Fall Reading Challenge 2014: The Unimaginable by Dina Silver #FRC2014

This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The book for our Studing Abroad! Semester in Thailand class is The Unimaginable by Dina Silver.

About the book:

From the author of One Pink Line comes a story about letting go of the past and finding bravery in the depths of fear. Set on the sun-soaked beaches of Thailand and the rough waters of the Indian Ocean, The Unimaginable paints a vivid portrait of a young woman on a journey to find herself—and her harrowing fight for survival.

After twenty-eight years of playing by the rules, Jessica Gregory moves from her small Indiana town to Phuket, Thailand. But her newfound routine is upended with the arrival of Grant Flynn, a captivating, elusive man who is sailing around the world while trying to move on from a past tragedy. Jessica volunteers to help crew Grant’s boat, Imagine, on a passage across the Indian Ocean and finds herself falling in love with him as the voyage gets underway. But when disaster strikes, Jessica must summon her courage as the crew is confronted by unspeakable terrors––and, aboard a boat named for such promise, comes the unimaginable.

Jessica Gregory is a teacher that is looking to take control of her life.  She has always lived in a small town in Indiana and decides after the death of her mother to move to Phuket, Thailand.  She teaches English at one of the local schools.  While she is there, she takes on a second job as a waitress at a marina.  Jessica is enjoying being in Thailand but she begins to feel like she is in the same rut that she was in while living in Indiana.  So, Jessica decides to put a flyer up that she would be willing to help work on a boat.  She is contacted to help out on a boat and during her interview she realizes the owner of the boat is someone she has met during her time in Thailand.  His name is Grant Flynn and she begins to develop a crush on him.  However, there are times that she can't get a good read on him, but he seems to be getting over something from his past.  Jessica is finally hired to work on their boat.  She thinks she is in for a great adventure but along the way something terrible happens.  I can't give anymore past this point or the twist would be completely given away!

I enjoyed this book.  It was entertaining and kept me interested the whole time.  The second half of the book was so compelling that I couldn't put it down.  The story was so intense and heartbreaking at times.  I can't imagine going through any of the events that happen.  Grant and Jessica both have to face things that they go through.  This story ultimately is about letting go and going after what you really want in life.  This story shows that people should do that before it's too late.  Now, everyone read this so that we can discuss what happens, because I'm dying over here!!!

Buy the book:

·        Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1uXg2Md

·        Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1kVnhk6

Praise for the book:

"Dina Silver's deftly woven tale has all of my favorite fictional elements: romance, action and adventure, and a knock-your-socks-off ending. The Unimaginable is simply superb." —Tracey Garvis Graves, New York Times bestselling author of On the Island

About the author:

Dina Silver is an author, a wine drinker, and an excellent parallel parker. She is the author of Kat Fight, Finding Bliss, and One Pink Line, which was chosen as a 2012 Top Title by IndieReader and was a finalist in their 2012 Discovery Awards. She lives with her husband, son, and twenty-pound tabby cat in suburban Chicago. She’d prefer to live where it’s warm year round, but then she’d never stay home and write anything.

Connect with the author:

·        Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1BCKkFC

·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/DinaSilver

·        Website: http://dinasilver.blogspot.com/

·        Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1lhT4MP

If you want to find out more about the Fall Reading Challenge and the rest of our course schedule, click our student ID above!

Fall Reading Challenge: A Second Bite of the Apple by Dana Bate #FRC2014

This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The book for our Food Journalism class is A Second Bite of the Apple by Dana Vate.

About the book:

Sydney Strauss is obsessed with food. Not with eating it--though she does that too--but with writing about the wonders of the gastronomic world, from obscure fruit hybrids to organic farming techniques. Since food journalism jobs are more coveted than Cronuts®, Sydney pays her bills working for one of TV's biggest egomaniacs--until she's left scrambling for shifts at a local farmers' market. 

Stacking muffins for the Wild Yeast Bakery isn't going to win her any James Beard awards. But soon Sydney is writing the market's weekly newsletter, and her quirky stories gain attention from a prominent food columnist. After years of putting her love life into deep freeze, she's even dating again. And then Sydney gets a shot at the story, one that could either make her career or burn it to a crisp--along with her relationship and her reputation...

