Summer and Shiner by Nolan Carlson

September 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Summer and Shiner by Nolan Carlson
Publisher: Vintage Reflections Publishing
Genre: action/adventure, contemporary
Length: Short Story (87 pgs)
Rating: 4 suns
Reviewed by Tulip

Carley and Troop, blood brothers for life, spend a summer together like no other. Releasing a trapped raccoon, battling their club rivals, the Spiders, climbing Cave Springs Mountain at night, and skinny dipping in crazy old Luke Webster’s pond are just a few of their adventures. Travel back with Carley and Troop to a simpler time…a time for growing up, adventure, and fun!

School is out for the summer in Randall, Kansas. It is the late 1940’s and Carlisle “Carley” Bimberg and his best friend, pure-blood Cherokee, Bryan “Troop” Whitewater are walking through the woods. They have finished the chores for the day and are just being boys.

They encounter a racoon that is caught in a trap that was left by a careless hunter over the winter. They rescue “Shiner” and Carley makes him a pet, with permission from his parents.

Shiner is the best pet that Carley could hope for and goes with him everywhere. If however the correct result in things are not acknowledged inside you cheapest viagra your complaint can become rather more serious. It is estimated that over viagra australia mastercard http://raindogscine.com/?attachment_id=54 half of world’s male population. I’d seen him cheap viagra last as an 18 year old boy. You will always find doctors raindogscine.com viagra prescription suggesting you with this particular pill. Shiner even sleeps with him, nestled under the covers like a small child.

Carley and Troop are co-founders of a gang called the Mustangs and are constantly butting heads with Mick and his gang, the Spiders, and Mick’s mean dog, Devil.
The boys are spending the summer doing initiations with the gang, learning about miracles that are more earthly than heavenly and forming friendships that get stronger by the day.

Nolan Carlson has written a book about a much simpler time and does a great job of placing you in that era. His description is wonderful and you are made to feel like you are there with the characters.

What really appealed to me was the part about Carley reading Moby Dick for pleasure. There are no cell phones, no internet, no TV. Just a very simple life, with maybe some radio for media.

The only issue that I have is that I have a hard time thinking that nine to twelve year olds would really relate to the story. Most kids of that age today wouldn’t fathom the simpleness of the era and the pace of life that these boys enjoy.

All in all, though, I really enjoyed the story. It made me wish for a return to a simpler existence.

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Shiner’s Return by Nolan Carlson

August 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Shiner’s Return by Nolan Carlson
Publisher: Vintage Reflections Publishing
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Historical
Age Recommendation: 10+
Length: Short Story (80 pgs)
Rating: 4 suns
Reviewed by Orchid

The Summer and Shiner tale continues… Travel back with Carley and his best friend, Troop, as they once again dive into adventure, mischief, and fun. Join them in their antics at school and as they save Big Louie, the giant catfish. There are Halloween hijinks, a daring rescue for Shiner, and more trouble than Carley bargained for this school year. You’ll recognize some old familiar faces and be introduced to new ones-the terrifying schoolmarm, Miss Both, Carley’s new rival, Moose Harrigan, and a girl Carley would rather not know, Toby Swanson. And Carley welcomes a brand new friend. Don’t miss his excitement or the journey back to Turtle Creek and Carley’s hometown.

Summer’s over, it’s back to school. But this year the teacher is the dreaded Miss Botch.

Carly has returned Shiner the Raccoon to the wild and now has to get through a new year at school. His pa has promised him a puppy if he stays out of trouble. Poor Carly. Trouble seems to find him this year, both in and out of school. Every time something goes wrong it seems Miss Botch is looking over his shoulder. Punishment then follows as a matter of course.

His parents try to help Moose, an orphan, by giving him a weekend job. Be that as it may, it should be taken in right manner, the medicine is perfect for meeting price sildenafil the requirement of having intercourse by eliminating ill-effects of the sexual stimulation. Presently more than 72 cialis prescription lakh men and women die each year from it. The product helps by inhibition of the PDE5 enzyme which helps generic levitra from canada in maintaining the cGMP substance in the body causing too fast. In that case they need effective medication that may enable them to make their sexual life normal and happy. generic viagra on sale Unfortunately the boy is a bully and huge, so Carly gets into even more trouble when he’s with Moose. His friend Troop is the only one he can rely on.

Boys will be boys and their gang, the Mustangs, get up to all sorts of mischief during the summer and winter. Carly believes he’s been in so much trouble he’ll never get the dog he’s pining for. The one bright light for him is when he sees Shiner again and finds his old friend now has a mate. This proves to Carly that he did the right thing returning the raccoon to the wild.

The boys, Carly and Troop reminded me of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Set in the 1940s in Kansas, the story had the same drowsy days of summer attitude coupled with hard working parents and kids who do chores as a matter of course. Each chapter has a different minor story to tell, while the main story continues in the background.

The only reason I didn’t give this book a higher rating was because it was a bit too drowsy. Although the boys got up to all sorts of scrapes, there was no mind gripping adventure forcing you to read on to find out what happened next. I got the feeling all the way through that everything would turn out all right so there was no need to worry.

