"Boy 21" by Matthew Quick (Updated)

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick is a great fast teen read.  It's about a young boy and his girlfriend who are both very good at basketball.  It's their ticket out of their small town.  Another boy comes along and the two boys become unexpected friends.  When life throws these young people a curve ball, they have to come together or the dream dies.  I enjoyed this book a lot!  The writing is good and the ending is really, really good!  This is not just a basketball book and not just for teens.  Read and enjoy!
(Gerard's review)

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick is a teen romance involving friendship, basketball, poverty and the Irish mob.  It delves into deep issues like dealing with grief, love of family and love.  I was surprised at how good this story was, the ending brought tears to my eyes.  It’s a very moving story and shows how life can be so unpredictable.  It was heartbreaking when Finley turned his back on basketball to be with his girlfriend at the hospital who was in a hit-and–run accident only to be told she didn’t want to see him.  In an unexpected turn, the boy Finley was asked to help wound up being a good friend to Finley.  I enjoyed this quick, touching read about friendship and love. 
(Karen's review)

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. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"The Wings of Morning" by Murray Pura

Here's the book trailer for this one:






I enjoyed The Wings of Morning by Murray Pura very much.  This is part 1 of "Snapshots in History" series.  It is about Jude, an Amish pilot during World War I who agrees to fly for America in order to save his friends even though it means he will be shunned.  Lyyndaya and Jude develop a friendship which leads to a romance but their letters must remain at the post office because of the shunning.


This is the best Amish romance I've read because it didn't poke along and the main character was male instead of female.  I liked the description of the flying, the dog fights and the romance.  Parts were heart-breaking and very sad but it was really great to see how Jude maintained his faith while at war and managed not to kill anyone!  The ending was fantastic!

This book is so much more than just a Christian romance.  I loved this one because it had adventure, faith, forgiveness, group dynamics, clean language and romance without the sex scenes.  Murray Pura is a new author to me; I look forward to reading more of his books.
(Karen's review)



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. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Home Front" by Kristin Hannah

Home Front by Kristin Hannah is an outstanding book! Jolene and Michael have two little girls. Their marriage is rocky at best, and then when things are at their worst, Jolene gets a call to be deployed and is off to join the war! Great writing to be sure. You will care deeply about Jolene and Michael and Betsy and Lulu. Will their marriage survive? Will Jolene be all right in the war? I really enjoyed this book a lot! Definitely a MUST READ!
(Gerard's review)

Karen read this one too:
Home Front by Kristin Hannah is a fantastic book about an ordinary family affected by war when the wife and mother of two girls gets deployed to Iraq.  This is a fascinating and emotional read that opened my eyes to the sacrifices soldiers and their families make to serve this country of ours.  At the beginning of the book, I didn’t like Michael, the husband, at all but he changed when he realized his family was what mattered most and stepped up when his wife went off to war.  Home Front gives insight into what war is really like and the struggles soldiers face in adjusting to civilian life when they come back. We both highly recommend this one!

Here's the trailer for this book:




If you would like to hear an audio clip from the book, click on this link:  http://media.us.macmillan.com/video/olmk/macmillanaudio/homefrontclip.mp3



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. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during March to the American Cancer Society.

"As Good As She Imagined--The Angel of Tucson" by Roxanna Green

I can not say that I enjoyed this book; after all, it is a story about a young girl whose life was tragically ended at only 9 years old. However, the telling of the story is really good by her mom and dad and some other people of her family. I really felt sad for their loss. The mother tells most of the story and is a wonderful tribute to her daughter. My prayers go out to this family. May God bless all of you in a special way I encourage you to read this book!
(Gerard's Review)

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. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during March to the American Cancer Society.

"The Fault In Our Stars" by John Green

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green tells the story of a young teen girl who has Cancer.  At her weekly Cancer support group session that she is reluctant to go to, she meets a young teen boy who takes a special interest in her.  I don't think I'm giving up too much if I tell you that a romance develops.

