And the winner is....

Sunday, July 19, 2009

I recently advertised a book giveaway on FrugalReader to give away my ARC copy of Gloria Mallette's "Sassy", which I loved!

I completed the drawing this morning, and here is my post to the forum over at FrugalReader.


Ok, ladies and gentlemen, the drawing is over...
The list of contestants is (in order of comment):
1. icedream
2. JoanneR
3. dmbuffy
4. mama2skyjax
5. Lenda
6. JDobs

And the winner is.....

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 3 Powered by RANDOM.ORG


dmbuffy!!! Congratulations Dayna!!

And, to thank everyone for participating in my very first ARC giveaway (which helps me get more ARCs:-), everyone (including ConnieJ) will get to choose either a book from my shelf or a credit from me. Dayna -- choose another book in addition to Sassy, or a credit to go with it.

Thanks again everyone!!

Review: Sassy by Gloria Mallette

Monday, July 6, 2009

Sassy by Gloria Mallette
Published by Gemini Press
May 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9678789-3-5

Romance, Suspense...Whodunnit?



Sassy Davenport writes successful romance novels for a living, but what she writes comes from her imagination, not her experience. Her current relationship is unremarkably bland and unfulfilling. Then, she meets a handsome architect at her latest book signing and her love life begins to take on a more interesting appeal. After falling head over heels, she is forced to ask herself if she has made a horrible mistake – is this wonderful man truly the brutal murderer he is accused of being, or is this a terrible case of mistaken identity?

Gloria Mallette has succeeded in writing a book so captivating this reader didn’t want to put it down. From page one, the author plunges the reader directly into the crux of the story and grabs her attention. On page ten I ask myself rhetorically, “how is this going to play out?” The suspense is constant, and just when you think the author has given herself away, it’s time to think again – or is it?

Ms. Mallette has included a wide range of feelings and emotions in her characters: hate, anger, love, compassion, jealousy. Some of her characters have them, and other characters evoke them. She’s used shock, suspense, romance, mystery, sympathy and even repulsion to draw in the reader to abandon the lukewarm attitude of a moderate novel, to the eager, anticipating climax of an intense story.

Review: Pack Your Bags...Go U.S.A. by Kimberley Weaver and Allyson Murphy

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Pack Your Bags...Go U.S.A. by Kimberley Weaver and Allyson Murphy
Illustrated by Maria K. Holdren
Published by Sorella Books (www.sorellabooks.com)
ISBN-13: 978-0976735106
ISBN-10: 0-976735105




Travel the States!


Each of the 50 United States is represented in the colorful and simply organized pages of Pack Your Bags…Go U.S.A. Presented in alphabetical order, each state has a page dedicated to its picture, capital city, nickname, state flag, state flower, state bird, and an additional little tidbit about that state. In California, you could visit the Golden Gate Bridge; in Maine, you could go canoeing on the Allagash River.

This is a beautifully compiled tribute to the United States of America. The authors have done a fantastic job of piecing together the various facts about each state and putting them into a very well organized and illustrated book for children and adults alike. Each page is filled with color to engage young readers, as well as vibrant photographs to enhance the journey your child will take while turning these pages. The layout of the information is kept simple and basic, and does not overwhelm the reader with too much information, while providing many interesting facts at the same time.

Intended for young children, adults interested in learning more about the U.S. and each state would also benefit from this fact-filled book.

Review: Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn

Friday, February 20, 2009

Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn
Published by MIRA Books
ISBN-13: 978-0778326144
ISBN-10: 0-778326144
Available March 2009

Lady Julia does it again!


Lady Julia Grey is at it again. Nicholas Brisbane tells her to stay away, but she ignores his request and heads with her sister to his newly-inherited estate. She arrives to find the previous family still inhabiting the grounds, with Brisbane maintaining a discreet distance. Not long after her arrival, Lady Julia is asking questions and wondering why Brisbane chose this estate, with this family, when both are succumbing to the ruins that can only come from a fallen fortune and neglect. What Lady Julia discovers is that she has insinuated herself in the middle of a mystery, and she continues to unravel the threads to understand the man she has come to love.

Silent on the Moor is the third book of Ms. Raybourn’s Lady Julia Grey mysteries. I must confess that I haven’t read the first two installments, so I was a little disappointed when I realized this novel had less romance than it did mystery – I was expecting lots of romance. I was wondering why Nicholas had such a bit part, and when he was in the story, it wasn’t very in-depth. I found it difficult to believe in their relationship because there wasn’t any chemistry between the two characters, and the author didn’t seem too concerned with developing the romance. It wasn’t until I started looking for the first two books did I realize their history has already been established and I had missed the boat. I highly recommend reading the first two books first if you’re interested in the development of the relationship, but it isn’t necessary if you’re more interested in a very intriguing, keeping-you-guessing, mystery.

