A Dogs Journey

Title: A Dog's Journey
Author: W. Bruce Cameron
Narrator: George K Wilson
Publisher/Date: Macmillan Audio, May 2012
Audio Run Time: 9hrs 30mins                           

Audiobook Description: (from Macmillan)

Direct sequel to the New York Times and USA Today bestselling A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

Buddy is a good dog.

After searching for his purpose through several eventful lives, Buddy is sure that he has found and fulfilled it. Yet as he watches curious baby Clarity get into dangerous mischief, he is certain that this little girl is very much in need of a dog of her own.

When Buddy is reborn, he realizes that he has a new destiny. He's overjoyed when he is adopted by Clarity, now a vibrant but troubled teenager. When they are suddenly separated, Buddy despairs—who will take care of his girl?

A charming and heartwarming story of hope, love, and unending devotion, A Dog's Journey asks the question: Do we really take care of our pets, or do they take care of us? More than just another endearing dog tale, A Dog's Journey is the moving story of unwavering loyalty and a love that crosses all barriers.

My review:

I had mixed feelings about this audiobook. As I have said in other posts on here I am a dog lover and I love stories about dogs. For me this audiobook was ok but not great. One good thing about this sequel is that it is a different story so for people who didnt read or listen to the first book (like me) you wont have to get caught up. The plot and idea for these books are creative and I was very excited to listen to it at first but as the book went on (or it felt like dragged on) I was not that excited. His characters were ok there were a few I didnt like but the rest were good. I did like the dog and the prespective of the book. Overall I would have to say this was not one of my favorite dog books.

The narration of the audiobook was good. I liked had the author had a very distinct voice for each character, no two sounded the same, he was very animated. The tone of his voice was good as well.

The artwork on the box of this audiobook was nice and eye appealing.  In the end im not sure if I would reccomend this book. I think there is an audience or people out there who would love this book, but I did not.

I would like to thank Audiobook soild gold reviewer program for letting me listen to and review this audiobook.

Rex in the City

Rex in the City: A memoir of a Woman, a Man, and a Dysfunctional Dog.
by Lee Harrington

This book is a must read for any dog lover (like me)! I enjoyed reading it so much! It was a well written easy to read memoir. The characters were relatable as well as the plot. The characters are also likeable, but of course Rex was my favorite! I enjoyed the tone of the book as well (sometimes memoirs can be very boring reads because of their tone but this book wasnt). I would highly recomend this book it is a good read. I am a fan and I cant wait for the second volume of Rex!

I would like to thank Paula form AME and the author for letting me read and review this book.

This Mobius Strip of Ifs

This Mobius Strip of Ifs
by Mathias Freese

This anthology was a good read and well written. I like some of the prose or essays in the book,more than I did others. I was only really disappointed in the cover I thought it was boring. I would recomend this book.
I would really like to thank the author of this book for letting me read and review it

Ninety Days

Ninety Days by Bill Clegg

This book was a non fiction memoir in which the author continues his story of his battles against addiction.The book was very well written and wasnt boring but I wish I would have read his first book before I read this one but it was an ok read and I would recomend it.

The Hunt for KSM

The Hunt for KSM: Inside the pursuit and takedown of the real 9/11 mastermind, Khaleid Sheikh Mohammed  by Terry McDermott and John Meyer

This book was a non fiction book it was informative but written in a very bland and boring tone I thought. I did not enjoy reading this book because of the tone I just mentioned, I found myself uninterested. I think some people though who are really diehard non fiction fans my enjoy reading this. It is worth a read to see someones views on this event (but also it makes the book somewhat biased) but I would not recomend this book.

Lucy in the sky

Title: Lucy in the sky
Author: John Vorhaus
Narator: John Vorhaus
Publisher/date: Spoken Word/11/1/11
Length: 3hrs and 36 mins

Audiobook Description: (form Spoken Word Inc)

Lucy in the Sky, a coming-of-age tale set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1969. Not precisely niched in young adult fiction, Lucy lightly touches on such weighty issues as the meaning of life and the existence of God. For those interested in answers to The Big Questions or just keen to revisit a simpler time, Lucy in the Sky promises a fun and compelling trip – and that’s trip in every sense of the word. Gene Steen is an earnest, intelligent, truth-seeking teen stuck in the cultural wasteland of his suburban home. He wants to be a hippie in the worst way, but hippies are scarce on the ground in the forlorn Midwest of Gene’s 15th year.

