May's Hopes and Dreams

The last month of spring brings a hearty bloom of all things green, animals multiply and around my neck of the words, storms creep through during the afternoon. Not to be deterred, I have a lot planned for the month of May. So much to do, I have to keep lists near me at all times so I don't forget a single thing!

I'm sure everyone's heard the news or read the previous posts by now. In case you haven't, May is also the anniversary of this blog, Confessions of a Word Addict. Began as a hobby to keep a record of what I thought of each book I've read, I can safely say that it's turned into an amazing experience and has brought a lot of awesome, interesting and talented people into my life. It has also opened doors to genres of books that I may not have read otherwise. I'm happy and grateful to have this blog.

My writing hasn't been as frequent as I want. In fact, it's been on the back burner until last week when I began working on some things to "get back on the horse," so to speak. Because of some real life issues, much of what I wrote was dark and I didn't want to be in that mode all the time. I know I have to let myself pour all of it out before I can get back to work on NaNo2012 or anything else.

In the meantime, I have plenty of crocheting to do when I'm not reading. The Brown-Brooks Project is collecting granny squares to piece together and give to nursing home residents in our local area. Our main goal for this year is 500 squares. We're a little over halfway there with plenty of time until the end of the collection period in October. Then we'll be piecing together the afghans and hope to deliver them in early 2015.

The past year has definitely been filled with some pretty big highs and some really bad lows. I know that's how this thing called life works, but I wish it was a bit more even. Maybe for a little while so I might accomplish a few extra things on my various lists. However, I'm going to push through the low times to make the next year here a great one. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming along with me. It means a lot to me. Here's to another year at CoWA.

Until next,
Kay B

Hush (Lakeview #1) by Stacey R. Campbell

Release Date: January 23, 2013
Publisher: Green Darner Press
Series: The Lakeview series, Book 1

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.


Synopsis:
Blakely Henry was your average seventeen year-old and was beginning her senior year at Lakeview Academy. Despite a normal childhood, she knew one thing made her different from everyone. She was adopted with no information about her birth parents. When she accepted never knowing the truth about her past, a series of events brought truth from the shadows and threw her world into chaos.

Hoping to begin his journalism career with a bang, Max Ryder stumbled onto a big secret that only one other family member knew. He traveled halfway around the world to chase his story, not anticipating the complications that would arise in meeting the objection of his investigation. But when push came to shove, can either Blakely or Max handle the pressures of secrets? Can they outwit those who would do anything to keep such truths hidden forever?


Review:
Stepping out of my reading comfort zone, I saw this title on NetGalley and requested to read it. The story was definitely within the YA genre as it centered around a teenage girl and a core group of her school friends as they dealt with the usual teenage problems and coming-of-age issues. Woven into the mix of classes, friendship and young love were the adult themes of hidden secrets and their heavy consequences. The way in which author presented each element gave the story a nice mix of action, adventure and romance that did keep me turning the pages.

Many of the teenaged characters were pretty accurate reflections of modern teenagers, especially with the interactions between girls and boys as well as the use of texting. I found the usual types - the athletics, the bookworms, the social butterflies. They were mixed well throughout the story. Now, I must admit that there a few times when I thought that the teens were a bit too good to be true. I know there are some really good kids out there, but I didn't see the other end of the spectrum within the pages often. While I liked many of the characters, I felt as though some of the more adult characters weren't as realistic as the teens. Some of them appeared only to move the story along, sort of like a prop. It didn't hurt the story but it didn't help it much either.

As far as the pace of the story, I found it to be pretty constant. There was enough chemistry between many of the teen characters to keep it moving steady. When I reached the middle of the book, the momentum began to build as revelations were coming to the surface. That's when I felt the need to keep reading though I should have been in bed a few hours earlier! I did like the way that climax and resolution of the story was handled. I couldn't help but cheer when a few of the menacing characters (no spoilers!) are presented with their own consequences.

Truthfully, this was a typical coming-of-age, hidden princess story with a sweet bit of romance mixed into it. The romance wasn't blown out of proportion, nor did it cross lines that I would deem too adult for younger YA readers. In fact, I think that tweens and teens alike will find this story entertaining and worthwhile. Since it's the first in a series, I do wonder what the next one will cover given the events toward the end of the book. Looking for a modern take on the classic princess fairytale, then this is the book you need!

