Book Review Club ~ * Feb 2013 *

Barrie Summy’s Book Review Club is back with another installment of great reviews!

Click icon for more
book review blogs
@Barrie Summy

My own novel AUSTENSIBLY ORDINARY came out last week, and I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up! But you should really judge it for yourself, so I will be reviewing:
Nikki Loftin’s

THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY

From Amazon:

Lorelei is bowled over by Splendid Academy–Principal Trapp encourages the students to run in the hallways, the classrooms are stocked with candy dishes, and the cafeteria serves lavish meals featuring all Lorelei’s favorite foods. But the more time she spends at school, the more suspicious she becomes. Why are her classmates growing so chubby? And why do the teachers seem so sinister?
It’s up to Lorelei and her new friend Andrew to figure out what secret this supposedly splendid school is hiding. What they discover chills their bones–and might even pick them clean!
Mix one part magic, one part mystery, and just a dash of Grimm, and you’ve got the recipe for a cozy-creepy read that kids will gobble up like candy.

Last Friday, my son’s elementary school had an author visit from Nikki (because I’m the PTA Literacy Chair, and I set it up).  She spoke to the 4th and 5th graders about fairy tales and how she twisted one around to make a totally fun new story.  Then, thirty kids from each grade got to participate in a Writers Workshop with her, where they brainstormed ideas for a totally new story.  (My son was one of the lucky ones.)

THE KIDS LOVED HER!!

She is so personable and engaging that everyone was entertained (and informed, of course). I bought a copy of her book for my son and I, and he finished it on Saturday.  So, in a day and a half.  He loved it, and since I haven’t had time to read it, I asked him if he’d like to do the review for today, and he agreed.  So, I give you, his review of The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy, by Nikki Loftin:

The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy was a fabulous book!! It was always full of suspense and had a few parts where you were frightened for Lorelei. Also, it was true to its cover; (not that I judged it by that of course) it was sinisterly sweet and sweetly sinister. If I had to rate it on a scale of one to five, I would give it a good solid ten!!! 

Alex Goodnight, fifth grader-

There you have it.  Probably the most succinct review ever presented on this site!  I look forward to reading it myself!

Please visit Barrie’s blog (click on the typewriter above) for plenty of other great reviews!

Posted in book review club on 02/06/2013 04:34 am | 2 Comments

The Aftermath

While the celebration is still going on, I wanted to go ahead and pick the winner of the sassy red Penguin Drop-Caps edition of Pride and Prejudice.

The winner is Christa, who left the following comment:

“I love this idea. I am making my self some notes already about what to post. I do not have a blog (guess I should consider that) but excited to participate and will share with my local JASA here in the Tampa area. Can’t wait to read the new book. This will be great.”

Enjoy!

While we didn’t end up with 200 participants signing up on this blog, there were, most certainly, well over two hundred individuals who expressed their love for Jane’s most well-loved classic across the web.  And that’s perfectly wonderful.

I have been slowly working my way through all of your tributes and letters to Jane, and they are truly lovely, funny, witty, heartfelt, and worthy of attention, so if you have a chance, visit as many as you can!

May the celebrations continue, with read-alongs, like the one at Austenprose, and rediscoveries.  Enjoy!

Somewhat ironically, I am guest-posting today over at Anna Horner’s blog, Diary of an Eccentric on why Emma is my favorite Austen novel.  Please swing by if you get a chance!

There are also various places around the web to win a copy of Austensibly Ordinary, but not for very much longer.  Try Free Book Friday, Chick Lit is Not Dead, Austen Authors, Austenprose, and Diary of an Eccentric.

Posted in Jane Austen, Jane Austen books, Uncategorized on 01/30/2013 07:57 pm | Comments Off on The Aftermath

AUSTENSIBLY ORDINARY is out TODAY!

Yep, today’s the day. Yay!  And below is my attempt to share a Wordle I created for the book.  (Couldn’t do better than a screen shot…)


I’ve had some really great bloggers review Austensibly Ordinary and say nice things.  Here are some of my favorites:

 

“You’ll love getting tangled up in this delicious novel.”

— SheKnows.com Read the entire review!

“From the author ofAustentatious comes a charming and inventive new novel in which a magic journal imbued with the spirit of Jane Austen ensures the path of true love runs a little more smoothly.”

USA Today Happy Ever After blog

“An utter delight from start to finish… I deem Austensibly Ordinary to be a delightful romance, with Austen-y goodness and a bit of fantastical silliness.”

 — A Reader of Fictions Read the entire review!

“A fun mash-up of elements, and a fantastically fun voice. And the healthy dose of supah-sexah doesn’t hurt, either… Highly recommended for fans of Austen adaptations, fun contemporary romance, or those in need of a good funk-breaker book.

— The Book Rat Read the entire review!

“Alyssa Goodnight has a light-hearted grasp of human nature that is akin to Jane Austen, and she is easily adept at sharing the hearts of her characters. Reading one of her books is up-lifting. It makes you smile!”

— A Bookish Librarian Read the entire review!

 

If you read it, let me know what you think!

Posted in austensibly ordinary, book news, reviews on 01/29/2013 02:55 pm | Comments Off on AUSTENSIBLY ORDINARY is out TODAY!