Tag Archive | conflict

Sherlock Holmes… and his sister? Most mysterious audiobooks!

Jul17

The great sleuth himself and his younger sister Enola (what? You thought that Mycroft was Sherlock Holmes’ only sibling?) are featured in this week’s pair of audiobooks, free for you to download so you can read with your ears!

Click on each title to open the SYNC download site in a new window. Snatch up either or both of this mysterious cases from today (July 17) through Wednesday; you have free use of them as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device.

So hurry now, the game is afoot!

CD cover of Case of the Cryptic Crinoline By Nancy Springer Read by Katherine Kellgren Published by Recorded BooksThe Case of the Cryptic Crinoline
By Nancy Springer
Read by Katherine Kellgren
Published by Recorded Books

When her much-beloved landlady is kidnapped, Enola Holmes (yes, Sherlock’s sister) is on the case.

 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes IICD cover of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes II By Arthur Conan Doyle Read by David Timson Published by Naxos AudioBooks
By Arthur Conan Doyle
Read by David Timson
Published by Naxos AudioBooks

A missing racehorse, masked royalty visiting 221B Baker Street, and two other famous cases, as reported by faithful friend Dr. Watson: The Engineer’s Thumb,  The Silver Band,  A Scandal in Bohemia,  and The Five Orange Pips.

What’s your favorite Holmes’ case>
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Shadow Hero, by Gene Luen Yang & Sonny Liew (book review) – Asian superhero against crime!

Jul15

book cover of The Shadow Hero by Gene Yuen Lang and Sonny Liew published by First Second BooksIn Chinatown’s dark alleys,
the ruthless tongs demand payment,
but the Green Turtle arises to protect the innocent!

Happy book birthday to The Shadow Hero, as the origins of the first Asian-American superhero are revealed!

I love this new joint effort of graphic novelists Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew – light-hearted, but underpinned with the historical accuracy which won Gene so many awards for his paired graphic novels of a pivotal time in Chinese history, Boxers and Saints (my review here) .

Get a quick look at its vintage look and action here:

The Green Turtle’s adventures continue in this short sequence published on the Tor website, too.

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Book info:  The Shadow Hero / Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew. First Second Books, 2014.  [Gene’s site]  [Sonny’s site]   [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: As a child of Chinese immigrants, Hank expected to follow family tradition, but his mother demands that he become a superhero!

When The Anchor of Justice rescues his mother from a bank robber, she won’t be satisfied until Hank reinvents himself as a superhero, instead of being a grocer like his father.

Hank discovers that intense training and a new costume certainly don’t guarantee superhero success when his attempt to save a young lady from thugs merely earns him a beating and the crime boss’s daughter rescues herself.

Fighting against the tong’s extortion has a high price for Hank’s family, yet he vows to continue, aided by the ancient Tortoise spirit from his parents’ homeland.

As the Green Turtle, Hank battles his way into the tong’s headquarters with the Tortoise spirit’s guidance. Yet the challenges he finds there would tax any superhero’s skill and resolve.

“Sometimes a fight you cannot win is still worth fighting,” counsels the spirit of the Tortoise, and Hank is in this fight until the end.

Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew transform an old comic book into this great graphic novel about the first Asian-American superhero.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Royally Lost, by Angie Stanton (book review) – her prince is here…on a motorcycle?

Jul12

book cover of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton published by Harper TeenThey’re escaping parents and routines
didn’t know they’d find each other,
the prince and the American girl –
can they bear to lose each other so soon?

Nikolai’s insistence that the Mondovian royal family not be merely a decorative burden on his small kingdom falls on deaf ears. Becca’s horrible recent breakup (and he’ll be in the same college dorm with her in 6 weeks!) and dislike of her so-put-together stepmother lead to the Midwestern teen’s first rebellious acts. And romance blooms from one casual encounter in the quaint European streets…

Find this May 2014 paperback at your local local library or favorite independent bookstore, and travel through Europe by riverboat, motorcycle, and the wings of love!

