Showing posts with label sparkpoint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sparkpoint. Show all posts

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Happy Book Birthday Giveaway! "Vote for Remi" by Leanna Lehman


Washington D.C turned upside down, but not by the usual suspects; would-be terrorists, a major government shut down, or another fiscal train wreck hurling the country toward economic collapse.  Instead, by a classroom of underachieving teenagers with nothing more on their minds than who posted what on Facebook (O.M.G!), their latest tattoo and/or facial piercing, and whether or not this black looks good with that black.

It never would have happened if their annoyingly passionate U.S. Government teacher, Remi Covington, didn’t poke, prod, and provoke them into giving a damn about politics, much less about politicians. Really, who believes all that idealistic crap she pours down their throats about the government, political courage, and the process anyway? Someone had to show her that she was wrong –that politicians are inherently corrupt, that the government doesn’t care about people like them, and their vote doesn’t really count, should they ever decide to cast it. What else could this class of slackers and hackers do, but strike back. How did they do it? By the method most favored by teenagers –they executed what might be considered the greatest practical joke of all time, or was it something else entirely?

Using the only available tools at their disposal, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, they announce their teacher’s intentions to run for President of the United States. Yes, for President, and completely without her knowledge or consent. Shocking even them, the news goes viral, and no one is prepared for what follows. Fortunately for Remi Covington, she has a few tricks up her sleeve as well. Too bad they backfire and she finds herself on the ballot, vying for the highest office in the land, with nothing but a closet full of skeletons and her renegade classroom of misfits to lead the way.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Book Review: The Resurrection of Tess Blessing by Leslie Kagen


SYNOPSIS

The Resurrection of Tess Blessing is by turns heartbreaking and heartwarming, emotional, perceptive, slightly magical, and funny. It’s a redemptive story about second chances and realizing what—and who—is really important, before it’s too late.

After she is diagnosed with breast cancer, fifty-one-year-old Tess sets forth on a mission to complete her final “to-do” list before, what she’s sure is, her impending death. She needs to make peace with her estranged sister, say goodbye to her mother’s long-kept ashes that she keeps in the garage, rescue her daughter from the grip of an eating disorder, help her son grow-up, and reignite the spark in her marriage. One factor she never considers is that she might have to stick around and deal with her handiwork.

Tess is aided on her quest by narrator, Grace, who lends the story its most brilliant elements: subtle magical realism and deep psychological complexity. Is Grace an “imaginary friend,” guardian angel, or a part of Tess who knows better than she?

The Resurrection of Tess Blessing is authentic, funny, sad, and at its heart… redemptive.