Kate says

You can buy the products with the dinos from Society6 shop: https://society6.com/bonniepangart

For me books are my escape, entertainment and ...  night lamp. How about you? 

Planning two week holiday time starting this Sunday so ... yeah ;)

Art by Michael Hinson / BuzzFeed

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing actor & audiobook narrator Matt Godfrey for Horror After Dark!

Have you every wondered if narrators read the book first before accepting a narration job? Have you wondered whether they just know how to pronounce everything or if they practice first? Your questions have been answered! I hope you'll take the time to check it out here.

Greetings!

My nonfiction chapter-book for children, "The Sea Adventures of Robert Smalls" is available as a FREE download for Amazon customers/account holders at http://a.co/2l4wba8 from October 12th through October 16th. Enjoy! Please leave me an honest review. Thanks!

As the fictional character Forest Gump said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get." This 1994 fact of life statement from a movie was revitalize in my mind year last year when my 2 minute oratory autobiographical story audition was selected for the Valley Voice Slam competition sponsored by New England Public Radio and the Academy of music.

I was 1 out of 10 competitors chosen for a 5 minute stand-up for the "Money, Money Money" contest held at the Northampton Brewery. I still find it hard to believe. My humorous story me and my brother working at a movie theatre and stumbling upon an envelope filled with $5,000 informed and entertain both the audience and my competitors. 

I lost, but I emerged with a desire to become a children's book writer. You see, before the performance, we were recommended by staff overseeing the event to restrain from writing down our experience and from trying to memorize it all. They said such effort could hinder the performance value. 

I didn't believe that. I was and still am, a plotter. I need to know where exactly my story was going to take me. I speak out to myself, then after some time, my thoughts goes on paper. The audience enjoyed the performance and I like to share the podcast of it with you here.

I hope you enjoy it. It's the road that lead to wanting to be a children's book writer.

I thought it was time to develop a different kind of hero children can relate to. 

Too many existing heroes have a common background- an adult mourning the death of a relative. This horrific experience laid the path of the said person to become a superhero. Batman, Spiderman, and many others became heroes due to losing a relative from an act of crime.

I thought it would be hilarious to create a child who uses a malfunctioning gadget suit to protect his accident prone parents who were first responders. The defected gadgets is an addition to the humor. But Jeff is not a quitter. The themes of persistence and determination to attain goals is apparent. Right vs. Wrong. Good vs. Evil. All that are elements in this tight action-pack book with great illustrations by my brother Aaron Harris.

10 year-old Jeffrey Morgan is on a never-ending conquest to save his mother, a police officer, and his father, a firefighter from the acts of tyrants looking to compromise the quality of life in Springdale. Thus, Jeff's secret intervention makes him a protecter of the city too (Of course he eventually realizes that in the chapter-book).

Please check out "Jet Set Jeff: The Science Defender" on Amazon as a paperback and ebook at http://a.co/ipx06VE and http://a.co/53SJIc8 Subscribe to my FREE monthly newsletter about the history of comic strips, comic superheroes, and their creators at http://kforpartnership.wixsite.com/educ

You and the children won't be disappointed in the story of Jet Set Jeff: Science Defender.

My brother Aaron is fantastic. Check out his art gallery at http://Amiablecomics.wixsite.com/entertainment and at http://aarongharris.deviantart.com (parental advisory for some content)

Here come September goodies! These 5 giveaways come to an end September 9th so here's your last chance to grab them! Click the graphics or the links below to go on the specific giveaway page with the detailed book information, and request your own copy. 

A note: due to an international audience the final end time for a given giveaway may vary in accordance to your time zone.

Find more giveaways by entering the Giveaways page (menu->Giveaways) or click HERE.

Good luck!

Request your copy ->

Request your copy ->

Request your copy ->

Request your copy ->

Request to win ->

Happy winning!

Do you know what Follow Friday with Book Bloggers is? It's a weekly Friday interview with a book blogger picked from the BookLikes community but we also wish to open it up for all the book bloggers out there. We appreciate all the hard work the book bloggers are doing for the book industry and we wish to spread the word and give the book bloggers the proper recognition and appreciation! And it's so much fun to know a little bit more about the fellow bloggers friends too!

If you know a book blogger/reviewer who would love to be featured among book bloggers community in our Follow Friday session (and we mean not only pick me, pick me! personalities but also the shy but intriguing ones), nominate them for the Follow Friday With Book Bloggers interview in the comment section below. You can nominate from the BookLikes community as well as from all around the web (we will, though, focus on the BookLikes community first). We'll be also more than happy to feature newbies and newcomers, and raising up bloggers (e.g. mentioned in the BL group Shout-out for Newbies and "Underfollowed" (but Active) Blogs).

