Or you can purchase the paperback here.

Evison’s previous novel, West of Here, was on practically every bestseller list and was an Indie Next Top Pick. West of Here is available in paperback or eBook.

Once you’ve purchased the device, you (or the gift recipient) must then activate the device and sign in – or create – a Kobo account by June 7, 2013. Once you’ve signed in to your Kobo account, What My Mother Gave Me will be waiting for you in your Kobo library.

If you have questions about Kobo, stop by the store or give us a call at 615.326.0401.

(He laughed so much, he bought it and the sequel, All My Friends Are Still Dead.)

Thanks, Chris!

Many thanks to the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance and their many publisher partners for making our catalog a reality!

Like a lot of children, Jack likes to have a select few picture books read to him repeatedly. This week, he felt like branching out and we read I Want to Go to the Moon by Tom Saunders. The cover art immediately caught my eye and the inside doesn’t disappoint. Neil Armstrong is skillfully depicted at various ages in Cynthia Nugent’s charming illustrations.

It’s the story of a young boy growing up and never giving up on a dream, even though everyone around him says he’ll never make it to the moon. Even if the moon has never been a part of your or your child’s aspirations, the determination of Neil Armstrong is inspiring.

My son liked it so much we read it twice that night and he requested to take it with him to his grandmother’s house today. What better recommendation can I give than that?

The text of the book was originally a song, so a CD comes packaged within the back cover.

What’s unfortunate about this novel is that its reference to the nativity will probably turn off just as many potential readers as it will attract. Alone, the story of the three thieves, particularly the main figure, Balthazar, is compelling and highly enjoyable. It is an adventure filled with magic, mystery, and action. The tragedies and triumphs are well-constructed–Grahame-Smith is an accomplished screen writer and storyteller–and you will find yourself frightened, horrified, elated and saddened by what happens. However, if you don’t like the idea of an irreverant take on the story of Jesus’s birth, you will find yourself questioning the inclusion of certain biblical figures and being pulled out of the action despite it’s skillful trappings.

Unholy Night is a highly enjoyable book, but it just might not be for everyone.

Reviewed and Recommended by John

The fifth book, Shell Game, was released last month. Here’s what our friend Zachary had to say about this new volume in the Kingdom Keepers series:

Finn and the crew have found a new adventure on the Disney Dream. New villains (some you never thought you would read about), new allies (one character even goes from bad to good), new mysteries, and greater suspense. I found this sequel to be the most exciting and thrilling book so far. Ridley Pearson has continued the saga and left me waiting for book six.
-Zachary, age 11

The life story of Ridley “Bit” Stone is told in four parts, one for early childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and middle age. This is also the story of his parents, Hannah and Abe, and of the commune of Arcadia, in which Bit was raised.

Bit is a kind soul. He had the best Arcadia had to offer and, though he is often accused of being wishy-washy, he remains steadfastly pigheaded in his loyalty to the ideals of his youth. Seeing the world through Bit’s lens, people are gentler and nature is more accessible.

Reading this book, I felt the tug on my English-major soul to write a paper, to explicate metaphors, to read all the many literary works mentioned that have somehow escaped me so far. This is a book for people who love books. I was already a fan of Groff, after reading The Monsters of Templeton, but she has gotten even better.

————

Forgive me for being personal, but I feel compelled to mention that, as the owner of an independent bookstore, the idea of Arcadia is familiar. My people aren’t the hippies of Arcadia, but they are still idealists. We have our own smells of ink, coffee, crisp paper, and musty paperbacks. I routinely have to answer the question, “Do you think bookstores/print books/books are dying?” My answer is always no. People have been bemoaning the death of the bookstore my entire life and the death of the printed book since I was in high school. Yet, here is Lauren Groff’s brilliant new book for sale in my store–in the downtown of a small town, at that!