This book lives up to all the hype in my opinion.  I flat out LOVED IT!  It is a beautiful love story that I was into from page one to the end.  If this story doesn't tear at your heart strings, then I don't know what will.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried.  Please give this book a chance!
(Gerard's review)

Related Post:  Read another review of this at Bloggin' 'bout Books:  Green Is My Favorite

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. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"War Horse" by Michael Morpurgo (UPDATED)

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo is a double wow book for me! Joey, the war horse, tells about his adventures during World War 1 and the special bond he has with a young boy named Albert. At only 160 pages or so, it goes very fast. I loved it! I look forward to seeing the movie which is coming out on Christmas.
(Gerard's review)

Karen read this one too:
War Horse is a touching book that kept my interest all through.  Although it is a children's book, I enjoyed it but must admit I got teary-eyed reading it.  Parts were very sad but I loved the ending!  Joey, the horse, tells his story about living on a farm with a boy named Albert and then being sold to the army because Albert's dad needed money to save his farm.  The horse goes through a lot but Albert never gives up looking for him. 

The MOVIE:
We went to see the movie the day after Christmas and it is as good as the book!  It's really fantastic and we both cried, it was so moving.  You see the horrors of war but yet also the sacrifice for others, love, determination and some funny scenes too!  Great book, great movie!  We highly recommend it.  For more detail, see War Horse at Plugged in Online.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Magic Hour" by Kristin Hannah

This kept Karen up Late!

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah is a fascinating and heartwarming read about two sisters who help a little missing girl that doesn't talk who just showed up in the small town of Rain Valley up in a tree with a wolf pup.

Julia is a psychiatrist whose reputation is shot and has lost her clients and her confidence because of it but who returns to her home town when her sister, Ellie-the chief of police, calls her for help with the "wolf girl." 


I liked this book very much.  I was fascinated at how Julia fell in love with the little "wolf girl" and helped her begin to talk again.  It was heart-breaking when after she decided to adopt the girl that her biological father came for her.  Julia and Ellie both struggled with being professional and their strong attachment to the girl.  When they found out about the dad's prison record, giving her up was even harder.  This is one of the few books that I looked forward to reading to see what would happen next and stayed up late to finish it.  I highly recommend this one!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"If You Believe" by Kristin Hannah

If You Believe by Kristin Hannah is an historical novel about love.  Three lonely people find each other, Mariah, Mad Dog, and Jake.  Although very predictable, I enjoyed this book because of the issues Mariah and Mad Dog both had.  Jake following his dad hoping for a happy reunion was heartwarming.  Rass, Mariah’s father, was my favorite character because of his concern for his daughter and his kindness toward Mad Dog and Jake.  He kept seeking to improve his relationship with his daughter and help her let go of the past so she could enjoy the present and the future before he died.  I loved the banter between Mariah and Mad Dog.  This book was predictable right from the start but has wit, warmth, humor, sex and heartbreak which kept my interest. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Rose In A Storm" by Jon Katz is a WOWIE!-Updated 3/2/11

We Loved This Book!

UPDATED 3/2/11: Karen's Review:
I agree with Gerard, Rose in the Storm by Jon Katz is really good! It’s a touching fiction story about the life of a farm working dog, Rose. I really liked learning about farm life through this book and seeing how the animals connected and interacted with each other. When Sam, the only human on his farm gets injured during a 5-day blizzard with temperatures -30 degrees and is air-lifted to a hospital, his border collie, Rose, takes care of the farm without him. I especially identified with Rose’s memory of her special connection with Sam’s wife Katie, who died. I’m sure anyone who lives on a farm or likes animals would love this book! I am a city girl and enjoyed it very much. I kept thinking about our blogging buddy, Mountain Woman at Red Pine Mountain, who blogs about her farm in Vermont as I read this book.  We both highly recommend this book!


