Category Archives: News and Fun

February News, Upcoming Reviews, and Other Updates

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Blogging Goals for The Story Sanctuary

How is it February already?! I started the year with lots of glorious plans, many of which are still sitting on a to-do list somewhere, waiting to be realized. For instance, I have some blog-related goals:

  • Create a 2016 To Read List. In the past, my reading lists have been really simple, just a bulleted list which I add a link to once I’ve read and posted my review of the book. I’d really like to do something a bit fancier that has thumbnails of the book covers, links to sites where you can buy the book, etc.
  • Add a fourth weekly post. Not a fourth review, mind you. Two-to-three reviews per week is about all I can keep up with, honestly. I’d love to read all the time, but alas… the whole day-job thing keeps getting in the way. Not to mention … Continue reading →

Review: The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski

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The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil OstrovskiThe Paradox of Vertical Flight
Emil Ostrovski
Greenwillow Books

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

On a morning that begins with a suicide fantasy, Jack Polovsky’s ex-girlfriend calls him from the hospital. She’s having their baby and giving him up for adoption. This is Jack’s only chance to meet his son and say goodbye. At first Jack doesn’t think it matters, but the more he thinks about it, the more realizes he wants to say to his son. In a moment part panic, part impulse, and part desperation, he snatches the baby from the hospital and hits the road. He grabs the appropriate baby paraphernalia and finds himself on the run from … Continue reading →

Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

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Eleanor & Park by Rainbow RowellEleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
St. Martin’s Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Eleanor just wants to keep her head down and survive. To stay out of her step-dad’s notice. To preserve the tiny space in her tiny house that contains the only things that belong to her.

To Park, she’s the girl with the crazy hair and the weird clothes. When he lets her share his seat on the bus so she doesn’t fall victim to bullies behind him, he doesn’t realize he’s opened his life to a girl who will wake him up in a way he’s never been awake before. At sixteen, they both know love doesn’t always last, but sometimes … Continue reading →

Author Interview: Erika Castiglione Talks Inspiration and Love for Classic Literature

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I’m excited to share an opportunity I had to interview interview Erika Castiglione, author of The Hopper-Hill Family, a middle-grade book about a girl whose family cares for her three cousins after their parents’ unexpected deaths. If you missed my review of Erika’s heartwarming story, you can check it out here.

Erika CastiglioneA Little Bit About Erika Castiglione

Erika Castiglione was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and she has lived in Tennessee, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Georgia, North Carolina, and China. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in English. She’s an avid reader, a mother of three, a part-time English tutor, and a young adult fiction writer. (from her Goodreads Author Page)

Author Interview

A story is often inspired by a question. … Continue reading →

Mini Reviews: Never Never Part 1 and Reprieve

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Never Never (Part 1) by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn FisherNever, Never (Part 1) by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher / Hoover Ink

I stumbled across this series of novellas on Amazon. Of the three parts, I’ve only read Part 1. It basically seems like a novel broken into three pieces. The whole series is available as a bundle for $2.99, which is a pretty great deal.

In terms of the story, it was definitely a wild ride. There’s a lot of romantic tension and some sexual content (main characters watch a video that includes a sex scene, thought it’s dark and only sounds are described) and brief violence. I was really hooked by the idea that both characters have lost their memories and are scrambling both … Continue reading →

Review and Author Interview: Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti

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Anaiah Press Blog Tour for Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti

 Jacqueline by Jackie MinnitiJacqueline
Jackie Minniti
Anaiah Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When Jacqueline and her mother receive news that her father, a French soldier in World War II has been shot down, she refuses to give up hope that he’ll return home. She studies hard, prays to the saint in the book her father gave her, and visits the train yard where wounded prisoners arrive. As the Nazis who occupy her small French town begin to remove local Jews from the neighborhood, Jacqueline and her mother hide a boy in their home. Soon the Americans come to liberate France from German control, and Jacqueline … Continue reading →