Lynnette's Book World

#Libraries: March Medal Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 18:55:00 +0000

Trick Question: A Hard-Boiled New Orleans Legal Thriller

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 17:43:00 +0000

Free on Kindle NOW!

Alright, I admit it, I was curious. What's a "hard-boiled" legal thriller? I mean by definition 'hard-boiled' suggests a tough detective story. So what has hard-boiled got to do with legal thrillers?

Well, I found that Tony Dunbar conveyed this new-to-me sub-genre in a very entertaining and compelling manner and now it has become a new favorite.

It starts out with discovery of a thoroughly frozen body by the janitor of a medical lab. When he opens the door to the freezer the body tumbles out and the head rolls across the floor!

Tubby Dubonnet of New Orleans finds himself defending the janitor on murder charges with only a week to prepare. Tubby calls in the troops for the discovery and finds all manner of surprising facts about Cletus (the janitor-voodoo practitioner), the victim and a slew of hidden suspects.

"Dunbar’s understated, syncopated delivery makes you wonder if there are enough honest men in New Orleans for a rubber of bridge" -Kirkus

What're the benefits of school libraries?

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 17:16:00 +0000

Post by I Love Libraries.

Every Common Sight by Tim Madigan - #HistoricalFiction

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 21:07:00 +0000

Every Common Sight: a novel by Tim Madigan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Historical fiction is one of my favorites and this one definitely fit the bill. It even included a bit of suspense. Tim Madigan has gifted us with a well
written story of two people with long held secrets who find each other and the freedom of release.

View all my reviews

How Libraries Help Kids Stand Up to Bullying

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 15:30:00 +0000

Reprinted courtesy of: American Libraries Magazine

By: Beverly Goldberg

Several years ago, a teenage girl approached Kara Watson, librarian at the Carrboro (N.C.) High School for help: Some of her fellow students had added inappropriate remarks to the girl’s unsecured Facebook account during study hall. Watson printed all the evidence, had the girl delete the offending remarks, and reported the incident to the principal.

Before study hall was over, the principal was dealing with the perpetrators.

“We handled it all immediately,” Watson tells American Libraries. “That’s a key role of what librarians can do in schools to be a force against bullying. If the students know you’re there, and that you’re an advocate for them, they’ll come to you.”

According to statistics from the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, one in seven students in K–12 is either a bully or a victim of a bully, and 15% of all school absenteeism is directly related to fears of being bullied at school.

As a safe haven, it seems only natural that school and public libraries embrace the burgeoning anti-bullying movement that has been sweeping the nation for the past few years in reaction to high-profile stories of young people feeling so harassed and hopeless that they have dropped out of school or committed suicide.

“You need to be a very consistent force in students’ lives,” Watson says. Her philosophy is to be friendly and approachable so students see her as a trustworthy adult to turn to if they are being bullied or witness such behavior. She says she rejects limiting her role to being “that stereotypical librarian who’s shushing and laying down the rules.”

According to the 2011 edition of School Libraries Count! a national longitudinal survey by ALA’s American Association of School Libraries of school library programs across the nation, 70% of 4,887 librarian respondents indicated they tackle the topics of cyberbullying, harassment, and stalking behavior at school. The survey reveals just how prevalent the problem is in many schools.

“When we were kids, if someone was picking on you at school, you went home and that was your reprieve,” says Watson. “But now it’s just persistent. Kids can text each other all the time.” She says she teaches students how to block unwanted texts and how to configure Facebook for maximum privacy in order to control their social media environment.

“School librarians can play an active role in helping each child become a responsible and caring cybercitizen, ready to take action against the bullies online,” wrote Kathy Fredrick, director of libraries and instructional technology at Shaker Heights (Ohio) City Schools, in the September/October 2013 School Library Monthly.

For Watson, that means starting with freshman library orientation. She introduces herself, learns everyone’s names, and begins to teach the concept that “digital life is life.” She follows up with a unit in 9th-grade health class in which she recounts local cyberbullying incidents from the news, such as the case of a teen in an adjourning county who was harassed in a sexting incident.

For 11th-graders, Watson revisits the don’ts of cyberbullying, coordinating her talk with college application season—a time when students’ online reputations take on additional gravitas.

