Sheila's Guests and Reviews

Time off from cell-phones and internet was great fun, but it's left me with a huge backlog of emails. Meanwhile time spent in the beauty of Alaska has left me with tons of books to read and review. I thought I'd start with some children's books--quicker to read, lighter on the heart, and some of them truly delightful! So here's some comments, with links to reviews, and coffee recommendations (not ratings--I leave readers to draw their own conclusions about what they want to read). First comes a truly beautiful little Christmas book--I wish this one had been around when my kids were small. Kelly Moss's The Santa Club answers that dreaded question "Is Santa Claus real?" in a way that's simultaneously honest, appropriate, and faithful to the reason for the season. Enjoy a 2-star bright lively coffee while sharing this with the kids. And come back tomorrow to read Kelly Moss's guest post on my blog. Next is a zombie book that had me laughing out l...

When you think of Alaska, what comes to mind? For me it was glaciers and snow, but when we went there, we found so much more. Fall colors, mountains, eagles, bears, reindeer, whales, strange towns standing on stilts over the water... yes, and glaciers and snow, though the snow was only in the distance. Up close it rained. We had a fantastic time on our trip, and the weather really wasn't too bad--sunshine exactly when we needed it, and appropriate dampness and mist to enjoy the rainforests. So now I'm catching up on a record 750 emails. If you've been trying to contact me, please accept my apologies; I'll answer soon--unless the reindeer and bear catch up with me first.

I read four romances during judging in the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards , so here are some short reviews, with links to longer reviews on gather, and coffee recommendations... (Must drink coffee while reading...) One Last Dance, by Mardo Williams , is a delightfully different tale of life after 80, which earned a well-deserved place in the winning circle. With very authentic characters, and very real problems of aging, plus a pleasing humor and gentle kindness, this is one's highly recommended, to be enjoyed with a rich, elegant 4-star mug of coffee. Written in Stone, by Viviane Brentanos , opens like a Hollywood romantic comedy but follows a much more complex plot in its second half with betrayals on personal and world-wide scales, prejudice, presumption and more. You'll need a 4-star complex coffee to go with this one. Glass Angels, by Karen Wiesner , is the fourth in her Family Heirlooms Series, but stands alone with no problem. The young woman working in a rape c...

I read three science fiction entries, two Popular Literature--Fiction, and only one short story during judging in the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards. But they all might equally have fellen under science fiction, so I'll group the reviews together: Laughter in the Canyon, by Laura Thompson combines past lives, mythology, Reiki, and National Geographic beauty into the story of a woman's journey to follow her heart. Drink a complex 4-star cup of coffee with this one. The Dawning, by Linda Pendleton , made the winners' circle. A fairly literary science fiction tale, it takes a group of genius children, their parents, scientists, the military, and a native American lawyer, quickly moving to abduction, danger and search. Nicely balanced, though very detailed, this one should be read with a 3-star nicely balanced coffee in hand. Kappa Hunter by J.K. Swift won the short stories--fiction section and is a fascinating tale of a bear hunter meeting a kappa hunter in the for...

The mystery section must have been one of the biggest in the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards . There were lots of wonderful books there--many that I'd already read, but so many more it was hard to choose which I wanted to read. I really enjoyed browsing those virtual shelves. And I drank lots of coffee! Healey's Cave, by Aaron Paul Lazar , made the winners' circle in Mystery/suspense, much to my delight. A gentle mystery with deep family relationships, pleasantly aging characters, genuine heartache, and a lovely feel for scenery in the Genesee valley; drink a heart-warming balance full-flavored 3-star coffee with this one. Memories (Firehouse Family #1) by Laurie Loveman , by contrast, is set in Depression-era Woodhill,  Ohio, and brings the world of horses, arson, prohibition and firefighting to vivid life with gentle romance and generous wisdom. Memories won the award for Mystery/suspense, and this looks like being such a good series I had to read the second one too...

It must be something to do with being an English American, Catholic Protestant, mathematician writer, and all that, but I read four quite long novels in the multicultural fiction section of the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards. And here are my reviews: Soda Springs, by Terry Marshall , made the winners' circle but sadly didn't win. Telling a story of racial issues in the sixties, set in Colorado, and matching black-white tensions with local distrust of "lettuce pickers," this young-adult novel tells a large story on a small stage and does it well. Drink a 3-star balanced coffee with a tale as well-balanced as this. When Love isn't enough, by Stephanie Casher , is another to make the winners' circle. A long novel set in Southern California where beautiful seascape backdrops contrast with college parties, drink and drugs. A cross-cultural love brings questions of duty, affection and soul-mates to the fore and ends with questions for reader discussion. Drin...

I read three books in the Christian ebook section of the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards , all every different from each other, all well-suited to reading with coffee, so here's my reviews and coffee recommendations, with links to longer reviews on Gather. Grow Old with Me, by Melinda Evaul , is a nicely-told story of people no longer young, making new lives and relationships and recovering from old hurts. Small-town drama, gentle romance, low-key mystery--perfect with a 3-star smoothly balanced cup of coffee. Equip your mind with the world of God, compiled by Barney O. Browne , is of course a very different book. With clear presentation and very well-chosen quotes, it's undoubtedly a great resource for finding things in the Bible. The science in the introduction and appendix is somewhat muddied and unscientific, so I guess you have to remind yourself it's not a science book and sip your 2-star easy-drinking coffee to soothe your scientific hackles (if you have scient...