Graphic Novel Review of Korgi Vol. 3: A Hollow Beginning by Christian Slade

Read for: Graphic Novel Challenge & I love this series.

 

Synopsis: "Every story has a beginning. It is time for this one to be told. Ivy and Sprout follow their curiosity about the shard of stained glass they discovered in the woods. What they find is a clue to the very origin of their beloved home, the Korgi Hollow. In this third book, many questions are answered and a few new ones are created. Follow the brave Ivy and her lovable Korgi cub, Sprout, as they start to unravel the mysteries surrounding their magical land."

My Review: I absolutely love this series of graphic novels! It is wonderful to have a little introduction at the beginning of each one, as they are a wordless graphic novel, and then at the end there is a little index of the characters in the series too. The images throughout are mostly done in pen with no color and I love the simplicity of them. This is a series of graphic novels that can be enjoyed by all ages.

 

My Rating: This is a great continuation of the series and gives you a look back at how the Hollow and it's inhabitants came to be.  I really love these wordless novels.  I give it a rating of Four Paws.

Bedtime Story: The Hug Machine by Scott Campbell

Happy Upcoming Valentine's Day!

 

Synopsis: "Who have YOU hugged today? Open your arms to this delightfully tender, goofy, and sweet tale.

Watch out world, here he comes! The Hug Machine!

Whether you are big, or small, or square, or long, or spikey, or soft, no one can resist his unbelievable hugs! HUG ACCOMPLISHED!

This endearing story encourages a warm, caring, and buoyantly affectionate approach to life. Everyone deserves a hug - and this book!"

My Review: Munchkin picked this book out when he spent his gift card from Christmas. I think this was a great choice and he has loved it so much, he even sits on the couch reading it to himself. It has a great message about how a simple gesture can make a difference in someone's day. We really enjoyed it and I love having my own little Hug Machine.

 

My Rating: We thoroughly enjoyed this book with all the hugging and love going on throughout.  We can't help but give it a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!

 

 

Good Night! Sweet Dreams!

Beginning Reader Review of Mama Loves by Molly Goode

Read for: Early Reader Challenge and Valentine's Day

 

Synopsis: ""Mama loves you, little kit,
and lifts you gently by the scruff.

Mama loves her pack of cubs
and scolds you when you play too rough."

Celebrate the love between mother and child in this gentle, rhymed rhapsody of mother-love as dogs, cats, bears, ducklings, whales -- and so many more -- shower unconditional love on their babies. Filled with best-selling illustrator Lisa McCue's menagerie of cuddly creatures, Mama Loves is perfect for human mamas to share with their young."

My Review: I picked this book up because I thought it would be perfect for the Valentine's Day weekend. It is a cute book with animal mommas and babies and it each page tells of the different ways that a momma shows her love, in ways other than hugs and kisses. The sentences are a little long for really young readers but the pictures help clue in on the words and the words are all simple. The copy I picked up also had a nice little card in the back that kids can give to their mommas (or someone else they love).  

 

My Rating: This is a cute book (though very similar to board books we have read in the past) and a great one to show that mothers do other things to show our love, like giving them baths, protecting them, etc.  We give this book a rating of Three Paws.

Pen to Paper: Outgoing Mail

 

 

Hello my friends! As you may know I have been participating in the Month of Letters Challenge for the 3rd time.  The goal is to send out at least one item of mail each business day and respond to all incoming mail.  Well I am not so great at mailing something every day but I have been getting the equivalent out, plus some.  Now unfortunately I haven't managed to take a picture of each of my mailings but I have sent out 17 pieces of happy mail so far, including Birthday Cards, Valentine Cards, Pocket Letters, Post Crossing Postcards, New Pen Pal Letters and Responses.

 

 

Here is a little bit of what I have sent out so far (you may have already seen a couple of these since I posted about PostCrossing last week).

 

I have a few more things to mail tomorrow morning, but it has been so fun sending out these little bits of mail to make others happy.

 

Soon I will share with you with you what was sent to brighten my day this month too!  Have you sent anything out lately?

Tea Time: Buying Tea

Welcome to Tea Time Tuesday!

 

This is a new series of blog posts to share my love of tea and some discoveries I am making as I dive more into that love. (And honestly, what goes better with books than a nice cup of tea?)

My most recent tea love. I am a major Caffeine addict and drink more soda and red bulls than I should, but this tea had a fantastic Caffeine punch to it and to add to that it was sweet enough not to need sugar but not overly so.

 

 



When I first started my tea drinking adventures, I used to only get my tea at the grocery store, I thought that was the only place you could get it.  When I found the lovely tea shop, Tree House Tavern, a few years ago I started getting their loose leaf tea. 

 

Now as I have been expanding my tea purchasing places to online! I had a delicious cup of vanilla tea at a local coffee shop called Brewed Awakenings. I checked out the packaging on their tea and discovered the name of it.  I found out I could order my tea directly (and save myself a couple of bucks) from Republic of Tea.  My first order came in recently with my new favorite and a few other flavors to test out.

A photo posted by Ang S (@easternsunset9) on Feb 3, 2016 at 7:33am PST

The picture is from my Instagram, feel free to follow me to find out what teas I have been drinking and new teas I pick up along the way!

