Year: 2016

A reminder: you could win A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf!

This is a brief post to remind you of my 8th giveaway soon to have a winner.

If you want to enter the draw for your chance to win a copy of A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf, then go here and leave a comment as indicated. The draw is set for tonight (Aug 17), as you will see, with the winner being announced tomorrow (Aug 18).

After this giveaway has ended I will select something to give away in September.  September!!  Yikes!  The year is passing quickly!

I hope you are enjoying these giveaways. It’s fun for me, and I hope I’m coming up with things that are of interest to you.

All for this time. Remember … you have a few more hours for this one.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

 

Book Review: Rocket Man – by Jan L. Coates

Rocket ManBook: Rocket Man
Author: Jan L. Coates
Publisher: Red Deer Press
Date: May 2, 2014
Genre: Middle grade (age 9-11; gr 4-6)
Pages: 120, paperback
Price: $12.95
My rating: many youngsters will relate

Rocket Man is a story I’m sure both male and female MG readers will really enjoy. Jan Coates‘ books are always appealing, and this one covers more than one topic to which many readers will relate.

Her main character is an eighth grader named Bob who is awkward around girls, bullied by a couple of guys at school and on his basketball team, feels he has to live up to his older brother’s example as an athlete. All that, and his dad, who also was a basketball legend, is fighting cancer. Bob considers himself to be Mr. Invisible.

The reader gets to like Bob right away. He practices hard to try to move up to the Division 1 basketball team, but things just don’t seem to go his way until one of his bullies gets into trouble. Bob’s brother starts paying more attention to him, impressed by his earnest efforts, and comes up with a more positive nickname for him – Rocket Man. You have to read the book to find out the reasons behind that.

Bob also puts a lot of work into an idea for a major fundraiser because of his dad having cancer, and that has exciting results.

Jan Coates has created a story of hope. She has touched on family dynamics and the emotions of a young boy in the midst of the struggles going on in his life, in a way that makes the reader care.  If your pre-teen boy (or girl) is a reluctant reader, give him/her a copy of this book – even if he/she is not into basketball. Don’t let the cover fool you, it’s not really a book about basketball but the main character finds a way to make the sport work for him. Rocket Man is a good read.

You can find Rocket Man on my BUY THE BOOK page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

Quiz: What would be your pirate name?

Today I have a short quiz for you to do. Just something fun and silly for the weekend.

Have you ever pretended you were a pirate? Or did you love those old pirate movies? Or the new ones?

pirate-and-parrot

Here is your chance to discover what your pirate name would be … in case the occasion should arise that you’d need one.

GO HERE FOR THE QUIZ.

After you find out what your pirate name is I hope you’ll come back here and let me know who you are. It’s all in fun.

In case you’re wondering, when I did this quiz several weeks ago my pirate name was … Captain Willynilly.  (hahaha  yep, that seems about right some days. Sadly.)  Here’s what it said:  A mildly effective pirate, you have only acquired your ship through a large inheritance. There are almost certainly men and women aboard your ship, probably two or three, who are far better and more natural pirates than yourself. If you don’t control them they will rise up against you.  

But when I did the quiz again yesterday it came up a different name. I must have had a total mood change during that time span.  🙂  Here’s what it said: Your pirate name: Captain Swindler. Feared by some and ridiculed by others. You are an acquired taste, so it is essential that you spend time finding the right crew members. Do that and while you may not own the Seven Seas, you will certainly be a major player.

What’s your pirate name? As a child (of any age) did you make-believe you were a pirate, and if so what name did you have for yourself then?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂   Arrr!!

Book Review: Great Falls – by Steve Watkins

Great FallsTitle: Great Falls
Author: Steve Watkins
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Date: April 12, 2016
Genre: young adult (ages 14 & up)
Pages: 256
Price: $17.99 US; $24 CD
My rating: a gripping, realistic story

I received this book from Library Thing in exchange for my honest review.

This seemed a story quite different from what I usually read, and the topic was of interest to me.  It says on the cover “One brother home from war. The other desperate to save him. A river that will change them forever. ” – and it had my attention immediately.  This book  was not a disappointment.

Shane is his older brother’s biggest fan, but Jeremy has done three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and is not the same as he used to be. He’s troubled, very troubled, and can’t even function around his wife and two very young children. He’s drinking too much and seems to be paranoid and nervous all the time. Jeremy has PTSD and needs help.

Jeremy manages to show up at Shane’s high school football game, but when Shane suffers a concussion resulting in his making a very bad play, Jeremy offers to take him away for a night to escape the humiliation. Shane agrees, hoping it will also be a turning point for Jeremy, that he can convince him to get the help he desperately needs. That’s where the adventure really begins, and things go from bad to worse, with Shane never giving up on his brother. 

Great Falls is a novel that is gripping, raw at times, and that takes the reader on a worthwhile journey. Even though there is some violence and strong language in it, one must remember this realistic story is about a war veteran who suffered horrific things that just won’t leave his mind. Once you start reading you may not want to set it aside until you finish the book. I didn’t, honestly!

You can find Great Falls on my BUY THE BOOK page. 

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

Read, or sleep, or … read; what to do??

Here’s the scenario.

It’s late. I’m reading an amazing story, one of those hard-to-put-down books. I am so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. I rest my eyes a moment, my book slips and my head jerks up. Really, I was just resting my eyes! I try to read more but then … yawn. Heaviness. I shake my head, find where I left off reading, try to continue. … Oh darn. What did I just read? Blink blink.  *sigh*  ohhh, I give up.  😦  I like this story and I don’t want to miss anything, so,  *yawn*   I give up. Time for sleep.

I crawl into bed, snuggle down and … 

BOING!! my brain jolts into overdrive! My eyes fly open, my mind will not shut down, yet I know I’m too weary to read. What to do?

Ever been there?

All that to show you this great quote:

quote by George R R MartinWhat’s your experience? 

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

My 8th giveaway of 2016; your chance to win … a BOOK!

Yes, okay, this time I gave away the surprise in my subject line. I just couldn’t help myself.  🙂

My August giveaway is this book:

A Room of One's Own
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hadn’t yet read any of Virginia Woolf’s work, so when I found this book in a secondhand shop I had to buy it. As you have figured out, this is not a new copy but it’s in very good condition, nothing wrong with it.
If you want the chance to win this classic book, please leave a comment telling me if you have read any of the author’s work before.
Even if you already won something in an earlier draw, please feel free to enter again. I am offering this giveaway to my readers anywhere in the world!
I will use an automated name picker to find out which of you is the winner; therefore, repeat winners are by chance and fairly selected. Watch here the morning after the draw for the announcement, and don’t forget to check your email. This could be yours!
Draw date for this giveaway is at 10 PM AST, that’s 9 PM Eastern, on Wednesday, AUGUST 17. This gives you time to pass the word on to others, too. I will post the winner’s name on AUGUST 18.
Remember, you have until August 17 to get your name into the draw, but don’t put it off!
Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

We have a winner of Darlene Foster’s book Cerdito a juicio (Pig on Trial)!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the draw/left comments for a chance to win a copy of Cerdito a juicio – Pig on Trial – by Darlene Foster.

Thank you, Darlene, for offering a copy to one of my readers.

I’m happy to say that random name picker selected the winner …

Congratulations to Sue Slaght who thinks this book is “a great way to teach children history with such a unique experience!”

Sue, I’m sure you will enjoy Pig on Trial – in English and Spanish! I’ll mail your copy to you this week.

Cerdito a juicio

 

 

 

Thanks, everyone! You can purchase your own copy of Cerdito a juicio by finding it on my BUY THE BOOK page.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