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RACHEL D.
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What Stands In A Storm

SYNOPSIS:

Immersive reporting and dramatic storytelling set you right in the middle of the horrific superstorm of April 2011, a weather event that killed 348 people.

April 27, 2011, marked the climax of a superstorm that saw a record 358 tornadoes rip through twenty-one states in three days, seven hours, and eighteen minutes. It was the deadliest day of the biggest tornado outbreak in recorded history, which saw 348 people killed, entire neighborhoods erased, and $11 billion in damage. The biggest of the tornadoes left scars across the land so wide they could be seen from space. But from the terrible destruction emerged everyday heroes, neighbors and strangers who rescued each other from hell on earth.

With powerful emotion and gripping detail, Cross weaves together the heart-wrenching stories of several characters—including three college students, a celebrity weatherman, and a team of hard-hit rescuers—to create a nail-biting chronicle in the Tornado Alley of America. No, it’s not Oklahoma or Kansas; it’s Alabama, where there are more tornado fatalities than anywhere in the US, where the trees and hills obscure the storms until they’re bearing down upon you. For some, it’s a story of survival, and for others it’s the story of their last hours.

Cross’s immersive reporting and dramatic storytelling sets you right in the middle of the very worst hit areas of Alabama, where thousands of ordinary people witnessed the sky falling around them. Yet from the disaster comes a redemptive message that’s just as real: In times of trouble, the things that tear our world apart also reveal what holds us together

REVIEW:

This powerful book grabs you into its pages and like the tornados, it spirals your emotions on a wild ride. It is a true story of the grisly damage done by the 62 tornados that took place in Alabama on April 27, 2011. Nevertheless, the author does not just focus on the horror of the situation, providing also the courage, strength, community's uniting, and the strength to move on after this catastrophe. I found not one bad thing about the writing of this book. It is written in three different sections: the storm, aftermath, and recovery making the story come together exceedingly well. 

I learned an immense amount of information about weather and meteorology such as all the history behind it including the accidental discovery of radar, how the tornado sirens came to be, the first airplanes P-61C's to fly into tornados taking the first measurements of them, in conclusion, the remarkable groundwork accomplished to get science where it is today.

The book will have you shedding tears as you go along on the journeys of people losing loved ones. The turmoil of losing everything a person had plus the place where they once felt safe had called home. Henceforth, you will be smiling with joy when you read about people helping others they do not know. Also, when a ghastly event proves that compassion still lives inside us all even towards a rival. This book just blew me away (no pun intended). Thank you, Kim Cross for taking me on this adventure.

"Thanks Netgalley for letting me give an honest opinion of this book"

LINKS:

Kim's Website

Twitter

Kim's Goodread Page

Book's Goodread Page

What Stands In A Storm is available wherever books are sold.

Pick up a copy today!

                                                            

Kim Cross is a contributing editor for Southern Living and a feature writer who has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Society of American Travel Writers, and the Media Industry Newsletter. Her writing has appeared in Outside, Parade, Popular Mechanics, Cooking Light, Bicycling, Runner’s World, The Tampa Bay Times, The Birmingham News, The Anniston Star, USA TODAY, The New Orleans Times-Picayune, and on SBNation.com, ESPN.com, and CNN.com. She lives in Alabama.

International Authors' Day 2015 Blog Hop + BOOK GIVEAWAY

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What books and authors mean to me

I started this blog due to my love of books wanting to give back to the authors to some degree for what they have given to me. I do not have a favorite author nor do I have a favorite book. I know this sounds strange to many people. I started reading before most children did. As an extremely shy child books were my friends, they were always there for me and helped me escape my fears. Books are a part of what I embody, it does not matter if I loved them or hated them, they have made me the person I am today. Now, as an adult I am disabled being stuck in a broken body is not an easy feat yet, with the help of books I am able to leave the pain behind at times going to places and doing things that have been wondrous. I inhere the essence that authors dream up helping make my world a phenomenal place. I thank all the authors which have made my life so grand taking me on stunning adventures allowing me to see the world through others eyes.

I am not a writer only a reader I believe what this says about books is better than I ever could:

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Lord Alfred Fitzwilliam spends each day in much the same way: caring for his terminally ill wife and trying to lose himself in the dusty tomes that fill his library. Everything changes when he receives a visit from a man representing a clandestine organization operating with the backing of Queen Victoria herself. The group seeks his aid in finding an Arthurian artifact that, legend holds, can cure its bearer of any wound or disease.

Skeptical but desperate to help his wife, Alfred is convinced that the fabled item might actually exist after witnessing a seemingly impossible display of power by the organization's leader, James Nigel. He decides to pursue the treasure, accompanied by an eccentric scholar, a deadly druid, and his best friend, a sardonic bookseller who is far more than he seems. As he follows an arcane trail of clues from the gas-lit streets of London to the wilds of Scotland and deep into ancient catacombs in Italy, Alfred becomes enmeshed in a web of hidden agendas, secret societies, and ancient enchantments. Along the way, he learns a dark secret about Nigel’s past—and the true power of the artifact he seeks.
Steeped in a compelling mythology and filled with unexpected twists, The Camelot Shadow will leave readers stunned, breathless, and wrestling with an impossible question: what do you do with an object that has the power to both save the world and destroy it?

