Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Book Reviews – Fiction


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Full Speed Ahead in ‘The Halcyon Crisis’

The Halcyon Crisis

By Drew Harrison

Indie Author, August 2023

Genre: Fiction/Thriller-Suspense-Action/Adventure

Pages: 295 (incl. Epilogue)

Via: Author Request

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

“Ahoy, mateys! This is your Kimber speaking. Hands off the New York steaks and no one gets lick-ified!”

What? I’m just trotting out my best impression of “Mr. One,” aka: “Captain One” in this adrenaline rush of a thriller on the high seas thingy. I’ll let Her Momness fill ya in:

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Historical Fiction Weighs Anchor in “Wind Rises”

The Wind Rises

By Timothée de Fombelle

Europa Editions – August 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction/Children’s African History Fiction/Children’s Africa Books/Action & Adventure

Via: Library

Pages: 410

“The things that really matter are those that only one or two people know.”

Once up on a time there was a valley. Lines of elephants dotted its distance. Wind rippled its grasses. Singing insects and swaying giraffes crowded its plains. Hidden by treacherous cliffs, the valley saw the birth of three children: A girl, Alma, and her two brothers, Lam and Soum. There was also a zebra with no stripes. And a little boy who runs away.

“The only reason everyone else in this game are winners is because they’ve lost everything. Everything down to their names and the names of their villages that no longer exist. They’ve lost their children. They have nothing left. And yet they pay for everything.”

 

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‘Blanco and the Starry Night’ Shows Promise

Blanco and the Starry Night

By Calvin Clay

Indie author, 2023

Genre: Fiction – YA/Fantasy

Pages:  243

Via: Author Request

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

Blanco is a thirteen year-old graffiti artist in Los Angeles. He’s a ward of the state. In foster care. Blanco loves art. Paintings. Sculptures. And Van Gogh’s Starry Night, aka: Swirly Sky. All he’s ever really wanted, from as early as he can remember, is a family that wants him. Will a mysterious underground art community fill the bill? And what about the kids in this community who are “saving” art from the evil Master of Shadow? (Think Voldemort and Inkheart’s The Shadow.) Is the “forbidden wing” really haunted? By whom? Why? And what’s up with Smirk?

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OH YEAH! Adventure Abounds in YA ‘Mystery at Sea Edge’

Mystery at Sea Edge: A Monterey Adventure

By: J. Margaret Bell

Publisher: Indie

Genre: Children’s Historical Fiction/Mystery

Pages: 143

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

Most of you already know how Mom loves the mountains. All that fresh air. Nature. Hiking. Peace and solitude. Good smells. But Mom also loves the beach and the ocean. Crashing breakers. Squabbling sea gulls. Salt air. And one of her most favorite-ish ocean-ish places in the whole wide world is California’s Monterey Peninsula. (I hear they serve a mighty good clam chowder thereabouts. Remind me to make a note of that, okay?)

Chillin’ at the beach!

So when Mom found this young adult novel that combines Monterey, the beach/ocean, mystery, history, and surfboard loads of adventure, it was like, Cowabunga Dudes and Dudettes! (Don’t tell her I said that, okay? Let’s just keep that our little secret.) I’ll let Mom fill you in. Like this:

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‘Maji-Muku’ Muddies – Or – How NOT to Pitch Us a Children’s Book

If you’ve been reading Pages and Paws for very long – say, twenty minutes or so – you know that Mom and I are pretty picky about what we do and don’t accept for review. We get tons of review requests. We accept less than half. Those that color outside our Submission Guidelines typically go straight to the Big Kitty Litter Box in the Sky.

But every once in a while we might be willing to bend if the review request is for a children’s book. Emphasis on might. That was the case with the Maji Muki Storybook for Children.

We knew when we got it that the requester hadn’t read our Submission Guidelines. (You’d be surprised how obvious this is. We always know who has and who hasn’t read our Guidelines. Always.)

Clues

Getting a request addressed to “Dear Children’s Books Aficionado” was a clue. Ditto the subject line: Something New in Children’s Books. Someone didn’t read our Submission Guidelines. And sent the whole book before we greenlighted it for review. Another No-No. But, hey. It’s a children’s book, right? So we decided to flex a bit.

