Book Review: Real by Shelley Malcolm

Real by Shelley Malcolm
Photographs by Terilee Dawn Ouimette

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Publish Date: December 16, 2010

Paperback, 156 pages 
Non-fiction
 ISBN: 978-1452056715

My Review:
Real is a great coffee-table type book.  It's one to just leave out and pick up and read a few pages from now and then and look at the beautiful and heartfelt pictures.  Yes they are just pictures of hands, but paired with the stories they become so much more than that.  They become the pictures and stories of people's hopes, dreams, love, search for balance, wisdom, acceptance and so much more. 

Search the table of contents and look for the topic that interests you that day and read a story or just randomly turn to a story and I doubt you will be disappointed.  Most of the stories I read really spoke to me.  I enjoyed the writing set against the pictures of the hands.  I felt this book was an interesting concept that was well-executed and I look forward to exploring more and more of this book in the weeks to come and I hope visitors to my house will also take the time to open and explore and find out what is between the covers of Real.  Maybe they will find the story that will speak to their heart on that day.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

                   

About Real and Shelley Malcolm:

“REAL” is a collection of 60 inspirational stories by Shelley Malcolm, with photos by Terilee Dawn Ouimette. The stories are deeply revealing, while the photos are anonymous, focusing only on each subject’s hands. Subjects range from adolescent to elderly, from former gangster to humble homeless, international refugee to hero-housewife, from pro athlete to Hollywood celebrity. While “Real” is her first published book, Malcolm is no stranger to creative projects, as co-owner and restorer of an historic chapel, La Perla del Mar in Shell Beach, CA, and a set designer for theater and film. Shelley Malcolm was named Pismo Beach’s Citizen of the Year in 2011 for her extensive contributions and involvement in the community. Proceeds from the book will benefit the Alzheimer’s Foundation and other charities. Shelley Malcolm graduated from University of Southern California with a degree in dental hygiene. For more information, please visit http://marthamartha.net or http://shelleymalcolmblog.wordpress.com/ Shelley Malcolm resides in Shell Beach, California with her husband, Doug. 

Shelley has four adult children. Her interests include painting , drawing, sculpting, building, playing piano and other musical instruments, outdoor activities including hiking, ocean kayaking, running, water and snow-skiing, international travel, sewing, reading, writing and others. Visit http://realthebook.blogspot.com/ for more information.

100% OF THE PROCEEDS OF THIS BOOK GO TO FUND SEVERAL CHARITIES.  HERE IS THE LINK TO THEIR SITE: http://realthebook.blogspot.com/.

The notecards they have available for purchase: http://marthamartha.net/shop/shopnotecards.html 

Link to buy the book: http://marthamartha.net/shop/shopbook.html

Link to the Tour Schedule





Real - The Book from David Malcolm on Vimeo.

Book Review: You Against Me by Jenny Downham

You Against Me by Jenny Downham

Publisher:David Fickling Books

Publish Date: July 7, 2011

Paperback, 413 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult
 ISBN: 978-1849920483

My Review:
I was captivated when I heard about this book so I grabbed it when it came available through Amazon Vine. 

First off, this deals with some tough subjects.  Mikey's sister claims she was assaulted by Ellie's brother.  Mikey is upset by this and as a man he doesn't know how to handle it.  His sister won't leave the house and it seems like the boy will end up getting off for the crime.  Mikey and his friend decided to take matters into their own hands one night and end up crashing Ellie's brother's welcome home party.  But then Mikey meets Ellie.  And there is where the book begins.

Ellie is trapped in a world she can't seem to get out of.  All of her house seems to revolve around her brother and then all of that comes crashing down when her brother is accused of assault and goes to jail.  Ellie feels imprisoned in her own life until she meets the gatecrasher at her brother's party and then she feels inspired to do things she never wanted to do before.

But it's a Romeo and Juliet type romance and it's doomed from the start, or is it?  There are so many complexities in this book and Ms. Downham works through them in amazing ways.  It took me a little bit to get into the book, but once I got use to the British terminology and the beginning of the story worked itself out, I was entranced and found myself unable to put the book down.  I needed to know what would happen to Mikey and Ellie and their families next.  Te book puts you through the ringer, but  in a good way.  It deals with heavy subjects, makes you think, but all the time makes you believe in love, or at least hope.

