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Lifting the Wheel of Karma by Paul H. Magid and 3 print copy giveaway!

Paul H. Magid web site:
http://www.paulhmagid.com/

Paul H. Magid Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KarmaNovel#!/profile.php?id=100002979900843

Lifting the Wheel of Karma Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KarmaNovel

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Lifting the Wheel of Karma blog tour site:
http://liftingthewheelofkarma.blogspot.com/

Lifting the Wheel of Karma Book Summary

A Profound Spiritual Journey of Extraordinary Healing and Redemption
      Joseph Connell is a gifted high school athlete from Montana, loved deeply by his family, yet tormented by nightmarish visions he can  neither explain nor escape.
      He believes the answer to what threatens to crush him can be found  in the knowledge possessed by a mystical old wise man, who lives deep within the remote Himalayas of India.
      If Joseph is ever to find the peace he so desperately seeks, he must get this wise old man to reveal what he truly knows, but that will not be easy…for this sage knows far more than he admits.
A modern tale that harkens back to the myths of antiquity. It takes you on a remarkable journey, while exploring the themes of healing, redemption, forgiveness, sacrifice, and ultimately...peace within.

Paul H. Magid's Bio:
Paul H. Magid started writing his debut novel, Lifting the Wheel of Karma, twenty-five years ago while still in high school. It took him so long to complete because he tried repeatedly to abandon it, but the work refused to be forsaken. Eventually he realized that sharing this story with the world was, in fact, his Dharma.

      Along the way he has worked as a Wall Street financial analyst, a waiter (not a very good one), a Hollywood Agent Trainee, a real estate developer, a summer day camp director, an award winning screenwriter, and independent filmmaker—including his autobiographical film, A Life Unfinished, which screened in The Hamptons International Film Festival.
Paperback
      Price: $15.00
      ISBN: 9780984016068
      Pages: 192
      Release: September 23, 2011

Amazon buy link
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984016066?tag=tributebooks-20
      Barnes&Noble.com buy link
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=dcSBhG3Rj8w&offerid=229293.9780984016068&type=2&subid=0
       
      eBook Price: $9.99
      Kindle buy link
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005TJ3I4C?tag=tributebooks-20

Giveaway: 3 print copies for USA/CAN.  Please leave a comment stating why you would like to win this book, include your email address.  Thank you for stopping by!

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police — instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior — instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested don’t usually come back.

17-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. That life in the United States used to be different.

In the three years since the war ended, Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the Federal Bureau of Reformation. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And what’s worse, one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Goodreads Summary

Ember is the main character and best part of this novel.  She is brave, smart, and can think on her feet.  The reader will take an instant liking to her.  Chase is the love interest.  The reader will start out with mixed feelings about him, it is up to the reader to decide what to believe. 

This novel is a dystopian.  The author portrays a completely different United States.  There are strict rules, superfluous laws, etc... When Ember's mother is taken away due to a breach in Article 5, Ember knows she  must find her mother no matter the cost.  Along the way, Ember is arrested herself and experiences more than a few near captures, captures, and scary scenes.  The author vividly describes this new world...and what it takes to survive in it. 

The characters are dynamic, the reader will grow attached to Ember.  The events are fast-paced and exciting, the reader will root for Ember and Chase throughout the novel.  The ending was perfect, wouldn't change a thing. This novel is highly recommended teen/young adult readers.

4 Stars


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Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani

When Shalini’s father gets a new job in L.A., she is torn away from her life in India and the boy to whom she’s been betrothed since she was three. L.A. is so different, and Shalini dresses and talks all wrong. She isn’t sure she’ll survive high school in America without her fiancé, Vikram, and now she has to cope with her mom’s homesickness and depression. A new friend, chill and confident Renuka, helps Shalini find her way and get up the courage to join the Food4Life club at school. But she gets more than just a friend when she meets Toby—she gets a major crush. Shalini thinks she loves Vikram, but he never made her feel like this.
In Lovetorn, Shalini discovers that your heart ultimately makes its own choices, even when it seems as if your destiny has already been chosen.

Author Kavita Daswani has always been fascinated by child marriages and betrothals, and this story of a traditional girl from India, who is exposed to so many more freedoms and experiences after being dropped in a completely alien culture, is a fresh and contemporary look at the subject.

Goodreads Summary

Shalini, the main character of this novel, leaves the familiarity of India for the strange new environment and people of America. One of her most regrettable thoughts of leaving India consisted of Vikram, the boy she has been engaged to since she was three. Vikram and Shalini's relationship does continue via long-distance. They skype, chat on the phone, and write letters; however, it is not easy to keep a long-distance relationship going and Shalini slowly begins to adjust to her new home.



At the beginning, Shalini experienced the typical out-of-place new girl emotion. There were a few "mean girls" who made her adjustment harder than it had to be. She envies her younger sister for slipping into the school and her new life so easily. Shalini is resilient, however, and manages to make some necessary changes and move on. Her mother is not making the necessary changes...her mother's behavior alters the family dynamic. When Shalini decides to forge through school and meets a handsome American boy, Toby, she suddenly has questions about her future.



Overall, this was an excellent book. I loved Shalini's character. She was so clearly intelligent, brave, and calm. Toby was interesting, he was a "nice guy." He could have possibly been introduced earlier in the novel, but it was fine the way it was. Vikram was so sweet it was unbearable-a reader will be able to see why Shalini loved him. The events were fast-paced and interesting. The story is told from Shalini's perspective and she truly allows the reader to get inside her head. This book is recommended to young adult/teen readers.

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This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.