Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


May 12

24

Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want you to Know by Hy Conrad

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on May 24, 2012
Posted in Books Read in 2012  | 3 Comments

I don’t usually jump at a book just because of the cover, but look at it!  I fall in love with every dog I see, so I couldn’t help myself.  This book contains 11 letters from dogs telling their secrets.  They are actually what Hy Conrad imagines their secrets to be.

None of the dogs had very big secrets, I was not surprised or shocked by any of them.  Some were better than others.  A photo of each dog was included but it seemed to me that this is the type of book that you would include more.  I must confess however that I read the eBook from Net Galley so the photos were all black and white on my ereader and didn’t show up that well. 

The book overall was cute and a nice way to spend a bit of time.  It was easy to get through it in one sitting.  If you are going to get this book, I highly recommend you invest in the print copy so you can enjoy the dog photos in it.

3/5

I received this eBook thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks for my honest review.


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Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

May 12

22

The Maladjusted by Derek Hayes

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on May 22, 2012
Posted in Books Read in 2012 • Short Story Collection Read in 2012  | 7 Comments

In his collection of short stories, Hayes writes about quirky and maladjusted characters.  Many, if not all of the main characters have a mental illness and some seem to manage day to day better than others.  Hayes used wit and everyday settings to draw the reader in.


In some of the stories the characters just seem a bit on the quirky side, like Adam in the first story, A Feel For America.  Adam is the head of the teachers in an ESL school in Taiwan.  The teachers room together in an apartment and let just say, life gets interesting there. 

I reviewed the title story, The Maladjusted, here.  In this story it is apparent right away that Mike has a mental illness.  If fact, he tells just about everyone he meets.  The difference about him and the character in the other stories is that he has a support network.  Most of the other characters don’t seem to know they are having problems that are different from the average person or maybe they aren’t so different.  There are many people who go through life with some sort of mental illness who don’t know it and don’t get treated.


 

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories by Canadian author Derek Hayes. I loved the quirky characters.  Some of the stories made me cringe a bit but as a social worker in mental health I have seen my fair share of people who seem maladjusted.  We all have our quirks though, every one of us.

4.5/5


I received this book for my honest opinion from Derek Hayes.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.



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Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

May 12

20

Giveaway & Review: The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on May 20, 2012
Posted in Books Read in 2012 • My Past Giveaways  | 17 Comments

This book is based on the true story of a brave freed African American slave who pretended to go back into slavery to spied for the North.  Mary Bowser was born to slave parents in Richmond, Virginia.  Her father, Lewis was owned by a different slave owner than her mother but they got to spend Sundays and Christmas time together.

Thanks to Mary’s mother, Minerva  and the daughter, Bess of their owner, Mary learned how to read and write.  For Besse’s 37th birthday, all the slaves in the house prepared for a big dinner party.  Nobody showed up however and after dinner was laid out on the table, Bess asked all the slaves to join them for dinner.  It was very unheard of, not to mention uncomfortable .  Bess however, had a big announcement.  She bought them all from her mother and planned to set them all free.

Some of the freed slaves stayed and worked for Bess to save up wages for their freedom, including Mary’s mother.  Bess was unable to persuade Lewis’s owner to sell him to her and Minerva wouldn’t leave without him.  However, Bess had big plans for Mary.  She found a school in the north that educated black girls and she brought her there.  Mary was given a pretty generous allowance by Bess and a rooming house to stay in.

While Mary was away her mother died.  However, Mary stayed and finished school, knowing  it was what her mother wanted for her.  Mary also got involved in the underground railroad with a new friend’s family.  Once she finished school she wanted to do more for the freedom movement and as war was nearing, she saw her chance.  She went back to Richmond and pretend to be a slave to spy.

I really liked the characters in the book, they were well thought out and I did care for some of them.  It appears that this is Ms. Leveen’s first novel and it was a very good first attempt.  However, parts of it became a bit boring for me and I felt myself slogging through.  It was the characters that kept me turning the pages, to find out what happened to them.  Don’t get me wrong, parts of the book were very enjoyable.  I am glad I stuck with it.  Ms. Leveen certainly shows promise and I would be very interested in reading her next book.

3/5

I received the eBook form of this book for my honest review. 

Thanks to Mary Sasso of William Morrow/Harper Collins, I am giving away one copy of The Secrets of Mary Bowser.

This giveaway is for Canada and the U.S. and ends on June 3, 2012.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

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