Book Review | The In Between by Olivia Pierce

January 24, 2015January 22, 2015 ~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEW | THE IN BETWEEN BY OLIVIA PIERCE

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tara Jenkins and Justin Westcroft used to be childhood BFFs. Now in high school, Justin’s a popular, all-star athlete, and Tara spends her days admiring him from afar. But when Tara saves Justin from nearly drowning in a freak accident, he’s unable to get her out of his mind. In no time at all, Tara and Justin fall deeply in love. And even though it’s only high school, they seem destined for a Happily Ever After.

Until tragedy strikes—and this time, Justin’s not so lucky. Tara passes through her days as a shell of her former self: Justin’s dead, but she can still feel his presence, and she can’t seem to let him go.

But there’s a reason for that, and it’s not just grief: Justin is In Between, and he’s still holding on.

They say that when someone saves you, you’re tied to them for life. But what about in the afterlife?

MY THOUGHTS

The In Between is a teen romance novel, but different than others I’ve read. It combines your typical teenage romance with a bit of fantasy mixed in. Not something I’m used to reading, but I gave it a shot.

I’m sure every girl has a Justin Westcroft in her life. A boy that you think could never love you because you don’t fit into his world. He’s good looking, athletic, and popular. Everything that you’re not. That’s how Tara Jenkins felt about Justin. Even though they were childhood friends, there was something different between them when she moved back to town and were in high school together. As many of us know, high school really changes you.

It isn’t until Justin nearly drowns and Tara saves him that these two finally start to connect again, but this time on a deeper level. One filled with love.

The book is split into four parts. The first follows the beginning of Tara and Justin’s relationship and how they grow as a couple. As with any high school relatioship, there’s a lot of drama between Tara and Justin’s ex girlfriend. Part one ends with a terrible accident leaving Tara alone on earth while Justin is stuck in another world.

I was a little skeptical when I started reading Part two and Justin was in some sort of purgatory. I don’t really believe in things like that, but I kept an open mind with this book. While Tara is still on earth trying to cope with her grief, Justin is trying to find a way back to her. He believes that they were meant to be together and nothing was going to keep him from her.

Part three continues much like Part two, but this is when Tara and Justin seem like they might be giving up on finding each other again. There are many things keeping them from being together and Justin finds himself in hell having to endure his worst fears. Tara, on the other hand, is starting to think she’s going insane and her actions make other’s think she’s going off the deep end.

The final part brings everything together including Tara and Justin. It’s a long journey, but they finally find a way back to each other. I wasn’t really expecting it to happen the way it did, but it was a decent ending.

I think this book provided some great perspective on life and death. Based on this storyline, life certainly continues after you have left the “human” world. If you’re lucky you get to spend the rest of your days with the ones you love.

Overall, I believe this was a great book. It wasn’t the best love story I’ve read, but I certainly felt connected to Tara. I would recommend this book to readers who love teenage love stories as much as I do.

FAVORITE QUOTES

“It’s love that reunites us beyond the divide of life and death.”

“It’s a burst of adrenaline and then the quietest calm I’ve ever felt. It’s a threshold, and on the other side, my love for him becomes more cemented than ever. That love feels like a tangible part of me now, coiling through neural pathways, pumping in my veins.”

OVERALL RATING

Buy Links: Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Kobo

Social Media Links: Goodreads

Publishing Company: Full Fathom Five

Release Date: November 12, 2014

Genre: Romance, Teens & YA

Book Review & Giveaway | Finding Zoe by Brandi Rarus & Gail Harris

January 1, 2015December 28, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEW | FINDING ZOE

BY BRANDI RARUS & GAIL HARRIS

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Brandi Rarus was just 6 when spinal meningitis took away her hearing. Because she spoke well and easily adjusted to lip reading, she was mainstreamed at school and socialized primarily in the hearing community. Brandi was a popular and happy teen, but communication—and being fully part of every conversation—was an ongoing struggle.

