World Read Aloud Day

Imagine a world where everyone can read......

Today is World Read Aloud Day.  How did you celebrate this day?  Did you take a few minutes to read aloud to your children, to a friend/spouse, to yourself?  Did you even know today is World Read Aloud Day?

I didn't until a few moments ago when  I read a post on Facebook written by my favourite second hand bookstore, Never Without a Book.  So my son and I briefly shared some quotes with one another.  What will you do now that you know?

It's time to join the world literacy movement.

http://litworld.org/worldreadaloudday

Come and Find Me by Hallie Ephron - virtual book tour

Come and Find Me
Author:  Hallie Ephron
Published:  2012
Publisher:  Harper Collins Publishers (www.harpercollins.com)
Pages:  276 (288 including an excerpt from Hallie Ephron's previous book, Never Tell a Lie)
ISBN 9780062103727
Source:  a copy was provided by TLC book tours in exchange for an honest review.  This in no way influenced my opinion nor this review.

Reformed hacker Diana Highsmith hasn't left her house in over a year...not since she watched the man she loved fall to his death in the Swiss mountains.  Now a grief-stricken recluse, she runs a thriving Internet security company from her home -- meeting with clients in OtherWorld, an online virtual reality platform where she lives as her avatar, Nadia.  The only two people Diana has seen live in the past twelve months are her sister, Ashley, and her UPS delivery guy.

But when Ashley vanishes, Diana is forced to do the unthinkable:  to brave both the outside and her own personal demons to find her missing sister.  As one shaky step leads to another, Diana finds that the trail she is following is fraught with peril for her and her sister both -- as she uncovers a frightening web of deceit and betrayal that stretches from the virtual world into real life.

My Review:

The research behind Come and Find Me is meticulous and I'd love to have the opportunity to chat with Hallie Ephron about it.  In Come and Find Me, Diana is a reformed hacker who now works to help her customers debug their systems, arm them against hacker attacks, and puts in place walls to protect them.  But those aren't the only walls Diana knows.  In her life, she has placed virtual and real walls around her.  Over a year previous, she witnessed her boyfriend and business partner plunge to his death off a mountain, and since then, her anxiety attacks have forbidden interaction with the world outside her walls.  Barricaded inside her home, secure with a system that alerts her of intruders, locks and codes in place to prevent intrusion, Diana lives secluded in her family home.  Her anxiety and apprehension is fathomable to the reader as she checks all systems before answering the door, peering through blinds after acknowledging her advanced security set up.  Just to meet the UPS delivery guy at the door is a feat unto itself.

But when her sister, Ashley, disappears, Diana finds she must be stronger than even the walls she has put in place.  She must step beyond the safety she knows and navigate the real world to find answers that lead her to Ashley.

For such an intelligent woman, I was surprised at Diana's choice of companionship in her business and personal life.  But then, they say love is blind.  It is only when Diana uses her extensive skills in the virtual world, that she uncovers more than she bargained for.  Answers that to the reader were somewhat predictable, become blatantly apparent to her as she finds herself trying to dube fellow whizzes.

Come and Find Me is a quick read that captures the imagination. making you wonder if DNA can be manipulated, if one's identity can be a powerful tool in the hands of another, if the virtual world is something to be afraid of.  This novel reminds me of a movie starring Sandra Bullock, The Net, wherein computers are used to manipulate the very basic things that are our daily lives.  Come and Find Me isn't about identity theft so much as it is about vulnerabilities.

Come and Find Me is a mystery of virtual suspense, that fulfilled in me the desire for an exciting read while raising questions perhaps we should all be asking about the security of our personal information in the hands of so-called professionals.

Rated 4/5.  (some language)

Meet the Author:

An award-winning mystery reviewer, Hallie Ephron is the author of Never Tell a Lie (a Mary Higgins Clark Award finalist that was also made into the Lifetime Movie Network film And Baby Will Fall) and the Edgar - and Anthony Award - nominated Writing and Selling Your Mystery.  Ephron lives near Boston.

http://hallieephron.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hallie-Ephron/144681462260841

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (2nd in the Delirium Series)

Pandemonium
Author:  Lauren Oliver
Published:  February 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 384
Genre:  YA/dystopian fiction
ISBN 9780061978067
Series: Includes  Delirium, Pandemonium. and Requiem (to be released February 2013)

"I’m pushing aside

the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Timesbestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite."

