Book Review - Defining Moments: Breaking Through Tough Times

Defining Moments: Breaking Through Tough Times

By: Dorothea S. McArthur, PhD ABPP
Publisher: Cove Press
Publication Date: June 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9847735-1-0
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: October 22, 2012

It is certainly a fact that in this day and age more and more of us are suffering from pain, anxiety, tension, depression - you name it. The world seems to be far more difficult than it once was, and having that friend to speak to who will help us out of our troubles is almost impossible to find. That's what makes this particular book such a 'gift.'

Psychotherapy is defined as: "The treatment of mental disorder by psychological rather than medical means." But after reading these chapters that deal with everything from people's personal stories; to the effects of nature on our healing; to the power of communication - the definition of psychotherapy begins to fade. In fact, many readers will find that psychotherapy is truly the gift of being able to release the nightmares that we hold onto in order to live fuller, healthier - and far happier - lives.

This book offers real and practical help, and shows the true need of being able to change to the positive. In the very first section, nature is brought into the equation. In this fast-paced, Internet Superhighway world, most of us forget that the power of animals and the nature all around us is quite soothing. Animals have the ability to get back up when knocked down (a beautiful story is offered here about a deer). They have the ingrained sense to save themselves, shake it off, and move on - which is something that humans have great difficulty doing. In fact, we can become so wrapped up in our pain or troubles that we get physically ill; so simply taking a walk through nature every day, and taking that moment to relax and unwind, becomes a far more effective treatment than any pill handed out by a doctor.

The author moves on to sections regarding her own personal life and how, with her patients, she's helped them to overcome the various issues of no sleep, constant anger, etc., using the 'defining moments' in their lives. A defining moment is something - a situation, words, or images that have just been done or said; something that aids in the solving of a problem. And this author knows how to utilize these moments, open communication, even introduce her dogs and cats and show how therapeutic they are for her clients in order to solve problems without having to take medication.

There are so many issues to cover in this book that readers truly need to pick it up, sit in the quiet, and read about grief, money problems, society and life pressures and how to use communication and therapies to lift all the heavy weight off their shoulders. This author should be commended for her work and for her words. One of the most poignant areas covered is bullying, and how just because someone can bring you down - they can't bring you down forever. We have one life, and not living it is a tragedy.

Quill Says: A truly thought-provoking and informative work that is sorely needed to erase all the negativity in today's society.

Book Review - Kiss, Kiss, Bark!

Kiss, Kiss, Bark!

By: Kim Williams-Justesen
Publisher: Tanglewood
Publication Date: October 2012
ISBN: 978-1-933718-76-7
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: October 2012

The beauty of having a little brother is… Oh, wait, there really is no beauty when it comes to that; at least, not for Mattie.

Right off the bat readers are given an in-depth look at how Donny the Disaster (Mattie’s four-year-old brother) seems to get away with basically everything. Such as, if Mattie had painted the counters with, say, permanent markers when she was four, she would have been in big trouble. If Donny did stuff like that? He would simply be artistic.

Poor Mattie has been watching her annoying brother all summer long while she looks forward to her first year at high school and, frankly, she’s just about sick of it. Donny is in his phase of ‘being a dog,’ where he wears a collar, barks, eats his food from a dish on the floor, and basically drives her nuts. Now, Mom wants to encourage her son to be creative, and Dad wants Donny to keep going so he can film him and the family can perhaps win the top prize on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” but Mattie? She just wants to be able to go to her bff's house, be free, and stare at Livvy’s (her bff) brother Nate, with fantasies rolling around in her head.

Mattie has longed to be Nate’s girlfriend, but she figures he just looks at her like ‘his little sister's annoying friend.’ But when it turns out that’s not the case, and Nate very much wants to date Mattie, things really fall apart. After all, Livvy is where Mattie’s loyalty lies - they’ve been friends forever. But having to choose between a best friend who’s angry over Mattie dating her stupid brother; and Nate, who Mattie is dying to date, makes the end of the summer truly hard. Add in the fact that Donny the Disaster is getting even MORE annoying, and Mattie has a big mess on her hands.

This is one of those sweet, extremely funny stories with characters that bring you back to a time when it was a nicer world. No, that’s not a Little House on the Prairie statement - these chicks rock! BUT it’s really nice to read a book without Facebook, cell phones, text messaging, etc. This author delivers simplicity and a whole lot of fun!

Quill Says: A VERY nice and much-needed break from the constant supernatural and supercomputer books for young readers.

Book Review - The Opposite of Hallelujah

The Opposite of Hallelujah

By: Anna Jarzab
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 2012
ISBN: 978-0-385-73836-1
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: October 2012

In a YA world that delivers ninety percent vampires, wolves and things that go ‘bump in the night,’ coming across this engaging and truly cool novel was like a breath of fresh air.

