It's only fitting that we begin October with a spooky introduction to the month. I have a life long love for all things paranormal and spooky. So, I jumped at the chance to review Tui Snider's Paranormal Texas travel guide. I was not disappointed! Well, except for the fact that I am from west Texas and therefore far (yes, very far) from Forth Worth and Dallas!

I thought this book was absolutely fantastic on different levels. First was the actual "guiding" of this book. This is a work that you're going to want to keep in your glove compartment if you find yourself traveling to the Dallas-Forth Worth area. The areas are laid out in a clean, organized, and interesting manner. It is easy to read and direct while still maintaining it's easy flow for reading. Secondly, I truly enjoyed Snider's humor laced throughout her words as she talks to us about these spooky places. I say "talking" because it truly feels as if a friend is talking to you, the reader, about the paranormal parts of Texas. Her work is so detailed and page-turning; it is definitely a work that can be enjoyed by readers wanting to enjoy a quick research dip into spooky places, or by the avid paranormal investigator looking to plan their next trip. 

As I mentioned before, the only thing that I was truly disappointed about was that Snider has not written anything (yet?) about west Texas! And let's face it, if that is my only disappointment, that's pretty good!

Tui Snider is an award-winning writer, speaker, photographer, and musician specializing in offbeat sites, overlooked history, cemetery symbolism, and haunted lore. As she puts it, “I used to write fiction, but then I moved to Texas!” 
 
Tui lectures frequently at universities, libraries, conferences, and bookstores. This fall, she will speak about the Great Airship Mystery of 1897 at this year’s UFO Congress and teach a course on Understanding Cemetery Symbols at Texas Christian University. She also shares weekly info-videos based on her research at her YouTube channel. 
 
Snider’s writing and photography have been featured in a variety of media outlets, including WFAA TV, Coast to Coast AM, LifeHack, Langdon Review, the City of Plano, Wild Woman Waking, Shades of Angels and many more. She has several more books in progress. ​

CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR: 
10/1/19 
Reading by Moonlight 

10/2/19 
Bibliotica 

10/2/19 
Book Fidelity 

10/3/19 
StoreyBook Reviews 

10/4/19 
Nerd Narration 

10/4/19 
Hall Ways Blog 

10/5/19 
Carpe Diem Chronicles 

10/6/19 
Forgotten Winds 

10/6/19 
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10/7/19 
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10/8/19 
The Book Review 

10/8/19 
Chapter Break Book Blog 

10/9/19 
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10/10/19 
All the Ups and Downs 

Review

Talk about an emotional read! Natalie Lund surely knows how to write in a impactful way. The story surrounds the town of Mercer - a town that is no stranger to tragedy. A tornado touched down at the local drive in theater and then the same thing happened years later. Both times have truly rocked the town. The story contains three main perspectives - three teenagers who find t themselves linked through the horrible experiences of their town. Each of these characters is experiencing their own personal struggles (these two facts, their town and their struggles are what ultimately seems to be the only things they have in common...). These characters find themselves learning from individuals long gone - each seemingly chosen specifically for each teen.

There is so much emotion lying behind each character's background and experiences. It was impossible not to tear up reading each of their struggles and then how each is helped by people who are no longer (technically) on this earth). It makes the reader question a lot of what can happen and will happen to us - both on earth and after we pass. If you are interested in a thought-provoking read, this will definitely satisfy those wants. 

​PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon ◆ Barnes & Noble  ◆  Books-A-Million
◆ Indiebound ◆ Christianbook.com  ◆  Google Play
  ◆  Apple iBooks  ◆   Kobo  ◆ Murder by the Book
◆  Tyndale  ◆

This is the first book that I read by DiAnn Mills and it did not disappoint my mystery/suspense needs! I was wary at first that this book was part of a series (I find most mysteries are), but was happy to see that it wasn't (yet?). Right off the bat, I was sucked into the story of Leah and Jon working together on a hostage situation only to be then flipped into a larger murder plot involving the Veneno gang. I found Mills' writing to be clear, flowed smoothly, and fast-paced while still being detailed and thought-provoking. I knew she had me when I read that detail about Leah's phobia (My background is in Clinical Psychology - it's like catnip for me). 

