Thursday, October 11, 2012

It's been a while since I have posted on here, I don't know maybe I will start again. We'll see.


Currently "Reading":  
Book - I just finished The Infernals by John Connelly
E-Book - Still reading Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
Audio - None at the moment but I am about to start The Help

Book Review - Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia deBelle Byrd

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Product Description

While Olivia deBelle Byrd was repeating one of her many Southern stories for the umpteenth time, her long-suffering husband looked at her with glazed over eyes and said,“Why don’t you write this stuff down?” Thus was born Miss Hildreth Wore Brown—Anecdotes of a Southern Belle. If the genesis for a book is to shut your wife up, I guess that’s as good as any. On top of that, Olivia’s mother had burdened her with one of those Southern middle names kids love to make fun. To see “deBelle” printed on the front of a book seemed vindication for all the childhood teasing. With storytelling written in the finest Southern tradition from the soap operas of Chandler Street in the quaint town of Gainesville, Georgia, to a country store on the Alabama state line, Oliviade Belle Byrd delves with wit and amusement into the world of the Deep South with all its unique idiosyncrasies and colloquialisms. The characters who dance across the pages range from Great-Aunt LottieMae, who is as “old-fashioned and opinionated as the day is long,” to Mrs. Brewton, who calls everyone “dahling” whether they are darling or not, to Isabella with her penchant for mint juleps and drama. Humorous anecdotes from a Christmas coffee, where one can converse with a lady who has Christmas trees with blinking lights dangling from her ears, to Sunday church,where a mink coat is mistaken for possum, will delight Southerners and baffle many a non-Southerner. There is the proverbial Southern beauty pageant, where even a six-month-old can win a tiara, to a funeral faux pas of the iron clad Southern rule—one never wears white after Labor Day and, dear gussy, most certainly not to a funeral. Miss Hildreth Wore Brown—Anecdotes of a Southern Belle is guaranteed to provide an afternoon of laugh-out-loud reading and hilarious enjoyment.

My Take:
Just do it! go find this book and read it. If you are from the South you will love this book, it is spot on. You will be laughing out loud as you shake your head knowing how true each anecdote really is.

Book Review - The Adventures of the Thundering Whales by Stephen Vadakin

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Product Description

The Weaved Catcher is the first book in Stephen Vadakin's series "The Adventures of the Thundering Whales." The books follow the exciting adventures of the three young dolphin friends Thunder, Flukie and Sapphire. In The Weaved Catcher, Thunder becomes caught in a fishing net and falls far, far down into the ocean depths. How can he ever escape? What happens when his friends rush to rescue him? When you read the answers to these questions in the book, you will meet some massive and amazing sea creatures. Blue whales, humpback whales, a giant squid and the Swordfish Police Patrol are all part of the fun and adventures!

My Take:
I almost want to apologize of this review because I have found many glowing reviews on the internet so I feel maybe it's just me, maybe I am missing something. The idea of the story is great the fun ocean characters are a good learning tool but this story has no spark. It doesn't have anything special that makes me want to read it again. I love to read obviously but for a large picture book this book is wordy to the point of boring. My son and I read chapter books at night so he can handle some serious story but this book could not keep his interest. I had hoped for more but it simply did not deliver.

Book Review - Reunion of the Untouchables by Kurt Frenier

Friday, December 3, 2010

Product Description

About five hundred years ago, Master Magician Mikhail Pilkington III created a magical flying train, the StudyTrain. His vision: to take average teenagers onboard, show them the world, and turn them into leaders. Ethan is invited on to this train, escaping his miserable life in Switzerland. He soon discovers that the train is all but ordinary. It is filled with magic, secrets, people with interesting histories, and much more. Ethan's intrigue and hunger for knowledge and power catches the attention of a hidden, ancient alliance called the Untouchables. Soon, Ethan learns all their mysteries, powers and sorcery. He stands out from the rest of the students and is recognized as the long-awaited leader for the Untouchables. But his dark side - The Dark Fire Inside - grows and becomes much stronger than anyone thought it would. Ethan gets sucked into a web of conflicts and feuds while battling his own inner feelings. Will he go for power, or turn toward good? Kurt Frenier, 41, born in Belgium, author of children's and young adult books, is a senior director at Pepsi Cola. He lives in Dubai with his wife Sanne and two daughters, Julia and Emilie. Kurt has been writing since he was 16 and has published before in The Netherlands. The StudyTrain is his first English-language young adult book. Publisher's Website: http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TheStudyTrain.html


My Take:
I really like the fantastical twist of Reunion of the Untouchables and I hope it spawns many more volumes in the Study Train Series. There is just enough action to keep the plot moving along while still making it believable (for a fantasy novel) while at the same time not getting bogged down with too much crazy fantasy. It remains rooted in reality and gives the young adult plenty to keep them interested by peppering in characters from the real world such as Thomas Edison and Elvis Presley. All and all a good book and a series with a bright future.

