new reads – Unnoticed on the Bookshelf

The Altitude Journals: A Seven Year Journey from the Lowest Point in My Life to the Highest Point on Earth

Written by: David Mauro

The Altitude Journals-A Seven Year Journey from the Lowest Point in My Life to the Highest Point on Earth is a story of self-discovery, redemption, and love. Born into an impoverished family, David Mauro struggles with his sense of purpose, and it is only after his marriage collapses as an adult does he start to change. As David starts his mountain-climbing journey, he is accompanied by many famous mountaineers who later become the truest friends he has ever had. And sending him on these quests is a voice David describes as his calling–he won’t go unless he is called. As he summits each difficult mountain, David learns something new about himself–and how he feels about others in his life. Through the support and unconditional love of his family, David strikes back against his depression and becomes the man he has always aspired to be. After all, conquering the 7 summits certainly beats becoming an Olympic athlete in axe-throwing. 🙂

I would rate this book 7.5/10 stars. The Altitude Journals features a sense of hope in a broken character. His inspiring journey makes you want to leap up out of your seat and go do something to change the world. However, I did not give it 10 stars because I wanted more description of his personal life, and how he applied the lesson he had just learned on the mountain into his lifestyle.

Photo by Zack Melhus on Pexels.com
David had to endure many different climates during his adventures.

This book featured intense profanity, though much of the cussing happened while David was on the mountains and it didn’t occur often.

I would recommend this book to audiences who want to be inspired and people who like nonfiction. In addition, if you are interested in learning about mountaineering or the summit of a difficult mountain such as Everest, this book is for you. And finally, I would recommend this book for people who are going through something tragic or just can’t seem to find the light in the day anymore–read this book about a man who went through the same thing, and watch how he transforms because of something he loves.

Photo by Pawan Yadav on Pexels.com
David learned more about himself through stunning and uninterrupted views like this.

This book was very well edited; I did not find a single grammatical error. What I liked most about this book was the way it made me feel at the very end. His unceasing joy seeped from the page into my fingertips, and I got to experience his remarkable journey from start to finish with this incredible man. What I like least about the book was the mountain of Elbrus. It didn’t hold my attention and felt rather bland to me.

All in all, this unbelievable journey was well documented in a captivating book. With a review of 7.5/10 stars, I believe audiences of non-fiction and inspiration lovers would fall in love with this story. With the theme of new beginnings and redemption, this was a feel-good story. The Altitude Journals is certainly worth your time. The usual two links are below. Thank you so much for reading!

-Hannah

Purchase Altitude Journals on Amazon here:

Learn more about David Mauro here:

Happy Mother’s Day!

To all the beautiful and strong women out there…Happy Mother’s Day! We appreciate all that you do for us. You are always so kind and loving, and know exactly what to say. To my own mom…once again, thank you for all that you do. I love you so much! 💕 Have a great rest of your day, everyone, with the women who make your life special! Be on the lookout for a new read coming your way on May 15th! Cheerio!

About Books and Reading

Hey guys! Can you believe April is almost over? Crazy to think about right? I just wanted to post a little something about books to pick up your day and mine.

Books are an escape, something we can go to in times of need. Whenever I sit down to read, I’m able to take a deep breath and truly breathe. I love stories that make me cry, laugh, gasp, scream and love all at the same time. So I encourage you: for May, make a goal for yourself just to sit down and read once a day. Doesn’t matter what, for how long, or anything like that, just sit down and read. A lot of terrible stuff is going on in the world right now (if you look at the news, it’s super easy to get depressed) so I encourage you to escape in a book. Forget about all your problems and forget about the world for 10 minutes. I can promise you that you will so much more relaxed (unless you read a Stephen King book 😝) and it will really pick your day up.

Remember these words of wisdom for this week and face whatever comes your way with a book. Now, I will leave y’all with a poem I absolutely love. I will talk to everyone soon (because is almost May 1st!!) and have a great rest of your week!

-your fellow book lover

I Opened a Book

by Julia Donaldson

I opened a book and in I strode,

now no one can find me.

I left my chair, my house, my road,

my town and my world behind me.

I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring

I’ve swallowed the magic potion.

I fought with a dragon, dined with a king,

and dived in a bottomless ocean.

I opened a book and made some friends,

I’ve shared their tears and laughter.

And followed the road with its bumps and bends

to the happily ever after.

I finished my book and out I came

the cloak can no longer hide me.

My chair and my house are just the same,

but I have a book inside me.

Happy reading!!! ❤️📚

Happy Easter!

To my dear readers,

Happy Easter! Have a great day celebrating this blessing-filled day and spend some great quality time with your family!

-your fellow book lover

April Reads: Outwalkers

Outwalkers by Fiona Shaw

Summary

“They’re coming for you, Jacob Riley.” Jacob is a teenager who has been in the orphanage for six months. His parents passed away in a car crash, and Jacob was forced into the home, leaving his beloved dog Jet behind. He has three parts to his escape plan: get out of the orphanage, reunite with his dog and get to Scotland. The only problem is, the government has tagged everyone so that they know exactly where you are, always. And, since there is a huge wall keeping everyone in, getting into Scotland is not exactly easy. Desperate to escape, Jacob reunites with Jet and soon finds the Outwalkers: a local gang of kids who are trying to get to Scotland, same as Jake. They live by four simple rules: no technology, be outside, be hidden and the most important one: obedience to the gang. Jake joins the Outwalkers and feels like he is part of a family again. But will that last? Read the book to find more.

