Book Review and Giveaway of The Case of the Tabloid Tattler!

Author Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick is having a blog tour for the release of her new book, The Kitten Files: The Case of the Tabloid Tattler. She has graciously allowed me read the book ahead of time and post a book review as part of her tour!

A cat that writes? Impossible! But not so in The Case of the Tabloid Tattler. Detective Keith is shocked to discover the stray cat he took in can carry a conversation on paper. Together, they form a plan on how to solve Keith's latest case in which a wealthy young woman's secrets are being sold to the public by a perpetrator.

I first offered to write a book review because I thought the story sounded like something I would've been excited about as a young kid. I wasn't mistaken.

The book is charming and cleverly twists you around as you try to figure out just who is spying on Mrs. Thornblood and exposing her private life. The wording is simple enough for a younger reader to understand, yet incorporates just enough mystery and suspense to keep you on your toes and does a wonderful job in setting up future books.

I also enjoyed the special insight into a cat's life; the author did a great job in not letting us forget the protagonist was a domesticated animal while still providing a personal voice.

I wouldn't want to give away any spoilers by adding more details, but this story is perfect for your curious and mischievous young readers and would also make an excellent candidate for story time.

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A Bit About the Author:

Perry is a Christian, homeschool graduate who has written and published "The Heavens Declare," "Light of the World," "Pearl's Practice," and "The Case of the Tabloid Tattler." She lives in beautiful Oregon with her best-friend-turned-husband and their sweet baby boys. Find her books and other writings and connect with her at: perryelisabeth.blogspot.com.

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The book releases on the 17th, but in the meantime the next blog tour stop is at http://ekaiserwritesablog.blogspot.com , where E. Kaiser will interview Perry about her writing process, AND http://noblenovels.weebly.com, where blogger Holly Ciampi will be bringing you a character interview with Mia, the cat.

Perry Elisabeth is also hosting a giveaway for a signed, free copy of her new book, a chance to help name the dog in Book 2, or a free e-book version! Enter below for a chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: The Death of King Arthur

Last year in the fall I had purchased The Death of King Arthur: A Retelling by Peter Ackroyd. In the book, Ackroyd takes Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur and turns the language into modern English. The book was on sale, so I snatched it up; I have a hard time understanding old King James language, so this sounded perfect to me. (Plus, after finishing the BBC series Merlin, I wanted to learn more about the real Arthurian legends.)

Unfortunately, I've been less than thrilled with this retelling.

First of all, I do want to say that the book has been a good, basic introduction to the Arthurian legends. I've learned some things that I'd never heard concerning the legends, and some of the ideas in the book have been quite thought-provoking.

However, the style in which this retelling is written, though meant to be understood in modern language, is extremely simple. As I was reading, I felt like I had picked up a middle school book. It just all seemed very odd to me for the reading to be so incredibly simple, but the subject matter not always for young children.

For my reading experience, it felt unnatural and plain. This book might be preferable to keep on the nightstand for late at night when you're too tired to do any serious reading; The Death of King Arthur is broken down into several books and sections for each little story, so it's easy to choose one or two 3-7 page stories to read and then set aside. This is what I'm going to do and move on to another book for the majority of my reading.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Would I recommend this to a friend?: For a fairly light read or, as I mentioned, night time book, yes.

Have you ever read this book? What was your opinion?

Have you read the original Le Morte d'Arthur?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Exciting News (Personal Opportunity)

Hello, followers!

I just wanted to update you all on some news that is personally exciting to me.

Earlier this week I applied to write on a site called News for Shoppers, where shoppers and consumers can read the latest information on not only online shopping, but also get updated on entertainment news (TV, books, music), travel, social networking, ect.

On Wednesday night I found out I'd been accepted and am now a "journalist" for the website; I've already had my first article posted! I plan to post mainly on entertainment and personal care/health as I get started but hopefully branch out as I get the hang of things.


You can read my first article here and subscribe to to email alerts for new posts from me, if you're interested. 

