Concert Katie

This book.  Where to begin?  This book was kind of a mix of every other book I have read and loved over the past year or so.  It has some Fifty Shades to it, some dramatic mystery and a ton of twists and turns in the story that I didn’t see coming.  So in theory, I should have LOVED this book too.  But I didn’t.  It’s not to say that it was bad, but it was just like it kept throwing turn after turn at you and then it ended kind of… blah.  I actually was MAD at the ending. (I guess that makes it a little like Gone Girl – but I think that ending was worse)

I loved the writing style, I felt like I was in the story and maybe that is why everything impacted me so strongly.  Emma is 20 years old and has barely stepped outside in the past 10 years.  She was attacked as a child and is now battling severe agoraphobia.  She doesn’t leave the house unless heavily sedated and her attack has been weighing heavy on her mind for years.  Her attacker is up for parole, which makes things even worse for Emma, knowing that he very likely can end up back out in the world. Her world.

She ends up starting a friendship with her professor, Simon.  Things get a bit hot and heavy there (ok, not a bit) and it ends up possibly putting Simon’s job on the line – but Emma has never felt so much like herself and so free as when she is with Simon.

At the risk of giving too much away (there are at least 2 more surprises, though maybe more like 3 or 4) I’ll stop there.

If you ignore the ending (and it probably really isn’t THAT bad of an ending, I might be being dramatic!) the book was great.  I just really wish that more was explained.  I finished the book with a TON of questions. I just want to know more!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

** This book contains themes such as sexual abuse, drug use and language that make it suitable for a mature audience only.**

Twenty year old Emma hasn’t left the house since she was attacked as a child. Now, with the impending release of her attacker from prison, Emma knows it’s more important than ever for her to regain control of her life. From her unrelenting nightmares, to her strained relationships, to her crippling agoraphobia, Emma feels as though her life is spiralling out of control.

When her professor, Simon Anderson enters her life, Emma must deal with feelings she has never experienced before.

Though both she and Simon know their relationship is bordering on inappropriate, neither of them are able to ignore the intense chemistry that is quickly developing between them.

What was supposed to keep her mind off the attack has left her more confused than ever. When there are so many reasons why you shouldn’t be together, is simply being in love really enough?

OMG – The Glitter Trap is a story about Lacey, who after delivering food to one of he popular girls in school, ends up somehow stealing her fairy godmother when she set a “glitter trap”.  The fairies are attracted to glitter and Paige had made a sign with a lot of glue and glitter – which ended up in Lacey’s hair.  If you steal someone’s fairy godmother and her dreams don’t come true, your dreams won’t come true either.  This bothers Lacey because she is up to be the intern at the local Zoo.

Katarina (the fairy) gets hurt in the transport from Paige to Lacey’s and she can’t use her wand so Lacey has to try and take over as Paige’s fairy god mother.  Meanwhile, she finds herself lying to her best friend Sunny, who thinks she cares about Paige more than her.

Can they work it all out and get Paige the lead in the play and Lacey the internship at the zoo?  Will Lacey figure out how to do magic with Katarina’s wand?

I thought that this book was really cute , even though it is geared more for Middle School readers.  I also liked how the fairy godmother theme worked through the book – as the dream Paige wanted was the lead in the play at school – which was Cinderella.  I also liked all the trouble Lacey got in to when she was trying to do the magic.  It was a fun read and a quick and easy read for your pre-teen girl.

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in order to write this review.  I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Middle school is far from a fairytale for adorkable misfit Lacey Unger-Ware. When Lacey ends up with popular girl Paige Harrington’s smart-mouthed fairy godmother, Katarina, trapped in her hair, life gets more magical—just not in a ‘prince charming’ kind of way.

Katarina’s wings are too damaged to continue her fairy duties, and Lacey must take over as Paige’s fairy godmother. Distracted by her new responsibilities, Lacey’s in danger of losing her best friend, Sunny. Can Lacey get the hang of magic, make Paige’s dreams come true, and survive middle school?

Barbara Brauner and James Iver Mattson’s debut novel is full of heart and charm. Get ready for the Oh My Godmother series to cast a spell on tween girls!

Simon’s Cat is not something that I had heard about before I saw this book, but I guess I am missing out because it is a bit of a YouTube phenomenon.  At first I thought that this would be a rather short book, but was surprised to see it over 200 pages.  However, it is entirely illustrations of the cats and no words.  You can interpret the story as you see fit.  And man, does this cat get in to some situations.

At the end of the book, there are some tutorials on how to draw Simon’s Cat, Simon’s Kitten, a rabbit and some other characters that are in the book which I thought was a nice touch.

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Half the size, double the trouble. Simon’s cat has a new little friend who may be even more accident prone.

With over 200 million hits on YouTube, Simon’s Cat is a genuine word-of-mouth phenomenon. Fans from all over the world have fallen for this adorable but anarchic feline who will do just about anything to be fed. Simon Tofield’s beautiful drawings and warm humor come alive on the page in this irresistible humor book—an outgrowth of the enormously popular short films featured on YouTube.

Like all great cartoon creations, from Peanuts to Asterix, from Garfield to Tintin, Simon’s Cat has continued to evolve by introducing new characters and new story lines. After the runaway success of the first two books (Simon’s Cat and Simon’s Cat: Beyond the Fence), Simon welcomes a cuddly new addition to the family in the form of Simon’s Kitten, who is sure to delight Simon’s millions of fans.

 I don’t have kids, nor do I want any kids but there is something about The Honest Toddler that keeps me captivated.  Maybe it’s because The Honest Toddler tells it like it is.  This book is written for parents from the kids point of view – and makes one thing clear – it is not the parents that are in charge, it’s the toddlers.  The book was funny, though I thought it would be more like the Honest Toddler I’ve seen on twitter and less like a book.

Each chapter starts with a letter of advice to the toddler, which I found to be the best part.  Definitely humorous although if you’re a parent you probably won’t have the time to actually sit down and read the book.  One tip? If you’re a parent AND A blogger – delete the blog and see all the free time you’ll have! (Obviously to spend with the toddler instead of blogging about all the quality time you spend with your toddler)

If you’re looking for some humor and maybe some parenting advice in there too – check out this book.

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

An irreverent, laugh-out-loud funny parenting guide from The Honest Toddler, the Internet’s most infamous tot, whose unchecked sense of entitlement and undeniable charm have captivated hundreds of thousands of fans online.

In this antidote to heavy-handed advice books written by parenting “experts” who have gotten too big for size 2T britches,The Honest Toddler provides an indispensable manual to parenting that places the toddler’s happiness front and center. Outrageously confident and sweetly indignant, The Honest Toddler tackles everything from preferred toddler foods (unbroken crackers and undiluted juice), unconditional love (accept them as they are—pants or no pants), sleep and potty training methods (none), play date etiquette (mi casa es not su casa) and the proper response to random aggression at the playground (embrace it. Park justice is messy but swift).

The result is a parenting book like no other, one that will leave moms and dads laughing, and maybe crying, as they recognize their own child in the ongoing shenanigans of one bravely honest toddler.