At the beginning of this book the main character, Sydney Strauss, is being let go from her job as a producer for a morning television show.  It is at a very bad time (when does losing your job happen at a good time though?) because it is just around the holidays and Sydney is behind on her rent because of some dental work that her insurance did not cover.  By coincidence she gets a job for a bakery (with a ornery owner)  at a local farmer's market.  Around the time she starts her job, she meets Jeremy and eventually agrees to go on a date with him.  However, there is something in Jeremy's past that she has a hard time getting over.  Sydney really likes Jeremy though and tries to look past what happened with Jeremy's sort of shady past.  After sometime at the farmer's market, she is approached to write for the newsletter for the market.  She wants to focus on the human interest aspect of all of the vendors in the market.  Her videos and columns for the newsletter get her some attention from a local paper and agrees to write for them.  She desperately wants a job as a food journalist and feels like working for the paper will be her way in.  Sydney learns about a major scandal and uses someone she is starting to care about to get a scoop to land her a job with the paper.  She does something unethical herself in the process and  she manages to ruin a ton of relationships and trust that she has from friends.  Even though she gets the big story, it makes Sydney question whether she is cut out to be a food journalist and if she can be trusted.  

This is another book involving a lot of secrets.  The secrets keep building up on Sydney to where eventually she loses some control.  She is not only keeping her own secrets, but secrets within her own family.  This book makes Sydney take a long hard look at herself and who she really is.  She learns that people can make mistakes and some people deserve second chances.  Sydney also finds out that some of the relationships she has with her family members are not really the way she has perceived them over the years.  At times you feel bad for Sydney with what she has done to herself and hope she makes it out.  I will say one of my favorite scenes in the book is actually when everything in her world is crumbling around her.  This scene has someone from her past and future in it, along with the FBI.  I won't give anymore of that away, but I found myself laughing out loud at some of the exchanges that were happening.  I enjoyed this book quite a bit and think it will make people think about their own mistakes (along wither other people's mistakes).  This book shows that even if people set out with good intentions to help, the process of doing things can really affect them and the other people around them.  This book also shows that when people make mistakes now in the internet age that the mistake can go on forever, even when other people trying to move on. 

Buy the book:

·        Amazon Paperback

About the author:

Dana Bate is the author of A SECOND BITE AT THE APPLE and THE GIRLS' GUIDE TO LOVE AND SUPPER CLUBS, which earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly and has been translated into five languages. Before writing fiction full time, she was a Washington producer and reporter for PBS's Nightly Business Report, where she won the Gerald Loeb Award for a series she produced on the Indian economy. She studied molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University and received her master's degree from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where she won the Harrington Award for outstanding promise in the field of journalism. She lives outside Philadelphia with her family.

Connect with the author:

·        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordanabate

·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/danabate

·        Website: http://danabate.com/

·        Goodreads

If you want to find out more about the Fall Reading Challenge and the rest of our course schedule, click our student ID above!

Book Review: Waking up Joy by Tina Ann Forkner

Members of the Vise Library were selected to participate in a blog tour for Waking up Joy.  We received a copy of Tina Ann Forkner's book for an honest review.

About the book:

Behind every lost dream lies a second chance… When adored town spinster Joy Talley ends up in a coma after a peculiar accident, she is surprised and incensed to hear what is being said in her hospital room, including plans for her funeral. When she finally wakes, her well-meaning, but bossy, brothers and sisters dismiss her claims, thinking her accident has knocked her off her rocker, but Joy has never felt better, and is determined to set the past right. Now Joy must face her darkest secret and risk reopening wounds caused by an old flame who rejected her more than twenty years ago. But taking risks brings change, as well as a new, younger man into Joy’s life, making her feel like a teenager again. Suddenly Joy’s once humdrum life is anything but boring and routine and the future beckons, exhilarating and bright.

This book starts out with the main character, Joy Talley, being rushed to the hospital.  People believe she had tried to hang herself, but actually Joy was trying to revisit a secret of the past.  She is in a coma while she is in the hospital and can still hear everything that happens around her.  When she finally wakes from her coma she learns to take back control of her life and quit reliving old hurts and rejections.  In the process she learns that during this time she has not been the only one with baggage hanging around.  A lot of secrets are uncovered and Joy has to confront her past in order to move on.