As you know, I've always been more of a creative writer than a journalist, but I'm very excited for this opportunity to gain some experience and stretch my comfort zone. :)

Random Facts About Me

Hello all! I've never done one of these things before, but Mercy Ray was kind enough to tag me in her response, and I thought this would be a good opportunity for all of us to get to know each other a bit better in a fun way. :) This is for participation in The Sunflower Blogger Award. I share 11 random facts about myself, answer 11 questions that Mercy Ray gave me, and then tag 11 bloggers and give them 11 questions. Shall we begin?

11 Random Facts About Me

1. I'm lactose intolerant. 

2. I can sit down and watch superhero movies all day, or I can watch BBC shows with my mom over and over. My interests are quite broad :P 

3. Out of fiction genres, contemporary seems to be the hardest for me to write. 

4. Emma by Jane Austen is one of my all-time favorite books, but I've only read it once.

5. I'm deathly afraid of snakes. I can't even look at a picture of one without hyperventilating, and even saying the name makes me jittery. 

6. Biology was the only science I liked in school. 

7. I'm nearly incapable of making a decision. Deciding answers to the questions coming up below was quite hard for me. I drive my family and friends crazy because I always have to see what they want to do and make sure I don't pick something that they don't want.

8. I love knick knacks and collecting things. Fairly recently I've developed an interest in collecting tea pots and tea cups. 

9. I've wanted to be an actress since I was about ten years old, which completely contradicts my shy, introverted self.

(Being an introvert is like being Robert Downey Jr. in your head and Castiel in real life)

(~image found on pinterest~) 

10. Oklahoma! was the first old musical I saw, and I've loved them ever since. Singin' in the Rain and State Fair are two of my favorites. 

