Savvy Thinker » Kindle http://savvythinker.com thinking about life, playing with makeup Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:10:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Review: Invisible (Ivy Malone mystery) by Lorena McCourtney http://savvythinker.com/review-invisible-ivy-malone-mystery-by-lorena-mccourtney/ http://savvythinker.com/review-invisible-ivy-malone-mystery-by-lorena-mccourtney/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:03:08 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7428

This book was offered free for Kindle as a hook to the rest of the books in the series. It is the first time I had heard of this author, her heroine, or the series, but it sounded fun.

This book is gentle, somewhat slow moving (or perhaps I just didn't want to rush through it) humorous and insightful. I highlighted quite a bit in the book.

It is a Christian story, but it is not preachy. At times you hear her prayers or her thoughts on God and life in general, and she helps one character be more inclined to visit churches (which his previous girlfriend had wanted.)

The Story
Ivy Malone is an older lady who within the first few pages loses her best friend, approximately the same age, to sudden death. She muses on life as she goes through it, much like I do, but perhaps more pithily. I enjoy hearing her humorous thoughts as she goes about her business. Her asides are sometimes laugh out loud.

She and her friend had gone out to an old cemetery, only to find that there had been vandalism. Many of the headstones were pulled or pushed over.

They go to the police, but they are overlooked and under accepted.

So Ivy vows, after her friend's death, that she will go out to the cemetery at night to watch for the vandals to return, which of course they ultimately do. She wants to solve the mystery, as well as catch them.

During the process she realizes that she has become invisible, in the sense that wherever she goes, including to the police, she is pretty much ignored for the younger people who are in the same place. She figures she can use this new found invisibility to figure out what is happening.

She is definitely braver than I!

Along the way she nearly gets killed and solves a murder. And she is courted by one man and is somewhat courted by another (or it is the development of a good friendship in elder years.)

The characters
I enjoyed the development of characters in the book -- for example, the young woman with a mystery herself or the young police officer that befriends her (and she befriends him) who does believe her. I also liked the strong friendships, for even their foibles are simply accepted.

I was sorry that a character is murdered.

My rating
I'd give this book 3 out of 4 stars. It's not terribly frightening nor gory. Ivy certainly has pluck, something I'd like to continue to cultivate in myself. She is sort of Nancy Drew, all grown up. She is a genuinely nice person in her dealings with everyone.

All the ends are neatly tied up, pretty much, which might not happen in real life, but you feel good for spending some time with Ivy.

Have you read this book or any of the series? do you have a favorite?

Buy: Invisible (Ivy Malone Mystery Series #1)

Buy: Invisible (Kindle book) (Ivy Malone Mystery Series #1)

Karin
www.savvythinker.com



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Originally posted 2011-01-07 21:04:24.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-invisible-ivy-malone-mystery-by-lorena-mccourtney/feed/ 0 Review One for the Money (movie) http://savvythinker.com/review-one-for-the-money-movie/ http://savvythinker.com/review-one-for-the-money-movie/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:54:29 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=8226

We went to see this at the midnight show of opening night. There weren't a lot of folks there, which surprised me, but it might have been because people were sure about the casting.

If you love the book, you will love the movie. I'd see it again in a minute, and I will definitely buy it when it comes out as a DVD.

What's not to love about a movie that makes you happy, where you know the main character is going to be OK, where there is a lot of humor, and it is fun to watch!

Casting:
Let's talk casting. I wasn't at all convinced until I saw the movie. It was perfect.

I liked the idea of Katherine Heigl, but I wasn't sure if I'd like her in dark hair. Not to worry. She looked great.

Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur was not at all who I pictured. But she got me in the first minute of her first appearance on screen. Considering Grandma Mazur is a favorite character, that is saying something.

Lulu -- well, I had thought Queen Latifah, but she is too high class for the part. But Sherri Shepherd was perfect in the part, and her getups were just like Janet Evanovich describes her.

Vinnie (Patrick Fischler) was perfect.

Now Morelli (Jason O'Mara) turned out to be a good choice. There is a lot of magnetism between him and Stephanie.

And speaking of magnetism, Daniel Sunjata as Ranger, turned out to be perfect. Many of us had thought of the Rock in this part, but Daniel couldn't be beat.

Ana Reeder as Connie, does a good job.

I didn't have anybody in mind for her parents, so they were OK. They don't have a lot of screen time compared to some of the other characters.

