The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains - Blog Tour

Welcome to The Coffee Pot's first ever Blog Tour featuring the new novel by Rodney Jones: The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains.

Synopsis:
What would it take to convince you that the woods you just left is a hundred and forty-four years distant from the one you entered?

Ten years have passed since the Civil War broke up John Bartley’s family. Living with his aunt and uncle in the tiny village of Greendale, Vermont, isn’t filled with excitement for a seventeen-year-old. Until John walks into the woods one day and stumbles into 2009… Fortunately, he chances upon the outspoken Tess McKinnon. To earn her trust, he must first convince her that he is neither a lunatic nor a liar. The proof he needs is buried at the end of a mountain road, where the ruins of Greendale lie just beneath a layer of dead leaves and moss.

What became of his home? Why is there no record of its existence?

Review:

Rodney Jones explores the concept of accidental time travel with his book, The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains. I found this novel different from other time travel novels because it focuses on John, a boy from  1875, coming to 2009, a not so distant past for the reader. Most time travel books seem to focus on the far future or the present, not two different pasts that readers are already enlightened about. 

John, the main character, is so easy to like, readers will be more than eager to finish his story. He's quite modest (which is highly entertaining!), overly polite, and simply sweet. I loved how Jones wrote the interactions of John and Tess (young lady from 2009). The dialogue and prose had me laughing out loud. 

Tess is an absolutely hilarious character. She's incredibly outspoken and the first to make an inappropriate joke, but also caring, kind, and helpful. Readers will enjoy her easy nature and comical personality. They will bond with her based on her familial situation and caring nature. 

The plot of Jones' novel was a bit elusive at first, the main question asking how John had traveled to 2009. This preceding the next inquiry: why? Though it seemed the main goal of the novel was to return him to 1875, it appears very quickly that isn't the case. This is where the novel really picked up and suddenly, Tess is in 1875 trying to warn John about what's going to happen in his small town. The ending came so quickly after that; I could not stop reading until the final word. 

Jones did an amazing job at creating this gripping novel while staying true to both 1875 and 2009. The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains is a seemingly accurate and realistic time travel novel that brings two pasts together. I highly recommend this book to all readers, especially young adult fiction lovers.

Rating: 4/5 cups

Giveaway:
Hosted by Red Adept Publishing

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WWW Wednesday (23)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

01. Currently Reading:
The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains by Rodney Jones. A young boy, John, born in 1875 somehow gets transported into 2009 with no idea how or why. Great book so far! Be sure to stop by for the Blog Tour Review tomorrow! :)

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. A novel about two magicians who, I'm guessing, bring practical magic back to England. Barely started but loving this book so far. It's the second book on my Fall Into Reading 2012 challenge.

02. Recently Finished:
Conquer Clutter by Ava Conner. Great tips and advice for de-cluttering your home and making it a more relaxing place to live.

03. Reading Next:
October Night by Theresa Oles. A college student traveling abroad starts a relationship with a man who has a secret, he's married. I'm suspecting a lot of good drama and "raw emotion" from this novel. Looking forward to it!

What have you been reading lately? Feel free to share below!

Teaser Tuesday (30)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (p.12)
     - Susanna Clarke

"It seemed that it was not only live magicians which Mr Norrell despised. He had taken the measure of all the dead ones too and found them wanting."


Should Be Reading @ Wordpress

Conquer Clutter

Is your house the relaxing sanctuary you need it to be? Or are you knee deep in clutter no matter how hard you try to keep your home organized?

It happens to the best of us.

The truth is that sometimes you just need a little guidance. Enter Ava Conner. Her work has helped thousands achieve the organized and clutter free home of their dreams.

So if your home completely overwhelms you (or even if you just need a little extra motivation to clear out that junk drawer), this handy, no fluff compilation can be your guide to cutting clutter, reducing stress, and keeping an organized home.

**

Ava Conner combines three of her books into one: Conquer Clutter. This book takes readers room by room  in order to help them conquer their disorganized home. 

The first part, Declutter Now, focuses on readers going through their homes and making the ultimate difficult decision: Do I need this? Followed quickly by the world YES flashing red inside of their brains. Again followed by the question: Okay, do I really need this? This part of the book also helps in determining where everything goes! If an item doesn't have a specific place, where are you supposed to put it when it's "away?" Conner uses this section to help readers slim down their stuff before moving on to the next step. 

Organization. Your Home Organized, part two, focuses on what can be done in each room now that there's more space (assuming you got rid of at least something from each room). Conner gives readers organizing tips so that it's easy to keep the house clean and functional after removing the clutter.

Then in part three, Simple Storage Systems, Conner goes above and beyond to help readers create a "home" for all of their items. With a label maker and storage units, readers will have no trouble knowing where everything is. She even goes deeper by listing a few home DIY projects that involve building more storage to create a new home look. 

The best thing about this novel was that if read one chapter at a time: it can really help readers de-clutter their lives. Reading it all the way through becomes a bit repetitive but when the book is put to use, I don't think this will bother readers in the slightest. 

Rating: 4/5 cups

Conquer Clutter: 3 Books in 1 - Declutter Now, Organize Your Home, Simple Storage Systems - Discover the Secrets of a Clutter Free Lifestyle