Ms. Raybourn kept me guessing through this book and I really enjoyed the character of Lady Julia. I found myself looking forward to my time reading when this book was waiting for me, and I began looking for books one and two as soon as I finished the last page.

Review: The Tutu Ballet by Sally O. Lee

Thursday, January 1, 2009

The Tutu Ballet
Story and Illustrations by Sally O. Lee
Published by Booksurge Publishing
ISBN: 978-1439209165
A special thank you to ijustfinished.com

Embrace the Differences


The Tutu Ballet is a delightful story of Ms. Berry and her four young ballet students who are preparing for their class ballet recital. Ms. Berry’s students are Mirabel the mouse, Fillippo the fox, Belinda the bear, and Harriett the hare. During the classes, Ms. Berry finds that each of her students has his or her own interest in one particular area of the ballet, and is not particularly talented in the other areas. Ms. Berry is able to overcome this dilemma by organizing the recital in such a way that each student is able to use his or her own talent to play a special part, and the play ends in a grand success, much to the parents’ delight.

As you may have guessed, The Tutu Ballet takes place in the forest where the resident animals send their children to Ms. Berry’s class to learn the ballet. Each student is a different type of animal represented in the forest, and each of these characters displays a strength in one area, and weaknesses in others. Ms. Berry is presented with the daunting task of preparing these students for the recital where they should all be performing the same ballet moves and following the same instructions. Unfortunately, Ms. Berry must improvise as not all of her students are able perform all of the same moves. Ms. Berry develops a format where each individual may remain an individual, perform his or her talents, and still emerge with a wonderfully successful ballet recital.

Ms. Lee writes an endearing tale that teaches young children the beauty of keeping an open mind and embracing the differences of others. Allowing others to excel where they do best and combining each individual’s strengths can result in a spectacular result. Not everyone can do everything perfectly, and not everyone must do everything perfectly in order for a project to be a success. Working together and bringing your own talents to the table, no matter how different they are, makes everyone involved a winner. This lesson is simply told, and beautifully illustrated, by Ms. Lee herself.

Happy New Year! And I don't do resolutions...

Well, Happy New Year everyone! Today is the day of new beginnings. Getting everything right this time around that we didn't quite get right in 2008. But, I'm here to tell you it isn't happening in my house. New Years' resolutions aren't for me, and I'll tell you why. It's the pressure. I'm a firm believer in treating each day as a new opportunity to improve on the day before this one. The resolutions just add more pressure to be perfect, and I refuse to succumb to my need to be perfect. Yesterday didn't go well? I didn't make it to the grocery store? I forgot to submit my book review? I haven't mailed my Christmas cards and it's already January 1st? Well, that's ok because today is a new day, and tomorrow is a new day, and so on. Babysteps. I will just take those babysteps to improve myself no matter what date it is. So, goodbye resolutions and hello 2009!

Review: Johnny Big Ears, The Feel-Good Friend by John Paul Padilla

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Johnny Big Ears, The Feel-Good Friend
By John Paul Padilla
Published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-8059-74966

Besting the Bully!


Johnny Big Ears is a five-year old boy who is getting ready to begin Kindergarten. Prior to the first day of school, Johnny’s mom cuts his hair and he realizes he has big ears. He begins to wonder what other kids will think of him and how he will be treated because he isn’t perfect. He decides it doesn’t matter what they think; he has big ears and he knows he is special regardless of how he looks. In Johnny Big Ears, John Paul Padilla takes us along with Johnny on his adventure to his first day of school. As expected, Johnny runs into bullies on the schoolyard and we are able to witness how he handles himself, what he thinks, and how he resolves the situation.

From the beginning of the story, we know Johnny feels special because his family has instilled in him the sense that he is a one-of-a-kind individual and they love him exactly as he is. When he realizes he isn’t perfect, he knows it’s okay because it’s those imperfections that make him so special. The author gave Johnny confidence and self-respect which helps him to decide not to be a victim in the schoolyard and to maintain respect for himself. This story teaches children to be strong, to walk away, and to know that not everyone will always like you – and that is okay.

Something I found to be strange in this story is how the author used a character’s imperfections in the naming of that character. I was taken aback when the principal is named Mrs.Wrinkles because she has wrinkles. Charlie Freckles has many freckles on his face. I found this to be somewhat inconsistent with the author’s message. The message of a person not being defined by his or her imperfection is wonderful, however, the author chose to give these characters names which drew attention to, and in effect, defined those characters by the very traits that might make them feel insecure.

The only other issue I found with this book is actually in presentation, not actually in the story itself. I found my children lost interest when there were no pictures on the page with which to associate the words I was reading aloud. They lost focus and I could tell they were having a difficult time keeping with the story. For children, I do believe the visual with each page helps to drive the message to heart and they are more likely to remember and recall the story and its teaching.

I was looking for a book to help me teach my kids about bullies in school. I think this story is a good one to that end, and is surely going to spark in-depth conversations that are important for parents to have with their children about respect for oneself and others.