Tag Archives: time travel

Find Me In Time: Meeting Columbus by L.T. Caton (Book Review)

A group of young friends travel back in time to key periods in history in this new chapter book adventure series, making learning fun!

A normal day of hide-and-seek turns into a discovery of a lifetime when five young friends are transported back in time after finding a secret clubhouse at the top of a sycamore tree. Dubbing themselves the Tree House Club, Ashley, Emma, Keith, Aaron, and Harry learn that events of the past didn’t necessarily unfold the way they learned in school.

The treehouse has magical abilities that take Ashley and her friends to Guanahani in 1492, a time the kids requested to witness Christopher Columbus’s first arrival on his voyage to the New World. There, the friends—dubbed the Tree House Club—meet the kind and generous Taino Lukku-Cairo tribespeople who welcome their new visitors with food and gifts.

It isn’t long before the Taino chief, Tiburon, and the Tree House Club friends see three sailing ships approaching. With history on their side, the kids realize it is the famed explorer, Christopher Columbus, who quickly makes his claim for the Taino’s native land for the Queen of Spain. The kids soon learn that what their history books did not teach them was some of the lesser-known facts about Columbus, his greedy intentions in Guanahani—or San Salvador, as he named it—and his poor treatment of the humble Taino people. But the children’s friendships with the Taino put their own lives in danger from the European colonists. Will the treehouse save them in time?

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Imagine, if you will, casually playing hide-and-seek with your best chums when the unexplainable, the imaginable, occur. One moment, you’re seeking a prime hiding spot; the next, a ladder appears out of nowhere, leading to an extraordinary treehouse. Five best friends entered the treehouse and noticed that the interior didn’t measure up to its exterior. Looks were truly deceiving. While that alone would boggle anyone’s mind, what happened next shook them— literally. As if the treehouse comprehended Harry’s question of who built this home, it answered him by transporting all five friends into the past. Floor shaking. Lights flashing. The experience was disorienting, but it didn’t negate they were, in fact, in the past. They were observers of the events unfolding, frozen and scared about what they witnessed. Their first trip to the past was short-lived, but they did manage to time travel again and again.

The group chose many points in history to visit. Their brief time at the Alamo in 1936 was frightening. War is never a pleasant experience for any age. But, a bright spot came out of the adventure; they met Davy Crockett. Since their second trip was quite jarring, they decided to do more research before they haphazardly asked the treehouse to work its magic. Great idea. Their next trip had them setting sail to the time of the infamous Christopher Columbus. Young readers will learn interesting information about the explorer as the group discloses what they learned during their research. 

Readers will enjoy how this journey differed from the other voyages. This time, the five friends were active participants in the past. They looked like they belonged. They walked around the village. They could smell the flowers and food. They had the fortunate opportunity to touch hand-crafted objects displayed in modern-day museums behind touchless glass. They also spoke to the Native Americans and bore witness to the arrival of Christopher Columbus. 

Many revere Christopher Columbus, but they shouldn’t. Find Me In Time: Meeting Columbus shows the truth about the explorer. He did not respect the natives or their land. He devastated their land, destroyed the natives’ way of life, and was a brute. When the children revisited the Taino tribe, they were stunned by what Christopher Columbus and the colonists did to the tribespeople and their home. The children can’t fathom why we still celebrate this man, and I don’t either.

While the truth of Christoper Columbus and his mark on his history isn’t pleasant, children must know the truth about him and his actions. 

The story concludes with possible more journeys ahead, even to outer space. I can’t wait to read that one! 

I concur with Amazon’s recommended reading age of 6-11 years. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤

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Meet the Author

Children’s book author L.T. Caton knew early in her teaching career that she wanted to be a writer. When she was a young student, history was her least favorite subject. She found it boring and often questioned why the delivery of historical facts presented in school only provided one perspective.

As a teacher and writer, her goal is to provide students with an entertaining opportunity to learn about people in history who are often not mentioned in textbooks, and to explore the many conflicting versions of history that exist. She hopes to achieve this goal through her new chapter book series, Find Me in Time, a collection of chapter books covering significant events or periods in history.

L.T. thinks a great book has relatable characters, an engaging plot, and a lesson learned that can be applied to real life long after the book is closed. She hopes her books inspire a love of reading, and in particular, inspires children of color and young girls to learn about people in history who look like them.

Hailing from New York, when she’s not writing fascinating historical fiction stories for young readers, L.T. enjoys being near the ocean—fishing, walking on the beach, sailing, and cycling. She also enjoys baking, cooking, traveling, community service, and being with family and friends. Her family has been supportive in her professional journey, including her parents, sister, and late grandmother.

Find Me in Time’s debut title is Meeting Columbus, about the famed explorer’s first landing in the New World.

