The previous 14 reviews have been archived and cross-linked on the main site, Brightdreamer Books.
Enjoy!
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Easy eBook Publishing (Barney Schwartz)
Easy eBook Publishing
Barney Schwartz
B.E.N. Publishing
Nonfiction, Writing
**+ (Bad/Okay)
DESCRIPTION: Learn how to format and publish an eBook with this quick guide.
An eBook-exclusive title.
REVIEW: On the plus side, this book does exactly what it says, walking the reader step by step through eBook software and websites. On the minus side, it does almost nothing else. It doesn't explain any of the options one is presented with. It only touches on pros and cons of different places and methods of e-publishing. Indeed, I'm not entirely sure that this sort of walkthrough isn't covered under any given software's FAQ or help section. The illustrations are also difficult to read on an eInk screen. Being free, I didn't expect too much out of it, but it still feels unnecessary.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Secrets to Writing Your First eBook and Getting It Online (Haphiza Baboolal) - My Review
The Truth About Publishing on Kindle (Rick Frazier) - My Review
Profit from the eBook Revolution (Bob Perry) - My Review
Barney Schwartz
B.E.N. Publishing
Nonfiction, Writing
**+ (Bad/Okay)
DESCRIPTION: Learn how to format and publish an eBook with this quick guide.
An eBook-exclusive title.
REVIEW: On the plus side, this book does exactly what it says, walking the reader step by step through eBook software and websites. On the minus side, it does almost nothing else. It doesn't explain any of the options one is presented with. It only touches on pros and cons of different places and methods of e-publishing. Indeed, I'm not entirely sure that this sort of walkthrough isn't covered under any given software's FAQ or help section. The illustrations are also difficult to read on an eInk screen. Being free, I didn't expect too much out of it, but it still feels unnecessary.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Secrets to Writing Your First eBook and Getting It Online (Haphiza Baboolal) - My Review
The Truth About Publishing on Kindle (Rick Frazier) - My Review
Profit from the eBook Revolution (Bob Perry) - My Review
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Letters of a Woman Homesteader (Elinore Pruitt Stewart)
Letters of a Woman Homesteader
Elinore Pruitt Stewart
Public Domain Books
Nonfiction, Autobiography
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: In 1909, widow Elinore Pruitt and her young daughter Jerrine head to the Wyoming frontier to try their hands at homesteading. In a series of letters to her former employer, Elinore describes the hardships and wonders of her new life.
REVIEW: These letters serve as a window on a lost world, the American frontier of the early twentieth century. Elinore is everything a pioneer should be: resourceful, resilient, independent, outspoken, and blessed with a fair helping of raw luck. Some of her ideas seem remarkably modern - such as her oft-repeated declaration that women shouldn't be afraid to make their own fortune, instead of living at the whim of employers - while others root her firmly in her era. She describes many interesting characters, most of whom would be right at home in Hollywood Westerns. Being merely selections from a much larger body of work, there are some jumps in time and events, glossing over large sections of her life and work. It also ends randomly, with little sense of conclusion. Still, I found it intriguing and educational.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Secret School (Avi) - My Review
Anne of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery) - My Review
Elinore Pruitt Stewart
Public Domain Books
Nonfiction, Autobiography
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: In 1909, widow Elinore Pruitt and her young daughter Jerrine head to the Wyoming frontier to try their hands at homesteading. In a series of letters to her former employer, Elinore describes the hardships and wonders of her new life.
REVIEW: These letters serve as a window on a lost world, the American frontier of the early twentieth century. Elinore is everything a pioneer should be: resourceful, resilient, independent, outspoken, and blessed with a fair helping of raw luck. Some of her ideas seem remarkably modern - such as her oft-repeated declaration that women shouldn't be afraid to make their own fortune, instead of living at the whim of employers - while others root her firmly in her era. She describes many interesting characters, most of whom would be right at home in Hollywood Westerns. Being merely selections from a much larger body of work, there are some jumps in time and events, glossing over large sections of her life and work. It also ends randomly, with little sense of conclusion. Still, I found it intriguing and educational.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Secret School (Avi) - My Review
Anne of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery) - My Review
Monday, June 24, 2013
The Phoenix on the Sword (Robert E. Howard)
The Phoenix on the Sword
(The Conan the Barbarian series)
Robert E. Howard
Public Domain Books
Fiction, Fantasy
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Once a barbarian from savage Cimmeria, the warrior Conan now rules over Aquilonia, a civilized but turbulent nation. Now, the people who welcomed him when he threw down their former, corrupt king stir restlessly, as dark rumors are whispered in the shadows. Behind these, lurking like a spider in a web, skulks Ascalante, who has assembled a network of traitors to assassinate Conan and install his own puppet on the throne. But forces greater than mere politics are afoot, and an evil greater than Ascalante can imagine is about to be unleashed within Aquilonia.