Hannah is Caro’s much older sister. She was the absolute ‘Barbie,’ with her blonde hair and incredible popularity. But years ago, Hannah all of a sudden transformed and became a contemplative nun, moving into a convent that was beyond strict. Caro hasn’t seen Hannah in ages, and basically has told everyone she knows that her sister died. Caro actually has been happy with her home life - being the only child and getting to do whatever she wants. But when she’s told that Hannah has renounced her vows and is headed back to the house, Caro finds herself truly angry.

On top of everything else, Caro is dealing with breaking up with her boyfriend on the first day of school, and meeting up with Pawel (pronounced Pavel) who is a new student that she finds herself falling for.

Hannah, however, is a real ‘drag’ and more than a little odd. She acts like a distant person, as if she’s still living in her ‘cell’ at the nunnery. She barely eats and looks as if she’s going to go to her ‘maker’ very soon. Caro can’t figure out what to say to this absolute stranger living in her home, but when a secret from the past is revealed, the two sisters find themselves coming together in a very odd situation and learning to deal with issues that range from romance to death.

This is an incredible look at siblings and how two from the same family, who walk such different paths in life, can find a way to realize that no matter what happens, they’re still sisters and have each other’s back. In a world of ‘supernatural’ creatures, this is a novel that truly stands out!

Quill Says: Warmth, fear, pain and, most of all, the subject of faith, has a place in this novel that you won’t soon forget.

Book Review - The Unfailing Light

The Unfailing Light: The Katerina Trilogy Vol. II

By: Robin Bridges
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 2012
ISBN: 978-0-385-74024-1
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: October 2012

What began in the very popular, The Gathering Storm, moves forward in this new novel which is even more enticing than the introduction.

Katerina is a necromancer who is basically a savior for the aristocracy of Mother Russia. In the first novel, her gifts were able to revive the tsar and she became a favorite of the Court. Even though Katerina had tried to hide her gift, she soon found out that the royal world was full of members who had supernatural powers, including some very dark ones found in a world of vampires.

Choosing to leave her homeland behind and head to Switzerland to study medicine, Katerina believes that she can protect the boy she loves and her own family, so that any dark powers will head straight to the Alps and leave her loved ones alone. BUT, what Katerina doesn’t expect is being trapped by the boy she loves, who believes that in order for her to be safe, she will stay inside the walls of the finishing school she despises. There, the tsar’s wife casts a spell on the building in order to keep all dark forces away - such as Prince Danilo who desperately wants Katerina for his own dark purposes. Unfortunately, the magic goes wrong when a phantom menace is awakened inside the school that may be far more powerful and mean than any Katerina has met up with before.

Not only is this a story of true love between a necromancer and the tsar’s son who has only one year to convince his own mother that Katerina is the girl he will marry no matter what; but this is also a battle of wills between two specific social circles, where Konstantin the Deathless is still doing his best to win the royal role he believes he deserves.

Fans will love this tale, as it delves even deeper into the adventure and beauty that this land and its characters provide. Not only that, but the surprise ending for Katerina’s own mother will have fans eager for Book III.

Quill Says: The author has done a brilliant job with this series thus far. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Book Review - Velveteen

Velveteen

By: Daniel Marks
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 2012
ISBN: 978-0-385-74224-5
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: October 21, 2012

WOW! That's the way to start out this particular review, because the author has thrown a brand new world into the YA mix that truly blows the mind.
Velveteen was only sixteen when she met a brutal end at the hands of a serial killer. When her soul left the world, however, she ended up in a place that is neither Heaven nor Hell. In fact, with all the back alley businesses, and various groups that do particular odd jobs in order to keep this world running, this city of the dead feels very much like a regular city.

Here, things called shadowquakes are going on that have been rocking the city and making people fearful that they're going to die. Why? Because the Departure is coming. You see, the Departure is all about a few like-minded people banding together in order to get out of the city. They don't know what will happen once free, but they're definitely planning on getting the heck out of there.

Velveteen is the leader of an important group. She and her friends travel when they need to save or collect a soul. Think of them as the Search & Rescue team (the salvagers that rescue wayward souls). On one trip, however, she and her crew duke it out with a dark force and end up saving a young man named Nick, who is not only handsome but funny, and has Velveteen's heart tripping over itself when he looks at her.

Nick becomes part of their crew and the gang has to prevent the city of the dead from falling to ruin, as well as deal with Velveteen's very own solo journeys to earth where she spends her time haunting and destroying Bonesaw - the serial killer who took her life.