Each blogger can nominate up to 3 book blogger friends, please insert the blog's URL address and one sentence praise per blog (optional). Please check if the blogger haven't already been mentioned in the comments before nominating, we do want to keep the comments lucid, clear and without unnecessary repetitions.

Looking forward to your picks!

Have you missed the previous Follow Friday interviews? Here are the catch up links and sneak peeks into the four blog talks we've already published on BookLikes Blog.

Happy reading and nominating!

#1 Follow Friday with book bloggers:

Jennifer's Books

Follow Jennifer's Books: http://stellarraven.booklikes.com/

On your BookLikes blog you’re regularly sharing weekly art post, can you tell the story behind the concept?

I love classic art, and I love reading, and I thought that a Weekly Art Post would be a great way to combine the two. I try to choose paintings (and a few vintage photographs) that feature the subject of the piece reading or ones that at least feature a book in some way. I'm in my second year doing this, and it's been great fun choosing which pictures to feature.

Continue reading ->

#2 Follow Friday with book bloggers:

Punya Reviews…

Follow Punya Reviews… : http://punya.booklikes.com

Did blogging have an impact on your reading life?

Yes, it had. When I started doing blog tours, it did take up quite a bit of my time. Alongside my work hours, I was juggling regularly. My reviews are generally long, and writing those reviews took time too. I had to figure out how to balance it all. How many tours I can do a month so I can read and review the books I want to. Yet, through book blogging, I have discovered new authors and their books. So yes, blogging has had quite an impact on my reading life.

Continue reading ->

#3 Follow Friday with book bloggers:

Tigus

Follow Tigus on BookLikes: http://tigus.booklikes.com/

Three title for a dessert island?

I'm not going to stew over this painful question for very long, because it can become very frustrating to make choices. I'll pick The Count of Monte Christo, amongst books that I have not read yet, because it's long, and I have faith that I will enjoy it. Then, I'll change gears, and pick two books I have already read: I'll take my favorite book of all time (so far): The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers. And I'll bring my favorite Wodehouse's Quick Service.

Continue reading ->

#4 Follow Friday with book bloggers:

Nicole Reads

Follow Nicole Reads: http://lapetite.booklikes.com

A paper book or an e-book?

This is a tough question because there is nothing that can compare to the thrill of holding a paper book in your hands and feeling that comforting weight on your hands, but I am going to say that I prefer e-books. As someone who travels a lot, there is nothing like the comfort of having a wide variety of books readily available in one place. Plus, I don’t have to pay extra for overweight luggage!

Continue reading ->

See you next Friday!

Seven months checked, five still to go. Have a look at BookLikes bloggers July reads and let us know how are you doing in your 2017 reading challenge. Click the blogs' headings to visit the blog pages and follow the reviewers.

Scroll down to view more June reading reviews from book bloggers. Happy reading!

    

   

Please welcome a new blog post series called Follow Friday with book bloggers. Reading and blogging isn't a solo activity that's why we're reaching to you, our lovely community and encouraging you to share your reading life insights.

The Follow Friday posts will be published every Friday - surprise, surprise! The new series will be accompanied with the notification announcement, we don't want you to miss anything!

We wish you a pleasant reading, and great exploring and discovery time!

*

Follow Jennifer's Books: http://stellarraven.booklikes.com/

What was the book that made you a book lover?

I've loved reading pretty much from the moment I learned how. But a couple of books I remember from my childhood that really spurred my love of reading were Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith, and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary. I read the former so much my book literally fell apart, and the latter I wanted because I was age 8 myself at the time. The edition I owned was a mass market paperback sized book, and I remember feeling so grown up, because to me it looked like the books I saw my parents reading.

What made you start writing about books/book blogging?

I wanted a way to share my love of reading with others, and to find others who were interested in the same types of books that I am.

Did blogging have an impact on your reading life?

I would definitely say so. I've connected to readers around the world, and instead of just finding others who are interested in the same types of books I am, I've been introduced to other genres I might not have otherwise read.

What are you favorite genres? Why are they special?

I like too many genres to list, but I'd have to say my favorites are historical fiction, crime/mystery, and romance (historical romance, romantic suspense, and PNR romance). They're special to me—well, at least as far as the romances go anyway, because I can usually** rest assured that no matter what the main characters go through it will all work out in the end, and I'll get my HEA.

      **In my opinion, one of the biggest betrayals there is in a romance novel is no HEA, or at the very least a HFN.

On your BookLikes blog you’re regularly sharing weekly art post, can you tell the story behind the concept?

I love classic art, and I love reading, and I thought that a Weekly Art Post would be a great way to combine the two. I try to choose paintings (and a few vintage photographs) that feature the subject of the piece reading or ones that at least feature a book in some way. I'm in my second year doing this, and it's been great fun choosing which pictures to feature.

via

What are your favorite book covers?