Mills' does a fantastic job with her characters. I love to read stories that involve strong women and I had exactly that with characters such as Leah and Mrs. Mendez. These are strong characters that still maintain their empathy and emotion. The concept that one can be both fierce and feeling is always wonderful to read. At the same time, however, I thought it most intriguing to "hear" Leah's innermost thoughts - especially when they involved her dictating her reactions. She allows only as much emotion as she wants to in her speech - a controlled habit that found me wondering about her background. Mills' writing for her characters is definitely something to be admired. 

Readers of suspense, thrillers, and mysteries should definitely pick up this book. Mills has taken much care into her story, weaving it together in such a way that the reader has no choice but to keep turning the pages. I look forward to reading more from her in the future!

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CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
9/3/19
Author Video
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9/3/19
BONUS Post
Hall Ways Blog

9/4/19
Review
Momma on the Rocks

9/5/19
Review
StoreyBook Reviews

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9/6/19
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The Clueless Gent

9/7/19
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Scrapbook
Chapter Break Book Blog

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Review
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9/9/19
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All the Ups and Downs

9/10/19
Review
Reading by Moonlight

9/10/19
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9/12/19
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9/12/19
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​

Adventurous Ali: Temple of the Monkey God
By Tyler H. Jolley

Synopsis
 
After Alison Liv Isner is sucked into an old globe that sat on her father’s desk, she wakes beside a campfire in a lush jungle, surrounded by five talking animals. She quickly realizes these are the same friends her mom wrote about in her expedition journal. Now, at only eleven-years-old, she has the opportunity to complete her deceased mother’s unfinished expedition in the Temple of the Monkey God.  
 
With her new found friends, a monkey, a fat rat, a bat, a burro with a piranha in a mason jar tied around his neck, Ali decides to face the treacherous booby traps inside of the temple and save the monkey idol from an evil group called The Geese. 
 
As she learns more about her deceased mom through her adventure journal, Ali and her friends realize the book is the key to lead them through the tunnels of the dreaded Temple of the Monkey God. If not, their lives are at stake and Ali will be trapped in the expedition realm forever. 

Review

​Reading middle grade books (and younger) is still quite an adventure for me (ha! Pun unintended but so appreciated), and so I look forward to reading and reviewing any that are offered to me. First of all, the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous and if that is not enough for someone to pick it up (come on, I know I'm not the only one who loves book cover eye candy). But mostly, this was a really wonderful story about a girl and a quest. It was a short read (super short), but the author used all that he could to make this book totally attention grabbing and fun. I loved that the story focused on Ali and her quest - more female adventures for the win! It was sweet and touching and I know that I will definitely look forward to reading more about Ali and her adventures! Perfect for readers of all ages!

​About the Author
 
Tyler H. Jolley is five-foot sixteen inches. By day he is an orthodontist, and by night he is a sci-fi/fantasy author. He carries a curse with him each day, too many fun book ideas and too little time to write them. There isn't a place or time that ideas don't slam into the creative squishy part of his brain. Fun facts: he hasn't puked since 1996, he loves pencils and mountain biking. Writing and riding are a big part of his life.

His debut novel, EXTRACTED came out in 2013 with Spencer Hill Press, and has been a Spencer Hill Press Best Seller, as well as an Amazon Best Seller. PRODIGAL and RIVEN, the second and third books in The Lost Imperials series were released in May of 2015.
 
Social Media Links:
https://www.facebook.com/tyler.jolley.319
https://twitter.com/DocJolley
https://www.instagram.com/tylerhjolley/
 
Amazon Buy Link:
 
https://amzn.to/2MsTjr9
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Excerpt:
 
