, as noted by Lucidpress, color increases brand recognition by 80 percent, which you can see in numerous brands. The vape company Juul, for example, uses tropical colors combined with thin typefaces to display their flavorful line of flavors. All-in- all, your branding assets should be something you invest a lot of time it at first, as this will be something that could potentially last you a lifetime.

Have A Consistent Plan For Marketing

If there’s one thing step that’s constantly going to be important for your success, it’s coming up with a plan that allows you to be consistent with your marketing efforts. As a lot of what you’re going to be pushing is online, there’s no excuse for why you can’t keep up with at least social media, email, and SEO on a regular, if not daily basis. The trick here, however, is to hedge your bets based on your skill level and capacity.

Let’s say for example that you enjoy working with social the most, but don’t always know how to keep producing posts every day. As noted by Shopify, this can be a great strategy to earn more, with Facebook alone producing a conversion rate of 1.85 percent. However, by studying what the strategy of others are doing, this process can be much simpler.

Start looking at case studies of other examples on how some campaigns do their social, highlighting the benefit of their call-to- action. For example, if you have a lookbook video that you want to showcase, then looking at something like how the trailer for the independent film People You May Know was able to capitalize on their social strategy might be helpful. Overall, marketing is about frequency as much as it is quality of posts, so make an effort to find your balance and stick with it.

What are some things you’re looking forward to with launching an eCommerce store? Comment with your answers below!

Filed Under: guest post Tagged With: , , ,

The Sweetest Ruin by Amy George

February 8, 2018 by

Source: publisher
Kindle, 150 pgs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

The Sweetest Ruin by Amy George is a modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen set in Sin City — Las Vegas, Nevada.  Yes, that sin city! William Darcy is a workaholic and his family is deeply concerned about his health. After his doctor orders him on bed rest, Darcy finds himself smothered by love and concern, and too much attention to his work habits. The walls are closing in on him, and he takes off for America.

There’s an old saying about Vegas: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!”

Unfortunately, how Darcy meets Elizabeth is not at all what readers will expect and what happens in Vegas will likely not stay in Vegas if he has anything to say about it. He’s fallen head over heels and he has to break it to his over-protective sister, Georgiana.

“There was no sound coming from England. No breathing, no thudding telephone. It was the quietest his sister had ever been.”

Darcy and Lizzy not only have to come to terms with their quick romance, but also how different their lives are from one another. Will secrets he’s keeping wear their thin connection away or will their love conquer all? Even his condescending and rude sister?

George’s novella shows a delightfully carefree Lizzy living in Nevada, and even though she’s lost much, she’s created her own family from the friends she encounters. Her support system is strong and fiercely protective, like Darcy’s sister. Despite a few editorial misses in the copy I had, the story was fast-paced and full of romance and humor. I particularly loved Thad and Damien and, of course, Lizzy and Darcy. There were a few things that were wrapped up rather quickly, probably because it is a novella, but I wish there had been a few hints dropped earlier about how Georgiana would come around to liking Lizzy.

The Sweetest Ruin by Amy George is delightful in its demonstration of how a workaholic can find the balance he needs with the woman he loves by his side.

RATING: Quatrain

About the Author:

Amy George is a middle-aged woman who got rid of her old lady/grown up and has since purchased an unreasonably small car. She refuses to listen to its radio at a reasonable volume, especially when the Beastie Boys or the Violent Femmes are playing. She lives in a small town in the Midwest where the bookstore and yarn shop are neighbors and most food is fried. Her household consists of a dog, a man, a hermit, and stubborn soap scum. She has been writing since she was a child and ran the Hyacinth Gardens, a popular but defunct JAFF site.

Fun fact: My birthday is January 30th so this is like a big birthday party.

Find her on Facebook, GoodReads, Meryton Press, and Twitter.

Giveaway:

8 eBooks of The Sweetest Ruin are being given away by Meryton Press and the giveaway is open to international readers.

Terms and conditions:

Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once each day and by commenting daily on a blog post or review that has a giveaway attached to this tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented.

Each winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and the giveaway is international. Each entrant is eligible to win one eBook.

ENTER HERE

GOOD LUCK, EVERYONE!

