Tour-Tundra Books – Cindy's Love Of Books

(Review & Tour) Stones for my Father (part 2)

Posted on April 29, 2011April 14, 2014 by Cindy

Title: Stones for my Father
Author: Trilby Kent
Publisher: Tundra Books
Pages: 170
Pub date: March 2011

Source: I received a copy of this book from Tundra Books to read and review.

About the book:
The Boer War was disastrous for the British: 22,000 of them died. Close to 7,000 Boers died. Nobody knows how many Africans lost their lives, but the number is estimated to be around 20,000. This tragic, and little remembered, chapter in history is the backdrop for Trilby Kent’s powerful novel.

Corlie Roux’s father has always told her that God gave Africa to the Boers. Her life growing up on a farm in South Africa is not easy: it is beautiful, but it is also a harsh place where the heat can be so intense that the very raindrops sizzle. When her beloved father dies, she is left in the care of a cold, stern mother who clearly favors her two younger brothers. But she finds solace with her African maitie, Sipho, and in Africa itself.

Corlie’s world is about to vanish: the British are invading and driving Boers from their farms. The families who do not surrender escape to hidden laagers in the bush to help fight off the British. When Corlie’s laager is discovered, she and the others are sent to an internment camp.

Corlie is strong and can draw on her knowledge of the land she loves, but is that enough to help her survive the starvation, disease, and loss that befalls her in the camp?

Today I am lucky enough to be one of the host on the tour for Stones for my Father. You can check out the other blogs who have toured the book so far and read their reviews and interviews with the author Trilby Kent. Thanks Tundra Books and Slyvia for allowing me to be a part of this tour.

In 2009, I got to read and review Trilby’s debut YA novel called Medina Hill and really enjoyed it so when I was given this chance to review Stones for my Father I couldn’t resist.

Stones for my Father is completely different from Medina Hill. The story is set during the Boer War in South Africa.

If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that I don’t read historical fiction or anything on wars but I am always willing to make the exception when it comes to an author I have read in the past and enjoyed. I do remember learning about the Boer Wars briefly in history class when I was in high school but sadly history wasn’t my strong point so needless to say as I started to read the book little bites and pieces would surface and I would say “Oh yea I remember that now.”

I think had they made history a little bit more fun I think I would have enjoyed it more and thankfully thanks to blogging it has given me the chance to experience and enjoy books that I would normal not pick up and read.

Once I started to read about Corlie (a twelve year old girl) I quickly became engrossed in the story and managed to read it in one sitting. The story isn’t just about the Boer War but one girls struggle to survive when it seems like the odds were stacked up against her.

There was times that I wished I could have jumped in the book and stood up for Corlie when it was evident her mother was mean and nasty towards this little girl. I think living in this siutation forced Corlie to grow up sooner that she needed too. Her mother was a real piece of work and you could see through out the story that she favored Corlie’s brothers over her.

When the family has to leave because the British are coming they take what little they can and head to meet up with the others at the laagers. Shortly after meeting up at the laagers they are invade and the women and children are sent to the internment camp.

Life at the internment camp isn’t all that perfect, people are dying from dieases and starvation. Food and water is rationed and if you are lucky you will get food but barely enough to survive. Thankfully Corlie and her family are able to get food but Corlie manages to help out the other women of the camp to get some extra food. Things are going good until Corlie makes a mistake and does the wrong thing. Before she knows it she is being called a thief and is kick out of the tent by her mother.

Will she survive on her own? Or will someone come to her rescue?

