February 2015

Book Review: The Pandas and their Chopsticks

Katie February 6, 2015 0Comment

The Pandas and their Chopsticks, is the first story in this book and it continues with other animal stories.  The Pandas have 3 foot long chopsticks and they are not sure how to use them to feed themselves, but realize it is a lot easier to use them to feed each other across the table.  Each story is a “wisdom tale” which has a lesson on life. The other stories in the book include:

The Cat Who Prayed
The Fox Who Was King of the Forest
A Hedgehog Thinks Twice
The Helpful Hummingbird
The Turtle Who Couldnt Stop Talking
The Frog Who Counted 2 Stars from the Bottom of his Well
The Kite on a String
The Owl’s Hoot
A River Discovers the Ocean

A great Children’s book with some great learning opportunities inside and some favorite animals featured in the stories.

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

About the Book

Eating bamboo shoots with chopsticks three feet long? Impossible, you say. Not if you are a playful panda and learn to share and work together with your friends! In her newest work, award-winning author, Demi, presents 10 classic animal stories, each containing important moral lessons for little hearts and minds to absorb. Cunning kitties, helpful hummingbirds, talkative turtles, and hasty hedgehogs, all bring these beautiful fables to life. Through her magical illustrations and whimsical storytelling, Demi teaches the importance of being humble, the dangers of being too proud, the importance of generosity and sharing, and how everyone, no matter how small, has a part to play in life.

Book Review: VIP

Katie February 6, 2015 0Comment

VIP is the first part of a serial in the Rock & Release series. The book starts with Cassidy and her friend Teagan at a VIP area before a concert begins.  Somehow the two get in a fight and Teagan storms off – with both of their concert tickets in her purse.  It is with that fight that Cassidy’s summer plans completely change.  She was supposed to be starting a summer internship at a Fortune 500 company – a gig that her Dad got for her.  Except somehow staying in the VIP area for the concert she gets drunk, gets offered a job at the bar and ends up going home with the guitarist who plays on the patio.

When she returns home the next morning, she decides maybe she should take the job at the venue and skip out on the internship.  Her father tells her that if she doesn’t take the internship she can no longer live in his home – so she leaves and ends up rooming with one of the waitresses she met the night before.  And she ends up with Gage, the sexy guitarist, every night.

Usually these serials make me angry because they spend too much time setting up the story and then they end before things get good.  Not so with this book! Things are “good” from just about the beginning of the book and I am now looking forward to checking out the rest of the Acts – Starstruck and Showstopper to see how Cassidy’s story ends.

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

About the Book

When Cassidy Evans scores VIP tickets to a concert, she decides to use them for one carefree night before beginning a summer internship at her father’s Fortune 500 company. But one carefree night turns into a few too many martinis—with two unexpected twists: A steamy encounter with Gage Logan, sexy singer and guitarist, and a tempting job offer from Gage’s boss to work at the concert venue she now knows quite intimately.

She definitely can’t take the job. Her internship is an opportunity any business major would kill for. But the thought of working with her father, a man furious with grief over a family tragedy that struck six months ago, fills her with dread.

Then there’s Gage. Working with him all summer could be hot. Cassidy can’t stop flashing back to their night together. Molten kisses. His hands smoothing across the skin of her belly. The weight of his body above her own…

And suddenly the decision about how to spend her summer is much, much harder to make.

*********************

VIP is the first act of the three part sexy romance serial, Rock & Release. The final two acts, Starstruck andShow Stopper, will release on December 1 and December 15, respectively, at all major e-book retailers.

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New Adult romance suitable for 17+ due to mature content.

Book Review: The Many Faces of Josephine Baker

Katie February 6, 2015 0Comment

At first, this looked like your typical entertainment biography – Josephine Baker is a Dancer, Singer, Activist – and wait, what? a SPY?  So of course I had to read this book to find out more about Josephine!  The book starts with a note from the author saying that it is hard to track down Josephine’s life story. Mainly because of Josephine herself – who destroyed all pieces of her life from before she was 19 years old – which is when she left the United States for France.  As an adult, when she talked about her early life, she embellished things a bit.

Josephine wanted to be a star and she started at 13-years-old boarding a train for Memphis – and never turned back. As a child she risked having her leg amputated after stepping on a rusty nail. She begged the doctor to not cut it off – not wanting to think about being unable to walk or dance again and the doctor was able to save her leg. At 7, her mother told her she needed to find a job to support the family.

The book continues to chronicle the different performances that Josephine was in.  Of course, I just want to know about this spy business.  Oh, also interesting? She rescued a monkey from a pet store in Rio De Janiero!

During WWII is when Josephine did her work as a spy. I don’t want to give too much away (because you’re supposed to want to read the books I post about, of course) but it was very interesting how they delivered the secret information!   Josephine certainly led a fascinating life and it’s all here in this book – and since it is a children’s book it is a pretty quick read!

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

About the Book

A complete biographical look at the complex life of a world-famous entertainer

With determination and audacity, Josephine Baker turned her comic and musical abilities into becoming a worldwide icon of the Jazz Age. The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy provides the first in-depth portrait of this remarkable woman for young adults. Author Peggy Caravantes follows Baker’s life from her childhood in the depths of poverty to her comedic rise in vaudeville and fame in Europe. This lively biography covers her outspoken participation in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, espionage work for the French Resistance during World War II, and adoption of 12 children—her “rainbow tribe.” Also included are informative sidebars on relevant topics such as the 1917 East St. Louis riot, Pullman railway porters, the Charleston, and more. The lush photographs, appendix updating readers on the lives of the rainbow tribe, source notes, and bibliography make this is a must-have resource for any student, Baker fan, or history buff.

