Deborah Andreasen's Blog, page 12

Review: Dread of Night by Joshua D. Boeringa and Robert Forest

From Goodreads: Thirteen stories to keep you up at night.


Check the closet and under the bed. Grab a flashlight and hide out under the covers. In these stories, you will encounter monsters escaped from your nightmares. A helpful stranger is not quite as kind as he seems. An old man has a difficult time letting go. A fisherman's first catch of the day might also be his last.


Read on if you dare.

--

This book is definitely classified as horror, but it's not what I imagined it would be. I am NOT an...

Review: A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

Ten-year-old Zoe is going to be a concert pianist. She can feel it in her bones. All she needs is piano, preferably a baby grand, and some piano lessons.

When her agoraphobic father risks life and limb to get her a piano, he comes home, triumphant, with a wheeze bag. That is, he buys Zoe an organ.

Disappointed, but not deterred, Zoe begins her lessons. She soon discovers a few things: she does have a talent for making music, lasting friendships can come from unexpected places, and her life re...

Review: Cinderella: Ninja Warrior by Maureen McGowan

From Goodreads: In this fast-paced story full of adventure and romance, Cinderella is more than just a servant girl waiting for her prince—she's a tough, fearless girl who is capable of taking charge of a dangerous situation. Seeking to escape the clutches of her evil stepmother, Cinderella perfects her ninja skills and magic talents in secret, waiting for the day when she can break free and live happily ever after. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for...

Love...what is it?

I love a good love story. I adore getting my heart racing wondering if two people will finally realize the universe has conspired to bring them together. I need to have my heart melted every now and again, and nothing does that like reading about a good, sweet first kiss.

But let's be frank for a moment.

My genre of choice is YA. I read a lot of paranormal, and that usually means paranormal romance.

Is love - passionate, all consuming, ache in your chest love - reserved for only the young? And w...

Feelin' Popular

Since I usually strive to be honest, I'm going to take a crack at it now. I have been deliberately neglectful of my blog for the last few months.

Why?

Well, most of you don't know me personally, so I'll just give you a quick synopsis. My almost two-year-old son is adopted. Recently, I underwent some extensive medical...uh..."stuff" and hip-hip-hooray! We're pregnant! With twins. No joke.

So, needless to say, I spend a lot of time curled around the toilet (or feeling like I need to be curled arou...

Review: Ashfall by Mike Mullin

From Goodreads: Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and...

Review: All About Daisy by O'Dell Hutchison

Daisy would love nothing more than to forget the past three years spent in middle school being tortured, and start high school as a popular girl who has it all. The problem is, Daisy doesn't have it all. She's off to a nightmarish start, but that doesn't deter her from reaching for her dreams of popularity, via a spot on the cheerleading squad.

When Daisy meets up with an old crush and is unexpectedly befriended by some popular girls, she thinks her luck has finally changed.

When a shattering ...

Review: Vaclav & Lena by Haley Tanner

Being a Russian immigrant is not easy on ten-year-old Vaclav, but he has David Copperfield to help him through. Lena is shy and awkward with her broken English and her dark past. This does not stop Vaclav and his lovely assistant, Lena, from practicing magic every day after school.
The day before their big show at Coney Island, Lena disappears. Vaclav's mother knows what happened to her, but she's keeping her secrets to protect Vaclav, as she's always done.
Years later, when Lena returns...

Where have you been?!

Hello? (tap, tap, tap on my computer monitor)

Anyone there?

OK. I deserve the cold shoulder from my readers. It's not like I've been actively blogging for the last month or so.

You've probably been saying to yourself, "Remember that one time I used to follow that blog of that one person with the book?"

Yeah, that's me. And like I said, I deserve that.

So exactly where have I been?

Well...I can't tell you. Not yet. I've had to take some extremely necessary personal time for family reasons.

And while...

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia's life is perfect. She has loving parents, a doting grandfather, and she was just matched with her best friend, Xander. When girls turn seventeen, they are systematically matched with their perfect partner. The fact that she knows her match is unheard of, but to Cassia, it's perfect.
Until a glitch in the system shows her that maybe there was a mistake. Maybe her society isn't perfect. Perhaps she shouldn't accept everything the Officials say without question.
All it takes is one...