In college, Brandi embraced Deaf Culture along with the joys of complete and effortless communication with her peers. For the first time, being deaf wasn’t a handicap; it was a passport to a new and exciting world. Brandi went on to become Miss Deaf America in 1988 and served as a spokesperson for her community.

It was during her tenure as Miss Deaf America that Brandi met Tim, a leader of the Gallaudet uprising in support of selecting the school’s first deaf president. The two went on to marry and had three hearing boys—the first non-deaf children born in Tim’s family in 125 years.

Brandi was incredibly grateful to have her happy and healthy family, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing from her life. She had always dreamed she would have a daughter. Little did she know that just across the state line, Zoe was waiting for her.

Set against the backdrop of Deaf America, Finding Zoe is an uplifting story of hope, adoption, and everyday miracles.”

MY THOUGHTS

When the publisher, BenBella Books, approached me about receiving a physical copy of the book and reviewing it, I was very excited to accept it. Finding Zoe gave me a glimpse into a world that I don’t know much about. It showed me what it’s like to be deaf, but the book is so much more than that. It’s about never giving up on your dreams. In this case, Brandi Rarus never gave up on her dream of having a daughter even though the journey was a difficult one.

I couldn’t put Finding Zoe down and kept reading every chance I got. Not only did the book provide some historical information about the deaf community, but it told the story of what it’s like to be deaf and a woman’s struggle to find the daughter she was meant to have. Brandi’s dream finally came true when she adopted Zoe.

The book is split up into three parts. Part one is about Brandi’s journey to accept herself as deaf and being a part of the deaf community. You find out how she met her husband and how much she wanted a daughter. She was so close to Zoe, yet so far.

The second part is about Jess and BJ who are the birth parents of Zoe. Their story seems like a sad one, but they are truly inspirational people. Deciding to give up your child so that she might have a better life is probably the most difficult decision someone can make. I admired their courage especially when there were many obstacles during the adoption process.

The final part of the book is how Brandi and Zoe were finally brought together as mother and daughter. It took quite some time for Zoe to finally be a part of a home where she could thrive as a deaf child, but everything she went through brought her to Brandi.

I learned so many things while reading Finding Zoe. I learned about being deaf and some significant events within the deaf community that helped bring awareness to the inequalities deaf people face. I learned more about adoption and the difficulties birth parents face. And finally, I learned not to give up on your dreams no matter what.

I absolutely loved Finding Zoe. It’s a very inspirational story full of love, hope, and courage. I would recommend this to all of my readers.

There’s a cute video with Brandi Rarus and her family. I wanted to share that here.

GIVEAWAY

BenBella Books has generously provided me with a physical copy of Finding Zoe to giveaway to my readers. Enter here for your chance to win this amazing memoir. The giveaway will be open until January 8, 2015.

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FAVORITE QUOTES

“He was thinking that all she ever wanted was a good home, a good family, and parents who could give her what she needed, when all of a sudden, she just reached up and grabbed his finger. His heart melted. At that moment, she became his daughter, too.”

“Here was a young woman, I realized, who didn’t even know me and who had such painful experiences, yet she found it within herself to choose me – to place her daughter in my care – which was one of the greatest gifts of my entire life.”

OVERALL RATING

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Brandi has dabbled and succeeded in whatever she puts her mind to. Brandi is married to Tim Rarus, one of the leaders of the Gallaudet “Deaf President Now!” protest that took place in Washington, DC in 1988. A former Miss Deaf America, she signed the National Anthem at a Chicago Cubs baseball game, has spoken at corporations including AT&T, and federal agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission. She has appeared on the Emmy-winning television series,“Deaf Mosaic,” given newspaper interviews, and was on the cover of the October 1988 issue of Deaf Life Magazine.

Gail Harris is an author who specializes in writing books for others. A story-teller at heart, Gail began telling stories for her clients as an award-winning advertising copywriter. She left Madison Ave. and, after a couple of stops along the way, including a stint at a yoga ashram, formed her own writing company. Her first book, entitled, Your Heart Knows the Answer, teaches us how to trust the true voice of our hearts by learning how to distinguish it from the thoughts, emotions and constant inner chatter that is inside our heads. She says that she wrote the book because “we teach what we need to learn.”

