The Working Writer’s Screenplay by Jim Makichuk

Synopsis: Subtitled: “Breaking In, Hanging On, and Getting It Made.” Review: Whenever I get interested in a topic, either personally or professionally, I go a little berserk and read everything I can get my hands on that can teach me anything about the subject. As a working screenwriter, former development exec, professional book analyst, and erstwhile screenwriting teacher/coach, I have read just about every screenwriting book that’s out there looking for anything that can help me in any of those roles. Jim Makichuck’s The Working…

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Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry by Elana Amsterdam

Synopsis: Subtitled: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes. Review: I have recently gone grain free and it really has been the right decision for me. I’m losing weight and feeling great, all while eating a lot. I love to bake, so I’m keen to discover how to make tasty baked good without flour or other grains. I am intrigued by a lot of the recipes in Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry as she is a blogger who comes up in search results a lot. The directions look…

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The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

Synopsis: Time travel makes a vicious serial killer unstoppable, but when one of his “shining girls” survives, the paradoxes in her case send her looking in the right direction, even as the killer grows more disorganized and deadly. Review: The Shining Girls is, quite simply, a great crime story with time travel element that probably has Stephen King kicking himself for not thinking of it first. In 1932, Harper has found a house filled with shining objects, and when he steps outside he can will…

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Kalifornia Blu by Kendell Shaffer

Synopsis: When dreadlocked and delinquent skater girl Kal’s rock star mom fails to come back to LA for a hearing, Kal finds herself living with the father she never knew, under a strict curfew–and enrolled in a magnet school for teens who aspire to careers in law enforcement. Review: Set in the meticulously and passionately described LA town of Venice Beach, Kalifornia Blu has attitude and the plot to back it up. Kal has always been a wild child, the daughter of an aging rock…

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Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Synopsis: Two sisters set out to walk from New Mexico to northern California in the hopes that their mother’s ex-boyfriend will take them in, but the theft of some eggs while traveling through a Native American reservation threatens to bring their whole scheme crashing down around their ears. Review: Walk Me Home had me hooked from the very first pages. Carly and her little sister Jen have such a realistic, touching relationship that I couldn’t help but become immediately invested in their journey. As the…

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