Book Review - Savior of the Rain Forest by Bruno Gonzales

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Product Description

Savior of the Rain Forest is the story of Zalvator, a black panther who leads a group of animals on a mission to prevent their land from being destroyed. One day, as Zalvator is surveying for danger from atop the great pyramid, a red parrot named Roko flies in with a mysterious injury, too weak to talk. Soon other birds and wild creatures of the rain forest begin arriving and are confused at the sight of the injured parrot. Finally, Roko regains some strength, and he begins to tell the animals surrounding him of the terrible tragedy that had taken place the night before.

The red parrot tells the gathering animals that they may be in danger and that the same group that destroyed Roko's home is on their way. It all began when Roko and his friends noticed large machines flying in the air that they had never seen before. Soon they found themselves running for their lives as the rain forest they called home was being taken away from them.

My Take:

The publisher recommends this book for 9 to 12 year olds but my son who will be 4 this month liked the story very much. I honestly wasn't a huge fan of the illustrations but the bright colors and likable characters again very much appealed to my son. The story of a panther saving his little piece of the jungle by rescuing the son of the lead explorer is a touching piece that I only wish were so simple in real life.

Book Review - Forgive Yourself by Allie Sager

Monday, November 8, 2010

There is one thing you need to remember when deciding whether or not to read Forgive Yourself by Allie Sager, do not judge a book by it's cover. When I received Forgive Yourself for review I was not impressed at first glance but once I started actually reading it things turned around fast. The characters speak they do not just lie flat there on the page, and when they speak they draw you into this short but surprisingly weighty novel.

Description:

Evocative and filled with a rare compassion, Forgive Yourself by new author Allie Sager blends supernatural dreamscapes with affairs of the heart and unforgivable betrayal. Smart and telling, the author enlists a stunning and heartfelt prose to weave one woman’s reluctant love story. On the surface to the outside world, Sammy Logan might appear to be a woman who has it all, but the fact is she is married to a man who has never truly forgiven her for a past she had no control over. Haunted each day by the vivid secret, she turns to Conner Simpson, a man she has always loved—the man without question who makes her feel complete. Caught on the brink, confused, but certainly not alone, Sammy must first forgive herself, make peace with the dark demons of her past and her mystic ancestral visions before she can truly be free.

About the Author:

Allie Sager is an avid poet, essayist, and journalist with keen insight and passion for veterans’ issues. A proud mother and grandmother, she lives with her husband on their Nebraskan farm.

The Vanishing PUmpkin

Thursday, September 30, 2010

With Halloween right around the corner I picked up The Vanishing Pumpkin by Tony Johnston at the local library. At first read I wasn't in love with the story of a 700 year old woman and an 800 year old man in search of their pumpkin, which has been "snitched" by, it turns out, a 900 year old wizard. Who would have thought? But my son was instantly drawn to it, he loves the interesting characters and the lyrical and repetitive way the story is presented. Now that I have read it a few times it is starting to grow on me too.

Book Review - Love Means Zero by Daisy Jordan

Thursday, September 23, 2010

People are always talking about great Summer reads, they are supposed to be light but not flakey right? If that is true about Summer reads then Love Means Zero by Daisy Jordan is a great Fall read.
Love Means Zero follows Hilton Joliet a new photographer for 'Game, Set Match' a top notch Tennis magazine. Hilton's new position takes her all over the world keeping pace with the hotest young tennis players in the world but a chance meeting in a Rome hotel room and a few damaging photographs later and her world is thrown for a serious loop.
Ms. Jordan's love for tennis is undeniable throughout Love Means Zero but my favorite part is how she does an excellent job approaching those little things that happen in life when you stop and ask yourself "is this really my life?" Globe trotting, a dream job, long distant (and not so long distant) love. This love comes with it's share of secrets and ultimatums.
Love Means Zero definately carries more weight than those feathery beach reads of last season. A fun ride along the tennis circuit by an author who knows her stuff. The perfect book to get you back into the swing of life this Fall.


I received this book for review as part of Daisy Jordan's virtual tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

20th Century Travel

Monday, August 30, 2010

I would love to have this book, I love travel in a way that is difficult to describe to people who don't know what I am talking about. I would love to cover my whole house in these vintage travel posters. As a matter of fact I have a hard shell suitcase for the sole purpose of covering it in stickers just like they did in the old days. Having that suitcase makes me happy every time I look at it.
It you love travel too then take a look at this new collection of vintage travel posters from Taschen.