Joy's family in this book was hilarious!  They all had their own quirks but in the end they surround Joy with love.  (Sometimes getting to that point can be a little painful though.)  The whole book centers around a secret that Joy has tried to ignore for decades.  When Joy finally explains what the secret is, she is not only putting her life and happiness at risk, but someone else's.  The story is heartbreaking and even though there is happiness in the epilogue, there is also sadness.  When the final straw is revealed, it is so sad to think about the what-ifs and time lost.  Misunderstandings and resentment happened because of someone else keeping a secret from Joy.  I liked how once Joy woke up from her coma she tried to seize opportunities and try to help people.  This story makes you think about people's hurt that happen in their lives.  Some people may not always be nice, but there may be reasons for that.  Also most of the characters had some sort of secret and in the end they all come out.  This was a great read!

Buy the book:

·        Amazon

About the author:

Tina Ann Forkner is the author of WAKING UP JOY (Tule Publishing Group). She is also the author of RUBY AMONG US and ROSE HOUSE (Random House). When she isn't writing, Tina is a substitute teacher and lives with her family in Wyoming. 

Connect with the author:

·        Facebook

·        Twitter

·        Website

·        Goodreads

Fall Reading Challenge 2014: Kitchen Love Story by Camille Finan #FRC2014

This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The book for our Intro to Workshop class is Kitchen Love Story by Camille Finan.

About the book:

Gone are the days of the traditional, ridiculously expensive kitchen remodel that's more form than function. Yes, you can have a new, beautiful, functional kitchen at a reasonable price! Camille Finan will show you how. 

Kitchen Love Story was written for women by a woman. Licensed contractor and cabinet builder Camille Finan, is your personal kitchen construction advocate. Throughout the book, Camille shares lessons from years of experience building and remodeling kitchens. She will inspire and empower you to solve those kitchen conundrums that drive you nuts as you create and execute a plan that is both practical and affordable.

You'll get the answers to these questions and more: -Where do I start, what's DFIO and why is it so important? -Can my kitchen feel 'high end' without breaking my budget? -What's worth the money and what's not? How do I avoid being ripped off? -How do I hire contractors, sign contracts and develop an 'escape plan?' -What should I expect during the remodel experience? -How do I make sure it got done correctly? In your hand are the tools you need to get unstuck, make the right decisions for your kitchen remodel and make it happen. You can do this! Camille Finan will lead the way.

Remodeling a kitchen can feel overwhelming, but this book simplifies the process of where to start.  So many times a lot of people choose what looks pretty and not necessarily what is functional for their needs.  This book informs you of some of the things people do not think about when designing a kitchen.  For instance, Camille suggests having drawers for a lot of items instead of cabinets.  That is due to the fact that we really only use what we see, so a lot of items end up not being used because we can't see them.  It is also a hassle to reach some of these items, so someone has to rearrange a lot of the cabinets to get to one item.  No thank you!  So instead, she suggests putting things in drawers and organizing items by how frequently they are used.  That seems like a pretty easy concept, but again, some people focus on the look of their kitchen and not the function of it.  There are also tips on money saving techniques when planning on a remodel.  I thought this book simplified a lot of the process.  Camille also has a resource library for different forms to help with the remodeling process.  I have highlighted a few things in this book to refer back to when our kitchen gets remolded.  I would recommend this book to anyone that is felling overwhelmed about what choices to make when remodeling their kitchen.  It is an easy manual, but also educates the reader so that they feel comfortable talking to contractors and other specialists that will be involved with the project! :)

Buy the book:

·        Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1uX5BrZ

About the author:

Carpenter Camille Finan is the founder of CarpentryU and the creator of the new design system called DFIO Design From the Inside Out. After years of running her own successful businesses, Camille returned to her carpentry roots and found her niche in kitchens. After noticing how the market was underserving its female clientele, she turned her back on traditional kitchen design to embrace DFIO to solve the most common kitchen problems average families encounter. CarpentryU, a series of educational workshops, is designed to teach women to get the most from their power tools. Camille has worked with thousands of women to design and build the kitchens of their dreams.