 

 

 

 

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Hollow: A Love Like A Life by Jazalyn (Book Review)

A ghost spirit of dark’s universe falls in love with a ghost spirit of light’s universe, and while They cannot meet, for They wander around separate realms and spacetimes, They live Their love through a secret and sacred interaction.

They are light years APART.

But there is INVISIBLE possession.

A precious NEED bridges the range.

A SECRET LANGUAGE.

A SACRED ENERGY.

A distant BOND is created.

An EVOLUTION of the SOULS.

Will they ever MEET for REAL?

And in what FORM?

A supernatural paranormal romance poetic novel of mystical and spiritual time travel, epitome of confessional metaphysical and existential love that is seen in space opera.

I prefer the dark
And often I cry
But is it so sad?
You prefer the light
And you smile
But are you happy?

Our eyes see
Different things
But our thoughts
Are aligned
And I’m wondering
Why I love you
When we can’t live
The same life

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(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)

Hollow: A Love Like A Life consists of about eighty poems dealing with love, jealousy, sadness, paranoia, self-doubt, and obsession. 

Some people believe there is only one person for them. Their self-worth hinges on that person’s love and acceptance. They think if this person can’t or won’t love them in return, then no one will. (Example: “If They Can’t Love Me”) You should not define yourself or your worth based on if your “soul mate” loves you in return. That’s unhealthy. 

Hollow: A Love Like A Life is about two ghostly spirits: one living in the light’s universe and one residing in the dark universe. You might have noticed I didn’t use “living” when I mentioned the spirit in the dark universe. I didn’t because they weren’t living. They were merely residing, hoping, obsessing over light’s love, if it’s real or not. 

When I read poem after poem, I had a mental image of someone plucking petals off a flower and, after each pluck saying, “They love me. They love me not.” The dark spirit questioned light’s love time and again. They saw the light giving attention to others and became jealous. (Example – “After Loving You”) They wanted to ask if it was all in their head but were afraid of the answer. This scenario will resonate with many readers. 

A common theme throughout the book is obsession. “Haunted” even stated they will “make you love me.” 

“Back to Your Thoughts” had a most unsettling line that would be cause for alarm if this was discussing real people and not spirits: “My feelings for you order me to obey to your will.” 

The final line of “Irreparably” is something that I agree with, and you, the review reader, will probably agree with too. “Don’t play with my feelings.” No one wants toyed with, so this ender was perfect. Either you love someone, or you don’t. Be honest, so no one’s heart is left in a state of limbo. 

I’m scoring this a three. I think others will relate to the poetry far better than I do, so I am giving it a point for its relatability. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score:

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About the Author

With 150,000+ engagements and 20,000+ followers that grow more and more across 7 social media platforms, Jazalyn is among the most-promising newcomers authors-poets.

Her books have sold in 4 Continents and have been featured on best-seller category-based lists on Amazon US, Amazon UK and Amazon AU. Soon she will expand in every corner of the Earth.

Jazalyn attracts all cultures and traditions with an audience from all walks and stages of life as a consequence of the universal atmosphere that encircles her themes.

Her innovative and versatile writing style stemming from abstraction and absurdness captivates mystery and suspense with words swimming in surrealism and magical realism.

Her imaginative and inventive narration unites the philosophical with the psychological and the scientific elements of both fantasy and fiction that create and solve riddles and puzzles.

In what results as a contemporary genre of cinematic (epic) poetry in slice of life-vignette expression which provokes thinking and eyes new horizons.

Her latest books vViIrRuUsS, Rose, Hollow signify Jazalyn’s transition towards literary magnificence.

 

Website Link

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Amazon Author Page Link

 

 

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The Accidental World by K.A. Griffin (Book Review / Author Interview)


 
Ethan Scott thinks he is having a normal Monday evening, waiting for his grandfather, Pops, to return. Pops had left on a mysterious errand the day before, and warned Ethan that if his return is delayed, then Ethan will be in danger. Suddenly, Ethan hears creaking on the footsteps and barricades himself in his room That’s the last thing he remembers as THE ACCIDENTAL WORLD by K. A. Griffin begins before Ethan finds himself transported to a new world that was like nothing he had ever seen.
 
