own – One Chapter

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

5 stars Fantasy

This book was so much fun! After reading this book, I went to the library and checked out the audiobook which I highly recommend. Putting actual voices to the characters made this book much more enjoyable and I can still hear each one of their unique personalities as Linus steps on the island so he can investigate the Marsyas Island Orphanage, home to six orphans which are supposed to be extremely dangerous.

Linus takes his job seriously, a job with the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. When summoned by Extremely Upper Management, Linus is given a top-secret mission, a job he must leave immediately for. For one month, Linus must live on the island, assessing the orphanage and report his findings back to upper management. As Linus begins his reports, he’s very structured as he writes about the six orphans and Arthur, the individual in-charge of the orphanage but as his month comes to an end, his reports become more emotional in nature.

Arthur knows exactly why Linus has arrived and he’s protective of the individuals that he’s in-charge of. They’re not just orphans to Arthur; they are his family, and you can feel the love and commitment that Arthur has to these children. Linus, on the other hand, is a character who seems rigid and is one of those by-the-book, kind of individuals when he arrives but as he gets to know the children, he begins to soften. He starts to understand them and appreciates them for who they are. He likes what they have, he likes how he feels around them, and he notices things that he has never noticed before – it’s like Linus has finally woken up. His senses have finally woken up and everything is alive.

The children are a mixed bunch, a group of extremely dangerous individuals, they say. Do these individuals really know who these children are? I can’t tell you how many times I laughed at their comments and/or the things that they would do. I admit, they were a quirky and unique group of children, but they were “magical youths.” I liked how they accepted one another, and they acted like siblings. They each knew their place and were appreciative of each other.

It was an entertaining and fun read. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this story. The world building and the characters were fabulous! 5 stars

The Unsub by Meg Gardiner

4.5 stars Thriller

She still has it. I used to be a big Meg reader many years ago and when I saw this book on vacation a few years ago, I had to pick it up. Meg kept me entertained, never letting me go as Caitlin takes over in her father’s shoes tracking down The Zodiac killer.

After a lengthy absence, The Zodiac killer has returned. Caitlin is assigned to the case with the hope that her history with the case, they’ll be able to catch The Prophet this time. He’s predictable, yet there’s something different this time with the killings. Caitlin is drawn in, The Prophet knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s pulling Caitlin along with him. Her father Mack knows that feeling all too well. Mack had worked on this same case years ago when The Prophet first emerged and now Mack is playing the price. Caitlin asks her father for advice, his expertise on The Prophet and Mack’s warns his daughter about the emotional impact this case can have on her but Caitlin is determined to bring The Zodiac killer down.

It’s a dark thriller where it’s a race against time. The Zodiac killer takes and takes as he has a goal in mind and nothing will stop him. Caitlin and her team must discover the motivation behind such a corrupt mind and find a way to stop him. The clock is ticking ……go!

After reading the last few pages of this book, I realized that this was a series. Now, that was a shock to me, as I hate to read series until I know a few of the books in the series are already published. Knowing this, I checked and found that yes, there are four books in this series. I immediately put book #2 and #3 of this series on hold at the library because I need to know what happens next. 4.5 stars

The Birthday Girl by Melissa De La Cruz

3 stars Fiction

The party of all parties. A party to prove something but to whom? Ellie was throwing her own 40^th birthday party and she was sparing no expense. It was the best of the best for everyone and anyone she has ever had contact with. It was a show, another show that would dig into their wallet, a wallet that was already stretched thin.

Ellie bought the house anticipating that her 40^th birthday party would be held inside its massive walls. Ellie contempt’s and analyzes every aspect of her life, making sure that everything is refine and perfect, a task that sounds exhausting to me. She was such a nervous wreck before her party, I was hoping that when her party started, she would start to chill.

