Review: The Cat King of Havana by Tom Crosshill

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cat-king-of-havanaThe Cat King of Havana
Tom Crosshill
Katherine Tegen Books

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Tired of his geeky reputation as “that cat guy” for his successful Lolcat site, Rick decides it’s time to get out from behind the computer and live a little. After meeting a beautiful girl who dances a mean salsa, Rick decides to take dance lessons. The lessons don’t go as smoothly as Rick had hoped. In fact, he’s terrible. But that doesn’t stop him from dancing or from pursuing Ana. When an opportunity comes for him to make a trip to Havana to reconnect with his heritage and learn about his mom, Rick leaps at the chance and brings Ana along with him. But Cuba isn’t … Continue reading →

Review: Freedom’s Just Another Word by Caroline Stellings

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Freedom's Just Another WordFreedom’s Just Another Word
Caroline Stellings
Second Story Press
Available September 6, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

The year Louisiana – Easy for short – meets Janis Joplin is the year everything changes. Easy is a car mechanic in her dad’s shop, but she can sing the blues like someone twice her age. So when she hears that Janis Joplin is passing through her small town of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Easy is there with her heart – and her voice – in hand. It’s 1970 and Janis Joplin is an electrifying blues-rock singer at the height of her fame – and of her addictions. Yet she recognizes Easy’s talent and asks her to meet her in Texas to sing. So Easy begins an … Continue reading →

Review: For This Life Only by Stacey Kade

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For This Life Only by Stacey KadeFor This Life Only
Stacey Kade
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

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A bonfire he had to escape. Ice on a roadway. A night that changes everything for Jacob Palmer. The night his twin brother is killed in a car accident. Jace almost shared his brother’s fate, and in that moment when his heart stopped, there was no light welcoming him to something after. There was only nothing. And now that Jace has survived, he can’t help feeling like fate got it wrong. Eli, the good son, the one who loved everyone around him, the one who made people feel loved, should have been the one to live.

… Continue reading →

Top Ten Inspirations for The Cat King of Havana by Tom Crosshill

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Cat King Banner The Cat King of Havana CoverThe Cat King of Havana
By Tom Crosshill
Katherine Tegen Books
Available September 6, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | indiebound | ibooks

Rick Gutierrez is . . . the Cat King of Havana! A cat-video tycoon turned salsa-dancer extraordinaire, he’ll take Cuba by storm, romance the girl of his dreams, and ignite a lolcat revolution!

At least that’s the plan.

It all starts when his girlfriend dumps Rick on his sixteenth birthday for uploading cat videos from … Continue reading →

Monthly Wrap-Up for August 2016

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aug2016_wrapThe month of August screamed past, packed with the final days of summer, a last-minute vacation, and the start of a new school year. My family spent a long weekend in Hendersonville, NC, which was lovely! And I was able to attend Read Up Greenville and meet some awesome authors. You can read about my experience and see my book haul here.

Here at The Story Sanctuary, things were bustling, too, with lots of reviews and book news. Here’s a quick look at what you may have missed:

Dreadlands by Jaimie Engle

Dreadlands: Wolf Moon by Jaimie Engle

Review | Amazon | Continue reading →

Ten Things I Learned at Read Up Greenville 2016

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I haven’t been to a lot of book events, and I’m starting to regret it. As a pretty deep introvert, I much prefer the part of book blogging where I’m sitting quietly in bed or in a comfy chair with a book and possibly a snack, or, even better, a cat in my lap. But as I start to read multiple books by authors or hear about new authors with great new books, I’ve started wanting to get out there and meet authors and listen to what inspired them or how they write such amazing characters and stories. So… my first foray into the wild was a last-minute trip to Read Up! in Greenville, SC on August 6, 2016. I got some great books and had an awesome time listening to authors speak about writing and what inspired the stories they’ve written. Here are some of the things I learned.

… Continue reading →