Tag: opinion

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: Laini Taylor Book Signing for Strange the Dreamer #Sundayblogshare

Laini Taylor
Authors Sharon Cameron (left) and Laini Taylor (right)

Laini Taylor, author of the the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy, had a book signing at my local bookstore, Parnassus Books. For an hour before she signed her newest book, Strange the Dreamer, she and fellow author Sharon Cameron asked and answered questions.  I was excited to see Sharon Cameron, who I’d forgotten would be at this signing. She is the author of one of my favorite young adult books from last year, The Forgetting. If you haven’t read that book, I highly recommend it!  You can read my review of The Forgetting, here.  I think she was supposed to be the moderator for Laini’s book signing, but she ended up answering some questions, as well as asking a few. Continue reading “This Chicks Sunday Commentary: Laini Taylor Book Signing for Strange the Dreamer #Sundayblogshare” →

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: It’s Not Just a Change in the Weather… #sundayblogshare

It’s 67 degrees in Nashville, TN. The crocus and daffodils are blooming, people are outside excercising and walking their dogs. My husband and I spent a couple of hours in the convertible driving around the city, seeing the sites and watching the people mill around downtown having lunch outside and listening to live music. A gorgeous day! My doodlebuddy Nash, loves his rides in the convertible too!

My Goldendoodle Nash and my hubby!

Continue reading “This Chicks Sunday Commentary: It’s Not Just a Change in the Weather… #sundayblogshare” →

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads18 Comments

This Chick’s Sunday Commentary: All Hail the Queens Book Tour


I live in Nashville, TN, and there is this fab-u-lous book store called Parnassus Books.  They have an amazing amount of authors who come in to do book signings, I think because the owner is a published author herself, Ann Patchett, and co-owner publishing veteran Karen Hayes. The book signing often includes a brief speech, or in this case interview with the authors. Last Wednesday I went with my mom and sister to Parnassus to see Victoria Aveyard and Sophie Jordan’s book signing. Victoria Aveyard has a very successful series called the Red Queen and she was signing the third book, which was just released, called Kings Cage. She is touring with Sophie Jordan who is releasing the second book, Rise of Fire,  in her series Reign of Fire.  Both of these books are young adult fantasy novels, a genre which I love and I thought it interesting that the audience was not just filled with teenage fans. I am not young myself, and my mother has read both series and she’s in her mid seventies.
Continue reading “This Chick’s Sunday Commentary: All Hail the Queens Book Tour” →

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads4 Comments

This Chick’s Sunday Commentary : Super Bowl Sunday!!  Or read a book…  #sundayblogshare #bookbloggers #superbowlsunday

For those of you that live in the US and love football, today is the long awaited light at the end of the tunnel and/or nirvana for football junkies. I’ll admit, I like football!   More so when my team is winning…. which they did not.  They didn’t even make the playoffs, but Football is America’s pastime, and in today’s politically charged world, we need a little getaway. Some people watch for the game, some for the commercials, and others just like a social occasion. I like all three! Continue reading “This Chick’s Sunday Commentary : Super Bowl Sunday!!  Or read a book…  #sundayblogshare #bookbloggers #superbowlsunday” →

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick’s Sunday Commentary: Authors could solve the worlds problems…

I love reading fiction for many different reasons; I can escape from reality, I can explore different lands, I can fall in love over and over again, I can learn new languages, I can have great sex, I can can fight oppression, and I can be a hero. The list goes on and on! If you follow my book reviews you know I like books where the underdog wins, women find the power within to beat bad odds, where “race issues” are played out between humans and elves-vampires and werewolves, where basically the world becomes a better place because people WANT to make it better in these books. Of course, there is always a happy ending, or at least a sequel where the characters I love will get to take that battle to the next level.

I love that these life themes are played out in Young Adult books, so girls can learn empowerment and boys can learn how to work with others to change the world for the better (Snow Like Ashes).

I love that romantic fantasy can be between two different races. One race who lives in the day and one in the night, and even though the darker race has large teeth and the lighter race is considered horrifyingly ugly because of the lightness of her skin, they still open people’s eyes to the love in their union. They set a good example for acceptance and unity (Eidolon).

I love that those in power can learn from the humanity in one individual, even if they are an alien,that makes them change their behavior towards an entire race (Star Nomad).

I also love that I can escape into a fantasy world where a small group of individuals battle against an egomaniacal President who is infected with a deadly virus and win that battle (Justice Ascending).

All of these themes, although played out in fiction, give me hope that the light of humanity exists. After all, these authors are writing about things that exist in our every day life- hatred, bigotry, love, war, friendship, honor, and ultimately the power of good people doing great things. These themes must have resonated because these authors are successful and fans buy their books in bundles!

I would like to make a suggestion on the next book our leader should read. Nicola Yoon could teach you about how deportation feels from a teenagers viewpoint in The Sun is Also a Star, or maybe you could learn compassion from a nice interracial love story set during the Civil Rights Movement in Alissa Cole’s Let it Shine. Really, I’d love it if he would read the moment in Rebecca Zanetti’s Mercury Striking when the virus takes hold of the President and he becomes a psychopath, there are some frightening similarities.

I guess what I’m trying to convey is that writers have been fighting and solving these real life themes for generations. The books I mention above are all books I’ve read recently, but you can find great ideas in the classics as well. Maybe what we need from our worlds leaders, besides the obvious things like compassion, intelligence, thoughtfulness, a good world view, etc. is also to be well read. Well read in Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Young Adult novels, Mysteries-all of these genres, and others, have some great solutions to the problems our world is dealing with right now. You may have to look past the fangs to find them, but the solutions are in our fiction novels.

It’s something to think on-

Please click each book below to read my reviews on each, and to link to buy.

Deborah

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On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick’s Sunday Commentary: Like Books?

I started my book review blog 14 months ago as a way to combine the two things I love. Reading and talking about the book I was reading. I typically read 3-4 books a week and if I had read something great I wanted to shout it out to the world! Typically it was only my sister or my friend Ana who I told, as they both also read quickly, waiting eagerly for them to finish it so I could have a mini book discussion with them. Below are some of my favorites!


So, I started a book club, eager to get more people to read the books I liked so I could discuss them with others. However, I got frustrated when I had to read books that other people wanted to read. Lol. I’d find myself putting the book off until I had to read it, sometimes the night before.  I felt like I was in school again, and I hated that.  Although, I did like getting together for drinks and food! Here’s the group of ladies below, notice all the drinks and only one book.  Lol. ( I am on the left with the black and white patterned shirt…)


Really, I started my blog to get myself writing again. I had this idea that by writing reviews, it would start the creative juices flowing again, and it did!  I spent the last year writing my first novel, and finished it!  Yeah me! But, even when writing, I was thinking of all of the books I wanted to read and talk about. So, this post is a thank you to my followers that may or may not enjoy the books I read. That may or may not be influenced by my reviews. That may or may not have the same opinions about those books.  If you don’t, let’s talk!  That is, after all, the reason why I started this blog.  To talk about books to other people who love them as much as I do.

What is your favorite book?  Who is your favorite author to push on someone who is looking for something to read? What book did you just LOVE last year so much that you wanted to shout it to the world? What book are you reading right now?

Isn’t it fun?!!!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads1 Comment