Bedtime Story: Tails

 

Synopsis: "Tails are irresistible to toddlers, and in Matthew Van Fleet’s sturdy touch-and-feel board book, preschool-age pokers and prodders can finally tug to their heart’s content. Engaging, cartoonish animals from tigers to pangolins romp across the pages as the rhyming text bounces along: “Tails fluffy, / Tails stringy, / Scaled tails strong and—clingy!” Pull tabs, lift-able flaps, tufts of fur, and even a scratch-and-sniff skunk tail provide plenty of tactile surprises. Along the way, youngsters will learn about counting, opposites, and how animals use their tails. A tried and true tail-wagger!"

My Review: Munchkin received this book when he was brand new and didn't have the patience for it until about 6 months old but now he loves it and will continue to as it has activities for older kids too. All the different textures are fun for him now and once he has the coordination down pulling tabs and flipping flaps will be a blast. Then there are the animal names to learn and counting the animals on each page too. This is a great book for little ones to keep for a long time and keep them busy. What I want to know is has anyone been brave enough for the scratch n sniff skunk tail?!

 

My Rating: Whenever Munchkin is on the floor in his room he immediately crawls over to the bookshelves and pulls this book out.  I really do think this will be a favorite book for a long time and it is great for all kids. I give it a rating of Four Paws!

 

 

Good Night! Sweet Dreams!

After Dark Review of Wyoming Fierce by Diana Palmer

I have added After Dark Reviews to my blog as a way of notifying you of a review of a book with Adult themes and scenes. From now on I will keep my reviews of all books I read that have explicit scenes in them for late night posts for those of you who prefer to avoid them or easy to find for those of you who seek them out ;)

 

 

 

Synopsis: "Ranch owner Cane Kirk lost more than his arm in the war. He lost his way, battling his inner demons by challenging any cowboy unfortunate enough to get in his way. No one seems to be able to cool him down, except beautiful Bodie Mays. Bodie doesn't mind saving Cane from himself, even if he is a little too tempting for her own peace of mind.

But soon Bodie's the one who finds herself in need of rescuing only, she's afraid to tell Cane what's really going on. How can she trust someone as unpredictable as this fierce cowboy? When her silence only ends up getting her into even deeper hot water, it's up to Cane to save the day. And if he does it right, he won't be riding off into the sunset alone."

My Review: I struggled with this one. As I said in my review of Wyoming Tough (Book 1 of the series) that I felt the author was talking to me like I was unable to retain simple details. So many things were repeated again and again, sometimes even in the same paragraph. At times it felt like a slap in the face and that she didn't respect me as a reader. I also found the characters personalities to have some inconsistencies, especially with Bodie. She was strong and conservative one moment and then the next she was weepy and going against all she believed. That said though, I still found myself caring about the characters, enough so that I may put myself through reading the next book. This was also an audio book and I found it kind of odd that it was a male narrator. I don't know why it was odd for me but once I settled in to it I found that his voice and accent worked perfectly for the male characters of the story. That may have been what saved the whole book for me.

 

My Rating: I truly have no idea why I keep reading this series or books by this author, they drive me crazy with the repetition! Yet I continue to read them, I think I am maybe a little home sick and will take any glimpse I can of Wyoming.  I give this a rating of One Paw and a Stump Wag.

Review of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

 

Synopsis: "Blessed—or cursed—with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she’s known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn’t hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servents. Only a grueling journey on the backs of the four winds will reveal the truth: the bear is really a prince who’s been enchanted by a troll queen, and the Lass must come up with a way to free him before he’s forced to marry a troll princess."

My Review: I really enjoyed this story, it takes me back to when my mom first read me East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I think this was a great fairytale re-telling. I loved the characters and the way George filled out the original story. There were a few times when the story lagged a bit but all in all the pace was good. Being of Norwegian heritage I loved hearing the little references to traditions (I think I need to make some lefsa now).

 

My Rating: It wasn't quite an outstanding book but I really did enjoy it.  I give it a rating of Three Paws.

Review of Hope on a Paige by Jeff Dvorak

 

Synopsis: "This is the first short story in a planned collection of 8-12 short stories centering around the Dead Letter Office.

Paige Andrews has led a life that got off track a long time ago, to the point that she doesn't know how she got there and is unsure how to get out. In the meantime, once a week, she allows herself a fantasy and writes a letter to her fake husband who is away on business.

She mails them to a fake address and doesn't give them another thought, until she receives a response.

A tale of loss, understanding and redemption, Hope on a Paige is a 6500 word short story that will catch you by surprise."

My Review: Wow! I loved this story! The idea of the dead letter office really interests me as a person who loves to write letters and the thought of getting a response to a letter by surprise kind of appeals to me. I fell in love with the characters, though their struggles didn't stand out to me all that much, the hope that they both felt was great. Not to mention how the story flows, it has a lovely rhythm that draws you and just lets emotion flow. A beautifully written short story romance that leaves you with so much potential for the characters.

 

My Rating: I really enjoyed everything about this story. It was short enough to read in a sitting and you felt so much.  I give it a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!

Monday Reading List

Its Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Share what books you have finished in the last week, are currently reading and what might be coming up next!

Reviews Posted Last Week:

Links will take you to my review

 

The Horse Master of Shanhasson by Joely Sue Burkhart (After Dark)
Heads (Bedtime Story)

Books Finished Last Week:
Reviews will be posted at a later date

Red Wagon
Happy Birthday, Baby
On the Night You were Born
Hope on a Paige
Horse Master of Shanhasson
Wyoming Fierce
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
 

Currently Reading:

Dark Chatter by Andrew Branch - Kindle - 17%
The Tale of the Taconic Mountains by Mike Romeling - Nook - On Page 32 of 389
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen - PB - on Page 40 of 383

 Books to be Read Soon:

 

Lethal Rider by Larissa Ione (Series Challenge)
Water Harvest by Eric Diehl (Requested Review)
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore (Graphic Novel)
Juliette Immortal by Stacey Jay
Judgment by Jade Varden


 



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So I am finally starting to get back into the groove of reading. I have had to pick a few books that aren't on my immediate to read list just to get me back into the mood and rhythm. Of course now that I am just getting motivated again, I will be heading in for my next surgery on Thursday, but at least with this one I won't be allowed to do anything but read.

I hope you all have a great reading adventure this month!