Book Review: Oliver and Jumpy, Stories 1-3

Katie October 18, 2014 0 Comments

I’m really not sure what to say about this book series.  The illustrations are really great but the stories are a bit strange and not your typically written children’s stories.  The book is about Oliver and Jumpy – Oliver is a cat and Jumpy is his lady friend a Kangaroo.  The first book is about a mole the second a duck and the 3rd Jumpy’s secret.  The book is often featured for free on Amazon and I suggest that is when you check it out.  I really can’t put in to words just how dumbfounded I was about how weird these books were when I finished. In fact, I wrote “very weird” as my only notes for the book…

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

About the Book

Story 1: Molly the Mole
Jumpy falls over a mole and gains a friend.

Story 2: Saving Ducky
Oliver and Jumpy save a duckling.

Story 3: Jumpy’s Secret
Jumpy has a surprise!

Oliver and Jumpy are best of friends and experience all sorts of adventures together. Oliver is an elegant black tomcat, who is full of himself. As a matter of fact he says: “I love myself!” quite often. Naughty, isn’t he? But his best friend Jumpy, a kangaroo lady, is aware that it is only a front! Oliver has a soft heart and will always want to help others. The great thing is Jumpy’s pouch, which Oliver loves to ride in! He calls her his kangaroo taxi! These bedtime stories or fairy tales, as you like, are great for their marvellous illustrations you can zoom into, read the overlayed storyline or simply listen to the narrative (depending on publisher!). It gives parents the choice of how involved they want to become. Several talented illustrators are essential to bring these stories to you in quick succession. Love you all! Meow!

Book Review: Less Than Nothing

Katie October 17, 2014 0 Comments

Less Than Nothing is about a homeless girl named Sage who is busking to try and make a living in California.  One morning another guy, Derek,  decides to take her block and he is really good looking so she thinks that he is going to take all the money that she could have been earning from her.  He makes a deal with her that they will perform together as a duo and split the profits. If it is not more than what Sage had been making solo, he will find a new block.  It turns out that their voices sound great together and they made a ton more money than Sage was used to bringing in.  Then Derek drops a bomb that he is leaving in a few days to go from California to New York to audition for America’s Top Talent.  Sage wonders if she should go too – and then decides to do it.

The two hitchhike their way across the country meeting a lot of interesting characters and getting a lot of rides from 18 wheelers who have drivers who are lonely and do it for the company on their long trips.  They make a detour in Memphis because Derek is a fan of Elvis.

They make it to New York in time for their audition – but Derek’s guitar is stolen.  They end up buying one at a pawn shop and make it through their auditions to the live show.  After Derek’s brother shows up and Derek ends up coming home with a broken arm, Sage is fed up and asks the producers if they can no longer compete as a duo but 2 solo acts.  The producers actually agree!  I won’t say much more than that about the plot because you’ll have to read it to find out what else happens!

I really liked this book – it had a few of my favorite things, music, music competitions and road trips in it.  It was a pretty easy read and the characters were easy to like.  This is the first of 3 books (More than Anything and Best Of Everything are the next 2) and I am looking forward to hopefully reading those as well!

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

About the Book

Sage’s life as a teenage runaway in San Francisco is simple: Snatch a few hours of sleep on park benches and bus stops; dodge perverts, predators, and cops; and make enough as a street musician to eat. But her world flips upside down when she meets Derek – hot, tattooed, and charming, a singer from Seattle whose looks and talent take her breath away.

What begins as a reluctant partnership quickly develops into a cross-country race against time – and awakens a hunger in Sage that’s unfamiliar and exciting.

As they travel from coast to coast, Sage and Derek pursue their dream, only to discover that they can never run far enough to escape the demons from their pasts.

Less Than Nothing is the breakout debut NA novel from USA Today bestseller R.E. Blake that critics are buzzing about and readers can’t put down.

Book Review: Come Fly with Me

Katie October 17, 2014 0 Comments

Come Fly With Me is Michael Bublé’s Rise to Stardom, a Memoir – but it is not from Michael himself but rather from Beverly Delich, his manager.  The book starts out focusing on her life and in about Chapter 3 we heard about the first time that she had met Michael.  He had entered a singing contest at the age of 18.  He would have won – but unfortunately the age limit was 19 so he had to be disqualified.  This got Beverly the nickname of “Beverly the Bitch”. But eventually their paths would cross again and Michael would ask Beverly to be his manager.