If you liked the book, do yourself a favor and get on down and see the movie. You know it is a terrific franchise, and I'd like to see the other books made as movies too. This one has to sell tickets for that to happen. I'd definitely go see them.

Have you seen it?
I give it 4 stars. I liked it!

Karin
www.savvythinker.com


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Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-one-for-the-money-movie/feed/ 0 Review Divorced, Desperate and Dating by Christie Craig http://savvythinker.com/review-divorced-desperate-and-dating-by-christie-craig/ http://savvythinker.com/review-divorced-desperate-and-dating-by-christie-craig/#comments Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:24:12 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7260

It's been a long time since I've enjoyed an author and book, as much as I enjoyed Christie Craig's Divorced, Desperate, and Dating. This book is easily as good, if not better, than Janet Evanovich's series featuring Stephanie Plum. Seriously. If you like Stephanie Plum, you will love this book. And the good news is that it is part of a trilogy, so there is more on offer, including other books by this author.

I suppose you would call this romantic suspense, but there is so much wit and humor in it, that it crosses genres, as far as I'm concerned.

I managed to pick it up when it was offered for free on Kindle. Yippee!

Make no mistake, the sex is hot and heavy, but it is realistic. The hero and heroine do not jump into bed at the first available moment, but there is a lot of sexual tension as they determine how far they will take the relationship.

Sue Finley is a murder mystery writer. She researches how to kill her victims. Her good friend is married to a police officer, whose good friend is Jason Dodds, also a police officer. It just so happens that 4 months earlier, she and Jason had shared a spectacular kiss. He asked for her number, but he hasn't called her back.

In the meantime, she has begun to date Paul who is just odd enough to give you the willies. She is considering breaking it off.

And then she starts getting threats to kill her that are copycatting the book she has written, but is not yet published.

At first, it seems like a loathsome prank or publicity stunt, though she realizes it is not. Then it escalates into serious territory. Re-enter Jason Dodds to save the day -- and he does. He is one of the first to take the threats seriously, and he refuses to leave her until the person behind the threats is discovered. He has, what he thinks, are good reasons for not calling her after their kiss, but that goes out the window when they are in close proximity.

There really is some suspense here, but it doesn't get into the horrors of suspense mysteries, thankfully. I wanted to finish the book to know where it was going.

The story is peopled with odd characters, similar to the Stephanie Plum stories. Her mom is a character, and her grandparents keep tabs on her life. There is a lot of love, even with peoples' eccentricities.

I really enjoyed the book. I give it 4 out of 4 *, and I will look for her other books.

Click here to read it on your kindle. It's not free any longer, but it is worth every penny!

Have you read any of her books or this one?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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Originally posted 2010-10-22 20:27:39.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-divorced-desperate-and-dating-by-christie-craig/feed/ 0 Getting through the day if you are dealing with hard times http://savvythinker.com/getting-through-the-day-if-you-are-dealing-with-hard-times/ http://savvythinker.com/getting-through-the-day-if-you-are-dealing-with-hard-times/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:56:08 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7540

Someone once said that grief is self-centered.

Having been there, done that, I have to disagree. For me, if it was self-centered, it wasn't self-imposed. I don't ever want to grieve again as deeply as I did ever ever, if I have a choice.

How do you get through? in my own words in no particular order (and you may have other ways):
- don't listen to ones who say really strange things to you in the name of trying to help
- be good to yourself every day
- hang onto the lifeline of spirituality and God
- make choices for happiness -- choose small things that make you happy
- look for any good that you can find
- recognize the smallest happiness/good and multiply it, if you can
- do this day by day, without fail, and somehow you get down the road a piece...
- don't fault yourself for grieving (you have two problems if you lay guilt on yourself)
- honor your feelings, they are valuable, even to God
- don't listen to others who tell you that their way is better/you are at fault
- use your life experiences to help others, if possible
- do something to take your mind off yourself -- visit with a friend, read a book, get out into nature, volunteer your services...

How are you getting through or how did you make your way through?
or how have you seen others make it through?
To some extent, each has to find and do what it takes to get through. Know you are not alone. And somehow, we do get through, as hard or as impossible as it seems.

Here's a book that sounds interesting:

In the book The Hidden Gifts of Helping: How the Power of Giving, Compassion, and Hope Can Get Us Through Hard Times Stephen G. Post tells how he got through a relocation crisis and how others can get through hardships or disappointments.

