Annette Drake

A few weeks ago, I specifically requested an ARC of this book from the author because I knew it was in production, slated for March release, and I had recently enjoyed Ms. Drake's first novel. (Since I did read a late-stage draft, I'll refrain from discussing any minor editorial issues. The writing is pretty crisp and flows in a natural way.)

This novel has a middle-school protagonist and is probably aimed at a middle-school audience, but it's also a good book for adult readers. The style is show more never simplistic as some books for that age can be. I liked it a lot. The author really made the characters come alive for me, and they all seemed quite real, colorful, and "properly flawed" (if I can use a term like that).

There are some strong themes in the book, especially concerning the protagonist's parents; they are well-handled, realistic. I suspect many situations will resonate with certain young readers. (At one point in the book I honestly wanted to reach through my little device and throttle a particular character, so I was obviously emotionally invested a bit there.)

By the end, found myself experiencing a good mix of ups and downs, felt satisfied, and was looking forward to learning more about the book's characters. Several of the characters have interesting back-stories that could be explored, and there are suggestions of possible future directions, so I hope there is eventually a sequel. show less

Alright, I'll admit it: I read this book without a cover, before it hit the bookstores. Yes, yes, that's because I'm acquainted with the author and I was privileged to be a beta reader. Today, I went out and bought the published version so I could get a copy with the cute cover art.

I really enjoyed this. It's got a mystery and some good characters and quite a bit of humor as well. It opens with nice home-town feeling as the insecure young protagonist Joni is dumped in the deep end, reporting show more and photographing for the Ogalalla Gazette. (First stop: the murder on the "Love Moat" carnival ride.) She starts learning her way around town, making quite a few mistakes, in her first job on the small-town paper, while apparently trying to live up to a family name. The action unfolds over the period of a week during the fair as things heat up for Joni.

I expect this will become the first of a series and thus introduces characters that will be developed in subsequent volumes, so I'll be on the lookout for sequels. show less

I did a pre-publishing beta read of Annette Drake’s "Bone Girl" a few weeks before its recent launch March 1st 2014. I was a little nervous about it since the book description and the age of the protagonist made me think of it as a book for middle school kids. It’s been years since I was in middle school. In fact, it’s been years since my kids were in middle school. Would I still be able to relate to it?

But I’d been happily reading a range of styles and genres since joining show more Goodreads. I’d enjoyed Ms Drake’s "Celebration House" despite not being a much of a romance reader, and I had no idea there were subgenres like paranormal romances until joining social media reading groups.

I began Bone Girl with an open mind and was soon caught up in the story. Josie was a very sympathetic and believable character and her father was a good-hearted long-suffering Atticus Finch type fellow who nearly broke my heart. Throughout the story, he quietly and stoically did what he thought was right without complaining or making a big deal out of it. (Can you guess he was my favorite character?) He reminded me of my own dad, and toward the end I wanted to shout for him to stop and let us help him.

And so, I liked the book despite my age. Maybe it’s because the story was a nice balance between real world challenges and a little hopeful idealism in which you just knew that somehow, some way, things had to turn out right. Or maybe it’s because Ms Drake simply knows how to tell a good story. By the time I was done, I wanted to live on a horse farm, and learn to play the trombone. I wanted to be a bone girl too. show less

Newly divorced Caroline and her two little boys need to find new housing. Single-Dad Geno and his two teenaged boys have a nice house with a basement that seems just right, temporarily. So she moves in, platonically of course, and things go pretty well. The various Exes make mischief, and meanwhile, Caroline tries to start dating again. Oh, gosh... She goes out with a string of real Mister Doozies that I thought were quite nicely done.

There are lots of good parts in here, and most of them show more were rather humorous, especially Caroline's icky first dates. I liked all the main characters, and of course despised some of the loser Exes (the type I love to growl at while reading). I liked the setting, also. I don't think there are a lot of novels out there set in "urban Alaska".

Overall I thought it was a well-rounded novel that gets into the lives of a few modern young single-parents trying to hold everything together, and it does so with good humor.

This is a high-quality independently published book, and I am acquainted with the author through occasional correspondence. This is the third of her books I've read. They've all been fun. And I bought this one on-line, full price. show less