BUZZ-BUZZ, BOOK BUZZ

Kip Cosson has a new book out. My copy just arrived, so I reread his first book, Ned Visits New York and the new one, Ned & Meece Wheels of New York.

Like the first book, as soon as I heard about Wheels, I emailed Kip and reserved a copy. These are delightful books geared for ages 1 - 10. The art is bright and colorful, drawn by Kip. His first book is about making new friends and seeing new places (New York City). The second is about all the things with wheels in NYC. Each page is written in six languages: Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Italian, and American English.

The other great thing about these books is Kip makes children's wear that has some of the same art on them. His children's clothes have been in some pretty big name publications. Check his website for specifics.

Our friendship pre-dates the books, and I'm honored to be Kip's friend. Maybe I'll come visit New York one day and be able to use the check list in the back of the books.

So to you, my friend Kip, congratulations on both your books!

Compensation? I ordered Wheels, but when it arrived, the price was marked out and it was a gift from Kip. However, he doesn't know I'm writing this blog. I just like to celebrate books and especially those by writers I know.

Kip's website: http://www.kipkids.com/
Kip at the world's most awesome book blog party: http://nadinelaman.blogspot.com/2009/08/party-to-max-five-winners-today.html

BUZZ-BUZZ, BOOK BUZZ

The Festival on LYRIS 5 by Nick Daws

Wow! I've read some of Nick's non-fiction works, but until the Blog Party, I didn't know Nick wrote fiction for publishing.

The Festival on LYRIS 5 is certainly a fun read. Nick adds humor in word choices and the precarious situations Rick Barrett finds himself in this fast paced galactic adventure. There is the perfect amount of SciFi 'stuff' to satisfy fans of Science Fiction, yet it isn't so hard-core to be off putting for any reader of any age.

As to be expected from Nick, LYRIS 5 is well written and engaging from the first moment to the last. I didn't see the big twist coming at the end and would have never, ever imagined it.

This is a fantastic little book (novella) which is complemented by the wry illustrations of Louise Tolentino. If I did book reviews The Festival on LYRIS 5 would get a galaxy full of stars.


Nick Daws is a professional freelance writer in the UK.
Visit Nick's fantastic blog: http://www.mywritingblog.com/
Purchase The Festival on LYRIS 5 here: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-festival-on-lyris-five/5217081 or go to http://www.lulu.com/ and search by author or title.

Buzz-Buzz, Book Buzz

Storm Surge
Nadine Laman
Nadine Laman Books (2009)
ISBN 9780982332122
Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (10/09)

It was a nice surprise to see that Nadine Laman finished her third book in the Kathryn McKenzie series. The first two books in the series are “Kathryn’s Beach” and “High Tide.” You do not need to read the other two before this one, but I highly recommend that you do not miss them. As with the first two books, this one does not disappoint.

“Storm Surge” takes place four years after “High Tide.” The story begins with Kathryn getting the surprise of a lifetime when her Grandfather McKenzie publicly announces his retirement and appoints her to take over the family empire. This sends the press into a feeding frenzy and she knows that the quiet life that she has built for herself has come to an end. As she comes to terms with the changes, she leaves the job that she has had for several years and has come to love as a Social Worker at St. Mark’s convent.

As Kathryn leaves her beloved beach behind to move into her new position and the family mansion, she finds herself cleaning up her cousins’ messes and that she is less than welcome by them. She also begins to unravel family secrets, threats to her life and very suspicious corporate activity. Just one of those issues would be enough for anyone to handle, but Kathryn must meet them all head on. As usual, with large doses of her prized coffee, she does beautifully.

As Kathryn faces all these challenges, she is confronted with her own health challenges and must dig deeper than she ever has to deal with them. As she does, she learns who she can really trust in her life and that being courageous is the only thing that will get her through.

“Storm Surge” is very well written and as usual with Nadine Laman’s work, I did not want it to end. Hopefully, we will see more of her work in the near future.

