Book Review - Getting Even

Getting Even

By: Sarah Rayner
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: September 2014
ISBN: 978-1-250-058-737
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: September 9, 2014

Sarah Rayner takes revenge to a whole new level in her latest novel, Getting Even.
Ivy and Orianna are the best of friends. They are Green Integrated’s dynamic duo at the prestigious London ad agency. Little did either know the fierce energies they brought to the table for That Sunshine Feeling campaign would be the beginning and unraveling of their friendship. It may be the last job they work together as a harmonious team. Orianna ignores the lessons learned from her last romantic involvement with a colleague and is drawn to dreamy and handsome head of production, Dan. She convinces herself that this time would be different. Ivy, on the other hand, has no intentions of telling anyone about her proclivities in the workplace; especially since both she and her extracurricular love interest at the firm are both married. Unbeknownst to all three, personal trainer Rob would be the link to the destruction of their once perfect little universes.

Convinced it is time to make their union known among office peers, Dan and Orianna come out. Sadly, Ivy was the one person Orianna wanted to break the news to first but trainer Rob beats her to the punch. It’s no secret Ivy is offended, but she manages to forgive Orianna for keeping such an important secret from her. With feelings mended and back to business as usual, life goes on at Green Integrated. What is completely unforgivable and certainly a permanent fracture on the two apparently inseparable workmates is when Ivy inadvertently learns that Creative Director Neil is leaving the firm and bestie Orianna has been graced with the coveted role of backfilling his lofty role. As far as Ivy is concerned, this is the last, deceitful straw she will be dealt. It’s game on and Ivy’s new mission in life is to do anything and everything in her power to bring down Orianna—no longer a friend, but most certainly a foe.

Sarah Rayner is specific with the development of each character’s persona (and as a group) which solidifies the tone of her story in the opening pages of Getting Even. Her winning formula of placing the focus on perfecting the ambiance of electrifying competitiveness among her characters is existent in the fast-past environment of an advertising agency. Her dialogue is crisp and believable and because of this, the reader is able to assume an immediate connection to the goings on in the plot. Ms. Rayner doesn’t over-embellish her scenes with unnecessary ‘telling.’ Rather, she plants sublime suggestions for the reader to willingly embrace which allows the reader to see the plot unfold while actively engaging in the story line. Ms. Rayner tempers the drama between the two main characters (Ivy and Orianna) which is a skill that makes the writing solid and the story believable. I personally have worked in a corporate environment for many years and could relate to the (sometimes) ‘bitchy’ competition between women who vie for that one role they both covet, but only one will receive. Indeed, when the challenge is on, women can be a force to reckon with. Ms. Raynor has done an excellent job of portraying this premise. I look forward to her next body of work.

Quill says: Getting Even is an engaging read of ‘be careful what you wish for’ with a whole lot of revenge sprinkled across its pages.

Book Review - Digger and Daisy Go to the Doctor

Digger and Daisy go to the Doctor

By: Judy Young
Illustrated by: Dana Sullivan
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Publication Date: September 2014
ISBN: 1585368458
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 9, 2014

It was time to get up, but no way was Digger planning on it. Ugh! That baseball cap wasn’t going on his head because that miserable head was resting on his pillow. Daisy had a mouthful of toothpaste as she stepped into Digger’s room to look at him. “Get up, Digger,” says Daisy / “I do not want to,” Digger says. / “I do not feel good.” Ugh! Digger covered his head with his pillow, but his sister, Daisy, had to take a good look at him. She checked his nose (ouch!) and made him open his mouth so she could check his tongue. Ugh! It did not look good and Digger would have to go to the doctor.

Daisy put Digger in his little red wagon and took him off to the doctor’s office. “I do not want do go,” he exclaimed, “I will get a shot.” Daisy would be right there with him and told him he’d be just fine. Up on the examining table. No! Once Daisy jumped up it wasn’t as scary. “Let me look in your eyes,” said the doctor. No! Daisy let the doctor look in her eyes. On and on they went and each time Daisy would encourage him to be brave. “See, Digger. It does not hurt.” No! Digger was really trying to be brave, but something was going to happen to Daisy. Was she going to be brave or would Digger have to encourage her too?