Bit and his friends from Arcadia gravitate to each other long after their community is torn asunder. I won’t explain why because I want you to buy this book, read it, and love it. I would just like to say that I know what that feels like.  The first store I ever worked in was a marvel of dust, words, and art. One of the most vivid memories of my time there was the day that our beloved leader told us, in hushed tones, that the store was closing. I found myself sitting in the floor of the literature section, surrounded by so many good friends in so many crumbling paperbacks, crying as though a loved one had died. Months after the store closed, we employees met up for dinner, not so unlike Bit and the Old Arcadians.

————

The genius of Arcadia is how timeless it feels. The particulars of time and place, the details that seem so specific, anchor the story and give it a sense of reality, which actually sets it free. Bit could be any child of any school of thought and the greater message would remain unchanged.

Readers of Ellison’s Taylor Jackson series will already know Sam as Nashville’s intelligent medical examiner and Taylor’s loving best friend. However, those readers will find Sam much changed in A Deeper Darkness, which is the first book in a new series in which Sam takes center stage. We at Reading Rock highly recommend the Taylor Jackson series (reviews of recent books in that series can be found here and here), but you don’t have to have read them to read Sam’s series.

The meat of this story starts two years after Sam suffered a nearly unbearable loss: her husband Simon and their children all drowned in the May 2010 flood that ravaged Nashville and much of Tennessee. Already a workaholic, Sam is bereft without the healthy tug of her familial anchor. Then the mother of her ex-boyfriend, a handsome soldier she dated during med school named Eddie Donovan, asks Sam to come to D.C. to do a secondary autopsy on that ex because she suspects this seemingly simple case is actually anything but. With much trepidation, Sam agrees.

Outside the safety of her job, a job at which she is in charge and has very little need to socialize with others, D.C. is a challenge for Sam. She is suddenly forced to deal with the horrible grief that surrounds her, as well as the unhealthy manner in which she has coped with it. Sam is staying in the house of her former lover’s mother and must interact with his newly-widowed wife, who is none too happy to have her around. Add to that the detectives she has to work with, and the number of people she is suddenly forced to be around is a shock to her system.

Eddie Donovan’s murder is indeed only the beginning of an intricate case, but I won’t spoil any of the details for you. I will only say that, as in all of Ellison’s novels, there came a point while reading that I realized I was holding my breath and that I wouldn’t be doing anything else until I read through to the end. Ellison’s snappy dialogue and masterful suspense building make this book hard to put down, but that’s not why I liked this book. I came to care about Sam and enjoyed reading about a heroine who was working so much out her element and totally out of her comfort zone. This book marks the start of a great new series that I can’t wait to share!

Meet the Author
Reading Rock Books will be hosting the book launch party for A Deeper Darkness. Please join us at 6pm on April 17th, the book’s official release date, for hors d’oeuvres, followed by a Q&A and book signing with J.T. Ellison.
Feel free to RSVP on the Facebook event page.

Then Violet’s 17th birthday changes everything. Not only does she receive a 17-year-old, cryptic letter from her mother and awake to find that she had what looked like tattoos on her arms, but also her athletic trainer (and love interest) Lincoln informs her that she is a Grigori. Lincoln reveals that he is also a Grigori, or half human and half angel, and that they are destined to be eternal partners in the battle against exiled angels to protect humanity.

Violet must decide if she wants to fully become a Grigori, but she is angry with Lincoln for keeping this a secret. While she is trying to come to terms with her decision, she meets Phoenix. Phoenix is an exiled angel who is intriguing and just as kind and attractive as Lincoln. Plus, he understands Violet’s predicament, and is there for her in a way Lincoln is not. Still, as an exiled angel, Phoenix is ultimately her enemy. What path will she choose to embrace?

Embrace is the first in the new young adult Embrace series that was previously published, to great success, in Australia. I truly enjoyed this book. The love and friendship Violet feels for Lincoln and the exciting relationship that develops between Violet and Phoenix, coupled with the battle for saving the free will of humanity make for one fantastic book. I cannot wait for the next one! Fans of Nancy Werlin and Lauren Kate will love this new series.

Book Trailer

An interview with Embrace author Jessica Shirvington