Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie


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John Boy & Gentle Voices: A Thanksgiving Reflection

Mom is skipping around the kitchen today, merrily cooking up a storm! Everything smells de.li.cious! And I should know. Cuz I’m an expert in all things smellish. And delicious.

You gonna eat that? (Askin’ for a friend.)

With this Thanksgiving thing just around the corner, Mom and I wanted to switch things up a bit. So here, at no extra charge, we’re featuring a little Thank You gift in the form of an original story. From our house to yours. To THANK YOU for being one of our most favorite people in the whole wide world (aka: blog readers. Oh yeah!)

Ready? Enjoy! More info. at the end of this luscious post!

***

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Bingeworthy or Bust? 11 Popular TV Dramas Reviewed

You know we’re all about books here. Good stuff. Lousy stuff you don’t need to waste your valuable time on.

But binge-watching just about anything on Netflix or whatever seems to have become a favorite indoor sport since the never-ending pandemic took root. So we’ve been getting requests for feedback on some of them thar Netflix-y type drama series of the TV kind.

So. What’s binge-worthy and what’s not? Here goes:

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10 Books to Read If You Love Narnia

Journeys to the end of the world. Fantastic creatures. Talking animals. Epic battles between good and evil. C.S. Lewis’s beloved classic, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has it all.

Finished all seven Narnia books? Just in time for Top Ten Tuesday, here are ten more magical books to take you through the wardrobe. In no particular order:

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Meet M.L. Farb, Author of ‘Heartless Hette’

Oh Lassie! Oh Lassie! Oh Lassie! Time for another one of my kind of favorite posts: an author spotlight!

Today we’re getting to know M.L. Farb, author of a bacon-worthy new fairytale, Heartless Hette. (See our review here.)

So pour yourself a hot cuppa. Pull up a chair. Put your feet up. Listen in as we get to know this author of exciting and inspiring novels for the whole family:

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Clarifying on Comments & Links

Mom says it’s time for a little blog housekeeping. Not sure what that means. But I’m pretty sure I heard “bacon” or “sausage” in there somewhere along with “comment policy” and “links.” So let’s go!

Comment Policy:

Please note that all comments are moderated. That means one of us – the one with opposable thumbs – manually approves every comment before it appears on the blog. So if you’ve commented and your comment doesn’t show up right away, that’s why.

Contrary to popular belief, at least one of us doesn’t spend all day every day doing this blogging thing. So when it comes to comments showing up, your patience is appreciated.

Links

Authors, publicists, publishers and other humanoids sometimes contact us with:

“Is the review up yet?”

We get it. You want to see the review. Pronto. But as clearly spelled out in our Submission Guidelines, we do not send links or reminders. We expect you to keep track of the date. So don’t annoy us by nagging. See Item #9 under the guidelines:

Posts are usually written and scheduled for auto-launch on a future date, sometimes far in advance. Like weeks. Or more. Mom will let you know the date our review of your book will go live. We expect you to keep track of the date yourself. We do not send links. So please don’t ask.

So kindly don’t nag about “Is the review up yet?” You might as well shout Didn’t bother to read the guidelines from the rooftops. Savvy?

Mom said I better add that. I always do what Mom says. Well. There was that one time with the cheeseburger… But I think she’s forgotten about that. So let’s not push our luck here, okay?

You gonna eat that?


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Author Ann Kiemel & How Do You Spell “Success”?

 

Pssst! Hey, writer! Yeah. You. Over here. I have a question for ya. Well, a few:

  • What’s your goal as a writer?
  • Do you want to sell millions of copies of your book (who doesn’t?)?
  • Make the New York Times Bestseller list?
  • What’s your definition of “success”?
  • How will you know when you’ve arrived?

Or does “bestseller status” seem like an elusive dream, a “happily ever after” fairytale?

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Heart & Head Clash in Vibrant New Fairytale, ‘Heartless Hette’

Heartless Hette

By M.L. Farb, 2021

Genre: Fiction/Fairytale/Fantasy

Rated: G

Via: Author Request

Summary:

Hearts and heads collide as an unlikely trio sets out on an epic quest to find the true meaning of friendship and more in this freshly reimagined version of “once upon a time.”

“Which is stronger – heart or head?”

Once upon a time, a beautiful princess prized logic and reason above all. Her father bid her marry, become queen and produce an heir. But no suitor could match her formidable mind. So a sorcerer disguised himself as a prince. He set out to woo the princess. She rejects him. The sorcerer steals her heart. Literally. Right out of her chest.  In its place is a mechanical “clockwork heart” designed to bend Princess Hette’s will to his.

“Love only hurts… Alone hurts less.”

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44 Best Fantasy Books for Kids

We’re not big fans of Halloween. But we do enjoy a good fantasy story sans ghoulish ghastliness. (Isn’t that a great word? Mom thought it up.)

Anyway, with Hallo-yuck coming up, Mom and I decided rather than focus on ghoulish tricks, we put together a list of treats instead: 44 Best Fantasy Books for Kids. Because, woof! Nobody does ‘imaginating’ better than kids! (Well, there was that one Labradoodle who…) Wait. That’s another story.

Kindly note that we’re using “fantasy” in its broadest sense. Like: Anything that could not exist within our own world. Make-believe in its purest form. Usually includes something supernatural or magical as primary elements of the plot, theme, or setting. Like talking animals. (One of us is super big on that.)

It’s easy to get Fiction and Fantasy confused. (One of us who shall remain nameless does that, too.) So here’s a basic primer describing the differences between the two genres. There are three main diffs, via Difference Between:

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Family Matters in Delightful New Sci-Fi Novel

The Captain’s Daughters

By Doreen D. Berger

PolarisPrint, 2021

Genre: Fiction, Sci-Fi, Family

Rating: G

Via: Author Request

Summary: Two spunky sisters get more than they bargained for when they disobey their starship captain Dad and wind up captives in an interstellar game of cat-and-mouse.

“What lies within the folds of the fabric of the never-ending universe?

“Not now, Kimmi!” sniffs Her Momness.

Why is she saying this when I just brought her the Frisbee?  Hello? Earth to Mom? Come in, Mom?

“I’m right in the middle of the good part,” she says. “Can you gimme a min?”

Oh, bother. Cuz Mom said that like, two hours ago.

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Travel Memoir Offers Deep Dive Into West Africa

A New Day Dawns

By Terry Lister

Publisher: Brooklyn Knight Enterprises, 2021

Via: Author Request

Genre: Memoir/Travel

“This is Africa!”

Terry Lister is an experienced world traveler. He’s also a first class storyteller with a knack for drawing readers into his adventures. As in his first volume, Immersed in West Africa, Lister invites you to join him in traveling through four West African countries as he seeks to “learn what makes people tick.”

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