Robert Liparulo has visited the Dregs a few times. That alone makes him a great guy. Here is a link to all his visits. You can visit his website, click on the book covers to visit Amazon and here to read the first chapter of House of Dark Shadows. Suspense lovers of any age are going to want to click and check some things out.
My Review of:
Shadows.....
If you are thinking about buying House of Dark Shadows, you may want to go ahead and grab Watcher in the Woods because once you reach... "Not the end" you are going to want book two within reach. These books are quick reads, too. Don't say you haven't been warned if you have to wait for the next book, and don't expect a resolution of the King family problems in book two either. I may have to have a word with Bob or the publisher about possibly speeding up this series.
Robert Liparulo respects the YA genre by refusing to dumb down his storytelling mastery. House of Dark Shadows delivers rich characters, intense action and crisp setting along with a strong vocabulary. Adults are going to love these books as much as the teens they're written for.
Centered around a family that has "no secrets," the story starts with foreboding and provides bang after wham after sucker-punch as the reader discovers one secret after another along with the characters. More questions are left than are answered.
Shadows introduces the King family, all named after royalty, as they are moving from city to country...make that backwoods. Not only does Xander, the 15-year-old point-of-view character have to deal with leaving friends and a girlfriend, his dad is now his principal in the smallest school he's ever attended.
Xander's folks then find a house they fall in love with. Lots of room, and full of character, creepy noises, shadows and odd acoustics. What's not to love?
Xander discovers how very strange the house is as the entire family is plunged into the truth of the secrets.
The intensity of the themes may be too much for younger or easily frightened readers.
My Review of Watcher...
Watcher in the Woods is the continuing story of the King family.
David King, 12-years-old is facing huge traumas while attempting to keep the outside world from destroying his chance of happiness.
Grasping hold of the King family legacy of bravery, David dives into the unknown to save his family at great cost to himself. From the first word to the final "not the end" I cheered and cringed for the Kings.
I hope the next book releases very soon. This is book two in the series I'm going to recommend regardless of age or gender. I'd also love to see it turned into a movie.
Easily frightened readers might struggle with the intensity, otherwise, this is a powerful story well told.
Author Melody Carlson's Website . Click on the book cover to go to the Amazon page.
Book Description:Kendall's managed to wrangle her grandmother's house-free and clear-except for the rules. No male roommates. But that's ok, with the right ad she'll pull in some girls, their rent and if she's lucky, she won't have to go to work any time soon.
For their part, Anna, Lelani, and Megan all have their reasons for wanting to move in: Anna has got to get out from under her overprotective parents; Lelani can't take another day in her aunt's tiny crackerbox house overflowing with toddlers and Megan needs a place free of her current roommate from Hades.
Though they come with assorted extra baggage filled with broken hearts and dreams, they will discover they also have a vast array of hidden strengths. And they struggle to become the women they want to be, they'll find new hope and maybe even Kendall will learn a thing or two about life, love and the true meaning of friendship.
Sound great? Just click hereto read the first chapter.
My Review: Each character brings a pile of baggage and a box or two of issues as the Bloomberg series begins. Kendall, Megan, Lelani and Anna are strangers who become new intimates. Toes are stepped on, space is invaded and renovation occurs within each character before the book ends. However, there is much room for future character development as the obvious and not so obvious issues barely began to unpack in book one.
There are several chick-lit style scenarios, girlfriend bonding, job shuffling and guy stuff, but the story is told in 3rd person POV through the four different female characters. Because of the style, chick-lit lovers may find it less than satisfying because there is limited intimacy. Fans of Yada-Yada books may enjoy the multi-character format, but there is a limited amount of God talk. It was a quick and enjoyable read, perfect if you want a light serving of drama.
I didn't have a camera but I've begged for a few pictures so I can share the amazing sunset/incoming thunderstorm I experienced this evening.
This series of still shots with rainstorm audio will just have to do.
Tonight, the western sky looked exactly like pink Black Hills Gold. Imagine huge cotton balls dipped in liquid rose-gold piled in the sky and then illuminated. The damp grass on the hill below glowed in the unusual light and it danced as the wind picked up.
Lightning began playing tag in the clouds and sneaking down to touch base on the ground far below. As we watched, awed by the immensity of God's powerful creation, the sky darkened into pewter, and opened up in a deluge of cold, fat water drops.
I am always humbled by a tiny display of God's power and creativity. I can't imagine what He has in store in heaven.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Howard Thurman
Another quote from 30 Days to Live. Of course this isn't true if what makes you alive is a selfish thing. But I feel that disclaimers really take away from the quippiness of a profound saying. That said, I'm done adding words.
Entertaining and campy with several "yeah right!" moments. Fans of National Treasure should appreciate the same characters as they banter, argue, fight and solve clues.
National Treasure Two takes us to Europe and below ground. Nearly clean fun lacks family unfriendly language and sexual content.
The intensity of the themes -- treasure hunts/hunters, shootings, car chases and skeletons in various degrees of decay might make it a little too much for very sensitive viewers.
If you can suspend disbelief and just go along for the entertainment factor, you'll probably be able to enjoy this quick moving film.
My biggest struggles were with some unrealistic moments between characters, but the interaction is still fun and full of sarcastic dialogue. .
Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start now and make a brand-new ending.
Carl Bard
First Peter came in handy today.
No, that's not someone's nickname.
It's a book of the Bible with five very packed chapters full of great wisdom.
Did you know that God will give us direction and even wisdom if we'll ask? I asked, and He took me to Peter. Since I've been talking about quotes...here are a couple from Peter.
1 Peter 2: 9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[f] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 3:11 Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
I think that sums it up for me. Peace. We've been doing a study at church on the names of God. Jehovah Shalom means God is my peace. Our pastor says one of the roots of peace is wholeness. I want to be whole and I'm tired of feeling like I'm missing parts and particles of what I need to be someone who looks like Jesus.
Okay, Jehovah Shalom...I need the pieces of peace I'm missing in my life. Help me find it.
Today, everyone in the family had plans. The girls were going to the amusement park two hours from home. Rob had work to do. Me...well, I had cleared my schedule to sit through hours of lecture on radiation safety.
Weather forecasts blew the girls plans out the window. Lack of interest (go figure) canceled my class. Rob had trouble with humidity and drywall mud drying. So, for the first time since I don't know when, we all piled into the van and went to a coffee shop for breakfast. We talked and laughed and lingered. Then the girls and I shopped, and shopped and shopped. I hate shopping. But I love spending time with my girls.
Muggy Iowa was a great place to be today. I'm going to go on record to thank God for an unexpectedly sweet day.
Robert Liparulo has visited the Dregs a few times. That alone makes him a great guy. Here is a link to all his visits. You can visit his website, click on the book covers to visit Amazon and here to read the first chapter of House of Dark Shadows. Suspense lovers of any age are going to want to click and check some things out. 
