Friday, November 13, 2020

Bedtime Story: Three Cheers for Kid McGear! by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Illustrated by A.G. Ford

 

Read for: Children's Books/ Borrowed books

Synopsis: "From the New York Times bestselling author that brought you Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Mighty, Mighty Construction Site comes a heartwarming and inspiring tale featuring the first female character to join the core construction crew!

She might be small, but she's got it all—she's Kid McGear, Skid Steer! Kid McGear is the newest truck to join the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site crew and she's eager to help with even the roughest and toughest construction work. But when a steep cliff puts the other trucks in danger, can the new Kid on the site prove she's big enough for even this big, big job?"

My Review: We have loved the Construction Site series in our house. Even though Munchkin has outgrown picture books, these still remain on our shelf and each time a new one comes out it is added to the list. This one is a great addition to the shelf, we get to add a new truck and it is little and a girl! I love the way Rinker uses all the attachments for the skid steer to show the variety of jobs it can do. Of course also having a little truck on a job can be a benefit. Little construction fans will love this story and be able to relate to it as they start to try to take on tasks themselves like setting tables and putting their own laundry away. They may be small but they can get the job done!

My Rating: We love these books, they are great for readers of all ages. The fun rhyme and repetition will keep the youngest readers engaged and  it also helps with the older readers reading out loud. It had a great story about even the littlest worker can help. I give it a rating of Four Paws!


Good Night! Sweet Dreams!

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Blog Tour: Review of Selling Christmas by Angelina Goode

 

 
Read for: Requested Review/ Tour/ Christmas!!

Synopsis: "Helping people find their dream house has always come natural to Caroline. She’s able to set the stage perfectly so her clients can imagine spending the holidays in their new home, even though she doesn’t decorate her own. When her boss assigns her to oversee the company’s first Christmas Tour of Homes, Caroline thinks she may be in over her head.

Luke has always made sure his daughter, Ella, had all that she needed for Christmas, including a home bursting at the seams with tinsel and holly. Even if it meant working extra shifts patrolling the town. So when a house of their own is at the top of Ella’s Christmas list, he can’t help but set out to find one.

As Christmas fate brings Caroline and Luke together, they just might be exactly what the other needs to make it through the holidays. Until Luke unknowingly stumbles across Caroline’s past. A past that keeps Caroline from looking to a future with Luke.

Can Caroline and Luke find their way to happily ever after? Or is the only thing keeping them from finding it, each other?"

My Review:  If you know me, you know I am a sucker for holiday books, especially those with romance. When I saw this book also revolves around real estate, something I deal with every day, I knew I had to read this one. I really enjoyed how this book seemed to have two story lines running at the same time, the challenge of staging homes and capturing the spirit of Christmas and the struggle with new relationships and overcoming the grief of past ones. I really enjoyed the characters and the way they grew and developed throughout the story. This book captures the feel of the season through the setting, the characters and the events throughout. Definitely an emotional journey as well, I even started tearing up a few times (while in the office), you can't help but root for Caroline, Luke and Ella to find their paths through grief and new beginnings. This is definitely a great book to read during the holiday season, it just warms your heart.

My Rating: I really enjoyed this book, it gave me the emotional journey I look for in a holiday book and it has characters I could really feel connected to.  I give it a rating of Four Paws!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Pump Up Your Book. The above is my honest review and opinion.

 





Angelina Goode pic

Angelina Goode began writing as a teenager. Though her first works were poems about love-struck teenagers, she grew her craft while earning her degree in Journalism and Creative Writing. A former grade school teacher that loved teaching children to write, she enjoys finding creative ways to present everyday events. Now she primarily writes light-hearted contemporary women’s fiction. Angelina loves to travel and weave places she’s visited into her novels. She lives in Los Angeles where she enjoys people-watching and year-round sun.

Website: www.angelinagoode.com

Twitter: @angelina_goode



Amazon → https://amzn.to/3kLotqE

Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/3j4KWyi










http://www.pumpupyourbook.com

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Top 5 Wednesday: Non-Fiction

   Top 5 Wednesday is a group on Goodreads.


I am very thankful that a user on Goodreads by the name Gabriella has taken over hosting and selecting topics for Top 5 Wednesday and has revived the group, I am loving the new topics.

This week's topic is about Non-Fiction books for Non-Fiction November.  I have to admit that I am really bad at reading non-fiction books. I have ton on my shelves but I just don't reach for them very often. I think because often they need to be read a little more slowly. There are some on my shelf that have been calling to me lately and I find myself wanting to pick them up. 