 
NHHMM is a futuristic town, blighted by air pollution that is so strong everyone wears masks in order to breathe. Everything is alien to Scott: his surroundings, the buggies that people travel in, his classmates, and the headmistress who seems to know him, but who he has never seen before in his life. But there is one thing that is familiar to Scott, and that is the popular game, Conquest, that he used to play with his grandfather. Scott excels at Conquest, beating all of his classmates. He is chosen to play in the tournament that is attended by many in the town, including the Chancellor. But he soon learns his Pop has been captured and jailed by the Chancellor. Pop is part of an underground resistance that holds the secrets to a powerful technology that the corrupt Chancellor wants to obtain. Nobody is who they appear to be, and Ethan learns the truth about his parents and Pop’s true identity. The tournament is Ethan’s chance to save Pop’s life and those in the resistance who are trying to free him. Pop’s and Ethan’s fate hangs in the balance. What becomes of Pop and the resistance fighters? Will Ethan disappear forever if he wins the tournament, a fate that has befallen previous winners? Readers will have to wait until the publication of Book 2 in this riveting trilogy to find out what Ethan’s destiny is in the accidental world he has traveled to, and that pits good against evil is a world not too dissimilar from our own.
 
 
​BUY THE BOOK:
Kindle Purchase Link
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
First, I must state that The Accidental World’s cover was sublime! It captured Ethan and his precarious predicament perfectly! Eugene Ivanov, the cover artist, created a beautiful work of art. 

As for Ethan, he’s on quite the adventure. Thrust into another time and place, with only a handful of clues to guide his way, Ethan’s flourished when most time travelers would’ve struggled. His quick thinking and bright, inquisitive mind have been his saving grace. Well, that and he had people watching his back for their reasons. 

As a fan of games, I loved how detailed K.A. Griffin was in the gaming scenes. When the competitors gathered to play Conquest, I felt I had a spot at their table and played alongside them. Truth, I haven’t played this particular board game yet, but it sounds fascinating. Maybe, I’ll need to purchase it for family game night. 

As a whole, The Accidental World was a riveting read. K.A. Griffin kept me on my toes on who was a true ally and who faking a friendship/kindness with Ethan for their own agenda. And, I could practically see Ethan’s mouth drop open when he got a history lesson about Pops and the other main characters. 

After Ethan absorbed the surprise revelations, the pace of the story increased exponentially. Operation Pops was in full force, and the scenes were action-packed!!! 
 
For those who love techy gadgets, you’re going to love all the futuristic inventions. Pops’s cane was wicked cool too. 

This story would be perfect for in-class group reading, homeschooling parents, or for private use.
 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤
 
 
 
 
 
​​Meet the Author:
Picture

 
Bio: A graduate of Baylor University with a degree in Business Administration, Keith spent his first career managing businesses and distressed corporations. His second career began at Amazon, where he started at the bottom, ensuring we all get the packages we need. He now manages 100 Amazon associates, and every day he still keeps an eye out for the latest novels coming through the building.

At eighteen, he wrote his first short story. It was a murder mystery only thirteen pages long. On Christmas morning, before anyone had the first cup of coffee, his family noticed that the presents under the tree were gone, and in their place were three manila envelopes. Merry Christmas! You must solve the mystery to find the gifts! It was this short story that led to a lifelong love of writing.

Keith currently lives in Texas with his wife, a dog who thinks she is a princess, a horse who knows she is a princess, and a rescue cat who is little more than a source of allergies. There is talk of chickens in his future, but every time he starts to build the coop, a critical tool goes missing. He always blames the cat.

 
 
Do you snack while writing? Favorite snack? Noooo. It makes my keyboard all kinds of sticky.


Where do you write? Anytime or anywhere. I just can’t watch movies or television when I’m writing. I’m not that good at multi-tasking.


Do you write every day? If I don’t write something every day, I get grumpy. Cute animals don’t want to be around me. My wife doesn’t want to be around me. I need to be moving a story forward every day.


What is you writing schedule? I normally try to write a chapter a day. That’s about 4,000 words for me. The most I’ve ever written was 11,000 words. My body ached for a week.


Is there a specific ritualistic thing you do during your writing time? I listen to music. Whatever evokes the mood that I need. I usually put a song on repeat and I may listen to that one song for hours at a time.


In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper? No. I’ve used an old school typewriter with carbon, but I type everything on my Mac. My handwriting is so bad I would never be able to decipher why I    wrote if I used paper and pen.


If you could go back in time, where would you go? Probably 1988. I would love to have been in Berlin when the wall fell.


Favorite travel spot? Wengen, Switzerland. You have to take a train up small town and when you get off of the train the Alps are right there so close you feel as if you could reach out and touch them.


Favorite dessert? Anything with chocolate. However, adding coconut or nuts to a chocolate dessert should be considered a criminal act.


If you were stuck on a deserted island, which 3 books would you want with you? How to Survive on a Deserted Island, 101 Ways to Prepare Coconuts, and Moleskin notebook to write my next novel.
 
connect with the author:  facebook ~ website

 
 
 
 
Disclaimer: All questions were constructed by the author and/or their representative. 
 
