Book reviews by Mobilism's Book Review team
Apr 19th, 2014, 1:30 pm
Almost two years ago we launched the eBook Reviews section, which met with enormous interest and became an instant success, as measured by readers' participation. That participation inspired discussions and the section continued to grow, alive and healthy. Until it slowly began to decline.

What happened? Well, life happened. Some reviewers left the team to become moderators on this site. Other reviewers suffered crises in their personal lives and of course had to attend to those issues. We can only miss them and wish them all the best of luck.

We had not foreseen the possibility of such an impasse and had no replacements ready. Fortunately, we have learned from our mistakes and here we are, back with a new team of reviewers under the leadership of ephemeral, Chief Reviewer. We all know each of the new team members; they are our friends and we have enjoyed their many posts and comments on Mobilism for some time. It will be our privilege to enjoy their Reviews now. Good luck to them all and welcome!

The new team includes:


Note: If you would like to become a Reviewer or just post a review, please send a private message (PM) to ephemeral
Apr 19th, 2014, 1:30 pm
Apr 19th, 2014, 1:44 pm
Thanks for informing us.
Quick question ..is each reviewer in charge of the different genre? And if so how can we tell?


merry60 wrote:Let's wait and see what the reviewers have to say about themselves first :D
Apr 19th, 2014, 1:44 pm
Apr 19th, 2014, 1:46 pm
For as far back as my memories go, I remember reading something. I started with cereal boxes, moved up to Hardy Boys mysteries, and later whatever books lay about the house, unread and available. My mom read a lot, but indiscriminately. I evolved into the big reader of our small family (5 of us), ultimately maxing out my reading pace to 6 books per week. Silly me, of course; I remember nothing of those 6 books. (Nor the 5 books the next week!)

One thing led to another, as happens, and I had the lightbulb moment that said, "I want to be a writer." Well, big difference between wanting to be a writer and actually writing. My stories early on were derivative, silly, pointless. But that long-ago effort proved good for something; I learned what worked and what did not. Notably if writing the story bored me, reading it would prove equally boring. Not the goal you aim for, if you seek repeat customers. The maxim "Write what you know" morphed for me into "Write what you love (to read)"... Write the story you (I) want to read but is not available; a notion I found bracing and ultimately liberating.

Meanwhile I had to eat and pay rent. My quotidian life evolved as I pursued separately another passion, finance. For me, this division is a clear manifestation of the brain's two hemispheres (right brain, left brain; arts, numbers; etc) in action.

As my two careers took off, I sought to keep them separate; my fiction writing appears behind the scrim of a pseudonym, my non-fiction appears with my real name. (And sometimes not.) I suppose it is a good thing my astrological sign is Gemini, else I would be really messed up! (Or more messed up than I am already. :-))
Apr 19th, 2014, 1:46 pm
Apr 19th, 2014, 2:42 pm
I grew up in a family of 8 children, with almost twenty years between the youngest and oldest. I have been a reader my entire life. I can remember sneaking the "Little Prairie" series under the covers and reading with a flashlight, late into the night. All 6 of the girls in my family are insatiable readers, and keep in touch on Goodreads.com. All of us work with words or teaching in some capacity. We all inherited our love of reading from my mother, who was never without a book. "Thanks mom!"

I even read while walking down the street! (I don't recommend it!)

I love being silly, have a great sense of humor, and I couldn't get through this life without it. I have a daughter who is my life, even if she isn't a reader. < cringe > (I still have hope!)

I am also really into music and can listen to it all day. I fall asleep every night being serenaded by one of 153 artists on my I-Pod........ Having the lyrics is a must! I'm quite compulsive about it, because I love words; their meanings and origins, word puzzles and crosswords, but most of all, books. I can't imagine a world without them. Reading is like an addiction for me, a form of escape from reality. My favorite genre is Historical Fiction, but I'll read anything within my reach when strapped for something.