Then, propitiously on the Summer Solstice, his life is turned upside down by the arrival of his lively, lovely, long-lost cousin Lucy. She’s hip beyond Gene’s wildest dreams and immediately takes him under her wing. Lucy teaches Gene that being a hippie isn’t about love beads and peace signs, but about making a choice and taking a stand. Yet for all her airy insights into religion, philosophy and “the isness of it all,” Lucy harbors dark secrets – secrets that will soon put her on the run, with Gene by her side.

Author guest blog post:
I would like to thank the author for providing a blog post for me that consists of the post,  and press release

THE CHALLENGES OF VOICE FICTION

By John Vorhaus

My new novel, LUCY IN THE SKY, is a coming-of-age story set in Milwaukee in 1969, and the writing of it presented some challenges that none of my other books (light mystery and non-fiction) ever did. For one thing, I’m working in a new genre, something I call “voice fiction,” by which I mean, simply, writing with something to say. In order to accomplish my goal of having something to say, though, I had to be prepared to confront an issue that many authors struggle with: the matter of telling other people what to think. Philosophically, I have no problem with this. As a longtime teacher of writers, I have consistently taught that, in a fundamental sense, writers are there to explain things to readers. Basically, that’s our job. So this notion of “telling other people what to think” is an implicit part of the package you accept when you first put fingers to keys.

That said, there’s still an emotional risk in telling my readers, “Hey, you know what? Being a hippie isn’t about love beads and peace signs. It’s about the choices you make and the stands you take. That’s what’s important, and that’s what you should pay attention to.” So that’s me taking a stand, and I can’t help feeling nervous that someone, somewhere, will say, “Where they heck do you get off telling me what to think, what to do? Who gave you that right?” Well, I gave me that right – responsibility, really – when I became a writer. Still it makes me edgy. At such times I remind myself that part of what a writer must do is just “throw it out the window and watch to see if it lands.” So I throw and I watch. and I hope to be understood.

Another issue with Lucy is that it’s an emotional memoir. I was not a hippie, but I always wanted to be one, and much of what goes on in this book involves me channeling of a set of experiences and insights that I wished I’d had at that age in that time. I know that every book I write is at least partly autobiographical, and therefore a challenge to my self-acceptance, but this one took that idea and turned it on its head, for in Lucy, I’m not talking about myself but about a fantasy, idealized version of myself. At times during the writing I couldn’t tell whether I was engaged in storytelling or just wishful thinking. (Well, that’s why God invented editors.)

My third issue is my market. Lucy in the Sky is a coming-of-age story, no doubt. As such, it should appeal to young adult readers and adult fans of YA material. And I think it really does. At the same time, though, it’s about the 1960s, about hippies and, in a certain sense, about innocence lost a long time ago. It should, then, also appeal to people like me: people who were hippies or near-hippies and who wish to be in touch with those times and those feelings again. At the end of the day I claim that the book is “a sixties trip for young seekers and old geezers alike,” but I do worry that, from a promotional point of view, that puts me sort of neither here nor there.

How do I resolve all these conflicts? By talking about them and writing about them and posting them in places like this place here (and thanks and all hail to Autumn for letting me drop in). I don’t imagine that this post will sort out all my issues. When I’m done writing this guest blog, I’ll still have insecurity about taking responsibility for my vision, telling the truth of my experience, and selling that truth to an uncertainly defined audience. Yet I’ll feel better for having written (I always feel better for having written), and I hope you’ll have a little better insight into what goes through the mind of a writer when he crafts and sells his precious gift – his gift of words on the page.