Connect with the author:

·        Facebook: http://on.fb.me/YA1Rz2

·        Website: http://divinekitchen.net/story/

If you want to find out more about the Fall Reading Challenge and the rest of our course schedule, click our student ID above!

Fall Reading Challenge 2014: Stillwater Rising by Steena Holmes #FRC2014

This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The book for our Family Studies class is Stillwater Rising by Steena Holmes.

About the book:

After losing her son in an elementary school shooting that devastates the tight-knit community of Stillwater Bay, Jennifer Crowne finds herself unable to settle back into her role of perfect stay-at-home mom and committee organizer. Meanwhile, her best friend, Mayor Charlotte Stone, struggles to keep the town together, and Charlotte’s husband, the school principal, may not be the hero everyone thinks him to be.

As they try to heal from this irrevocable trauma, Jenn and Charlotte find themselves at a crossroads—within the town and within their friendship. For Jenn, broken and grieving, there is no going back, and she demands that the school be closed so that she can bury the past. Yet Charlotte is equally desperate to hold the town together, fighting the school closure and helping the shooter’s mother regain her place in the community. Jenn and Charlotte’s relationship is put to the ultimate test as each weighs her own interests against the bonds of their friendship.

This book tells the stories of a town dealing with the aftermath of an all too real tragedy.  The book is set a month after a deadly shooting at an elementary school in Stillwater Bay.  Several young kids were shot and killed, along with a few teachers.  The plot centers (mostly) around Jenn, who lost her son in the shooting, and Charlotte, who is the mayor of the small town.  They are best friends, but because they see differently about what should happen to the school and to the town to recover, their friendship is being tested.  

Everyone grieves differently and this book shows this.  Jenn cannot believe that the school where children were murdered is being used.  Jenn's husband is dealing with his grief in his own way.  Because the two of them are not grieving exactly alike, this is creating tension.  It also makes the other feel like they aren't grieving at all.  Charlotte thinks closing the school is detrimental to the town.   Her husband is the principal of the school and does not seem to be worried that the school could close.  He has his own grief to deal with.  Everyone paints him as a hero since he was able to get the attention of the gunman, who was a young man himself, to stop the rampage.  He does not want to accept the hero status and there is a reporter in town trying to figure out if he has a secret.  There is also the grief of the woman (Julia) whose son killed all of those people.  Her son, Gabriel, kills himself in the massacre and she has her own grief to deal with.  People are mad at her because of her son.  People are vandalizing her home, which makes her not want to leave her house.  Julia also doesn't feel like she can visit her son's grave since other people will be mourning their children while she is there.  The treatment of Julia and whether the town can make her leave divides the town in half.

This book had a very interesting perspective on the different types of grief.  In our world this scenario is not unknown, but what the parents and town go through is not something that we can grasp ourselves.  I think Holmes gave every character their own voice and she does it well.  Do we think about what the parents of the person responsible are going through?  Is it really their "fault" that this happened?  In this book everyone seemed to try to help Gabriel, but in the end it did not do any good.  Everyone feels like they are to blame in some way.  Jenn saw Gabriel enter the school but was too wrapped up in something to really pay attention.  Men in the town tried to be his father figure but they aren't able to stop him from doing this.  I also found the relationship between Jenn and Charlotte interesting.  Because Charlotte doesn't have any children of her own, she cannot grasp the anger that Jenn has.  It makes you think about if Jenn is justified in her anger and if Charlotte is justified in putting the town first.  You also find out there is a line to that anger that some people probably shouldn't cross, but maybe they just can't help it.  In this book some people look to religion for comfort and some people even lose their religion to cope.   I really enjoy books that make you think and Stillwater Rising is one of those books.  It appears that there will be another book to this story and I want to find out what happens to these characters!  This isn't a fluff of a book (not that this is a bad thing!) but it really makes you wonder and sympathize even with people that have actually gone through something this horrific.  

There is also a novella that Steena has written that is a prequel to this book.  It is worth mentioning that the proceeds from this novella will be donated to Kidspeace.org to stop school violence.