Buy Links: Book Page, Amazon, B&N

Brandi Rarus Social Media Links: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

Gail Harris Social Media Links: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads

Publishing Company: BenBella Books

Release Date: October 7, 2014

Genre: Biographies & Memoirs, Nonfiction

Book Review | If I Stay by Gayle Forman

December 29, 2014December 23, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 7 Comments

Book Review | If I Stay

ABOUT THE BOOK

“Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, adoring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. Then, in an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the one decision she has left—the most important decision she’ll ever make.

Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving.”

MY THOUGHTS

I was really looking forward to reading this book and finally purchased it from Target. I thought I would cry while reading the book, but nothing ever came. The story was great, but it didn’t have enough emotion for me and I didn’t really relate to the characters who all seemed to be these hipster music people to me.

Even though I wasn’t fond of the personalities of the characters, I did enjoy the overall message of the book (or at least what I thought was the message). Never take the small things for granted. Seeing as I have lost two very important people in my life, I do miss the small things. Like watching Friends with my mother. That seems like something very insignificant, but now that I can’t share that time with her I really miss it.

While Mia is trying to decide whether to move on or stay she thinks about a lot of things we take for granted, like spending time with family, friends, and significant others. Essentially, when you’re time comes you don’t care what you did, but who you shared your life experiences with. At least that’s what I will think about.

If Mia really could decide to live or die, she’d have to come to terms with the people closest to her being gone. I’m not sure if I would decide to stay if I’d be an orphan and my young brother was gone. It would be really hard to cope with that kind of loss.

Now, I’m completely biased with my next comment, but I didn’t feel that there was enough of a connection between Mia and her boyfriend. There wasn’t a lot of romance between these two characters and I felt like there could have been more to it. But that’s just my hopeless romantic side talking.

Overall, If I Stay is a good book, but it didn’t live up to my expectations and sometimes I set those expectations too high.

FAVORITE QUOTES

“For the first time, I can sense how fully agonizing staying will be. But then I feel Adam’s hand.”

OVERALL RATING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gayle Forman is an award-winning author and journalist whose articles have appeared in such publications as Jane, Seventeen, Glamour, Elle, and The New York Times Magazine, to name just a few. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

Buy Links: Amazon, B&N, iBooks

Social Media Links: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr

Publishing Company: Dutton, Penguin Group

Release Date: April 2, 2009

Genre: Young Adult

Book Review | This Is Falling by Ginger Scott

December 8, 2014December 7, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 2 Comments

BOOK REVIEW | THIS IS FALLING BY GINGER SCOTT

“First, I had to remember how to breathe. Then, I had to learn how to survive. Two years, three months and sixteen days had passed since I was the Rowe Stanton from before, since tragedy stole my youth and my heart went along with it.

When I left for college, I put a thousand miles between my future and my past. I’d made a choice—I was going to cross back to the other side, to live with the living. I just didn’t know how.

And then I met Nate Preeter.

An All-American baseball player, Nate wasn’t supposed to notice a ghost-of-a-girl like me. But he did. He shouldn’t want to know my name. But he did. And when he learned my secret and saw the scars it left behind, he was supposed to run. But he didn’t.

My heart was dead, and I was never supposed to belong to anyone. But Nate Preeter had me feeling, and he made me want to be his. He showed me everything I was missing.

And then he showed me how to fall.”

***

Rowe Stanton was a teenager trying to overcome her past. Going to college seemed like the perfect place to start over and finally move on from a horrible tragedy that has consumed her. She didn’t want it to consume her any longer, so she took a chance, but the road wasn’t going to be easy.

I’m not going to give away what happened to Rowe, but I will say it’s something that would be difficult for anyone to go through and get over. It would require a lot of therapy to move forward and I personally would have a hard time trusting the world around me. This was true for Rowe as well, but she took a chance with herself and a young man named Nate Preeter.

