Book Review: One More Minute With You

Katie April 24, 2015 0 Comments

One More Minute With You is about Kenzie who has moved from Seattle to Nashville in hopes of finding a new life on her own as a musician. She is living in a cheap motel and working as a waitress in a diner by day and doing gigs by night. Then a guy, Remy,  keeps coming in to her diner to see her.  He overhears about her living condition and offers to let her live with him because his roommate is going on tour.

When they find that her hotel room has been robbed, she ends up taking Remy up on his offer to move in.  There is certainly an attraction between them, but Kenzie had a bad past relationship and doesn’t want to have anything to do with guys for a while.  Of course, when she and Remy touch she feels there’s a connection but keeps trying to push him away.

Meanwhile – Kenzie starts getting strange texts that seem threatening from a number she doesn’t recognize and Remy’s Dad – a famous musician – is in town and wants to see him.

I thought that the romance aspect of this was good – I mean, typical storyline but I enjoyed it. The extras seemed to be a bit too much. I think that it either should have been Remy’s Dad drama or Kenzie’s text drama and not both. (Or maybe save the other for a later book)  But overall it was a quick read and I did enjoy it.

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

About the Book

Seattle is in the rearview mirror and Kenzie Daniels wants to start a new life to pursue her musical dreams in Nashville. But it’s harder than she thought trying to make it on her own with no one to rely on but herself. Until a handsome customer shows up at her table and changes the course of her future.

Remy Martins wasn’t looking for anything but a good time and a creative outlet when he stumbled upon Hank’s Diner and discovered his muse. The moment he laid eyes on Kenzie, the beautiful waitress with a chip on her shoulder, he knew his luck had turned around. He’d been in a writing slump for months and she was the spark he needed, breathing new life into his lyrics. Now Remy is determined to have Kenzie and keep her in his life.

When a chance run-in at one of his gigs has Kenzie leaning on him for support, Remy is given the opportunity to make her an offer she just can’t refuse.

Just as their relationship morphs into something more, fueling a deep physical need that neither of them can deny, Kenzie’s and Remy’s pasts collide – threatening to destroy their bond along the dreams they’d hoped to fulfill.

Can Kenzie rely on Remy to be there when she needs him the most? Will both their dark pasts ruin their chances at a bright future?

Book Review: Song of the Fool

Katie April 22, 2015 0 Comments

Song of the Fool was written by Hunter Sharpless, a college student who got to tour with Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers for 3 months in the fall of 2009.  I remember Hunter being on this tour and following him on twitter while the tour was going on.

The story is broken down into a chapter for each member of the band – Stephen “Skunk” Kellogg, Brian “Boots” Factor, Sam “Steamer” Getz, Kit “Goose” Karlson and the band’s manager Jessica “Cousin” Kellogg.  Due to this break down the chapters focus more on each band member in their own section so the stories are not always chronological.

As a fan of the band, I enjoyed the inside look at the “glamorous” life style on the road and how driving from show to show worked.  The band has just a van, not a bus, and they drive everywhere on their own in shifts.

If you want to know about life on the road for a great (now on hiatus) lesser known band – then this is the story for you – but if you’re looking for a sex, drugs and rock n roll expose like Almost Famous then this is certainly not the book for you.

I purchased this book and thought that it might be an interesting book to review for my readers. I was not asked to post this review, did not receive a free book nor was I otherwise compensated.

About the Book

When nineteen-year-old Hunter Sharpless e-mails roots rock band Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, he doesn’t expect a response. He wants to write a book about them. When his inbox chimes two hours later, telling him he has a chance to tour with the band for three full months, he dreams of groupies and Almost Famous. It doesn’t take long, though, for Hunter to discover that the road isn’t the electric collection of glories it’s often billed to be. He’s mistaken for a homeless person in Sacramento, thrust onstage in Iowa, and cradled against a toilet in New York. The road is hard. No cocaine, no backstage blowjobs, no sleek tour bus. But the Sixers see it differently. Stephen introduces Hunter to a more authentic perspective: behind the lights of the stage, after the glow of the performance, away from the noise of the amps. This is the world Song of the Fool begins to unravel.