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

The Double Blog Dare Tour

Posted on June 7, 2010April 14, 2014 by Cindy

Welcome and hello! I am truly honored to be part of the The Double Blog Dare Tour with Tundra Books. This is might be your first stop if your a reader of mine or not so hop on over to check out these other blogs who are part of the tour today:

Rachelle from Living Between Wednesdays
Open Book Toronto
Helen from Helen’s Book Blog

When I got these books in the mail I did a little research and discovered that Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventure and Alison Dare, The Heart of the Maiden by J Torres and J Bone were actually published in 2002 and Tundra Books was re-releasing these two.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Alison Dare: Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft in fabulous, graphic adventures.Alison Dare is not your typical twelve-year-old. She’s the daughter of an archaeologist/adventurer and the masked hero known as the Blue Scarab. To top it off, she’s also the niece of an international super-spy; it’s no surprise that a craving for danger is in her blood! Unfortunately, her parents have locked her away at the prestigious St. Joan’s Academy for Girls, hoping that this would lead to a more “normal” life for their daughter.

But despite all the strict rules at the school, Alison and her best pals – Wendy and Dot – somehow manage to find themselves involved in adventures that rival those of Alison’s globetrotting, planet-saving relatives. Whether it’s magic genies, super-powered bank robbers, or a dastardly baron bent on world domination, Alison Dare delivers the best thrills since Indiana Jones and more action than Lara Croft!

PLEASE NOTE: Images and about the book were taken from the Tundra Books Website.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
J. TORRES is a Shuster Award-winning, Eisner Award-nominated writer whose credits include adaptations of Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E and CTV’s Degrassi: The Next Generation, the comic book series Teen Titans Go and Wonder Girl for DC Comics, as well as the graphic novels Lola: A Ghost Story and the YALSA-listed Days Like This for Oni Press. He has also written for children’s magazines, books, and television.

J. BONE is an Eisner Award-nominated illustrator of several critically acclaimed comic books and graphic novels, including Spiderman: Tangled Web, Batman / The Spirit, and Paul Dini’s Mutant, Texas.

I have to send out a huge thank you to Sylvia from Tundra Books for contacting me about this tour and sending me the books to review.

MY THOUGHTS
Being graphic novels they were both a quick read as both books were under 100 pages and we were able to read them both in a day.

After reading them Michael turned and said “mommy she is like Indiana Jones but instead of being a man she is a girl.”

I think seeing that Alison is 12 years old, Michael could relate to her (he is 7). There is some mystery and tons of adventures in both books. Although as much as he liked Alison he did say that it would be cool to have a dad who is a masked hero.

It was really nice to read these graphic novels because for once the boy isn’t the super hero and it gives the girl who read this the chance to know that they two can be super heroes and that girls are just as smart as boys.

Thanks again Sylvia for allowing us to be a part of the tour and for reviewing these great graphic novels. They will be enjoyed over and over again I am sure.

I always thought that Tundra Books was awesome but now I know they are truly awesome. Since they are re-releasing both Alison Dare graphic novels they are running this super sweet contest and you can check out more about it on their site Tundra Books Contest to see what it entails.

Check back later today when I will post something special with Alison Dare.

Favorite Recipe for Medina Hill

Posted on November 3, 2009April 14, 2014 by Cindy

This is my favorite recipe of all time and I would love to share it with Marlo Walker the character in the book Medina Hill.

Roast Pork and Apple Dinner in a Pan

Ingredients:
4 pork chops about 1/2″ thick
1 onion chopped
2 cups of mushrooms sliced
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 1/2 cups Minute Rice uncooked
1 can of condensed Chicken Broth (10 fl.oz/284ml)
1 broth can of water
2 red apples chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Directions:
-Spray large nonstick frying pan with cooking spray. Add the pork chops and cook until browned. Make sure you use a big enough pan because you will be putting all ingredients in it. I also try to make sure the pork chop is throughly cooked.

-Add the onion, mushrooms and dressing and cook for a few minutes. I usually remove the pork chops before adding them and when they are cooked I add the pork chops back to the pan.

-Stir in the rice, broth, water, apples and thyme. Let boil and then reduce heat to med-low and simmer until the rice is cooked.

Enjoy.