I like the hope of the novel, yes it's heavy, yes it's sad in parts, but there is hope throughout.  To me this is a must-read.  It's a great contemporary and I'm glad I read it.  Give it a try, it just might be the book you've been looking for.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Parental guidance: Some language and sexual references and some sex that takes place mostly off page.  This book deals with mature subjects, so I suggest it for ages 15+. 

About the Book:
If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do? When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another.

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
Jenny Downham (born 1964) is a British novelist and an ex-actor. She has published one book, Before I Die, the fictional account of the last few months of a sixteen-year-old girl who has been dying of leukemia for 4 years. The book is told in the first person. The book was acclaimed and was short-listed for the 2007 Guardian Award and the 2008 Lancashire Children's Book of the Year, nominated for the 2008 Carnegie Medal and the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize, and won the 2008 Branford Boase Award.

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FTC Information: I received this book from the Amazon Vine program for an honest review.  I do make money from purchases made at The Book Depository and B&N.com, but all money is used to fund giveaways and shipping for giveaways from the blog.

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. To see this weeks list of participants go here.

I've been lax over the last three weeks, so know that this is three weeks of Mailbox Monday.  Thanks to the great authors, publishers and publicists who sent me these books.

For Review:






Netgalley:





Wins:





What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Book Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Publisher: Harlequin

Publish Date: August 1, 2009

Paperback, 279 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal
 ISBN: 978-0373210039
Soul Screamers #1

My Review:
I didn't know what to expect when I started this series.  For some reason, I had not read much about the series, I knew there were lots of fans and I follow Rachel Vincent's blog, but I kind of skim it so I don't get spoilers (which she doesn't do, or she warns you if she does).  I guess if I read any reviews of this book it was back when it was released over two years ago so I just don't remember much and that was a good thing.  I really like going into a book with no expectations.

Wow - was I ever blown away.  The characters.  I love Kaylee and Nash.  Kaylee is so caring and so ordinary girl that you just can't help but love her, especially if you were the ordinary girl in high school (or are).  There is just something very relate-able about Kaylee to me.  So Ms. Vincent first sets her up as the ordinary girl just trying to get by living with her aunt, uncle and rather annoying cousin.  Then there is her rather extraordinary gift that Kaylee doesn't understand and has landed her in the psych ward before.  But that was before Nash came into the picture.  Wonderful, handsome Nash, who has some secrets of his own.  But I'll stop there, because you have to read the book.

So the characters are great.  I think Ms. Vincent does an extraordinary job setting them and the world up in this first book without getting too bogged down in the details.  She really makes everything flow together and keeps the interest level up at all times.  The plot is well done too.  It is well paced.  It kept me turning the pages, wondering what would happen next, what secret I would find out, who would die, who wouldn't, who would I meet next and what exactly were they.  The world and the plot are well crafted.  I love these books that are set in the normal world and have the parallel paranormal world (which is most paranormal books).  I like to see how authors work it out and make it work.  Ms. Vincent really makes it work in this first Soul Screamers novel and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second one.

An excellent first installment in a series I can't wait to read more of and I'm in luck since this series began over two years ago, I have a bunch of books to read, so expect more reviews on this series in the coming months.  And expect more gushing about Kaylee!


My Rating: 5.0/5.0

One cool thing - you can now buy the My Soul to Take and My Soul to Save, first two Soul Screamer novels together along with the first novella, My Soul to Lose, which I is the prequel and appears for it's first time in print in this omnibus.  So make sure you check it out at The Book Depository Link below.






Parental guidance: There are references to drinking and I think some language in the book, it's been over a week since I read it so I must admit my mind is fuzzy on the parental guidance part.  I know there are sexual references, but nothing graphic.  I would say 14+ for this one, which is what I say for most YA novels.  If you disagree or think I gave the wrong guidance on this one, please let me know because like I said I'm fuzzy on this one.

About the Book:
She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
A resident of San Antonio, Rachel Vincent has a BA in English and an overactive imagination, and consistently finds the latter to be more practical. She shares her workspace with two black cats (Kaci and Nyx) and her # 1 fan. Rachel is older than she looks-seriously-and younger than she feels, but remains convinced that for every day she spends writing, one more day will be added to her lifespan.

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FTC Information: I checked this book out from my wonderful local library.  I do make money from purchases made at The Book Depository and B&N.com, but all money is used to fund giveaways and shipping for giveaways from the blog.