11. I hate cooking. I get stressed in the kitchen because I'm a perfectionist, and I just plain don't like it. I tell everyone that I'm either going to marry a chef someday or buy a lot of take out. ;)

~~~

My Answers to the 11 Questions

1. What is your favorite TV show?

"Family time" evenings were always TV time growing up, so it's hard for me to pick a favorite! However, lately I've been watching Blue Bloods with my parents, and I've become a bit obsessive. 

2. If you could live in any country, besides the one you live in now, which would you pick?

Ireland, because it's gorgeous, and I hear the people are extremely friendly. One thing I've always dreamed of doing is going to Ireland, finding a breathtaking spot, and just sitting down for a day and writing.

3. What is your favorite wild animal?

I'm a huge animal-lover, but I'd have to say dolphins.

4. If you could live as a character in any book, which book would you choose?

Does a series count? I'd have to choose The Chronicles of Narnia. I'd love to have the opportunity to escape to another reality but still know that I could come "home." Plus, I know the books so well I probably wouldn't have to deal with getting lost in a new place ;P

5. If you had to choose, which of these famous cities would you live in: Paris, London, or New York?

London. I'm not even going to pretend I had to stop and think…

6. What movie, book, or TV show can you quote endlessly? 

I have to go back to The Chronicles of Narnia probably, both books and movies. 

7. What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever done?

I can't give a direct answer; my life is full of embarrassing moments. I'm a very awkward person. 

8. What is the bravest thing you have ever done?

I can't say this is the bravest, but flying to North Carolina by myself took some guts; flying makes me very nervous. 

9. What do you consider to be the best smell in the world?

Chicken grilling on a summer evening!

10. What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?

I had a skiing accident when I was 13 and ended up having brain surgery. 

11. If you could punch a fictional character in the face, who would it be?

Moriarty. 

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And here are the tagged bloggers, though I don't have 11! ;)

Elizabeth at Exhortations by Elizabeth

Sunny at A Splash of Ink

Sierra at A Burst of Many Colors

My 11 Questions for the Tagged Bloggers: 

1. Do you prefer writing with paper and pencil or on the computer?

2. If you didn't write/blog, what would you be doing?

3. Who has influenced you the most, whether it be a "historical" figure (missionary, author, president, ect.), someone you know, or a character?

4. What song do you find yourself listening to the most lately?

5. Do you love the feel of a paperback in your hands or the convenience of a kindle/the like?

6. What was the last word you wrote in a story or read in a book?

7. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

8. If you could choose one thing to accomplishment immediately from your bucket list, what would it be?

9. What is one quirk you consider to be special and unique to you? (C'mon now - we all have one!)

10. What is your one essential travel item? 

11. What is the first story ever you remember writing?

Character Names: List #2

As far as page views/repins on Pinterest, y'all seemed to approve of the first list! Here is another list of boy and girl names for you to use as reference and help in naming your characters.

The meanings and origins for the names on this list are taken from www.behindthename.com. Also keep in mind that while I distinguish names between "girls" and "boys," some of these are unisex as well. 


GIRLS:


Pippa - meaning : Friend of Horses ; origin: few different answers, from English to German to Dutch

Adelaide - meaning : Noble kind  ; origin : French form of the Germanic

Evelyn - meaning :  (possibly) Desired ; origin : English

Ingrid - meaning :  Ing is beautiful  ; origin : Old Norse name derived from the Germanic god ING

Phoebe - meaning : Bright, Pure ; origin : Latinized form of the Greek name

Lorelei - meaning : Luring rock ; origin : Germanic

Isla - meaning : Island of Islay ; origin : Scottish

Meghan - meaning : Pearl ; origin : Latin (from Margaret)

Imogen - meaning : Maiden ; origin : Gaelic

Aylah - meaning : Oak tree or Terebinth tree ; origin : Hebrew transcription of Elah

Zara - meaning : Blooming flower ; origin : Arabic

Keira - meaning : Black ; origin : Irish (traced back to a masculine name, actually)


BOYS: 

Thomas - meaning : Twin ; origin : Greek form of the Aramaic

Elijah - meaning : my God is YAHWEH ; origin : Hebrew

Logan - meaning : Little Hollow ; origin : Scottish Gaelic

Jonah - meaning : Dove ; origin : Hebrew

Cameron - meaning : Crooked Nose ; origin : Scottish

Kian - meaning : Ancient ; origin : Gaelic

Harvey - meaning : Battle worthy ; origin : English

Tiernan - meaning : Little lord ; origin : Irish Gaelic

Kevin - meaning : Kind, gentle, handsome ; origin : Irish

Colin - meaning : Whelp, young dog ; origin : Gaelic

Are your favorite names on either of these lists? 

( Quite a few of mine are! ;) ) 

Book Review: Unspoken by Dee Henderson

Last Christmas I received Unspoken by Dee Henderson. If you consistently keep up with my posts, you'll probably recognize I've mentioned this author several times. Henderson has inspired me in my own writing, and her books are always full of suspenseful expectations and action.

Naturally, I was psyched to start reading this book, but I held off until around the end of February just so I could savor the anticipation. …It is now April, and I've just finished the book. Don't let that shut yourself off completely from the review, however. I've never been so confused but satisfied (and a little chastised) by a book.