I liked that this was the story of Michael’s early career but told from a bit of a different approach than your typical biography or autobiography. If the book isn’t written by the artist, then I’d have to say that the manager who was with him from the beginning and got him a lot of his earlier bookings is probably the next best thing!  Throughout the chapters there were also photographs as well, which I always think is a nice touch in such books.

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

About the Book

Come Fly With Me reveals Delich’s true behind-the-scenes story of the raw beginnings of Michael Bublé’s struggles and the stepping stones that led to his ascent to the top. “From the very beginning, deep inside his heart and soul, Michael wanted the brass ring and nothing less”, says Delich. “Even facing adversity, his desire for a major label and a major management company were the objectives.”

Michael valued dearly Delich’s professionalism, her belief in him and her dedication – even referring to her as his “safety net”. That was all Delich needed to continue on her decade long journey with him.

In eight warm, engaging and honest chapters, readers will learn how difficult the journey to superstardom was with countless early rejections, many naysayers and doors to the entertainment “moguls” that appeared to be closed. But with Delich guiding the path, the doors were always “slightly ajar.” With her tenacity, encouragement and whole-hearted belief in Michael, Delich did not stop until the record label was in place and industry legend Bruce Allen agreed to manage his next leg of international superstardom.

Book Review: The Geek Billionaire Makeover

Katie October 17, 2014 0 Comments

Caroline Parker is an image consultant. She is called by a “Mr X” and asked to help geeky CEO Joshua Martin in order to get close to him and find out about his new business venture – Aeon Industries.  If she can’t get the information within 2 weeks, Caroline’s brother is going to be framed for murder.  Caroline believes that Josh ruined her life as a teenager and she is all set on getting revenge and protecting her brother.

Josh and Caroline’s brother Conner were best friends in high school and the company that made Josh a billionaire was created with the help of Conner – and he’s seen no money from it.

Josh has had a crush on Caroline for years and agrees to have her be his image consultant in hopes that she will end up wanting him too.  One catch though – in order for this to work he has to be seen with a beautiful high profile woman – which she is not.

But slowly Caroline also begins falling for Josh. She thinks that she shouldn’t because he ruined her life but begins to realize that things may not be what they seem…

I really enjoyed this book and the characters and for a romance novel there was very little romance. Although I kind of liked things better that way. It got to flesh out more of the relationship and the history between the two characters.

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

About the Book

CEO Joshua Martin is the king of the computing world, but to successfully launch his new venture, Aeon Industries, he’s got to shake off his geek veneer, and he knows the perfect woman to help him…

Image consultant Caroline Parker knows she can get the chic out of the geek, but she’s got a deeper reason for signing on to the job. Helping her brother’s best friend from high school update his image gives her an opportunity to get close to him and get her hands on the plans for his latest project. If she doesn’t get them, her blackmailer will harm her brother, the very guy Joshua screwed over years ago.

Josh always thought getting the next business deal, developing new ideas, was the biggest rush in life, but after seeing Caroline again he realizes he’s been missing out—and that his attraction to her hasn’t waned at all over the years. Now he’s determined to make Caroline his, no matter the cost…

Book Review: I Survived True Stories: Five Epic Disasters

Katie October 17, 2014 0 Comments

I Survived is the true story of five epic disasters – Tsunami, Blizzard, Tornado, Flood and Titanic.  The book is by Scholastic and is geared towards children, so it has large print and text that is easy to read and understand.  The author has written many “I Survived” Books about different disasters and tragedies so she knows what she is doing!  First there is a write up about the disaster and someone that survived it. At the end of each chapter there is “The __ Files” with more information about each of the disasters. That is followed by some surprising facts about the disaster as well as some additional information and photos as well.

Most of the disasters present in this book I’ve heard of before (and I’ve read many a book on the Titanic before) but the one that I hadn’t heard of before was The Great Boston Molasses Flood which occurred in 1919.  There was a large tank of molasses in Boston that broke sending molasses through the streets – moving at 35 miles per hour! (That’s pretty fast – I always thought the saying was that molasses was slow!)