Be bold if life throws you a curve ball or you are forced to make changes in your life.

Throw yourself wholeheartedly into the journey...with a full heart...ready to give of yourself with compassion and forgiveness, never seeking the hidden gifts but finding them just the same. Stephen G. Post

Buy: The Hidden Gifts of Helping: How the Power of Giving, Compassion, and Hope Can Get Us Through Hard Times

Buy: (Kindle Edition) The Hidden Gifts of Helping: How the Power of Giving, Compassion, and Hope Can Get Us Through Hard Times

Karin
www.savvythinker.com



Originally posted 2011-02-08 07:14:18.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/getting-through-the-day-if-you-are-dealing-with-hard-times/feed/ 0 Review The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster http://savvythinker.com/review-the-phantom-tollbooth-by-norton-juster/ http://savvythinker.com/review-the-phantom-tollbooth-by-norton-juster/#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:07:10 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7926

The Phantom Tollbooth is an adorable book. I don't know how I missed it when it first came out.

While marketed for young adults or children, it is definitely one an adult will appreciate, perhaps more than a child. It is chock full of idioms, synonyms, antonyms, and other assorted word plays. Reading it to a child would be a delight for the adult -- and one where you'd have ample opportunity to define phrases and explain why it's so clever. And the child (or adult) would pick up many (or be reminded of many) clever, clever, clever turns of phrase.

In some ways, it reminds me of the classic Half Magic.

And it's a cute story, to boot!

Anna Quinlan wrote a book report on it when she was 10 and said: "This is the best book ever."

I have to agree. I give it 5 stars out of 5 stars.

The story
Milo is a very bored young man, totally glum. Learning for him is nothing short of useless -- why would he ever need any of that information!

Ah, but he is about to receive a magic tollbooth that will take him to lands beyond where he will rescue the princesses Rhyme and Reason. Along the way he will travel in such places as: Dictionopolos and Digitopolos and meet the Mathemagician, among others.

His companions are the dog Tock (who has a clock built in) and the Humbug.

Have you read it?
The author has also collaborated on a musical score and a libretto for an opera that is performed in schools and theaters:

And he has written a number of other books that I will be looking into. One, The Dot and the Line, was made into an Academy-Award winning film.

I got mine from the library, but bought it for my Kindle too.

Here's something about the movie from 1970:

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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FICTION BOOKS


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Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-the-phantom-tollbooth-by-norton-juster/feed/ 0 2009 Amazon sells more eBooks than printed ones http://savvythinker.com/2009amazon-sells-more-ebooks-than-printed-ones/ http://savvythinker.com/2009amazon-sells-more-ebooks-than-printed-ones/#comments Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:05:08 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=6073

Well, whaddya know. We are moving into a new era, for sure!

2009 Christmas season
Kindle was the most gifted item in Amazon's history
I'm not surprised!

However, Amazon gave no sales figures for the device or the electronic book sales.

Of interest, perhaps, is that Amazon does not pay bloggers when a blog reader orders an ebook, only for paper books that are purchased via a blog, if that app has been activated.

It's a first:
2009 More electronic books sold for Kindle than paper books

The sales record was achieved on Friday, December 25, Christmas Day, when people who had received a Kindle as a present logged on to Amazon.com to load their new Kindle with reading material.

Topic of conversation when traveling
Who knew!

Reading an ebook, my Kindle, becomes a way to meet people -- either those who already have a Kindle or those who want to know or ask about it.

I met some cool folks on recent travels.

I did not see any other ebooks, only Kindle.

Do you have an ebook reader? What Kind, if not Kindle?
Do you have a Kindle?
I do. The more I use it, the better I like and enjoy it, especially for travel.

I'm trying to be carefully frugal. Most of my ebooks now are free ones, but I am slowly buying a few too.

I'm waiting for Kindle to match the Sony ebook capability of reading library books. That would be great! Do you think it will happen?

Update 2011: They do, but I haven't tried it yet. And my library now has the capability. Whoo hooo!

What's your favorite genre?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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Originally posted 2009-12-29 17:11:42.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/2009amazon-sells-more-ebooks-than-printed-ones/feed/ 0 Review Stealing Shadows by Kay Hooper http://savvythinker.com/review-stealing-shadows-by-kay-hooper/ http://savvythinker.com/review-stealing-shadows-by-kay-hooper/#comments Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:58:23 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=6874

Because I enjoyed Kay Hooper's last book, Raven on the Wing, I got a number of books from the library to read. I don't have them all, and they may not be in perfect chronological order, but I will try to read in order the ones I have.