Since I love the smell of books, the feel of the pages under my fingers, and shelves filled with books, I never thought I would have use for an e-reader. However, in 2011, I bought a Kindle, and ended up loving it. Shortly after that, I discovered Mobilism. I lurked for quite a while, but finally showed my avatar, and here I am. I love the community, my friends here, and the e-book section is heaven! Not a day goes by without visiting the forum numerous times! It's a win-win situation for me. I have found many new authors and books since coming to Mobilism, and I also get to share what I love. I'm looking forward to contributing to the Reviews section! :D
Apr 19th, 2014, 2:42 pm
Apr 19th, 2014, 5:16 pm
My name is Emmy. I'm in my late 30's. My current home is in the Eastern USA. I read primarily on my blackberry, despite owning an old school kindle and a kindle fire.

In my life I am or have been: a geek, a nerd, a very good student, a wife, a writer, a fanfic writer, zookeeper, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer enthusiast, a hardcore gamer, a watcher of very bad and trashy reality tv, an attorney. Above all, I am a reader - I have been since I was very young.

I'm the person who will place books in your hands because I know you'll like them. I'm also the person people come to for reading recommendations - I read a lot and a lot of different genres, so I've usually got a recommendation or two... or ten.

Likes: YA, Urban Fantasy, foodie essays, old kids books that I equate to comfort food, and nice people.

Dislikes: Really hardcore Sci Fi, poorly written and derivative novels or those that jump on a bandwagon, pretentious people.

Pet Peeves: The way that the romance section has become poorly executed imitations of 50 Shades of Grey, people who don't understand that the sun really IS trying to kill me, and the current DC reboot.

My favourite day of the week is Tuesday, because that's the day new books are released. I refer to it as "New Book Day" and my poor husband takes me to a bookstore just about every Tuesday. I think Tuesday should be a weekly holiday, to me it is!
Apr 19th, 2014, 5:16 pm
Apr 19th, 2014, 5:40 pm
I have always had a fascination with books. Growing up my favorite was Go, Dog. Go! by P. D. Eastman. I still have the book my mother use to read to me along with several others from childhood. As time went on I evolved to different genres: exchanging romance for horror; fantasy for literary fiction; and even paranormal for non-fiction. My taste in books is as varied as my music library. My family says that I cannot pick one style and stay with it. I prefer to expand and learn something new / different.

Growing up on a farm I was more likely to be found hiding near the creek under a tree reading than hoeing the fields. Reading was not just an escape but a way to travel to everywhere without ever leaving the comforts of home. The best part about books is I can travel to the future, back to the past, modern day France, or medieval Scotland.

Too many books, too little time.
Apr 19th, 2014, 5:40 pm
Apr 20th, 2014, 1:31 am
I am a mom, wife, and a voracious reader. I have always worked in a profession helping others; currently, I am in healthcare. My mother was an English teacher - so a love of reading started early. I used to read in the bathtub, at the dinner table, in the car, and in class when I was supposed to be doing other things. When I was 9, I spent the whole trip to Washington D.C. reading the Anne of Green Gables series, unimpressed by the national monuments around us. My parents used to steer me around as I walked and read - I do something similar for my kids now.

As I grew older, there was always money budgeted for books; my stocking and birthday cards were always filled with B&N and later amazon.com gift certificates. Yet still, I couldn't meet my book "needs" - sometimes I would drive to different bookstores to return the books I had just bought (and read) yesterday. I haunted libraries, I nagged friends for books, and in turn pressed books upon them. Even non-readers grew entranced by my descriptions of books and requested them.

Every room in my home had a bookshelf, every cabinet filled with books... it was not long before I ran out of room. I was an old fashioned reader who preferred the heft of a book, the lovely smell of the pages - until I tried an e-reader. I loved it! My collection grew and grew - yet I could carry it around in my purse. Heaven!

And then I found Mobilism and my life changed materially. Now one person, me, among a group of equally passionate readers, each of whom would give book recommendations, review them, talk about all things book-related, and best of all - share them with me. And I shared right back. I am so happy to have found Mobilism and the people here.