This is a very interesting book for both kids and adults alike – especially if you like reading about triumph over tragedy.

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

About the Book

The New York Times bestselling I SURVIVED expands to include this thrilling nonfiction exploration of five true stories, from the Titanic to the Henryville Tornadoes.

I SURVIVED is the New York Times bestselling historical fiction series that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Now author Lauren Tarshis brings them 5 true stories in a narrative nonfiction companion that explores the real names behind history’s greatest disasters. Including:
Into the Black Water: The Titanic, 1912
The Wave: The Japanese Tsunami, 2011
Out of the Tornado: Henryville, Indiana, 2013
The Great Molasses Flood of 1919
In the Path of the Avalanche!

Book Review: These Walls

Katie October 15, 2014 0 Comments

These Walls is a book in one of my favorite genres – rock star romance! (And I may have just made that up, but I don’t care.)  The story is about Lily, the boy next door, Lucas and her best friend Melissa.  The story goes back and forth from 1999, 2000 and to present day.  I thought that the author made a good use of this flashback because rather than start in 1999 and give us all the back story at once, it was kind of inserted into the present day story only when it was needed to give you a bit more information and background on what was going on in the present day.  Lucas is the lead singer of a band – The Fingers of Fish – back in 1999 they are just a garage band and Lily takes Melissa to go see them at a local festival.  Always the flirt, Melissa falls for Lucas. Lily of course has feelings for Lucas but won’t tell anyone – not Melissa or Lucas.  So when Lucas tries to kiss Lily and Lily then says she is sick – he starts dating Melissa, whom he really didn’t even like.

Present day – Melissa and Lily are still best friends but Lily and Lucas have hardly talked.  Lily has graduated from college and is on her way to being a physical therapist.  When she flies back home after graduation she is surprised to see that it is Lucas that picks her up from the airport and not her parents.  Lucas is also still in The Fingers of Fish band – but now they are one of the hottest (don’t call them boy) bands out there.  Relocated to L.A, Lucas was glad that his trip home worked out so that he could see Lily too.

And then things get interesting.  There is a lot of “will they, won’t they” going on between Lucas and Lily.  Melissa gets the big idea that she wants to move to Las Vegas and wants Lily as her roommate.  Since this is much closer to Lucas in L.A., somehow they convince Lily to apply for a job out in Vegas and she gets the job.  This way she can visit with Lucas more frequently.  Although I have to say Lily’s biggest flaw is reading the gossip mags AND believing everything she reads in them.  She starts kind of seeing Lucas but things aren’t public.  When the gossip mag says he’s dating a singer – she does not ask him about it – instead she goes out with the guy at work who has been bugging her about going out with him. They hook up… she ignores Lucas… and then finds out the truth.  (I guess of course without Lily’s flaw – the rest of the story wouldn’t play out as it does so it is needed – but still made me pretty crazy when I was reading the book!)

I don’t want to give away much more than that – and there is a lot more that goes on in the book.  At first I was intimidated because it was 300 pages – but I have to tell you it goes quickly and you will not want to put it down because there is just so much going on in it and you will have to know what is going to happen!  Really, I can’t say enough great things about this book (and the author is a fellow Hanson fan so that is great too!) and if you are anything like me and love you some rock star romance books – add this one to your to-read list!

About the Book

Lily Foster is a 26 year old recent graduate from small-town Ohio. She returns home after school so she can get her life in order and start her career as a physical therapist.

Lucas Kingston is a hardcore rock star, famous with his band The Fingers of Fish. He tours the world with his music and has throngs of fans, most of which are women.

Their worlds are so vastly different, except they have one thing in common: each other.

Lily is quick to build walls to prevent Lucas from getting too close to her heart again. She’s not sure she can deal with the departure of her friend, especially if she’s starting to fall for him. How will she handle her emotions? Is it possible to love Lucas, especially since she doesn’t know him anymore? And how can she really trust him since he’s dated (and cheated on!) her best friend, twice?

His smile seems to make her weak. And he knows it.

**Warning: adult content – may not be appropriate for under 18 years old.