Audiobook Review: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks

Posted on September 11, 2012 · 5 Comments

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend
by Matthew Dicks
Publication Date: August 24, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Source: ARC copy from BEA (print and audio)
*****

My Thoughts

Jamin. Jumbly. Cynthia. Sarah.

I was an imaginative kid. I had not one, but FOUR imaginary friends. We did everything together. But, alas, they faded away, as many imaginary friends do. I never really thought about them having their own lives. But, this book has made me think of imaginary friends in a whole new way! Budo, the lead character in Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend is unique as far as imaginary friends go. He’s been alive for five years! He’s helped Max, his human friend, navigate the world of home and school for a long time. Max is special. From Budo’s description, the reader is led to believe that Max has autism. So, Max has relied on Budo and Budo loves Max. They are best friends. Budo helps Max make decisions, keeps guard while he goes to the bathroom, and tells him if his mom kisses him one too many times before she goes to bed. Their relationship is special and, as a reader, I felt it. Even though Budo is a figment of Max’s imagination, Budo came alive on the pages.

But when Max’s teacher kidnaps Max and no one sees it but Budo, he must figure out a way to save Max before it is too late! But, in doing so, Budo realizes that by saving Max, it might mean the end of himself. As long as Max believes in him and needs him, he will continue to exist. So, Budo is torn between wanting to help Max get away and wanting to save himself, because Max will eventually stop believing in him.

This book is heartfelt, at times laugh-out-loud funny, and at times sad. I would have loved a bit more detail on Mrs. Patterson’s (Max’s teacher) motives for kidnapping Max. There were some hints and I can make my own conclusions, but I wanted more about the WHY she did it. The audiobook narration is top notch and this is one of those books that I would definitely recommend listening to. It is phenomenal. Here is a clip for your enjoyment:

http://media.us.macmillan.com/video/olmk/macmillanaudio/MemoirsOfAnImaginaryFriend.mp3

And thanks to Macmillan Audio, I have one AUDIO CD copy to give away to USA residents! Just fill out the form below with your name and e-mail address. That’s it! Giveaway will end one week from today on Tuesday September 18 at 11:59pm EST.


 

Tell me about your imaginary friends – did you have one (or two, or three, or four?)? What was his/her name? What did you do together?

 

*****

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Crazy Fabulous Tagged With: , , , ,

Book Review: The Choice by Robert Whitlow

Posted on August 28, 2012 · 2 Comments

The Choice
by Robert Whitlow
Publication Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Source: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my participation in a blog tour

The Choice is my first read by Robert Whitlow and I am impressed. The storyline captivated me from the first pages. I actually stayed up until the early hours of the night to read through Part I (approx. 150 pages) in one sitting! I truly did not want to put the book down. The author captures the voice of the female protagonist beautifully. She comes to life on the pages.

The novel opens in 1974 when 17 year old cheerleader, Sandy Lincoln, discovers she is pregnant with the popular football player’s baby. Sandy must make the agonizing choice whether to keep the baby, have an abortion, or give the baby up for adoption. The choice Sandy makes changes the course of her life forever.

Thirty-four years later, Sandy is a schoolteacher at the local high school. She comes into contact with a pregnant student who is facing an agonizing choice about her own pregnancy. Although the circumstances are different, Sandy has the opportunity to help this teenager in a way that was not available to her so long ago. She is also forced to confront many long buried feelings regarding her own pregnancy and the resulting outcome.

The Choice is full of many twists and turns. The plot is a bit far-fetched, but taking the story for what it is, I highly enjoyed it. The obvious theme running throughout the novel is that of choice. Each choice we make will affect not only our life, but the lives of those around us. And each choice has the potential to come back to us many years later, for good or for bad.

Highly Recommended.

*****

Meet Robert: 

Robert Whitlow is the best-selling author of legal novels set in the South and winner of the prestigious Christy Award for Contemporary Fiction. A Furman University graduate, Whitlow received his J.D. with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law where he served on the staff of the Georgia Law Review. A practicing attorney, Whitlow and his wife, Kathy, have four children. They make their home in North Carolina.

For more about Robert and his other books, visit www.robertwhitlow.com.

*****

Blog Tour Schedule

http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13527503/robertwhitlow

*****

Celebrate with Robert by entering to win a Nook Color with GlowLight!

See what folks are saying about The Choice!

One “choice” winner will receive:

  • A Nook Color with GlowLight
  • A four book Robert Whitlow library (winner’s choice)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on August 27th. Winner will be announced at the “The Choice” Author Chat Facebook Party on 8/28. Meet Robert, get a sneak peek of his next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and more. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group.)!

So grab your copy of The Choice and join Robert on the evening of the August 27th for a chance to connect with Robert and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book – don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Enter via E-mail Enter via FacebookEnter via Twitter



Don’t miss a moment of the RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 28th!

*****

Filed Under: Blog Tour, Book Reviews, Crazy Fabulous Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Book Review: The Guest Book by Marybeth Whalen

Posted on August 23, 2012 · 1 Comment

The Guest Book by Marybeth Whalen
Publication Date: July 3, 2012
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Christian Fiction
ISBN: 978-0310334743
*****
This book brings me back to the days I spent in our rented Carolina beach house as a child. I remember reading guest book entries and thinking about the people who passed before me – who they were, where they were from, and what adventures they went on. I do recall seeing some wacky drawings in some of those guest books over the years, too! And, even though I still regularly visit North Carolina, I haven’t looked inside a guest book in many years. I honestly just forgot about it. So, when I saw this book for review through Amazon Vine (and then the digital copy on Netgalley), I snatched it up in a heartbeat.

Macy Dillon is a single mother to a five-year-old girl and nursing a broken heart while still grieving the loss of her larger-than-life father ten years prior. As a way to help the family move on, Macy’s mother suggests that the family return to one of their favorite places – Sunset Beach, North Carolina. In the rented beach house that they regularly visited so many years ago, Macy, her daughter, her mom, and her brother, confront the past in hopes of moving to a better future.

Macy immediately becomes obsessed with locating the boy she used to exchange pictures with in the guest book of her youth. Macy would draw a picture and the next year her family visited the house, a little boy would have responded to her picture with a picture of his own. While an interesting premise, I found it a bit farfetched that a single mother would be pining after a boy who drew her pictures each year in a guest book. But, it did seem to have a significant impact on her life, so I went with it. Once Macy arrives in Sunset Beach, suddenly men come out of the woodwork and all of them could potentially be The Artist of her youth. But who is it? Or has he moved on with his life altogether and forgotten Macy, too?

In the background of Macy’s search for her Artist is her mother, Brenda’s, journey of letting go of her deceased husband and embarking on a new stage of life. Max, Macy’s brother, is battling his own personal demons. He drowns his grief at the bottom of a bottle. But with the help of a new friend, Max may learn to find his own way again.

This is a quick read and I did enjoy it. If you can get past some of the unbelievable parts (who gets three men chasing after her immediately upon landing at a beach house for vacation?!) and just take it for what it is. Recommended.

*****

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Crazy Good Tagged With: , , , , , , ,