First off, take a look at this gorgeous cover!!  Stunning autumnal colours, vivid and bright.  A protea or two graces the cover too.  I am so glad this cover was designed from the beginning to complement the special edition cover of Delirium.  Both are breathtaking!

Second, why Pandemonium?  

Pandemonium, definition:

1. Wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; tumult or chaos

2. A place or scene of riotous uproar or utter chaos

Are you one of many readers in a state of uproar, waiting to read Pandemonium?  Did you stand in line to get a copy?  

Pandemonium is the world in an uproar, as the story of Delirium continues in this second book in the trilogy.  In Delirium we are introduced to a society, a country even, in which love is considered a disease and all must be vaccinated, beginning at the age of 18, against it.  Vaccinating involves lasers, brain surgery...nothing major, right?  Yet, it is the norm.  It is taught in school, in homes, everywhere you look.

In Delirium, Lena discovers some truths about love.  Perhaps everyone is wrong?  What if everyone is wrong?  When she meets Alex, she begins to question all she has learned her entire life.  Things that are so ingrained that they are second nature.  To be together, they must escape but as they do, running for the fence that encloses their community, Alex is shot and captured.  Lena does the only thing she can do, she runs.

The beginning of Pandemonium finds Lena collapsed in the woods, where Raven finds her.  Raven is an infidel.  With her, Lena discovers a new life, a new Lena, a new world...without Alex.  He fills her memories...her dreams...but he is gone and Lena must find a way to go on, to live, to survive.

Pandemonium finds Lena vulnerable, afraid and weak from her injuries.  Time heals her physical wounds and the emotional despair lessens and Lena finds herself acting as a spy.  She is in New York, spying on the son of the DFA leader, pretending to be one of them, acting cured and in favour of the cause to eradicate the disease called love.  But in all this, Lena finds herself in physical and emotional danger... danger of falling in love...again.  Where does this all lead her?  From vulnerable to resistance fighter, from sorrow to hope, and possibly to love.  But then, in the last few paragraphs, a twist is unveiled that leaves the reader hanging.....

The state of Pandemonium is not decreased when the book ends....if anything, it is renewed.  Requiem is a year away.  That's a year to contemplate the books, to think about Lena and Justin and the infidels and.......well, I cannot share more.  It'll spoil the ending for you.  (though, I suspect you will be expecting something of the sort anyway and it leads to a whole new entanglement as Pandemonium leaves off where Requiem will begin again.  Can you wait for it?  It'll be difficult.....I know you are going to look up the definition for requiem now, aren't you?)

Pandemonium takes on a different feel as the story of Delirium changes.  Lena changes and the movement to stop treatment against love grows stronger and more urgent.  Pandemonium sees Lena become a resistance fighter.  She is so caught up in the urgency and action that the little changes go undecipherable, at least at first.  Many will read this book and wonder how she can do what she does.  Is it betrayal?  Under these extraordinary circumstances, do you think it is a likely conclusion?  If you've read Pandemonium, please share your thoughts on this with me.  I know some readers didn't like the path Pandemonium took, didn't like Lena's choices, were even upset over the storyline.  Are you one?  

All in all, Pandemonium is well-written.  It evokes emotions and some heated conversations.  It calls several things into question.  In other words, Pandemonium does just that...it evokes Pandemonium!

Well done, Lauren Oliver!!

*I borrowed Pandemonium from a friend who was dying to read the book...it was all she could talk about for months!!

Purchase your copy of PANDEMONIUM today (on sale 2/28/12)!
Amazon: http://amzn.to/vdHmca
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/un6OIv
iBookstore: http://bit.ly/tu5aOO
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/vd4nZk

Browse Inside Pandemonium
10 Reasons Why You Should Read Pandemonium

Lauren Oliver Reads From Pandemonium

War Horse - book reviewed at long last

War Horse
Author:  Michael Morpurgo
Published:  First published in the UK in 1982, this edition published 2011 by Egmont UK Limited
Pages:  182
ISBN 9781405259415
Genre:  fiction (YA, children)
Source:  I own this copy

Separated by war,

Tested by battle,

Bound by friendship.

A powerful tale of war, redemption, and a hero's journey--now available in paperback!