Nate Preeter was a star baseball player and wanted by many of the girls attending McConnell University, but he became infatuated by Rowe when he bumped into her in the dorm hallway. He wanted to get to know her, so he made sure he could.

This book really explored the inner emotions of a girl who’s gone through something very tragic and how those feelings mix with her feelings for Nate. Sometimes they didn’t mix well. Sometimes they did. It just made their relationship that much more special. He was able to break through her concrete wall.

I think Rowe is an amazing character. Not only was she going through a lot of psychological issues, she was also transitioning into college life. That is hard in itself. Trying to acclimate into college life isn’t always easy, but Rowe was able to do it on top of everything else. Just barely.

As always, the best part is seeing another love story unfold. I’m a hopeless romantic and can’t get enough of love stories and truly enjoyed how Rowe and Nate’s relationship grew.

This Is Falling is one of those books you can’t put down. It keeps you wanting more. Fortunately, you will get more in Ginger Scott’s You and Everything After, which released this month. This book follows the character Ty Preeter, who’s Nate’s older brother. I just purchased this book and can’t wait to read it, especially if it’s anything like This Is Falling.

FAVORITE QUOTES

“I’m stuck between wanting to let go and wanting to honor everything he was to my life, wanting to prove that I was his until the very end.”

“Every little thing – sometimes the tiniest things – makes me love her more, and I’m in so deep now, I know I won’t make it back out whole.”

“You are the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night. You are the face in all of my dreams and the smile I see when I close my eyes.”

OVERALL RATING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ginger Scott is a writer and journalist from Peoria, Arizona. She is the author of five young and new adult romances, with her sixth title, You And Everything After, set to release Dec. 5, 2014. This is the sequel to This Is Falling.

Scott has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns.

When she’s not writing, the odds are high that she’s somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scott is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork ’em, Devils).

Buy Links: Amazon, B&N, Kobo

Social Media Links: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

Publishing Company: Ginger Scott

Release Date: August 29, 2014

Genre: New Adult, Romance

Book Review & Giveaway | Inside Out by Lia Riley

December 4, 2014December 3, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEW | INSIDE OUT BY LIA RILEY

“Lia Riley made New Adult readers fall in love with her breakout debut, Upside Down. Sideswiped, the second of her series, made readers clamor for more. Now, with INSIDE OUT, Lia Riley brings her evocative Off the Map series to a stunning conclusion.

When Talia first moved from California to Australia to study abroad, she never dreamed she’d find the love of her life. Bran understands her like no one ever has before. And despite the numerous challenges they’ve faced, they’ve always managed to figure out how to stay together. But this time they’ll face their toughest hurdle yet. Is their love strong enough to keep them together?”

***

*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Inside Out was my all time favorite book of the Off the Map series. I tend to love books that are set in California and contain love, romance, and a little naughtiness.

This book is about love. It’s about family. It’s about letting go of your fears and embracing the world around you. It’s about believing in yourself against all odds.

Lia Riley has really taken Bran and Talia’s relationship to another level with this last installment of the series. When Talia contracts malaria during her short time with the Peace Corps, Bran immediately comes to her aid, flying all the way to Africa. He was there when Talia finally woke from her coma.

Bran helps Talia relocate back to California when her father insists that she recover in the states. Living under the watchful eye of Talia’s father was tough, but the toughest part for Bran was getting Talia to open up again. After returning to California she became very distant and thought of herself as a failure, but Bran was patient with her and knew that it would take time for her heart to open again. Thankfully she did.

This book explores the relationship between Talia and Bran, but also the relationship she has with her parents. And I can’t forget to mention a certain perverted creature named Chester.

Everything has come full circle since they first met in Upside Down, book one of the series. They’ve gone through so much and helped each other grow throughout each book.

***SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS***

Now for the number one reason I love this book! Drum roll please….

