If personal automobiles are no longer necessary or interesting to young adults, could there instead be some interest in portable personal vehicles in the future? By portable personal vehicles, I mean not a folding bicycle but something truly portable that would fit in a carry bag -- something like a wheeled version of the hovering, skateboard-like item from Back to the Future, a Segway without the handlebars, a self-balancing scooter or hoverboard.


Could we be seeing the end of car culture in America? We may already be seeing some signs of that. Young adults and teens are less interested in getting drivers licenses. Car buying has also shifted away from the 35-44 age crowd to the 55-64 ages, although this doesn't take into account what will happen when Millennials have kids that need rides to soccer practice or school plays.


Carmaker Lexus has actually built a levitating Slide Hoverboard that works over ground and water as well. The device was conceived as a marketing stunt for new Lexus cars, to "make the impossible possible" and it requires special magnetic technology embedded in the ground to make it hover. Unfortunately, it's doubtful that there will be any commercial versions available for sale in the near future.

The Innocent
by Ann H. Gabhart
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0800723415
Pages: 400
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

When it comes to picking out titles to read, I typically stick to familiar authors, but ever since I've started reviewing books, I've been taking chances on newer authors (well, at least they're new to me). Since then I've read a few titles buy author Ann H. Gabhart. Back in July, Revell released her book The Innocent to bookstores.

Set in 1865, The Innocent centers on Carlyn Kearney, who has been patiently awaiting news about her husband from the Union Army. Her husband, Ambrose, had served during the Civil War, but she hasn't heard from him for over two years. With not a penny to her name, she is forced to leave her home and seek refuge at the Shaker village in Harmony Hill.

From what she understood, the Shakers were kind and loving people, so she is a bit shocked to learn that Sister Edna is very strict. Getting married, owning any sort of possessions and contacting people from the outside world is forbidden in the community.

After several mysterious deaths that occur in the village, the town's sheriff, Mitchell Brodie, begins an investigation. This is a romance novel, so there are sparks between Brodie and Carlyn. The only problem is that Carlyn still loves her husband and hopes that he will one day return to her.

Amish Promises
Neighbors of Lancaster County, book 1
by: Leslie Gould
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: May 5, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764215087
Pages: 368
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

With all the Amish fiction titles that get read each year, you would think I would get bored with the genre. While there have been a few duds here and there, most of them that I've read have been pretty decent reads. Any time an Amish title is available, I typically sign up to review. I received a copy of Amish Promises back in late April, but I didn't get a chance to read it until later in July, and as you can see, I'm just now getting to around to writing the actual review for it.

Amish Promises is set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and centers on Joel and Shani Beck moving into their new home near the Amish country. Joel had recently returned from serving in Iraq and is trying to heal his emotional wounds, while at the same time he is trying to reconnect with his wife and son. Their closest neighbors are Amish, the Lehman family.

After their son has an accident that injures one of the Lehman sons, it causes a rift between Joel and Tim, the patriarch of the Lehman family. Despite the families' problems with each other, Shani, befriends Tim's sister, Eve, who has been running the household ever since Tim's wife died.

Breadwinners: Journey to the Bottom of the Seats
by Stefan Petrucha
Illustrated by Allison Strejlau 
Publisher: PAPERCUTZ
Pub. Date: November 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-1629913018
Pages: 56 pages
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Nickelodeon has teamed up with PAPERCUTZ to publish a series of graphic novels based on their popular animated programs as well as bringing out the new Nickelodeon Magazine. The graphic novel Sanjay and Craig: Fight the Future with Flavor! was released back in September and now Breadwinners: Journey to the Bottom of the Seats will be released to bookstores tomorrow!

Breadwinners debuted on Nickelodeon in 2014 and has become one of the top-rated programs for kids aged two to eleven. The series centers on two anthropomorphic ducks named SwaySway and Buhdeuce, two best friends that live in the water-based planet Pondgea. They drive a rocket-powered van and deliver bread to the locals.

Written by Stefan Petrucha with illustrations by Allison Strejlau,  Breadwinners: Journey to the Bottom of the Seats features four exciting adventures:

Lotsa Tots - SwaySway and Buhdence must hop in their van and deliver Clammy Brioche Bread and Snails On Kale Brioche Bread to a customer in Tree City, but they have a slight problem when a monster-size bird decides to sit on top of the van and lay her eggs.

An Endless Christmas
by Cynthia Ruchti
Publisher: Worthy Inspired
Pub. Date: October 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-1617955877
Pages: 232
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1PmF69N
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/cruchti

Review:

It's almost hard to believe that there are only five more weeks until Christmas Day. Though I do have about 99% of my gift shopping finished already, I'm not exactly in the holiday mood this year. Every time I stumble upon a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel, I avoid it all costs. I've also been skipping over the radio stations that are playing holiday tunes. No, I'm not a Scrooge. I just guess the Christmas magic hasn't exactly hit me yet. That being said, I had signed up to review a several holiday themed novels for a few book tours awhile back and I've delayed reading them as long as I could.

One these books (well, a novella) happens to be An Endless Christmas by author Cynthia Ruchti, which centers on Wilson and Dodie Blinder hosting Christmas for their large family (children, grandchildren, etc.) at their cottage in Minnesota. They're excited that their grandson, Micah, is going to ask his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him. Micah asks her to marry him in front of his entire family and Katie's answer is - "No!"

Unfortunately for Katie, she has no other place to go, so she's stuck at the Binder cottage for Christmas. Most of the family are upset with her for breaking Micah's heart, but Dodie sees this extra time as an opportunity for her grandson to win back Katie's heart.

The Love Letters
by Beverly Lewis
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: March 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0764212468
Pages: 352
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

I had never even knew there was such a thing as Amish fiction until I read The Covenant (book one in the Abram's Daughter series) by Beverly Lewis, which was either in 2001 or 2002. I had joined one of the those book clubs where you get five or six books for $.99 and you have to buy three or four books during the next two years at full price. The Covenant was one of the books I got for joining the club. I recall I was short one book, so I just picked The Covenant as it looked an interesting read. Let's just say that I became a fan of Beverly Lewis's writings very quickly. I ended up purchasing her previous novels and I have continued to read each and every new release of hers.

While many of the author's novels are part of a series featuring three to five books, she does occasionally write a stand alone novel, which just happens to be the case for The Love Letters. (No, this isn't the made-for-Hallmark movie from the late 90s.)  This story is set in 1966 and centers on Marlena Wenger, a young woman with a lot on her young shoulders. She was set to marry Nathaniel Zimmerman shortly after she finishes her classes prior to being baptized into the Old Amish Order, well, that is until she learns that her grandfather has passed away and someone needs to go to Brownstown, Pennsylvania and assist her grandmother, Mammi Janice, for the summer. Guess whose going?

Yep, you guessed it - Marlena must put her life on hold to help out her grandmother. Not too long after arriving in Brownstown, Marlena learns that her estranged sister Luella has died in a car crash. Luell had left the Amish lifestyle to marry her sweetheart Gordon Munroe, who is currently serving his country in Vietnam. This leaves Marlena the guardian of her baby niece, Angela Rose.