Click here to read entire article: Public library involvement

I Recommend An Untamed Land by Lauraine Snelling #BookReview

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 18:30:00 +0000

An Untamed Land by Lauraine Snelling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lauraine Snelling's An Untamed Land and the Bjorklund family drew me in and I found myself turning out the light just before dawn...I couldn't put the account of their journey to and life in a new land down.

Brothers Roald and Carl land in New York in 1880 with their families and a dream to forge a farmstead out of the wilderness. The proud Norwegian immigrants are determined to find a new life in the Dakota Territory but will they be able to win against the forces of the vast prairie?

View all my reviews from Goodreads

4 Out of 5 Stars to Helen Bryan's War Brides

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 15:05:00 +0000

War Brides by Helen Bryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

They've escaped the blitz but what about the shortages and the challenges of a small village? You'll feel the joys and sorrows of these young women as they join forces to survive war time English village life and then reunite 50 years later in the same village.

View all my reviews

Why Not Read Instead of Just Texting? Cell-phone Book Clubs Are Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 16:18:00 +0000

HOW TO START A CELL PHONE BOOK CLUB—FOR YOUR LIBRARY, SCHOOL, NEIGHBORHOOD, WORKPLACE OR OTHER PURPOSES

I love the Little Free Library movement where neighbors put up wooden boxes full of paper books to share.

Now here’s another grassroots possibility—cell phone book clubs that you could start for your public library, school, neighborhood, workplace, traditional book club, place of worship, sports team or other purposes.

What’s a cell phone book club, minus any extras?

It’s just a way for phone owners with shared passions to work out the technical details, discover and enjoy books on their phones, discuss the books together, and perhaps get guidance from librarians or teachers (earlier thoughts here).

In fact, libraries could launch full-strength cell phone book clubs (complete with videocasts through Google+ hangouts), described here in detail.

LibraryCity has also mentioned the club-related possibilities for schools, where students so often learn better together.

But why not informal, do-it-yourself cell phone book clubs as well? The tips below even include advice for people without cell phones right now, or the usual WiFi connections. Book-capable phones running the Android operating system can sell for less than $20 without shipping.

A way to expand reading choices, not replace neighbor-to-neighbor book swaps

Cell phone book clubs are not substitutes for the charms of Little Free Libraries or other book swaps, just tools to multiply the number of reading choices.

Scads of free books are online for the entire world to enjoy, and library e-books are now available in most U.S. communities. Not to mention the ever-expanding collections of Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and the like.

“Besides,” I’m fond of asking, “what are you most likely to carry with you, almost always?” Yes, a cell phone—just like your keys and your purse or wallet.

The cell phone book club idea is timely right now. Salon has even published an article titled “War and Peace” on the subway: How your iPhone is saving literature. A headline writer can dream, right? Still, the potential is there in less dramatic form. Most U.S. teenagers own smartphones, capable of displaying e-books. And phone screens keep getting bigger and sharper. Apple is expected to introduce a phone with a 5.5-inch screen, and companies like Samsung sell six-inch models.

Double- or triple-click on the photo to the right, of the screen of a Blu Life Pure phone. If you’re viewing this with the right software and hardware, you’ll appreciate how sharp the words can look on a modern cell phone screen.

Why not start a cell-phone book club?

The nuts and bolts: 10 steps

What do they call R.L. Stines's Goosebumps series in France? (Hint: Read #6) #AuthorInterview

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 19:20:00 +0000

Post by Lynnette's Book World.

A Dead Red Alibi by R.P. Dahlke #BookReview

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 16:00:00 +0000

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Even now that Lalla has decided has decided to start a new phase of her life after being a model and a crop duster there's still fun to be had.

Her father has sold the crop dusting business, she's walked on her wedding and they've both taken off for Arizona to decide what now. But when her Dad disappears and is found in an abandoned mining pit the mischief and mayhem has begun.

You'll enjoy the non-stop action, twists and turns and quirky characters they find in Wishbone, AZ...oh did I mention that one of the quirky characters that show up is Lalla's cousin Pearlie who fancies herself an investigator (which, by the way, comes in handy when there are murders to be solved).

View all my reviews

Do You Track Your Reading?

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:02:00 +0000

Post by Lynnette's Book World.

What Imagination! You've Got to See This #BookTrailer!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 20:04:00 +0000

I'm a book blogger/reviewer. I've read a lot of books -- childrens' books, YA, mysteries, historical fiction, and more -- and I've watched thousands of book trailers. I've got to say this is one of my favorites.

