Top Ten Tuesday: Boat Books

August 13, 2024 By 52 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I love spending time on and near bodies of water. It’s such a relaxing way not only to enjoy your free time but also, when possible, to travel around.

Here are ten books that include scenes with boats, ships, and/or other vessels you can use on lakes, rivers, and oceans.

1.Life of Pi by Yann Martel

2. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

3. Scuffy the Tugboat by Gertrude Crampton

4.The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

5. Jamrach’s Menagerie by Carol Birch

6. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

7. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima

8. A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes

9. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

10. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3) by C.S. Lewis

 

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for August 7, 2024

August 7, 2024 By 2 Comments

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Funniest Advice I’ve Received

Thank you for joining our Weekly Wednesday Blogging Challenge! Please put the direct URL to your blog post here so other participants can visit your post. Thanks!
1. George L Thomas  4. Michael Mock  
2. Tanith Davenport  5. Priscilla King  
3. Lydia Schoch  6. M | RAIN CITY READS  

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AUTHOR PROMO OPPORTUNITY! Our 17th Anniversary Bash!

August 6, 2024 By 1 Comment

Long and Short Reviews is having a big 17th Anniversary Bash!!

This celebration is for all fiction genres we feature and review (romance, erotic romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children’s Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, SFF and mainstream fiction) as well as non-fiction books (memoirs, self-help, etc.) and poetry, and will run August 19 – 23, 2024.   We expect a huge turnout, with thousands of visitors, just like we’ve had every year on our anniversary! It’s a chance for some significant exposure.  We’ll also be heavily promoting on all our social media accounts. Additionally, this year we’ve partnered with Goddess Fish Promotions to help promote the event even more through features on their book blog tour host partners and promotion on their social media accounts!

Along with several other prizes, we plan on giving away at least two $100 Amazon/BN GCs, and several smaller Amazon/BN GCs, all of which are sure to be a draw. Final number and dollar amount of prizes will be based on participation. The more authors who participate, the more and bigger prizes we’ll offer and the more eyes on YOUR book! So… share this invitation everywhere

To win one of the $100 GCs, we’ll be posting a blurb, book cover and buy link on a post, and in order to earn entries, our visitors must read the blurb and answer a question on a rafflecopter.  The hope is that they’ll be intrigued by what they read and buy your book!  Author participation will cost $7 per book, but you will receive a $7 credit toward any ad or service offered by Long and Short Reviews or by Goddess Fish Promotions.  So, it’s practically free!

For the other $100 GC, we’ll be offering social media spots for participating authors. Our visitors may enter by visiting you (Facebook page) or following you (all other social media).  Each social media link you want to feature will be an additional $1 fee.

It’s easy to participate. Simply complete this form: https://form.jotform.com/41804468836160

If you have any questions, please email us at lasreviews@gmail.com

Thank you,

Marianne and Judy

http://www.longandshortreviews.com
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Movie Review: Savoring Paris

August 6, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Savoring Paris by
Writers: Joie Botkin and Victoria Brownlee
Director Clare Niederpruem
Starring: Bethany Joy Lenz and Stanley Weber
Publisher: Hallmark Channel
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars (8 stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Dicentra

Disillusioned with her life, Ella embarks on a soul-searching journey to Paris where she navigates love, self-discovery and cheese amidst the enchanting backdrop of The City of Love.

Hallmark Channel’s Savoring Paris, starring Bethany Joy Lenz and Stanley Weber, is a nice turn away from their previously formulaic movies while still honoring the happily ever after endings the channel is known for. Ella (Bethany Joy Lenz) is disillusioned with her life in the United States and makes the choice to return to Paris in an attempt to recapture the magic from her previous trip (and taste the cheeses she’s never forgotten since). However, she’ll find much more in her interactions with her new friends, her carefree adventures and a “grumpy cheese-monger” named Serge (Stanley Weber).

In the past, with their stereotypical Christmas movies, storylines were very predictable whenever I watched a Hallmark movie. As a result, they came across as less authentic and not like something that could actually happen. I really enjoyed Ella’s journey in this movie, and how the actress delivered her performance in a way that came across as very genuine, funny, and engaging. Her friendships were very relatable, and I appreciated how her mother was overbearing yet gradually backed down on her own (without having to be talked to, like some of the royal parents in other movies).

My only complaint was that the movie was not actually fully filmed in Paris. As part of a set of movies marketed as “Passport to Love”, that was a bit disappointing for me but didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the movie too much. Nevertheless, I think the filmmakers did an excellent job bringing the charm and personality of the city (and its people) to life. The highlight of that was the contrast in the American and French lifestyles – French people work to live and get to enjoy much more of their life. On the other hand, many Americans live to work and forget to take time to savor the moment and enjoy life along the way. Ella did her best to get away from that mindset in this movie, and it was a very fulfilling journey to see.

Overall, this was a very entertaining movie. I’m excited to see the new creative direction Hallmark seems to be going in, and I’ll definitely be checking out more of their new movies as they release. Check out this movie if you like international romances complete with self-discovery and the grumpy x sunshine trope.