“When considering this kid’s out-of-the-blue request to tour with his band, Stephen Kellogg asked Hunter Sharpless to explain ‘why it would be a good idea to bring an underage person

Book Review: Terry Treetop Saves the Dolphin

Katie April 19, 2015 0 Comments

Terry Treetop liked to watch the dolphins from the top of the tree, which is how is got his name.  He sees a baby dolphin playing with the other dolphins and names him Dido.  He wants to play with the dolphins, so he goes down to the dock and yells out to them.  The baby dolphin swims closer to him and gets caught in a net swimming to Terry.  Terry knows that he needs to get help to get the dolphin out of the net.  The ranger helps to free Dido and gives Terry an inner tube so that he can go in the water and swim with the dolphins.  This was a cute story to teach kids about the environment and how nets in the water can affect the dolphin’s lives.  It also has great illustrations!

About the Book

Want your kids to care about the environment?
Take them on an adventure in a marine nature reserve
This is the fourth book in the Terry Treetop best sellers series. In this book Terry Treetop went camping with his parents to a marine nature reserve. He saw a cheerful group of dolphins and wanted to play with the little dolphin, but something went wrong and the little dolphin was in danger.
Will Terry be able to save the little dolphin?
This beginner reader’s eBook will teach your child about marine mammals and their habitats, and will inspire your kids to be aware of the environment and the responsibility of humans towards animals in their care.
Your kids will enjoy full-color illustrations of Terry and the dolphins group.
Terry Treetop Saves The Dolphin is a sweet children’s book written especially for you and your kids ages 2- 8.
With simple text and 16 colorful illustrations.
The story is suitable as a read aloud book for preschoolers or a self-read book for beginner readers.

Book Review: ABIGAIL and the North Pole Adventure

Katie April 19, 2015 0 Comments

Abigail and the North Pole adventure is another great book about Abigail and her magic bike.  In this book, she gets the bike from her grandparents and decides to take a trip to the North Pole.  While there she sees some seals and meets Siku who lives in a snow house, which is called an igloo.  Siku gives abigail a coat because it is very cold at the North Pole.  The two go ice fishing and save a baby polar bear.  Abigail decides it is time to go home and comes back home still wearing gloves. Her grandmother thinks that she is just making up stories about visiting the North Pole – but Grandpa knows better!

A cute book with great illustrations to help teach your kids about the North Pole.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review.

About the book

Want your kids to be familiar with exotic locations?
Want them to meet cultures and widen their horizons?
This is a wonderful book about a girl named Abigail.
Abigail found a magical bicycle in her grandparents’ old house, and this bicycle takes her to the magnificent North Pole.
Who will she meet there? What will she discover?
This beginner reader’s eBook will inspire your kids to be open to new cultures, and be more curious and enthusiastic about exploring various places.
Your kids will enjoy full-color illustrations of Abigail and the North Pole life.
Your kids will be inspired to be:
1. Open to new people & cultures2. More curious3. Enthusiastic about exploring new thingsAbigail and the North Pole Adventure is a sweet children’s book written especially for you and your ages 2- 8 children.
With simple text and 15 colorful illustrations.
The story is suitable as a read aloud book for preschoolers or a self-read book for beginner readers.

Book Review: Abandoned NYC

Katie April 17, 2015 0 Comments

There is something about abandoned buildings that draws me to them. I love to look at photographs of them.  I’m not sure why – maybe because there’s so much history or they are just so interesting to look at as they are breaking down, but when I saw a book called Abandoned NYC I knew it was something I had to check out.  The book is broken down by Hospitals & Institutions, Railraods & Waterfronts, Military Installations, Industrial Sites and Forgotten Places.

The photos in this book are amazing. Some are hauntingly beautiful, some are creepy and others are gross, but I find myself drawn to them all and the stories that they tell and the history they hold within.

This is a fascinating read for anyone as interested in abandoned places as I am.

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

About the Book

Every city has its ghosts. From Manhattan and Brooklyn’s trendiest neighborhoods to the far-flung edges of the outer boroughs, Ellis captures the lost and lonely corners of the United States’ most populous city. Step inside the New York you never knew, with 200 eerie images of urban decay, through crumbling institutions, defunct military posts, abandoned factories, railroads, schools, and waterways. Uncover the forgotten history behind New York’s most incredible abandoned spaces, and witness its seldom seen and rapidly disappearing landscape. Explore the ruins of the Harlem Renaissance, sift through the artifacts of massive squatter colonies, and find out how the past is literally washing up on the shores of a Brooklyn beach called Dead Horse Bay. This book is for anyone who’s ever wondered what’s behind the “No Trespassing” sign.

