On this last day of June, which also happens to be a Friday, we’re hosting both a Friday 56 and a Book Beginnings as well as highlighting a great outdoors-ish read as we close out our celebration of Great Outdoors Mont!.
Wait. That may have been a three-fer. But who’s counting? Anyway, let’s go!
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A shadowy past. A criminal mastermind. Forbidden love. All join forces to create a lightning-quick plot in S.F. Baumgartner’s gripping suspense thriller novella, Buried Secrets.
A recent college graduate, Dylan Roche just lost his mother and is struggling to keep his head above water financially. He soon finds out that his deceased mother, Margaret, had a secret. And it’s a doozy.
You know we’re pretty picky when it comes to books, right? Like, we have Standards. Submission Guidelines. And we chuck out tons of bookish junk all the time, like the neighbor’s cat hawks up hairballs.
But we also have favorites. And not just books or genres. In fact, we have some fave authors we want to tell you about. Cuz today we’re awarding The Biggest Bow Wow of them all:
What? You haven’t heard of this prestigious honor? Maybe that’s cuz I, Kimber, just made it up.
Well, okay. Mom helped. A little. She lobbied for “World’s Most Super Duper, Seriously Splendid, Extra Excellent, Terrifically Talented, Genuine Genius-y, and All-Around Awesome Author Awards.”
I nixed that. After all. Someone has to be the adult in the room.
Where was I? Oh yeah. The Kimber Awards. … Continue reading
Hang around Booklandia for any length of time – say, 20 minutes or so – and you know that authors whose books have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize pretty much have their tickets punched for the rest of their authorly lives. Cuz the Pulitzer Prize is a Big Deal. (Not as big as our PAWsome Book Awards, of course. Nobody can top that.)
But wait a minute. What about worthy books that shoulda won a Pulitzer but didn’t?
Kimber: I’m gonna be seven years this month! I’m telling you this now to give you last-minute gift-getters a heads up.
Anyway, Her Momness insists I’m still a “puppy.” So embarrassing. I keep telling her I’m a lap dog. I mean, really. What’s a measly 55 pounds?
So. I may not be seven yet. But I’ve been around long enough to make some observations. Like: Postal carriers aren’t always friendly. Neither are fences. There’s no such thing as a “ten second rule” when Yours Truly is on kitchen patrol.
Squirrel!
Wait. Where was I?
Oh yeah. I’ve made some observations in seven years-ish. One of them is there are lots of different kinds of readers. You may not think us canines notice stuff like this. But we do. Here are a few of the readers I’ve seen. Any of these sound familiar?
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A new baby is exciting. But what if you’re the baby in the family? How will the imminent arrival of a younger brother or sister effect you?
While awaiting the arrival of a new brother or sister, young Benjamin plays a “baby package” game with his mom in this sweet and gentle story by Patricia Eckerman Ambas. Benjamin first pretends he’s a new package that has just arrived for mom. The package arrives in forms shapes and forms – a blanket, a basket, an imaginary box. But each package comes with an unspoken question: What about me when the new baby comes?
![Here in the Not Yet by [David Spaugh]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41IiJSmJzxL.jpg)
Here in the Not YetNote: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Who am I? Why am I here? What makes a hero? What is bravery all about? What are the two most powerful words in the English language?
All these questions and more are met head-on in David Spaugh’s finely crafted psychological thriller, Here in the Not Yet.
You’re an author looking for a thoughtful, quality review of your latest magnum opus. You’re a book reviewer looking for thoughtful, quality books to review. You’re both looking for some cred. Some traction. Where do you go?
That can be a challenge. It depends on several factors, including – but not limited to – how hard you want to work and how much you want to pay or be paid. But another key question is whether or not your work will get the quality attention and exposure you want. After all, it takes a lot of work, time and effort to write books or book reviews. So where can you go to get the most “bang for your buck”?
Grays skies are clearing. Temperatures are inching upwards. Summer’s waiting in the wings. Even if you’re stuck inside, you can still roam the outdoors through books! Especially when celebrating Great Outdoors Month!
Today we’re highlighting 20 top outdoor titles for kiddos. These books are geared for children ages third through ninth grade, roughly.
All include strong characters, engaging plots, and superlative story-telling. All have stood the test of time. (You may detect a big canine bias here. Because as Kimber knows, everything is better with dogs. Yes sirree, Lassie! That goes double for the Great Outdoors!)
Besides. If you can’t go to the outside, we’ll bring the outside to you, inside with:
“Strong writing” is somewhat subjective. Pose the question to 100 book reviewers or authors and you’re likely to get 100 different responses. Or variations on a theme.
So what do we mean by “strong writing” in fiction? Glad you asked. Here’s the 4-1-1 (the short version):
Pages & Paws 