Highway to Hell

This book is a must read! I read it as soon as I got it and couldn't put it down!

This book is a must read! Continuing where Don’t Fear the Reaper left off, Nick and Julia face their monsters again, needing to free Nick’s father. This book could be a stand-alone, as there is enough back story to give the general idea of what went on, but to truly appreciate the creativity and creepiness factor, I would highly recommend reading Don’t Fear the Reaper first. You will be glad you did. This writing team has something great going on, and I can’t wait to see if there will be more from them.

The Moment We Began

I really liked this book. The character development was complete and the reader is lead through the emotional highs and lows a young woman feels when confronted with real life. A story about beginning love, this tale also deals with coming to grips with who you are as a person, what is most important to you, how everything is a choice, and what future you would design for yourself.

I just love a book that I finish reading with a smile and a sigh.

Well done, Ms. Cannon. I’ve enjoyed all you’ve written, and will recommend any and all of your books.

Alex Finch: Monster Hunter

This is an enjoyable tale with characters that you can relate to. Ms. Dean has created a story that pushes many of a person’s ‘fear’ buttons: monsters, the dark, being chased, icky tunnels, cave-like areas, and more.

I look forward to reading more about Alex—and her friends—and would definitely recommend this for all people twelve years and older.

Princesses Don't Fight in Skirts

Following in someone’s footsteps is hard enough when you want to be there, when you don’t, it’s even worse. This is a wonderful story of a young girl everyone expects to behave in a certain way; simply because of who she is. As time passes, she begins to find what is important to her, and to believe in herself, realizing compromise isn’t such a bad thing.

The story is well written with characters that are easy to understand. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will be giving it as a gift to all the young girls in my family.

Well done, Aya Ling!

The Arch of Avooblis

This story is reminiscent of parts of Harry Potter, with enough originality to capture the reader. I really wanted to be able to turn my nose up (I’m a huge Harry Potter fan) and say it’s just a knock off... but I can’t say that. There are some similarities, but a lot more of original ideas.

The story moves along at a nice pace and keeps you turning pages. The main characters, Dagdron and Earl were developed nicely. If this is to be a series, the two supporting characters of Lita and Elloriana will need to be fleshed out more in the next installment in order to really identify with them, and I am definitely looking forward to the next in the series!

Overall, I must say I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it for young readers.

Another Houdini Dog Update

In April and May of this year I posted about my two Chocolate Lab Houdini dogs. From about the end of May until about a week ago all was quiet on the dog front.

Our son ran into one side of the secondary driveway gate, creating a small gap in the wooden slats. The big oops was in not closing that small gap immediately! Because he could see out to the street, Tuk thought he could chew his way out to get there. Like the little engine who could... and Dora the blue fish... Tuk just kept chewing. He and Walker saw an opening, and went through it!

I received a call from our neighbor an hour after I left the house... the gate was broken down completely and the dogs were nowhere to be seen. Wish I had taken pictures again, but frankly I was so upset that I didn't even think of it!

We repaired the fence, strengthened it by putting extra 2 x 4's across the middle on each side and reinforcement across the top and bottom of the slats.

Should anyone need  to have their house houdini-dog proofed, I believe we've got it figured. (hope that's not famous last words!)

At least the kitten isn't mad at Walker!

Ascent of the Aliomenti and Birth of The Alliance

Alex Albrinck has continued his fantastic Aliomenti series with Ascent of the Aliomenti and Birth of the Alliance.

I really like this series. The plot and side plots have been worked out very carefully and I haven’t found any loose threads that leave me scratching my head. Characters are dimensional and descriptions are full, it’s easy to visualize everything.

Fine job, Alex Albrinck!

I can't say enough good things about this author and this series. I highly recommend this series... it's one that I will be reading again and again.