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Book info: Royally Lost / Angie Stanton.  Harper Teen, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Stuck on a boring European tour with her family, Becca finds the love of her life – a real prince taking an unapproved holiday – but after the ten-day tour is over…

When Nickolai’s father orders him to military training, the Crown Prince sneaks away incognito for time off from protocol and formal dinners.

This riverboat tour through Austria should be “good family time” for Becca and Dylan’s harried executive dad and designer-clad stepmom, but both teens want time away from historic sights after day one.

Honoring her late mom’s deathbed admonition to be good hasn’t helped Becca much lately, so it’s time to break some rules and find a way to spend more time with cute Nik  – before the King’s security forces catch up with the errant prince!  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

SYNC audiobooks showcase Civil Rights herstory

Jul10

Courageous teen women in the early Civil Rights movement – this week’s free SYNC audiobooks bring little-heralded history/herstory to life.

CD cover of Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice By Philip Hoose Read by Channie Waites Published by Brilliance AudioClaudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
By Philip Hoose
Read by Channie Waites
Published by Brilliance Audio

Several months before Rosa Parks’ celebrated bus ride in 1955, black teen Claudette rode a segregated Montgomery bus, but her protest was ignored by area Civil Rights leaders.

 

 

While the World WatchedCD cover of While the World Watched By Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denise George Read by Felicia Bullock Published by Oasis Audio
By Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denise George
Read by  Felicia Bullock
Published by Oasis Audio

As a 15 year old, Carolyn was an eyewitness to the fatal Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, another KKK atrocity in the South as the Civil Rights Movement grew.

Remember that although these complete audiobooks are only available for free download from Thursday through Wednesday, you can listen to them as long as you keep the Overdrive Media files on your computer or electronic device.

Visit SYNC for a full list of this summer’s featured audiobooks. If you missed any, try your local library or the publisher.
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Half Life of Molly Pierce, by Katrina Leno (book review) – mind unhinged or memories unleashed?

Jul8

book cover of The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno published by Harper TeenHer blackouts are more frequent,
suddenly waking up somewhere else,
so disorienting… or is it something more?

There’s a secret about Molly that many people know, but she hasn’t allowed herself to even glimpse it – until now.

Happy book birthday to The Half Life of Molly Pierce!  Find it soon – this distressed teen’s gradual self-awakening is mesmerizing.

How long could you keep someone’s deepest secret – from themself?
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Book info:  The Half-Life of Molly Pierce / Katrina Leno. HarperTeen, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [author video interview] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: A total stranger calls Molly by name as he dies, triggering flashbacks even more confusing than her frequent blackouts since last year’s almost-suicide.

Abruptly regaining consciousness somewhere different is frightening – how did she get from her Massachusetts high school to the family bookstore in a heartbeat?

Why does the guy in the motorcycle wreck ask her to ride in the ambulance with him, calling her name as he bleeds and bleeds, begging her to call his brother like they’re all friends?

With Sayer at his brother’s funeral, Molly thinks he really knows her, that she was close to Lyle, but why can’t she remember them?

As memories of Lyle and Sayer begin flashing into her mind, Molly finally tells her therapist about the blackouts and is shocked to discover that Alex already knows and that only she can unravel her own self-deception.

Discover what the worried teen’s mind is trying to hide from herself in this tense psychological novel.

 

Let freedom ring with free SYNC audiobooks!

Jul3

If it’s Thursday, that means two new free audiobooks from SYNC for your summertime listening enjoyment!

Be sure to download these free complete audiobooks by Wednesday, July 9th.

CD cover of Torn From Troy By Patrick Bowman Read by Gerard Doyle Published by Post Hypnotic Press Torn From Troy (download here)
By Patrick Bowman
Read by Gerard Doyle
Published by Post Hypnotic Press

Homer’s Odyssey  as seen through the eyes of 15 year old Trojan orphan Alexi, enslaved by Odysseus himself.

