Sam's Quest for the Crimson Crystal by Ben Furman

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Black Hawk Press (April 16, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0977873188
ISBN-13: 978-0977873180

Book Synopsis:

"Sam" Mae Costas is nobody's idea of a hero. SHe is constantly teased about her thick glasses, her small size, and her asthma attacks are embarrassing and difficult to control. When Sam is forced to spend the summer on her grandpa's farm she thinks things can't get much worse.

Deep in the caverns below the farm, Prince Buznor is a young Awok on a life-and-death mission to save his world. He has to find Sam and prove to her that only she can find and control the Crimson Crystal...the one weapon that can defeat the evil threatening his people.

To reach the Crimson Crystal Sam must journey through the hostile Land of Geffen, facing hordes of catacomb dwarfs, vicious vampire bats and deadly monsters. Can Sam overcome her fears, her doubts, and find the Crimson Crystal in time to save the Awokian world?

It has been quite some time since I have read a book classified as young adult and also quite some time since I have read something in the fantasy category so it was a pleasure to read this book by Ben Furman. There are quite a few things that I love about this book, but most of all I love the fact that the author portrays the hero as a young girl who is not what you would typically classify as a hero. She has asthma, is small for her age, wears big thick glasses, and is what you would consider a tomboy.

Summer is here, and that means that it is time for Sam's parents to head off on their archeological expedition. It also means it is time to leave New York and head to Grandpa Paul's farm, the place where Sam will spend her summer. Sam loves her Grandpa, but would much rather go with her parents. Unfortunately, the still think she is too young. She is worried that this summer will be like every other, with some fun in the beginning, but with boredom setting in before too long. She couldn't have been more wrong!

There have been questions about Sam's lineage from an early age. She looks nothing like most of her relatives, but does have an unusal characterisitic, a birthmark on her neck in the shape of a diamond. This birthmark seems to appear on relatives in Sam's family every 100 years...she thinks this seems too unusual to be just a coincidence. And she was right.

Sam finds out that she comes from a long line of protectors of creatures no one in this world has ever heard of. She has experienced odd sensations while on her Grandfather's farm, but never dreamed it was due to the fact that there was a portal to another world rooted in his land. Not only does she have powers, she is truly a legend in the world of Prince Buznor. She needs to draw on the strength she has buried to find the Crimson Crystal so she can save the Awokian people from elimination.

I am surprised and pleased to say that this book really held my attention. Even though it is geared towards a younger audience, the author does a good job of keeping the pace exciting. I would recommend this for young and old alike.

About the author:

Ben, a former FBI counterterrorism chief, has drawn on this experience to write about high-tech terrorism, chemical, biological, and nuclear threats, and transnational criminal cartels. During his career he investigated kidnappings, extortions, bank robberies, led SWAT teams and was the FBI counterterrorism chief assigned to address threats against the United States by terrorists of all stripes.

He also writes fantasy adventure novels with positive messages for the young adult, juvenile market.

He is the Rexus CEO, a corporation that conducts international corporate investigations involving industrial espionage, internal theft, business due diligence and background screening.
You can visit his website at www.blackhawkpress.com.

SAM'S QUEST FOR THE CRIMSON CRYSTAL VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on September 2, '08 and end on September 26, '08. You can visit the Ben's tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September to find out more about him and his new book!
As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 26!

This virtual book tour is being brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion and choreographed by Cheryl Malandrinos.

The Lost Diary of Don Juan by Douglas Carlton Abrams

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press; Reprint edition (July 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416532528
ISBN-13: 978-1416532521

Book Synopsis:

In a time of discovery and decadence, when the gold that poured endlessly into the port of Sevilla devalued money, marriage, and love itself, young Juan Tenorio was abandoned and raised by nuns. He grew up loving and worshipping all women, but a clandestine affair with one of the sisters forces him to leave the Church-and his plans for the priesthood-forever. Juan becomes a spy, as well as the world's greatest libertine. But far from the heartless seducer that legend recounts, he seeks liberation and redemption as much as personal pleasure and gratification. He begins to keep a diary of his greatest adventures and the Arts of Passion he has mastered. The most perilous adventure of all-the irresistible fall into the madness of love with the only woman who could ever make him forget all others-finally compels him to confess everything.

Douglas Carlton Abrams's magical debut novel captures the heart of the Spanish Golden Age and the secret life of the world's greatest lover-Don Juan-who came to embody the spirit that would inflame the modern age.

This year has really been a great one for me, and let me tell you why. In the past, if someone would have suggested a historical fiction book to me I would have told them that it wasn't my kind of book. All of these years I have steered clear of books of this nature because while in school history was the subject that I liked the least. It is amazing what books like this can do, as now I jump at the chance to read books about history, fiction or not.

I admit going in that I didn't know a whole lot about the legendary Don Juan. Just the same information that most of the general public knows...a true ladies man but not one to stay with one woman for any period of time. This book certainly gives the readers a new look into this man - he truly loved women and his goal was to bring them pleasure by getting them to feel confident about themselves and their bodies. I loved the way this book was written, it sheds a new light on this story and really makes me want to dig into the history of Don Juan and find out more about him.

Although this book is about Don Juan, Douglas does an excellent job of depicting 16th century Spain. One of my favorite part in the book is when Fray Ignacio comes to the convent to speak to the nuns about there being a heretic among them. After he questions the nuns, he decides to take one of them-Hermana Jeronima back to the headquarters of the Holy Office in Sevilla where she would be questioned further. She was being taken to the Inquisition...how horrifying!

This book was an excellent read, and with its fast pace made for a delightful weekend read. I would highly recommend it.

About the author:

Douglas Carlton Abrams is a former editor at the University of California Press and HarperSanFrancisco. He is the co-author of a number of books on love, sexuality, and spirituality, including books written with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar, and Taoist Master Mantak Chia. He lives in Santa Cruz, California, with his wife and three children. In his life and work, he is interested in cultivating all aspects of our humanity —body, emotions, mind, and spirit. His goal in writing fiction is to create stories that not only entertain, but also attempt to question, enchant, and transform.

Doug’s desire in writing the book was not only to resurrect this greatest of historical lovers and to give voice to his true motives; he was also moved to write a book that would explore the tension between lust and love and that would confront the human question of how any man or woman can find lifelong satisfaction in one committed relationship. To find out more about the origins of The Lost Diary and the myth of Don Juan, and to learn about forthcoming novels, please visit www.LostDiaryofDonJuan.com or www.DouglasCarltonAbrams.com.



THE LOST DIARY OF DON JUAN VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on September 2, '08 and end on September 26, '08. You can visit the Douglas' tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September to find out more about him and his new book!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 26!

This virtual book tour is being brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.


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