"I am what they call a "jack of all trades but a master of none." ...Read Heidi's Bio or order one of her books at http://heidipeltier.wix.com/squalo

I just finished a trip backward in time to the Korean War. #BookReview

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 20:30:00 +0000

I just finished a trip backward in time to the Korean War. What a harrowing experience!

The bravery and compassion that was detailed in Hope in Hungnam certainly was never hinted at in my history classes...in fact the Korean War was just glossed over!

I was just a small child when my Uncle was sent to the Korean War and it wasn't until I met my husband, who was part of the peace time troops in Korea during the mid 1960s, that I really became aware that there were many stories to be read and heard coming out of that time.

Mr. Watts has created strong well-developed characters to relate his story of people trying to remain human in an inhumane situation. He even chronicled their individual struggles with heart. and was able to actually make me feel the frigid temperatures and wonder at the power of hope and the see strength we all have inside of us.

28 Beautiful Quotes About Libraries

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 20:18:00 +0000

28 Beautiful Quotes About Libraries http://t.co/qiDuLqj8aM pic.twitter.com/ZIJsxQBLt6
— NY Public Library (@nypl) September 2, 2014

Before TV, Video Games and the Internet what did kids do? They Used to Read!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 21:00:00 +0000

Perhaps Roald Dahl changed his mind when his stories were dramatized for TV but do your kids know what they're missing?

Everyone should find out about the fun to be found at the library!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 19:35:00 +0000

Post by I Love Libraries.

Have you read John Grisham's juvenile lawyer series? #Review #BookTrailer

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 21:20:00 +0000

I have long enjoyed John Grisham's legal thrillers from the adult section of the library so I wondered how his juvenile series, Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer, measured up.

It turns out that I'd suggest Theodore to any middle grade reader with a desire to help out a friend. Although Theodore does have an interest in courthouse procedures and happenings he's more interested in solving problems and seeing justice done and sometimes that means a little finagling.

Of course, things are always done legally. (That's a given when you come from a family of lawyers.) That said, Mr. Grisham definitely doesn't use this series as an excuse to cheat the reader on plot detail, developments or twists. It is very much a tribute to his talents and his respect for his readers.

Authors are Voracious Readers!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 19:42:00 +0000

What Authors Are Reading This Summer (Source: BookRiot.Com)

BY EMILY GATLIN

AUG 28, 2014

This summer has been jam-packed full of fantastic new books by some pretty awesome writers that are relatively new on the scene. I have enjoyed getting to know them through their work, and just when I think I find a book that can’t be topped, BAM. My mind blows again. With my TBR piles (yes, plural) growing exponentially by the hour, I wasn’t sure what to pick up next and needed guidance. There is such a thing as too many choices.

What’s the best way to find your next great read? Ask some authors of books you’ve loved what they’ve been loving. LOGIC. Y’all, get your Muppet arms ready for some serious Wocka Wocka Wocka! I could slap some peanut butter on a book and eat it for breakfast, so I’m all about acquiring a few more. (Completely unrelated note: is there such a thing as “book rehab?”)

Katy Simpson Smith, The Story of Land and Sea(Harper, August 26)

Right now I’m about fifty pages into Smith Henderson’sFourth of July Creek — the language keeps slowing me down because of its sheer awesomeness. Everything is so unusually precise, and it’s dark and funny in just the same ratio that real life is. (Okay, maybe it’s a little darker.) The books I’ve read in the past month that I’ve really loved: Edward P. Jones’s Lost in the City, a collection of D.C. stories where the characters walked right off the page and made me cry; Nikky Finney’s Head Off & Split, a book of beautiful poems that are political in the most immediate and non-didactic way; Joan Didion’s The White Album, a classic essay collection I just got around to; and Anne Carson’s Red Doc>, which is less poetry than it is a trip into someone else’s perfectly phrased hallucination. I loved it. The book I’m most looking forward to reading this fall is Matthew Thomas’s We Are Not Ourselves, the Irish-American epic that sounds like one of the rare books that deserves its length.

Catherine Lacey, Nobody is Ever Missing (FSG Originals)

There's more...click here to keep reading!