Link: http://www.readerviews.com/ReviewLamanStormSurge.html

BUZZ-BUZZ, BOOK BUZZ

by Ivana Marić, Croatia, guest blogger

Storm Surge by Nadine Laman: Grandfather McKenzie announces his retirement at a staged media event, naming who will succeed his rule of the McKenzie multi-billion dollar empire. In the four years Kathryn has known him, he never mentioned his plans to retire. None of the McKenzie heirs are thrilled about the announcement. The first lesson is, "Money corrupts!" Lesson two: "Everyone has an agenda!"

Preceded by Kathryn's Beach and High Tide, Storm Surge is the last book in the trilogy. Though I tend to love the first in the series best, it's not the case with this one; Storm Surge is my favorite in this series. It's different than the first two in many ways. In Kathryn's Beach, Kathryn is broken and struggles to make peace with her haunting past; in High Tide, she is confronted with changes and is doing her best to resume her life. All she learned and knew will be put to test in Storm Surge. When Grandfather McKenzie's announcement comes like a bolt from the blue, she needs to change her simple way of life in order to carry out her new duties as the heiress of a multi-billionaire worth business empire. She becomes the most powerful woman in California. But with power comes obligations, responsibilities and many tough decisions-not to mention danger and loss of anonymity.

Storm Surge was a read that made me hold my breath and flip the pages to find out what happens next. Once again, Kathryn proves herself as an intelligent, smart, compassionate and strong woman able to cope with any problem coming her way. She is thrown to the sharks, faced with the dark side of a world she never wanted to be a part of and carries it out graciously and without corrupting her own system of moral values. The ending was everything but predictable. As the families dirty laundry comes to surface, Kathryn is faced with a terrible illness-her own. It almost kills her, but with some help from her lovable friends she returns stronger.

I just love the way Nadine builds up her characters and story. Her writing is a wonderful example of show, don't tell . The characters crystallize through their actions, not words and descriptions.The last pages leave more than enough space for one more book, and it's amazing how the last chapter is tied back to Kathryn's Beach.

I'll miss Kathryn. As I said in my previous reviews of Kathryn's Beach and High Tide, she is as real as she can be. It was wonderful to watch her unfold to the maximum of what she can be in Storm Surge. Luckily, we'll spend some more time together as I'm translating Nadine's books into Croatian!

Meet Ivana Marić, Croatia. She is a English and German student, a novelist, blogger, and most importantly, a mom. Visit Ivana's blog http://willingtoseeless.blogspot.com/2009/10/tss-storm-surge.html

BUZZ-BUZZ BOOK BUZZ

by Ivana Marić, Croatia, guest blogger

Kathryn has the perfect job, the perfect friends and family, and the perfect lover; until a client dies, her lover moves away, she meets her paternal grandfather and learns the secret of her identity. Things are starting to make sense or are they really what they appear to be?

High Tide sees Kathryn faced with numerous transitions. For a moment, everything seems to be just fine; Joseph is about to return from Ireland, the homeless project is showing great results and Kathryn’s grandfather establishes contact to her. Even Maggie is with her through her diaries.

At some point, everyone starts to fall apart. Upon his return, Joseph startles her with an unexpected offer. It’s on her to decide whether she is ready to leave her newly reclaimed life and her beach. After breaking up with Joseph, she seeks refugee in her beach again, and realizes that five years of absence was more than enough.

Everyone seems to be leaving, and Kathryn starts to feel lonely. Here is one of my favorite quotes: “I am tired of telling everyone Goodbye as they move on with their life, while I stand still. Maybe, I am ready to move on. Maybe it’s finally my time!” (p 115)

Sometimes it’s difficult to escape the high tide, but eventually, Kathryn takes control over her life, despite some “lawyers and their ability to mess up her life”. She finds her hope again, and decides to “chase after life with the drive of an eight-year-old chasing an ice cream truck!”

In conclusion: Nadine did it again. Her engaging first person present tense makes the story as realistic as it can be. Written in a simple, easy-to-read way, High Tide is a great read and, personally, a source of inspiration through Maggie’s and Kathryn’s diaries.

I love the beach descriptions as an instrument to show Kathryn’s sometimes stormy, sometimes nostalgic mood. Through Kathryn, the social worker in Nadine shines through. I was amazed with all those small things Kathryn does to make her clients feel better. Sometimes just a silk scarf is enough to raise someone’s self-esteem.

