"HOPE--a School, a Team, a Dream" by Bill Reynolds

HOPE--A School, a Team, a Dream by Bill Reynolds tells the true story of Hope, a high school in Providence, Rhode Island, and one season of basketball. The coach of the team is Dave Nyblom. What I enjoyed in this book was the interaction between the coach and the players. That was the main focus of the story. The part that dealt with the actual games was okay too. With March Madness set to begin in a few weeks, this book is perfect to get you in the mood for it!
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

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Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:

Roy had some trouble screwing the silencer onto the end of the gun.  It wouldn't thread right.  Martin Shine watched him with those magnified eyes.

From page 16 of Shaker by Scott Frank.

One night, he said, the kids were going from his house to his mother's house a couple of hundred yards away in a field.  It was dark and some of them had said they were afraid, and Nyblom had said, "How about I fire a few gunshots into the air so it will feel like home?"

From page 17 of Hope--a School, a Team, a Dream by Bill Reynolds.

What did she want from him?  A wave of panic overcame him suddenly.

From page 23 of The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin.

Karen's:

"I want to go home."  It was something he said in times of distress since he was a toddler.  It had been his first full sentence.  She always answered in the same way:  "You are home."
"I want my mama."
"I'm here, baby."
He looked away from her.  "Not you.  I want my other mother."
"I'm your mommy, honey."
He turned.  His doleful eyes locked onto hers.  "No, you're not."

From page 34 of The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin. (Sorry for the length, but had to get the gist across--the kid is 4 years old)

Bile rose in my throat and panic seized me.  I couldn't go back there--I couldn't lead other girls to that fate at sword point.

From page 16 of Defy by Sara B. Larson.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!

"The Forgetting Time" by Sharon Guskin is Unforgettable!

I liked The Forgetting Time a debut novel by Sharon Guskin.  Janie knows that nothing comes easy for her with her 4-yr.-old son, Noah, but when his preschool calls her again, she knows it's time to get him some professional help.  Enter Dr. Jerome Anderson, who just received some bad news and knows his time of normal functioning is fading.  When Noah's mom comes to him for help with her son, he sees a last chance to finish his life's work.

I thought this book was very well done.  It kept my interest throughout and had some twists I did not see coming.  Congrats to the author on a great first novel!
 Gerard's review (5 stars)
 
(Karen's review, 4 stars): 
The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin will probably prove to be unforgettable for me! When 4-yr.-old Noah screams his head off if his mother tries to bathe him, has nightmares, says he wants to go home and wants his other mama, and talks about things such as shooting a rifle, going to their beach house, Lord Voldemort and all kinds of lizards he has no way of knowing about, she is at her wits end. She and the psychologists she has taken him to don’t have a clue what is wrong with him or how he knows these things.

Finally, she discovers a psychiatrist who is looking for one more American case to complete his book about the possibility of living more than one life.  Noah becomes his last case before he loses speech altogether as he has just been diagnosed with Aphasia--a rare type of Dementia that affects the language center.  The story is told from different points of view.

This book was interesting but kind of like a contemporary science fiction story about boys and two mothers. It starts off pretty slow but builds along the way to a great ending. I initially thought Noah was just a bratty kid, but liked him as the story opened my understanding as to maybe why he acted as he did.


SPOILER ALERT--STOP IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS YET! 
I got a bit bored when the author inserted the “cases” for reincarnation from other countries that were not directly related to the main story line; however, when I did an online search for "life before life" I found it to be an actual book that several of the cases were quoted from by Jim B. Tucker.  I was just curious about that.  The Doctor's story runs along with the main story in this book.  I did not like the ending to his story line though.  Although I personally do not believe in reincarnation, I still enjoyed this book.



Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Shaker" by Scott Frank

In Shaker by Scott Frank, Roy Cooper is a paid hitman.  He arrives in L.A. to put out a hit on Martin Shine.  He does not know the man, but he does his job.  Later on, he tries to play hero and help a man who is being beat up by some street thugs.  All of a sudden, he goes from being the hunter to being the hunted--a LOT of people want Roy Cooper gone!

I enjoyed this book because it kept my interest, liked all the different characters and a good ending.  It's well worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Ghost Boy" by Martin Pistorius is a True Story!

Ghost Boy--the miraculous escape of a misdiagnosed boy trapped inside his own body by Martin Pistorius is a true story!   It tells the story of Martin's life so far and what a story it is!  One day he went to school but never went back.  He spent his 14th birthday as a mute quadriplegic but then his mind came alive.  Thought to be brain dead, he was really aware of what was happening all around him but couldn't communicate it.  He knew it, but no one else did.  He refused to give up!  I also found it very interesting how people acted around him.  Give this book a try--I loved the ending!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!