What is Blog Carnival, you ask? Well, let me give you the basics (from the Blog Carnival page):

For more information, you can see its page HERE.

Please browse the list of reviews below. Tell anyone you visit that you found them through Blog Carnival.

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Alex presents Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials (Book) Review at Rate Meister. “In my opinion, the best of the series is The Golden Compass.  The opening book creates an amazing fantasy world (with armored polar bears) that sucks the reader in.  There is no specific explanation for any of these wild images—the reader is simply let to believe that Pullman’s creations, as wild as they are, are possible and even normal.”

Clark Bjorke presents The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest on I’ll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book! The final book in the Lisbeth Salander book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is full of new plot twists and is a real thriller from start to finish. “Please, please, please read the three books in order, starting with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, or you will find yourself irretrievably lost. No attempt is made to help the reader catch up with the action. Larsson wrote the books assuming that they would be read in series.”

Diana presents Review: Bloodsucking Fiends – Christopher Moore at Reading is Sexy. For a humorous take on vampires, check out Christopher Moore’s book. “Christopher Moore’s sense of humor is intelligent, sarcastic, and a little dark. Not for everyone, I admit, but I think he’s hilarious.”

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Dirk Hanson presents Methland: Book Review at Addiction Inbox. Nick Reding shares a “journalistic account of crystal meth addiction in the small farming community of Oelwein, Iowa.”

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Heather presents Review: Lucy Springer Gets Even on Proud Book Nerd. Lucy’s house is in major upheaval during never-ending renovations, and her acting career leaves much to be desired. To top that off, her husband announces that he’s done and heads to Bail – with someone else. Lucy is left picking up the pieces of her life while trying to raise her two kids. This is a great summer read that is perfect for chick-lit fans. If you like Jennifer Weiner’s books, you’ll like this.

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Jason Ward presents The City and The City by China Mieville posted at The Word of Ward.”The City and The City is a book with a highly original setting … There is another city … called Ul Qoma. Ul Qoma happens to be in exactly the same place as the city Besz and has it’s own populace … Some parts of the city exist purely in Besz and others in Ul Qoma. Other parts are cross-hatched and citizens walk by one another or drive round each other’s traffic without acknowledging the other’s existence. They are all conditioned since birth to ‘unsee’ the other city and its denizens.”

Jeanne presents Passing Strange on Necromancy Never Pays. The third in a series, Passing Strange is a zombie novel “leaves readers with questions that have been unanswered for the duration of all three books.” Despite this, it is good enough to be read very quickly.

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JHS presents Book Review: The Perfect Family posted at Colloquium. From Kathryn Shay comes an intensely personal, nonjudgmental, timely, and compassionate story about one family’s emotional journey after 17-year-old high school student Jamie comes out. “The Perfect Family” is not a perfect book, but it’s close enough that it should be required reading in every high school in America – for the students and their parents.

Jim Murdoch presents Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel on The Truth About Lies. Having not read Life of Pi allowed Jim to evaluate Beatrice and Virgil in its own merits, something for which he was glad. “The only expectation I had was that this was clearly a man who could write and engage with his readers so I expected a well-written and entertaining book and in that respect I have no real complaints”

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Jim Murdoch presents The Radleys on The Truth About Lies. Just what the world needs – another vampire novel! Well, perhaps. Just as Sean of the Dead anglicised the zombie so The Radleys takes vampires and presents a very British mythology. Set in a small Yorkshire town you’d think that a family of vampires would stand out. Well they would if they hadn’t gone native. The kids don’t even realise they are vampires. But just how long can you keep the beast at bay?

Jim Murdoch presents This Is Not About What You Think by Jim Murdoch posted at Pics and Poems. Dave King reviews Scottish poet Jim Murdoch’s full collection, 80+ poems arrange in 7 parts, a kind of 7 ages of Man beginning with childhood and working its way through first love, marriage, the loss of a child, divorce, the death of parents and old age. Straightforward poetry but with depth for those willing to give it time. An excellent choice for someone who thinks they don’t like/can’t get poetry.