The author has also written a non-fiction book, The Dogs Of Bedlam Farm, about his farm in upstate New York. Gerard liked that book too and now I’m going to read it too! The author’s website is www.bedlamfarm.com.

Gerard's Review:

WOW!  What a book!  Rose in a Storm by Jon Katz is about Rose, a working dog on a farm and her owner, Sam.  Rose has a lot of work to do as there are a lot of animals on the farm to look after.  Rose tells the story which is very cool.  One day a huge storm comes and Rose is put into a situation she has never been in before.

I felt a lot of emotion while reading this book which to me says that is a really good book! Rose is a wonderful dog that the reader can't help but love. I think anyone would enjoy this book, especially dog lovers. The best part is that it has a good ending--the dog lives! I cried when I read Dewey, The Library Cat and cried at the end of this book too--yes, it's that good! Karen is going to read it as well.

We saw Faye's write up about Rose In A Storm by Jon Katz over at Summit Musings and ordered it from the library.  I'm so glad I did! 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?  You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March.  We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"The Boy In The Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne

Don't Miss This One!  (100 stars)
I could have The Boy In The Striped Pajamas in just one day!  This book is about a 9-yr-old boy named Bruno whose father becomes the commandant of a Nazi death camp for Jews.  Bruno becomes friends with one of the Jewish boys there named Shmuel.  What a powerful story this is!!  The ending really shook me to the core.  It was also made into a move.  Here is the link to view clips: 

(Gerard's review 3/20/09)

This is a sad story about two lonely boys who befriend each other through a fence of a concentration camp. It is told from Bruno's (the Commandant's son) perspective which is very innocent in contrast to the awfulness of the Holocaust. Both boys are the same age but one lives very well and the other is in a death camp. It shows how unfair life is and has a shocking ending, yet Bruno's words that Shmuel is now his best friend for life came true. Bruno was an adventurous boy who was curious what life was like on the other side of the fence. He loved his father and knew that it couldn't be too bad if his father was in charge. I can't express all that this book encompasses. It's a great book that you will long remember.
(Karen's review 3/20/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"DogTown" by Stefan Bechtel

DogTown is my kind of town!  DogTown by Stefan Bechtel is just a wonderful book!  It's about Dog Town--a no-kill sancturary for dogs in Utah.  All the stories in DogTown are excellent!  I had a hard time deciding which was more amazing, the people or the dogs!  You will smile, laugh and cry as you read these stories.  They touched my heart and will probably touch yours too.  It also includes tips on how to handle dogs.  I hated to see this book end.  I really, really enjoyed DogTown a lot--it made me want to got there!  I did visit online at http://www.bestfriends.org/ and sponsored Cabby.  I highly recommend DogTown to anyone who likes dogs.

(Gerard's review)

DogTown is a very good book about dogs and I am glad there is such a nice place for homeless dogs waiting.  Woof!  Woof!  I am proud of Gerard for sponsoring Cabby.

(our dog, Abby's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Gideon's Gift" by Karen Kingsbury

I liked Gideon's Gift by Karen Kingsbury.  This is the first book I read of hers and is part of the Red Glove series.  An 8-year-old girl with cancer befriends a homeless man (Earl ) at the mission and gets him to believe in God. He in turn gives her family a “perfect Christmas.”   I liked it and recommended it to Gerard.
(Karen's review) 


Here's what Gerard thought of it:
Gideon’s Gift by Karen Kingsbury is a good story about a little girl, a homeless man and Christmas miracles.  You could probably read it in one sitting.  It’s perfect for a snowy night with some hot chocolate.  This is a warm, feel good story that I liked more than I thought I would.  I give it  5+ stars.

 Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Check out our two giveaways: Hard Cache by Charles Neff (Suspense/mystery) and You Already Know How To Be Great (Self-help) by Alan Fine.