Stealing Shadows is first in Hooper's BISHOP SERIES: The "Bishop" Special Crimes Unit Series Publisher: Bantam. And it is first in the Shadows trilogy.

This is an intense, scary, chilling, psychological suspense read. Not to be read at night, in the dark, alone.

Cassie Neill is a psychic, a real one, one of a long line of women in her family who have the gift of sight. She has used it, at great mental and physical peril, to aid police in finding serial killers. Sometimes she is too late, and what she sees, she is unable to put the pieces together, and women have been killed, heinously. To see what is happening, to do this, she enters into the mind of the killer (or a possible victim) because she has had some contact with them in real life -- a meeting of the eyes in a chance encounter; touching a piece of the evidence, touched by the killer, etc.

If she gets too deep into the mind of the killer, it is almost impossible to get out. She needs a lifeline, someone to hold her to her own life and mentality, while she is entering the mind of the killer(s.) If the killer is himself killed while she is in his mind, she will not recover.

Not too long before this book, she had been in a coma for a week, because she got too close to one of the subjects. Now, she is living in a small town, to avoid her fate -- but of course, that leads her to it -- living in the house her aunt had willed to her.

Enter the next serial killer. Who is connected to a case she left behind -- but he has not left her.

While there is some romance in it, and the romance contributes both to the saving of Cassie (and her saving her lover), it almost leads to the death of both of them. I would not categorize this as a romance, there is too little of it in the book.

I did my usual, reading the first few pages, skipping to the end, reading that, then reading the middle very fast because this is a genre I no longer like. It is too difficult to read. It is a testament to her ability that I continued to read it at all. It hits too close to home for a variety of reasons.

My take
Hooper is a wonderful writer, with a vivid imagination, able to make her subject come alive and truly seem real. She enters into the thought processes of the killer.

If you like true suspense, with twists and turns, and psychological thrillers, this book is for you -- likely the whole series is. This is far different from Raven on the Wing that I reviewed in an upcoming review for Love Romance Passion.

Not all the ends are tied up neatly, but I suppose they aren't in RL either.

I give it a 5 out of 5 for its genre, but in truth, I didn't enjoy it, because as I said, this is no longer the genre I prefer to read.

Have you read this book? Have you read any of her books?
Do you have a favorite? She has also written in the fantasy genre.

You is available for Kindle. You can read my review of the second book in the series, Hiding in the Shadows, here.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com




Originally posted 2010-05-27 07:56:38.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-stealing-shadows-by-kay-hooper/feed/ 0 Review Out of the Shadows by Kay Hooper http://savvythinker.com/review-out-of-the-shadows-by-kay-hooper/ http://savvythinker.com/review-out-of-the-shadows-by-kay-hooper/#comments Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:55:16 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=6914

Out of the Shadows is the third in Hooper's BISHOP SERIES: The "Bishop" Special Crimes Unit Series Publisher: Bantam. And it is third in the Shadows trilogy.

I decided after this book, I will not be reading any more of this series or of her suspense/thriller books. While it is an excellent book, definitely a 5 star, it is very difficult for me to read the evil portrayed in it.

So, while I like the idea of the psychic crime solvers, I'm more along the lines of White Collar than this series.

Miranda Knight fled from Noah Bishop when her family, all but her sister, was murdered. They were in love, but his mistakes (he thinks) 'caused' the sequence of events.

Miranda is an 'adept' with more powers than most. She has shielded both herself and her sister mentally from the murderer of her family and taken a new identity. She doesn't realize that Bishop found him and he is dead. The murderer also had psychic powers.

When she and Bishop are together, in the middle of sex, it is as if their powers are expanded, but it also leaves them psychically exposed. They are better when working together, using their powers, than they are alone.

She is now the sheriff in a small town, but teenagers are being murdered horrifically. She has to call Bishop's team in to help solve the cases. The rest of the team only knows a bit of the history. They don't know her powers, and the town doesn't know them either.

She has shielded herself so well, that while Bishop has tried to find her before this, he was unable to.

As in real life situations, the reader has no control over who is murdered or not, and at least one character is murdered that I would like to see live.

Her sister's special ability is to be able to see ghosts. You can guess where that leads, especially when a Ouija Board is involved.

