My Alien Life by J. Martain - Audiobook Review

Title: My Alien Life; a Novelette (Audiobook)

Author: J. Martain

Narrator: April Doty

Publisher: BooksGoSocial Audio

Publication Date: December 22, 2022

Length: 1 hour, 1 minute

About the Author
 J. Martain is a coastal North Carolina native who spends most of her time questioning the way the universe and all the beings in it work. Her characters are sometimes human, sometimes not, but they prefer not to be judged on that criteria.

Family Drama and Promise Keeping Young Lynette did not remember her mother. She was raised in rural North Carolina by her hard-working father. When Lynette's father died, the only relative willing to take Lynette was her great, great Aunt Magnolia. Lynette was nine years old and Aunt Mag promised to stay alive until Lynette was sixteen years old.

This is the poignant story of Lynette's seven years with her Great-great-aunt Magnolia Rose McClellan, the oldest sister of her mother's great-grandmother. Aunt Mag didn't have very much money, but she taught Lynette the meaning of love, commitment, and family.

The narration of the audiobook is very good. The southern dialect makes the characters come to life.

My Thoughts I listened to the audiobook and I also read a digital copy of the book. The narration of the audiobook is awesome and I enjoyed listening to the story. The characters were very authentic and I felt great empathy for Lynette, especially after her father died. I was not sure about her future with Aunt Mag, but the more I listened the more I realized that Lynette was in the right place.

Aunt Mag was totally committed to raising Lynette and keeping her promise. This short story will make your heart smile.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out of 5

Thank you to NetGalley for a wonderful listening experience.

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Book Review: The Dress by Kate Kerrigan

Title: The Dress

Author: Kate Kerrigan

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Date of Publication: August 1, 2015

Length: 390 Pages

Kindle Copy - "The Party Dress"


This book review was written by guest blogger Cindy Phelps Thomas.

About The Author
Kate Kerrigan is the author of City of Hope, Ellis Island, and Land of Dreams.

Turning Back the Years
Lily Fitzpatrick is a well-known fashion blogger whose specialty is vintage. She spends her time rummaging through piles of vintage clothing looking for the perfect piece with its unknown history.

After her grandfather suddenly passes away, Lily wonders about his mysterious background and family. She has heard little of his heritage, and the need to know becomes an obsession. She learns that the woman wearing a beautiful dress in an old clipping she found may indeed be a relative of hers. Lily longs to know this woman’s story and the story behind “the dress”. The idea plays on Lily’s mind to recreate the dress in the clipping. 

These three women: Lily Fitzpatrick, Joy Fitzpatrick, and Honor Conlon, are all so different, yet bound together for eternity by the dress. 

• Lily Fitzpatrick is in the present-day attempting to recreate the dress, in a highly publicized dual of fashion designers.
• Joy Fitzpatrick is having this one-of-a-kind dress made to rekindle the romance with her husband.
• Honor Conlon is trying to make a name for herself in the world of fashion as an immigrant in New York 1950’s. 

Each woman’s life is changed forever.

My Thoughts
"The Dress" was a wonderfully written book that allowed the reader to travel through time to learn about the history of the mysterious dress. The characters were so well developed that I felt a connection to them all. The descriptions of the vintage dresses were so wonderfully written, I could almost see them for myself. I have even taken an interest in vintage dresses myself since reading it. I highly recommend this book!

Rating: 5 Stars Of 5

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Book Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Warm Bodies: A Novel

Author: Isaac Marion

Publisher: Atria Books

Date:  April 26, 2011

Length: 256 Pages


This book review was written by guest blogger Cindy Phelps Thomas.

About The Author
Isaac Marion is an American writer. He is best known as the best-selling author of the "zombie romance" novel Warm Bodies.

Favorite Quotations
“You should always be taking pictures, if not with a camera then with your mind. Memories you capture on purpose are always more vivid than the ones you pick up by accident.”  

“What wonderful thing didn't start out scary?”  

“We are where we are, however we got here. What matters is where we go next.”  

“The past is made out of facts... I guess the future is just hope.”  

“Here it comes. My inevitable death, ignoring me all those years when I wished for it daily, arriving only after I've decided I want to live forever.”  

A Zombie Romance
R is a zombie. He lives in an abandoned airport with his fellow undead, zombies and boneys. He can’t help but think he’s different from the rest as they shuffle around all day without a thought.

R does have thoughts, but he’s not sure what they mean or why he has them since he has no recollection of his past life. He does go to town occasionally to feed with other zombies, one of which is M, his friend. While feeding, the zombies can experience memories of the human life they are taking.

On one occasion, while feeding, R experiences the memories of Perry. Perry’s memories all include Julie, his longtime friend and girlfriend. R feels something for Julie through these memories and concludes that he must save her from the other zombies that are feeding. He takes her back to the 747 plane that he lives in. She is scared and he cannot communicate well with her, but as the days pass they become friends.

Julie tells R that she needs to return home to prevent her father from looking for her and attacking the airport. R begins the journey to take her back but also feels the overwhelming desire to keep her with him to ensure that she is safe.  The boneys, the high order of the undead, have discovered that R is different and Julie is living. They are unhappy and start a fight to try to capture her and kill her.