In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again? (from Barnes & Noble)

My review:  

After all the hype on this blog (here, here, and here) about War Horse, I have finally read the book!  True, I was enamoured with the prospect of the film by Steven Spielberg and the video clips I found of the theatre production astounded me, and the interview with the author, Michael Morpurgo reinforced my desire to read the book.  Finally, this weekend, Friday evening and Saturday morning, I sat down with it and immersed myself in the tale of the famous horse, Joey, and his journeys through the war, separated by time and space from his beloved Albert.  I love that it is written from Joey's perspective!  Another favourite of mine, Black Beauty, remains so still and I am sure it is because the story is told from the perspective of the horse.  (I am a horse lover, after all).  Michael Morpurgo descriptively shares the devastation of war, the English countryside, the love of horse and master(s), and the story that twines it all together.  One can easily imagine the cold and brutal weather, the sucking mud, the fire of rifles and cannons that penetrate the air.  In all this, one horse and one boy persevere, desperate to find each other again.  

War Horse is action packed (though not gory), touching, and illustrative of a master's hand at work.  War Horse is one of those too few books that boys and girls alike will read and enjoy, adults too.  It can be read in one sitting, though I spread it over two.  War Horse is a fabulous timeless story that is sure to become one of your favourites, particularly if you are a horse lover, like me.

Rated 4.5/5 Recommended for ages 10 and up.  Boys and girls.  Adults too.

Lunenberg Letters Receives Recognition!

Lunenberg Letters by debut author Bobbi Gray, (reviewed here) has received recognition in an Indie Competition.  

From the author herself, Bobbi Gray:

Hey world - I was just opening my mail from being away since January and discovered that Lunenburg Letters received an award of Recognition and Participation from the Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Competition!!! No money but a certificate. And wonderful review and evaluations, Plot: 4, Grammer: 5 (thanks to Janet Gray and Arlene McIntyre), Character Development: 4, all out of 5!!! The judge also made comments and suggestions, wonderful ones. I am SOOOO excited. As a dear friend would say wheeeeee!!!

Congratulations Bobbi!!!

11/22/63 To Arrive in Paperback This Fall!!

About This Book

Product Details

Gallery Books, October 2012

Trade Paperback, 864 pages

ISBN-10: 1451627297

ISBN-13: 9781451627299

Browse Inside 11/22/63



Visit the official 11/22/63 site here: http://112263book.com

Oh, the Places You'll Go...

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."

~ Dr. Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on this day, March 2, in 1904.  

Ted, Dr. Seuss, died September 24, 1991.  He had written and illustrated 44 children's books, which were translated into over 15 languages, and over 200 million copies had been sold.  

Seuss was Theodor Geisel's middle name and his mother's maiden name.  He chose to use it while writing for a university paper, since he had gotten into a bit of trouble having a party during the time of prohibition, so he used a pseudonym.  The "Dr." reportedly came from his father's desire to see his son earn a doctorate.

Dr. Seuss was one of my very favourites to read with my children when they were little.  I am sure a lot of you could say the same or have fond memories of being read to and reading Dr. Seuss books.  I asked two of my grown children which books of Dr. Seuss' are their favourites, their response was Green Eggs and Ham (they love the rhyming "Sam, I am")  and The Cat in the Hat.  My favourites are The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, which was written as a result of the author's concern that Christmas was becoming too commercialized, and Green Eggs and Ham.  I don't know if I have even read all Dr. Seuss' books but while the kids were growing up, we had a small collection of hard cover Dr. Seuss books.  Which are your favourite?

By chance, have you read The Bippolo Seed?  The Bippolo Seed is a collection of seven stories in one volume.  These stories had not here-to-fore been made public, and were published in this one volume September 2011.

Did you know there is a Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in Springfield Massachusetts, the city where Theodor Seuss Geisel was born?

And when you have a moment to read "10 Things You Didn't Know About Dr. Seuss" for more investing tidbits about this beloved author, check out the link here.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!

My 100 Books in a Year Challenge with Book Chick City

I just posted five reviews on Book Chick City, bringing my total posted reviews for this challenge to eleven.  Do you think I am reading and reviewing enough books to reach my goal of 100 by year's end?

http://www.bookchickcity.com/2012/02/post-your-reviews-100-books-in-year.html