Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Book Review: Wicked Good by Joanne Lewis and Amy Lewis Faircloth



Wicked Good by Joanne Lewis and Amy Lewis Faircloth
Publisher: Telemachus Press, LLC
Publish Date: August 10, 2011
Paperback, 262 pages 
Fiction
 ISBN: 978-1935670988





My Review:
To use the terminology of the authors, this book moves "wicked" fast. :)

I was excited and scared to read this book. Excited because it sounded interesting and scared because it deals with mothering a special needs child.  I'm a mother and while I don't have a special needs child I sometimes find books like this hard to read because I feel such pain for the mother and the child both.  This isn't that kind of book.  Sure you sympathize for both Rory and Archer, but this is so much more.  This isn't a feel sorry for them book.  This explores Rory and Archer in a different way, at least I thought so.


From the first page I was sucked right into this story.  The story is about Archer, who is the mom of Rory, the son who is 15 with Aspergers Syndrome and Bipolar Disorder.  The book explores the roller coaster ride that is Archer and Rory's life as Rory starts a new school year with a bang (getting suspended) and starts hanging out with someone who his mom wishes he wouldn't hang out with.  From there, it goes up and down and you never know where the book will take you next.  Around the corner, to Gloucester, MA, to Salem, and back to Bangor, you just never know where Rory will be.  As I read into the late evening hours, I kept telling myself, one more chapter, until it got later and later.  I was hooked.  I had to know what would happen next.

I felt very connected with Archer.  She is very human and never sure she is doing the right thing with Rory and often wonders if she should just give up so she can have her own life because she definitely does not parenting Rory.  I love how as the story progressed, layer upon layer of Archer was unveiled and more was learned about her and Rory both.  At times I felt for Rory.  At times I wanted to hug him, at times I wanted to shake him.  It was interesting to see him through the book since I have never had any exposure to a child with Aspergers.  I also found Trish, Rory's friend, an interesting addition.

The story flowed well and had me invested by the first page.  This book is different, this book is great.  I loved it and just cannot say enough great things about the story of Archer and Rory.  It's well-plotted, the characters are real and well-done and the book comes to life as you read it.

You can buy the PDF through their website for $0.79 or an ebook through Amazon or B&N for $2.00.  The paperback is $9.95.  I would say this book is well worth the money.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0


About the Book:
Wicked Good is a different kind of love story. Rory is not defined by his diagnoses of Aspergers Syndrome and Bipolar Disorder and lives life to the fullest. Archer, his mother, is Rory’s biggest fan. We get a peek at the challenges they face as they are on their journey. Experience the unconditional love of a mother for her child and the many different ways Rory shows his love to those around him.

About the Author: 
It was a chilly day in Maine when Amy received the call from her sister, Joanne, “Wanna write a book together?” Amy said yes and the journey began.

Amy is the older sister who loves her 2 sons and nephew, dogs, volunteering at the Bangor Humane Society, running, hiking, snowshoeing, surfing the web, her brown poodle Teddy, Lola, writing, reading, cycling, going to bed early, spending time with her friends and family, being outdoors when it’s nice outside and indoors when it’s not, and editing Joanne’s writing. She is a pescatarian and a lawyer in Maine.

Joanne is the younger sister who loves her 3 nephews, her grey poodle Frisco, writing, hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking, cooking, traveling, Florence, Italy, anything to do with the Italian Renaissance, Michelangelo, spending time with her friends and family, and being edited by Amy. She a vegetarian and a lawyer in Florida.

Two sisters, both attorneys; as sisters, Amy and Joanne have learned to play to each others strengths—an important lesson for any co-authors.

Website
Blog

FTC Information: I received this book WOW Tours for an honest review.




Author This or That: Mike Mullin (Ashfall)

Author This or That – Mike Mullin

Fruit or Vegetables?

Fruit: Bing cherries, blueberries, and raspberries especially.

Sports car or Sedan?


My bicycle (I’m not very good at this game, am I?)

Color for car: red or black?

Green or blue (I’m really not good at this.)

Vampires or Werewolves?

Either, if they’re predatory carnivores. If they’re snuggly BFFs, you can keep them
both.  (Crystal:  I think I agree with you :) )

Football or Soccer?

Football to watch, soccer to play.

Pop Tarts or Cereal?

Bananas (Okay, now I’m just totally cheating.)

Out to Eat or Take Out?


Out to eat! (Although I’m a fabulous cook.)

Sunrise or Sunset?

Sunrise? What’s that? I think I saw one once many years ago.

Math or English?


Whichever one has a better teacher.

Dogs or Cats?


Cats (Don’t tell my wife. I love cats, but if she finds out we’ll wind up with 76 of

them.)

Toddlers or Teenagers?

Teenagers! They can talk well. And potty.

Facebook or Twitter?

Google+, if they ever get the bugs fixed. (Crystal:  I've been meaning to check this out and now I'll have to)

Flip Flops or Tennis Shoes (sneakers, running shoes, whatever you call them)?

Hiking boots or bare feet, unless I’m biking—then I wear tennis shoes. Or
canoeing, then I wear water sandals.


Bio

Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the
cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really hoping this writing thing works out.

Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife and her three cats. ASHFALL is his first novel.

About ASHFALL


Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don’t realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano. It has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years, and it will erupt again, changing the Earth forever.

Fifteen-year-old Alex is home alone when the supervolcano erupts. His town collapses into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence, forcing him to flee. He begins a harrowing trek in search of his parents and sister, who were visiting relatives 140 miles away.

Along the way, Alex struggles through a landscape transformed by more than a foot of ash. The disaster brings out the best and worst in people desperate for food, clean water, and shelter. When an escaped convict injures Alex, he searches for a sheltered place where he can wait—to heal or to die. Instead, he finds Darla. Together, they fight to achieve a nearly impossible goal: surviving the supervolcano.

Excerpt


The first two chapters are available on my website: www.mikemullinauthor.com.

Social Media Links

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Purchase Links

Autographed Copies
Indiebound
Amazon
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Please note: I have no affiliation with any of the purchase links.