Hush (Lakeview #1) by Stacey R. Campbell is available at many online retailers in either paperback or Kindle formats. You can purchase a copy from Amazon by clicking the link below.
Hush (Lakeview #1) by Stacey R. Campbell

One Week Left!

Only a week left until the end of the first Anniversary Contest!

If you haven't already, you can comment at the bottom of this post or the original Anniversary Contest post to enter until May 15th. Let me know your favorite book (or books if you have more than one) as well as your name and email. You can also send me an email ( kaybrooks1977@gmail.com) to enter.

One winner will win a $25 (USD) Amazon giftcard. The name will be announced on May 16th!

So, don't forget to enter and spread the word to all your fellow word addicts!

Until next time,
Kay B

Currently Reading

What's that old saying about God laughing as we make plans? Well, I think maybe it's true since almost all my plans for the week fell through before my eyes. As much I as love this blog and will do my best to keep it going, family and those I consider family will come first. My family suffered a loss during the week, so all plans were modified.

Before the sad news came, I was able to get a fair bit of reading done. I'm currently in the middle of two books. Hopefully I will have those finished later this evening. A few new additions to the TBR pile were made over the past seven days as well. Never a shortage in that department, I can promise you that! A lot of the upcoming titles in the pile are ones that I've wanted to read for a while. I'm excited to finally be able to sit down with them.


During this week, I hope to read;
The Saeshell Book of Time, Part 1: The Death of Innocents (Children of Sophista #1) by Rusty Biesele
Jackfish Reborn by Rejean Giguere
Hush by Stacey R. Campbell
Bones of My Brother by L. Frank Dunkin 


Crossing these off my list;
The Terminals: Spark (The Terminals #1) by Michael F. Stewart


There's still time to enter the first Anniversary Contest here at CoWA. Simply enter a comment with your name, email address and your favorite book in the section below the post or you can email the information to me at  kaybrooks1977@gmail.com. A $25 (USD) Amazon giftcard is up for grabs, so enter now!

Until next time,
Kay B

The Terminals: Spark (The Terminals #1) by Michael F. Stewart

Release Date: April 15, 2014
Series: The Terminals, Book 1

Rating: 4 out 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Filled with guilt and shame for her act of cowardice, Lt. Col. Christine Kurzow decided to do the world a favor and end her life. She failed and found herself in the hospital. She was then visited by an underground agency, recruiting her to become a handler for a Terminal, someone who goes into the afterlife seeking information to help save countless lives in the living world.

Sending her first Terminal into the afterlife to find information on the abduction of eleven children by a ruthless dead serial killer wasn't going as well as she expected. More and more people are dying with her involvement as questions about the unit's commander began swirling in her mind. Will she be able to save the children in time? Will she find out the real reason she was recruited in the first place?

Review:
Another book that I requested to review from NetGalley, I was really wondering how the author was going to pull off the story without a lot of over-the-top antics. From the moment I began the book, it was clear that the author took the telling of this story seriously. I admit, I ended up liking this story a lot more than I initially thought I would. A great surprise, I really am looking forward to other books in the Terminal series as well as checking out some of the author's other works.

As I mentioned, the beginning chapter of the book got right into the action and why the main character, Christine, found herself in a hospital of sorts. Not all of her motives for her actions were made clear at the outset, but her thought process and beliefs were laid bare. It was easy to measure her feelings about herself from them. Despite her nearly constant desire to die, she was a complicated character with a sharp mind that interacted harshly with the other characters. I liked that not all of the other characters were staunchly good or bad. They each held secrets that made them the way they were and it made the story more interesting, in my opinion.

Under the guise of a secret unit which has to answer only to the top level, there were many avenues open for the story to explore. The characters were able to play fast and loose with the laws of the land as they went about their missions due to the freedom they were afforded by the secret status. Having the ability to move outside the law didn't always play in the unit's favor. In fact, on more than one occasion, it worked against them with tragic results and added more fuel to the fiery desire for death that Christine carried with her. Throw in some ghosts, different afterlives and a psychic and you got yourself a plate full of possibilities.

