The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty

The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty by Steve LeBel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.


The story of Bernie is a unique concept. We are introduced to Bernie who is a young got who has just graduated and is trying to get his first job. In this world universes and worlds are created by gods and themselves live in a world very much like our own. They have friends and enemies, jobs and families and have problems and success just like we do. Bernie's story also touches on concepts that kids in our world have to deal with every day such as bullies and broken homes. Bernie's life hasn't been easy with a famous dad who isn't in his life and a bully at school who he encounters again at work. Bernie learns to deal with the situations as best he can and its interesting to see how things work out.

While the concept of this tale is pretty unique, some of the details were taken out of the bible and woven with the mundane. There was a reference to a god who was able to create a whole universe in 6 days and then took a day off as well as some of the names were pretty familiar like Gabriel and Ezrah. But then those were paired with common names from our world like Billy and Suzie which gave the story a bit of a choppy feel to it like two concepts being melded together a bit awkwardly.

However, overall Bernie's story was unique and enjoyable for kids and adults alike. A fun tale with some very real lessons to be learned.



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Amateur Angel

Only 18-years-old, Ashley is no ordinary teenager. Not only is she dead, but upon her death, she mistakenly enters the wrong line in the afterlife, a line meant for trained, guardian angels. With a pair of wings on her back, Ashley is sent to Los Angeles to replace another angel whose "assignment" was none-other-than Cannon Michaels, a current member of the band Sendher, the sexiest man alive, and Ashley's celebrity crush in life.
While exposed to Cannon's selfish, judgmental behavior and his reckless, rock-and-roll lifestyle, Ashley is far from meeting the requirements of a true guardian angel. She misses her family and friends. Will she ever be able to accept her own death? What will she do when she jeopardizes her position as an angel and Cannon's physical safety by falling in love with him?

In The Mailbox

New reads this week:



This is not just another book about personal finance.Forget the old concept of struggling in a financial rut and never getting ahead. There is no need to miss enjoying today by socking it all away for an uncertain tomorrow. The old boring way of managing your finances is gone forever. Today's generation is smarter, faster, and lives in a more complicated world, so it only makes sense that you need a simple system that will work for you.

Morning Star

Morning Star by Desiree Finkbeiner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I received a free copy of this book for review.

I would probably stretch this up to 3.5 stars. I thought it was fairly well written and I enjoyed this original story.

Who doesn't enjoy a story with giant dragonflies, magic mushrooms, and hot guys with angel wings. Throw in an evil doer and her race of minions and you have a perfect story. Well almost. It is a wonderful story of forbidden love with people from other deminsions and great imagry, but there is an almost overpowering religious aspect to it. There is all of this purity and chastity related to Kalen and Brianna and their destiny. Their love is taboo, and so much so that it equated with going to hell. Any diversion from the path of physical purity would have spelled certain disaster for all worlds. (I admit it, I had to take a break in the middle and read something smutty before I could continue.) The only other issue I had was in a couple of places the actions of the characters wasn't logical. I don't want to give any spoilers so I will just say in a couple of places Briana and Kalen seemed to go toward danger instead of away from it.

Overall its a good story for YA and lovers of fantasy if you don't mind the religious overtones. And I admit, I'm curious to see where this series is headed.



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