There were some parts that had me rolling on the floor laughing. Ever gave driving lessons to a nun? No? Maybe you should; nothing will reestablish your connection to God like that experience.

I’m looking forward to reading Storm Surge and learn more about Kathryn’s family. If there are any like her cousins, Storm Surge will probably be brimming over with intrigues!

Meet Ivana, my dear friend and writing colleague. Check out her blog and follow it! http://willingtoseeless.blogspot.com/2009/09/tss-high-tide.html

BUZZ-BUZZ BOOK BUZZ

by Glynis Smy, Cyprus, guest blogger

I love to read when at the airport and onboard the plane. When I leave for my journey I always have a new travel companion, a lovely new book, something to bond with during the hours cruising the clouds.

During my most recent journey I had in my hot little hand, Kathryn's Beach by Nadine Laman.

I am not very good at writing book reviews, but I will try my best to portray what this book did for me.

Having run away from her life, Kathryn is still haunted by the court rulings in one of the child abuse cases she is involved with, five years later she returns, only to find that her nightmare will not go away until she solves the mystery of a letter.

The book captured me, the story flowed and the characters were believable. Each person I met throughout the book came alive. I could visualise each one as they entered a scene. I felt comfortable in their presence, they relaxed me, drew me into the book. There were no fireworks, no raunchy sex scenes, just a great read.

Kathryn returns to memories, new beginnings, nightmares from the past and emotionally draining daily events. Uplifting new meetings and realisations, serene moments and positive actions made me realise this is real life in book form.

I have now ordered High Tide and Storm Surge by the same author, I wanted to go further into Kathryn's world, I had walked her beach and wanted to learn more, to follow her return and these two books will allow me to do so.

Nadine Laman has a new fan and she also has a great blog ~First Draft.

Thank you, Glynis! You do a wonderful job reviewing! I love reading your blog too! Your pic is so lovely that I've posted it, something I wasn't going to do because my blog is a draft, but I love your smile!

Glynis is a British writer living in Cyprus. She has a wonderful blog, check it out and follow her: http://www.glynissmy.com/2009/09/my-travel-companion-book-review.html

BUZZ-BUZZ, BOOK BUZZ

by Ivana Marić, Croatia, guest blogger

Kathryn's Beach: Kathryn abruptly ends a self-imposed exile to return to Los Angeles. Her friends and a cryptic letter written by a powerful man push Kathryn to reconcile the past. Who says, “You can’t go home again?” Sometimes that is exactly what must be done. But, is it worth it?

I say—yes, it is. Once home, Kathryn is catching up the past five years of her absence. Her friends and colleagues welcome her as if she never left. Life seems to get back on track, slowly but steadily, though the chill Kathryn feels when thinking about her last case fades too slowly. With several unexpected twists, a sweet romance, a tragic loss, a group of incredibly dexterous nuns, and a lot of compassion, Kathryn’s Beach is one of those books you wish were longer. You simply don’t want it to end. Maybe that’s the reason why it took me two days to read the last five pages. I didn’t want to let go. Developing a strong sympathy to Kathryn is inevitable, just as feeling with her. There is no violence, no sex, no bad language and no cheap and pretentious clichés, humorous in a refreshing, witty way. Needless to mention, all the female characters are strong women, but Nadine shows their fragile side as well. They all seek refuge on their beach, which is beautifully and expertly described.

The social component-Nadine’s profession-is presented with all the faults and flaws of the system, but leaving strong hope for change and improvement. Nadine leaves you several loose ends as invitation to read High Tide and Storm Surge.

In conclusion:
The words coming to my mind when thinking about Kathryn’s Beach are unpretentious, gentle, caring, compassionate, hopeful, realistic and LIFE with all its highs and lows. You lose some, you win some. Forgiving thy neighbor is sometimes difficult, forgiving yourself sometimes impossible-even when there is nothing to be forgiven. “Life is good; not always easy, but good.”