The spirit of the original murderer is called forth (or calls himself forth) and there is more mayhem to follow. I thought that that spirit might have inhabited the new murderer, but no, he was another crazy. Very, very crazy.

The romance is secondary to the storyline, but there is plenty of romantic tension.

Do you like this series?
As I said, I made a conscious choice not to read any more of the books.

It is available for Kindle.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com




Originally posted 2010-05-30 14:47:59.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-out-of-the-shadows-by-kay-hooper/feed/ 0 Review SEALed with a Promise by Mary Margret Daughtridge http://savvythinker.com/review-sealed-with-a-promise-by-mary-margret-daughtridge/ http://savvythinker.com/review-sealed-with-a-promise-by-mary-margret-daughtridge/#comments Sat, 21 May 2011 08:28:17 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=6853

SEALed with a Promise by Mary Margret Daughtridge is the second book I've read in this series.

I'm enjoying taking the time to read lately -- and giving up one of my other loves, beading, at least for the moment. I only have time to do one extra thing and for now it is catching up on reading, which I love and haven't had time for.

Like her first book, SEALed with a Kiss</em>, the SEAL aspect of the story is almost peripheral. There isn't any war game going on, except for the prologue, and that is relatively minor. What we see is the strong friendships between the men who are in the same unit, and we see some of their comradery, as well as their inner thoughts, especially Do-Lord's, as this is his story. The war going on is in his thoughts.

The story revolves around the wedding of Pickett and Jax, from the first book. I'm guessing, but I don't know, that perhaps the third book revolves around the wedding that is Do-Lord's.

Do-Lord has a serious ethical and moral problem. Charged with protecting, he has in his gun-sights Teague Calhoun, the man he had vowed to kill when he was a teen. He holds him responsible for his mother's death. He knows he could take him out, but it goes against all that he stands for as a SEAL. It shakes him to his core, that he could endanger his unit.

Do-Lord has a high I.Q. which he has managed to hide most of his life, as well as almost photographic memory, and the ability to (or nearly to) foresee future events when in dangerous situations.

Fast forward to the actual story. Do-Lord is taking part in the wedding, as is Pickett's good friend Emma. Emma's problem is lack of confidence, despite having her Ph.D. She dislocated her shoulder saving a student and has her arm in a sling. This provides Do-Lord the opportunity to be of service. He sees through her frumpy appearance, surprised that his libido has kicked in big-time. And then, he realizes that she can afford him entrance into Calhoun's life, for though she is not a relative (and she dislikes him) she calls Calhoun Uncle Teague.

The promise comes in when Emma insists that they promise each other that if they start a relationship they will be loyal, as well as exclusive. Do-Lord asks her if she would insist marriage be a part of the deal, but she stops short of this.

What starts out as a way to get to Calhoun, ends up rescuing Do-Lord (and Emma) and turns into true love. Along the way Do-Lord learns a few things about himself, especially that revenge doesn't pay. He is able to find another way and gain the upper hand.

Warning: there is a bit about celiac disease, which Pickett has, which forwards this story. There is also something about Falconi anemia. And there is a bit about blood draws. Surprisingly, I know someone in RL with this disease, which is rare. (I also have known someone with Celiac disease.) While these are important aspects to the story, they do not overwhelm it.

I give this 5 out of 5. The love story is believable. I like the friendships. I like the family loyalty. I enjoy seeing the next part of the story unfold, as it would in RL. I might even be able to figure out whose story comes next.

This book is available for Kindle.

Have you read any of her books? Do you have a favorite?
See my review of SEALed with a Ring here.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com




Originally posted 2010-05-25 07:50:07.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-sealed-with-a-promise-by-mary-margret-daughtridge/feed/ 0 Review: The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade http://savvythinker.com/review-the-ghost-and-the-goth-by-stacey-kade/ http://savvythinker.com/review-the-ghost-and-the-goth-by-stacey-kade/#comments Sat, 14 May 2011 01:45:15 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7767

First, I really enjoyed The Ghost and the Goth. [I got it from the library.] It was very clever and very funny, with a lot of heart, even if the subject matter could have been macabre. I give it 4**** out of 5*****. In some ways this reminds me of Ghost with Whoopi Goldberg, because there are definitely comedic aspects to it.