 

CD cover of Peter and the Starcatchers By Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson Read by Jim Dale Published by Brilliance Audio
Peter and the Starcatchers (download here)
[not available in UK or British Commonwealth]
By Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
Read by Jim Dale
Published by Brilliance Audio

This prequel to J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan  sees the orphan boy and friend Molly facing pirates who want to steal the magic dust hidden aboard Peter’s ship.

Enjoy these different takes on familiar tales and characters as you read with your ears this weekend (remember that you can listen to SYNC downloads for as long as you keep them on your device or computer).

Read on and travel the world – with your ears!
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The Jedi Doth Return! by Ian Doescher (book review) – Shakespeare parses the Force, dark and light

Jul1

book cover of William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher published by Quirk BooksRescuer disguised, a comrade to free,
Jabba of the Hutt wouldst kill them all!
Luke will not from his Force-dark’nd father flee,
but seeks to free him from th’Emperor’s thrall.

O, rebel band, stay strong and share the Force
with Ewoks small, yet mighty in the fray!
A second Death Star bids to blast their world
and hidden base where freedom fighters stay.

Today marks the natal day of this final tale in Shakespeare’s Star Wars saga – seek for it at thine local library or a-favored independent bookstore.

Certes, thou hast already perused William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope (in discussion here) and well as The Empire Striketh Back (more here) – such classic stories from a galaxy far, far away…

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Book info: William Shakespeare’s The Jedi Doth Return (Star Wars Part the Sixth) / Ian Doescher; inspired by the work of George Lucas and William Shakespeare. Quirk Books, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Amid daring rescues, new allies, and the dark Emperor himself targeting attacks on the Rebellion, the Jedi Doth Return  to win Star Wars in the Bard’s own style or perish forever!

Evil Jabba of the Hutt will soon regret his refusal to release carbonite-encased Han Solo to Luke Skywalker as this iambic pentametered tale begins on  desert Tatooine.

Luke, Han, and Leia’s stealth mission on Endor’s forest moon may gain the Ewoks as new allies, but may also imperil the Rebellion’s fight against the dark Empire, as Darth Vader uses the Force to sense his son’s whereabouts.

Will Luke be swayed to the dark side of the Force by Vader’s soliloquies?
Shall Lando of Calrissian join the Rebels or stand aside?
And what of the past shared by Luke and Leia?

Do read aloud the Ewoks’ speeches and you’ll hear the almost-English of the middle 2 lines of their AABA-rhymed communications.

The concluding volume of Doescher’s epically Shakespearean take on George Lucas’ classic space opera can stand alone (especially for hardcore Star Wars devotees), but is even more enjoyable after reading William Shakespeare’s Verily, a New Hope  (Star Wars Part the Fourth) and The Empire Striketh Back  (Part the Fifth). May the verse be with you!  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Twelve Minutes to Midnight, by Christopher Edge (book review) – visions of future – lunacy or conspiracy?

Jun29

book cover of Twelve Minutes to Midnight by Christopher Edge published by Albert WhitmanWriting, scrawling, jotting,
visions of the future, horrifying and violent,
every lunatic in Bedlam writing down their dreams,
every
single
one.

As writer of eerie tales Penelope investigates the startling claim that every inmate in Bedlam is dreaming of future events, the teen must be accompanied by the actor she’s been forced to hire for public appearances of Montgomery Flinch, her nom de plume.

A big thank you to publisher Albert Whitman for bringing this popular British series to the States – next is Shadows of the Silver Screen,  wherein Penny and Monty face danger from a producer of those newfangled moving pictures.

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Book info:  Twelve Minutes to Midnight (Penelope Tredwell series, book 1) / Christopher Edge. Albert Whitman & Company, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: In 1899 London, Penelope writes eerie stories to keep her late father’s newspaper alive, while all of Bedlam’s lunatics suddenly dream of the future. The thirteen year old investigates the Midnight Writings, placing her chaperone and The Penny Dreadful  in terrible danger!