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A Conduit for Man

SYNOPSIS:

Seventeen-year-old Henry Malone's mind is no longer his own—along with the sum total of humanity’s knowledge, another consciousness has been stuffed into his brain. It plagues him with visions, speaks and acts through him, and worst of all, it’s killing him. He's quickly running out of time, and if he dies, all of humanity’s knowledge goes with him. His only hope for survival is finding Planetary Link's top Neurotechnician, Doctor Carter. But in order to get to her, he must cross into a world where his actions have plunged society into chaos—then compel the Doctor to betray her employer before his own mind destroys him. 

REVIEW:

Just so you know that this review does have some major spoilers in it. The authors writing is pleasing and gratifying and the book started out just as amazing as the first book in the series but then things went awry. It is segments of the plot that lead to confusion, leaving me as a reader wondering what was taking place. Riya had the most growth as a character and had to dig deep inside herself to find the strength that she needed to get through the horror she suffered. For that reason, in my eyes she has the most relevance in this story. Henceforth, the confusing, strange and bizarre begins.

A.L. Twelve Fourteen was the place all knowledge known to man was to be stored and from the first book we know that Henry uploaded it all into his brain. Yet, what is it that Henry actually uploaded? A cult from the past that had uploaded their own minds somehow on to a type of computer device is what I took away from it. Oh poor Henry, he was the best character in the story. I never understood what he is a conduit of? Maybe in book three, we will find out. Also, if Josh was giving individuals visions through their NEX, how was he able to get a vision to Chief Ourai if he had no NEX? Kurei appears in the plot as a forceful character turning the story in a strange direction. It is not good versus bad anymore. The story is now bad against bad.  

I will still keep reading the series. Sometimes what one reader likes another does not. I still think M. Stephen Stewart is an amazing writer. I can not wait to review book #3.

"Thank you, M. Stephen Stewart, for allowing me to give an honest review"

PURCHASE HERE: AMAZON

      

AUTHOR BIO:

M. Stephen Stewart is a graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. He makes his home in Indianapolis with his wife and two dogs. In his spare time, Matt is an avid sports fan, gamer, and reader, who loves to connect with new people. You can usually find him around town with his wife, exercising, or in front of his computer working on a new project.

Author links:

   http://www.mstephenstewart.com/

                             https://www.facebook.com/mstephenstewart                             

    https://twitter.com/mstephenstewart

                                                            

   

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Book details:

We Are Watching by M. Stephen Stewart
(Mindshare #1)
Publication date: December 16th, 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Henry Malone’s childhood was shattered by the unexplained suicide of his father. Now a teenager, his days are spent studying to become a Neural Implant Technician for Planetary Link Corporation, helping them maintain an iron grip over his walled country and every iota of knowledge contained within—but he leads a double life. Henry’s nights are spent helping his mother wage a cyber war against them in her quest to find the truth behind his father’s death.

He’s managed to keep his two lives separate, a delicate balance that’s endangered after he repairs the neural implant of a stranger. He finds she’s in possession of illegal memories from the outside world, unauthorized knowledge of his father, and a message: speak to me later and tell no one. Henry has a choice to make—ignore the message and maintain his double-  life, or answer and risk everything to uncover secrets Planetary Link would kill to keep buried.

MY REVIEW:

This is the utmost phenomenal sci-fi book that I have had the pleasure of reading.The truth is I have never been an enormous fan of Sci-fi books. Yet this book is so different from the rest of the Sci-fi genre. This is an unconventional and distinct read. An author like M. Stephen Stewart can write in such a profound way that while reading his book the details and settings are so dynamic you feel as if you are living in this futuristic world. A world that one day far into the future could be our genuine reality. The characters have an enormous depth to them; as well their feelings are vivid and real touching the reader in such a way that you cry, laugh, get furious, or sullen along with them.

The plot is unique and strong. It is packed with all types of situations that you will not detect coming as well as fully loaded with creative context. Here is something to chew on but I can give nothing else away. Henry Malone, one of the main characters, is training to be a Neural implant technician for the Planetary Link Corporation. Plink controls all knowledge through a person's NEX (an implant in the brain). Henry lives in a walled in country and as the rest of society is only allowed access to the limited knowledge Plink allows. Henry is needed for a dire quest which will change his life forever. However can Henry gather the courage to proceed with this challenge given unto him. Basically, it is what's in the blurb, sorry. The book never slows down it keeps you on the edge obsessed with what venture shall be next. Furthermore this read is greater than a futuristic world that has profound problems that need to be solved,  it shows what true bravery is, it explains what it means to fight for the good of humanity and to put your full faith in another human trusting them with your life.

We Are Watching (Mindshare #1) is the first book in a series. However, the ending is abrupt leaving you  wanting more which you can have right away with the second book in the series A Conduit for man (Mindshare #2). Which I have already lost myself in...

LINKS:

• Authors Website
• Goodreads
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Tour Schedule
  

PURCHASE BOOK:

Amazon

AUTHOR BIO:

M. Stephen Stewart is a graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. He makes his home in Indianapolis with his wife and two dogs. In his spare time, Matt is an avid sports fan, gamer, and reader, who loves to connect with new people. You can usually find him around town with his wife, exercising, or in front of his computer working on a new project.

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