"The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks is an amazing story about teen rebellion, love, friendship, romance, and forgiveness.  I can't say enough about how touching this book is.  The main character is a girl named Ronnie who held a grudge against her dad because he left, but her 10-yr.-old brother, Jonah, brought out her tender side.  One summer, she has to go live with him against her will and learns and grows into a mature woman who realizes she was not always right after all and everything is not about her.  I enjoyed watching her develop into a truly caring person and learn about forgiveness. 

It's a very good story and I liked it a lot! I liked the characters in this book because they were all very believable.  Parts were sad but overall, I liked the ending because it was very touching and happy at the same time.  This is a must read if you enjoy books about teens and parents.
(Karen's review)


I’ve been blessed to read a lot of really good books this year and I  add The  Last Song by Nicholas Sparks to the list.  At first, I thought,  “Oh, great, a teen novel.”  I’m not going to like it.  I LOVED it!  It  tells the story of Ronnie, a girl who has to spend the summer with her  dad and does not want to.  Turns out she had the best summer ever.   Superb writing.  This book is hard to put down.  The characters are very  believable.  There is nothing bad to say about this book.  I am so glad  to end the year with this wonderful book!  Do yourself a favor and read  this one.  You will be happy you did.
(Gerard's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Other reviews of this:  Reading Without Restraint

"Cleo" by Helen Brown

The very good news is that Cleo by Helen Brown got such a favorable opinion across the seas that it is going to be made into a movie!  It is just now coming to the U.S.A.  Two of my favorite books were Marley & Me and Dewey, The Library Cat.  Cleo is sort of a combination of both of them.  I loved this book because Cleo is an awesome cat!  I got into it right off the bat.  Cleo is about a cat who becomes a member of the family at just the right time.  All emotions are in play in this one.  I highly recommend it as a “must read.”  Enjoy it, and then go see the movie.  I know I am.  To further enjoy this book, go on www.helenbrown.com, it’s awesome!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina" by Neal Thompson

I can't say enough good things about Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina by Neal Thompson!! This book is remarkable!! It tells the story about how people dealt with Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath and a remarkable man, J. T. Curtis, Head football coach and principal of the John Curtis Christian School. How he and his family brought together a school and the football team is an unbelievable story. Their story will make you cry, laugh and cheer!! I really enjoyed this book A LOT!!!
(Gerard's review 4/08)

Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina by Neal Thompson is a true story about triumph through hardship for a private Christian school's football team in New Orleans overcoming the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and Rita. This book takes a personal look at the devastation that Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita caused within six weeks. It's about a High School football coach's and his players’ commitment to their school and team in midst of chaos and turmoil. It's about how football can pull a community together.

I particularly liked reading how the coach motivated his players and how he taught them to be men. It was heartwarming to see how much the coach loved his players and cared about their personal lives and not just how they played football.

The ending of Hurricane Season--A Coach, His Team and Their Triumph in the Time of Katrina is very moving and emotional when the team finally gets to play football after it looked like they wouldn't even have a season. As I read about the games, it felt like I was right there in the stands watching and cheering for them. This book started out slow and was pretty sad, but is definitely worth reading to get an inside look at what the people of New Orleans went through during Katrina and how a football team really jelled. It certainly made my few problems look totally insignificant in comparison.
(Karen's review 4/08)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Beautiful Child" by Torey Hayden

WOW! A really GREAT BOOK! My favorite of her books. Cried at the end.

In Beautiful Child Torey Hayden shares about her challenging special ed class and how the teacher struggled throughout the year and turned it around. Venus was the most challenging of all because had very serious abuse in the home and was mostly unresponsive except when attacking other kids when they accidentally bumped her. Finally got the help she needed after the hospital treated her for hypothermia, had to amputate her toes, and found 22 broken bones that had healed or were in various stages of healing. 

It also revealed the struggle Torey had with her aide who was totally on a different page philosophically and really undermined what she was trying to do.
Some of the things teacher did that worked was behavior modification with traffic lights, singing between activities or to refocus kids when they started fighting, closed eye journey, special one-on-one time at recess with Venus —held her on her lap.
(Karen's review 9/05)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?