Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Author Archives: Eowyn


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’40 Fingers’ for Friday!

Happy Friday Friends!

We’re doin’ something a little diff today. A little bookish. A little music-ish. A lot cool-ish. (Kimber: By the way, whaddya think of my new pic featured on the blog header? Am I like Totally Pawsome, or what?!)

Have you read James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans? Seen the 1992 movie starring Daniel Day Lewis as Hawkeye? If you’ve seen the movie, you know that it doesn’t bear any particularly close resemblance to the book. (Cuz, yeah. We’ve read it. Twice.) But the movie has a great musical score.

A Treat!

So you’re in for a treat today.

Here’s the main theme from The Last of the Mohicans as performed by 40 Fingers. This is the first all-guitar performance of this score we’ve ever heard. It’s a little bookish. A little music-ish. A lot… Well. You know.

Just under two minutes. Enjoy! And have a great weekend!


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100 Books For Your Bucket List

Kimber the Magnificent here. Telling you about this poster we got awhile back: 100 Books Bucket List. Mom and I? We’ve read 81 of the titles listed. The rest? Who cares? And some titles on this puppy? They’re on our Super Duper Over-Rated Duds and Disses and Total Waste of Time, Off You Go to the Kitty Litter Box List*. (Mom’s version. I just call it our Yuck List.)

See?

So We Did

Anywho. That poster thingy got one of us thinking. Mom, says I, Kimber the Genius. We can do better. Let’s make our own Bucket List. So we did.

Mom Tested, Kimber Approved

Below is our Mom Tested, Kimber Approved, 100% Unscientific, Totally Subjective 100 Books For Your Bucket List. As in, Good Stuff Here. Enjoyable. Enlightening. Inspiring. Entertaining. Thought-Provoking. Great writing. And Just Plain. Fun. Both fiction and nonfiction. 

Note: We’re not talkin’ all Hoity-Toity here. So relax, okay?

Some titles are newer than others. Most have been around awhile. Stood the test of time. You’ll find some well-worn “classics” that are probably on everyone’s “Best Books” list.  Some might surprise you. And a few are… Well. Hi, Mom.

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How Not to Dread the Doc in One Easy Read (No, Really)

“The vet? Whaddya mean, ‘The Vet’?!” spake I, Kimber the Magnificent. “I am not goin’ to The Shot Place, period. No how. No way. So don’t even feature it.”

“Umm… Well, Kimmi. It’s time for your semi-annual check-up” replies Her Momness. “C’mon, let’s get going. It’ll be fun!”

Easy for you to say, Toots. Cuz I ain’t budging.

“Wait. Did I say, ‘vet’? asks Mom. “My bad. I really meant Doctor Dan. You know. The place with all your favorite treats and toys?”

When do we leave?

Here’ the human version of that conversation (sort of) via a new NF book by Ann Hester. It’s called Patient Empowerment 101: More than a book, it’s an adventure! 

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book via Reedsy/Discovery in exchange for an honest review.

Here’s the 4-1-1:

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7 Sweet Reads for the Little’uns

My baby picture. I know. I’m ADORABLE.

Kimber: Mom! Mom! I found some puppy winners!

Mom: “Puppy winners, Kimmi? What are you barking about?”

Kimber: Insert eye roll here. Moooooom! You. Know. Books for little’uns. You know. Like not yet big dogs. P-u-p-p-i-e-s. (Duh.)

Mom: “Okay, Kim. Calm down. Stop dancing for a min. What did you find?”

Kimber: Thought you’d never ask. Here, with further tail-wagging or barking, is our list of seven soon-to-be available books for children. (You know. P-u-p-p… oh, never mind.) All include warm and rich writing. Bark-worthy illustrations. Some may even include a doggie treat or two. Can I get back to you on that?

Note: We received complimentary copies of these books from Net Galley in exchange for honest reviews. Most are 20 to 30 pages or less.

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Worst Book Review Sites on the Web?