MEET IVANA:

Ivy is a young and ambitious mom and student. She is studying German and English with the goal to become a translator. Check out her blog, her English is better than mine! http://willingtoseeless.blogspot.com/2009/08/now-real-tss.html

BUZZ-BUZZ, BOOK BUZZ

by Carolyn Sheppard, guest blogger.

The Kathryn’s Beach Trilogy by Nadine Laman

I’m an avid reader and I read all genres, from sci-fi to biography, novels to history. I love to read and the key to me is a great story and ‘engagement’. Even if you don’t like the characters, you have to engage with them.

That’s what I loved about Nadine’s trilogy – I read Kathryn’s Beach and I felt that the active, first person style was very engaging. You are right there, in the moment, seeing the world through her eyes. The upsets, the challenges and the drama all feel very real when you are reading from the first person point of view, even though it is not that common a form. The story in Kathryn’s Beach is also one that engages – you understand the distress she feels and why she had to ‘run’, the curiosity as strange events unfold, and grief and joy as different action takes place in Kathryn’s life.

Once I’d read Kathryn’s Beach, I just had to read the others. High Tide, the second book, still used the ‘drag you along’ style and the shocking events that happened, and how Kathryn handled them, still felt personal. Though maybe you don’t agree, as a reader, with everything she says or does, you are taken along by the story and follow her life changing encounters with a family that you kind of wish you had, and are very glad you don’t have.

The final book, which we had to wait a bit for (keeping us in suspense! Everyone I know who read the other two books was dying to find out what happened in Storm Surge) kept the character strong – you knew it was Kathryn (like recognising an old friend) and wanted to find out how she coped with a complete life style change and some quite tragic, and heart-warming events.

From start to finish, I wanted to know what happens, I wanted to follow Kathryn on her journey and I enjoyed meeting the people she interacted with along the way. The reader gets comfy with people like Mr Goldstein, the elderly and kindly neighbour, Karen, the ex-boss who is a bit of a fixer, the demure Mother Elizabeth (I never met any nuns, but I believe this one) and the close companion Maggie, who is lost so early on.

All I can say is buy Kathryn’s Beach – and you will want to read the whole trilogy.


Carolyn Sheppard is a marketing director of The Complete Trainer in Ware, England. http://www.completetrainer.co.uk/

Listen to HER music (she was the lead singer, songwriter, and one of the musicians for the well known band - Shave The Monkey) http://www.myspace.com/carolynsheppard
(I think it has been way too long since Carolyn cut her last CD - hint, hint).

Visit her blog and find her audio book here: http://ukfolkie.blogspot.com/

BUZZ-BUZZ, BOOK BUZZ

SEEKING SARA SUMMERS by Susan Gabriel is one of the most engaging novels I've read lately.

Susan Gabriel perfectly captures the twenty (plus) year marriage of most of the women I know, including me. The writing is superb, and for those who must have third person POV, here it is -- well done.

Sara's self-rediscovery is encouraging, though her life takes on a twist that most women won't experience. It is hopeful that the cautious-caretaking-zipyourcoat-fastenyourhelmet-Iloveyou mom can learn to breathe easy again and find her forgotten self after the kids are launched 'safely' into adulthood. I only hope we are as brave as Sara.

Seeking Sara Summers is a great read and if I did book reviews, I'd give it a million stars for courage and hope.

Find signed copies here: http://www.susangabriel.com/

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BREAKAWAY by Nadia Sahari is a memoir that delivers for those who love real life stories. Nadia means 'Hope,' and Breakaway is the story of how Nadia survived a lifetime of multiple abuses and abusers. Nadia said, "No more abuse" and meant it and set about to make a good life for herself and her boys. Nadia is an engaging writer with a wonderful style of story telling.

At the end of the book is a list of resources. As a former child abuse investigator, what I know for certain is that everyone needs awareness of the reality of child abuse or we will never stop it. And it should be stopped, it must be stopped. As Nadia's name is Hope, this is a book of hope. This is a book worth reading. Thank you, Nadia, for sharing your life and hope in Breakaway.

Nadia's website: http://www.nadiasahari.com/

Book video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKILF5G6x7I