Audiobook Review: Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Author: Kate Douglas Wiggin
Narrator: Ann Richardson
Release Date: 
8th December 2017
Genre: Classic, Children’s Fiction
Series: 

Length: 8 hours 11 minutes
Publisher: Post Hypnotic Press Inc.⎮2018
Blurb:
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm has delighted readers for over 100 years. Published in 1903, when girls were inevitably depicted as pretty, gentle and proper, Rebecca Rowena Randall burst onto the scene of children’s literature. Sent to live with her prim and proper Aunt Miranda, who is expecting her much more demure sister, Rebecca is a “bird of a very different feather”. She has “a small, plain face illuminated by a pair of eyes carrying such messages, such suggestions, such hints of sleeping power and insight, that one never tired of looking into their shining depths….” To her Aunt Miranda’s continual dismay, Rebecca is exuberant, irrepressible, and spirited – not at all “proper” or “demure”. She wins over her aunt soon enough, and the whole town, and thousands of readers and listeners everywhere.
In 1904, author Jack London wrote Kate Douglas Wiggin: “May I thank you for Rebecca?…. I would have quested the wide world over to make her mine, only I was born too long ago and she was born but yesterday…. Why could she not have been my daughter? Why couldn’t it have been I who bought the three hundred cakes of soap? Why, O, why?” And Mark Twain called Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm “beautiful and warm and satisfying”. This recording, narrated by Ann Richardson, whose sweet voice has a facility for accents and character voices, is a satisfying listening experience you’ll want to revisit. Upcoming from Post Hypnotic Press is a new annotated print/eBook edition of this book, with illustrations from the original publication and a new introduction, as well as a work-book f…

Review

★★★★

Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin and narrated by Ann Richardson is a beautiful audiobook that is a must read (must-listen?) for everyone.

It is a beautifully sweet book with a lovely young girly-girl character at its heart who will win your heart by the end of the first chapter itself. Unlike many other readers, I have not yet read Anne of the Green Gables (a reference I came across in many reviews for this book while deciding whether to accept this book for review or not) so I can’t offer any comparison, though what I can say is that this is a very thorough book full of moral lessons and hearty anecdotes of a time that is long gone and is always remembered. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book because of the colourful narration which was fun to listen to.

I’d recommend this audiobook to everyone who loves reading (or more specifically, who loves listening to audiobooks.)

This Review Is Also Posted On Audible and Goodreads


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Book Review: Wild Blue Yonder by Jack B. Rochester

Author: Jack B. Rochester
Release Date: 1st August 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series:
Edition: e-book
Pages: 306
Publisher:
Blurb:
“Nathaniel Hawthorne Flowers, eh?” said First Sergeant Wilford H. Buford. “That yer real name or one you picked up out there in fairyland Cally-forny?” “Wild Blue Yonder” is the coming-of-age story of Nathaniel Hawthorne Flowers, a smart but sheltered boy from suburban Chicago whose beloved father suddenly dies, resulting in his flunking out of college. It’s the 1960s, so he gets a draft notice but joins the Air Force to avoid going to Vietnam. Nate’s adventure takes off as he tries to understand the military mindset and the massive social disruption going on in America. His journey takes a Kafka-esque turn when he is sent to Germany to become a military newspaper correspondent whose stories will never see print. Existential, psychedelic, fun-filled and laced with the rock ‘n’ roll of the times, “Wild Blue Yonder” is the story of Nate finding his personal and spiritual values as he discovers the love of a girl and the meaning of family and friendships.

Review

★★★★★

Wild Blue Yonder by Jack B. Rochester is a beautifully written historical fiction book with such realistic characterization that it takes the book to a whole new level of awesomeness.

I truly enjoyed reading this book; it had great writing, really good characterization, very nice pacing and tension and the plot-progression was really, really good. And on top of all this, the story was not only realistic but also very emotional and deep, which made reading this book so worth it. I was pulled into the story right from the start and was in it for good till the very end. The conflicts felt real and the backdrop was fantastic. Overall, it is a very, very good book.