Suspenseful and Quirky British Short Story You've Just Got to Read!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 17:00:00 +0000

Just finished Three Sisters--Read my 4Star Review on Amazon http://t.co/nFB5UC7FMe #fridayreads #FF @bookreviewbyrea pic.twitter.com/3gOgPw82cy
— Lynnette Phillips (@LynnettesBooks) August 1, 2014

Looking for a great Legal Thriller? (I gave it 4+ Stars)

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 19:07:00 +0000

Review: Irreparable Harm http://t.co/3qMQn3DwXv #legalthriller #mondayblogs @SymposiaBooks pic.twitter.com/eAau92J19v
— Lynnette Phillips (@LynnettesBooks) August 5, 2014

5 True Literary One-Hit Wonders

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 16:00:00 +0000

Source: The Huffington Post | By Claire Fallon

(Excerpt - Read the Entire Article)

There are a few notable, true one-hit wonders of the literary world, however. These books were the sole major literary output of their authors, despite the genius shown within their pages and the warm receptions they were given by audiences:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë, like many one-hitters, qualifies for a tragic reason: an early death. Brontë was 30 years old when she caught a cold during the funeral of her brother, Branwell. Her health rapidly deteriorated, and she died three months later. By that time, aside from a smattering of juvenilia and poetry, Brontë’s brilliant writing talent had only produced one great work:Wuthering Heights, which was published only a year before her death. Though it had garnered shocked and disgusted reactions from her contemporaries, the grotesque imagery and raw passion of the book has since contributed to its long life as a literary classic.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Though Sewell lived a life surrounded by letters -- her mother wrote children’s books, which Sewell sometimes helped edit -- her one book arose from a specific passion rather than a general writerly impulse. Disabled throughout most of her life following an injury as a young girl, Sewell frequently drove a horse-drawn carriage to retain her mobility as she was increasingly unable to walk. She felt a deep affinity with horses and believed they should be treated more gently, and she wrote Black Beauty in the last years of her life in the hopes of fostering greater sympathy for horses among those who worked with them. Sewell died not long after the publication of the book, which became a sensation and is even credited with improving conditions for working horses in Britain.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Mitchell spent several years working on Gone With the Wind, initially to pass the time while she recovered from an injury. The book was a smash hit and a critical success, but Mitchell did not continue to write; she took a break from literary pursuits and spent World War II volunteering. In 1949, when Mitchell was just 48, she was struck by a car and killed while crossing a street in Atlanta. Though some of Mitchell’s earlier writings, including a novella and some short stories, were published posthumously, no other significant work of hers has surfaced.

Read the Entire Article - Included are bytes on Harper Lee and Jack Kerouac, Ralph Ellison and Ross Lockridge

What’s Your Favorite Out-of-Print Book?

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 18:29:00 +0000

Post by I Love Libraries.

Public Libraries Offer Digital Technology #Infographic

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 19:01:00 +0000

Embed this Graphic on your site:

Today We Chat with International Fantasy Author Brigitte Stotzka

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 16:00:00 +0000

Hi Bigi, It’s wonderful to learn more about you and your writing. I’m so glad we are getting this chance to talk!

According to your Amazon Author’s Page, you were born in Germany and grew up in Australia. With a German background I would guess that you were exposed to a rich world of legend, storytelling and fantasy only to have your world enriched by your time in Australia and their traditions. Is this why you were inspired to write fantasy fiction?

I was four years old when my parents migrated to Australia. I have a brother who is one year younger. I don´t remember anything about the journey there but it was on a ship, I think it was called Castel Felice. We went through the Suez Canal and my mother told me that she could see soldiers on both sides. I don´t know, I can´t remember. Pity. My mother tells me once they left us alone in the cabin while they went on deck but when they came back, we had a little surprise for them. We, my brother and I, had redecorated the cabin. I won´t say with what though. J

My first German book was sent to me by my grandmother, it was Grimms Fairy Tales. I loved it, even if I couldn´t read it at first I treasured it. I have always had a vivid imagination. I used to love writing stories at school, just short stories. Once, when I was fourteen, it was that time of year where exams where being taken. It was in Tasmania, Queenstown and a great number of kids were sitting in the assembly hall at their desks. Between exams we were told to learn but I decided that was way too boring. I wrote pages and pages, a story of a young girl from space, she more or less crash landed on earth, in Australia. She had a terrible weakness; she could not stand the heat. I even managed to complete it and one of the teachers said I should give it to my English teacher, it might have helped with my grades but I said no…….and the story vanished.