Crossed Out by Kim Baccellia

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Crossed Out by Kim Baccellia takes us into the world of Stephanie Stewart, your typical American teenager. Well, almost a typical teenager, Stephanie has one thing that sets her apart from the other kids in her school. The only problem is that one thing is a pretty big one, she sees dead people.

Sure you've heard that before right? But Stephanie doesn't just see them, it is her job to help them follow the light to the other side. For whatever reason some souls stick around after their death and it is left to Stephanie to help them figure out what they are supposed to do next.
I was seriously entertained by this story, I am intrigued by the paranormal and love a good tale. In Crossed Out Kim Baccellia takes a few seemingly normal characters and puts them seamlessly into a paranormal life. At the end I was begging for more. This book is fully complete but by the end we find out that not only does her best friend also have a special gift but her Mom has a secret as well, I can see a sequel to Crossed Out picking up on those aspects of this story.

About the Author:

Kim Baccellia has always been a sucker for the paranormal. She blames it on her families' love for such things such as having picnics at cemeteries, visiting psychics, and reading her mother's copies of the daily horoscope. She even had her own horoscope column in middle school, which was a big hit! Kim's other works include the poem, "My Father", which appears in the anthology Mind Mutations, published by The Sun Rising Press. Her essay about the adoption of her son, Finally, Our Turn, appeared in Adoptive Families magazine. Her YA multicultural fantasy, Earrings of Ixtumea, is published by Virtual Tales and available now at Amazon. A member of SCBWI, Kim is currently writing the sequel to CROSSED OUT.* She's also putting the finishing touches on an upper MG fantasy No Goddesses Allowed. She lives in Southern California with her husband and son.


*yay!!



I received Crossed Out as part of Kim Bacccellia's virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

Teaser Tuesday - Crossed Out by Kim Baccellia

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

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!

Today's Teaser is for Crossed Out by Kim Baccellia. I actually finished this one a little bit ago (look for the full review tomorrow) but I'm not loving what I am currently reading so I thought I would share this one with you all.

"I was waiting for this woman, who happens to be like, dead, so I could drive a cross in the ground and release her soul to Heaven." ~ page 80

and

"Her image crackled in and out like bad reception on Grams' old TV. I couldn't let her go. Not before she told me who was hurting Dylan". ~ page 159

Book Review - Liam the Leprechaun

Sunday, August 22, 2010

I recently received LIAM THE LEPRECHAUN by Charles A. Wilkinson from the author for review and was immediately taken by the illustration of little Liam on the front cover, so was my son. My son is three years old and although he loves for me to read to him I was concerned at first that Liam the Leprechaun would be too much for him, too many words and not enough pictures, so I set it on the shelf to read later on my own.
Well, I was wrong the night the book arrived when I asked my son to pick a book for bedtime he went to my book shelf and picked Liam the Leprechaun. So we read one chapter for bed and another for nap time until we finished the whole book. He loved it! He remembered the story and loved the character of Liam the littlest Leprechaun who turns out to be not so little by the end of the story.
This story imparts the virtues of believing in yourself and using the abilities you have that make you special to help others. Liam is such a lovable character, just look at the little guy, isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen? He is kind to all even through his frustrations of learning to take his problem of being so small, embracing it and turning it into an asset. Parents and little ones both will enjoy the tale of Liam the Leprechaun.

Dennis Hopper Photographs 1961-1967

Saturday, August 21, 2010

I so want to get my hands on a copy of this book, this would be so interesting to leaf through in person. I wonder if the local library has a copy? I will check it out but for now enjoy the video on the Taschen website.

Book Review - The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling

Friday, August 20, 2010

I love Harry Potter so when I got The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling from Santa Thing over at librarything I was really excited since I hadn't read it before. All I can say is if you like Harry Potter you will like this book.


From Amazon:

There is no easy way to define the experience of seeing, holding, or reading J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard, so let's just start with one word: "Whoa." The very fact of its existence (an artifact pulled straight out of a novel) is magical, not to mention the facts that only seven copies exist in all the world and each of the never-before-told tales is handwritten and illustrated by J.K. Rowling herself (and it's quite clear from the first few pages that she has some skill as an artist). Rowling's handwriting is like the familiar scrawl of a favorite aunt--it's not hard to read, but it does require attention--allowing you to take it slow and savor the mystery of each next word.