Book Review: Llewellyn’s Complete Dictionary of Dreams

Katie April 17, 2015 0 Comments

If you’re like me, you sometimes have some really off the wall dreams – like a porcupine driving your car and crashing it in to the curb – and then you want to know what that means. That is why I decided to check out Llewellyn’s Complete Dictionary of Dreams. Of course, I searched first for porcupine only to find out that it was not included in this book. I guess that dream will continue to remain a mystery.

But while a porcupine might not be featured in this book, there are over 1,000 Dream Symbols and their meanings included.  Sorted alphabetically so you can easily flip through and find what you are looking for – the dictionary will let you know what each element of your dream means. For instance – a car crash – which I guess is what my porcupine did – can mean that you are “feeling like the circumstances in your life have stopped you from moving forward, maybe very abruptly”

Unfortunately I can’t remember any of my other crazy dreams from recently to look up – but I will be keeping this dictionary handy to use in the future as I think your dreams can tell you a lot about what is going on in your subconscious – and I like to try and be aware of that/

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

About the Book

When it comes to dreams, we often need help making sense of the mystery. Llewellyn’s Complete Dictionary of Dreams is designed to offer that help in a simple and concise structure, using language that speaks directly to the dreamer.

With more than 1,000 distinct terms, this book presents prominent dream symbols along with a clear and simple universal meanings to assist you in your personal dream interpretation.

Book Review: I Don’t Have a Happy Place

Katie April 17, 2015 0 Comments

I Don’t Have a Happy Place is about Kim Korson.  The book is a series of stories about her life and how she can’t be happy.  The first chapter is all about how she watched her babysitter die when they were on vacation and she drowned.  In one of the letters she wrote to the teenage her she writes that she “can’t see the bright side of anything.”  Her life doesn’t seem to be all that bad – she has a boyfriend, who becomes her husband, they have kids, they go to Disney World… but Kim just has a aura of negativity around her which makes for some interesting and comedic stories.

This 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

When a trip to the therapist ends with the question “Can’t Kim be happy?” Kim Korson responds the way any normal person would—she makes fun of it. Because really, does everyone have to be happy?

Aside from her father wearing makeup and her mother not feeling well (a lot), Kim Korson’s 1970s suburban upbringing was typical. Sometimes she wished her brother were an arsonist just so she’d have a valid excuse to be unhappy. And when life moves along pretty decently–she breaks into show business, gets engaged in the secluded jungles of Mexico, and moves her family from Brooklyn to dreamy rural Vermont—the real despondency sets in. It’s a skill to find something wrong in just about every situation, but Kim has an exquisite talent for negativity. It is only after half a lifetime of finding kernels of unhappiness where others find joy that she begins to wonder if she is even capable of experiencing happiness.

In I Don’t Have a Happy Place, Kim Korson untangles what it means to be a true malcontent. Rife with evocative and nostalgic observations, unapologetic realism, and razor-sharp wit, I Don’t Have a Happy Place is told in humorous, autobiographical stories. This fresh-yet-dark voice is sure to make you laugh, nod your head in recognition, and ultimately understand what it truly means to be unhappy. Always.

Book Review: My Grandma’s a Ninja

Katie April 17, 2015 0 Comments

My Grandma’s a Ninja is all about Ethan’s grandma who is well, a ninja.  She comes to visit and they have a ton of fun… but then Ethan decides that she wasn’t that fun anymore.  Then he has to go to school without her and is a bit bummed. Until Grandma shows up again to cheer him on at his soccer game.  But Grandma decides that maybe she should stop being a ninja. Ethan is worried she’ll be a regular grandma – but nope. She has something else up her sleeve!  As to what – well you’ll have to read my grandma’s a ninja to find out all the details!

This book is super cute and I love the illustrations. A great bed time story for your little ones.  I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

When Ethan’s grandma suggests they take a zip line to school, Ethan realizes that his grandma is a little different. In fact, she’s a ninja! Ethan is soon the hit of the school when his grandma drops from the ceiling at show-and-tell, and teaches the kids karate moves and how to do backflips in slow motion. But when his grandma deflates his team’s soccer ball, everyone is upset—including Ethan. Why can’t he just have a regular grandma? But when Ethan tries out his new karate moves during the championship game . . . he’s happy that his grandma isn’t ordinary.

Book Review: Toons in Toyland

Katie April 10, 2015 0 Comments

Toons in Toyland is the Story of Cartoon Character Merchandise.  The author talks about the toys he had as a kid and that he tried to buy back many of the toys he had as a kid that were donated by his parents in order to get his collection back again and house it in a museum.  The book talks about the history of toys made in the likeness of cartoon characters and throughout the book are photographs of the various toys. It’s fun to see how some of the older toys look compared to who they were supposed to be (in particular there is a photo of a toy of Barney Rubble with green hair!)  Even the costumed Disney characters are featured and I have to say I’m glad I wasn’t a kid in the early 60s. Creepy!

