One Chapter

Nana Loves You More by Jimmy Fallon

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

Yes, Nana does love you more. As a Nana, I can say I do love this book. My grandson and I make comments to each other like the ones printed in this book but to have a book that puts it all in print, my heart was full. I like the size of the book too, it’s a square. The text is simple and sweet. The text says a lot, the illustrations are bright, colorful and grab your attention. Thank you, Jimmy Fallon. 5++stars

“Nana will read to you and sing you to sleep. And fill you with memories that you’ll always keep.” “More that cats with SUPER cat powers.”

Endlessly Ever After: Pick Your Path to Countless Fairy Tale Endings! by Laurel Synder

5 stars Children’s Fairy Tale Retelling

Holy Mogoly! This book is just amazing! I started this book over and over again and every time, I got a different outcome. It truly was one terrific book. If you love children’s books, love fairy tales, love twisted stories, or just love choose your own path stories, this book is for you.

Let me start by saying that this is an oversized children’s book which provides the reader with some pretty fantastic illustrations. The faces and the drama that occurs in this book falls right into your lap as you open this book. When the author says “ENDLESS VARIATIONS” they definitely mean it. As I read this, Little Red Riding Hood ran into characters from other Fairy Tales including Hansel & Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Jack, Snow White, the wolf, a witch, a goose, some piggies, and a grandma.

Little Red is headed to her grandma’s with a cake, Rosie as she is known in this story needs to pick out a coat to wear. Does she wear her favorite red cape or a cozy faux fur coat? This first choice will have you turning to page 6 or page 20. What will it be?

If you chose the red cape, you (Rosie) find a wolf waiting on the path. Oh, no! He looks ornery and he starts asking you lots of questions. You (Rosey) wish you’d never seen him or talked to him. But now what do you do? Go back home and start over tomorrow or continue on your journey?

If you chose the cozy faux fur coat, you’re (Rosie)skipping along but you soon notice a different house on the path. Do you knock and meet these new neighbors or do you continue on to grandmas?

You never knew what awaited you when you turned the page on this book. Was it is a good choice or a bad choice? I thought that each time I created a new story, it wasn’t a short, senseless story but it was fun. I enjoyed making all the choices that I got to make and the illustrations were amazing and they really helped make each story great. I can’t say enough about this book except you have to read it – you really do!! 10 stars+++

Malice House by Megan Shepherd

5 stars Thriller

Never saw that one coming! I was expecting some exciting chapters in this book but dang, I actually had to pause a few times so I could enjoy the little twists that were provided. It’d been two years since Haven had visited Malice House and she thought, she knew what she was walking into. Her father’s dementia explained the demon that was living within the walls of the house. Being a famous writer, a member of the local Ink Drinkers, the monster’s detailed description was fitting but what Haven didn’t know, was that her father’s illness didn’t explain what was actually going on inside Malice House.

Haven’s inheritance had dwindled down to Malice House by the time of her father’s death and now, standing outside the mansion, she surveyed her surroundings. Discovering one of her father’s manuscripts hidden inside the house, Haven sees the opportunity to make some cash yet she feels she might be missing something, if she doesn’t add a piece of herself to the manuscript. This sounds like a great plan but as the story progressed, I began to think that perhaps Haven should have just hammered a For Sale sign in the front lawn, packed up a U-Haul and walked away.

“Oh, my!” “No, it can’t be!!” “What is she doing?!?!” “a Monster” “collars, dog tags and a fire pit – and she’s combing through it – work faster!!” “Is this a curse”

These are just a few of the notes I made as I read. You can tell it was pretty intense at times and of course, I couldn’t stop reading until I got my questions, answered. There were too many thoughts running through my head, too many directions this story could have gone. Haven wanted to sell her father’s manuscript, for she needed the money but as an illustrator, she wanted to add her own personal touch to her father’s stories. This could be a great father-daughter duo until she saw their reaction. She took their response hard and her reaction was dramatic and emotional. Unfortunately, Haven had set the wheels in motion and there was no going back now. Tick, tick, tick ……time is moving fast and Haven needed to put all the pieces of this puzzle together. What a fun, engaging story. 5 stars

Four for the Road by K.J. Reily

5+ stars Fiction YA

“We’re all just trying really hard to cling to something we’re not entirely sure can hold us up.”

I read this book over 2 months ago yet as I think about these characters and their story, I am reliving every moment of this fantastic book! It’s only been 12 months, 3 weeks, 1 day, 6 hours, and 14 minutes since Asher’s mother died. As the thick smoke fills the house and makes seeing the television screen impossible, Asher continues watching the television as the fire consumes his home. In the hospital, the support groups that Asher initially walks into provides more than just support for him.