I’d recommend this book to the readers of historical fiction as well to those who are looking for a refreshing new dramatic story and won’t mind the backdrop of war.

this review is also posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Our Frail Disordered Lives by Mary M. Schmidt

Author: Mary M. Schmidt
Release Date: 1st June 2018
Genre: Horror-Comedy, Supernatural
Series:
Edition: e-book
Pages: 188
Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
Blurb:
Larry Kavanaugh is an ordinary kind of guy. He’s got a nagging wife and two kids, both annoyingly gifted. No matter what he does, there is no end to what his family needs. What’s a regular, everyday guy to do? Well, he cuts a few corners, obviously—one very big corner in particular. He sells his soul to the Devil. Maybe it’s not the actual Devil, but Larry is ready to make a deal with one of the Devil’s minions. He meets some demon whose name he can’t remember. Funny, it was right on the tip of his tongue, a name of something you step on. Roach the Demon has sort of good intentions. He just wants a re-write of Dante’s Inferno with himself as the star. Roach goes after Larry as a rogue operation. He needs to make a point to his boss, Satan, so he uses the body of a human to follow Larry around and stir up trouble. He offers Larry an airtight guarantee that nothing could possibly go wrong. After all, Larry doesn’t feel like he has much to lose—or does he? Even Roach might be in over his head this time.

Review

★★★

Our Frail Disordered Lives by Mary M. Schmidt is a unique story about a guy who sells his soul to the devil a demon in order to make his life better and what follows is a litany of situations one could do better to stay away from.

A very unique story with lots of drama and twists and turns to keep the readers entertained throughout the book. Overall speaking, I liked the idea of the book, the main concept that is, but felt that it needed more polishing in terms of the execution of that concept. The writing was okay but the characterization, for this kind of story, felt weak, and that was my biggest issue. The pacing was good and the plot progression okay, but I really felt that if I would have been able to connect with the main character, Larry, a bit more then the story would have meant even more to me.

Still, it proved to be a pretty quick and easy read. So if you’re looking for a fresh quick read then this might be for you if you’re okay with reading stories with not very relatable characters and care about the story more than characterization.

this review is also posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Caina by Joe Albanese

Author: Joe Albanese
Release Date: 5th July 2018
Genre: Crime Comedy
Series:
Edition: e-book
Pages: 124
Publisher: Mockingbird Lane Press
Blurb:
Twins tend to be closer than typical siblings. They often share a bond that is oftentimes unexplainable.*
For some reason that bond didn’t apply to Grant and Lee Tolan. Grant was always the responsible one. Lee, on the other hand, was always in trouble and in jail, self-destructing to the point the twins hadn’t seen or spoken in years.
In trouble with the Irish mob who wanted him sleeping with the fishes, finding Grant dead of an apparent suicide, Lee did the only thing that made sense. He switched identities.
Instead of making life easier, Lee is plunged into a world the Irish and Italian crime families, the Mexican cartel and the DEA. Pitting one against the other, Lee enlists the help of friends to save his own life. He will need a miracle.
But Grant’s secret is the biggest shock of all for Lee and he must re-evaluate his entire life.

Review

★★★★

Caina by Jow Albanese is a very entertaining crime comedy about a guy who knows only one thing – how to get in trouble.

It was a very interesting read. The narration was good because more than a book it felt like a movie running in the head.  The writing was solid, the characterization was decent and the plot was very exciting. The well-placed twists and turns kept the story engaging and the high action kept me entertained throughout the book.

The ending was really good and felt apt tot he entire plot build-up. The dialogues were good and made the book, again, feel like a film.

A very quick read in which the author’s sense of humour shone through quite well. Overall, this book is a complete action-comedy package and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining quick read.

this review is also posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Spencer’s Risk by Andy Greenhalgh

Author: Andy Greenhalgh
Release Date: 17th April 2018
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Dark Comedy
Series:
Edition: e-book
Pages: 185
Publisher:
Blurb:
SPENCER’S RISK is a dark comic novel. Burnt out and broke, university Drama lecturer Spencer Leyton is a compulsive gambler, estranged from his wife and children and driving his career over a cliff. His some-time friend Justin invites him to a high-stakes poker game. (‘Justin could sell snow to the Eskimos – literally. For some months he had sold cocaine to the Inuit community in Copenhagen’.) The game ends with Spencer owing £10,000 to Paula Malone, the head of a criminal gang.
At work, Spencer is sexually obsessed with a wealthy and glamourous student called Eva. She commits plagiarism,
an offence usually punished by expulsion, but bribes him with £3000 to keep quiet about it. Spencer has inside information about a football game, so he bets the £3000 on it, and that is when things really start to go wrong…
Eva demands the leading role in the College Showcase Production, with disastrous results. (‘Eva was not wearing the costume she had worn in the Dress Rehearsal. Eva was wearing a sporran. And very little else’)
Paula’s deadline runs out. It looks like curtains for Spencer Leyton…

Review

★★★★

Spencer’s Risk by Andy Greenhalgh is a delightful and enjoyable new contemporary read with lots of dark humour highlighted by sarcastic undertones.

