Graphic Novel Review of Tellos, Volume 2: Kindred Spirits by Todd Dezago

Read for: Graphic Novel Challenge

Synopsis: "Tellos is cleverly described as being for those who are leaving Harry Potter on their way to Tolkien via Narnia. A delightful adventure series with talking tigers, pirate queens, magical swords and a young boy's quest that will fire the imagination and delight the senses of all readers.The spectacular artist of Spiderman and Superman."

My Review: I received this in a graphic novel swap on Free Comic Book day this year, I wasn't sure what to expect as I haven't heard of it before and haven't read Volume 1. It turns out a lot was explained throughout the story so I didn't feel like I was missing information. I like the world that was built in the story, it is vibrant and full of interesting places and characters. I also love the odd group of main characters, though they have a tendency to have involved conversations at really in opportune times, like when they are being attacked by shadow creatures. The twist at the end was really unexpected but I did like the way it was integrated in the story and it gives a slightly different sense of resolution but leaves enough open that the story could continue but not necessary.

My Rating: I was very pleasantly surprised with this one, having never read the first one I was expecting to struggle but it was all clear and well explained. And the twist at the end was fantastic!  I give it a rating of Four Paws!

Bedtime Story: Dinosaur Train by John Steven Gurney

Read for: Children's Book Challenge

Synopsis: "All Aboard!Have your tickets ready for the most exciting ride of your life on the Dinosaur Train!"

My Review: Munchkin picked this book out at the library. It was a fun concept, dinosaurs on a train but it just didn't fit. The little boy likes dinosaurs and trains and they were just smashed together. It would have been nice to have a little more of an explanation, even Munchkin was asking why the dinosaurs were on the train, why they were wearing clothes and if they were driving. It was fun to see the little boy direct the dinosaurs how to fix the train but all in all it wasn't for us.

My Rating: We weren't such a big fan of this book, maybe it would have been better when he was younger but there wasn't enough to it for Munchkin now.  We give it a rating of Two Paws.

Good Night! Sweet Dreams!

Pen to Paper: September Bullet Journal

It has been a while yet again but I thought I would show you the layout for September in my Bullet Journal as well as the progress on my Reading Tracker pages. I had to make some changes from the previous few months due to back to school, Munchkin going to first grade in private school and starting up soccer again has really added a lot more to the schedule than I ever expected so I needed more space in my days on the weekly layouts.

My monthly layouts are still relatively simple, just touches of color, washi tape or stickers here and there, no time for decorating, and I need the extra space for notes and stickies.

My new weekly layouts have plenty of space for events and appointments at the top, task lists and any other notes like hot lunch/cold lunch selections. I have a space for what I am reading, a blank space for a sticky note or any brain dumps, a space to plan out cards in crafty time and then trackers at the bottom. 

Here is my updated star rating and page count trackers, I really like how this is turning out so far!

Same with my Reading Challenge pages, I like seeing the color coding, it is interesting to see when I read more and what challenges. 

Things have gotten a little out of hand with my purchases page and I had to tear a page out of the back and cut it in half and use washi tape to extend that page, I clearly have a limit on what I can purchase for the rest of the year! 

And finally, I finished filling out my Anticipated Releases with books from October through December and some of the releases in 2019 to keep an eye out for, this was a little more difficult and I definitely see that I need more space.

I also discovered this month that I only have enough pages for maybe another month or two in this book,  I can see where a few page management issues came in and then I would have been able to fit a full year into one notebook.  This is something I will be taking into consideration for next year. 

Top 5 Wednesday: Books for My Younger Self - Scholastic Book Club Edition

Top 5 Wednesday is a group on Goodreads hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes on Youtube.

Gosh it seems ages since I last posted a Top 5 Wednesday, but I could not pass up this week's topic.  The topic for the week are books for our younger selves, books we wish we had read when we were younger.  Now of course I can never properly obey the rules, I received my son's first Scholastic Book Order sheet for this school year and of course got all the nostalgic feels from it. I thought instead I would post the top 5 books that my younger self would order. 

When I was a kid I used to drool over the Scholastic Book Order sheets, it was way better than the JC Penney Christmas Book for me, but we didn't always have money for all the books, but sometimes I would get to pick one or if I was really good 2 things.  I have always been horse and magic obsessed so that really decided a lot of my picks, and I was always attracted to the cute stuffed animals and the stationery and colorful pens. 

 So upon looking at this months fliers here are the Top 5 Books my younger self would have picked:

I'm not gonna lie, I kind of want that reading headlamp now! And these books look so cute (you may end up seeing a series review in the future LOL)

Seriously who could resist this adorable kitten, and you get a cat ear headband?! Sign me up!

Yup, would have wanted to read them all and I would have used the heck out of that unicorn pen!

For slightly older me, I would have totally wanted this book, black horses were always a dream for me, and a necklace to go with the book?! Yup totally up my alley!

Awe, this book looks so cute and one that I really might get anyway as it seems like a great one for young kids.

As a bonus I would have wanted these non-book items so bad, and may have been annoying to my mother begging for them!

I honestly may order some of these books 'for my nieces' just so I can relive my childhood a little before wrapping them up for Christmas.

So what books would you want your younger self to read? Or what books would your younger self have liked that are out now?