 

 

I am certainly going to keep branching out and trying a variety of brands and flavors.  I would love to hear where you get your tea from and your favorites so I can try them too!

Review of Mary Poppins by PL Travers

Read for: Mount TBR & Audio Books

 

Synopsis: "It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins. Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial? A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life!"

My Review: I have always enjoyed the Disney Mary Poppins movie and thought it would be fun to read the book with Munchkin before he saw the movie. I have to say I am a little disappointed, it didn't capture Munchkin's interest and barely held mine. The Mary Poppins character isn't nearly as likable or even fascinating. Yes fun adventures happen but they aren't really highlighted or elaborated on, it just simply happened. It was a rather dull book and I am glad that Disney was able to make such a fantastic movie out of it with the wonderful characters.

 

My Rating: I can't tell you how disappointed I am with this book. It was barely even okay for me and no where near that for Munchkin. I think we will just stick to the movie on this one. I give it a rating of One Paw and a Stump Wag.

Magic Tree House Monday: Book 6 - Afternoon on the Amazon

Welcome to Magic Tree House Monday!

Each Monday (other than when special events are planned) I will review one book of the Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne.

 

Book 6 in the series, Afternoon on the Amazon, sets off on another great adventure for Jack and Annie.  They are on a mission to find the 4 special things to help free Morgan and they must face the dangers of the Amazon jungle and river to find one of the items.

 

 

 

My Review: Another fun adventure for Jack and Annie. This one might be a little scary for some impressionable children with all the scary jungle animals. With that said it does a great job of including little facts about each of the animals. You also get to see a trend in finding the special things to free Morgan, it is a nice mystery for the kids to think about and try to work out.

 

My Rating: I am really hoping that by the time he is old enough to read this book Munchkin will have outgrown some of his fears, otherwise we will face some nightmares.  It is still a great book with educational facts interwoven in the story.  I give it a rating of Four Paws.

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

Night of the Ninjas by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House)
When We Were Young (Winnie the Pooh #3) by A.A. Milne
Night Study by Maria V. Snyder
Dante's Fire by Jennifer Probst (After Dark)
Rocket's 100th Day of School by Tad Hills (Early Reader)
The Magical Snowman by Catherine Walters (Bedtime Story)
What is the Super Bowl by Dina Anastasio

 

 Books Finished Last Week:

Reviews will be posted at a later date

Pup, Pup and Away = 1pt
Winter's Thaw = 3pts
Hope Springs = 3pts
Summer Fling = 3pts
Falling Softly = 3pts
Afternoon on the Amazon = 5pts
Rocket's 100th Day of School = 1pt
Winnie the Pooh #3 = 3pts
Lolly's Picnic = 1pt
Trina Bell's Humming Summer = 3pts
The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie = 3pts
Aure the Topaz = 5pts

 

Currently Reading:

 Books to be Read Soon:

 

Total Points Earned
108 points + 34 points earned + 5 points Completing Series = 147 points

Total Points Earned this Year: 197
Total Points Spent this Year: 50

Pages Read/ Time Listened
46:19 Hours Listened (10:48 listened this week)
7,141 Pages Read (1,644 this week)

Books Added to Shelves


Interesting Tidbits on the Web:



 



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Wow, another great reading week for me.  I got wrapped up in yet another series and I spent a couple of days doing almost nothing but reading. I am also finally starting to get a hang of scheduling posts and keeping up with them, even with the busy posting schedule, work, Munchkin and other interests. It was also a little bit of a whirlwind week last week with Hubby's birthday, the Super Bowl yesterday and of course the kick off to the Month of Letters.

With everything being so busy I have had to sit down and reassess my schedule and I have decided in order to allow myself more time to make the month of RI Authors a success. I have several interviews and giveaways as well as the reviews of books by RI Authors to plan and coordinate.  Normally I have this event in the month of March but I am not seeing this as a possibility right now, there is just too much I would like to accomplish.  So I am now going to establish April as my RI Author Feature Month instead of March.

With all this excitement going on it is hard to stay focused!

What is the Super Bowl by Dina Anastasio

Read for: Mount TBR Print and because it's Football Time!

 

Synopsis: "With over 110 million viewers every year, the Super Bowl is one of the most watched television events in the United States. The final showdown between the two best football teams in the NFL attracts some of the biggest musicians to perform at the half-time show. But the Super Bowl is more than just a spectacle – it’s a high-stakes game to win the championship and claim a place in history. Go back in time and relive all the magic from years past – from excruciating fumbles to game winning plays."

My Review: I have been a football fan as long as I can remember and I have read several books about the sport. This one was actually a very good read even as a fan and an adult. It is set up as an early chapter book but can be enjoyed by any fan. It was very informative, gives clear definitions even if you aren't familiar with the sport, and has pictures throughout. It focuses a lot on the early history of the Super Bowl and gives a briefer over view of the more recent history of the game. There are also brief sections about individuals or plays that had an impact on the game. This a great book with great information for young readers and old, fans and non-fans alike.  

 

My Rating: This was both an enjoyable read and informative read. Great for those young football fans and those who are trying to learn more about loved ones' interests.  I give it a rating of Four Paws!

 

 

 

Hope you all have a safe and fun time watching the Panthers face the Broncos tonight!