It was a very enjoyable book and I had a good time reading it. The characterization was good which was a big plus given the entire story heavily depended on the main protagonist, Spencer. He was very believable and pretty relatable. Even though he landed up in extreme situations, I was able to relate to his worries and dilemmas and hence, was able to connect to him easily.

The writing was clean and good and the author’s clever sense of humour shone through the entire book nicely. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a light and refreshing contemporary book.

this review is also posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: The Business Launch Code: A Step By Step Guide To Starting Your Own Business by M. Salek

Author: M. Salek
Release Date: 19th July 2018
Genre: Non-Fiction, Businesses and Start-Ups
Series:
Edition: e-book
Pages: 274
Publisher: Polymath Publishing
Blurb:
Everything you need to know to start a business, step by step.
Starting a business doesn’t need to be hard, and it certainly doesn’t need to be confusing.
If you’ve ever considered starting a business (or in the process of starting one), then this is the book for you.
Inside the book, you will learn:
1. 10 mistakes new businesses make, and how NOT to fall prey to them
2. How to give your business an edge
3. The people you should talk to before starting your business
4. The qualities that are important to start and grow a successful business
5. How to test your ideas (this way you can find out if your idea has potential or not)
6. How to determine if your business idea can be profitable (& why you need to do this before you start)
7. How to find out if people will buy
8. The different ways to fund your business (including how to start a business with no money)
9. A quick, fun and effective way to plan your business (create a business plan in less than 15 minutes!)
10. Branding for a new business, and what you need to know
11. The crucial steps most new businesses miss
12. Why it is important to take care of the small things (& how these can significantly improve your business)
13. The 5 things you need in place to create a solid, sustainable business (you need these if you want to create a business that won’t disappear overnight)
14. The optimal structure for your business
15. How you can get great people on board (for free!)
16. The 3 main positions every business needs to fill
17. How to cut your initial business costs to nearly zero!
18. ‘Sensitivity Analysis’ – what it is and why you need to know about this (this can make or break a business)
19. A creative strategy for building partnerships (and how it can also help you cut costs & increase profits)
20. 9 proven tips for coming up with a great business name
21. How to create an effective business card (business cards don’t need to boring…!)
22. A quick list of the records you need to keep to stay out of trouble
23. A 5-minute checklist to help guide you start your business the right way
24. How to make your business finally happen
The Business Launch Code offers essential information, insights, and exercises on what it takes to create a successful business. Each step takes you closer towards creating your own business, while at the same time minimising the risks.
This book goes beyond conventional wisdom and combines standard procedures with the latest developments and updates so that you get an edge when starting your own business.
By following these steps, you will find the knowledge, insights, and confidence you need to finally start your business..

Review

★★★+1/2

The Business Launch Code by M. Salek is a very informative book on starting a new business which also gives helpful insights for established businesses.

Unlike many business books, this book had content that was surprisingly well-written. Many authors of business books concentrate only on the content they’re putting forward and pay little to no attention on the way they write it. They do pay attention to the way they present the content in the way of organisation, but the writing is heavily suffered in such books. So I was pleasantly surprised when I read this book as the ideas are not only put forth in an organized way, but also in a well-written manner.

This book was well-researched and was pretty helpful. The insight into the whole starting-a-new-business scenario in today’s world was very useful, something that I’m sure new entrepreneurs would really appreciate. What better way to start a new business knowing what are the main things that tend to go wrong in 90% of the cases?

It was an easy and interesting read, with well thought out chapters and the points made in each one of them. I liked how the facts, relevant examples and information were presented in an effectively simple way.

I recommend this book to people with new startups and even to the ones who already have established businesses as it is a quick read and also because extra knowledge never hurts.

this review is also posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: The Boxcar Baby by J.L. Mulvihill