 

If you’ve been reviewing books for anything length of time – say, 20 minutes or so – you know that not all “book review” sites are created equal. Some are professional. Others are a joke. Full of unresolved kinks, oopses, ouchies, and amateurs. So how do you tell the difference? What are the worst book review sites on the web?

The Worst

Based on my experience and what I hear from other quality reviewers, two sites stand out (stand down?) as The Worst: the OnlineBookClub and Reedsy/Discovery.

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Why ‘Anna’s Story’ Will Wring Hearts

Anna’s Story

A true story of a young girl’s will to survive in the arftermath of World War II

By: Steven Kautner

Date Published: July 2022

Genre: Non-Fiction – Biography/Memoir/WWII

Via: Reedsy/Discovery

Pages: 148

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“How could I not write this story?” asks author Steven Kautner in this gripping and harrowing account about what happened to his mother, Anna Friedrich, and her family of ethnic Germans after World War II. The follow-on is, “How can anyone not read this story?” Because Anna’s Story is absolutely astonishing. Eye-opening. And jaw-dropping. It’ll blow you away.

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ATTN AUTHORS & Author Wannabes!!

Her Crankiness is at it again. That scrunchy face eye roll thing.

“Good grief!” Mom flounces. “Not again!” (“Flounces.” Isn’t that a great word? No idea what it means. But Mom likes it. So I do too.)

Now what? says I, Kimber the Magnificent. You know. The level-headed one. All even-keeled and imperturbable. (No idea what that means either. But it sounds good, huh? Can I eat it?)

Well. Gonna cut to the chase here. Save you some time. As in:

IF YOU’RE AN AUTHOR OR AN AUTHOR WANNABE,

DO NOT DO THIS!! EVER!!

Can you hear us in the back?

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The Challenge of “Spare”

“When is someone in this family going to break free and live?” – Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

 

We finished Spare yesterday. It’s Prince Harry’s memoir/autobiography about his relationship with “the Firm.” (For purposes of this review, we will refer to the author as “Harry.”)

The Challenge: We Don’t

Writing a review of Spare is a challenge. Total objectivity is almost unattainable.

Because the Royal Family is one of the most widely recognized in the world, with near-constant media attention, spin doctors, comm directors and Fleet Street vultures, it’s almost impossible to approach a book about The Royals without at least some pre-conceived ideas. Prejudice. Bias. Because of the media microscope under which the Royals live and work, we think we “know” them, especially with the advent of smartphones and social media.

We don’t. Not even close. Repeat for those in the back: We don’t. Not even close.

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Action/Adventure Hit and Miss

What?

Kimber here. Mom says it’s time for a quick reading wrap-up. That’s when she does her version of recently read hits and misses. Why? So you can avoid the dumpster fires. Not waste your time on doggie doo-doo that some fluff ball with no taste published. And grab some Good Stuff. Note: We received complimentary copies of these books in exchange for an honest review.

For more on our rating system, click here.

Me? I’m going to watch the doin’s from the sweet, delicious comfort of my  doggie bed by MyPillow.

Four Titles

But first, to books! We’re makin it easy today. With just four titles. The stinkers first: Continue reading →


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How to Boost Your Chances of Getting Your Review Request Accepted

Kimber here. Being all Beautiful and Brilliant. As usual. Her Grumpiness is also here today. Being all grumpy and geezerly. As usual. Seems today’s Grumpifying has to do with review requests. Cuz we’ve been getting a lot of stuff that’s straight out of Gag Me With Arugula. I guess we better clarify.

“Kimmi,” says The Big Grump. “We better clarify.”

Didn’t I just say that?

Listen Up

Well. If you’re wondering why your review request wound up in the Big Kitty Litter Box in the Sky, listen up. It could be due to a metric meow’s worth of reasons. But if you want to increase your chances of getting your review request accepted (no promises and no guarantees), here’s what NOT to do. (Can you hear us in the back?)

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