own – Page 2 – One Chapter

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

The Safe Place by Anna Downes

4 stars Drama, Fiction

Step away from the fire! Too many red flags were being raised, all the warning signs were there, yet Emily kept on walking right where they wanted her. When I first started to read this book, I thought that Emily had caught onto her former bosses’ shenanigans and she was just playing along it but then, the issues started to get pretty deep. Emily soon realized she didn’t have the perfect job.

Emily wants to be an actress but for now, she has found temporary work in an office building. Her acting career, is going nowhere so her temporary position pays the bills, or it did. Emily has just been fired from her temporary job which just adds to the financial frustration weighing on her shoulders. Acting sincere, her former boss Scott, offers Emily a position overseas at his home there. This same boss that just fired her NOW wants to hire her. Yep, you read that right. He wants her to work and live in his beautiful home with his wife and child and money doesn’t seem to be an issue?? Do you not see this as an issue? Hello! Scott will pop in once and a while but the majority of the time, he won’t be living in that home. Emily will have a lot to do if she takes the position, as she’ll be the housekeeper, the wife’s personal assistant, and the au pair for their daughter. How desperate is she? Pretty desperate. Emily takes the job and off she goes.

Scott had warned Emily how isolated this fantastic, beautiful mansion was but when she arrives, she finally realizes how remote it really is. I’m visualizing The Overlook Hotel in Colorado from The Shining isolation and that’s exactly what Emily gets. Sorry Emily, your cell phone and computer won’t work out here. They have to have some kind of communication, they can’t expect Emily to be cut off from the world and they should have had that ready for her on Day #1. Don’t unpack those bags yet Emily, this doesn’t look like paradise to me.

I had to know what the purpose was behind all this. I felt Emily was being set up for something but why? Who was involved and how far would this go on? I was definitely motivated by the author’s writing and had a lot of questions as I read. I was intrigued by the isolation of home and by Emily’s isolation from others, two traits that shouldn’t be mixed together. This was a page-turner for me: more drama and mysterious than thriller. 4 stars #TheSafePlace!

A huge thank you goes out to Anna Downes and Minotaur Books for the copy of this book that I received in exchange for this review’s honest opinion.

Dangerous Dolls of Delaware #12 (American Chillers) by Johnathan Rand

5 stars Children’s Chapter

I bought a few of these American Chiller books when I saw a display of them a couple years ago and I’m finally reading one of them. The cover of the books is what drew me in and I liked that the titles had different states in the U.S.A. in them. I have a thing for creepy dolls so naturally I started with this book. On a sidenote, I bought a handful of creepy dolls once at an estate sale and I bought them home. I was real excited about my purchase, thinking I’d stage them around the house or outside and post pictures of them on social media, well…….that plan didn’t work. My husband saw them and he told me to get them out of the house. I didn’t think he was serious at first but he was – absolutely, dead serious! Dang! I found some people who loved creepy dolls and handed them off and now, I know my husband can’t handle creepy dolls.

What a great read! I have to say that for a children’s book, it really was a terrific read. I found that it was a fast-paced book with a handful of characters and a solid story. I liked that most of the chapters ended in a cliffhanger so that it pushed me to read the next chapter and it was hard to put the book down and do something else. Each chapter was only about 2 to 5 pages in length so I could commit to a short reading time slot, if I had to but with this story, I wanted to continue. The book wasn’t gory or difficult-to-read with complicated words or scenes that I had to configure inside my head. This book had an entertaining storyline that felt realistic and I could see myself in the shoes of one of the main characters, if I was only younger. Depending on the reader and their maturity level, I think a third grader could handle reading this book.

Spencer (11) and his sister Serena (12), were out digging for fishing worms for Spencer. Digging deeper, Serena’s shovel made a dull thud. Whatever was down there, it had been down there a long time. Hoisting the box out, they pried the lid off, and the siblings discover two ordinary-looking dolls. What a disappointment! This was no buried treasure but perhaps they might be able to sell the old dolls and make some money. That was the logic they used to take those old dolls home and this was their first big mistake.

You can imagine where this story is going as the siblings take the dolls home. Soon, the siblings begin to feel that the dolls are taking on a life of their own. They’re no longer the ordinary plain dolls that they pulled out of the muddy hole. No, these dolls are something else. Needing to get some information on these dolls, they locate a woman who knows a great deal about dolls including the two dolls that they should have left in the box, buried down in the dirt.