Joy presents Review: The Highlander’s Sword by Amanda Forester on Edgy Inspirational Romance. “The Highlander’s Sword is a mainstream romance that deserves honorary edgy inspirational status. … This book is saucier than traditional inspy romance, and the message of faith is more subtle, but this book holds crossover appeal, and fans of edgy inspirational will not be disappointed. Although it is a mainstream romance, there is no explicit sex … and there is only an occasional crude word.”

Julia presents The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson at Find Your Next Good Read. The development of the relationship between Mikael and Lisbeth was impressive, but overall the book wasn’t as gripping as the first in The Millennium Trilogy. “The story then plodded along at a fair pace but didn’t get really exciting until very near the end when the reader is left with a major cliff hanger.”

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KerrieS presents Review: THE OLD SCHOOL, P.M. Newton posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE.”The Old School is strongly rooted in local Sydney history: the Royal Commission into corruption in the New South Wales police force, and political pillars from the late 70s: Aboriginal land rights and the wounds of the Vietnam War.  P.M. Newton does an excellent job of weaving a story around these elements. The characters she creates are strong, credible, and well fleshed out. I’m immensely impressed with this book. It has an historical authenticity about it, but achieves a clever balance with the crime fiction.”

Luke Geraghty presents 101 Classics: The Constant Gardener posted at LukeGeraghty.com.”Like with any good story, the characters are the reason the reader comes back time and again. Tess is the primal force that will ‘not go gentle into that good night’ and Justin her counterpoint. Through their relationship, The Constant Gardener achieves that rare balance of profundity with credibility.”

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Missy Frye presents Book Review: Katy’s Debate by Kim Vogel Sawyer on Incurable Disease of Writing. “Sawyer’s writing style is wonderful. In a little more than 200 pages she tells a satisfying story with complex characters held together with a masterful plot. I can hardly wait for the next installment of the Katy Lambright Series.”

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Mr. Audio Books presents The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson posted at Audio Book Downloads.”I enjoyed The Girl Who Played With Fire as much, if not more, than its predecessor. It’s an intelligent page turner that will keep you guessing until the final page. And the ending will have you running to get the third book ASAP.”

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Zohar presents Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World Edited by Samuel Shimon at Man of La Book. “Beirut 39” is a collection of stories and poems, edited by Samuel Shimon.  The collection is the product of a literary competition in the Arab world, young authors and poets, all under 40 years of age, competed in a contest sponsored by, among others, Banipal magazine in the Hay festival. The best 39 short stories, poems and novel parts were published.”

Zohar presents Book Review: Booth’s Sister by Jane Singer at Man of La Book. ”Booth’s Sister is a historical fiction novel which tells the story of Asia Booth Clarke who is placed under house arrest the night her brother shot President Lincoln.” While somewhat disappointed in the book, Zohar still finds it “interesting because the book tells about an event we all know about, but from a fresh (to me) perspective.”

Zohar presents Book Review: Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland at Man of La Book. “Eye of the Red Tsar is an enjoyable mystery, and a quick read at that. … The book is well written, competent and kept my attention throughout …  The description of Stalinist Russia is fascinating and engrossing as well as the county under the Tsar’s rule. The structure of the book is fascinating – there are no chapters, just one long narrative.”

Zohar presents Book Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson on Man of La Book. It is “a strange book, the middle is fast paced and exciting as the investigation into Harriet’s case evolves, even though I found it impossible to keep up with the various Vanger cousins and relatives … the ending is a bit slow and takes a turn from a murder mystery to a financial takedown.”

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Zohar presents Book Review: The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg on Man of La Book. Slow at times, The Ice Princess was a good read with strong characters, the best of which just might be the setting, a small fishing town called Fjällbacka. “Even though I think the editing could have been better, and the translation more fluid, this novel is still a satisfying read.”

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Zohar presents Book Review: Infamous by Ace Atkins on Man of La Book. “The story is told through the eyes of an invisible observer, a fly on the wall. We, the readers, do not hear what any of the characters think but we observe them from a close distance.The storytelling is riveting and exciting; the characters are interesting, engaging and dimensional.”

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Zohar presents Book Review: James Madison by Garry Wills on Man of La Book. A short biography of James Madison, this book “focuses on his time as president of the United States. … Wills hits the highlights and low lights of Madison’s time in office. … I still don’t feel I know Madison’s personality.”

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