The Genus Files: You Only Die Twice by Dan Gutman

Title: The Genus Files:  You Only Die Twice

Author: Dan Gutman Read by:  Michael Goldstrom

Publisher: Blackstone Audio

Length: Approximately 6 hours

Source: Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

It wouldn’t be a summer family vacation if we didn’t have The Genus Files to listen to on our road trip.  On a recent trip to visit my family in Michigan, we listened to this third book in The Genus Files series and it kept my entire family interested with its great mix of adventure and humor.

Coke and Pepsi McDonald have traveled in an RV with their parents across the country to attend their Aunt’s wedding only to find out she is marrying their arch nemesis.  As they start their journey back home, they find themselves almost dying more than once at the hands of a mysterious Elvis impersonator.  Who is this impersonator, and why do they want the McDonald twins dead?

Author Dan Gutman writes with a winning formula that keeps our entire family entertained from 12-year son Kile, to 10-year old son Daniel, and our 7-year old daughter Penelope.  My husband and I enjoy the adventures as well.  It’s a nice blend of adventure and family humor.  That is exactly the kind of book that Daniel enjoys.  The book also explores all sorts of out of the way unique places in America.  Daniel was really inspired by the first book and really wants to visit the House on the Rock.  Luckily, we live in Wisconsin so it’s not too far away.  We just moved this summer and currently own two homes, so it’s on our list to finally visit the House on the Rock after we sell one of the homes.

Michael Goldstrom is a great narrator and does great voices and sound effects.  The only negative to this audiobook is that my family does not like when Goldstrom read the entire web addresses for google maps or each individual letter for the cipher.  It’s okay to summarize on an audiobook!

Overall, if you are looking for a fun family audiobook for your family road trip, I highly recommend The Genus Files series by Dan Gutman.

Tiffany Blues by M.J. Rose Review and GIVEAWAY (TLC Book Tour)

Tiffany Blues is a wonderful new historical fiction novel that is full of drama, mystery, suspense, and art.  I was quickly swept into this novel and it held me in its grips until the epic conclusion.

Jenny Bell is an artist living in New York City in 1924.  She is determined to learn what she can and to make it as an artist.  Her closest friend, Minx Deering, is a wealthy socialite who is also an artist.  Jenny keeps in her world of black, white, and greys, but she remembers the colors of a beautiful Tiffany stained glass window that played a significant role in her troubled teenage years.  For you see, Jenny Bell, was not always Jenny Bell.  She had another name and had a wonderful artist mother who painted Ouija boards.  Jenny’s idyllic childhood ends when her mother marries the wrong man. What happened to Jenny and her family?  Why does Jenny have a new identity?

Minx believes in Jenny and is able to secure her a coveted summer position at Louis Comfort Tiffany’s artist retreat at his estate, Laurelton Hall on Long Island.  Jenny finds inspiration at Laurelton Hall and also finds herself drawn to Tiffany’s grandson Oliver.  The past has a way of rearing its head and Jenny finds herself in the center of a burgeoning scandal that also seems to involve her past.  What is the truth of Jenny’s history and why is it coming to fruition now?  Will she be able to put her past behind her and embrace her art?  Will she find true love?

I really enjoyed Tiffany Blues.  It was a unique historical setting that involved a lot of interesting elements.  I love the 1920s setting itself and involving not only the art world, but the spiritualism of the day.  I also knew nothing about Louis Comfort Tiffany of Tiffany fame, his artist colony, or his grand estate.  I found it all fascinating.  The story itself was riveting and I read the book relatively quickly as I really wanted to see how the story pulled together.  The characters and the vivid descriptions were wonderful.

I loved the author’s note at the beginning of the novel explaining the history of Laurelton Hall.  It was fascinating.  I would have loved to have seen it in its prime before it burned down.

Favorite Quotes:

“Once the present turns to past, all we have left are memories.”

“The press exploits our lives to sell more papers.  It ignores our humanity.”

“I’ve always wanted to believe in life after death.  In the idea that we’re presented with multiple opportunities to do the right thing from life to life.”

 

Overall, Tiffany Blues is a gripping and unique historical fiction novel with a wonderful and interesting story that kept me enthralled until the end.  I highly recommend it.

Book Source:  Review Copy as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you!  For more stops on this tour, check out this link.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner will receive a copy of Tiffany Blues by M.J Rose. If you would like to win this book, please leave a comment on what interests you about this book. Have you ever read any novels set in the 1920's jazz era?  If so, which ones did you enjoy or not enjoy?

As part of your comment, you must include an email address. If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner.

For an additional entry, blog about this giveaway or post it on your sidebar. Provide a link to this post in your comment.

I will be using random.org (or a Monte Carlo simulation in excel) to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is only open to addresses in the United States.

The deadline for entry is midnight on Friday September 7th!

Please make sure to check the week of September 10th to see if you are a winner. I send emails to the winner, but lately I've been put in their "junk mail" folder instead of their inbox.

Good luck!

Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy

I’ve been on an Anne of Green Gables kick this year and I really enjoyed reading the new novel, Marilla of Green Gables. I have loved the Anne of Green Gable series since I started reading it when I was twelve.  I’ve read and also own every book written by L.M. Montgomery including all of her short story collections.  I am a fan and had great expectations for this book.  Happily they were met. The book was written so that it seemed like it was another addition to the Anne series.   Marilla is a spirited young woman with dreams, but her dreams come to a standstill at the tragic death of her mother.  Will Marilla be able to find happiness and purpose in her life?

Marilla meets a new friend Rachel White at the start of the story and the two have great adventures together.  Rachel is from a wealthy family.  SPOILER ALERT:  I was shocked when Rachel ended up being Rachel Lynde.  Although it was the same first name, I didn’t realize it would be her! SPOILER END.

Neither Marilla nor Matthew had a happy love story in this novel.  It is better to have loved and lost then to never to have loved at all, or so it seems for both.  I loved the chemistry between Marilla and John Blythe and I was heartbroken when their love story did not work out – although I knew it would end up that way from the Anne stories.

I like how the book ended with Marilla longing for a child to love.  It was the perfect set up for the beginning of Anne of Green Gables.

The only outlier to the story for me involved escaped slaves.  While that part of the story had me on the edge of my seat, L.M.  Montgomery would not have written about this story, especially as it involved the love between an escaped slave and a white woman.  Otherwise the novel seemed just like a L.M. Montgomery novel to me.  It was an interesting twist to the story and I love how Marilla was “woke”’ on a trip into town with Rachel where she was confronted with the realities of slavery.  This seemed like a twist for the modern reader.

The author’s note was interesting.  The acknowledgements contained MANY of my favorite authors.  This got me thinking – do all my favorite authors hang out together? 

Overall, I loved Marilla of Green Gables and I highly recommend it to all my fellow Anne of Green Gables and L.M. Montgomery fans out there.

This book will be published on October 23rd!

Book Source: Review Copy from William Morrow.  Thank-you!