Medina Hill Review and Tour & Give Away

Posted on November 3, 2009April 14, 2014 by Cindy

PUB DATE: October 13 2009

This is day two of the Medina Hill/Tundra Book Tour.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
In the grimy London of 1935, eleven-year-old Dominic Walker has lost his voice. His mother is sick and his father’s unemployed. Rescue comes in the form of his Uncle Roo, who arrives to take him and his young sister, Marlo, to Cornwall. There, in a boarding house populated by eccentric residents, Marlo, who keeps a death grip on her copy of The New Art of Cooking, and Dominic, armed with Incredible Adventures for Boys: Colonel Lawrence and the Revolt in the Desert, find a way of life unlike any they have known. Dominic’s passion for Lawrence of Arabia is tested when he finds himself embroiled in a village uprising against a band of travelers who face expulsion. In defending the vulnerable, Dominic learns what it truly means to have a voice.

Trilby Kent brilliantly handles a far-off time and place to present a story of up-to-the-minute relevance.

MY THOUGHTS:
I love discovering new authors especially debut authors and Trilby Kent fits right into this category. This is her debut YA novel. She is from Toronto but currently resides in London, England.

I have to admit that when I picked the book up to read I discovered that it was a historical fiction book which really hasn’t been a genre of interest for me but I admit I was pleasantly surprised once I began to read it. The book takes place in England in the 1930s.

Medina Hill is about two siblings, a brother (Dominic) and sister (Marlo) and their summer vacation at their Uncle Roo’s in Cornwall. Their uncle suggests that the kids go with him to Cornwall so that their mother can rest since she is sick and their father will be working and there is no one there to take care of them.

I enjoyed reading about Marlo she is a quirky girl. She uses her mothers cookbook to distract herself because her mother is very sick. Although she never cooks anything from the cookbook right away she reads it.

Dominic is very nervous around people he doesn’t know and that is evident in the book because whenever someone speaks to him he clams up. Nothing can make him speak in their presence. Even with some people that he does know he is still very nervous around them, I wonder why?

While they are waiting for the train to come Dominic and Uncle Roo walk around and stumble upon a bookstore. Its there that Dominic picks up Incredible Adventures for Boys: Colonel Lawrence and the Revolt in the Desert. Its not until he is at his uncle’s that he starts to read the book.

At their uncle’s boarding house they quickly discover that the group of people living there are all quite unique and different. There is Otto, Reverend Cleary and Birdie. Dominic quickly discovers that there is a connection between the Reverend and the book he is reading. Will be able to figure out what the Reverend knows?

There is alot of characters and alot going on in this book and I thought it was too bad that the other characters couldn’t have been explored more. I would have loved to know their story and why they were there.

I have to admit it was nice to see that Dominic made the connection with Sancha and that relationship was explored. It was nice to see that he felt comfortable around her to speak finally. He stepped out of his comfort zone to help her out in the end which was really nice.

Over all I was really impressed and looking forward to reading more by Trilby in the future.

I have to say that I really liked the cover of the book with the picture of the boy sitting on a suitcase and then the picture at the bottom that is in all black of a traveling family.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Trilby Kent was born in Toronto, Ontario, and grew up in cities on both sides of the Atlantic. After completing degrees at Oxford University and The London School of Economics, she worked in the rare books department at a prominent auction house before turning to writing feature articles for publication in Europe and North America. She now lives in London, England. Medina Hill is Trilby Kent’s first novel.

These blogs are on the tour schedule today:
Kerry from http://www.shelfelf.wordpress.com
Melissa from http://www.librarianbyday.blogspot.com
Melanie from http://www.melanies–musings.blogspot.com
Lauren from http://www.laurenscrammedbookshelf.blogspot.com

CONTEST TIME:
If this book sounds interesting and you would like the chance to win a copy I have been given the opportunity to give away 1 book to one of my lucky readers. Please note that you must have a valid mailing address. Sorry NO PO Boxes. Make sure when you comment that you leave your email address so that I have a way to contact you should you be a winner.

Thanks to Sylvia for asking me to read and review this book and for allowing me to be a part of the first ever Tundra Book Tour. Looking forward to being a part of future Tundra Book Tours.

This book was provided for review by Tundra Books.