Welcome to the party. It was exhausting trying to keep track of who was having an affair with who, or who has had an affair with who, and who thought someone was having an affair with someone. Was anyone at this party married and not having an affair? It was never enough for someone to be happy; they were always striving for something better. Ellie never calmed down as her guests arrived, her adrenaline escalated as her thoughts raced. I thought she might have a breakdown and never be able to enjoy any aspect of her birthday. She was constantly watching and listening, searching for something. This 40^th birthday party is not a fun and happy birthday for Ellie but something that happens tonight tells me that Ellie’s birthdays were not always a pleasurable experience.

Let’s flashback to when Ellie turns 16 as she’s been keeping this birthday a secret for years. It should be a night of hanging out with friends and having a great time but as the night continues Ellie is getting frustrated. It’s her birthday and nothing is going as planned. Ellie tries to change things throughout the night but it’s exhausting and where is the fun in all of this? Before her birthday is officially over, Ellie is going to wish it hadn’t started.

I was annoyed with the birthday party aspect of the book as Ellie’s anxiety and busyness were over the top. There was nothing about her party that she enjoyed, nothing! The guests, the food, the gifts, the music, the effort…..nothing was ever enough. It annoyed me. Flashing back to her childhood, this part of the story was more appealing as Ellie moves between being satisfied with whatever happens to trying to change the situation, she’s in to make it more appealing to her. Ellie knows that she can create change. I thought the book was okay, it wasn’t a memorable read for me. 3 stars.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Melissa De La Cruz for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

5 stars Fiction

One year. Cassie had finally found her groove and now this. Her mother was asking Cassie to put her life on hold for one year so that she could help her out. This is the same mother who walked out on Cassie and her father when she was 16. After having just received a valor award for her outstanding job performance, Cassie packs up her bags to attend to her mother.

There was so much to love about Cassie, especially her attitude and energy. After the incident at the award ceremony and her initial meeting with her new boss at Lillian, I knew that Cassie would be a fireball. She can handle herself; that’s for sure but I started to wonder just how long she’d be able to control herself.

Cassie doesn’t want to standout at the firehouse, she wants to be accepted as one of them. She feels that she needs to prove to them that she’s not a girly-girl but someone who can handle anything that’s tossed her way. Cassie proves to the team that she tough and a few of the men are even intimated by her. With some laugh out loud moments, the firefighters welcome Cassie and initiate her into their firehouse with the traditional pranks. Cassie is feeling better about the move that she has made to help her mother because now she has a job, a job where she can be successful and feel good about herself.

Hello Rookie. Hello, Rookie! Not now…she doesn’t need this now especially after what her new boss told her. Since they’re the newest recruits, they’re always together so there’s no way she can ignore him. They start to share personal information while they’re together and all is lost…..what did the boss say? LOL. Cassie begins to accept her new life for what it is while a stalker has his eyes on Cassie.

This was the reality of life, tucked away secrets are brough to light as individuals adjusted to life in an ever-changing world. A book packed full of emotions, from laughter to tears and anything in-between, Cassie’s and those around her, lived a full life. 5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Katherine Center for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. #thingsyousavebook #tysiaf

Creating Moments of Joy For the Person with Alzheimer’s or Dementia by Jolene Brackey

5 stars Nonfiction

This is a great resource for those who know someone or is caring for someone with dementia or Alzheimer. I have read quite a few books, but this book was what I have been looking for. With short, direct chapters, each section dealt with specific topics which allowed me to skip sections. I liked the examples and real-world scenarios that were inside the book. The advice inside the book seemed practical and there were times as I read that I felt that either the examples or the advice offered is something I could relate to. The positive vibe that ran through the book was greatly appreciated too.

There is a table of contents at the beginning of the book so you can quickly get to a topic you want to explore. There is lots of practical advice inside this book. The book is broken into 3 sections: Powerful Tools That Create Positive Outcomes, Let’s Talk Communication, and Memory Enhanced Environments. Some of those topics include Remember Their Greatness, “I Want to go Home’, Stop Correcting Them, “Give Me That”, Playing Favorites, Magic Words, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, Create a Safe Haven, and A Commercial About TV. It’s definitely a book that you should check out. I highly recommend it. I also think those working with these special individuals would greatly benefit from reading it and applying the information to their work environment. I bought a few copies and gave them to individuals who would benefit from them. 5 stars

Pizza and Taco: Super-Awesome Comic! by Stephen Shaskan

5 stars Children’s Graphic Novel

There’s been at least one time in your life that you’d like to be someone different whether that person is real or fictional. Pizza and Taco have decided to act on this and create a graphic novel together.