Author: J.L. Mulvihill
Release Date: 12th July 2013
Genre: Steampunk, Dystopian, Young Adult
Series: Steel Roots Series (Book #1)
Edition: e-book
Pages: 274
Publisher: Seventh Star Press, LLC
Blurb:
The Box Car Baby introduces the character of AB’Gale Steel who was born in a boxcar on a train bound for Georgia, according to what her papa told her. Bishop Steel, a mechanical engineer for the Southern Railroad, found his adopted daughter snuggled in a basket of cotton on an otherwise empty boxcar in the train yard. When no one came around to claim the baby, Bishop Steel, rather than relinquish the child to the State only to end up at the Workhouse someday, smuggled her home to raise as his own. The name on the boxcar he found her in read, A B Gale Logs, and so he named the baby AB’Gale.
But if the mystery of who her real parents are isn’t enough for fifteen-year -old AB’Gale, Papa Bishop goes missing. Worried for her family and afraid of having to spend her life at the Workhouse, AB’Gale goes into town to see if anyone’s seen her papa, only to find a deeper mystery. At the train station no one seems to know who her papa is even though he’s worked for the Southern Railroad for thirty years.
An encounter with a strange Hobo-man, who claims to know her father, results in the acquisition of a leather eye-glass tube that he says belongs to her papa. Before AB’Gale can question him further the man runs away. When she gets home, she finds the Crushers taking her grandma off to the Oldies-home, so she hides until they are gone.
AB’Gale finds that the leather tube contains a map of the United States, with markers made by various towns across the country. By each marker is a word or a name written in her papa’s handwriting.
Alone, and with only the clues of the map to go by, AB’Gale has no choice but to set out on her own to find her Papa.

Review

★★

The Boxcar Baby by J.L. Mulvihill is a steampunk dystopian with a very interesting plot which unfortunately wasn’t executed well.

Considering the beautiful covers of all the three books in this series, I was expecting the book to be really good and polished, but unfortunately, it proved to be a bit of a disappointment. I have the entire series with me and I was really excited about it, but there is so much telling and not enough showing in this book that it gets difficult to read after a couple of pages itself. Plus, the story progression is way off than should be allowed in an edited book.

The writing was too simple and there was a lot of wandering. The characters felt flat and the overall connection was not established (though I was able to see the effort the author put into it, but it simply didn’t work.)

this review is also posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Watch Me by Jody Gehrman

Author: Jody Gehrman
Release Date: 23rd January 2018
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Suspense
Series:  
Edition: Physical
Pages: 308
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Blurb:
Kate Youngblood is disappearing. Muddling through her late 30s as a creative writing professor at Blackwood college, she’s dangerously close to never being noticed again. The follow-up novel to her successful debut tanked. Her husband left her for a woman ten years younger. She’s always been bright, beautiful, independent and a little wild, but now her glow is starting to vanish. She’s heading into an age where her eyes are less blue, her charm worn out, and soon no one will ever truly look at her, want to know her, again.
Except one.
Sam Grist is Kate’s most promising student. An unflinching writer with razor-sharp clarity who gravitates towards dark themes and twisted plots, his raw talent is something Kate wants to nurture into literary success. But he’s not there solely to be the best writer. He’s been watching her. Wanting her. Working his way to her for years.
As Sam slowly makes his way into Kate’s life, they enter a deadly web of dangerous lies and forbidden desire. But how far will his fixation go? And how far will she allow it?
A gripping novel exploring intense obsession and illicit attraction, Jody Gehrman introduces a world where what you desire most may be the most dangerous thing of all.

Review

★★★★

Watch Me by Jody Gehrman is a very enjoyable fast-paced psychological thriller with good characterization and a very intelligent story-line. This book reminded me a lot of a book I read a couple of years ago (I have totally forgotten what was the name of the book and the bestselling author duo, though I do remember it was a British book), this one was very similar to that. And most of the plot was kind of the same, but the ending was totally different and the creep in this book came across as a kind of well-meaning psycho (I’m sure it doesn’t make any sense, but you’ll get it once you’ve read the book.)

The story progression is what I really loved about this book along with the detailed exposition. The characters were good and believable enough and the pacing excellent. Though, in spite of all this, I feel that the ending was a bit abrupt and unclimatic. I mean, here I’m reading the book enjoying where the plot is going with high-intensity drama and the high stakes and as I turn the page the book ends with an anti-climactic turn of a page. Now that was a big turn off.

Still, I’d rate the book high as I loved every bit of it except for the last 2-3 pages. If you love thrillers and fast-paced stories about psychopaths and sociopaths then you must read this one!

this review is also posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Kaitlin’s Mooring by Carey V. Azzara

Author: Carey V. Azzara
Release Date: 3rd July 2018
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Family Drama, Romance
Series:  
Edition: E-book
Pages: 208
Publisher: Glass Spider Publishing
Blurb:
Nothing is more horrific than losing a child, nothing more joyous than the birth of one. When grief intertwines with joy, it throws the Deveau family into turmoil.

Pregnant twenty-year-old Kaitlin Deveau leaves Boston University in a hurry when Henry, her grandfather, calls from Maine with devastating news. Bereft of hope, Kaitlin’s son, Christopher, becomes a life preserver, keeping the family buoyant. Henry, now Chris’s only male role model, teaches him lessons he uses throughout life. In the end, Chris and his adopted sister, Susan, must save their parents from the fate that took his grandparents–but the outcome is uncertain.