This feels like a great book for this time of year, when people tend to come together over great food. Granted this year will probably be much different, but this book seems like it will bring a bit of comfort along with some great recipes.

This book has been sitting on my shelf for ages, but it has really been calling to me. Maybe it is because of the lack of connection lately and the need to connect with loved ones and respected people in life before they are gone forever. Either way, I am sure this will be an emotional and bittersweet read.

Several years ago I had the amazing chance to meet Dr. Ruth, she is such an inspiring person to meet, speak with and listen to.  I picked up this book at the time and have yet to actually read it.  Again, I don't know if it is the year we are living in or if it is this time of year but I find myself wanting to read a sentimental book.

Having moved across the country, knowing no one but my husband, I feel this book. It is such a struggle to find new friends in a new location.  All of my friends pretty much came about from an early age, I can't remember the last time I have had to really work to make friends, I can't remember how.  Now as a mom and having to find mom friends, it is even harder! I have been wanting to read this one and it is about time I did. 


Speaking of being a mom, these two ladies crack me up. They find a way to laugh at themselves and find the comedy in parenting. Sometimes you just need to laugh at yourself and commiserate with those struggling the same way you have been.  This is a book to lighten the mood after so many more series or intense books.




Clearly I like books that revolve around food and relationships. What types of Non-Fiction books do you enjoy?










Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Series Review of the Mercy & Elvis Mysteries by Paula Munier

 I have been trying to figure out a way to share all these books I read with you but still include other non-review posts on the blog.  One method I have come up with was to share the reviews for an entire series (or pair) of books in one post.  I will do my absolute best to keep spoilers out of these posts in case you plan to read the books, but there is a slight chance that even the synopsis of a book can give away the result of the previous book. So if you don't want to know anything at all about the later books in a series that might giveaway something in the first book STOP READING NOW!


I have just recently started reading mystery books, Cozy Mysteries in particular, and this series kept popping up on my recommendation list, so I thought I would give it a shot.  This is leans a little more into the regular mystery category and a little less cozy but it still has enough elements to keep me interested.  Lucky for me with this series is it pretty new and I don't have a whole backlist of books to catch up on, so far there are 2 books out and another scheduled for release in March 2021.


 Synopsis: "First in a gripping new mystery series about a retired MP and her bomb-sniffing dog who become embroiled in an investigation in the beautiful Vermont wilderness
It may be the Fourth of July weekend, but for retired soldiers Mercy Carr and Belgian Malinois Elvis, it’s just another walk in the remote Lye Brook Wilderness—until the former bomb-sniffing dog alerts to explosives and they find a squalling baby abandoned near a shallow grave filled with what appear to be human bones. U.S. Game Warden Troy Warner and his search-and rescue Newfoundland Susie Bear respond to Mercy’s 911 call, and the four must work together to track down a missing mother, solve a cold-case murder, and keep the citizens of Vermont safe on potentially the most incendiary Independence Day since the American Revolution.

A Borrowing of Bones is full of complex twists and real details about search-and-rescue dog training that Paula learned through the training of her own dog. With its canine sidekicks and rich, dramatic story, this debut will be a must-have for mystery fans."

My Review: In my search into the new to me genre, Cozy Mysteries, this book kept popping up in my recommendations. Of course with a dog on the cover, how could I resist? Then you add in a female Army MP and I am there. I really enjoyed Mercy, she is a strong character, but clearly has a soft quiet side. Then you add in the mystery of a baby found in the woods, and I am hooked. I could not put this book down, with every twist and turn in the story, it hooked me more and more. I found it completely entertaining how the dogs are characters of their own in the story. This is exactly the type of book I am looking for, a bit of a dark story but some light entertaining moments, a touch of romance and a lot of interesting twists. I did figure things out before the end of the book but it wasn't much. I have now purchased both books in the series (diving into the second here very soon) and pre-ordered the 3rd book!

My Rating: I absolutely loved this book, I loved the characters and the story and the mystery was intriguing and multi-leveled.  I give it a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Synopsis: "Former Army MP Mercy Carr and her retired bomb-sniffing dog Elvis are back in Blind Search, the sequel to the page-turning, critically acclaimed A Borrowing of Bones

It's October, hunting season in the Green Mountains--and the Vermont wilderness has never been more beautiful or more dangerous. Especially for nine-year-old Henry, who's lost in the woods. Again. Only this time he sees something terrible. When a young woman is found shot through the heart with a fatal arrow, Mercy thinks that something is murder. But Henry, a math genius whose autism often silences him when he should speak up most, is not talking.