So how do you review one of the most remarkable tomes you've ever had the pleasure of opening? You just turn each page and allow yourself to be swept away by each story. You soak up the simple tales that read like Aesop's fables and echo the themes of the series; you follow every dip and curve of Rowling's handwriting and revel in every detail that makes the book unique--a slight darkening of a letter here, a place where the writing nearly runs off the page there. You take all that and you try and bring it to life, knowing that you will never be able to do it justice. With that, let's dig in and begin at the beginning, shall we? --Daphne Durham

Book Review - A Mercy by Toni Morrison

Thursday, August 19, 2010

I found A Mercy on a shelf when visiting my husband's family in July and when I finished all the books I had brought with me I knew I had to start reading it. I love Toni Morrison but with one thing and another I just hadn't gotten around to reading her latest novel.
Even though she hadn't read it yet my Mother-in-Law let me bring it home with me when I wasn't able to finish it during the trip and I am so grateful. Just like each Toni Morrison book I have read in the past A Mercy is full of soul and a down to earth approach that is rarely found in literature. She has a wonderful way of making life experiences I have never had and could never even image having somehow approachable.
This is a tale of the women on one farm in the late 17th century, there are men and of course they come and go as men seem to do but this story is a women's story, the mistress, the slave women and the slave girls who become women.
We learn how they got where they are and where they plan to go. And as I said even though these concepts are so foreign to me Morrison has a way of breaking it all down to a point where I find myself relating to the yearning of Florens to be free and Lina to hold her child and protect her relationship with mistress and Sorrow's need to shelter and encompass her new baby.
Not just recommended but a must for anyone who enjoys Toni Morrison.

Getting ready for school

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

This year a lot of my son's friends are starting preschool. They are only 3 years old but as the second child is born into so many of the families we hang out with it seems the older child is going off to school. My son will be staying home again this year since as much as I want to we haven't had another addition to our family. All these little ones going off to school has got me thinking, what can I do know to prepare my son for next year when he really does start his school journey?

I am not a teacher and don't think I could do the best job homeschooling

my kid but in a totally laid back way my son and I have started working our way through these workbooks for preschoolers. Getting Your Preschooler Ready for Math and Getting Your Preschooler Ready to Read are perfect for doing just as the title suggests. He might not be getting the structure that a formal preschool provides but with books like this I feel like I am getting him ready for school a little bit at a time without any pressure to perform.

After we finish these two books I plan to pick up Big Preschool Workbook and Big Preschool Activity Workbook from School Zone Publishing. I don't expect him to know everything and I don't want to push him too much but at this point with school a whole year away it's too early to start the conversations about actually starting school but it isn't to early to expose him the information he will need and be learning while he is there.
So at this point in our going to school journey we are just trying to take in the new ideas and concepts that he will prepare him for the school room and we are doing that one workbook page at a time.

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the
TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get a HarperCollins book
set. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”


“I wrote this blog post

Literary Pickup Lines

Friday, August 13, 2010

I stumbled across this list of 25 pickup lines to use on a bookworm the other day and want to share it with you all, they are pretty funny, if you are a bookworm that is.

My favorites:

• Naked Lunch, anyone?

it's simple and yet to the point, and

• You’re so hunky, you must be hiding a rapidly aging portrait somewhere in your attic.

I think I like this one because I am currently in the middle of The Portrait of Dorian Grey.

Check out the rest of the list, it's definitely worth the laugh.

Book Review - The Man Upstairs and Other Stories by P. G. Wodehouse

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Let me just say one thing, there is no way you could go wrong when reading a man that Douglas Adams calls the greatest comic writer ever.
Now on with my review:
The Man Upstairs & Other Stories is a collection of short stories centered on love in all it's Wodehouse glory. Full of the trademark wit that can only be found in a Wodehouse story. I didn't have any of the laugh out loud moments I did when reading the Jeeves books though that fact didn't detract from each story's lighthearted look at life's most serious love issues.
I enjoyed diving deeper into the Wodehouse repertoire through this collection of short stories.

Smoky and the Feast of Mabon Book Trailer

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

A great trailer for what is sure to be a wonderful book for children. I love stories that teach children about the circle of life, the world is organic when you accept that and go with the flow things are a lot easier.

Teaser Tuesday - Eve's Diary

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

This Week's Teaser Tuesday comes to you from Eve's Diary, Complete by Mark Twain. This has been a fun read so far.

" In this way I have saved him many embarrassments. I have no defect like this." ~ page 23

and

"When I found it could talk I felt a new interest in it, for I love to talk; I talk, all day, and in my sleep too, and I am very interesting." ~ page 19

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!