BOOK REVIEW: 42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

JoEllen’s parents divorced when she was very young, so she was used to splitting her time between them, shuttling four blocks from one Cincinnati apartment to another. But when her dad moved to the old family farm last year, her life was suddenly divided. Now on weekdays she’s a city girl, called Ellen, who hangs out with her friends, plays the sax, and loves old movies. And on weekends she’s a country girl, nicknamed Joey, who rides horseback with her cousin, Hayden, goes fishing, and listens to bluegrass. So where do her loyalties lie? Who is the real JoEllen? Linked free-verse poems, illustrated with a quirky array of found objects and mementos, create the vivid, realistic portrait of a young girl at a defining moment in her life.

The premise of '42 Miles' by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer was good.  The writing was actually very good.  The difficulty is with the way it was laid out.  It was very difficult to follow the story at times.  I think the attempt to mirror a book of poetry while remaining prose created a conflicting story line.  The way the pages jumped to different ideas while at other points tried to tell a chronological story left me feeling a little out of the loop.  The story and writing has amazing potential but fell flat of what the intentions were.
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About Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Tracie Vaughn Zimmer is an award-winning children’s author who graduated from The Ohio State University and attained her master’s degree at Miami. Currently, she teaches at her alma mater in the Lakota Local School District near Cincinnati, Ohio. Writing in a variety of genres from historical fiction and poetry to novels-in-verse, Tracie’s six books have received critical acclaim including starred reviews as well as the Schneider Family Book Award. In addition, Tracie has created hundreds of guides for children’s and young adult literature that are available for free on her blog. She has presented at NCTE, IRA and ALA as well as schools and conferences across the country inspiring teachers, librarians and students with her infectious passion for literacy.

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BOOK REVIEW: Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary seeking help ... and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence.

In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword-- to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have just changed ... or that their time has run out.

This is the beginning. One book. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend.  

First and foremost I am typically not a fan of Fantasy, I just needed to say that. I read 'Wizard's First Rule" on the very high recommendation of a friend. It does not read as a typical fantasy book at all.

I found the book extremely well written and was engaging to read. At times I struggled with the believably in the characters in the ways they interacted with each other. There were some information that I felt was too drawn out in story line and could have been revealed with less preamble and would not have effected the story line negatively. There were a few parts that I really wanted to just skim through and get on with the rest of the story. However, despite this, I really enjoyed the book and would read it again. And most definitely plan to read the following installments of the series.

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About Terry Goodkind

Terry Goodkind is an American writer. He is known for the epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth as well as the contemporary suspense novel The Law of Nines, which has ties to his fantasy series.

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BOOK REVIEW: PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

A wonderfully warm and heartfelt debut from a stunning new talent. Everyone needs a guardian angel! Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry. Childhood sweethearts, they could finish each other's sentences and even when they fought, they laughed. No one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other. Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry's death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms, Gerry comes back to her. He's left her a bundle of notes, one for each of the months after his death, gently guiding Holly into her new life without him, each note signed 'PS, I Love You'. As the notes are gradually opened, and as the year unfolds, Holly is both cheered up and challenged. The man who knows her better than anyone sets out to teach her that life goes on. With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing--and being braver than ever before. Life is for living, she realises--but it always helps if there's an angel watching over you.

OK, honestly I was torn between 4 and 5 stars on this one. I wish there were half stars! It was a really well written book that struck the right balance of emotion throughout but it was almost predictable emotion. It felt like another, more seamlessly integrated, version of the chick lit formula. I think the author did an excellent job of of weaving the story and the emotional roller coaster that Holly (or any other woman in similar situations) experienced after losing her husband at such a young age. ‘P.S. I Love You’ was, in my opinion, a well written account of true love that never dies. The books is also a testament to the meaning of true friendship. Friendships that deepen despite, and sometimes because of, tragedy. I think we all need to be reminded sometimes who are true friends are, whether our lives face tragedy or joy, or even the everyday mundane uneventful times in our lives.

 I will say I ended up going 5 stars for one main reason. I’m not an emotional reader. And this book shed a tear or two, for all the right reasons.

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About Cecilia Ahern
Cecelia Ahern is an Irish novelist whose work was first published in 2004. Cecelia Ahern was born and grew up in Dublin. She is now published in nearly fifty countries, and has sold over twenty-five million copies of her novels worldwide.

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Americana 8 Ounce Jar Candle

Independence Day inspired 100% custom blend soy candles.  Strawberries & Cream, French Vanilla, and Blueberry Muffin create a sweet blend of fragrances.  Coming soon to The Fizzy Pop Collection!