Tag: book

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Question of the Month

#Question of the Month: a #bloghop to think about. No. 13- What was the first book you really fell in love with?

A little while ago, Michael D’Agostino, of A Life Examined, brought up the idea of a new blog hop called Question of the Month. He thinks blog readers would like to know a little more about us, the bloggers. So we’re all gathering to show you guys who we are by taking part in the Question of the Month blog hop. On the first Monday of each month, we answer the question that gets posted here.

This month’s question is: “What was the first book (or book series) you really fell in love with?”

This is an easy question to answer for me, the only problem is I can’t just pick one. It’s no secret to anyone who’s read a little of my blog that the book Peter and Wendy changed my life at a young age. It made me see the whole world as an adventure, at least for a while. But of course reality set in and one day I realized that no matter how much I tried I would never make it to Neverland and become a lost boy.

Then one day I accomplished the small but notable feat of reading an entire chapter book all by myself- the title was Ramona Quimby. Once I discovered the work of Beverly Cleary, I sped through at least three in the series. Always the strong-willed and mischievous tomboy, I could relate to Ramona; plus, she had a big sister just like me and the similarities, at the time, seemed so close.

As much as I don’t like to admit it, as I grew older reading for enjoyment lessened. Fortunately, I did enjoy some of the required reading in school, but by the time I reached college- if it wasn’t assigned, I didn’t read it. Years later when I decided to rekindle my friendship with books I returned to my comfort zone of fantasy.

It was Gregory Maguire’s The Wicked Years series that helped me reconcile the imagination of my youth with the reality of my adulthood. It’s not my favorite adult series, but it means a lot to me. I’ve always been a fan of pretty much anything Oz and to question my feelings about a world I thought could be so wonderful was refreshing. As a kid you never really question if the far distant worlds you love are actually as good as they seem, but reading The Wicked Years series gave me an opportunity to embrace the child within and still stand firm the in mental and physical maturity I’d grown into. It was basically a reality check of the fantasy kind. 😉

Please visit the other participants in this hop and even join in if you’d like. I can’t wait to see what other books and series have impacted so many.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Books FlashbackFriday

#FlashbackFriday: #Fantasy #Book Review: Breath of Air


Brought to you by, Michael G D’Agostino at A Life Examined, this is a time of the month (the last Friday) where you can republish an old post of yours that maybe didn’t get enough attention, you’re really proud of, or you think is still relevant, etc. I’ve chosen to share old book and movie reviews because those are always relevant.

Originally posted Friday, September 21, 2012.

Breath of Air (The Dryad Quartet), By Katie Jennings

I give this story a solid 4. Almost everything you could want in a story.

 

This is the story of an orphan named Capri who discovers that her suppressed dreams are actually memories and that she does actually have a family. You’d think that finding out something like that would be enough to carry a decent story, but Breath of Air takes this heartwarming tale for a good old fashion thrill ride. This wild, funny, and sometimes scary journey opens Capri up to a world of mystical and mythological beings and helps her cope with the idea that she may just be one of them.

Not my usual read, but so worth my time. I’m used to more intensity and less romance, but this wasn’t too much or too little of anything. I’m still wondering what happened to the fairies. Were they real or did I overlook something?

The whole story was delivered in a laid-back Sunday afternoon kind of approach, but that doesn’t mean it was slow or boring in any way. It was beautifully descriptive, but very simplistic making for an easy and enjoyable read. It took me a while to warm up to Capri, but I think it’s because I’m more like the character of Blythe. Once I realized just how important Capri was to the whole dynamic of the relationships around her, I fell in love with her. She’s just the kind of person I’d love to have as a friend.

There were several prince charming types, a charismatic one and a brooding loner one, readily available for rescues and romance, but it was the plethora of diverse and dominant female characters that stole the show, so to speak. Always a fan of mythology, I loved seeing how the characters and story plot would play out in this world of Euphorea.

Get a copy of this book here.

Please visit the other participants in this hop and even join in if you’d like.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Promotion

Looking to promote #indie #authors. No strings, but some restrictions.

 

Hey Indie Authors,

I’m excite about Indie Pride Day (or Indie Author Pride Day- whichever) and would like to put a video together to help promote other authors, along with myself.

The only thing I need from you is permission and a link to your book (limit 1 for now). You don’t have to talk or appear on camera.

If your book meets my Promotional Policy, I’d be glad to add it to an IBBS photo album on Facebook and include it in a video on July 1st. No strings attached. Visit my contact page and send me a message by Friday June 26th.

Sorry for the last-minute notice.

Please review my promotional policy above before agreeing to participate.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords