North and South
By: Elizabeth Gaskell
Publisher: Dover Publications
ISBN: 9780486479521
Pub Date: June 13, 2012
Pages: 464
Buy Link: Barnes & Nobles

If you are looking for a good read and you enjoy the novels of Jane Austen, then look no further than Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South. Written around the same time as Austen’s works, this novel delves deeper into class conflicts, the unions, the hard work of laborers, and even the hero’s inner psyche. The supporting characters are stronger than most of Austen’s and you really grow to care about their struggles.

The main idea of the novel is that a pastor’s daughter, Margaret Hale, is transported along with her ailing mother and now jobless father from her quiet and comfortable home in the south of England to the crowded, dirty, and chaotic north. She must find her spot in this new society, and befriends a mill worker and his dying daughter. Her father starts tutoring a mill master, a man named Thornton, how quickly becomes smitten with the beautiful and headstrong Margaret. She rejects him, however, because she has seen the ordeal that the mill workers are put through.

Picking up after the events of the Darkwoods, the wraith mice Princess Zuryzel has a lot of responsibility as she leads an army against the Darkwoods Foxes, who outnumber and out power them. Zuryzel is growing up to be an independent adult mouse who must journey to unseen places to find out whom really started the war.

Her invisibility may not be able to help her as she stumbles into a world of betrayal that leads her to the Stone Tribe city of Pasadagavra. Secrets are revealed as she is confronted with a deadly pirate, who may or may not be responsible for the war. To make matter worse, the mice and their squirrel allies may not be able to defend the city from the Foxes.

Zuryzel travels across the seas and mysterious lands as she goes on a quest that will test her strength and her faith. A battle with the Darkwoods Foxes is unstoppable and the Stone Tribe City may fall in this exciting sequel.

Final Thoughts

Ravens Pass: Curses for Sale
By: Steve Brezenoff
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
ISBN: 978-1434242099
Pub Date: August 1, 2012
Pages: 96

To avoid the traffic, Jace Thomas's dad takes the exit to Ravens Pass, where they come upon a garage sale, and Jace's dad can never say no to a good bargain. His dad buys several LP records, a few coffee mugs and a rabbit's foot. His littler sister buys a couple of dolls, and Jace buys a battery operated red sports car for only five dollars. Yes, Jace is a few years too old for it, but just like his father, he couldn't pass up a bargain.

Jace squeezes himself into the car and drives to his best-friend Sam's house. He lets Sam take the car for a spin, but then a mysterious accident occurs. Or was it something else? As this toy car can drive by itself.

White Raven: The Sword of Northern Ancestors
Written By Irina Lopatina
Publisher: Light Messages Publishing
ISBN: 978-1611530247
Pub. Date: July 30, 2012
Pages: 378

In this fantasy adventure set in the magical land of Areya, a prince, known as some as the White Raven, named Vraigo spends most his days in the forest with the druids and other magical creatures instead of defending his kingdom. Some may think of him as weak, but to him not fighting is his choice to make. Eventually, demons from a parallel world invade his home in which the kingdom's army will be defeated unless Areys uses a magical sword known as Urart against the demons. But there is one little problem, the Urart has been stolen!

To save his kingdom, Vraigo must journey to the 21st Century to retrieve the sword, but there are many dangers that lay before him.

Blondie Goes to Hollywood
The Blondie Comic Strip in Films, Radio & Television
By: Carol Lynn Scherling
Publisher: BearManor Media
ISBN: 78-1593934019
Pub Date: May 31, 2010
Pages: 212

Early one Sunday morning, I was awakening by parent's laughter, who was watching a Blondie movie on AMC (Back when there were no commercials on the channel.). I'm not exactly a morning person, so by time I got up I only would get a glimpse of the ending of each Blondie movie that aired every Sunday. Eventually, AMC quit playing the movies on Sundays. A few years later, during the summer, I happened to find one of the movies in the TV Guide (Yes, the TV Guide once listed what was on in the mornings!) and I recorded it onto an old VHS tape. I would check every week, but I never could find the movies being aired again until around Christmas Eve when they aired a marathon. I remember it clearly as it was the start of my Christmas vacation from school, and I just happened to have a touch of the flu while I was going back and forth from two rooms to record the movies on two VCRs. Over the years, the VHS tapes have become almost unplayable, but I did buy the ten Blondie movies that were released on DVD. I only wish they would release the complete franchise and of course have each one remastered.

A few weeks ago, I happened to Google "Blondie and Dagwood" and the book titled Blondie Goes to Hollywood came up. To my surprise an author by the name Carol Lynn Scherling had written a book chronicling the years that the Blondie comic strip was turned into 28 films, a long-running radio show, and several short-lived television series. Since I'm a blogger/reviewer, I emailed the publisher about a review copy. To my surprise, I received an email the next day informing me that they would be glad to send me a free review copy.