Seeing as every other book I've read of hers contains tense thrills and nonstop action, I expected this book to be the same. The back cover was a bit misleading for me, but after reading the book I reread the back cover summary and realized it wasn't as black-and-white, guaranteeing action as I first assumed.

I, unfortunately, spent half of this book waiting for the pace to pick up; three quarters in I realized that wasn't going to happen and spent that time in disappointed reading. However, for the last quarter of the book, I opened my mind and started accepting the story for what it was. If I had realized this in the first place, I think I would've enjoyed the book more.

Brief intro to the book: Bryce Bishop is a rare coin dealer; when Charlotte Graham offers him a fortune of old coins at an unfathomably low price, he can't say no, not only to the coins but to the mysteriousness of this woman. He will soon discover she indeed is not a mere inheritor of a plethora of coins.

I applaud Dee Henderson on her research; she is THE QUEEN of research in all of her books, and I'd love to sit down with her someday and just ask a million questions on how she goes about gathering material. I don't know if she's had personal experience dealing with coins, but you'd think so considering the depth of detail she uses for the characters.

While this helps the circumstances and lives of the characters to feel real, I found myself bored by the lengthy discussions of business talk and how to manage handling and preparing coins for sale. Not that Henderson's writing failed in being interesting, for she's excellent at making mundane ideas feel important, but I found myself bored just because I'm not someone who would be interested in reading pages of dialogue merely about coins. As a writer I can love and appreciate the work and detail, but as a reader I personally felt like skimming the pages a few times. (This goes on for about the first half of the book.)

All of that being said, the heart of the story is truly the title: unspoken. The entire book really focuses on the building relationship of Bishop and Charlotte, the trials they must overcome, the choices they must make, the challenges in facing ghosts of Charlotte's past. I don't want to go into too much detail so as not to spoil anything, but writing a review on such a book is hard without over explaining.

While the pace did pick up towards the end and certain matters were resolved quickly (which was needed to balance the rest of the "slow but steady" story), at the end of the book, I was tempted to go, "That's it? I wanted more!" I then stopped myself and reconsidered. Really, the book ended on a perfect note for the characters, whether everything was "resolved" or not. What I wanted resolved wasn't the point of the story. What was "unspoken" wasn't just what was left hanging, but also what was settled and what was to come, if that makes any sense.

Overall, I felt like this was a nice change of pace and a character-driven, "mature" story. I would love to reread it again sometime with more of an open mind so I can examine the character developments closely. I also felt a bond with Charlotte towards the end of the book; her spiritual thoughts and even struggles were something I felt I could relate to, which made me love the end of the this book even more.  :)

My rating: 4 out of 5

(keeping in mind, this is a "retrospect" rating. If you had asked me to rate this just a few weeks ago, I would've given it a bit of a lower rating)

Would I recommend this book to a friend?

Yes, I would. Again, I don't want to scare anyone away from reading this book because of my review. Keep in mind this is a very "personal reader" sort of review, and I went in thinking the story would be entirely different. 

Character Names: List #1

While daydreaming about one of the stories I'm dabbling in developing, I discovered a fantastic element to add to the story, but it required the creation of several more character names. I'm someone who loves naming characters and truly enjoys the process, however, after spending a long time having already come up with names for these characters, I was dragging in the idea of hunting for more.

So, in an exercise to help me create some more names, I decided I'd start creating a list we can all benefit from! I won't promise to add to this every month,  but I'll post a new list every now and then. Hopefully this will be fun for us all and help get some creative juices flowing. When you like a particular post's list, bookmark the page, or write it down and pin it up on your inspiration board or file it away for an easy go-to reference list! (I will do my best not to repeat names, but forgive me if down the road I miss one here and there!)

Today, the meanings and origins are taken from babynames.com. **Please be aware that some sites will post different meanings.**

GIRLS:

Harper - meaning: Harp Player ; origin : English

Eden - meaning: Paradise ; origin : Hebrew

Nora - meaning: Honor ; origin : English

Charlotte - meaning: Free ; origin: English

Layla/Leila - meaning: Night/Black ; origin: Arabic

Rowan - meaning: from the Rowan tree ; origin: English

Louisa - meaning: Famous Warrior ; origin: English

Audrey/Audri - meaning: Noble Strength ; origin: English

Faye - meaning: Fairy or Elf ; origin: French

Wren - meaning: Small Bird ; origin: English

Clare/Claire/Klair  - meaning: Illustrious ; origin: French

BOYS:

Noah - meaning: Rest, Peace ; origin: Hebrew

Isaac - meaning: He Will Laugh ; origin: Hebrew

Liam - meaning: Strong-Willed Warrior ; origin: Irish

Henry - meaning: Ruler of the home ; origin: German

Aiden - meaning: Little Fire ; origin: Irish

Carson - meaning: Christian ; origin: American

Sebastian - meaning: Venerable ; origin: Greek

Connor  - meaning: Wolf lover ; origin: Irish

Luther - meaning: People army ; origin: English

Caius - meaning: Person of Earth ; origin: Latin

Austin - meaning: Great ; origin: English