This author offers a truly amazing world. From little things like having to wear ash on the face in the city of the dead; to the origami store run by one of the kind men who Velveteen cares about; to the crew that contains everything from a humorous playboy to an undertaker with heart to Velveteen's bff and her brother - who are the best poltergeists in the biz - this book is perfectly 'drawn.'

Yes, this is more than dark - but the plot, romance, humor, haunting of the bad guy - you name it, there is something fresh on every page.

Quill Says: A YA that goes well beyond what's already been done. All that can be said is, "Give Us More!"

Book Review - The Fire Chronicle

The Fire Chronicle: Book II of the Books of Beginning Trilogy

By: John Stephens
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-86871-9
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: October 21, 2012

In The Emerald Atlas, readers got their first look at three siblings who were literally thrown into another world by their parents who were doing their best to save Kate, Michael and Emma from certain death. From the onset, the kids ended up on an adventure with a wise wizard named Mr. Pym; a journey that would have them discovering the first ‘Book of Beginning.’

As the novel opens, the kids are still trapped in the Edgar Allan Poe Home for Hopeless and Incorrigible Orphans (my absolute favorite ‘title’ in all the YA’s out there). They are waiting for Pym to reappear and get them the heck out of there. It’s been seven months since the wizard disappeared from sight and Kate is getting more and more worried because of the nightmares she’s been having. Kate can feel the darkness creeping closer to her and her younger siblings, and wants to take the Atlas (the book she’s the keeper of) and get the heck out of there.

Right off the bat the demons arrive and Kate must throw herself into the past in order to get the monster away from her sister and brother. In the past, she will leave it and return, but…things don’t go the way she plans. Kate finds herself locked in NYC in 1899, a few weeks before the big break occurred where the magical and non-magical worlds split apart. There, a witch sells Kate to an evil man and she is saved by a young boy named Rafe; a boy who’s linked with her future and has a huge part in how this adventure will ultimately end.

While Kate is trying her best to get back to her siblings, Emma and Michael are traveling with the wizard Pym, as they try to unlock an old secret that will lead them to the second Book of Beginnings - The Chronicle. This is the Book of Life, and Michael is the one chosen to be its keeper. Deep inside a crypt a map is found and the trio soon find themselves in a world that should be below zero temperatures and covered in ice. However, it is all about fire - a fire filled with a crazed member of the Order, an egocentric dragon, and a choice that could destroy them all!

The adventure is outstanding in these books, as well as the humor and fun that the characters bring to each and every page. For those who did not yet read The Emerald Atlas, get both of these outstanding novels, sit in a quiet room and soar! The author has, yet again, done a magnificent job!

Quill Says: Bring on Number III! After reading this, you’ll most definitely need to be a part of the tale when the Book of Death comes to light!

Book Review - Animal Helpers

Animal Helpers: Wildlife Rehabilitators

By: Jennifer Keats Curtis
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
Publication Date: June 2012
ISBN: 978-1-60718-671-7
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: October 2012

Wildlife Rehabilitators by award-winning nature author Jennifer Keats Curtis is a terrific educational resource for her 4-9 year old target audience.

Ms. Curtis begins with an explanation of what a wildlife rehabilitator is and the importance of what they do. She is specific in outlining the stark differences between the rehabilitator versus the family veterinarian one takes their domestic dog or cat to. Through each page, she casts a spotlight on wildlife ranging from baby opossums to the majestic bald eagle with life-like photos. The fact that she uses real photos in a backdrop of the creatures’ natural habitats in some instances sets an educational tone throughout the book; yet it doesn’t take away from an enjoyable learning experience for this particular genre. Rather it assists the reader in processing what makes each breed unique to its wildlife home and gives them a concept of where they live.

Once underway, Curtis provides information about survival tactics, sleeping and feeding habits along with the dangers that lurk among predators to name a few. She is patient in her explanations toward what constitutes normal lifestyle and what to look for when assessing an injured animal versus one who has been abandoned. She provides scenarios to assist in recognizing the differences between the two situations. There is an element of tenderness portrayed in certain images. She has captured a coupling of fawns snuggled down in a portable play pen on one page and a juvenile raccoon suckling on a baby bottle on another.

I found this to be an enjoyable read for the 4-9 year old audience. At the end of the story, Ms. Curtis provides thought-provoking questions that encourage the reader to engage in discussion toward what they learned. After reading Animal Helpers: Wildlife Rehabilitators, there is no question as to how Ms. Curtis acquired her award-winning stature as a nature author. Her writing exudes confidence toward her knowledge of the subject matter. I would highly recommend anyone with a child in the 4-9 age groups to select this work for their personal library not only because of its educational value but the photographs as well.

Quill Says: Great information for the next time you take a walk on the wild side!