Talia and Bran get engaged at Yosemite National Park in California. Why is this so significant you ask? Well, it just so happens that my fiancé proposed to me in Yosemite as well. Yosemite is one of my favorite national parks. I couldn’t believe that I was able to say “yes” to the man I love overlooking beautiful Yosemite Valley with a view of Bridal Veil Falls, which is mentioned in the book.

Once it was revealed that Talia and Bran would be taking a trip to Yosemite, I jumped up to tell my fiancé. I was so excited! I just knew that Bran had something planned and couldn’t wait to find out how it ended.

And with that I want to share a picture from when my fiancé proposed in Yosemite.

Thank you to Lia Riley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for allowing me to read a copy of this book for an honest review.

Favorite Quotes

“She makes me want to be the best version of myself.”

“She’s it for me, forever, the last girl I’ll ever love.”

“One day, you’re sleepwalking through life, and the next you meet someone who wakes you up. A person who makes you want to try to dig in for your best self.”

Giveaways

Take a chance at winning the Inside Out Prizepack! You seriously can’t miss out on this giveaway. This awesome prize pack includes the following:

One digital copy of Upside Down (Book #1) Off the Map for you or a friend
TimTam’s (Australia’s best cookies)
Chocolate Koalas
Santa Cruz women’s hoodie (choice of S, M, L, XL)
Off the Map “If You Never Get Lost, You’ll Never Be Found” rubber wristband
Signed Off the Map Swag

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In addition, I have been given an extra digital copy of Inside Out to give away via Net Galley. All my fellow Net Galley users please take advantage of this giveaway!

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Overall Rating

About the Author

After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, Lia Riley scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. When not torturing heroes (because c’mon, who doesn’t love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach combs, daydreams about as-of-yet unwritten books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. She and her family live mostly in Northern California.

Buy Links: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, GooglePlay, Kobo

Social Media Links: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Tumblr

Publishing Company: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Release Date: December 2, 2014

Genre: New Adult

Check out my reviews of the first two books in the Off the Map series.

Upside Down

Sideswiped

Book Review | Things I Wish I Could Have Told My Younger Self by E.A. Davis

November 19, 2014November 17, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 3 Comments

Book Review | Things I Wish I Could Have Told My Younger Self

“Things I Wish I Could Have Told My Younger Self, is a debut publication. It is a reflection of life throughout the years and how greatly it changes. It is meant to be met with a light-heart and humorous nature.”

***

Things I Wish I Could Have Told My Younger Self is great quick read. Author Elizabeth Davis writes about the things she wish she could tell her younger self, incorporating memories from her childhood and lessons she learned as she got older. Don’t we all wish we could tell our younger self a few things?

While I wasn’t too fond of the writing style, there were some great lessons incorporated into the book.

There are two lessons in particular that Davis wrote about. These lessons really got me thinking about my own childhood and what I would tell my younger self.

The first is “I Will Never Be Like My Mother”. In truth, I don’t think my mother would have wanted me to be like her. She wanted more for me. While I won’t be like her in several ways, I like to think I have her best traits, like her unconditional love and support. I’m sure I got that from her.

Davis realized that she became like her mother in certain ways as well. She said, “I would like to tell my younger self that being like your mother is not the worst thing in the world, depending on what you take from it”. I think this is the perfect lesson because I was that young girl who hated everything about her mother. Now that she’s gone, I miss all the things I had taken for granted.

The second lesson is “Change Isn’t That Frightening”. While Davis considered change to be a scary thought, I was quite the opposite. I so desperately wanted things to change when I was younger. I wanted to get out of my home town and be somebody. So I embraced change and tried new things. Yes, change can be scary sometimes, but it’s inevitable. You’re either forced to change or you make the decision to change. Davis realized that change helped her grow and I could say that’s true for me too.

Thank you to Elizabeth Davis for sending me a copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Quotes

“I would tell myself to not be a wallflower and live a damn little. Sitting in the back of the class and being quiet and reserved all the time makes you forgettable.”

“If I never made mistakes I would have had nothing to learn from.”