As I mentioned in #7, I love classic art, so my attention really tends to be attracted by     books that use classic art/paintings or at least have that classic art kind of feel on their covers. I'm also really enjoying the covers for that Harry Potter illustrated editions.       

            Here's a few examples:

On your blog page you write: When I do write reviews, they may be just a few lines or rather lengthy. How does you review process look like?

I don't know that I have much of a process. A book has to really affect me—either positively or negatively—for me to write a detailed review these days. When I do decide to review, most of the time I end up just posting a few brief thoughts about the book.

via

Which books are you most excited recommending to your followers?

I generally don't recommend books all that often. I have this irrational fear of recommending something to someone and they end up utterly hating it.

What’s your reading spot? We’d love to see the photos :)

I generally prefer to read in my bed. And since a picture of my bed isn't all that thrilling, here's one of me on my bed, covered up with one of my cozy throw blankets with a book in hand. Not that that's all that thrilling either, but still...

A paper book or an e-book?

I enjoy both, but do tend to prefer paper books. E-books are so much easier to take along, though, whether on my phone or my kindle, it's nice to know that I am never without something to read.

Three title for a dessert island?

Oh man...what a tough question. How about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, (actually any of the HP books would do), And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, and this may be a rather unconventional choice, but if I'm stranded on a deserted island I'm going to need at least one romance with me, so how about Lessons From a Scarlet Lady by Emma Wildes.

A book that changed your life?

As I mentioned before, I have loved reading for as long as I can remember, but if I had to point to one book that changed that love of reading into a need to read, it would have to be The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. I was in 7^th or 8^th grade and was allowed to choose a book from the high school section of my school's library, because I read at a higher-than-my-age level. I absolutely fell in love with the book, and used to check it out from my school's library all the time.

Favorite quote?

I actually have two I'd like to share, it that's ok:

      “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” - Charles William Eliot

      “When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.” - Ponyboy Curtis (The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton)

If you could meet one literary character, who would it be?

Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter books. I am so awed by the entire wizarding world set up by J.K. Rowling, and McGonagall is by far and away one of my favorite characters from the series. I think it would be so fascinating to be able to meet and talk to her. I mean, can you imagine the stories she must have?

Shelfie time! Please share your home library photos :)

Ok, this is not the best picture, but my book shelf is located in a awkward spot. I pretty much had to be a contortionist to get a decent shot without too much of the door getting in the way.  And there's a whole shelf on the bottom that I couldn't even get in the picture. I also have a book cabinet which houses the bulk of my books. I didn't take a picture of it, because my organizational plan in there is pretty much “stack them in there in such a way as to fit in as many as humanly possible”.

I want to thank Kate @ BookLikes for asking me if I'd like to do this! It was fun!

*

You can also find Jennifer here:

BookLikes: http://stellarraven.booklikes.com/

We've peeked into your bookshelves and found some nice summer book picks!

And guess what, you can do a nice book hunt as well! If you're curious what titles other book bloggers are reading, all you should do is to choose the Book Catalog from the drop down menu and scroll down until the Currently reading section. Click the book covers to go to the book pages where you'll find other editions of the titles and the book reviews.

Oh my! Our TBR pile is getting bigger and bigger, luckily, the virtual bookshelf is endless :)

10 BOOKS FROM YOUR CURRENTLY READING SHELVES

So many books, such little time. is currently reading:

A High Mortality of Doves by Kate Ellis  

1919. The Derbyshire village of Wenfield is still reeling from four terrible years of war, and now, just when the village is coming to terms with the loss of so many of its sons, the brutal murder of a young girl shatters its hard-won tranquillity.
Myrtle Bligh is found stabbed and left in woodland, her mouth slit to accommodate a dead dove, a bird of peace.
During the war Myrtle worked as a volunteer nurse with Flora Winsmore, the local doctor's daughter, caring for badly wounded soldiers at the nearby big house, Tarnhey Court.
When two more women are found murdered in identical circumstances, Inspector Albert Lincoln is sent up from London, a man not only wounded in war but damaged in peace by the death of his young son and his cold, loveless marriage... read more

Story of my success is currently reading:

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield  

Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, and been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft. The secret to Col. Hadfield's success-and survival-is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst-and enjoy every moment of it.