They believe that they would make great fictional superheroes, so the besties start planning out how to accomplish this goal together.

It truly is a fun, creative plan. Pizza is good at writing so he’ll be writing the story and with Taco’s great handwriting and artistic ability, Taco will oversee the graphics. It’s funny as they work all day separately writing/sketching and when they come together to discuss their ideas, the reactions they get from one another. Will Taco Awesome and Super Slice ever make it past the preview stage? Could they have done this a different way to be successful? Through it all, they did come up with some Rules for Working Together: 1. Listen 2. Be Positive 3. Compromise

My grandchildren enjoy this book as they like how Pizza and Taco create their superhero and how they argue back and forth but they’re still friends. They’re able to express themselves, be heard, and still have a friend at the end of the book.

I love the illustrations and how everything is not rosy. There is conflict and differences which they work out without a bunch of drama. 5 stars

Pizza and Taco: Rock Out! by Stephen Shaskan

5 stars Children’s Graphic Novel

How hard is it to create your own band? Well, Taco and Pizza soon find out. After discussing their favorite bands: Beetles, Jo-Jo’s, Jam Jett, and Food Fighters, they decided to create their own band because that would be so cool!

They each have their own vision of what they should sound/look like, the besties must now make some comprises as they get to work planning and putting their new group together. I love the creativity behind this book as there are lots of funny moments as the duo discovers that this new dream of theirs is harder than they imagined.

Pizza will be strumming the guitar and Taco really wants to play the tambourine in their new band. A calm Taco is portrayed rocking it out, with colorful strings hanging off his instrument as he moves to the music. Pizza feels that Taco should take it up a notch and hammer down on some drums in their band and the contrast between these two pictures is funny. From deciding what they should call their band to recruiting other band members, and deciding how to move forward, it’s obvious that they need to comprise. Pizza needs to let Taco help make some of the decisions as this is a group decision.

The Best Friend’s Dance makes an appearance as they needed some music to perform. After they did some “think, think, think” to come up with some lyrics to write and coming up empty, they put their famous dance to music. The reaction from their potential band members wasn’t what they hoped but the besties thought it was “awesome!” “yaaas!” and that keeps their energy pumped. Who thought putting a band together would be this much work?

Super fun series that keep my grandchildren and I laughing as we read each book. We’ve read each book in this series so many times, my preschool grandchildren know each story by heart, and they tell me if I am missing a word when I read them out loud to them. You don’t really need to read them in order, but you’ll appreciate them more, if you do. They sometimes relate to the previous stories in the sequential books but for the most part, you’ll be able to follow the story. 5 stars

Pizza and Taco: Too Cool for School by Stephen Shaskan

5 stars Children’s Graphic Novel

I think everyone can relate to this book. This book is another one of my favorites in this series. Just thinking about it makes me laugh! Were you one of the cool kids in school or not? Did you know a cool kid? How did you feel about them? This book is about being cool and well, are the cool kids really cool or not?

It’s the first day of school and Pizza is excited!! He has the Freddy the Fire Truck backpack with Super Siren sounds which he feels will make him the coolest kid at school. Whoops, that’s wrong. Since Taco is his friend, Taco believes Pizza’s backpack will make them BOTH the coolest kids at school.

There’s excitement on the playground before school and ha, Pizza thinks the other kids heard about his backpack and they’re all excited about it. I love this. Isn’t that how kids feel? Honestly, the besties find out there is a new kid at school, a cool kid named B.L.T. these initials get Pizza going as he wants some initials too but…….not appropriate for Pizza.

As the friends meet the new student, Cheeseburger joins in as they discuss Pizza’s new backpack. Wow, lots of emotions here as the friends are confused over what is cool and what is not.

