Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

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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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‘Emerging’ Offers Hope, Authenticity

Emerging: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic by Nancy ...EMERGING: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic

By Nancy Stordahl

Independently Published, 2023

Genre: Memoir/Breast Cancer/Grief & Bereavement

Pages: 120

 

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

Some books are meant to be sipped and savored slowly, like fine wine. NancyStordahl’s EMERGING: Stories from the Other Side of a Cancer Diagnosis, Loss, and a Pandemic is one of them. Profound and powerful, Emerging takes readers on a deep dive into the lifelong process of healing and self-acceptance as learned by a self-described “average sort of worrier.” It’s a terrific read!

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‘Keeping the Watch’ (We Couldn’t Think of Something Catchier. Sorry. Sort of.)

Keeping the Watch: Caretaking The Hidden Value of a Family Heirloom

By Patrick Blau

Indie author, 2022

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir

Pages:  345 + Photo Gallery

Via: Author Request

Books are amazing. Sometimes they’re exactly what you expect. Sometimes they surprise you. You can’t always tell what’s inside by looking at the cover. Perusing the book blurb. Or even reading other reviews.

Memoirs can be especially tricky in this regard. Cuz let’s face it, Cupcake. Unless you’re famous, a celebrity, a Big Name or have an uber compelling life story with a transcendent theme that’s gonna resonate with lotsa folks, most people who don’t know you and have never heard of you aren’t gonna care. Sorry, Toots. That’s just the way it is.

Keeping the Watch is one of those. To be clear, Watch isn’t a “bad” book. It’s pretty well written and is a history of the Blau family. It’s based on true historical figures in the author’s ancestry. But we just could not get into it. We tried and tried and tried. Gave it so many second, third, fourth and more chances, we got whiplash.

We put off  reviewing this book for so long, our cerebral hard drive sprouted cobwebs. On the cobwebs. But we finally got down to brass tacks today. So here ya go:

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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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‘Heart-y’ New Memoir Doesn’t Waste a Second

Let’s get one thing straight right off the kibble, shall we? spake I, Kimber the Magnificent. Today’s book is From the Sidelines to the Finish Line by Emily Falcon. It’s a memoir about Emily’s lifelong journey with a congenital cardiac condition. 

Now, From the Sidelines to the Finish Line is a good book. You really oughtta read it. You know this is so cuz I’m telling ya it is. Got that, Cupcake? Cuz I wanna make another thing clear right off the football: There are some real stand-outs in this memoir-ish read. They have fur and four feet, if ya get my drift. And no, Toots, I’m not talking felines here. I’m talking Phoebe the therapy dog. Dual doggies Maxi and Blueberry. And Josie, chihuahua/Jack Russell terrier mix with the heart of a lion.

From the Sidelines to the Finish Line

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”Dance in the Meadow’ Offers Food for the Soul

Dance in the Meadow

Conversations of Self-Discovery, Clarity, and Love

By Cathay O. Reta

Pages: 148

Publisher: Keep Walking Publications, 2023

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

Solitude and quiet conversation are becoming a lost art n this often-frenetic, fast-paced world of “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble!”  Remember that game? When people got together and actually talked? Like, for real? Face to face? Instead of burying themselves in their devices and ignoring the real live person right next to them??

Those were the days.

And a new book by Cathay Reta gently draws us back to the art of conversation. Dialogue. Give and take. Learning. Growing. Sharing. Letting go.

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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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