I spent many a sleepless night because my brain just did not want to close down. I read a lot, a real bookworm and still am. Only now, I write my own books and I still have sleepless nights. J

The aboriginal culture is fascinating, maybe one of these days I will write a book situated in Australia using this fascinating culture.

· Where do you find your inspiration for new tales?

Where do I find my inspiration? Everywhere, anywhere….dreams, books, films……..my fantasy just doesn´t know when to stop. JI sometimes spend hours on end trying to sleep but to no avail. When I was little, instead of sleeping I would make up stories in my head, pretend to be a part of a TV series, or just make up something. Fantasy and science fiction were and still are my favourite Genres. At school, at one of the many I visited, I joined a book club. I am an avid reader, was and still am.

· When did you start writing and sharing your storytelling talents?

Actually, I started writing at school. But the idea of writing books never crossed my mind. About eight or nine years ago, I decided to sit down and try to write a book. I had just written about a page or so when a thought struck me. Who was I to want to do such a thing? How was that possible, to write about someone, their thoughts, feelings? No, not me. So I turned off my words program. A few days later I opened my words again and this time, I stuck to it. My first book was written, The Road to Askabet.

· You have several more books on Amazon’s German site than on the US site. Are your books being translated to English?

No I don´t, I wanted to but my German is not that good. And I don´t know anyone who would do it for me.

· Would you tempt us with a synopsis of your latest book; is that Die Sturmbringer?

“Die Sturmbringer” The Storm Bringers. Rianna Angersforth is a doctor. She works in a hospice for the terminally ill, but only does nightshift. She is a young woman with dreams of her own. She receives a letter from a lawyer asking her to come to America, to New York to be exact. Ticket is included in the letter. She flies.

To her surprise, she finds out an aunt of hers has died and left her a huge sum of money and an island. She can hardly believe her luck. Rianna flies out to this island to find she is the only one, other than a couple of servants, living on this island.

One night, someone breaks into the house but is disturbed by Rianna. She asks her housekeeper to call the police but for some reason, she doesn´t. She confronts her housekeeper with this but she doesn´t get an answer. The next morning, the housekeeper and her husband, the gardener have left the island leaving Rianna on her own. Rianna calls the police but they cannot come immediately so she decides to explore the island to get to know it better. She comes to a wonderful beach at the foot of a cliff. Here she finds a bunch of caves so she begins to explore them. In one of these caves she has a bad accident.

Rianna wakes up, healthy and unharmed on the beach. She hears voices and is surprised to see her best friend has arrived early with the young man she met in Germany and who is also the owner of a small restaurant on a neighbouring island.

Suddenly, that night, they find themselves in danger as a tidal wave threatens them. They find refuge in one of the caves. They wander through these caves trying to find a way out. They eventually find a great underground lake which luckily is not too deep so they wade threw it until they are forced by something in the water to reach dry land. They find themselves in a totally different place. And it is not an island anymore.

There are two people that live here, one of these people are the Storm Bringers?

· As a final question I like to ask interviewees to make a ‘list of 5 things’. (They’re different for each author.) Would you share 5 of your favorite things with us? [For Example, do you have a favorite writing pen you favor?]

Five of my favourite things.

I probably have tons of favourite things, my cup of coffee in the morning, my tea at night, the smell of fresh grass after mowing, the smell of the air after it has rained on a hot day. My cats as they try to enter my room when I am trying to sleep, my most favourite of all is my granddaughter when she wants to cuddle or when she wakes up in the middle of the night and wants to play Mario. When my father calls over Skype and mum is sitting next to him and we talk for almost an hour.

Wow, we've just touched the surface! I've now got so much more I'd like to talk about; for example, has your granddaughter inspired any stories--do you make any up to tell her at bedtime?

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today, Bigi.

You can connect with Brigitte Stotzka on Twitter at @Mondfee1 and Facebook

10 Most Read Books In The World (Infographic)

noreply@blogger.com (Lynnette Phillips) — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 15:00:00 +0000

Top 10 most read books in the world over the past 50 years.
See more at: http://visual.ly/top-10-most-read-books-world#sthash.XWTn8O7l.dpuf

by Jared.