Monthly Archives: April 2014

“Phillip’s Quest” by Belinda Miller

Phillips Quest

Some books are for the young and the young at heart. “Phillip’s Quest” written by Belinda Miller and illustrated by Dean Kuhta, is one of those books. This is a whimsical tale of Phillip, a gnome, who lives a simple life as a farmer. Simplicity, that is until the quest. With his squirrel friend, Edward, Phillip seems to find adventures. Along the way he encounters all the creatures that a good adventure in the world of fantasy must have. There are dragons, dinosaurs, castles, an enchanted forest and creatures with ominous sounding names. This tale is a fast paced adventure with many twists and turns. It is well written and had an element of the unexpected for sure!

What this delightful tale has that sets it apart is the numerous beautiful color illustrations that enable the reader to glimpse into the mind of the writer. The artwork is beautiful and serves to enhance the tale. There are a few ink drawings in the book as well, but the majority are beautiful full color illustrations. It is truly a multisensory experience to read this extraordinary tale. I will tell you this book is Book I in an epic series. The end does leave you wanting to read the next book in the series. While this book is a children’s book I found it engaging and a delight to read. As I am young at heart, I look forward to the rest of the series.

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“Myth, Magic and Metaphor” by Patricia Daly-Lipe

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In her book, “Myth, Magic and Metaphor,” Patricia Daly-Lipe certainly provides a muse! This book is a must read for aspiring writers. I found her book to provide insights and ideas for books that I hope to write. I kept a list as I read her book and hope to write a few of them. Her subtitle is “A journey into the heart of creativity” could be, a journey toward your inner muse. Lipe is an expert muse teaching you to find yours. She guides you to ponder the meaning of words, shows how they are crafted together in various eras by wide variety of writer. Lipe pulls together examples of creative writing from all genre to inspire and enlighten the reader. This is a book that I will absolutely read more than once.  Lipe talks about the mystery of writing, using music and art to write and in doing so opens your imagination to new realms of creativity. This is one of those books that I believe could also help provide some inspiration when suffering “writers block.”

Lipe is an expert in her subject and to paraphrase her; open your eyes, see the art, read a book, look at a painting, watch nature; the more you see the more you will have to write. I love the way she challenges you as a writer to see writing in all things at all times. She reminds us to tuck these words we experience into our writings. I found this book to be my muse, thought provoking and challenging me to write with every turn of the page.

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“From These Ashes” by Tamela Ritter

From these Ashes

“From These Ashes,” by Tamela Ritter, is one of those unique stories that you will remember for a long time.  Ritter is a master storyteller as she weaves this tale of searching, and wandering through family issues. This story of siblings, Naomi and Tim takes you to the mid west and gives you some glimpses of Native American life. I found this story riveting despite at times the characters enduring brutal and  painful experiences. Ritter is able to paint word pictures that lead you through many issues for Naomi and Tim in various life stages.  I continue to ponder some of the issues raised in this powerful story of sibling connection and family. It is a book unlike any other!

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“Who Gets to Name Grandma?” by Carol Covin

Who Gets to Name Grandma

Carol Covin’s book, “Who Gets to Name Grandma” is a must read for Grandmothers and Mothers every where. This book takes a look at a serious topic in a humorous manner. There are many possible conflicts between mother’s and daughter’s, not to mention between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law when a new grand child is born. Covin gives the reader some recommendations of topics to be discussed and boundaries to be determined all with helpful humor. I am not a grandmother, but I am an Aunt and I found that many of Covin’s suggestions would apply to any relative when a new baby is born.

This book includes resources to help in this life changing time. It would make a great gift to the new mother and the new grandmother. This is a great gift book.

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