Awed by the new student and his “coolness” they become like sheep and follow him throughout the day being “cool”. I liked how Pizza and Taco tried to change their image and be cool and how they struggled to maintain it.

At the end of the day, they realized things about themselves and B.L.T., that put things into perspective.

A super cute book with some great life lessons in it. I love all the different text fonts used throughout the book and the illustrations were fantastic. The story is one that most individuals can relate to, on one level or another. Great puns and a book that will leave you smiling. 5+ stars

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

4 stars Fantasy Fiction

Wow! When I received this book, I was overwhelmed by its size, 620 pages was a lot for me. Yet, when I started reading it, the pages fell away, and I was swept away by the story that unfolded in front of me. This is definitely a story! An interesting story to say the least. This adventure is filled with many fascinating characters whose lives you won’t forget.

Once I got used to the language of the book, I started to understand the individuals in the story and the flow of the story. The language felt choppy to me, the words direct and tight. The atmosphere was dark and isolated as Tracker led the chase. It was the bizarre stories along the way that I found myself enjoying as I read this book. The individuals for which Tracker found himself up against, I found I enjoyed the most. It didn’t matter who or where these encounters were, Tracker was always ready for them. Would there be conversation or fighting first? It didn’t matter, Tracker was ready. I do feel that Tracker enjoyed fighting these individuals as he was a fierce fighter. From the depth of the language in the book and the intensity of his fights, Tracker loved a good fight! Lives were lost and he’d continue, with his search. With the addition of demons, vampires, and witches, I never knew what to expect as Tracker hunted down the child. All of these characters made this book such a whirlwind of activity and adventure, some aiding tracker and some just getting in his way.

I thought after reading this book that I would listen to it and the audio of this book was fantastic! I had to laugh a few times as Tracker fought different individuals as the details in the book, when spoken, sounded more energized and intense. The stories that occur while Tracker is on his mission are captivating and engaging and make this an entertaining book.

I want to thank Goodreads and Riverhead Books for a copy of this book that I had received from them, in exchange for this honest opinion.

Exerts

“Smelled like he butchered a goat. Kicking his chest was kicking stone. He held me up as if admiring a precious jewel. I kneed him in the jaw so hard his teeth sliced his tongue. He dropped me, and I charged for his balls like a bull. He fell, I grabbed his knife, razor sharp, and cut his throat. The second grabbed for my arms but I was naked and slippery. The knife-“

“A piece of blue cloth torn from something bigger. The boy was wrapped in white. I put the cloth to my nose and one year of sun, night, thunder, and rain, hundreds of days of walks, dozens of hills, valleys, sands, seas, houses, cities, plains. Smells so strong it became sign, and hearing and touch. I could reach out and touch the boy, grab him in my mind and reel from him being so far away. Too far away, my head rushing and jumping and sinking below sea then flying higher and higher and higher and smelling air free of smoke. “

Audio:

The Lake House by Jeff LaFerney

5 stars Mystery

I thought this was a captivating read as these distinct characters navigated through their life. As the stories started to come together, I liked how the stories blended and how these distinct individual’s lives felt intertwined although their lives felt so different. It reminded me of the saying, “it’s such a small world,” when you find something in common with a stranger. Didn’t see some of the twists that were added which were a great surprise.

You would think that solving a case would be easier when it’s fresh in everyone’s mind, but Reese discovers that isn’t always so. Assigned to such a case, Reese taps into some new resources yet what are Reese’s true intentions as he digs into this case?

Then, there is Beau. Beau does a terrible job on his assignment which has damaging effects for many individuals. Seriously Beau, I can’t believe you failed that job so badly. Kingston tries to come to his rescue, and he had a great idea but then, he steps over the line, and I’m left shaking my head. What the heck Kingston!?! You may have thought you solved that problem, but you just opened a can of worms by doing that. How is this all going to end? Lots of unknowns here but Jeff ties them all together by the time I close the book. 5 stars