For sheer volume of subjects discussed in an engaging, non-didactic manner, it is a winner.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg (the list reads like a soap opera):
Death of a high school student
Another student in a coma
Vindictive high school principal
Friendship of high school students
High school guy who is a player
High school cliques
Alcoholism in an adult
Divorce
Possible mental illness
Malpractice by a mental health provider
Fundamentalist minister father (not much written about him)
Lesbianism
Suicide of a father
Ability to hear the dead and in some cases see them
Life after death from a secular, not religious, angle
Ouija board that definitely backfires

The story
Alona Dare, girl extraordinaire, is definitely not having her best day. She leaves school and as she is on the phone, gets hit by a school bus full of band geeks. And just that quick, she is dead. But not gone.

Enter Will Killian, another student at the school, who has the gift of sight, as had his father, and possibly his grandmother. He has to keep it under control or every ghost within his radius tries to contact him in a cacophony of sound to do something for them. He has an IEP [Individualized Educational Program] [A written statement for each individual with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with Title 42 USC Section 1414(d).] [The principal should not have been allowed to do what he did. Not everyone knows to fight for this.] which allows him to have an iPod to drown out the voices. But the principal takes it away from him and delights in putting him in detention. But that's not the least of it. If Will can't keep some semblance of control over the voices he hears, his unscrupulous shrink wants him in a locked down residential facility for schizophrenics because no one can hear ghosts, can they. Will is not a Goth, but he is seen that way.

Alona has a lot of questions (in common with most of the ghosts): why is she still hanging around? what must she do to go forward? how does she find the light? why does she keep disappearing? Will is the one to help her find the answers -- and she helps him keep the other ghosts at bay.

She says he is hers -- and when she claims him, she becomes his spirit guide. (I thought this was one thing that was really clever.) All the ghosts have to go through her to get to him, as far as asking him to do something for them in order to move them forward and complete the work they thought they left unfinished.

Will has figured some of it out: the more negative a ghost is, the more the ghost disappears. If a ghost totally disappears, they don't reappear, but who knows where they went. To stay intact as a ghost, the ghost must speak something positive that he or she really means.

And then there is Joonie who helps Will as much as she can. And both are concerned about their friend Lily who is in a coma. That story heats up too and is intertwined in the rest of the story.

So how can the book be so much fun?
Good question, but it is. It is written in alternating chapters of Will and Alona. There is definitely humor, a lot of it. I genuinely liked the characters.

There are some very funny scenes where Will confronts the principal with info from the principal's deceased grandfather who Will can hear. And of course, once the grandfather knows he is heard, that opens the door to other ghosts wanting to be heard.

There are funny and touching scenes where Will is talking to a ghost that no one else can see and has to make the convo have some sort of sense to those who are overhearing it.

And there are a lot of truisms thrown in

See, here's the bullshit about high school, and believe me, I've had plenty of time to think about this. Teachers, parents, guidance counselors...all of them are always pushing this crap about how it's okay to be different, just be yourself. Don't give in to peer pressure, blah, blah, blah. The truth is, it's really only okay to be yourself if that self is within an accepted range of 'normal.' p 23 (Will, thinking while confronted by the principal)

What I liked
The strong friendship that develops between Will and Alona; the idea of forgiveness; the humor; the suspense that you know will turn out OK; that one continues to live after death; the clever asides in the internal voices; the good spirited nature of most of it; the high school milieu, including certain lunch room seating that indicates what tier of popularity you are in; the growth in the characters, even those on the other side, as they learn; finding a way out of the impasse both in the spirit world and the earthly world; a lot of the ideas which make sense and are clever; that the mothers (finally) come through for their children, even if after death, when they seemed weak.

What I didn't like
I didn't see that there had to be a lesbian in the story for it to work. And then I didn't like some of the negative aspects surrounding how the girl (and the lesbianism) was handled, including how her family treats her (which might not be too far off from truth, for some.) I don't want to give away any of the story. This is a young adult book and there is no sex in it. But there are a couple of hetero kisses and one kiss that is mentioned.

It is available for Kindle:

There is a second book, which I will read.

Have you read this book or its sequel?
I give the author a lot of credit for being able to discuss the subjects with some semblance of objectivity with an interesting story that didn't seem to have an agenda. I disliked the books my kids had to read in early years that dealt with tough subjects, which at their age were better discussed by a parent, if the parent would, IMO, that were so didactic, the story got lost. And if a young child were dealing with that issue IRL, I didn't think they would want to read about it. They would want to read something to help them escape from it.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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