Sandy’s Dream

By: Jared Rader. Format: eBook. Read: December 2013.

Sandy and her friends are all talking about what they want to be when they grow up. Sandy mentions that she wants to be a doctor, but one of the boys declares that girls can’t be doctors. Later on, when they visit a sick Grandpa in the hospital, there is a female doctor taking care of him. Sandy starts to question, whether or not her dream can come true.

Sandy’s Dream is a cute, short, picture book. The drawings are beautiful, while sentences are short and easy-to-understand. The ending is very abrupt and leaves some unanswered questions. However, this is great story for young girls to know that they can be anything they wish.

As kid, I dreamed of growing up to be a doctor and a lawyer. (I even had my schedule worked out so that I could divide my time evenly.) What about you, what was your dream job?

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

Notes:
The author provided a copy of this book for me to review. To learn more about this author and his work, please visit his website.

Dream Family

Dream Series #4. By: J.J. DiBenedetto. Format: eBook. Read: August 2013.

Dr. Sara Alderson has a loving family and a wonderful career helping sick children feel better. However her life is turned upside down when the police show up at her office arresting her for prescription fraud. Sara is degraded and treated like the scum of the Earth as she is processed and forced to spend a night in jail. Forced to reach out for help, she calls the only man who would know the ins and outs of the justice system, Paul Sorrentino. When she is finally allowed to return to her family, Sara knows she is nothing more than a shell of her former self. Somehow through it all, it is her infamous dreams that may help rediscover her freedom.

Dream Family starts off with a bang, when the cops arrive for Sara and the pace never slows down. Sara is normally the heroine rushing around saving the everyone in her dreams, but this time it is herself that needs saving. The author does a compelling job with Sara’s inner battles. Readers will both ache and cheer for Sara as she fights to remember who she is and what is most important in life. With a few new twists and turns from old minor characters, readers will be anxiously awaiting for the next book to be released. Another unique and powerful tale, with several life lessons thrown in for good measure.

I was speechless as I read this book, all I could think was wow, wow, Wow! Then to see that another adventure will be released sometime next year was beyond thrilling. If you want to read this series, plan on being wrapped up in the emotions of all the characters and soon you will feel as though you are a member of the family.

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

Notes:
The author provided a copy of this book for me to review. To learn more about this author and his work, please visit his website.

Dream Child

Dream Series #3. By: J. J. DiBenedetto. Format: eBook. Read: August 2013.

Sara is a resident at Children’s Hospital, which means excruciatingly long work weeks, but it is worth it to come home to Brian and their adorable daughter, Lizzie. Sara is very grateful that she is able to bring Lizzie to work with her when she can’t find a babysitter. All the staff love Lizzie and Lizzie gets to play with the children, which helps distract them from the routines of being a hospital patient. Lizzie is a lot like Sara and is always ready to lend a helping hand. Unfortunately though, Lizzie has picked up something else from Sara too. When Lizzie’s dreams start, Sara’s world is turned upside down, again.

This is the third novel in the Dream series and this is by far the best so far. The addition of Lizzie to the family and to the storyline is perfect. She provides just the right amount of comedic relief that was missing from the previous two books. Lizzie is very young, but she steals the show, so to speak. J. J. DiBenedetto shows a superb talent in his writing his characters. Readers will feel like they have grown with Sara and they will find themselves thinking similar thoughts as Sara tries to juggle work, family, and interpreting her and Lizzie’s dreams. Minor characters from previous books keep popping up to lend a hand, which gives the series another real-life connection. Readers will have extremely high hopes for the next book to see what Sara and Lizzie stumble into, next.

This is a very unique mystery series that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. I am looking forward to spending more time with Sara, Lizzie and the rest of the family in the next book. I absolutely love a series that ties previous books into current books, with hints towards what could happen next. It keeps me guessing until the very end, which is nice to read. If you are looking for an easy-to-read and easy-to-follow cozy mystery series, with a unique twist, I definitely recommend this series.

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

Note:
The author provided a copy of this book for me to review. To learn more about this author and his work, please visit his website.

Dream Doctor

Dream Series #2. By: J.J. DiBenedetto. Format: eBook. Read: July 2013.