“Here we go.” Ali stepped into the dark opening. Cool, damp air tickled her nose. It reminded her of the inside of a trunk her dad had accidently left in the rain. The next week when they’d opened it, the moldy smell was pungent. 
Just a few feet in, light from the entrance cast itself at an angle on the opposite wall.
Everyone had sidled up next to Ali.
“What are you thinking, human?” Figgy asked.
Ali shrugged.
Chicaletta rummaged through the pack on Figgy’s rump and produced a metal-handled flashlight. Ali tripped just as Chicaletta flicked on the light.
Ali looked down at what she’d fallen over. A skeleton with rotted clothes. She screamed.
Suddenly, a huge, square stone as wide as her father was tall and at least two times her height crashed from the ceiling and blocked the entrance.
Trapped.
Glenda’s high-pitched scream nearly deafened Alison Liv Isner.
Chicaletta whipped around and pointed the flashlight at the stone blocking the door. Ali tried to speak but couldn’t find her voice. Adrenaline surged through her veins. The stone wasn’t just blocking the door, but it was also a weapon. Spikes of varying lengths jutted out at them from the rock.
Ali shook her hands, trying to calm her nerves. “What now?”
“We’re trapped,” Tristan said. “We’re going to die.”
“Never mind him,” Bait said.
“Ignore me all you want,” Tristan said. “But one day I’ll be right. Probably.”
“Chicaletta?” Ali walked toward Figgy’s pack. “Do you have another flashlight in there?”
“Yes,” Chicaletta said. “But we should save the batteries.”
“Just light one of those bones on fire,” Tristan yawned.
“What?” Ali nearly yelled.
“It’ll be fine, watch,” Tristan said. He scurried over to the bones. “Hey, skeleton, do you mind if we use your femur?” He held his pink hand up to his ear. “Skeleton, if you don’t want us to use your leg and clothes, speak now.” The skeleton didn’t move. Tristan turned back to the group. “See? He doesn’t care.”
Ali looked to the others for guidance.
“I’ll fish out the flint,” Tristan said. “No offense, Bait.”
Ali walked toward the skeleton with trepidation. But, Tristan was right, after all. Any adventurer would wish to be useful, even in death.
“I guess,” Glenda swallowed hard, “it should be okay.”
Chicaletta blinked and nodded at Ali. “Hurry.”
Ali knelt next to the skeleton and wrapped her hands around its leg; she closed her eyes and cringed. The femur was the largest bone and came free easily from the hip joint. She wrapped the tattered clothes around the end just as Tristan scurried back with a flint and steel. Ali struck the U-shaped steel against the flint, and sparks fell toward the old cloth. It smoldered, and she blew on the embers. Flames encompassed the cloth. It cackled to life, illuminating a modest space in front of her.
Between Ali’s torch and Chicaletta’s flashlight, the tunnel was still fairly dark. The temple felt more like a cave. Musty air permeated the ten foot high stone tunnel.
A hideous scraping sound of stone on stone grabbed their attention. The large block with spikes slid toward them. Slowly, at first. Then with momentum.
“Run!” Ali waved her torch toward a tunnel. “This way.”
The block slid forward with spikes inching closer to Ali and her friends. But then it momentarily stopped, caught on the dry skeleton. Bones crunched and twisted. The skull had become wedged. The spiked stone lurched, and the skull exploded, filling the room with white dust behind them.
Alison Liv Eisner ran down the tunnel, her friends in tow.
There was no stopping the boulder. Filled with terror, Ali pushed forward. The torch’s weak light made it difficult to see far in front of them. The barbed block was a bulldozer, pushing aside dirt and leaves, combined with the dead adventurer’s clothes and bones. A loud banging and clanking noise drew Ali’s attention to what was ahead of them.
“What on earth is that ruckus?” Bait asked.
“I don’t know,” Glenda said. “But it sounds dangerous.”
            “Glenda,” Ali said. “Fly ahead and use your echolocation to figure out what it is.”
            “Ali, that is a spectacular idea. I can totally do that.” Glenda fluttered away.
“Be careful,” Ali yelled after her.
            The group carefully trudged forward, but the spiked stone didn’t stop. Chicaletta’s flashlight cast a dull-yellow cone just a few feet ahead. The hallway narrowed the deeper they walked.
 
 

​Synopsis

When three very different girls find a mysterious invitation to a lavish mansion, the promise of adventure and mischief is too intriguing to pass up.

Ofelia Castillo (a budding journalist), Aster Douglas (a bookish foodie), and Cat Garcia (a rule-abiding birdwatcher) meet the kid behind the invite, Lane DiSanti, and it isn't love at first sight. But they soon bond over a shared mission to get the Floras, their local Scouts, to ditch an outdated tradition. In their quest for justice, independence, and an unforgettable summer, the girls form their own troop and find something they didn't know they needed: sisterhood.

Review

This book was so much fun! I am still fairly new to books for young readers (even when I was a young reader, I'd read inappropriate stories for my age haha), but I love how Strange Birds was focused on a group of girls and their adventure! They each bring their own unique personalities and together they try and solve their mystery. The story invites young readers to embrace their differences and appreciate what they can each contribute to "the group" - this is a fantastic message to give (especially to girls!). The book itself was well written and the story flowed smoothly. It was an absolute blast reading it!