REVIEW: Available as a public domain freebie, this was the first short story in the vaunted Conan the Barbarian series, one of the seminal franchises behind the fantasy genre. The foreword claims that Tolkien was not influenced by this, but both he and Howard drew off the same epic narrative roots, replete with elder-day verbosity and poetic turns of phrase. Conan is a larger-than-life hero, a battle-thirsty barbarian who nevertheless ultimately has the good of the people at heart. His enemies, naturally, want nothing but evil things, acting for entirely selfish reasons. There's intrigue and ancient magic and, of course, some good, old-fashioned skull-bashing. I don't expect I'll follow Conan much further, myself, but I can definitely see the appeal of the story, especially to younger boys.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Leopard's Daughter (Lee Killough) - My Review
Heroes of the Valley (Jonathan Stroud) - My Review
The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien) - My Review
(The Conan the Barbarian series)
Robert E. Howard
Public Domain Books
Fiction, Fantasy
***+ (Okay/Good)
DESCRIPTION: Once a barbarian from savage Cimmeria, the warrior Conan now rules over Aquilonia, a civilized but turbulent nation. Now, the people who welcomed him when he threw down their former, corrupt king stir restlessly, as dark rumors are whispered in the shadows. Behind these, lurking like a spider in a web, skulks Ascalante, who has assembled a network of traitors to assassinate Conan and install his own puppet on the throne. But forces greater than mere politics are afoot, and an evil greater than Ascalante can imagine is about to be unleashed within Aquilonia.
REVIEW: Available as a public domain freebie, this was the first short story in the vaunted Conan the Barbarian series, one of the seminal franchises behind the fantasy genre. The foreword claims that Tolkien was not influenced by this, but both he and Howard drew off the same epic narrative roots, replete with elder-day verbosity and poetic turns of phrase. Conan is a larger-than-life hero, a battle-thirsty barbarian who nevertheless ultimately has the good of the people at heart. His enemies, naturally, want nothing but evil things, acting for entirely selfish reasons. There's intrigue and ancient magic and, of course, some good, old-fashioned skull-bashing. I don't expect I'll follow Conan much further, myself, but I can definitely see the appeal of the story, especially to younger boys.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Leopard's Daughter (Lee Killough) - My Review
Heroes of the Valley (Jonathan Stroud) - My Review
The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien) - My Review
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Old MacDonald Had a Dragon (Ken Baker)
Old MacDonald Had a Dragon
Ken Baker, illustrations by Christopher Santoro
Two Lions
Fiction, YA Picture Book
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Old MacDonald has a new beast on his famous farm, but the other animals object.
REVIEW: Another slow work day... A quick and entertaining read, with whimsical illustrations. The ending could've been punchier, but on the whole I found it amusing.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Knight and the Dragon (Tomie DePaola) - My Review
The Paper Bag Princess (Robert N. Munsch) - My Review
Dragons Love Tacos (Adam Rubin) - My Review
Ken Baker, illustrations by Christopher Santoro
Two Lions
Fiction, YA Picture Book
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: Old MacDonald has a new beast on his famous farm, but the other animals object.
REVIEW: Another slow work day... A quick and entertaining read, with whimsical illustrations. The ending could've been punchier, but on the whole I found it amusing.
You Might Also Enjoy:
The Knight and the Dragon (Tomie DePaola) - My Review
The Paper Bag Princess (Robert N. Munsch) - My Review
Dragons Love Tacos (Adam Rubin) - My Review
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