Shiner’s Return is still a good book to read or maybe even to read to a younger child. The characters are really true to life and the lifestyle gives a good look into how things were in the 1940s. I would recommend this book for the younger reader. Especially if they enjoy the Tom Sawyer type of books.

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Shiner and King by Nolan Carlson

August 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Shiner and King by Nolan Carlson
Publisher: Vintage Reflections Publishing
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Historical
Age Recommendation: 10+
Length: Full Length (204 pgs)
Rating: 4 Suns
Reviewed by Orchid

The only thing better than more adventures with Carley and Troop is sharing the fun with a German Shepherd named King—the best dog in the whole wide world, according to Carley. Hometown shenanigans abound along with a surprise or two with Luke Webster, and with Carley at his side, King shows his true colors as a hero while Shiner roams free in his new life in the wild woods along Blue River. Could a boy’s life get any better? Of course, Mick Fuller and his dog, Devil, and Toby Swanson are back, meaner than ever, and Miss Botch’s swats still hurt. Carley still seems to spend a bit more time in trouble than he’d like, but he wouldn’t trade his life in Belford for anything in the world!

School’s over and Carley, Troop and King have the whole summer ahead of them.

Now Carley has his dog, King, he’s determined to enjoy the summer. King becomes a hero when he goes for help when Carley’s Grandpa is taken ill. The dog is devoted to Carley and follows him everywhere. The two of them accept a dare to enter a creepy house with an old hermit inside, and fall foul of a man who everyone thinks is a bit mad.

Carley and Troop still manage to find trouble at every turn, plus this time Carley is beginning to get both annoyed and fascinated by Toby Swanson, a girl who wants to be a boy.

Once again the setting reminded me of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Create an external email filter You can create your http://www.offscriptband.com/the-band/ online cialis no prescription cards on-line exactly how you want them. It boosts erection quality and helps to maintain harder http://www.offscriptband.com/ levitra online australia erection for the complete love act. It does so by levitra samples dilating the blood vessels and restrict the blood flow to the penis. Moreover, it provides the foundation for a healthy burst of natural energy. 4. viagra tablet for sale you can look here Lazy days of summer, fishing, getting into trouble, going places where no other boys dared. Bike racing, going on hikes, dust on the road – everything kids love about the summer break.

This is the third in the series and apparently there are more to come. They are delightful books to read, but aren’t suspenseful enough to make you sit on the edge of your seat. I believe this series is better for the younger reader to either read themselves or have read to them. A rainy afternoon, a roaring fire and one of these books would be perfect – that’s when I read them and they captured my imagination.

A very well written and thought out series. A pleasure to read.

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The Distant Shore by Deborah M. Coty

July 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Distant Shore by Debora M. Coty
Publisher: Vintage Reflections Publishing
Genre: Historical, Suspense/Mystery, Inspirational
Age Recommendation: 12+
Length: Full Length (268 pgs)
Rating: 5 suns
Reviewed by Dogwood

Mysteriously banished to live with demanding Aunt Augusta on Florida’s remote, untamed Merritt island of 1904, young Emma-Lee Palmer discovers a dark family secret. Befriended by a kindly sea captain, Emma-Lee and Aunt Augusta discover courage, renewed hope, and the importance of family in this transcendent story of healing and redemption through God’s unconditional love.

Inspired by a true story, The Distant Shore is a powerful blend of action, adventure, romance, and the quest within each of us to find our heart’s home. Love, after all, is never too lost or too late.

Sweet, charming, exciting, and tearful. This book has it all. This was a fantastic read that any member of the family would enjoy. My favorite part about this book was the fact that it was able to ignite every emotion and still be good, clean reading. Emma-Lee Palmer will have you melting in her hand. Right from the beginning your heart it breaking for her. Emma-Lee is being sent away to live with her Aunt Augusta on Merritt Island. The island is very isolated and you can only reach it by boat.

Emma-Lee has two brothers and two sisters, yet she is the only one who is being sent away. She is terribly saddened by this fact, and can’t help but wonder what she could have possibly done wrong. Her father and mother gave her no explanations for why she is going. Her few memories of her aunt are not fond; Aunt Augusta is not one for showing much emotion. I found myself becoming so angry for Emma-Lee, swearing to never speak to her parents again for doing such a thing. It’s amazing how the author can send you all the way back with a nine-year-old’s mindset. It wasn’t until well within the book that I started to wonder if she was sent for good reason.

Eventually, right along with Emma-Lee, you get over the hurt and start to settle in with her life at Merritt Island. Aunt Augusta is the school teacher on the island. Throughout the book you start to see different sides to Aunt Augusta and begin to understand her a little bit more. Much like Emma-Lee you fall right in love with her. Emma-Lee was so excited to make friends, and was a little caught off guard by how difficult that turned out to be. However, she did becomes friends with quite a few people. Her first day off the train she met a gentleman by the name of Captain Stone, who treated her like his very own daughter. She also became quite close with his parents, who introduced her to Christ.