Overall Rating

About The Author

“E. A. Davis is a 30-something writer, blogger, and photographer in Saint Louis. She was born and raised in the city and has grown in up a very culturally diverse atmosphere. A supporter and lover of all things artistic and creative, including authors who are Indie/Self-Published.”

Book Review | The Forgers by Bradford Morrow

November 6, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 5 Comments

Book Review | The Forgers

“The rare book world is stunned when a reclusive collector, Adam Diehl, is found on the floor of his Montauk home: hands severed, surrounded by valuable inscribed books and original manuscripts that have been vandalized beyond repair. Adam’s sister, Meghan, and her lover, Will—a convicted if unrepentant literary forger—struggle to come to terms with the seemingly incomprehensible murder. But when Will begins receiving threatening handwritten letters, seemingly penned by long-dead authors, but really from someone who knows secrets about Adam’s death and Will’s past, he understands his own life is also on the line—and attempts to forge a new beginning for himself and Meg.”

***

I was a little unsure about requesting this book because it’s based on a field that I know nothing about; rare book collecting, inscriptions, and forgery. It caught my eye anyway because it’s full of mystery and suspense. Two things I like to read.

Honestly, you don’t have to know anything about the rare book collecting community to understand what was going on because it’s essentially about a murder. Who killed Adam Diehl? Who would want to kill a man who kept to himself and his books?

Adam’s sister Meghan was distraught, as he was her only family. She tries to pick up the pieces and come to terms with her brother’s death, but finds it difficult since the police can’t determine who did it.

The story is told in the perspective of Will, Meghan’s long time boyfriend. He is a man of many secrets. Secrets of his and that of Adam’s. He knows what Adam was up to before he died…or so he thinks.

Will is also the kind of man that’s a bit full of himself and his abilities. He believes that he’s the best forger out there. Perhaps he is, but much of what he says about his work is very egotistical.

When Will starts being blackmailed he knows that someone from his past has emerged once again. It was the same person who sold him out to the police about his forgery and dragged his name in the dirt of the book collecting industry. Will does everything he can to safeguard his future with Meghan and tries to stay one step ahead of this ghost from the past.

You don’t find out the true killer until the very end and you’re kind of left a bit shocked by it, but then you can see why this person had the motive to do it.

Overall, I couldn’t put the book down and wanted to find out what happened next. When I finished the book it was like I didn’t want the story to end. I feel like this book can easily have a sequel to it and I would definitely read it.

Favorite Quotes

“Isn’t the butterfly whose wings have been plucked by a heedless child better off crushed beneath his heel than left in the grass gazing up at the sky, flightless?”

“Books make us feel alive, and though we obviously won’t live forever, they make us feel as if we might.”

Overall Rating

Author Links: Website, Twitter

Publishing Company: Grove Atlantic | Mysterious Press

Release Date: November 4, 2014

Genre: Mystery & Thriller

This is the second book I read and reviewed for #NetGalleyMonth!

Book Review | Walt Before Mickey by Timothy Susanin

October 13, 2014October 13, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

Book Review | Walt Before Mickey

“For ten years before the creation of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney struggled with, failed at, and eventually mastered the art and business of animation. Most biographies of his career begin in 1928, when Steamboat Willie was released. That first Disney Studio cartoon with synchronized sound made its main character—Mickey Mouse—an icon for generations.

But Steamboat Willie was neither Disney’s first cartoon nor Mickey Mouse’s first appearance. Prior to this groundbreaking achievement, Walt Disney worked in a variety of venues and studios, refining what would become known as the Disney style. In Walt Before Mickey, 1919–1928, Timothy Susanin creates a portrait of the artist from age seventeen to the cusp of his international renown.” – Net Galley

***

Many people who know me and know my fiance can see that we have a love of Disney. We go to Disneyland at least once a month, we love watching Disney movies together, we took our engagement photos at Disney California Adventure, and we may incorporate a few Disney elements into our wedding. With that being said, I was excited to read about how Walt Disney started this great empire of his. I wanted to know where the billion dollar company came from and what it took to get there.