The cover page of Outwalkers taken by me.

My Review

Let me just start off by saying this: I absolutely loved this book. Definitely one of my top reads for 2019. The prominent theme of loyalty in this book was beautiful. I loved the way that Jet, the dog, and Jake, his boy, were always incomplete without each other near. I also loved that the author, Ms. Fiona Shaw, had a unique way of showing dialogue. Definitely check this book out to see how she does it and to read the book.

Recommended Reading Age

I would recommend this book for 13 and up. It was on the longer side, being 424 pages, but don’t let this scare you! Read it at your own pace. Also, there were some references and actions with drugs, but other than that, it’s a pretty clean read.

The Outwalker gang was trying to get to Scotland to claim their freedom.
Photo by Jamie McInall on Pexels.com

Conclusion

Outwalkers was a fasted-paced, action-packed and beautiful story about what it means to be a family. No matter where you come from, what you have done, or who you are, there will always be someone who accepts you as you are and loves you for that. It also shows us how beautiful it is to walk back from grief together. I challenge you to read this book and connect it to your own life. You definitely won’t regret it. As usual, the two links are below to purchase this book on Amazon and to check out the lovely author of the this book, Ms. Fiona Shaw. Happy reading everyone and don’t forget to check out the other April read!

-your fellow book lover

Hannah’s Grade: 9.5 stars out of 10

Purchase this book on Amazon here.

Learn more about Fiona Shaw here.

There is truly something magical about reading a good book.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

March Reads 2019: The List

The List ; written by Patricia Forde

Summary

What would you do if you could only speak from a list of 500 words? Ark is the last safe place on Earth; the rest is overrun by water. To make sure this never happens again, the wordsmith, a person who controls which words people can use, must keep a strict list of 500 words. If anyone speaks words outside of the list, they risk banishment, which guarantees your death. Letta is the new wordsmith after her master disappears. But when a mysterious boy shows up hurt on her door step and an anonymous tip suggests that her master can be saved, Letta finds herself in a very precarious position. Read the book to see how this story turns out.

My review

The List was a interesting book! I loved its unique story and brave characters. Letta never gave up, even when her odds of success didn’t look so good. I have to say, the book was a little heavy. By this I mean to say that Letta faced one problem after the next. It seemed as though she would never win! However, she had a lot of determination and never gave up. Also, these continuous problems kept me intrigued. I could barely put it down!

Recommended reading age

I would recommend this book for 10 year olds and up because it wasn’t a complex story. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I did feel that I was a little old to be reading the book ( I just turned 13). All in all, it’s a great book!

Only

Conclusion

The List is a fantastic book that makes you realize how much of a privilege it is to have free speech. Even today, many people around the world don’t have the ability and privilege to say what they want to say and when they want to say it. To all those people: hang in there. We are rooting for you. A entertaining story, The List was a quick and fun read. Below are two links: one to buy this book and the other to learn more about this fabulous author. Please comment below and give me feedback on my blog, my writing or my stories. I would love to hear all of it! Happy Reading everyone!

– your fellow book lover

Hannah’s Grade: 7.5 stars out of 10.

Links

Buy this book on Amazon here

Learn more about Ms. Patricia Forde here

Update: new features and new posts

Well howdy everyone! So sorry I haven’t posted: life has just been crazy. My birthday was 10 days ago and everything has just been a whirlwind. However: there is some important pieces of news. Lets jump right in!

First off: my newest feature! If you haven’t noticed, yesterday and today I have been busy updating my blog. A new thing I have added to each of my book posts is something called Hannah’s Grade. This unique grading system is something I have created. I take two main factors and average them out into my grade. The first factor I use is originality. Did the author go to their creative limits to come up with this book or is it a knockoff of some other story? The second feature is was it entertaining? Was I intrigued the whole book or did it have a slow start or a bad ending? After I think through these two questions, I average them out and I get my final grade. Be sure to look at the bottom of my page where you can see Hannah’s Grade. IMPORTANT NOTE: I AM NOT GRADING THESE BOOKS AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. Many of these books I write about are different in their own way and I could not possibly compare them.

Second: new links! At the bottom of my posts, there is now two links: one to buy the book on Amazon, and the second one is to learn more about the author, their books or their cause. Be sure to check them out; they are really cool!

Third: new name! I was told by a fellow reader that my blog name didn’t represent what I was talking about in my blog. First off, thank you so much for your feedback. It was really helpful and hopefully beneficial. Second, I noticed that they were right! Forgotten on the Bookshelf could be taken so many different directions. Because of this, I have decided to change my name! My blog is now called Unnoticed on the Bookshelf. I think it sounds even better. Also in this category, I have a new site address: unnoticedbooks.blog . Same blog, new name.

And finally, fourth: new schedule! If your life is as busy as mine is, you will note that you don’t have a ton of time. However: I love doing this blog, so I am going to continue doing it, just posting less frequently. On the 1st of every month, I will post about 2 new books. This way, you will have a book to read for every two weeks. On March 1st, I will begin this cycle. New reads coming then!

Thank you so much for being patient and understanding with me. Right now is a very busy time, as I’m sure it is for you too, but I promise: you shall not be without something to read for long! Stay tune for 2 new reads you will LOVE! Please share and comment about my blog! I love constructive criticism. It really helps, no matter what it is. Thank you so much and Happy Reading!!

-your fellow book lover