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Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Waiting For Spring by Sonya Rhen

July 31, 2024 By 5 Comments


Waiting For Spring by Sonya Rhen
Jelly Beans and Spring Things Series
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Returning to belly dance at the annual Kirkland Crocus Parade with the Habibi Nile Dancers, Shayna vows to forget her breakup after last year’s parade and guard her fragile heart. However, her best friend is just as determined to find her a new love interest. Shayna would rather not think about matters of the heart and just concentrate on entertaining the spectators by dancing with her dignity intact. Which is harder than she thought. As the parade participants march on through Kirkland’s quaint downtown streets, the Easter Bunny, her fearless leader, her best friend, an eye-catching drummer, and a jelly-bean-tossing clown, might give Shayna a reason to open her heart…after all, spring is in the air!

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for July 31, 2024

July 31, 2024 By 4 Comments

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Would I Stay in a Haunted House? Why or why not?

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1. Bob Mueller  6. Dixie Jackson  
2. George L Thomas  7. Stephen @ Reading Freely  
3. Tanith Davenport  8. Greta Ham  
4. Lydia Schoch  9. M | RAIN CITY READS  
5. Michael Mock  10. Cara H  

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for July 24, 2024

July 24, 2024 By 2 Comments

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

A sport I want to try

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1. Siran T  5. Greta Ham  
2. George L Thomas  6. M | RAIN CITY READS  
3. Tanith Davenport  7. Dixie Jackson  
4. Lydia Schoch  8. Cassie @ The Bibliollama  

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Top Ten Tuesday: Debut Novels I Enjoyed

July 23, 2024 By 41 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This was kind of a tough one for me because I tend to read more series than anything.  And, because I’m a creature of habit, I tend to continue those series rather than seek something new out.  However, I have read some pretty good debut novels recently, several of them leading me to new series.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala.  I love cozy mysteries but food themed ones are my favorite.  Lots of strong, family connections in this story.

A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison.  Another cozy, but this time paranormal.  Bonus: mermaids and magic!

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp.  Okay, so maybe I read more cozy mysteries than I thought, because here we have another.  More magic, but with pies this time!

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree.  I didn’t even know that cozy fantasy was a genre until I picked up this book.  And now? I need to read them all.  This, and it’s sequel, Bookshops & Bonedust, is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

The Fields by Erin Young.  A mystery/police procedural that was both graphic and intense.  There is a bit of brutality in this one, however, so if you’re sensitive, you might want to pass.  But I am anxious for the next in the series.

Off the Air by Christina Estes.  A local reporter looking into the murder of a radio personality uncovers something much larger than a murder.  I really enjoyed this one, despite the main character really losing her way at one point in the book.

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate.  A twisty psychological thriller told in two timelines.  I love stories about small towns with a secret and this fit the bill for me.

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas.  In an effort to read more diverse authors, I found this.  And while I had never thought to intentionally seek out Mexican gothic horror, it’s now one of my favorite genres.  Her follow up novel, The Vampires of El Norte, is fantastic as well.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse.  Another type of theme I like is stories set in old mental institutions, hospitals, etc.  So, this was right up my alley.  Really intense and gripping.  This is a fantastic series with a new book due out next month.

Sign Here by Claudia Lux.  A different sort of horror novel, this deals with the bureaucracy in Hell and how it affects those of us still on the mortal plane.

What debut novels have you read and loved?

 

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for July 17, 2024

July 17, 2024 By 2 Comments

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Something you might not guess about me

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1. George L Thomas  4. M | RAIN CITY READS  
2. Lydia Schoch  5. Dixie Jackson  
3. Kristin @ Lukten av trykksverte  

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Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Things I Loved About Waiting for Spring

July 16, 2024 By 26 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I wrote a glowing five-star review for Sonya Rhen‘s Waiting For Spring from the Jelly Beans and Spring Things Series a while  ago.  Shayla is the protagonist, and the setting is an annual spring parade where she happens catches the attention of a handsome stranger this time around.

Here are ten things I loved about that short story:

1. Shayla’s kindness extended to everyone, including herself.

2. The romance was an unexpected but welcomed surprise in her life.

3. There can never be enough stories about parades in my opinion.

4. A plot twist that I will not go into detail about here was a delightful surprise.

5. Plenty of room was left for a sequel if one is ever written.

6. The belly dancing. I know almost nothing about that style of dance, so it was fun to learn more.

7. Procrastination as a plot device. Let’s just say that Shayla struggles with this flaw and it does play into how the parade works out for her.

8. Resourcefulness as a plot device. She is also a resourceful person, though, and I enjoyed seeing how she solved a problem of her own doing while under a time crunch!

9. The important of great body language. Parades aren’t exactly the best place for a conversation, but smiles and winks can go a long way in communicating one’s intentions.

10. The crowd’s energy. Half of the fun of parades is seeing how people react to them!

If you like contemporary romance – or even if you’re like me and only occasionally dip into that genre –  I highly recommend checking out this tale. It was delightful.

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