Filed Under: ARC, challenges, fiction, giveaway, New Authors Challenge, Read in 2018, review copy, reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Owl Diaries: The Wildwood Bakery (Book 7) by Rebecca Elliott

February 6, 2018 by

Source: Purchased
Paperback, 80 pgs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Owl Diaries: The Wildwood Bakery by Rebecca Elliott is the seventh book in this series with Eva Wingdale and her elementary school friends. In this book, Eva and her pals are going to help raise money for their friend Mia’s sister, who needs a special chair to help her fly. Not only does this book help children realize that people who are disabled are just like us with the same interests, but it also inspires them to creatively find ways to help their friend.

However, as kids are eagerly crafting ideas to help Mia’s sister, they soon make their plans competitive, eager to see which team will raise the most money and win. Losing sight of the purpose, Eva and her friends must find a way to work together to achieve their goals. Elliott’s characters mirror their human child counterparts — male and female — and they act as elementary kids would.  They are full of ideas and creativity, but they are also eager to show their teacher and others who is the best.

Owl Diaries: The Wildwood Bakery by Rebecca Elliott is another wonderful book in the series that makes learning fun. The questions in the back are an added touch that teachers and parents can use to discuss the reading and get kids to think more broadly about their own school experiences.

RATING: Cinquain

About the Author:

A school project from when Rebecca was 6 reads, ‘when I grow up I want to be an artist and a writer’. After a brief detour from this career plan involving a degree in philosophy and a dull office job she fulfilled her plan in 2001 when she became a full time children’s book illustrator and has since written and illustrated hundreds of picture books published worldwide including the award-winning Just Because, Zoo Girl, Naked Trevor, Mr Super Poopy Pants, Missing Jack and the very popular Owl Diaries series.

She lives in Suffolk in the United Kingdom with her husband, a history teacher and children, all professional monkeys.

Filed Under: children's fiction, Publishers/Publicists, purchased, Read in 2018, reviews, Scholastic Tagged With: ,

Mailbox Monday #465

February 5, 2018 by

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at To Be Continued, formerly The Printed Page, has a permanent home at its own blog. To check out what everyone has received over the last week, visit the blog and check out the links. Leave yours too.

Also, each week, Leslie, Martha, and I will share the Books that Caught Our Eye from everyone’s weekly links.

Here’s what we received:

Dead Men Can’t Complain and Other Stories by Peter Clines from Audible.

A cop interrogates a perp in a lizard costume that seems all too real.

An all-powerful superhero protects his city – and they better like it.

An average Joe finds out that being undead isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

Including three never-before-published stories, Dead Men Can’t Complain is the first-ever collection of short fiction by Peter Clines, author of 14, The Fold, and other Audible smash hits. Combining equal parts geekery and humor with the occasional dash of horror, Dead Men Can’t Complain is ideal for Clines fans eagerly awaiting his next novel – or for brand-new listeners discovering this Audible favorite for the first time.

None But You by Franky A. Brown, free Kindle.

Anna never expected to see Erick Walsworth again. Breaking off their engagement eight years ago was the worst decision of her life. But her bitter regret is nothing compared to pretending she’s not still in love with him. Especially while having to watch a perfect girl like Piper Ashley hang on his arm.

With circumstances throwing them together and a best friend insisting on playing matchmaker, Anna can’t escape the one question she fears most: What happens if she can’t convince her first love to give her a second chance?

What did you receive?

Filed Under: mailbox monday, meme Tagged With: , , ,

#FridayReads: Louisiana Catch by Sweta Vikram

February 2, 2018 by

I feel like my review time has shrunk and the blog has a lot of empty spots during the week.  It has not been intentional. I’ve missed this space.

As I’ve seen on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, people talk about what books they’re reading on Friday.

Today’s read is Louisiana Catch by Sweta Vikram.

I’m slowing getting to know the main character Ahana, a woman who has lost much in the short time I’ve been with her.  Her mother has been her rock through her divorce, which is virtually unheard of in India. Through her experiences, Ahana has come to realize she must advocate for women’s rights and to end violence against women and help its victims. But she is still grieving.

It’s clear that this book is timely given the current climate in our government and the media reports, as well as the #MeToo movement. Women’s voices have been made silent too long. I hope that Ahana learns to speak for herself in a powerful way, but I suspect she must face more darkness before she gets there.

I wish work was over more quickly, so I can get back to it.