In the year 1919, when Walt Disney was 18 years old, he began working at Gray Advertising Company as an art apprentice in Kansas City. It was at the Gray Advertising Company that Walt’s animation career began. Then in 1920, he worked for the Kansas City Film Ad Service where he made his first animated cartoons.

It was clear that Walt never liked working for other’s, but was grateful for the opportunities to learn more about the industry and hone his skills. Walt would eventually start Kaycee Studios, but would only last from 1921 to 1922. Then in spring 1922, he opened Laugh-O-Gram Films, Inc.

Unfortunately, what Walt thought would be his big break turned out to be another failed company. Laugh-O-Gram Films, Inc. wasn’t making any money and Walt eventually had to let it go. This was when he decided to move to California and the rest is history.

***

The story of Walt Disney is quite inspirational for me. Even though at times he had no money, he still believed in what he was doing. He believed that he would be successful even when it seemed like everything was crashing down on him. He is living proof that when you fail at something you love just keep on going because sooner or later your hard work will pay off. When I start submitting my books to get published, I will try to remember Walt’s journey and not let rejection get to me.

His story also shows that having people who believe in you makes all the difference. Many people are mentioned in the book who helped Walt during those years before he created Mickey. Whether it was loaning money or letting him use equipment, there was always someone who believed in what Walt was doing. His biggest supporter seemed to be his brother Roy Disney. Personally, having family and friends that support my ambitions makes me work that much more to be successful.

The only thing I didn’t like about the book is that it included a lot of addresses and building locations (i.e. this building is located on the corner of..). I don’t think that was necessary, but it could be for other people.

If you’re a Disney fan (like me), I would recommend reading this book. I’m not sure if someone who doesn’t enjoy anything related to Disney would want to read about how the company began.

***

In November 2014, the movie adaptation of Walt Before Mickey will be released. Just watching the trailer gets me excited, especially since I recognize many of the actors and actresses.

Thank you to University Press of Mississippi for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Quotes

“Never once did I hear him express anything except determination to go ahead, because he believed in himself and he believed in what he was trying to accomplish.”

“I want the characters to be somebody. I don’t want them just to be a drawing.”

Overall Rating

Publishing Company: University Press of Mississippi

Release Date: September 2, 2014

Genre: Biographies & Memoirs

Movie Information: Facebook, IMDb

I can check this book off my #NetGalleyMonth reading list.

Book Review | Sideswiped by Lia Riley

October 11, 2014October 11, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 3 Comments

Book Review | Sideswiped

“Sometimes in order to find yourself, you need to venture off the map.

Talia and Bran broke all the rules and navigated dark and stormy emotional waters to be together and now that they finally seem to have found their way back to each other, the winds of change threaten to blow their love off course yet again…”

***

Sideswiped is about finding out who you are and what you want to become. It’s also about making difficult choices and not letting the world influence your decisions. It’s about love and challenges that couples face.

Lia Riley’s second book in the Off The Map Series didn’t disappoint. It continued the story of Bran and Talia, a young couple trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do, while trying to make their relationship work.

When you’re young it’s all about figuring out what to do with your life, but when you throw love into the mix it gets complicated. Then it’s a balancing act of making that person happy and following your dreams. That’s exactly what was going on with Bran and Talia during the second book.

At the end of Upside Down, the first book in the series, Bran flies from Australia to California to win Talia back and ask her to move in with her. Then Sideswiped begins when Talia is traveling back to Australia – to live with Bran and finish her thesis project at the University of Tasmania.

They seemed to be doing fine at the beginning, but as Talia thought about what she would do next, their world together started to change. Bran had the opportunity to work with the Sea Alliance, a marine conservation organization, and Talia secretly applied for the Peace Corps. While Bran was so desperate to keep things the way they were, Talia was wondering if they could make things work and still be able to follow their dreams.