Sara is trying to balance being a newlywed and being in med school. As if this wasn’t difficult enough, her nightmares are back. It is up to Sara and Brian to figure who exactly wants to kill one of her teachers, which won’t be easy, seeing as how everyone hates him. Plus, each of Sara’s dreams reveal another possible suspect. But Sara’s dreams take on a more personal role, when one of her friend’s Mom receives a terminal diagnosis. Will Sara be able to handle everything: help her friend, save her teacher’s life, balance medical school and find time to spend with her husband?

J.J. DiBenedetto continues his unique suspense series in Dream Doctor. In this second installment, the emotions are turned up a notch and readers will find them choking back tears on several occasions. This book follows the same style as the first, with tons of detail but no graphic scenes. The pace is a bit slower this time around, but there are many twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Readers will be instantly picking up the next book in the series, in order to continue the journey with Sara and Brian.

This was another wonderful book in the Dream series. This book definitely had more emotions than suspense, but it was still a great read. I am highly anticipating the next book.

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

Note:
The author provided a copy of this book for me to review. To learn more about this author and his work, please visit his website.

Dream Student

Dreams #1. By: J.J. DiBenedetto. Format: eBook. Read: July 2013.

Sara Barnes is just your average junior in college, that is until she starts remembering her dreams. Unfortunately for Sara, she is no longer just remembering her own dreams, but other people’s dreams too. Sara realizes she is seeing other people’s dreams, some pleasant, like that boy who goes to her school dreaming about her, others horrific, reliving a guy’s dream where he brutally murders a young girl. Sara is frantic she doesn’t know what to do, much less why she has this ability to see these dreams. All she knows is that the boy’s name is Brian and he and her best friend Beth are going to help her catch the murder.

Written as a constant stream-of-consciousness that jumps from dreams to reality, makes this book an intriguing read. Readers get to experience the dream with Sara, but then they can relate to her feelings afterwards. The story starts off with a bit of a slow pace, but it quickly picks up and turns into a nail-biting race against time, with a hint of romance in between. This book covers some horrific topics, but does so without going into the nitty-gritty details. The ending will leave readers reaching for the second book, just to see what happens next with Sara.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the fact that Sara had to set her own course through this hard to believe dream jumping talent of hers, however she had the strength and support from Beth and Brian that kept her alive. This was a unique story and I am looking forward to reading more.

As for dreams, I can remember some of mine with lots of details, whereas with others I can only remember the feeling. What about you? Do you remember all of your dreams? What would you do if you suddenly found yourself inside of someone else’s dream?

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

Note:
The author of this book provided a copy for me to review. To learn more about this author and his work, please visit his website.

A Quote to Begin the Day…

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

― C.S. Lewis

A Quote to Begin the Day…

“Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you.”

~Marsha Norman

A Quote to Begin the Day…

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.”

 

~John Lennon

 

Hi Everyone,

I came across this quote from John Lennon and it works perfectly for me today. I just received word from World Book Night that I will be a book giver on April 23, 2013! I am so excited. This will be my first year as a book giver and I am thrilled. This organization’s goal is to unite the world, even for just one night, through books. Imagine what the world would be, if we all just set aside out differences and united through love, acceptance and of course BOOKS!!!

 

Be sure to stop back by here tomorrow. Author, T. C. Harrelson, will be here conducting an interview and he will be giving away a copy of The Beast of Macon Hollow. This was an excellent book and you don’t want to miss out on your chance to win!

 

I am wishing you all a wonderful day!!!

Enjoy!

~Ariesgrl

 

 

A Quote to Begin the Day….

“Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book.” ~ Jane Smiley It took me a while to pick today’s quote. I narrowed it down to two, but this one describes my feelings perfectly. Anytime I was feeling sad or had a rough day, I would just go to my favorite bookstore, walk through the doors, close my eyes and take a deep breath. When I opened my eyes and saw all the shelves filled with books, the world would be right again. A smile would form on my face and I would take my first step towards the new journey that I would take, thanks to whatever books I would leave with that day. Books are passages, books are medicines, books are therapy. Books can help heal your past and give you hope towards your future, by fueling your dreams. They can provide comfort and adventure, they can give you many vacations and show you worlds you never dreamed of… All you have to do is read them. So join me today, as I curl up with a book and go on yet another journey! Enjoy! ~Ariesgrl