Now I get to do what I always have done: Share my passion for books, trade them with others, and recommend them to you in my own little corner of Mobilism. See you soon!
Apr 20th, 2014, 1:31 am
Apr 20th, 2014, 7:33 am
According to family legend, Sky was a terror while being taught to read and even avoided picture books. This seems dubious, however, since for as far back as she can remember she has never been without a book or nine in hand. At ten, she developed the unfortunate habit of insisting on carrying all her favourite books around with her constantly; this resulted in very heavy school bags. Eventually the family doctor recommended she be given an e-reader, to make the carrying of books less damaging to her spine. This was done, and although she still insists on buying her favourites in hardback for the bookshelf, she is never without her kindle.

Glamour-bomber, pagan, and wannabe-writer, Sky is an unabashed fantasy fan who occasionally deigns to dip into science-fiction when it proves itself worthy. This is not often, but she is usually willing to give it a chance. She lives with her gay husband and a chihuahua who thinks he’s a cat. Or maybe a squirrel. No one is quite sure.

The list of favourite authors is unending, but some of the top contenders are Anne Bishop, Roz Kaveney, Lois McMaster Bujold, Kate Elliott, Ellen Kushner, NK Jemisin, and Andrea K Host. She looks forward to introducing the mobilism review section to all of them!
Apr 20th, 2014, 7:33 am
Apr 21st, 2014, 4:28 pm
Welcome all..but no hardcore fans of science fiction among our reviewers?? no... :)
Apr 21st, 2014, 4:28 pm
Apr 21st, 2014, 10:58 pm
Haha - that just means maybe we need a sci fi person! :) Ephemeral and Merry are super nice - talk to them!
Apr 21st, 2014, 10:58 pm
Apr 22nd, 2014, 1:31 am
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Apr 22nd, 2014, 1:31 am
Apr 22nd, 2014, 10:03 am
jpcab wrote:Welcome all..but no hardcore fans of science fiction among our reviewers?? no... :)

I agree, we need a Reviewer dedicated to SF. I suppose that person would be me, for the nonce, but my reviews will not be solely SF.

How about you - interested in the role? Contact me via PM, if yes.
Apr 22nd, 2014, 10:03 am
Oct 7th, 2014, 9:09 pm
Hello all! I am so excited to be joining such an amazing team!

I am a 24 year old undergrad who wishes to stay that way even in the unlikelihood of doing so. I'm an English Literature major who seeks to get into the publishing industry (not as a writer if you would believe it). I really want to become a big name publisher or an editor or maybe even a literary agent. I have too many nicknames to even list and I can never keep up with them. I have lived in the same place my whole life but wish desperately to move away. I have used reading to escape from reality because, let's face it, fiction is better than reality.

I am a huge fan of YA lit, so much so that I wish to make it my focus in my career. While I will read pretty much anything YA is something that I can never get enough of. Like most people my age, my reading addiction began with the wonderful Harry Potter books. That series really sparked my interest that has since evolved into so much more. I also enjoy a good sci-fi novel, especially a dystopian novel, every now and then and really will read any LGBT book (especially YA because they focus on something deeper than "adult" books).

I prefer to read regular paperbacks but haven't done so in so long. My tablet has since become my new best friend, along with my cat. There is nothing better than cuddling in bed with a nice book on a rainy day. This is why I am so eager for this opportunity to share with others my passion and joy.
Oct 7th, 2014, 9:09 pm
Oct 8th, 2014, 4:01 pm
Glad to meet you, Agoud! We're a friendly bunch!
Oct 8th, 2014, 4:01 pm

I'm AFK at the moment, unable to refresh my links.

Feel free to request a new link for my posts in book requests!
Oct 10th, 2014, 5:23 pm
Welcome Agoud1! We need a good YA reviewer, glad to have you join us!
Oct 10th, 2014, 5:23 pm