I really enjoyed Sideswiped because the relationship elements were so relatable. It’s hard to be in love with someone when you want to follow your dreams. I had to let a relationship go because we wanted completely different things. I was going places that he wasn’t willing to go and the more we fought, the more I realized we weren’t right for each other. I’m happy that it turned out the way it did because I wouldn’t be where I am today, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work out for others. There are people who can make it work and have the strength to keep fighting – like Bran and Talia.

So far I love the series and I can’t wait for the final book to come out. Thank you to Lia Riley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for allowing me to read a copy of this book for an honest review.

Favorite Quotes

“If miracles were real, I’d swear we were designed to fit together.”

“Before I met Tailia, my foot was on the gas – in the wrong-ass direction. She stepped into my blind spot when least expected.”

“I broke my life rules for her, without thought or hesitation. Because when you love somebody, really love them, there are no rules.”

Giveaways

Take a chance on winning a digital copy of the first book in the series, Upside Down. You can check out my review of the first book here.

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I have been given an extra digital copy of Sideswiped to give away via Net Galley. All my fellow Net Galley users please take advantage of this giveaway!

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Overall Rating

About the Author

Lia Riley writes offbeat New Adult Romance. After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, she scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile and swilling fourex with station hands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments. A British literature fanatic at heart, Lia considers Mr. Darcy and Edward Rochester as her fictional boyfriends. Her very patient husband doesn’t mind. Much. When not torturing heroes (because c’mon, who doesn’t love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach comps, daydreams about as-of-yet unwritten books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. She and her family live mostly in Northern California.

Buy Links: B&N, BAM!, Kobo, iBooks, Google Play, Amazon

Social Media Links: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Tumblr

Publishing Company: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Release Date: October 7, 2014

Genre: New Adult

Book Review | Upside Down by Lia Riley

September 9, 2014September 9, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

Book Review | Upside Down

Upside Down is the first in Lia Riley’s Off The Map series. It follows the relationship of Natalia (Talia) Stolfi, a girl from Santa Cruz, California and Brandon (Bran) Lockhart, an Australian young man she meets during her study abroad program.

The past year had been difficult for Talia and she didn’t know how to deal with the death of her sister. A study abroad program to Australia was just what she felt she needed. It would give her time away from the painful memories that consumed her and the life she felt was falling apart.

Bran comes from a wealthy family, but his life is anything but perfect. As he runs from his past, he meets Talia, but finds that his feelings for her, brought his inner demons to the service. While he’s trying to deal with his issues, he hurts Talia along the way…more than once.

Both are trying to forget the past and start something new, but it’s the past that keeps coming between them.

***

I thought this was a great book! As you read, you’re constantly wanting Talia and Bran to finally say they’re together, but too much gets in the way.

After Tailia’s sister dies, her OCD intensified, but spending time with Bran it’s not as apparent. She realizes that she can be more open with Bran than anyone else in her life, including her parents and friends. Not to mention he’s a hot Australian. I was trying to imagine what his accent might have sounded like while I was reading the book.

Talia might have been a little dramatic at times, but I think part of it was her OCD and the other was her inexperience with men.

Bran on the other hand is, internally, dealing with a previous relationship that ended badly. He was in love with this other girl and doesn’t want to feel that same hurt with Talia. That’s why he keeps just enough distance between them, even though he has completely fallen for her.

They both open up about things that lifts weight off their shoulders and in doing so they allow their relationship to grow. They just never solidify their relationship throughout this first book and Talia’s impending departure from Australia makes defining their relationship even more difficult.

The more intimate parts in the book are not over-done and cheesy. It was tastefully done and it didn’t overpower the entire story.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book and I’m excited to read the next book in the Off The Map series.

Here are the next two books in the Off The Map Series:

Favorite Quotes

“There’s a part where Mr. Rochester tells Jane it’s as if he had a string under his rib, connected to hers, and he’s afraid there parting would snap the connection and they’d both bleed inwardly. Bran’s become vital to me, and our time together has almost run its course.”

Overall Rating