As a disclaimer, I am putting together a blog tour for Louisiana Catch by Sweta Vikram, so if you are interested, drop me an email.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: , , ,

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor

February 1, 2018 by

Source: Audible
Audio; 9+ hours
I am an Amazon affiliate

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor, narrated by Ray Porter, which was our January book club selection, is a science fiction novel with humor.  I’m not even going to attempt to recap the plot of this hot mess. Think Star Trek with a bunch of star date logs that jump from one Bob to another version of Bob, who has had to rename himself to reduce confusion. This confusion comes not from the fact that Bob replicates himself to complete this inane mission, but from the constant back and forth in time and between characters.

There were moments of humor, but most of it was forced with the narrator believing his jokes were funny and trying to convince the reader that the jokes are funny. The most interesting parts of the novel that raised moral and ethical questions were quick to pass and more time was spent on stupid missions or arguing between Bobs and other characters or even between themselves.

The beginning in which Bob originally finds his brain had been sold to a company 100+ years before and then was used to turn him into an AI was intriguing.  He had to learn to navigate his new environment, its restrictions, its politics, and the fact that his past would be that — in the past. Once launched into space, the only other part of the novel worth exploring is when a planet with inhabitants is reached and the AI must decide whether to play god or allow a species to certainly perish.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor was too disjointed and lacked a purpose — with the only plot line carrying the story being the search for a new planet for a human race that may be no more. In all honestly, I had 2 hours left of the audio and I just couldn’t bring myself to finish it.

RATING: Epitaph

GoodReads Synopsis:

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it’s a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street.

Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he’ll be switched off, and they’ll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty.

The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad – very mad

About the Author:

Dennis Taylor is a computer programmer by day, a writer by night, and a snowboarder when in season. He’s read science fiction for many years, and has written his own.

***Book club seemed to enjoy this***

Filed Under: audiobooks, challenges, fiction, New Authors Challenge, Read in 2018, reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Mailbox Monday #464

January 29, 2018 by

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at To Be Continued, formerly The Printed Page, has a permanent home at its own blog. To check out what everyone has received over the last week, visit the blog and check out the links. Leave yours too.

Also, each week, Leslie, Martha, and I will share the Books that Caught Our Eye from everyone’s weekly links.

Here’s what we received:

We Are Legion [We Are Bob] by Dennis E. Taylor, which I ordered with Audible credits for our January book club pick.

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it’s a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street.

Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he’ll be switched off, and they’ll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty.

The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad – very mad.

What did you receive?

Filed Under: mailbox monday, meme Tagged With: , ,

Owl Diaries: Baxter Is Missing (Book 6) by Rebecca Elliott

January 23, 2018 by

Source: Purchased
Paperback, 72 pgs.
I am an Amazon Affiliate

Owl Diaries: Baxter is Missing (Book 6) by Rebecca Elliott has Eva looking for her missing pet bat, Baxter. Eva is a very busy and social owl, but Baxter is her best friend and when he goes missing, Eva can’t help but blame herself, blame squirrels, and more. Her anxiety about not finding Baxter is fresh and keeps young kids concerned throughout the whole book.

Kids will learn how to deal with anxiety constructively in this book, as Eva gathers her friends and classmates around to search for Baxter. Even though no one has seen Baxter, they’re eager to help.

Owl Diaries: Baxter is Missing (Book 6) by Rebecca Elliott is another delightful installment that helps kids navigate overwhelming feelings and loss without too much drama. Eva is an owl who looks to solve her own problems the best she can, but can accept help when she needs it. This is an important lesson for growing kids.

RATING: Cinquain

About the Author:

A school project from when Rebecca was 6 reads, ‘when I grow up I want to be an artist and a writer’. After a brief detour from this career plan involving a degree in philosophy and a dull office job she fulfilled her plan in 2001 when she became a full time children’s book illustrator and has since written and illustrated hundreds of picture books published worldwide including the award-winning Just Because, Zoo Girl, Naked Trevor, Mr Super Poopy Pants, Missing Jack and the very popular Owl Diaries series.

She lives in Suffolk in the United Kingdom with her husband, a history teacher and children, all professional monkeys.

Filed Under: children's fiction, Publishers/Publicists, purchased, Read in 2018, reviews, Scholastic Tagged With: ,