Asher meets a variety of individuals and I loved every single one of them. With unique personalities and stories, these individuals have so much to offer while still dealing with their own issues.

“We’re all just trying really hard to cling to something we’re not entirely sure can hold us up.”

As the groups gathers, Asher hears his own struggles and pain coming from the mouths of those around him. These individuals know the battles and scars that he has, he’s not walking alone.

“I’m not completely alone in my head with this monster.”

Asher needs closure so he can move on and these individuals are there for him. With a list of questions, Asher decides to find the answers. It’s a road trip and Asher is not going alone. The new friends that he includes in this ride are perfect. I was smiling, laughing, and enjoying this car trip so much. What a ride! The group does more than just get answers to Asher’s questions, they have an adventure. Everyone benefits from this excursion.

With short chapters, fun and entertaining characters, this was one book that I couldn’t put down. I enjoyed the author’s use of language as there were many great passages inside this book. I thought the author did a great job handling the topics covered inside this book. One of the best books I read this year. I highly recommend it!!! 5+ stars

“Then I start thinking about how many grieving groups they would need to have just for the 10,262 people killed last year by drunk drivers and how there just aren’t enough days in the week to take care of that many people with dead family members so I just sit down on the garage steps and think about hammers and baseball bats and then my dad sits down next to me.”

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany Jackson

5 stars YA Thriller

The emotions still resided inside of me after all these years as I read this book. I remember watching Stephen King’s movie, Carrie as a teen and this movie was quite emotional for me. While others were fixated on King’s horror in the movie, I was irritated at the individuals on the screen. Carrie wasn’t evil, she wasn’t the one everyone needed to watch out for, no! If they were looking for horror, they needed to look at what was happening to Carrie. What these individuals were doing was disgusting and shocking. Carrie was the victim. In The Weight of Blood, Tiffany does a fantastic job recreating King’s original while adding her own twists.

The first question we need to ask is why does one individual feel that they need to bully someone else? A comment or action is bad enough but bullying is not warranted when someone does it relentlessly and constantly. If another individual doesn’t follow your standards, your views, or your beliefs, do you have the right to harass that individual until they crumble? What does this accomplish? When is enough, enough? As a child, I was bullied and I know firsthand the emotions attached to this action. An individual bullied reacts more out of fear than respect and what might happen when your back is turned?

I really enjoyed this book as Maddie tries to navigate her way around school. Maddie tries to elude her true identity. Acting invisible, I yearned to know exactly what Maddie was hiding. As Maddie’s class headed outside to run laps for gym, Maddie questioned the gym teacher but here they were, outside on the track. She knew as the rain fell down that her secret would be discovered. The taunting from her peers started immediately and she fights back. How can she survive now, her life is forever changed. A great emotional read and another fantastic book by Tiffany. 5 stars

The Snowy Cabin Cookbook by Marnie Hanel & Jen Stevenson

4 stars Nonfiction Cookbook

A cookbook? This is more than just a cookbook, it’s a resource book and cookbook in one. Who is this book for? Anyone who going to indulge in some cold weather activities. Inside this book you will find some recipes (because this is a cookbook) and you will also find articles and helpful information on this climate. Information on staying safe, what to pack for a trip, how to pick out your destination, keeping entertained, and much more. I came across this book at the library and the book cover caught my attention. Living in Iowa, it seems that the winters get longer each year and the snow never seems to melt fast enough for me and if there was anything inside this book which could make this season more joyous, I needed to know.

I wasn’t happy that all the illustrations inside the book were drawings, even the ones that accompanied the recipes. I like having realistic pictures of recipes that I have the possibility of making. The recipes were sectioned off into Slope Snacks, Sides and Salads, Mains, Desserts, Morning Meals, Fortifications (drinks), From Snowshoes to Slippers and a few closing sections (where to buy products, index, closing remarks). Each recipes states how many it will serve, the ingredients needed (listed in grams and cups). The instructions are listed in steps and there are also tips and a small paragraph about the recipe. The titles of many of these recipes were long!! Buttermilk Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Torn Sourdough, and Calabrian Chile Sauce. That’s one recipe but it does describe the recipe. Frosty Morning French Toast Six Tasty Twists, Chilly-quiles Rojos, Smokey the Pear, Oh, What a Nightcap, those are just a few of the recipes you will find inside this book.

Inside each of these recipe sections, you’ll find some articles which I found interesting. From Build a Better Snowperson, Shotski, Why Can’t We Quit Thee?, Six Sweets Made with Snow, Ski Slang, Much Ado About Dumplings, etc. I thought the Reindeer Game page was great as it gives some ideas for games to play in the snow. I guess if you’re tired of sledding, building snow forts or making snow people or snow animals, or shoveling, these games would be fun to try. I also liked the Six Sweets Made with Snow article and a bunch more that I found in here. So, pick up this book if you live or are headed for a snowy climate, there’s a recipe or an article in here just calling your name. 4 stars.