As this lady tells the story of the two dolls that the siblings have in their possession, I’m planning my own course of action as I felt the kids were too. Putting this plan into play became more difficult than anticipated though and the story becomes more exciting as the pages flew by. These were only dolls, right? Two dolls and two siblings, they should be able to get this under control quite quickly, right? The answer would be yes, if the dolls were just plain ordinary dolls but they’re not. They’ll need a calm day of fishing if they can ever get rid of these dolls. 5 stars

Broken by Jenny Lawson

5 stars Nonfiction

Jenny is real. Jenny’s books remind me that I need to enjoy life, no matter what comes my way. Everyone faces issues in their life and I like Jenny’s approach to the obstacles that she faces in her own life. When I read Broken, there were many times that Jenny had me laughing out-loud or snickering, as I couldn’t believe how candid she was. Yet, there were times where she got serious in her conversations and she got me thinking, seriously thinking. Yes, life should be like this…… I follow Jenny on social media and I’ve read one of her previous books and her use of humor in dealing with her illness is shown again in this book. As I read Broken, I felt empowered. We all can and should apply Jenny’s approach to our own lives.

Jenny talks openly about her mental health issues and I appreciated her upfront approach and her honest opinions and emotions. Discussing depression and anxiety, she lets her readers know that we all have our own issues and that we all take our own unique path in life. I liked how Jenny described this in her book. For it’s all in how you look at it. You’re here at this specific spot, this right spot at the right second, for a purpose. It’s all about your perspective: literally and figuratively.

“It’s not the same path that everyone else takes, and that can be hard and lonely, but I was reminded that there are amazing things that I would never see with normal eyes and other paths.”

I liked that Jenny was not afraid to be open. Jenny was sincere and truthful with her readers. She’ll say what many individuals are thinking but they’re too afraid to say it out loud. She’s real and she’ll definitely make you feel accepted and normal. I really enjoyed this book.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jenny at a book reading a few years back and I was thrilled. I can tell you; she was as personable and friendly, as she is in her books. A calming atmosphere filled the room as she spoke, it was as if, a good friend had stopped by to chat. I read Broken poolside at a resort, this year on vacation. I had many people look at me as I laughed away the morning, so I’d just hold up the book and smile at them. Sitting next to my husband, I’d have to stop reading many times so I could read him parts of the book. Her stories were things I could relate it and some were so funny, I just had to share. I know I will be revisiting this book in the future. I want to thank Goodreads, Jenny Lawson, and Henry Holt for my copy of this book as I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This review is my own personal opinion of the book

The Man Who Lost His Head by Claire Bishop

These are definitely Robert McCloskey illustrations which are terrific to look at. If you’re unfamiliar with him, he’s known for Homer Price, Make Way for Ducklings, or Blueberries for Sal. I like the detail that he brings to his drawings and the faces on the characters, for they look life-like. You can’t just glance at his illustrations, you have to stop and take in every detail that he has included because it’s marvelous, from the hair on the man’s arm, to the tin cup lying on the ground, to the untied shoelaces on the young boy. Such detail and that’s just the illustrations in this book! I thought the story was funny and I wasn’t expecting that ending. “BouliboulibouliboulibouliBANG!”

“Once upon a time there was a man who lost his head,” this is how this story begins. The illustration on this page shows a man waking up in his bedroom, his hands fumbling around, reaching up for his head. His pillow is indented which tells me that he did have a head sometime while he was sleeping so, what happened to his head? The man searches and searches but can’t find it. He even sits down to try to remember but “it is very hard once you have lost your head!” His hands and feet remember something which starts him off on his adventure. He’ll go search there but he knows that he must get dressed and take care of another important task, finding a replacement.

Out to the garden, he picks up a pumpkin. Carving out some facial features, he pops it on his head. On his way, he meets some village people who recognized him. They discuss what happened yesterday. The man misunderstands them and he returns home to find something else to wear as a head. Digging up a parsnip, the man tries again to head out and again he meets up with another bunch of village people. This head looks so funny (it’s so skinny and tall). They also talk about what occurred yesterday. Again, the man doesn’t understand so he quickly leaves and returns home. This time the man decides to carve a wooden head. Let’s try this again. He finally makes it to the fair, exactly where his hands and feet remembered. IT’s a busy place and as he looks, he also takes advantage of what the fair offers. Resting, he’s approached by a “kind-hearted and very bright boy.” The boy actually thinks he can help the man, really?

I’m glad that I grabbed this book when I saw it at a sale. I saw Robert’s name on the cover and I knew it had to be good. 5 stars.

2 x 2 = Boo! A Set of Spooky Multiplication Stories by Loreen Leedy

A cute picture book about math featuring some Halloween characters. I liked the way the math facts are presents in the book, the repetition of the same number so the child can see a pattern taking place and I liked how the illustrations reinforce that same scenario. I like how each chapter is devoted to one specific number. The way that the characters try to explain multiplication is not confusing but give the reader a visual, a number sentence and an explanation. Great illustrations also. This book only covers the multiplication facts from 1-5 so don’t expect something like 1 x 7 because the highest this book covers is 5 x 5. This is not a scary book, if you are worried about that.

