In 1927 the English archaeologist Leonard Woolley wrenched the shattered pieces of a woman’s portrait from the ruins of an ancient temple in southern Iraq. To Woolley, it seemed to be just a “sadly-battered alabaster disk,” valuable only for its connection to the Akkadian king Sargon the Great, who conquered the Sumerians around 2334 BC […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/02/16/enheduannas-brutal-muse/
Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong is the first novel in the Haven Rock series. This a spinoff series of the Rockton series. Suspense and a murder mystery await you as Casey & Eric arrive at the town during construction when two of the crew go missing.
Murder at Haven’s Rock
by Kelley Armstrong
Genres: Mystery
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating: 
New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton Novels had one of the most unique towns in crime fiction. Murder at Haven’s Rock is a spinoff, a fresh start… with a few new dangers that threaten everything before it even begins.
Haven’s Rock, Yukon. Population: 0
Deep in the Yukon wilderness, a town is being built. A place for people to disappear, a fresh start from a life on the run. Haven’s Rock isn’t the first town of this kind, something detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, know first hand. They met in the original town of Rockton. But greed and deception led the couple to financing a new refuge for those in need. This time around, they get to decide which applicants are approved for residency.
There’s only one rule in Haven’s Rock: stay out of the forest. When two of the town’s construction crew members break it and go missing, Casey and Eric are called in ahead of schedule to track them down. When a body is discovered, well hidden with evidence of foul play, Casey and Eric must find out what happened to the dead woman, and locate the still missing man. The woman stumbled upon something she wasn’t supposed to see, and the longer Casey and Eric don’t know what happened, the more danger everyone is in.
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I was so sad when the Rockton series ended but excited for the spin-off Haven Rock series. Armstrong brings us to Haven Rock about a month before the town’s completion. Casey and Eric arrive to find that the designer and engineer are missing. It appears they ventured into the woods.
We get a feel for the town and dangers that will await them in this series as they begin a search of the woods and discover a dead body. Things get complicated when the body doesn’t belong to the crew’s missing.
Armstrong pulled me in from the relationship between Eric and Casey to the granddaughter of one of Rockton’s founders. She is the overseer of the project and has her own secrets. I am going to love Haven Rock despite the dangers this remote life will offer.
The mystery was clever with twists and new characters, including a recluse photographer and her wolf. I am excited to see that even though this is a spinoff that it felt fresh with new dangers, characters and storylines.
Fans of remote settings, suspenseful mysteries, and strong characters will want to pick this up. This will work as a standalone series. Armstrong gave this start a firm base of its own and plenty of background. I recommend new readers add the Rockton series to their reading pile if they haven’t already read them.
Amazon | Audible
Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. All efforts to make her produce “normal” stories failed. Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She’s the author of the NYT-bestselling “Women of the Otherworld” paranormal suspense series and “Darkest Powers” young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2023/02/murder-at-havens-rock-by-kelley-armstrong.html
Rafa is a young boy who recently moved to the Midwest. He loves living in the U.S., but sometimes kids ask why his skin is brown. It makes Rafa feel weird, so he goes to grown-ups he trusts to ask for advice on how to answer this question. Rafa learns about self-love, his Indian heritage, and what makes him special and shares this with anyone that asks him why his skin is brown.
Author Erlin Kakkanad has created a captivating children’s book following a charming character as he learns how to answer awkward questions from children interested in why he looks different. I enjoyed how the story has Rafa looking for answers from respected adults, but the answers are hidden and then revealed at the end. This makes the book much more engaging as I wanted to know what each adult told him. Readers get to find out in a heartwarming at the end of the story.
The artwork throughout this marvelous picture book is vibrant, and the sharp graphic artwork and shading accentuate the story’s charm. There is a diverse cast of characters throughout the book, making this a perfect book for any teacher or parent educating their young ones about diversity and inclusion.
Happy in Your Own Skin is an empowering and educational children’s book that teaches children about India and that our differences makes the world a wonderful place to live.
Pages: 47 | ASIN: B0B8W7PHHX
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/20/happy-in-your-skin/
In the gripping sequel of The Guardian Tournament, Team Dalton returns to battle against other Guardians for the next part of the competition, all while trying to investigate the larger threat that continues to invade the world they live in. As the group gets closer to discoveries, they also find out a lot of things about each other, and not all of them accept what they find. Cooperation and trust are tested within the group, making the work much harder, and giving the god-like enemy time to prepare to wreak havoc across demons, beasts, darkness, light, and humans. The team must put aside their differences and ready themselves to confront the villain before it is too late.
Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Darkness – Blind Ambitions by K.J. Amidon is another exciting journey that takes us back to our beloved characters from a well-received novel. The sequel brings us to the same place but different time, where we find out what has happened to the characters after the last page of The Guardian Tournament, and what new adventure is in store for them. This does not just include their mission, which gradually gives anticipation and nervousness at the same time, but also their personal relationships with one another and their families. K.J. Amidon continues to give the right amount of world-building to introduce the second book, as well as references from the first book to keep it all accurate and flowing smoothly.
The second novel deserves the same attention as the first, not just because they are connected, but because this one offers another excellent reading experience to fans of the series. Each conversation, thought, and line in the novel contributes to the story it offers, and in the end gives a well-rounded idea about the happenings of the past, present, and even the future. Despite the increase in the number of characters, Amidon makes sure to give each one ample time to be highlighted, so readers can comprehend their personalities and significance in the narrative. Perhaps what stood out to me the most was that, as we get to know the characters more, we can clearly see that they are not all black and white, as they are molded by their personal experiences of triumph and hardship, a humbling thought for all-powerful creatures and humans.