Speaking of the afterlives, I was impressed by the author's explanations of the different versions featured in the book and the exploration of each. I was able to understand many of the tenets of the different faiths he explored in the books without feeling as though the information was being dumbed down or important information was being left out. The visitations were often used to advance the story and they easily kept the story moving at a steady pace. With so many faiths to choose from, I believe the author has so many paths to walk down. The only question will be which one to explore next.

Despite my early worries, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a departure from other books that mixed the paranormal and serial killers in that it brought up so many things to think about. Whether it was a person's right to die, the weight of a soldier's death upon a commander's soul or the almost fanatical desire to ensure a lasting legacy, the author presented a definite thrill ride of a book. Looking for book with action, adventure, heart and soul, then this is the book for you!

The Terminals: Spark (The Terminals #1) by Michael F. Stewart is now available in Kindle format at various online retailers. Purchase your copy from Amazon by clicking the link below.
The Terminals: Spark (The Terminals #1) by Michael F. Stewart

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Release Date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Prenna spent the past five years trying to navigate the world of an American teenager after immigrating to the US at age twelve. She carried the burden of growing up as well as the burdens of her community - the rules, the obligations and the secrets. It wasn't just that Prenna was new to the US. She was new to her place in time.

Having come from a plague-ravaged future, she did her best to keep within the rules. Until she met Ethan, a time native with his own secrets. Prenna began to question everything she thought she knew and soon a new, heavier burden was given to her. She must stop her future from happening at all costs. Can she do what was asked of her? Will she ever understand where all the puzzle pieces fit?

Review:
Browsing through the offerings at NetGalley, the premise of this book caught my eye. The fact it was was both a time-traveling story and a YA book intrigued me. Stories about time travelers often fall victim to the "either like them or hate them" category. Because not everyone shares the exact outlooks, beliefs, etc., some readers find it hard to suspend enough belief in order to simply enjoy the story. Add the YA elements to that, and it may not go over well at all.
 
However, I think this story was able to pull off many of the elements that were attempted. While some of the information from Prenna's future seem far-fetched, I can see how the people within the story got to that point and how gradual that slippery slope led them there. It was hard to relate to Prenna in the beginning, but I feel that went along with the rigid rules under which her community lived in order to keep them and time natives safe. I'll admit that I had a couple of head-scratching moments when a few characters went completely against what I knew of them at the time. Some were later explained, while others were simply weren't.

The pace of the story did start out slow as the groundwork was laid. Once the basics were covered, the book gathered speed. In fact, it nearly reached a frantic pace as the emotional and mental health of a few characters neared their breaking points. The resolution was somewhat expected but written in such a way that the reader can see the hope in the characters. The fact that there are things left unexplained and a few doors still open lead me to believe there may be another visit with Prenna and friends.

Overall, it was a good book and I think it will work well within the YA genre. The Romeo/Juliet element as well the setting in modern times will help young readers to connect with it on many levels. Though there aren't many technical discussions about the time travel, the ones that appear aren't watered down completely. I felt the explanations were easy for the common person and yet not too easy. This actually made me want to keep turning the pages. If you're looking for a thrill ride into the future (and the past) and a bit of romance, pick up this book!

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares is currently available for purchase at many retailers in hardcover, Kindle or Audio CD. A link to the book's Amazon page is provided below.
The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Anniversary Contest #1

It's now May and you know what that means!

It's the one year anniversary of CoWA!

To celebrate this awesome occasion, I will be holding two contests this month. The prize for each contest will be a $25 (USD) gift certificate from Amazon. The first contest will run from today (May 1st) until May 15th and the will be announced on May 16th. The second will start on May 16th and run to May 31st. The winner will be announced on June 1st.

In order to participate, simply leave a comment below and tell me your favorite book (or books if you're like me and can't decide on just one). Be sure to include an email address for prize notification. One entry per email address, please. Winners will be randomly selected on the above dates. Only one winner per contest in a six month period.

So, let's get to it! Happy entering!

Until next time,
Kay B