Review

★★★★

Kaitlin’s Mooring by Carey V. Azzara is a beautiful story about relationships and family.

This book was surprisingly good and I savoured reading every minute of it. The overall story was a feast and the writing was pretty good and the characters strong and believable. The character’s inner conflicts seemed real and they complemented the carefully woven tale very well. The beginning was slow but built up steadily and the ending proved to be apt.

Except for a few minor pacing issues, I enjoyed the book thoroughly. I’d recommend it to all contemporary fiction readers and to those readers who want to explore new authors and books.

this review is also posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Author Spotlight: Carey V. Azzara

Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, we are featuring Ashraf Haggag, author of Legends Over Generations, for the Author Spotlight.

About The Author

Carey V. Azzara is no stranger to twists and turns, overcoming life challenges on route to obtaining two graduate degrees and establishing a successful career spanning public health and market research—all while raising a family and rescuing a few dogs. Azzara has published articles, reports, and books, writing for the joy of sharing his ideas and stories with his readers.

Also by Carey V. Azzara:

Azzara is the author of Kaitlin’s Mooring, a story that spans five generations of the Deveau family. He is also the author of The Lottery Curse and two collections of stories: Uncommon Heroes and Cars, plus the first and second editions of Halley’s Gift and Eight Other Extraordinary Tales. He also authored Heroes, Dogs, and Cars (out of print). He has authored short stories published in Storyacious and the anthology Swallowed by the Beast. In 2010, he wrote the book Questionnaire Design for Business Research, a technical text on marketing research practices.

Forthcoming works include a children’s book titled Ready or Not Here We Come and the novels Halley’s Gift: The Adventure Begins.

 you can connect with the author here
facebook | amazon | linkedin | goodreads

About The Book

Nothing is more horrific than losing a child, nothing more joyous than the birth of one. When grief intertwines with joy, it throws the Deveau family into turmoil.

Pregnant twenty-year-old Kaitlin Deveau leaves Boston University in a hurry when Henry, her grandfather, calls from Maine with devastating news. Bereft of hope, Kaitlin’s son, Christopher, becomes a life preserver, keeping the family buoyant. Henry, now Chris’s only male role model, teaches him lessons he uses throughout life. In the end, Chris and his adopted sister, Susan, must save their parents from the fate that took his grandparents–but the outcome is uncertain.

buy kaitlin’s mooring on
barnes & noble and amazon

If you are an author and wish to be featured as our guest or if you are a publicist and want to get your author/book featured on TRB, then please get in touch directly by e-mail at thereadingbud@gmail.com

Book Review: Super Me by Jessica Dazzo

Author: Jessica Dazzo
Release Date: 20th July 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal
Series: Super Series (Book #1)
Edition: E-book
Pages: 327
Publisher:
Blurb:
What does it mean when your mind goes rogue and starts making stuff up? For example, if you were to hear the radio talk to you—say your name and tell you to do something… that couldn’t be a good sign, right? Or when everyone keeps saying your ex-crush’s name in random conversation when you’re just really trying to get over the jerk because he’s actually terrible? Not good.
Seventeen-year-old Faye Aldright has never quite fit in, but when she starts hearing and seeing things all wrong, it makes life so much harder. Faye knows she’s the cause of all of the intense, awkward, and sometimes explosive misunderstandings with her mom, best friend, and the new boy who she definitely hates. She knows it’s all in her mind and that for some reason, it’s turned against her. It’s trying to ruin her life. She just has to figure out how to fight the crazy in order to get her life back on track–in order to find out what’s really going on in her little town, because something supernatural is definitely going on.
But how do you fight your mind? And what kind of person has their own mind as their nemesis?

Review

★★★★

Super Me by Jessica Dazzo is a refreshing new YA paranormal novel that is hard to put down once you get into the story.

Initially, it took me a while to get into the story, but once I was in, it was hard not to read and finish it off in one sitting. The story is complex, in a good way, and engaging. The writing is good and makes the book an easy and quick read. The characters believable and the setting fitting to the tone of the overall plotline. So, on the whole, it was a complete package and I enjoyed reading it. But what really set this book apart from the others in the genre is the emotional believability of the protagonist’s internal (as well as external) conflicts. I was able to connect with Faye and felt deeply for her. Other characters were also developed well and, hence, the ending proved to be emotionally exhausting yet rewarding at the same time.

If you’re into paranormal and supernatural fiction, then you must check out this book.

this review is also posted on goodreads and amazon