Gia and the One Hundred Dollars Worth of Bubblegum by Frank Asch

I picked this book up at a garage sale because I loved the cover. The cover art is just beautiful with all the little pictures. This is a black-n-white book and looking inside the book’s pages, it’s the detail in the illustrations and the text that makes this book stand out. Most of the book’s 2-page spreads have text on one side and an illustration on the other. So what? Well, the text is not your typical text, its large bubble text, done in white against a black background. In the white bubble text, each letter has been artistically enhanced. Looking at each of the letters in the text is like a bonus in this book. Check out all the doodles/pictures.

The main story is about a girl who finds an old dog with a hurt paw while she and her friends were on their way to the circus. Gia tells her friends that she’s staying with the dog so her friends can go ahead and go to the circus. Gia carries the dog back to her house, bandages the dog’s leg and then, the dog gives her a $100. Yep, that dog is amazing! Gia, being a nice girl, thought she’d get bubble gum for everyone so she buys $100 worth of bubble gum.

When her friends get back from the circus, they all get some bubble gum and they blew bubbles! They blew one large sticky bubble that catches in a gust of wind and blew the gang, up and away. A seagull gets close to their bubble and yikes; they all come tumbling back down to Earth. This was a long fall but remember, you have nice Gia with you and she’s not going to let you get hurt. A cute, entertaining story with a fun illustrations. Kids will get their imagination flowing with this one.

Living With Twelve Men….. a mother in training by Betty Auchard

Reading Betty’s stories are like sitting beside her and having a conversation. Betty doesn’t leave out anything as she writes about events in her life and I enjoyed the assortment of stories and her honesty. I found myself laughing many times as I read and I even thought, “no, she really didn’t do that, did she?”

Her story about the prayer chain hit home with me. When it came time for Betty’s turn to pray, I cracked up as she spoke to the group. I would have loved to be in that room and see everyone’s response as I think I would’ve started laughing. Her story about the guinea hens reminded me of the time I had turkeys. I don’t know how she kept her composure during that whole ordeal but I feel she’s a strong woman as I know I wouldn’t have been able to.

This is my second book of Betty’s that I’ve read and they’ve both been very enjoyable. Betty writes about her personal experiences which are honest and open. I read this book for book club and we had the honor this month (April 2021) of having Betty at our book club meeting via Zoom. Seeing her in person was wonderful, as she’s just like the individual, I pictured her to be. A very sweet, entertaining woman spoke with us. She answered all of our questions, talking about the stories in the book, asking us questions, and telling us about her life. We all enjoyed having her join us.

Trevor and Me by Yune

The illustrations in this book are amazing. The one with the little girl walking with Trevor and the flowers all around them, was beautiful! This book deals with the difficult topic of death and how a little girl notices her friend slowing down and then, passing away.

I liked how the little girl and Trevor were able to enjoy time together. The little girl talks and pays attention to him instead of Trevor having to keep an eye on her. As Trevor begins to slow down, the little girl notices and makes inquiries about it. Trevor cares about her and their relationship, as he explains the situation, answering any questions she might have. I liked how she expresses her emotions in the book. He tries to prepare her for the future and for the days that he will no longer be in her life. I think it’s a sweet book that would provide comfort to those who are experiencing the same type of event in their life.

I did have issues with the font in the book, I didn’t care for it. I thought it was too fancy and hard to read. Sometimes the font and the illustrations get mingled together and then, it was really difficult to read. I think some children will also have a hard time with the font. I also wondered about the beginning of this relationship. How did they meet? Who is Trevor? How does she get to the area to meet him? As a parent and sub teacher, I just kinda want to know these things especially in the world we live in now (it’s sad but true). Had I read this book many years ago, I probably wouldn’t feel so concerned about it but as a parent and sub teacher, I am. I also wondered why, he doesn’t show up the next day, the very next day. How sad is that? Why couldn’t they have one more day of fun together? That’s not much time for that little girl to process the information that he gave her the day before. I’m on the fence with this one, lots of great things about it and a few important things that I feel are missing. 3.5 stars

The Last Meal by Yuno

I have read a lot of different topics in children’s books lately but this is the first book I have read or seen that deals with death row. Prison and its long-term ramifications, effect some children directly or indirectly, for they have no choice. I have to commend Yuno for tackling this topic as unfortunately, its something our society must deal with.

In Yuno’s children’s picture book, we met four inmates, from four different areas, who are on death row. These inmates and guards are all birds which makes this subject easier to talk about and illustrate. Behind their prison bars, these inmates must decide what they would like to eat for their “last meal” and write it down. This “last meal” will be served to them, the night before their scheduled execution.

I liked how each of the requests were different for the inmates. They each carried their own special meaning to the prisoner and it told you more about that person. I liked how the guards came together for one of the inmates. The illustrations were nicely done and I thought the text font added a calm feeling to the book. I did feel that the flow from one inmate to another, didn’t always work for me. I didn’t feel a flow and I felt that the book just hopped from one person to another. It felt like it needed some connecting/transition words, words like Meanwhile, Months later, or Across the ocean, just something of a lead in.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.