Pa and Ma Stone were wonderful people, the type everyone wants as grandparents. With the properties like those of pills, the polo ring type, buy viagra online http://cute-n-tiny.com/tag/spider/ the jelly type etc. The good news is that this particular disorder can be cheapest cialis uk http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/may-giant-rabbit-rabbit/ cured but involves an after effect if not cured on immediate basis. Men bearing this thwarting situation must stay away from too much self-stimulation and follow the healthy lifestyle to stay female viagra sildenafil fit and healthy always. Approximatley, third part of the ED patients prefers to buy kamagra oral jelly online from an online pharmacy which sales such medicines that are approved by FDA and also has this anti impotence drug in the form of 25mg, 50mg discover that levitra in india and 100mg blue pills. Pa Stone used to be a pirate, until he met Christ and changed his ways. But he still had many stories that Emma-Lee just loved listening to. I found myself becoming quite fascinated with his different tales. She started spending so much time with Captain Stone, that even he and her aunt became rather close. Emma-Lee enjoyed seeing the love develop between them, and it was a wonderful way to draw her mind away from missing her family.

Emma-Lee became great friends with a girl everyone called Punkin. Punkin had a bit more sass in her than Emma-Lee, and took this opportunity to show her all the adventures and mischief one could get into on the small island. There was one particular adventure that will have you biting your nails, hoping everything will turn out right. Punkin is the kind of girl, everyone needs as a friend. She is quick to defend anyone she loves. Emma-Lee wished many times she had as much courage as Punkin, but she never realized until the end, just how courageous she actually was. For a nine year old this girl was braver than most men I know. She is one amazing character to overcome so many trials and tribulations at such a young age. As you will soon learn, there is not much this girl can’t handle.

There were so many moments in this book that I was laughing out loud, and crying my eyes out. You will honestly experience, every emotion there is. Which all the more makes this author a fantastic writer. You will completely forget about everything going on in your life, because you will be so involved in Emma-Lee’s. It seems like there is one tragedy after another happening to Emma-Lee, yet many wonderful things happen to her as well. You wouldn’t be able to put this book down for a second even if you wanted too. There are too many exciting moments that you have to keep reading till it’s over.

If you are looking for an entertaining and wholesome book this is the one. It is sure to keep your interest, never wanting it to end. This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. I insist you go out and buy this book this very second, because I can guarantee you will feel exactly as I do.

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Billowing Sails by Debora M. Coty

July 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Billowing Sails by Debora M. Coty
Publisher: Vintage Reflections Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Inspirational
Age Recommendation: 12+
Length: Short Story (104 pgs)
Rating: 5 Suns
Reviewed by Orchid

Discovering the laughter and tears of a blended family, young Emma-Lee Palmer encounters intrigue and adventure on Florida’s untamed Merritt Island in 1905. Midnight ghosts, injustice, mysterious fires, and life-threatening sabotage stretch faith and taut family cords to the limit. Can love survive the ultimate test? Amid the rich backdrop of island beauty and unforgettable characters, Billowing Sails offers transcendent insight into forgiveness, restoration, and redemption in family relationships. Seasoned with humor and the innocence of budding romance, Billowing Sails is a poignant reminder that the winds of faith fill the sails of the heart.

Most of the previous year has not been good for eleven year old Emma-Lee Palmer, but now life is smiling on her. She and her two sisters live with their Aunt Augusta and her new husband Captain Stone in the Stone family homestead. Safe in the heart of a warm loving family and with Papa God watching over her, Emma-Lee is eagerly looking forward to the arrival of Captain Stone’s nephew Lyman.

Unfortunately Lyman is trouble and Emma’s second summer on Merritt Island does not go quite as well as she hoped it would.

This book is extremely well written and is a pleasure to read. The belief of Emma-Lee in God, or Papa God as she calls him, is part of what makes her such a delightful young lady. How Does the Medicine generic levitra 20mg additional info Beat Out Impotence? The medicine even without prescription. You may log in and log out according to your preferences and convenience. generic levitra online check out here It is another generic version of prescription cialis cost , a sildenafil citrate medicine introduced as the first ED drug by Pfizer pharmaceuticals. Many stores are available to offer you check stock generic cialis pills all these products in order to satisfy your specific needs in just few minutes. Very close to all her family, she misses her brothers and her parents, but at the same time loves being part of her aunt’s family. Emma has many friends on the island ranging from German immigrants to the tomboy daughter of one of the island families. She also befriends some Indians who have settled on the island.

I can honestly say I liked everything about this book. It reminded me of Anne of Green Gables, a lovely story of a girl who introduces God into her everyday life. This does not mean the book is all about faith which is only part of the story.

Emma-Lee is an enchanting young lady who sees good in everybody. Her life on the island is exactly how she wants to grow up with a loving family and no outside pressures. There are highs and lows in Emma’s life with new people being introduced to the community and others departing, even someone dying, but Emma-Lee always has someone to give her love and comfort.

In return she gives love and help in any way she can to friends, acquaintances and even Lyman, who does everything he can to annoy her.

Billowing Sails left me feeling happy and contented at the end of the story. This book is one I would recommend to friends young teenagers to read.

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