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The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

I got this book from Audible, read by Simon Jones.

Simon Jones' most interesting voice makes this book so good. The story itself is wonderful.

Poor Nathaniel is sold to the government because he is a magician. At a young age he is given new parents and told to forget his former life. He has a master magician who is to teach him everything. Nathaniel is very smart, and very much in a hurry to grow up and learn everything there is to be a magician and to one day work in the government.

One day, he's offended by magicians, and his master did nothing to help save him from their cruel tricks. Out for revenge, Nathaniel learns how to summon demons and genies to do his bidding. He summons Bartimaeus, a self absorbed genie, to steal the Amulet of Samarkand. With it, Nathaniel will be the cause of his own worst nightmare coming true, and he must find a way to fix it.

It is a very clever book, with the standing ovation going to Bartimaeus. Even though he's a genie who thinks roses bloom just for him, he's so entertaining, you simply don't care. He's funny and witty.

Extra points for Nathaniel for putting up with such a genie. He gets himself into a heap of trouble, but he is bold enough to make up for it.

Strong characters and a very interesting world make this one of the better books I have read (or listened to) this year. With Simon Jones narrating this one, wow. Makes it even more fun.

I am truely impressed and give it a thumbs up. I eagerly await to listen to the second and third books in this trilogy.

A Rumor of Gems

Title: A Rumor of Gems
Author: Ellen Steiber
Publisher: Tor Books

Gemstones are appearing in the city of Arcato, rubies and amethysts are appearing in pockets, in breakfast cereal. Even with the rumors, no one can prove it to be true. No one seems to be getting rich from a coffee cup full of sapphires.

The book, A Rumor of Gems, follows Lucinda as she struggles with her life. One day a cute little jade dragon falls into her life, bringing with it an adventure and romance she would never have believed in. She believes herself to be an outcast from the gods and spends most of her life just trying to survive with few cares.

Alasdair is in the city to escape, but he keeps attracting attention as gemstones fall from his pocket. He can listen to the gems, talk to them and they ‘speak’ to him. He bumps into Lucinda and together they are thrown into what can only be described as a journey they were destined to follow.

Something is stirring up trouble in Arcato, and Alasdair and Lucinda may be the city’s only hope. Among the colorful cast is a mysterious shape shifter, Sebastian. Gods walk among the people, and help the ones they favor. Michael, a young boy, is a troubled soul and fights to keep himself out of trouble.

The book is one of the most colorful I have seen in a long time. This unique urban fantasy will capture you from the beginning and will refuse to be let go. This book I couldn’t put down. I didn’t want it to end either!

This new book by author Ellen Steiber is wonderful. I hear there will be sequels to this book too. I certainly hope so. I recommend Ellen Steiber’s A Rumor of Gems. Don’t miss the hardback edition; the cover is beautiful.

Why I picked it out: Funny enough, it was the first line in the book, which you can read at Amazon.com. I usually pick books by the cover.

Why I liked it: Unique characters, colorful city! I want to visit Arcato! I felt like I was inside the city while reading.

What I didn’t like: There were only a few minor parts in the middle that were a bit slow, but this is my own taste. I couldn’t think of a thing to change.

Summary: I love it, and I hope to see more! This book I am keeping! Sorry everyone. ;)

The next book I'll be giving away, I promise. I'll have the book review up soon.

Paying for Reviews?

This I wanted to post on my scams page, but this made much more sense. :)

Okay, to start read the following web page:

http://jhooverwebcopy.com/bookmarketing.htm

Am I the only one who does not see how DUMB this is? Paying $300 for someone to review your books?

I'll tell you what. Send me your book for free. I'll read the thing, review it for this website and pass you information on where else you can send your book to get it reviewed... also for free. If you need, I'll help you put together a package you can send to some of the major book review websites and magazines.

I just hate seeing people getting taken.

Also, if you want an article about your book review written and submitted to directories, I can see some place like Keyword Writers - content producers - who will write any article you want for as little as $10. Pay them $50 and you'll have your article submitted to over 100 directories.

That's a lot less than $300.

Can you say: "This guy is a JERK and doesn't know what he is doing." I knew you could. ;) This guy has no clue how book reviews work NOR does he know how to promote a book. And he is ghastly overchargeing.

Anyone reading this: Don't pay for book reviews. You may not like the book reviews you get with some websites, but if people found out you paid for a review... watch out.

Catering to Nobody - By Diane Mott Davidson

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Bantam (February 26, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN: 0553584707
Genre: Cozy Mystery


The proof is in the pudding. Okay, that was a bad pun. Goldy is in trouble when her business is put on hault when she is the only suspect in an attempted murder. To save her reputation and her catering business, she starts her own investigation and finds out cooking isn't her only strong point!

Tasty recipies throughout this book makes it a great cozy mystery that other food lovers will enjoy. Goldy is head strong and enjoyable to follow though she is predictable. A weak cast makes the mystery falter a bit. Goldy's son, Arch, really saves the entire book.

Why I Got This Book

The difference is the strange cozy mystery of a caterer becoming a private detective. The black side of the book caught my eye and the black back cover. The front picture looked cozy and charming. The size was slim, it told me it wouldn't take too long and if I didn't like it, I wouldn't feel guilty about tossing it as I could read it quickly and get it over with.

What I Liked

Goldy is a charmer and so is the detective who is trying to woo her. He is rugged and into Goldy and there is room for a developing relationship later in the series. Arch is colorful and is just like most kids today. They mystery itself was rewarding. The ending made sense but one part of the case was a little too predictable. It wasn't a whodunit as much as a 'how do you prove it'. That can be just a good as trying to find out who did it.

What I Didn't Like

Most of the characters were too cliche. Maybe even a little too predictable. The characters were not strong enough for me to want to find out more about them in the book's sequel.

End Result About Catering to Nobody

I did enjoy this one but I am not convinced enough to buy the second. I will be checking the second one out at the library to see if the series gets any better. It isn't at the top of my to be read pile though.

Welcome to My Book Review Blog

I read loads of books all year long, so I thought starting a book review blog would be exciting.

I do write book reviews for various online websites and I will probably stretch out into writing reviews for print publications soon.

If you'd like your book reviewed, please follow these guidelines:

Your book must be published by a traditional publisher. No mss. or self published books. eBooks may be the excecption but email me before you submit your book.

Email me first before you send your book and get confirmation. You'll need to email me to get the address anyways, but this lets me know if you are sending a book and to watch for it in the mail. If too much time has gone by, I can then email you if I feel the book has been lost.

Books are reviewed in a first come, first read basis. I can not promise I will review the book the moment it arrives but I will email confirmation when it does arrive.

Those are the only rules so far. People reading this blog may post their own opinions but I will not go back and 'fix' my initial post if you disagree with me. The reviews published are my own opinion. I'll honor yours if you'll honor mine.

Thanks for reading!