Now there's a murderer hiding among the hunters in the forest--and Mercy and Elvis must team up with their crime-solving friends, game warden Troy Warner and search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear, to find the killer--before the killer finds Henry. When an early season blizzard hits the mountains, cutting them off from the rest of the world, the race is on to solve the crime, apprehend the murderer, and keep the boy safe until the snowplows get through.

Inspired by the true search-and-rescue case of an autistic boy who got lost in the Vermont wilderness, Paula Munier's mystery is a compelling roller coaster ride through the worst of winter--and human nature."

My Review: After inhaling the first book in this series I was really excited to pick this one up. This was definitely a much more intricate story with lots of twists and turns. I still really enjoyed the story and love Mercy, Elvis, Suzie Bear and Troy but struggled a bit to stay focused on this one. I like the shift in seasons from the first book, the added risk and danger of hunting season and dropping temperatures was a great addition. I think the main reason I struggled was because of how Henry was treated, the constant pushing him beyond his abilities and the lack of parental care. I couldn't imagine letting anyone but family take care of my son after a traumatic experience. Beyond that element, we are definitely led down a twisted path of personal relationships and high society. It was a puzzle that wasn't easy to solve and it didn't fully come together until the end. I am still really enjoying this series and have pre-ordered the next book for next year!

My Rating: This was a very busy book with a lot of different levels to the story and a few different mysteries in play.  I found it a little difficult to focus on the story, it didn't draw me in quite the way the first book did.  I am hoping the future books pull me in again.  I give it a rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Series Review and Rating: The first book in the series really sucked me in, I loved the small town feel, the touch of romance, the addition of the dogs and the way the story played out, I enjoy being able to figure out the mystery just before the character does but not too early and this book did that for me.  After consuming the first book in a single day, I was excited to dive into the second book.  I really struggled to stay focused on Blind Search, it may have been because I was reading it during a high stress and extremely busy time but I also really struggled because of the story itself.  I was not thrilled with the way Henry was treated. Also, this book had a lot going on, relationships that are twisted around each other for decades and multiple mysteries taking place. I still enjoyed it, just not as much as the first book.  Overall I give the series a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag and I am looking forward to continuing the series.


Monday, November 9, 2020

Monday Reading List

 

   It is Monday again and it is time to update with what I read last week, what I am currently reading and what to look forward to next week.



Reviews Posted Last Week:
Links will take you to my review

You Can't F*ck Up Your Kids by Lindsay Powers

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

Stepping Stones
Blind Search
Three Cheers for Kid McGear


Currently Reading:

Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn - Audiobook - 42%
Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White - Ebook - on page 36 of 384



Pages Read/ Time Listened
862:26 Hours Listened (12:18 listened this week)
26,733 Pages Read (264 This week)

Books Added to Shelves Recently: TBR
The Eyes of Tamburah (gift)
The Wolf in the Whale
~~~~~~~~~~March Birthday Waiver Books ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rain Dragon Rescue
The Order of the Unicorn
All the Wandering Light
Life on the Leash
Phoenix Unbound
The Caged Queen
The Mum Who'd Had Enough
The Voyage to Magical North
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End Birthday Waiver~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scavenge the Stars
Beefcakes
Hades & Persephone
Dark Skies
No Country for Old Gnomes (gift)
About That Kiss
The Girl and the Stars
A Choir of Lies
Loving Cara
Girl of Fire & Thorns (gift)
Fury of a Phoenix
Homicide in Hardcover (gift)
Unravel the Dusk
Ruthless Gods
Blind Search - READ

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I knew election week was going to be an insane week but I should have expected more. It was absolutely insane in my office last week (I work in a law office with politician attorneys). I was barely able to get any reading done. Of course at home I also have to readjust my schedule since hubby's work is already hitting holiday peak and he is having to work a lot. So it is just Munchkin and me most days. I am hoping that now that the main rush of politics are done and most of my Christmas shopping is done, I can start to get back to reading more again. 

I have some requested review books to get done this week and then this weekend it is time to dive into Tome Topple again! I am so excited to get some of these chunky books read!  What are you reading right now?