Buy the book:

·        Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1vhWqzy

·        Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1pNJpgu

About the author:

With a passion for storytelling, Steena Holmes took her dream of being a full-time writer and made it a reality, writing her first novel while working as a receptionist. She won the National Indie Excellence Book Award in 2012 for her bestselling novel Finding Emma. Steena currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her husband, three daughters, and two dogs. She likes to celebrate completing each new novel with chocolate.

Connect with the author:

·        Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1z1xxZc

·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/steenaholmes

·        Website: http://www.steenaholmes.com/

·        Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1z1xs85

If you want to find out more about the Fall Reading Challenge and the rest of our course schedule, click our student ID above!

Fall Reading Challenge 2014: Hit by Lorie Ann Grover #FRC2014

This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The book for our Hot for Teacher class is Hit by Lorie Ann Grover.

About the book:

After receiving a full-ride scholarship to Mills College for Girls, it appears Sarah's future is all laid out before her … that is until she walks into a poetry class led by Mr. Haddings, a student teacher from the nearby University of Washington. Suddenly, life on the UW campus seems very appealing, and Sarah finds herself using her poetry journal to subtly declare her feelings for Haddings. Convinced Mr. Haddings is flirting back, she sets off for school in the rain with a poem in her back pocket—one that will declare her feelings once and for all.

Mr. Haddings has noticed Sarah's attention; the fallout from any perceived relationship with a student is too great a risk, and he has decided to end all speculation that morning.

But everything changes when Mr. Haddings feels a thud on his front bumper when he glances away from the road, and finds Sarah in the street with blood pooling beneath her.

This book was a little heartbreaking and sad at times, but also has a lot of teaching moments to it.  Sarah is a senior and high school and has a crush on her 21 year old poetry teacher, Mr. Haddings.  It is really not known if Mr. Haddings reciprocated those feelings, but he has made it clear that no relationship can happen between them.  One morning Sarah is walking with a friend to school and is hit accidentally by a car that Mr. Haddings happens to be driving.  The rest of the book is told from Sarah's and Mr. Haddings' point of view as they deal with the aftermath of the accident.  Everyone deals with grief very differently and we see that in Sarah's friends and family.  There are emotions of anger, resentment, guilt and sadness to be dealt with.  Sarah's family has to play the "what-if" game with their choices from that morning.  They also have to come to terms with the fact they maybe didn't show Sarah attention like they should have and took their relationship with her and others for granted at times.  Mr. Haddings has to deal with guilt of being the one that hit her.  He struggles with figuring out the right thing to do.  Should he apologize to her and her family?  Should he keep his distance?  Does he need a lawyer in case he is charged?

This book was a very fast read and brought up a lot of interesting questions.  While Sarah's family and friends are angry with the accident, which they should be, you realize that accidents do happen.  Sarah's dad brings up the point that he answers a phone call or zones out to something that his is listening to on the radio as he is driving.  I'm pretty sure every person has done that at some point.  Even though their feelings are justified, you realize anyone could have be the driver that hit her.  So in a way you sympathize with Mr. Haddings, because his life and possible future are forever affected.  Sarah handles the situation very well and she grows from this situation.  It is really hard for her to deal with the way she currently looks, but overall she has a positive attitude.  You see that she is a very strong person.   I won't give away the ending, but there is a twist of emotions and a feeling of hope in the end.  Also, Sarah's family dynamics change in the end and are very different from what they were in the beginning of the book.  Lastly, I think this book would be a good refresher for people to read in order to relearn the action of gratitude.  I think this book really shows how we get caught up in our day-to-day lives and take important relationships for granted.  Instead of going through something to teach us that lesson, this book hits that lesson home so that it is fresh in our minds. 

Buy the book:

·        Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1BCxEP4

·        Amazon Hardcover: http://amzn.to/YzY0lE

About the author:

Lorie Ann Grover was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She used to pretend to read before she could by carrying around Nancy Drew books and flipping through the pages. She studied ballet for ten years and was a member of the Miami Ballet Company. When she grew too tall for the profession, Lorie turned my focus to fine art at the University of Miami. Eventually, her love for the written word yielded verse novels and board books. Her fantasy novel, Firstborn, received a Kirkus Starred Review, and her board book, Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish, was named a Parents Magazine Best Children's Book. Lorie co-founded readergirlz and readertotz. Living with her husband in the foothills of Mt. Rainier, Lorie writes, practices weapons tai chi, and watches hawks take flight.