 

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Anarchy Zone Time Yarns (Time Yarns Anthologies Book 2) by Erin Lale, Plus 4 More Contributing Authors (Anthology Review)

Print length : 52 pages

Contents:

Streamliners by Gordon Yaswen
The Anarchy Zone by Erin Lale
1400 Hours by Ian Miller
An Etonean Dilemma by Humberto Sachs
Host by Giampietro Stocco

Art Contents:

Hope by Alex Storer
At All Goes Away by Lisa Yount

Kindle Purchase Link

 

 


(review request submitted by Erin Lale, contributing author/editor, for an honest critique) 

 

(Story One) Do you love poetry? Do you love science?

If you said yes to both, you must check out Streamliners by Gordon Yaswen because, as you can probably surmise, Yaswen combines both. 

 

(Story Two) The Anarchy Zone by Erin Lale:  Since I love comic books, talk of mutants made me think of that world. I didn’t like people targeting them, but that’s a shared endeavor in stories with mutants – whether they have four arms or some other oddity. 

 

(Story Three) 1400 Hours by Ian Miller discusses Schrödinger’s cat – a hypothetical cat that can and can not exist at the same time depending on one more thing, opening a box to find out the answer. 

In 1400 hours, a man suffers this conundrum. He exists in one universe but is hidden in another. Linked together but also separated by an impenetrable wall.

Two universes divided by mere 1400 hours—a small amount of time to one person- an eternity to another. 

 Oh yeah, this is a scientific mind-bender, and I loved it! 

 

(Story Four) An Etonean Dilemma by Humberto Sachs: While there were some science fiction aspects to An Eternal Dilemma, this story felt more politically driven than anything else. While I can feel and appreciate how passionate the author is about the tension between two particular countries (names withheld on purpose), I wish he would’ve focused more on science and less on the political drama we face every day on the nightly news. 

 

(Story Five) Host by Giampietro Stocco mixed sci-fi with some horror-style imagery to create a brilliant short story. Plus, it spoke of events that could possibly happen in the future.

Comets could hit and destroy most of Earth.
New diseases could erupt because of it.
New weather and weather patterns would emerge.
Humans would go to any length to survive.

Science fiction meets plausible reality — oh yeah, Giampietro Stocco, I like your style!

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 

Kindle Purchase Link

 

 

Gordon Yaswen, poet and college professor in California.

Erin Lale, Native American, inventor of technical processes in iDEN and CDMA wireless communications technology.

Ian Miller, New Zealander, inventor of algae based products and owner of Carina Chemical Laboratories Ltd.

Humberto Sachs, from Brazil, co-designer of the International Space Station.

Giampietro Stocco, of Italy, winner of the Premio Alien per la fantascienza 2006 for his story L’Ospite (The Host) which appears in this anthology for the first time in English.

Alex Storer, science fiction and fantasy artist in the UK.

Lisa Yount, artist and jeweller in California.

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Touchstone of Love (A Time Travel Romance) by Beth Barany (Novella Review)

 

***A short novel. This is a novella of approximately 20,000 words.***

From present day modernity to medieval France.

When a thunderstorm transports software expert Rose Waldman to thirteenth century France, she meets hunky stonemason Julien, who is secretly creating a gargoyle in defiance of his master mason. Can independent gadget loving Rose trust her life and heart to Julien, and can she really never go home again?

Kindle Purchase Link

Click here to add this book to your reading list on Goodreads.

 

 

(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)

 

Time travel stories are fascinating because an author can take you to virtually any date and place in history. Rose managed to teleport to 13th century Scotland where a very muscular man found her buck-naked in a field.

Even though Julien admired her body, he was respectful toward her, probably because he was betrothed to another.

When Rose was lucid, she made advances at him several times despite his commitment to another. I wasn’t a fan of this, but it all worked out in the end. True love conquered marriage by obligation.

I found it comical and realistic how she failed so epically to fit into the new time period. I was mildly shocked she didn’t brainstorm or have meltdowns on how to get back home. I’m not sure if I’d been as resilient as Rose. I’d probably scream or hyperventilate before I succumbed to the realization this was my life now.

After all the drama, this novella ended as I predicted.
It was a sweet ending to a not so sweet start.

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score:  

 

Kindle Purchase Link

Click here to add this book to your reading list on Goodreads.

 

 

 

Beth Barany writes magical tales of romance and adventure to transport readers to new worlds where anything is possible.

All the Books in the Touchstone Series:
All books are stand-alone, yet are connected.

Touchstone of Love (A Time Travel Romance) (Touchstone, #1)
A Christmas Fling (A Christmas Elf Romance) (Touchstone, #2)
Parisian Amour (A Fairy Tale Romance) (Touchstone, #3)
A Labyrinth of Love and Roses (A Fairy Tale Romance) (Touchstone, #4)
A Cupcake Christmas (A Christmas Elf Romance) (Touchstone, #5)

Buy All Five At Once!

 

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