This book was fun to read, with a lot of great information included. (I found out some more about Tim’s museum at roadside america)

About the Book

A look at the massive way cartoons dominated the magic of merchandising

Every living American adult likely prized one childhood toy that featured the happy image of an animated cartoon or comic strip character. There is an ever-growing market for these collectibles, and stacks of books pose as pricing guides. Yet Tim Hollis is the first to examine the entire story of character licensing and merchandising from a historical view.

Toons in Toyland focuses mainly on the post–World War II baby boom years, circa 1946–1980, when the last members of that massive generation were in high school. During those years, the mass merchandising of cartoon characters peaked. However, the concept of licensing cartoon characters for toys, trinkets, and other merchandise dates back to the very first newspaper comics character, the Yellow Kid, who debuted in 1896 and was soon appearing on a variety of items. Eventually, cartoon producers and comic strip artists counted on merchandising as a major part of their revenue stream. It still plays a tremendous role in the success of the Walt Disney Company and many others today.

Chapters examine storybooks (such as Little Golden Books), comic books, records, board games, jigsaw puzzles, optical toys (including View-Master™ and Kenner’s Give-a-Show Projector™), and holiday paraphernalia (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and birthday party ware). Extending even beyond toys, food companies licensed characters galore—remember the Peanuts characters plugging bread and Dolly Madison snacks? And roadside attractions, amusement parks, campgrounds, and restaurants—think Yogi Bear and Jellystone Park Campgrounds—all bought a bit of cartoon magic to lure the green waves of tourists’ dollars.

Tim Hollis, Birmingham, Alabama, has published twenty-four books on pop culture history. For more than thirty years he has maintained a museum of cartoon-related merchandise in Dora, Alabama. He is the author of Dixie Before Disney: 100 Years of Roadside Fun; Florida’s Miracle Strip: From Redneck Riviera to Emerald Coast; Hi There, Boys and Girls! America’s Local Children’s TV Programs, Ain’t That a Knee Slapper: Rural Comedy in the 20th Century, and, with Greg Ehrbar, Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records, all published by the University Press of Mississippi.

Book Review: The Joy Of Ballpark Food

Katie April 10, 2015 0 Comments

First and foremost I must mention that this book is being independently published and that all the royalties from the purchase of this book are being donated directly to the Second Harvest Food Band of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties of California.  This book is available for purchase on amazon.

Lately ball park food is more than just the hot dog.  This book explores not only hot dogs but your peanuts and cracker jacks, the new food era and even concludes with a culinary tour of Major League Ballparks.

I didn’t realize that the original 1908 version of take me out to the ballgame was written about a girl named Katie Casey! In 1927 it was changed to Nelly Kelly. Interesting stuff.  There’s even a chapter on the official Cheese Doodle of the New York Mets!

Now that I’ve taken a virtual tour of all the ballpark’s food offerings – I think I know where I should be going for my next few games! (Atlanta for Waffle House and Cinnamon Glazed Pecans, Boston for a Whoopie Pie, Chicago Cubs for a Brownie, Chicago Whitesox for Mac & Cheese Bites and a Strawberry Churro, Cincinnati for a waffle bowl sundae, Cleveland for Fried Cookie Dough, Colorado for Loaded Tater Tots, Detroit for a bacon burger, Kansas City for some BBQ, Philly for a Cheesesteak, Seattle for a fried twinkie, & Toronto for poutine!)

It might be in your best interest to have dinner before checking out this book – but as the author says – you’ll be able to tour 30 ballparks and not gain a pound!

Loved this book and it was an interesting look at some baseball history!

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

About the Book

Baseball is a game that is identified with food. We even sing about it at every ballpark during the seventh inning stretch: “….buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack…” The famous song was written by Jack Norworth in 1908.

From the early part of the twentieth century until the 1980s, classic baseball fare consisted mostly of hot dogs, ice cream, peanuts, and Cracker Jack. Then ballparks slowly began to sell new items. A proliferation of new food offerings during the 1990s was fueled by the opening of twelve new major league ballparks.

Now, teams around the country sell a variety of exotic food as well as wide variety of hot dogs.

The Joy of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine begins with the history of the first hot dog at a ball game and concludes with a culinary tour of all 30 major league ballparks.