This is a fun, humorous tale of Digger and his reluctant doctor visit young readers will love. Daisy, a loving supporting sister, tries to help the frightened Digger through his doctor’s exam. She tries to be chipper and very encouraging until the tide is turned. There’s an adorable twist at the end of the book that will make young readers chuckle at Daisy this time instead of Digger. The artwork it bright, colorful, and has that now familiar Digger ‘n Daisy pizzazz I saw in the first book in the series. Digger and Daisy are a brother and sister team that will definitely be a hit series for beginning readers.

Grades K - 1

Quill says: This is a delightful beginning reader series with a touch of humor young readers will love!

Book Review - Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky

Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky

By: Sandra Dallas
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Publication Date: September 2014
ISBN: 978-1585369065
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 5, 2014

Tomi Itano was an American, or so she thought. “Go on, kids. Scram. Can’t you read the sign?” Mr. Akron had always been nice to them until now. Tomi and her brother Hiro were just going to get some candy, but something was terribly wrong and they weren’t going to be getting any. Osamu, Sam, her father, and her mother Sumiko had come from Japan and were Issei, first generation Americans. It didn’t make a lot of sense that they were all of a sudden not American. One thing the Itanos knew how to do was raise the stars and stripes before they began working on their strawberry farm in the morning.

The strange men started asking Tomi about Pop. “Does your father use the radio late at night?” Didn’t everyone? Her father wasn’t welcome in America any more either. The FBI was sending Pop to New Mexico. Mom, Tomi, and her brothers Hiro and Roy would be staying behind in California, or so they thought. “Shikata ga nai,” Mom exclaimed. It couldn’t be helped and neither could the Itano family. Heck, twelve-year-old Tomi couldn’t even speak Japanese, but when Mrs. Malkin told her she was out of the Girl Scouts she understood that.

The furniture was sold for pennies on the dollar, but no way was Mom going to sell her washing machine for twenty-five cents. Breaking it was better than selling it for two bits and so she did just that. Executive Order 9066 was a piece of paper that turned Tomi Itano into an evacuee. First stop was Santa Anita where there was a ”high barbed-wire fence” and men with guns. The Itanos crowded into a horse stall in “horse-stall hotel.” Mom would make it into a home, but soon they would be heading to Tallgrass, Colorado. “Go on back to where you came from?” Yeah, but where did Tomi belong if it wasn’t in America?

This is a poignant story of Tomi Itano, a young American, who had no home. An ugly chapter in American history is once again brought to life for young readers with “Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky. For many it will be difficult to believe that there would be anything like a “No Japs Allowed” sign in a store, let alone relocation camps. Tomi is a very likeable character, a young girl that many will be able to relate to. We meet many other children in the camps and learn about the stoic bravery of many of the people interned there. This is a marvelous tale that’s not just for young readers, but everyone.

Quill says: This is a period in American history few will forget, a period that young people need to be made aware of.

Books In For Review

Here's a peek at some of the books that have recently arrived for review.  Check them out and then stop by our site in a few weeks to read the reviews!





To Have and To Hold by Trae Stratton The date is set. Colin MacLann is getting married. Growing up in the suburbs of New York City at a time when kids could still be kids and sometimes were for too long, Colin looked like he had it all: he was smart, athletic, had a voice for rock 'n' roll, and lots of luck. There were girlfriends too, five of them: Cindy, Haley, Cara, Monique and Tessa. Each of them burst into his life at different times to inspire him in their own unique way, and more often than not, broke his heart too. Still, fate has chosen one of them to be his soul mate. Will Colin grow up in time to earn a place at the altar beside her? Or must destiny deliver someone else?  

TIME-LIFE Mysteries of the Unknown: Inside the World of the Strange and Unexplained Time For Kids All Access: Your Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Coolest People, Places and Things! In TIME FOR KIDS' All Access, the editors of TFK give readers a thrilling behind-the-scenes look at some of the coolest places in the world. From historic artifacts (such as King Tut's tomb) to modern-day locations (like on set of a CGI movie), All Access will span time and place. This book provides a fun mix of entertainment, history, geography and science, written with the insider knowledge and trusted voice of TIME FOR KIDS. With seven lift-and-look pages, each spread is guaranteed to engross kids of all ages with illustrations of never-before-seen objects and places.  

