Bedtime Story: The Very Best Daddy of All by Marion Dane Bauer

 

Synopsis: "From all
of the daddies,
tall or small,
mine is the best,
the very best...

Some animal daddies comfort their babies or hold them tight, or face every danger for them. But the narrator of this loving picture book knows his daddy does all of that -- and more -- for him.

In this sweet companion to the New York Times best-selling My Mother Is Mine, Marion Dane Bauer and Leslie Wu celebrate fathers. A Father's Day card is attached to the back of the book, but this is a book to share all year long.

the very best daddy of all."

My Review: This is very similar to several other books I have gotten for Munchkin, but he still really enjoyed this one. The artwork was beautiful and Munchkin really loves all the animals. It is a little long for him to sit through but possible to get through, maybe more appropriate for a younger, not so active child.

My Rating: If I hadn't seen so many books like this one previously it would probably get a better rating but it is getting a rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag this time.

 

 

 

Good Night! Sweet Dreams!

After Dark Review of Surrounded by Pleasure by Mandy Harbin

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: "Krista Owens is an attorney who works too much and plays too little. When her colleague, Mikaela, requests her assistance for a month on the Woods estate, hinting that her brothers-in-law are all hot with commitment phobias, Krista agrees to tell the guys she has a boyfriend, hoping to finally lose her virginity.

Toby Woods doesn’t want anything to do with Krista, but watching his brothers fight over her ignites his feral side. He wants her, and he’ll stop at nothing to have her.

He knows it’s temporary, but will he be able to let her go when it’s time?"

My Review: It has been a while since I read the first book in this series, so I forgot how animalistic Harbin's shifters are and I love it! I enjoy the characters she created, all the brothers are fantastic but I really loved Toby and Thomas in this one. It is a fast steamy read but still enough substance so you don't feel let down. It also ends in quite a stunner and the next book will need to be read immediately!

 

 

My Rating: I was thrilled to find that this series continued and downloaded all the books.  This one was definitely no disappointment. I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.

Review of Contrails by Robert Anderson

 

Synopsis: "Sam Claymore works for Civil Airlines, sleepwalking through the highs and lows, the ups and downs of being a pilot. He survives working alongside a wacky cast of captains, turbulence scares, even being estranged from his father. Nothing fazes him until one day he is unexpectedly furloughed. What Sam will do becomes the new route he must navigate.

Enter Nate McFadden, a childhood friend living in Miami. Nate contacts Sam at the right time, a time when his moral compass may be susceptible to manipulation. Nate moves Sam in, getting him a job where being furloughed is the least of his worries. Follow Sam as he descends deeper into a world he could've never imagined. CONTRAILS is a story of real people faced with extreme decisions, the consequences of which could mean their lives."

My Review:  I am not normally one for thrillers, but this one caught my interest and now I wish I had read it way back when I first received it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and really enjoyed the characters and story line. The set up at the beginning of the story was great, there was a lot of 'pilot talk' so that was a little confusing but it really set the scene well. It was an adrenaline pumping story and one I could definitely see adults, teens, guys or ladies enjoying.

 

My Rating: This was a very fun book to read and even outside my comfort zone. I enjoyed it so much I am even considering purchasing the next book called Drug Wars.  I give it a rating of Four Paws.

 

 

Contrails was sent to me by the author (an embarrassing amount of time ago) for an honest review.

 

You can obtain your own copy of Contrails in digital format on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Review of Evertaster by Adam Glendon Sidwell

 

Synopsis: "When eleven-year-old Guster Johnsonville rejects his mother's casserole for the umpteenth time, she takes him into the city of New Orleans to find him something to eat. There, in a dark, abandoned corner of the city they meet a dying pastry maker. In his last breath he entrusts them with a secret: an ancient recipe that makes the most delicious taste the world will ever know a taste that will change the fate of humanity forever. Forced to flee by a cult of murderous chefs, the Johnsonvilles embark on a perilous journey to ancient ruins, faraway jungles and forgotten caves. Along the way they discover the truth: Guster is an Evertaster a kid so picky that nothing but the legendary taste itself will save him from starvation. With the sinister chefs hot on Guster's heels and the chefs' reign of terror spreading, Guster and his family must find the legendary taste before it's too late."

My Review: This is a truly unique book, I haven't come across anything quite like it before. It has a unique combination of familiar things and some far fetched fantasy elements that takes a bit to fully wrap your head around. It is quite the adventure for this family as Guster hunts for something he can stand eating. I think this would be a fun and entertaining book for a picky eater to read and maybe come to appreciate the work that goes into meals a little more. While it was a fun and adventurous book to read it was a little long for a middle grade book.

 

My Rating: It was fun to read this book but it did get a little boring at times and slow.  Even with it being a little longer than needed it had some very vibrant characters. I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.

What's for Dinner this Week? (14)

What's for Dinner This Week is a little insight into my life for you every Monday night. I carefully plan out meals for the week ahead of time and do my shopping over the weekend.  So I wanted to start sharing with you one of the recipes or dinners I am most looking forward to each week.

 

 

I guess I should maybe re-label this as just What's for Dinner because I am going to share something with you we made last week.  I have been on the hunt for various recipes Munchkin can help with since he is so interested in what goes on this kitchen.

 

Example: watching the cheese melt on the nachos

 

 

 

So I found this recipe for Broccoli Nuggets on pinterest (the original recipe can be found on Hello Bee Blog). Not only will it allow him to help but also get him to eat more veggies.

image from pinterest

 

Mine definitely didn't look that good and burned a little bit (I guess with a gas oven you only need to bake them for 10-12 minutes before flipping).

 

 

Munchkin really enjoyed helping. He added the cheese (handful by handful and took forever)

 

And of course stirring the mixture



 

he enjoyed stirring so much he had to stir some more after I got the first batch in the oven.

 

 

 

Do you have a secret way of slipping those veggies into a meal for picky eaters?

 

 



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

Shiver of Light by Laurell K. Hamilton (After Dark)
Nighttime Ninja by Barbara DaCosta (Bedtime Story)
Hades: Lord of the Dead by George O'Connor (Graphic Novel)
 

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

Gabriel's Inferno
Racing Savannah
Jesper Jinx
Five Silly Fisherman
Where do Giggles come from?
The Trojan Horse
Wednesday Letters
If Your Dreams Take off and Fly
The Well of Being
 

Currently Reading:

Mozart Season by Virginia Euwer Wolff - PB - on page 35 of 272
We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee - Audio - 62%
Cabin Fever by Diana Hunter - PB - on page 89 of 272
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - PB - on page 144 of 341




 Books to be Read Soon:

 

Dakota Home by Debbie Macomber
Dakota Always by Debbie Macomber
Buffalo Valley by Debbie Macomber
Visions of a Revolution by Jeffery Minucci (Requested Review)


 



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Wow, so I thought it was going to be a light week of reading but boy was I wrong! I love when reading really takes off, and I need that too because I have a very large pile of books that I want to read this month! Unfortunately I am again struggling with the Harry Potter book, I swear I will never get through this series and I am completely puzzled as to why this series was so popular. If I didn't already own the entire series I probably would have never bought the second book and continued to read it. Oh well I will continue to plug through it at a pace of 2 to 3 chapters a night.

Well I better get busy writing the reviews for all those books!! Hope you have a good week!