The Slowest Book Ever -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

"We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out." 

~ Ray Bradbury ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

I don’t know if you receive message from the Universe each day in your email, but I do. Sometimes they are the perfect kick-in-the-pants I need. A perfect one I received recently was this: 

Until the really "great" stuff comes along, Rosi, do the not-so-great stuff. 

The not-so-great stuff always leads to the great stuff. Whereas doing nothing pretty much leads to nowhere. 

And do it with a passion. 

Tallyho, 

    The Universe

If you need a fun, inspirational message in your email each day, sign up by emailing the Universe at theuniverse@tut.com. Isn’t that perfect for a writer?

HERE is kind of a fun chart with 33 often misused phrases from Writer’s Digest. 

Kristen Lamb has a great guest post by Alex Limburg HERE on her blog that will help you to infuse your writing with body language to show your characters state of mind. 

I found a fun list of "28 Underused Words You Really Need to Start Using." Some of them (HERE) are humdingers. Enjoy!

Still having spacing problems. Please be patient. I'm trying to find a way to fix it.

Last week, I offered a gently-read ARC of Unbound by Ann E. Burg. The winner this week is Danielle Hammelef. Congratulations, Danielle! It pays to spread the word for extra chances in the drawing. I will get your book out to you this week. If you didn't win, keep reading. I have another giveaway this week.

I love books that cover superlatives -- the biggest, fastest, strongest, etc. When I saw The Slowest Book Ever by April Pulley Sayre on the list of books for review from the San Franscisco Book Review, I grabbed it right up. I'm glad I did. It is just so much fun. Here is the 5-star review I wrote for SFBR.

Everyone probably is familiar with the story of the tortoise and the hare. On reading the story, one is reminded that slow and steady is often a pretty good way to go and when reading this book, it definitely pays to slow down and savor all the wonderfully slow things presented. There are nine sections including nature, animals, plants, geology, stuff, and more. There are also “Two pages on which to rest your face as you ponder the slowness of the universe.” That alone give one a flavor of the book which is a bit irreverent and fun. 

Author April Pulley Sayre has explored the world far and wide to find the slowest

April Pulley Sayre

things to talk about — everything from the expected snail to the largely unexpected cow digestion and the weathering of tombstones and the incredibly slow growth of the Atlantic Ocean. Super fun illustrations, all in black, white, and various tones of orange, help tell the stories and keep young readers interested. Sayre includes a good glossary and index which sandwich a must-be-read end notes section. The writing in this terrific tome is superb — crisp, funny, and smart. Kids will love this one.

I kind of hate to give away my copy of this one, but at the same time I feel it deserves to be shared, so I have a gently-read hardback for one of you. To win, all you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower, and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each that you do.

Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.

Unbound -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“Much of writing might be described as mental pregnancy with 

successive difficult deliveries.” 

~ J.B. Priestley, author ~ 

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

The Group Blog has a good post HERE with great reminders about Active vs. Passive sentences. Making the change can help get rid of extra words. Just sayin’. 

Alex Limberg did a guest post HERE on Kristen Lamb’s blog all about world building. For those of you who write fantasy and scifi, this is a must read. 

I read a self-published book recently for review and the dialogue really stood out — and not in a good way. K. M. Weiland has an excellent post HERE about the very problem this author had. 

I'm still having spacing problems around imported pictures. I hope you don't find this too distracting. I can't figure out how to fix this.

Last week, I offered a gently-read hardcover copy of The Thing About Leftovers by C. C. Payne to one of you. The roll of the dice goes to Patricia Tilton this week. Congratulations, Patricia! I will get the book out to you this week. If you don't know her, Patricia is a children's book writer with a focus on children with special needs. You can read more about her and also read some of her wonderful book reviews on her blog HERE. Not the winner this week? Stay tuned. I have another terrific book to give away. 

I have been reading a lot of novels in verse in the last couple years. They are certainly becoming more popular and there are more of them. I must admit, sometimes I wonder if some are really written in verse or if they are just short novels with an interesting use of white space. This is not that. Unbound by Ann E. Burg is surprisingly lyrical considering it is told in first person from the viewpoint of a young slave girl with a strong dialect. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.

Grace is only nine years old, but when one is a slave – Age doesn’t matter. Being old enough to work is old enough, especially when one has an uncaring master and a mistress who is mean as a hungry gator and vengeful as a startled skunk. Grace is ripped from her mother and brothers and taken to serve in the big house. She really has to watch herself and never let her thoughts slip out between her lips; not an easy task for a smart and headstrong girl like Grace. When she slips up, she puts her mother and brothers in great danger, and they have no choice but to go on the run. The road to freedom is fraught with peril and worry. 

Author Ann E. Burg tells this compelling tale of a little-known trail into the Great

Ann E. Burg

Dismal Swamp where some runaway slaves found refuge and freedom still within the Deep South. And she tells this tale entirely in verse, using the deeply-accented voice of her uneducated, stubborn main character, nine-year-old Grace. It is a powerful story that stands as a testament to those brave souls who survived so much. Don’t miss this one.

I have a gently-read ARC for one of you. To win, all you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower, and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each that you do.

Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.