Cat & Mouse by Britta Teckentrup

5 stars Children’s Picture Books

Oh, my goodness! What a cute story about mouse and cat. I think about a few readings of this book, a couple children could probably retell this story in their own words. With cute little cutouts on each two-page spread this rhyming story tells the story of a cat chasing a mouse.

This big board book is an older book but it’s one that would never get old with time. Black cat begins chasing white mouse in the blue house and it continues outside in the yard.

Mouse tries to hide in some boxes but cat also fits in the boxes so mouse is not safe there. The mouse is fast but the cat is not far behind. I didn’t understand how there was a” hole in the ground” inside the house but who knows, this might be an old house. I liked the simple illustrations and the action within the illustrations. A nice fun book to read and the ending was very cute. 5 stars

Home: a Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta TeckenTrup

3 stars Children’s Picture Book

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. This children’s book is packed with a variety of different animal homes. I enjoyed taking a walk with the bear cub as he saw all the animals in the forest. I remember reading about beavers, ovenbird, salmon, rabbits, wolves, terns, and bears in this book and the homes that they make in the forest.

You will find yourself catching a beat as you read this rhyming book and looking at everything on the pages before you. There are numerous cut-outs on each page so take your time when you look through this book, you don’t want to miss anything.

I really wished this book would have been printed on heavier paper. There were tons of cut-outs in this book and in the back of my head, I’m wondering how this book will hold up over time.

I liked the language in this book as the author gives the reader some great vocabulary words as he helps the reader become connected to the forest (snout, dome, weaves, warren, eerie, prowl, unfurled, swarms, etc.). I had a problem with some of the text being printed on a dark background, I wish they would change the color of the text to a brighter color instead of black when they print on a dark background, it helps the text stand out and helps kids it better.

These illustrations were busy, I mean really busy. I thought the illustrations took away from the text. The text seemed swallowed up by the illustrations which was a shame to me. The cut-outs were great but again, I thought there were perhaps too many of them. Not every page needs to have cut-outs nor so many. Again, this is my opinion as this is my review. The book felt so busy to me. 3.5 stars.

Too Many Pigs and One Big Bad Wolf: A Counting Story by Davide Cali

3 stars Children’s Picture Book

Seriously? I loved the colorful pages wow; they were very colorful and bright! I loved how the pigs were climbing all over the abacus and being acrobats. I thought the wolf was funny in his yellow raincoat and hat. How funny was that?! The illustrations inside this book were very entertaining!

I think to take these illustrations and create a new storyline would be a good writing project. I did like the tone of the writing. I liked how the storyline was written on one side of the page in black print and on the other side of the page, a response from a reader was written in red print. I didn’t care for the storyline in this book at all and I don’t see how a young child could like it either. A counting book? I just couldn’t see this as a counting book either.

The storyline centers upon “three little pigs and the wolf that ate them, The End.” The reader wants a longer storyline so the writer adds more pigs to the storyline but the result is still the same (the wolf eats them, The End.) and again, the reader is not happy. The writer adds more pigs, only this time the pigs are doing a variety of activities but the results are still the same (the wolf eats them, The End.) and again, the reader is not happy. The storyline gets added to over and over again and I was hoping something would change at the end of the story but nope, the wolf ate them, The End. This was not a story that I enjoyed. The illustrations were great but the storyline was a no for me. 2.5 stars for me.

Lost by Sam Usher

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

You just never know how your day will go. It was a gray, cold and snowy day outside and all this young boy wanted to do was nothing. His granddad had other plans, so they bundled up and set off for some quick errands. The young boy makes inquiries as they make their journey to the different stores and granddad gathers supplies for a surprise for his grandson. Arriving back home, they set to work creating a homemade sled. Immediately, the young boy wants to take it outside for some sledding in the falling snow. Spotting a missing dog poster on a street lamp, the duo begins to call for the missing dog as they make their way. The snow begins to fall heavily and it now turns into a blizzard. As they try to outlive the storm, hunker down together, never giving up on locating the missing dog. Calling the dog’s name, as the wind whistles out on the white landscape, they hope the dog is okay.

Their day is far from over when finally, the weather calms back down. I enjoyed how this book ended as this young boy and granddad had quite the full day. I’m sure it was one day that they both will never forget.

There was something about the illustrations inside this book that I really enjoyed. Some pages the illustrations were very simple and then, on others the illustrations were very detailed and I had to spend a few minutes looking at everything that was spread across the page. The energy that granddad had in the book pulled the young boy through the beginning of the story and then, they worked together through the rest of the story. A sweet story, one that will be read again and again. 5 stars