Sports Illustrated Kids All NEW Access: Your Behind-the-Scenes Pass to the Coolest Things in Sports Sports Illustrated Kids reveals the coolest and most rarely seen parts of the sports world in ALL ACCESS. Kids get an inside look at state-of-the-art locker rooms, star athletes' houses, and their amazing collections. Readers will be awed by how a stadium transforms from a baseball diamond to an ice rink, as well as how a football starts as a piece of hide to becoming game-ready. Sports fans of all ages will love the lift-and-look features that allow them to literally peel back the layers for behind-the-scenes access that only SI Kids can provide.  

Marvel Avengers Assemble in Action Poster-A-Page (Marvel Poster-a-Page) United to battle foes no single hero could withstand, The Avengers are the most powerful Super Hero team in the world! Including Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man,and the Black Widow, this book as all of the favorite Marvel characters. Poster-A-Page delivers children's most popular characters, stories, and memorable moments to them in a unique visual format. With every page a poster, plus 9 supersize fold-out posters inside, this series offers kids ages 4-12 the opportunity to bring their favorite friends and stories into their homes, onto their walls, and become part of their world.  

Disney Frozen: Magical Moments Poster-A-Page (Disney Frozen Poster-a-Page) Frozen is the story of fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey-teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven-to find her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. Poster-A-Page delivers children's most popular characters, stories, and memorable moments to them in a unique visual format. With every page a poster, plus 9 supersize fold-out posters inside, this series offers kids ages 4-12 the opportunity to bring their favorite friends and stories into their homes, onto their walls, and become part of their world.  

Dreamer's Pool: A Blackthorn & Grim Novel by Juliet Marillier In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she’ll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help. Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters. With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic.

Of Bone and Thunder by Chris Evans Channeling the turbulent period of the Vietnam War and its ruthless pitting of ideologies, cultures, generations, and races against each other, military historian and acclaimed fantasy writer Chris Evans takes a daring new approach to the traditional world of sword and sorcery by thrusting it into a maelstrom of racial animus, drug use, rebellion, and a growing war that seems at once unwinnable and with no end in sight. In this thrilling epic, right and wrong, country and honor, freedom and sacrifice are all put to the ultimate test in the heart of a dark, bloody, otherworldly jungle. In this strange, new world deep among the shadows under a triple-canopy jungle and plagued by dangers real and imagined, soldiers strive to fulfill a mission they don’t understand and are ill-equipped to carry out. And high above them, the heavy rush of wings slashing through the humid air herald a coming wave of death and destruction, and just possibly, salvation.

Keepers of Runes and the Tower of Shadows (Volume 1) by Andrew D Cratsley Haunted by his sordid past, Corinth emerges from his solitude within the eternal forest around Enzlintine. Eager to serve, he is sent away under the ruse of a mercenary to quell the troubled region plagued by Khalid, the Lord of Conquest. Unsure of his companions, he discovers a world unlike the one imparted by his vain race. The trail of deadly contracts leads them to a mysterious tower inhabited by an unforeseen evil. It forces them into greater dangers to retrieve an unknown object, under the escort a young girl it claims as his ward. Offering her assistance to flee in exchange for her safety, her charm and peculiar lineage forces the noble soldier of fortune to question his precious ideals while seeking refuge. They race towards a frigid wasteland to find the bane of the evil that stalks them, while battling assassins, ominous creatures, and the forces of Khalid.

Submissions for Feathered Quill's Book Awards

Things are heating up here for our annual awards program. Here's just one day's submissions. Competition will be stiff - will your book be among the winners???

Book Review - The Garden of Letters

The Garden of Letters

By: Alyson Richman
Publisher: The Berkley Publishing Group
Publication Date: 2014
ISBN: 978-0-425-26625-0
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: September 2, 2014

Using the backdrop of World War II Italy, Alyson Richmon delivers an engaging story in her latest novel, The Garden of Letters.

The story opens with the introduction of Elodie Bertolotti, an accomplished cello prodigy. She lives in Verona, Italy and was blessed at birth with her father’s gift of music and her mother’s hypnotic beauty. War is the furthest thing from Elodie’s world until Mussolini’s Fascist regime is on her family’s doorstep. Elodie has no intentions of being drawn into the resistance movement until she meets Luca—a young man with a passion for his books. With the Occupation looming on Verona’s horizon, Elodie realizes her musical talent can contribute more than a lull of listening enjoyment and save lives from the devastation and ravages of war. Perhaps this is the reason Elodie was graced with her gift of music.