Connect with the author:

·        Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1peG7D8

·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/lorieanngrover

·        Website: http://www.lorieanngrover.com/
·        Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1qqoZXo

If you want to find out more about the Fall Reading Challenge and the rest of our course schedule, click our student ID above!

Fall Reading Challenge 2014: Rock Angel by Jeanne Bogino #FRC2014

This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challange. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The book for our 90s Music class is Rock Angel by Jeanne Bogino.

About the book:

Shan is young, beautiful, talented, and addicted to heroin in Rock Angel, a novel that follows her meteoric rise to guitar goddess stardom in the 90s. She is discovered in New York by a handsome,arrogant musical genius named Quinn, and sparks fly between them when he hires her as lead guitarist of his band. Although Quinn is accustomed to bedding a different groupie every night, he can t ignore his deepening feelings for his new bandmate. From gritty Greenwich Village clubs to L.A. s Troubadour; gigging and touring the country to the cover of Rolling Stone,Rock Angel is infused with the passionate music and intense sexual chemistry of Shan and Quinn. Shan must work out her personal demons and learn to trust Quinn enough to love him, but still remain true to the music that has always been her salvation.

This book revolves around Shan and Quinn.  Quinn and a couple of his friends are in a band called Quinntessence.  The band needs to find a replacement guitar player and Shan tries out for the job.  Quinn is apprehensive at first about a female being in the band, but after he hears her play and sing he is all in.  He is also very attracted to her, but because of the band he doesn't want to pursue anything other than a friendship with Shan.  Shan feels a connection with Quinn and tries to wait around until he is ready for a relationship.  In the meantime, the band starts gathering quite a following and after a few years, they have a few hits under their belt.  However, some good and then some terrible things happen within the band that jeopardizes if there is even a band to begin with.

Rock Angel dealt with some very heavy topics, but within a fun, enjoyable story.  Drug use and addiction is very prevalent in this story.  One of the main characters, Shan, has issues with drugs throughout the story.  Shan has overcome many things in her life: her mother's death, abuse from her father and then eventually running away from home.   She unfortunately is hooked on drugs and eventually kicks the habit, but is addicted to another drug to wean her off of heroin.  Her drug problem not only harms herself, but has the potential to harm someone else later on.  She has to come to terms with her neediness and need to feel loved.  The content of this topic is heavy, but this book was a lot of fun to read.  The other band members were hilarious and it was fun to read about the band's climbing success.  The music line of the story was interesting as far as the song writing process and the process of the band gaining recognition.  You want the band to succeed and they work hard at their craft.  You also root for Shan and Quinn to get together, but you realize they each have their own demons to deal with in the meantime.  At the end of the book I felt like I had gone through all the terrible and good times with these characters.  There was a teaser for the  second book in this series that will be coming out next year and I can't wait for the next one in the series! :)

Buy the book:

·        Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1pNvHKh

Praise for the book:

“In a show business tale filled with ego clashes, sexual tension, drug addiction, dreams of success and nightmares of stardom, the rarefied world of ambitious musicians is rendered with a relentlessly keen eye and ear.” --Music Connection magazine

“Debut novelist Bogino clearly has a passion and great understanding of Nineties-era rock culture. Shan is a complex and well-written character whose struggles have the reader rooting for her.” --Library Journal

“Bogino portrays an authentic landscape of what it s like to be a rock band in the early 90s. Shan and Quinn both read as fully realized, flawed characters.” --Kirkus Reviews

About the author:

By day, Jeanne Bogino is director of a small but busy library in rural New York. By night, she writes at her western Massachusetts homestead. She has published short horror, fantasy, romance, memoir, and gay fiction, and is a regular contributor at Library Journal, where she was named 2011 s fiction reviewer of the year. An expert on zombie lit and horror films, Jeanne has published articles and appeared on panels devoted to these subjects. Rock Angel is her debut novel with Prashanti Press.

Connect with the author:

·        Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1odJk0w

·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeanneBogino

·        Website: http://www.bogino.com/

·        Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1thKs9L

If you want to find out more about the Fall Reading Challenge and the rest of our course schedule, click our student ID above!