Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie


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Kimber to the ‘Rescue’!

Mom here.

I know you’re all ginormously disappointed that a little furry face we all know and love isn’t kicking off today’s post. Sorry ’bout that. (Naw. Not really.) But there’s a reason I’m leading off today:

This post is about a wonderful little book I recently came across via Net Galley. It’s called Ava Loves Rescuing Animals.

Talk about a girl after my own heart!

Did you know that Kimber’s a rescue dog? Yeppers. She came to us in 2016 via a mutual friend who works at the local rescue shelter. Kimmi was ten weeks old going on 92, if ya know what I mean. She’s been an Absolute Delight ever since! (Don’t tell Kimber I said that, okay? I’ll never hear the end of it!)

So I wanted to share this delightful book with you, with a sweet furry face in mind. Here goes:

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‘Tides of Blue’ Will Sweep You Away

Tides of Blue

By Sharon Brubaker

Genre: Historical Romance

Tivshe Publishing

Pages: 326

Via: Author Request

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

Can a small, ridged, cobalt blue bottle mean freedom for two young women in two different centuries?

This may sound like an uncertain premise. But hold on a min. Cuz Tides of Blue is the kind of book that grabs you hook, line, and sinker and keeps you on the line until the very end. Check it out:

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GUEST POST: Author Anna H. Cabral on Writing Hows & Whys

Kimber the Magnificent here. I’m doin’ my tornado tail-waggin’ thing today. Know why? Cuz today’s one of my favorite kinda days! It’s a Guest Post Day with a New Favorite Author! It’s also a day when we get to find out where an author gets her ideas – setting, characters, plot and stuff like that. Have you ever wondered about that? We have!

So today’s your Bow-Wow Day! Yes siree, Lassie! We’re getting to know Anna Hawkes Cabral, author of Purposeful Work, Blessed Rest: A 6-Week Devotional for Mothers. (Our review will be up on May 8. So save that date! ) 

Anna’s goin’ to share with us a bit about how she wrote her first book, her journey to publication, why she wrote Purposeful Work, and some insights into her writing schedule and struggles. Lots of good stuff here! question and more! (Think of it as Sirloin Steak Day with a side of T-bone!!)

So I’d dig in now ‘fize you. Take it away, Anna:

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Friday 56 & a Classic

“There’s a good girl!” 12 weeks old!

Hey! Hey! Whaddya say? It’s Friday! Woop! Woop! Time for another Book Beginnings and Friday 56!

This week our Book Beginning and Friday 56 are from the same book. A classic. Do you recognize this beginning?

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‘We Also Served’ Honors Animal Heroes

Kimber: Mom! Mom! I finally got myself in my very own book!! Can you see me doing back flips!?

Her Momness: “Slow down there, Kimmi. What are you talking about?”

Kimber: Well, okay. It wasn’t me exactly. But it coulda been! Cuz We Also Served is about animal heroes. You know. Like me! Or maybe my cousins! I’ll let Mom tell you more:

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What’s the ‘Buzz’ With Grandpa’s Honeybees?

What Grandpa Learned From His Honeybees: The Little Book to Be Smart with Your Money and Help the Environment

By  Henry and Mary Svec, 2023

Genre: Non-Fiction

Pages: 94

What Grandpa Learned From His Honeybees: The Little Book to Be Smart with Your Money and Help the Environment may seem like a mouthful. It may also seem like an unusual combination of topics. But Henry and Mary Svec make it work. Using clear, easy-to-understand language and real-life examples, the Svecs guide you through smart money strategies intertwined with lessons learned from bee life. It’s amazing!

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Wit & Whimsy Abound in ‘Olly & the Spores of Oak Hill’

Olly & the Spores of Oak Hill

By Glenn Somodi, 2022

Genre: Fiction/Middle Grade

Pages: 271

A cryptic map. A statue. A key. Gold nuggets. A strange symbol and a hole in a wall. A hidden door and a greedy developer bent on destroying a quiet community with a shopping mall. All this and more can be found between the pages of Glenn Somodi’s delightful and enchanting Olly & the Spores of Oak Hill.  

As the book opens, Oren Appleton is dead. The ”geeky, nature-loving” former Harvard professor died under suspicious circumstances. He left everything to his son and grandson, Oliver “Olly” Appleton. Olly and his parents move from Ohio to Littleton, Massachusetts to claim their inheritance and a world of mystery in this charming story that will captivate and delight middle grade readers.

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TEMPORARY “PAWS” ON NEW REVIEW REQUESTS

‘Turnin’ tail’ for a bit…

Hear ye! Hear ye!

As of February 21, 2023, we are officially CLOSED to new book review requests until further notice.

 

Kimber here. Lemme explain. Cuz Mom is going a little crazy. Well. Crazier than usual. But it’s a good kind of crazy. The smiley kind, if ya know what I mean.

The 4-1-1:

We love getting your book review requests. But we’re kinda drowning. As in, we just can’t keep up! That’s why we’re going to have to put a “paws” on new submissions for the time being.

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A Dream & A Dance: Memoir of the Garden Island Grille

 

The Last Dance: A Memoir of the Garden Island Grille

By Dave Trentlage

Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir, 2023

Pages: 260

Kimber: Someone say “burgers”?

Mom: No, Kimmi. I said “restaurant.” Now stop vulching.

Kimber: Vulching? I am not vulching. I am merely standing guard over the kitchen, ever-vigilant in case any stray top sirloin finds its way onto the floor. By the way, what’s a “restaurant”? It has burgers, right?

I am invisible. You Do Not see me. I am not vulching. Am not. Am Not. AM NOT!

Well. Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate, okay? This isn’t a story about a restaurant. It’s not about what it takes to run a successful restaurant. It’s not even a behind-the scenes look at running a restaurant in the garden island of Kauai, although you’ll find all of the above and more within.

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‘Links of the Two Worlds’ a Breath of Fresh Air

Links of the Two Worlds

By Samantha Hopper

Indie author, 2020

Rise of the Royals, Book 1

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy (ages 7 to 18)

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

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Oh, wait. That’s already been done.

Hmmm. How ‘bout : It was a dark and stormy night…?

Dufus Awards

Alright, alright. What we’re really after here is something more original, says I, Kimber the Magnificent. Something like The Dufus of the Decade Awards. And I have a nominee. (You knew that, right?) Lemme explain:

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