Book Review: The Vampire Diaries Vol 1

Katie February 6, 2015 0Comment

The Vampire Diaries is the first volume of the TV series as a comic book.  It is the same characters that you know and love (or maybe don’t love) from the TV show. The book has multiple stories in it, most of which taking place of course in Mystic Falls and other familiar locals.  This book was almost 400 pages!  I really enjoyed these stories, I don’t really watch the show anymore but I may have to go back and get caught up because this book got me back into everything again!  The comic book is released through DC Comics and inspired by the hit series.  There are great illustrations and the characters look just like their TV actor counterparts!

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

About the Book

Description

Elena, Stefan and Damon make their comics debut in a new series based on the hit CW television show! This anthology graphic novel will bring some of comics’ greatest talents to Mystic Falls and set them loose to bring the characters to life. Or death. They are vampires, you know.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is a must-read for any fan of this runaway hit TV series. Collects digital chapters #1-39.

Book Review: When the Sun Shines on Antarctica

Katie February 5, 2015 0Comment

When the Sun Shines on Antartica is a collection of poems on the frozen continent.  I found the poems to be great but the illustrations included were exceptional. There’s also a small box that includes facts that explain the things that are mentioned in the poems, so in addition to being a nice poetic reading it is also very educational as well.

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

About the Book

Icebergs brighten
as the sky peels
itself of darkness
and stretches awake. . . .

Welcome,
Summer.
We’ve been waiting
for you.

Experience summer at the bottom of the world. The sun rises, ice melts, grass grows, seals squabble, whales sing, and young penguins slide, glide, and belly flop.

Irene Latham’s evocative poems are accompanied by additional facts that provide further details about the animals and their environment. Whimsical illustrations from Anna Wadham complete this charming collection.

Book Review: Food: A Love Story

Katie February 3, 2015 0Comment

Food: A Love Story is the follow up to Jim Gaffigan’s book “Dad Is Fat”.  In Food, we get a chance to find out just what it is that made Dad fat.  This book is of course full of humor with chapters dedicated to seafood, cheese, donuts, bagels and everything in between. (And don’t forget Bacon.)

As I read the book I couldn’t help but laugh and agree with a lot that he said.  If you are a fan of Jim and a fan of food, you’ll not want to miss out on this book.

It is just over 350 pages, but the chapters are short enough that you keep saying “yeah let me read one more” and then next thing you know you’re finished with the book and a whole pint of ice cream.

I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging For Books program in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the book

“What are my qualifications to write this book? None really. So why should you read it? Here’s why: I’m a little fat. If a thin guy were to write about a love of food and eating I’d highly recommend that you do not read his book.”

Bacon. McDonalds. Cinnabon. Hot Pockets. Kale. Stand-up comedian and author Jim Gaffigan has made his career rhapsodizing over the most treasured dishes of the American diet (“choking on bacon is like getting murdered by your lover”) and decrying the worst offenders (“kale is the early morning of foods”). Fans flocked to his New York Times bestselling book Dad is Fat to hear him riff on fatherhood but now, in his second book, he will give them what they really crave—hundreds of pages of his thoughts on all things culinary(ish). Insights such as: why he believes coconut water was invented to get people to stop drinking coconut water, why pretzel bread is #3 on his most important inventions of humankind (behind the wheel and the computer), and the answer to the age-old question “which animal is more delicious: the pig, the cow, or the bacon cheeseburger?”

Book Review: The Available Tart

Katie February 3, 2015 0Comment

The Available Tart begins with  Anastasia needing to get home from a gig in London back to the US because one of her Tart sisters is in the hospital.  Her manager doesn’t want her to get home so he has all her money and passport – but somehow she makes it home.

Things fast foward a bit and the Tinseltown Tarts are on tour.  Pete is following them to several midwestern shows – he gets vetted to make sure he’s not crazy and then gets invited backstage by the band so he can meet Ann – The Available Tart.

The two seem to hit it off and the other girls “circle” him – which is a series of tests to make sure that he is serious about his relationship with Ann.

The book was a fun look at the behind the scenes of this tour with these 4 females in a rock n roll band and a budding romance with a guy who is divorced and doesn’t want his heart broken again.

The book sets up for the sequel which should be available soon.

I enjoyed reading this book – it seemed to be pretty accurate of what I know of the touring life and was a fun read.

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

The Tinseltown Tarts are a middle-aged, four member, once wildly popular all-female rock ‘n’ roll band from California. Facing a midlife crisis, Pete follows them on their Midwestern tour. He’s keeping his distance, but he’s on one of the member’s radar…and she’s actually available. The book’s a fast-paced, humorous, sometimes serious male-perspective “romance” novel with a trashy title and many layers.

Musicians seem to love this book, probably because it accurately depicts their world and delineates the earthquake-like changes which have forever altered it. The Available Tart describes the beauty of the Midwest, lovemaking during a thunderstorm, includes a visit to the Minnesota State Fair and a trout stream valley, briefly touches on the sights of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and even features a goat. The subject matter includes (tasteful) adult situations (after all, Pete is chasing a rock ‘n’ roll goddess).