War is not selective in those it scars. Alone and frightened, Elodie’s journey takes her to Portofino. She is a stranger in a strange place as she steps off the boat. It would not have come to this had she not forgotten the secret code she was supposed to play on her cello for the Wolf that night. The Verona she barely escaped is now a sad memory and her reality is that it is a place she can never return to. Fortunately for Elodie, young doctor Angelo Roselli is at the docks and what she doesn’t know is he will be her sanctuary. Angelo is weighted down by his own burden of battle wounds in the form of guilt and remorse. Destiny has placed these two strangers in this moment with little more than a glimmer of hope and the prospect of new beginnings.

Alyson Richman accomplishes a heartfelt connection for the reader with her rendition of what it must have been like to survive one of the most iconic wars of our time. Her style lends a tangible ‘in the moment’ sense of being right beside the characters during the Occupation in Italy during World War II. Richman lends her distinct voice to her main character, Elodie Bertolotti, enabling the reader to feel the depth of her tragic experiences and loss. Yet, the sublime thread of hope Richman has woven throughout the story provides a comfortable cadence for the reader’s use in turning each page. Richman breathes life into each character and uses the premise of the importance of Elodie’s cello playing that reaches beyond music to one’s ears as the substance to establish a strong pace in moving the story eventually to its ending. This story is full of heart and this is the very essence of what a solid story is intended to be: the ‘perfect escape.’

Quill says: The Garden of Letters is a moving account of endurance and perseverance and Ms. Richman deserves praise for its delivery.

Book Review - A Secret Woman

A Secret Woman

By: Rose Solari
Publisher: Alan Squire Publishing
Publication Date: June 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9826251-9-4
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: September 2, 2014

Rose Solari’s latest novel, A Secret Woman, addresses the perplexing premise of just how well one truly knows the most important woman in his or her life: mother.
Thirty-seven-year old Louise Terry has made her mark in the art world. She is accomplished and well-known among those critics who count. Granted, her love life could use a makeover, but that’s not her current dilemma. As she continues her drive down the single-lane dirt road of rural Maryland, she begins to doubt her directions. Had she already passed the sign Brother Paul explicitly mentioned—the sign by the road where she was supposed to make her last turn to get to the Catholic monastery? Beyond frustrated and ready to end the ridiculous exercise in futility, Louise slips into thought. Aside from her mother Margaret’s funeral, she hadn’t been in a church in more than twenty years. If it weren’t for Brother Paul’s insistence she meet him at this obscure place, it would most likely have been another twenty...

What could possibly have been so important that her estranged mother left the matter with Brother Paul and why was it specifically intended for Louise? When Louise’s journey finally deposits her at the monastery, the first of many mysteries to come is solved. Brother Paul has the box Louise made for her mother many years before—a painted box covered with delicate flowers and soft hues. It contained documents, photos and journals and once Louise has time to cull through its contents in greater depth, secrets are uncovered—secrets of a mother who was a completely different woman and far from the person who raised her daughter Louise. The journey, however, was just beginning and it would take Louise far from her American home and across the Atlantic where she would meet her mother’s former lover Lawrence Ware.

Fictitious character Louise Terry and author Rose Solari are a lot alike. Louise Terry paints brilliant and coveted visions upon canvass and Ms. Solari is a real life force to reckon with given her ability to paint an intriguing and entertaining story with her words. Within the first handful of pages, I was hooked and feel confident in saying most readers will find they are able to gain an instant connection with Solari’s characters. There is an anchored balance between believable and unforced dialogues and scenes that set a fluid tone in support of a solid plot. Ms. Solari has measured control in her delivery in that she carefully guides her reader across the pages while creating consistent desire for the reader to find out what lurks beyond the next page to be turned. Her characters are rich and believable. They are all connected with the common link of the world of the arts, yet they have plausible and unique identities that work well together in making this a solid and enjoyable read. I applaud Ms.Solari with the many seeds of wonder she planted in the readers mind toward how well one person truly knows another—particularly if that one person was the one who brought you into the world. Simply put, this was a captivating read and it was effortless to turn each page from beginning to end. Thank you Ms. Solari! I look forward to your next book.

Quill says: A Secret Woman is a story that truly does encourage a thought provoking question: How well do we really know those we love the most?