Winston Churchill said, “Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.” So this is me, flinging Lucy to the public. You can sample her, and purchase her in print, ebook and author-narrated audio, at www.tinyurl.com/Lucy1969. If you’d like to know more about me and my other works, please visit www.johnvorhaus.com, or follow me on Twitter @TrueFactBarFact. Thanks for letting me drop by. Best, -jv

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE           

Contact: John Vorhaus; 626-256-642

jvx@vorza.com

“THE ISNESS OF IT ALL…”

LUCY IN THE SKY TAKES READERS ON A REAL’60s TRIP

Lucy in the Sky

A Novel

By John Vorhaus

From the prolific mind of author John Vorhaus comes a breakthrough new novel of the 1960s, a coming-of-age tale sure to intrigue and delight (as Vorhaus puts it) “young seekers and old geezers alike.” Set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1969, LUCY IN THE SKY (Bafflegab Books, April 23, 2012) lightly touches on such weighty issues as the meaning of life, the purpose of art and the existence of God. For those interested in answers to The Big Questions or just keen to revisit a simpler time, here comes a fun and compelling trip – and that’s trip in every sense of the word!

Gene Steen is an earnest, intelligent, truth-seeking teen stuck in a suburban cultural wasteland. He wants to be a hippie in the worst way, but hippies are scarce on the ground in the forlorn Midwest of Gene’s 15th year. Then, propitiously on the Summer Solstice, his life is turned upside down by the arrival of his lively, lovely, long-lost cousin Lucy. She’s hip beyond Gene’s wildest dreams and immediately takes him under her wing. Lucy teaches Gene that being a hippie isn’t about love beads and peace signs, but about the choices you make and the stands you take. Yet for all her airy insights into religion, philosophy and “the isness of it all,” Lucy harbors dark secrets – secrets that will soon put her on a desperate dash to Canada, with Gene by her side. Resonating of such classics as Summer of ’42 and Zen in the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Lucy in the Sky invites the reader into a richly detailed vision of the ‘60s, as realized by Vorhaus’s sure-handed prose and authentic sense of place and time. With frank talk about sex and drugs, LUCY IN THE SKY pulls no punches about the realities of the era, yet delivers an uplifting message about personal power and the path to enlightenment, a message that will linger long after the last page is turned.

John Vorhaus
is the author of five novels, including the acclaimed “sunshine noir” con artist novels The California Roll and The Albuquerque Turkey. His books on writing, The Comic Toolbox, Creativity Rules! and The Little Book of SITCOM, are considered bibles of the craft. A veteran international creative consultant, Vorhaus recently recruited and trained writers in Bulgaria for that country’s adaptation of Married…with Children. This true renaissance man is also an expert in poker, having written ten books on that subject, including (with Annie Duke) the smash best-seller Decide to Play Great Poker.
                                                                Amazon Author Page:

amazon.com/author/jv.

Audiobook Version:

spokenwordinc.com/lucyinthesky.

Twitter Feed: @TrueFactBarFact.

For more information please visit

johnvorhaus.com.

To schedule an interview or to arrange for a review copy,

please contact the author directly at jvx@vorza.com.


My review:
I thought this audio book story was a somewhat enjoyable listening experience. The plot of it was good and nice to listen to, it was a creative plot as well. The characters are good and the listener will actually care about them. Lucy and Gene (the main characters) were pretty great characters (I really loved Lucy and I think most other audio book listeners/readers of this book will love her too).  Also for anyone who is a history buff (like me) you will enjoy listening to the references of pop culture, events, and people in this audio book.

The narration of this audio book is ok. Its read by the author himself but his voice seems to stay the same tone the whole time which gets a little boring at times , his voice is somewhat animated but I think it could have been a little better but overall I would say I enjoyed the narration because it wasn’t terrible. The artwork of the audio book was ok as well but could have been better. So overall I think this was a pretty ok, groovy, and funny coming of age tale which is an enjoyable and worthwhile listen that I would recommend to all.

I would like to thank Audiobook soild gold reviewer program for letting me listen to and review this audiobook. I also would again like to thank John Vorhaus for his guess blog post.

The Reverends Wife

The Reverends Wife by Kimberla Roby Lawson
I didnt enjoy this book. I found it hard to finnish. I couldnt connect with the characters and I didnt think the plot was good. This is the second book I've read by this author (because its part of the Reverend Curtis Black series) and I have to say im not a fan and I would not recomend this book.

I would like to thank the people for Gallery for letting me read and review this book.