R and Julie manage to make it away from them with a little help, but Julie escapes from R once they are further down the road.  She manages to return home safely, but R cannot be without her. R, M, and a few others who are all starting to experience thoughts and feelings that they don’t understand decide to leave and go to Julie. The boneys are angry and still looking for the group of them.

The feelings between R and Julie are growing, but will R make it out of this? Will the boneys conquer the humans and the zombies?

All they know is there are big changes in the future and the future is coming fast.
 
My Thoughts

Warm Bodies is an interesting tale of a zombie romance. The love of a zombie for a human which is normally considered hunter and prey. I enjoyed this book. It was my first experience with zombies and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. The book does have a considerable amount of adult language so I would not suggest it for children, but if you are looking to try something new, or this is the genre you usually look for, I definitely recommend this easy read.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

Thank you to Cindy for sharing this book review with us. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: Witch Weigh by Caroline Mickelson

Witch Weigh (A Paranormal Romantic Comedy)

Author: Caroline Mickelson

Publisher: Bon Accord Press

Date: April 24, 2012

Length: 154 Pages




This book review is a guest post written by Cindy Phelps Thomas.

About The Author
Caroline Mickelson loves her family and loves to write.  She lives in the American southwest with her husband and their four children.

She Uses Her Magic To Make Sure She Gets Her Way

Contessa Von Hellengaard is a real witch living in a normal world. Tessa is selfish, rude, and if anyone or anything gets in the way of what she wants, she uses her magic to make sure she gets her way.

The other witches in her coven see her behavior as a problem that is eventually going to have them all exposed. They have tried talking to her time and again, but they see no change in her personality. At their latest meeting, the others have planned an intervention of sorts.

They introduce her to Liam Kennedy. Little does she know, her life is about to drastically change. Liam is her charming fairy godfather. He takes her on a journey to better herself and teach her a few lessons. Tessa and Liam go to a beautiful resort. When Tessa wakes in the morning, she has gained hundreds of pounds, her beloved black cat is a white dog, and her magic no longer works.

She learns that she is in a camp to lose weight.  Although enraged, Tessa has no other option but to go along with the rules. As she sheds the pounds, she also gains a few friends, learns to love herself, and may even fall in love.

Will this all be for the best, or will she end up heartbroken wishing she could go back to her less caring days?

This paranormal romance is a fun and fast novella. It was touching at times and comedic at others. If you are looking for a good, quick read, I definitely recommend Mickelson’s Witch Weigh.  

MY RATING:  4 STARS OUT Of 5

Thank you to Cindy for this YA book review. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

September 14, 2008 (Hardback)
Movie Release: March 23, 2012
DVD Release: August 18, 2012

Book Review by Cindy Phelps Thomas


About The Author
Suzanne Collins has had a successful and prolific career writing for children's television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit "Clarissa Explains It All" and "The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo".

The Games

Katniss is a young lady who is the sole caretaker of her family. She lives with her younger sister, Prim, and her Mother. They live in Panem, which is ruled by the Capital. They live in District 12 where they make coal. Katniss and her best friend, Gale, go hunting outside of the district on a regular basis to feed their families and to trade for other goods.

Every year the Capital reminds the districts that they are in control by conducting the Hunger Games. Every child between the ages of 12 and 18 must put their name into a bowl at least once; they can put their name in more often for additional rations of food. The Capital picks one boy and one girl from each district to compete in the games. The games are televised and everyone in Panem is required to watch. The 24 children are placed in an arena and are forced to fight to the death until only one remains.

When the names are called for District 12, Prim’s name is called. Katniss cannot allow her to go, so she volunteers. A boy named Peeta, who Katniss has always been grateful to because he gave her bread at a time she didn’t think she would live, is also called for the games.

Peeta plays the audience by telling them that he has had an unrequited love for Katniss for as long as he remembers. The games begin and the excitement mounts. Katniss finds herself thinking of both Gale and Peeta and a possible love triangle ensues. With only one winner, there is no way that Peeta and Katniss can both come out alive, or is there?

Favorite Quotations from "The Hunger Games"
“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.” 

“You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.” 

“What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by? What do they do all day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to rill in and die for their entertainment?” 

“I'm more than just a piece in their Games.” 

My Thoughts
This is the first book of a trilogy. Initially I read this book only to see what all the hype was about, as I don’t typically read fantasy books. This was a pleasant surprise. The tale starts with love of a young girl for her sister that is strong enough for her to give her own life. The whirlwind of the days before the games, then the action during the games, add a touch of romance (for the ladies), and it makes for a great read! I highly recommend this book and will definitely be reading the next two in the series.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

I want to welcome Cindy Phleps Thomas to the book review team on JanetteFuller.Com. Cindy is a U.S. Navy Veteran (2001-2005). She earned her BS in Psychology/Criminal Justice from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. She received an elementary teaching certification and is a former kindergarten teacher in the La Porte, TX School District. She is currently a stay-at-home mom and is working on her MBA degree at the University of Houston.

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