This riveting dark fantasy serves as a great follow-up to its predecessor and opens doors for other adventures in the world. I highly recommend this paranormal adventure to readers who are ready to take on and invest their time in lengthy novels, because the author provides gates to new dimensions (with pun intended) that her fans can venture into.
Pages: 341 | ASIN: B00HR5U5AQ
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/20/dimension-guardian-the-realm-of-darkness-blind-ambitions/
Grandpa’s birthday is approaching, and a garden party has been arranged for the whole family. However, Elliot, one of the family members, is anxious about being in a large gathering. During the celebration, he retreats to his grandparents’ attic to escape the crowd. But Uncle Stephen comes up with an idea to entice Elliot back to the garden by encouraging him to walk on high wooden stilts, which alters his perspective of the world and the people below.
This is an entertaining and creative story that shows young readers that thinking outside the box can be a fun way to solve problems. I know the story title was Giant Legs, and I had guessed this had something to do with a child’s height, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the unusual but amusing way young Elliot get’s ‘giant legs.’
Children will be able to relate to Elliot’s concerns, as I’m sure many kids don’t like going to grownup parties. I enjoyed how an amiable uncle is the one that helps young Elliot overcome his concern. I feel that uncles rarely appear in children’s books, so this book is certainly unique in that aspect.
Delightful and encouraging, Giant Legs will help kids cope with the stress of feeling out of place by coming up with creative solutions and encouraging them to play, not hide away.
Pages: 34 | ISBN: 9523577875
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/20/giant-legs-little-fears/
Captain Delahaye and the rest of the crew of the Matilda are back for more adventures across space. Waltzing Matilda by Jon Gray Lang is the fifth and final book of the Matilda series, an exhilirating science fiction story that holds intrigue and entertainment from beginning to end. The crew of the Matilda doesn’t seem to have much time to rest, always ending up in the most unexpected and dangerous places. This time, they find themselves on an asteroid named the Scrapheap, a place filled with pirates, smugglers and many others that have the primary intent of avoiding the eye of the Consortium. Their mission is to find their missing crew member, Galena Chadov, a genorg who has been trapped and might become, against her own will, a source of complete destruction. A revolutionary sentiment keeps growing, ignited by the unjust treatment given to genorgs. Galena’s strange tendencies flourish again in this book, and the plot thickens as we see her fight with unknown entities deep inside her mind. War is approaching and unsure who to trust, the Matilda crew remains strong, relying on each other to protect who they care the most for.
Author Jon Gray Lang is a consistently entertaining writer. The book was fantastic and maintained the theme of the other books in the series. It all reads as a set of numerous adventures that the Matilda crew must partake in to fight for what they believe in and save one another. As the conflict between the humans and the genorg populations becomes more troublesome, the members of the Matilda are there to showcase the complex and profound bonds that can be made between humans and those that were built to serve them. Each character has its own strengths, and through each chapter, each of them is able to showcase an interesting and exciting part of their journey. With lots of new dangers and complications hiding on each corner, there’s simply no time to get bored. The resilience of the crew remains the key reason why there are always new intriguing and exciting events to experience and follow along.
The narration style and plot made for a riveting and gripping science fiction adventure book that was hard to put down. Join the final journey and get to know the answer to the many questions that have been planted along the series. Against all odds, the crew is set to save their friend and traverse an approaching revolution and alien invasion, doing their best to stay away from dangerous criminals and the threatening hands of the Consortium.
Pages: 379 | ASIN: B0BSGBYTWX
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/20/waltzing-matilda/
Metal Mermaid by Kez Wickham St George is a beautifully written memoir that takes readers on a spiritual and physical adventure. Tara and her husband Russ set off on a journey to explore Western Australia, but unexpected events quickly change their plans. Tara’s journey of self-discovery takes her on a new path, one that challenges her both physically and emotionally. She meets fellow travelers and experiences the joys of the caravaning world, making her way from Australia’s upper coast to New Zealand’s northern island.
In this thought-provoking book, Wickham St George skillfully weaves a tale of courage, resilience, and determination that is both inspiring and captivating. The author’s descriptive writing style transports readers to the various locations Tara visits, allowing them to feel the change of seasons and experience the heat and cold of the land. The side characters in the book are equally intriguing, with rich backstories and tales of their own.
Metal Mermaid is an immersive memoir that provides readers with clear insight into the caravaning world and introduces them to various cultures. Wickham St George’s straightforward writing style makes the book an easy and engaging read. The book is infused with culture and worldly sights, and readers will feel like they are part of Tara’s journey.
Metal Mermaid is an outstanding book that I highly recommend to readers looking for an inspirational book that showcases the beauty of life’s journey. The author’s ability to tell a captivating story that takes readers on a spiritual adventure is nothing short of impressive.
Pages: 406 | ASIN: B08GFZ1DQL
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/20/metal-mermaid/
Patrick Bringley’s story — he jumped off the career ladder, deliberately taking a position divorced from ambition in order to find the space for quiet contemplation — is oddly suited to our times.
Original source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/14/1156479714/patrick-bringley-memoir-all-the-beauty-in-the-world-art-appreciation-the-met
isn’t your standard meditation on the art and nobility of writing as a profession; instead, author Stephen Marche argues writers should be prepared to fail — again and again.
Original source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/14/1156618295/stephen-marche-on-writing-and-failrure-review
This week, we’re asking: do the fantasies we read in romance novels say anything about what we want in our real-life relationships? Devoted readers share how the genre has impacted their love lives. Host Brittany Luse also sits down with writer Rebekah Weatherspoon to learn how she builds a world of desire.
Original source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/13/1156585379/unlocking-desire-through-smut-plus-the-gospel-of-bell-hooks