In An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Col. Hadfield takes readers deep into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. Through eye-opening, entertaining stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks, and the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of achievement-and happiness... read more

Debbie's Spurts is currently reading:

The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen  

In less than a year, Kelsea Glynn has transformed from a gawky teenager into a powerful monarch. As she has come into her own as the Queen of the Tearling, the headstrong, visionary leader has also transformed her realm. In her quest to end corruption and restore justice, she has made many enemies—including the evil Red Queen, her fiercest rival, who has set her armies against the Tear.To protect her people from a devastating invasion, Kelsea did the unthinkable—she gave herself and her magical sapphires to her enemy—and named the Mace, the trusted head of her personal guards, regent in her place. But the Mace will not rest until he and his men rescue their sovereign, imprisoned in Mortmesne... read more

~~ Elsbeth ❤❤❤ MM-Romance ~~ is currently reading:

Imago by N.R. Walker  

Nerdy, introverted genius lepidopterist, Lawson Gale, is an expert on butterflies. He finds himself in a small town in Tasmania on a quest from an old professor to find an elusive species that may or may not even exist.
Local Parks and Wildlife officer, Jack Brighton, is an ordinary guy who loves his life in the sleepy town of Scottsdale. Along with his Border collie dog, Rosemary, his job, and good friends, he has enough to keep from being lonely.
But then he meets Lawson, and he knows he’s met someone special. There’s more to catching butterflies, Jack realises. Sometimes the most elusive creatures wear bow ties, and sometimes they can’t be caught at all.
Lawson soon learns there are butterflies he can’t learn about it in books... read more

Reading For The Heck Of It is currently reading:

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien  

Master storyteller Madeleine Thien takes us inside an extended family in China, showing us the lives of two successive generations―those who lived through Mao’s Cultural Revolution and their children, who became the students protesting in Tiananmen Square. At the center of this epic story are two young women, Marie and Ai-Ming. Through their relationship Marie strives to piece together the tale of her fractured family in present-day Vancouver, seeking answers in the fragile layers of their collective story. Her quest will unveil how Kai, her enigmatic father, a talented pianist, and Ai-Ming’s father, the shy and brilliant composer, Sparrow, along with the violin prodigy Zhuli were forced to reimagine their artistic and private selves during China’s political campaigns and how their fates reverberate through the years with lasting consequences... read more

theguywhoreads is currently reading:

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King  

A #1 national bestseller, The Gunslinger introduces readers to one of Stephen King’s most powerful creations, Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which mirrors our own in frightening ways, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the boy from New York named Jake. Inspired in part by the Robert Browning narrative poem, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,”... read more

Familiar Diversions is currently reading:

No Longer Human, Volume 2 - Usamaru Furuya 

Furuya's adaptation of No Longer Human takes place nearly seventy years after Dazai's original. Set in modern day Tokyo, Dazai's tale details the life of a young man originally from a well-off family from Japan's far north. Yozo Oba is a troubled soul incapable of revealing his true self to others. A weak constitution and the lingering trauma from some abuse administered by a relative forces him to uphold a facade of hollow jocularity since high school. The series is composed of three parts, referred to in the novel as "memorandums," which chronicle the life of Oba from his teens to late twenties. The comic is narrated by the artist, Furuya himself playing the role originally held by the author Dazai, who makes appearances at the start of each volume. In many ways, it could be said that Furuya has traveled a path that may be similar to Dazai's. Maybe that is what led these two together after 100 years... read more

Bookish for life is currently reading:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman  

A storm is coming . . . Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the magic day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life. But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow’s best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself. Life as Wednesday’s bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined—it is a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own... read more

BrokenTune is currently reading:

Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson

England between the wars was a paradise of calm and leisure for the very, very rich. Into this enclave is born Mrs. Emmeline Lucas - La Lucia, as she is known - a woman determined to lead a life quite different from the subdued formality of her class.
With her cohort, Georgie Pillson, and her husband, Peppino, Lucia upends the greats of high society: the imperious Lady Ambermere and her equally imperious dog, Pug; the odious Piggy and Goosie Antrobus; the Christian Scientist Daisy Quantrock, with her penchant for the foreign; and all the rest of the small English town that the British rich call their country home. Beset on all sides by pretenders to her social throne, Lucia brings culture, fine art, excitement, and intrigue into this cloistered realm... read more

AUDIO BOOK JUNKIE is currently reading:

Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson  

Everyone knows there are different kinds of teachers. The boring ones, the mean ones, the ones who try too hard, the ones who stopped trying long ago. The ones you’ll never remember, and the ones you want to forget. Ms. Bixby is none of these. She’s the sort of teacher who makes you feel like school is somehow worthwhile. Who recognizes something in you that sometimes you don’t even see in yourself. Who you never want to disappoint. What Ms. Bixby is, is one of a kind.Topher, Brand, and Steve know this better than anyone. And so when Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she won’t be able to finish the school year, they come up with a risky plan—more of a quest, really—to give Ms. Bixby the last day she deserves... read more

And what are you reading now?