Here’s the 4-1-1:

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Why THIS Legal Thriller Runs Like a Maserati

Dead by Proxy

By Manning Wolfe

Publisher: Starpath Books, LLC, September 18, 20123

Genre: Fiction/Legal Thriller/Suspense

Pages: 296

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

Most people don’t get to attend their own funeral. Or hear their eulogy. But criminal defense attorney Byron Douglas does both in this gripping legal thriller by Manning Wolfe. Indeed, it’s a case of out of the frying pan, into the fire for Byron Douglas in this riveting read that expertly teams courtroom drama and legal maneuvering with imminent danger, spine-tingling suspense, a touch of romance, and non-stop action. Talk about an adrenaline rush!

Byron Douglas is a New York defense attorney. He’s counsel for Irish mobster Killian Tyrone. Tyrone is accused of murdering a confidential FBI informant at the say-so of his mobster boss, Tua Dannon. When the jury returns a guilty verdict for Tyrone, Dannon and” his gang” blame Douglas for the verdict. And they aim to settle the score. Permanently. Byron thinks he’s in the clear because Tyrone has fired him and secured other legal counsel. So Byron’s no longer the attorney of record.

Not so fast. Or easy.

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Why ‘Wish You Well’ Is Like Coming Home

Wish You Well

By David Baldacci

Warner Books, 2000

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 399

Via: Library

“Them two people lost each other, but they’s still in love. Now, people die, but love don’t never die. Make the well magic. Anybody done got a wish, they come here, wish for it, and it’ll happen. Ever time. Rain or shine.” – Diamond Skinner

This is a story about love. And a mutt named Jeb. Jeb’s the truest, dearest, most loyal friend a body could ever have, with one exception. Hi, Kimber. Ya see, Jeb belongs to a boy named Jimmy “Diamond Skinner.” Diamond’s mama died in childbirth. His daddy died in a coal mining accident in the rugged Appalachians of Virginia. Diamond lives alone amid the feral beauty of rural Virginia and the harsh realities of the Great Depression. Until two children come along: Louisa May “Lou” Cardinal, age 10, and her brother Oscar “Os,” age seven.
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‘The Memory Quilt’ Tackles Tough Topic With Grace

The Memory Quilt

By Lori Keating

Genre: Children’s/Picture Book

Publisher: Monarch Educational Services, January 2024

Target Audience: Children ages 5 to 10 years

Pages: 34

Via: Monarch

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

Synopsis:

When Grace’s neighbor and friend Jason dies unexpectedly, Grace isn’t sure what to do. She wants to let the Davidsons know she’s thinking about them and feeling their loss. Should she make them a card? Pick them a daisy bouquet? She decides she wants to do something more. Something special.  

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2 Woof-Worthy Reads (I’d Grab ‘Em Now ‘Fize You)

“Mom! Mom! I like THIS one!”

Kimber the Magnificent here. Telling you about how I nudged Her Momness in the direction of a book that looked really good the other day. “Oh, and this one , too!” I mean, hey. Who can resist these covers? We’re talking Serious Sweet Stuff here, right? Like, Canines R Us.

So I talked Mom into grabbing two woof-worthy titles. (It wasn’t hard, if ya know what I mean.) Here’s the 4-1-1:

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Why ‘Brilliant’ Shines Bright

Brilliant

By Roddy Doyle

Publisher: Amulet Books, 2015

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Pages: 192

Via: Library

First, a confession. Her Momness and I grabbed this book off the library shelf for two main reasons: 1) The cover. 2) One of us – I won’t say who – thought it was about a dog. I mean, hey. “Brilliant” and a black dog on the cover? Need I say more?

Well. We only had like 98 seconds to make a selection, so gimme a break, okay?

Then we got home. And started reading. Turns out one of us was way off the kibble on this book. By about a mile a half. So, listen up, Cupcake! I’m gonna tell ya what this book is really about, okay?

Ready? Get set! Let’s go!

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