Only with the actor she’s hired to portray her pen name in public can Penny go to Bedlam after reports that all inmates begin writing down their dreams at precisely 12 minutes before midnight. As the young lady and Montgomery Flinch view astounding visions of the future written on cell walls, clothing, and even the inmates’ own skin, they realize that some outside force is causing this.

As 1899 draws to a close, Penny and Monty hear that widowed Lady Cambridge may have clues to this mystery. Of course, the writer of London’s most hair-raising adventures must interview the reclusive widow (with Monty as chaperone).

The Midnight Papers disappear from a locked room in Bedlam, strange boxes vanish from the Natural History Museum, and a rival newspaper’s reporter is suspicious of Monty’s actual writing talents while a poisonous danger is luring Penny into its web!

First in the Penelope Tredwell series, Twelve Minutes to Midnight  is followed by Shadows of the Silver Screen.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

 

 

 

One Man Guy, by Michael Barakiva (book review) – gay teen comes out of his shell

Jun27

book cover of One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva published by Farrar Strauss GirouxSummer school – ugh.
Stuffed grape leaves – yum!
Hearing Rufus Wainwright live at Central Park – yay!
Falling in love for the first time – ahhhhh!!!

Ask for One Man Guy today at your local library or independent bookstore, and enjoy Alek’s breakout summer and the glow of first love. (Armenian hospitality also includes the Khederian family recipe for Stuffed Grape Leaves at the end of the book).

Have you ever taken a big leap away from how people perceived you?
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Book info: One Man Guy / Michael Barakiva. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: The tedium of summer school gives way to joy as Alek meets skateboarder Ethan who takes the Armenian-American teen under his wing and into his heart – the consequences of their adventures, however…

In summer school to raise his math grade from a B+,  Alek has to miss family vacation, but can’t miss the cute upperclassman who’d rather skateboard than study.

Ethan gleefully convinces by-the-rules Alek to skip algebra and attend a Rufus Wainwright concert in Central Park. At 14, Alek realizes for the first time that he’s probably gay, which explains why his best pal Becky is the only girl he cares to be around (her love of rollerblading and old movies notwithstanding).

As Alek and Ethan grow closer, exploring NYC together instead of going to English class, watching classic movies with Becky, and just hanging out, life is wonderful – until his parents and big brother get home early from vacation with their Armenian church group.

If the Khederian family would only stop reminiscing about the post-WWI Armenian holocaust and critiquing food long enough to accept that Alek won’t be a perfect student… He’s ready to become his own person, a good and faithful person, a One Man Guy.

Can better things come from darkest days? SYNC audiobooks listen in…

Jun26

This week’s free audiobooks from SYNC examine deep and dark secrets, looking for hope.

Please download either or both of these complete audiobooks at no cost from today through Wednesday July 3, 2014.

Then you can read with your ears whenever you like, as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device.

CD cover of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, By Matthew Quick Read by Noah Galvin Published by Hachette AudioForgive Me, Leonard Peacock  (download here)
By Matthew Quick
Read by Noah Galvin
Published by Hachette Audio

On his 18th birthday, Leonard says goodbye to 4 special friends as he plans to kill himself and his former best friend.

 

CD cover of October Mourning, By Lesléa Newman Read by Emily Beresford, Luke Daniels, Tom Parks, Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, & Christina Traister Published by Brilliance AudioOctober Mourning: a Song for Matthew Shepard  (download here)
By Lesléa Newman
Read by Emily Beresford, Luke Daniels, Tom Parks, Nick Podehl,  Kate Rudd, & Christina Traister
Published by Brilliance Audio

Newman commemorates the life of Matthew, a gay student at the University of Wyoming who was brutally beaten and killed in 1998, through this novel’s 68 poems.

Stories worth telling, books worth listening to!
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