Review of The Piraroo by Marko Kitti & Illustrated by Ant Carlos de Ituiutaba

Read for: Requested Review 

Synopsis: "Dear Reader,

I’m afraid you’re soon going to meet a tarantula the size of a kitten. You’re also going to bump into a whopper of a seagull who is the British Champion in Poop Bombing. Not to mention an extraordinary, furry creature whose ancestor once belonged to a notorious pirate captain.

You’re also going to meet a ten-year-old boy called Max, the owner of the tarantula, whose life is about to turn upside down in this nail-biting adventure that includes petnappers and disgusting healthy smoothies!

So I am warning you, Dear Reader: Should you decide to read about Max and his animal friends, your life will never be the same again.

Yours sincerely,

MK"

My Review:  I am an avid fan of Kitti's Jesper Jinx series and when he contacted me regarding The Piraroo, I jumped at the chance to read it. I do admit that I struggled a bit with this one, I have a huge fear of spiders and this one largely revolves around Max's pet tarantula. With that said it is still a fun book full of unusual events and characters. I loved the Piraroo (and kind of want one). I also like how Marko Kitti presented the parents in the story, to kids sometimes it seems like us parents don't care and aren't paying attention but we really do and that was well depicted. It was also great how this story is connected with Kitti's other two series, you don't need to read them to enjoy this book but it is fun seeing some familiar characters. Not only that but the book is also a little interactive, the reader is addressed directly in the story and there are some search and find elements to keep young readers involved in the book. This is definitely a book for those young reluctant readers that need something a little different to draw their interest.

My Rating: While the spider part was a little difficult for me to get over (Max plays hide and seek with his tarantula in the house!) but it will definitely appeal to younger readers. I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag!

I received a complimentary copy of Piraroo from the author. The above is my honest review.

You can find out more about Marko Kitti and this book as well as his other series on his Goodreads Page or Puffington Hill Website.

The Piraroo was just released on July 18, 2018 and is available now in digital or print format from Amazon or in print format from Barnes & Noble or check with your local bookstore!

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

Through the Fire by Katie Ruggle
Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire
Football Season Ticket by Will Graves
Meet Rusty Rivets (Early Reader)
Kingdom of Wrenly Series by Jordan Quinn (Full Series Review)

 Books Finished Last Week:

Reviews will be posted at a later date

Bob
Gluttony Bay
Waking Gods
Taste of Wrath
Nate the Great Where are you?
I am Jazz
Piraroo

Currently Reading:

Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller - Print - on page 36 of  416

Pages Read/ Time Listened
435:28 Hours Listened (9:03 listened this week)
30,049 Pages Read (1,107 this week)

Books Added to Shelves Recently: TBR
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
We Have Always Lived in a Castle by Shirley Jackson
To the Sky Kingdom by Tang Qi
Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher
Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry
Luck Love and Lemon Pie by Amy E. Reichert Unhaul
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Terrier by Tamora Pierce
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Reflections of Yesterday by Debbie Macomber
Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson
Caging the Merrow by Heather Rigney
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Opel
Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
The Scandalous MacKenzies by Jennifer Ashley
The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
The Stolen Mackenzie Bride by Jennifer Ashley
Frankenstein Alive! Alive! Trio by Steve Niles
Frankenstein, Alive! Alive! #4 by Steve Niles
Hard to Serve by Laura Kaye
Mastering Her Senses by Laura Kaye
Theirs to Take by Laura Kaye
Nightblade's Vengeance by Ryan Kirk
Tomorrowland by Steven Kotler
The Wolf by Leo Carew
My Lady's Choosing by Kitty Curran & Larissa Zageris
Beyond the Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake
Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso
True North by Marie Force
The Sorting Room by Angelina Singer
Lost Stars by Claudia Gray
Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day by Seanan McGuire
Frankenstein Dreams by Michael Sims
The Belgaraid by David Eddings
Death Sworn by Leah Cypess
Sherlock Holmes and the Army of Dr. Moreau by Guy Adams
Zenith by Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
The Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth Durst
Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Princesses Behaving Badly by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Fight for Everything by Laura Kaye
Catching Stars by Cayla Keenan
Light as Air by Mari Carr
Furyborn by Claire Legrand
Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper
Half Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
Guardian of Whills by Greg Rucka
Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Opal
And I Darken by Kiersten White
Frostbite by Joshua Williamson
The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke
The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Pirateology by Dugald Steer
Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Theodore Roszak
LifeL1k3 by Jay Kristoff
Sweet Black Waves by Kristina Perez
The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Now I Rise by Kiersten White
Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely
The Pirate by Harold Schechter
Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell
Bob by Wendy Mass
George by Alex Gino
These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch



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Definitely starting to get back into the swing of things around here, it was still pretty darn hot until the weekend, but now all of the sudden it feels like fall. I got a bunch of reading done this last week and I am super happy about that, so many great new books and I can't wait to read more.

Poor Munchkin had a pretty rough week last week, he took a spill at school on Wednesday and scrapped up his knee, wrist and elbow, we thought it was just skinned and painful for him but he kept carrying on about it and wouldn't move his arm for a couple of days, he ended up missing his first soccer game so we could go get xrays. Luckily it was a good report and he only sprained his elbow and didn't break anything. This will be the first full week of school so hopefully it goes a little better this time!

I hope you all have a book filled week!