Book Review: Cozy Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Katie May 12, 2014 0 Comments

Now that I’ve started attempting to do some felting, I have a whole new appreciation for whoever puts these books together.  And now I know why they are only 12 words / scenes.  Felting is time consuming and tough work!  In this Cozy Classic we are told the story of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 12 words. Cozy Classics are great books for any age, but are a great way to introduce your young children to the classics before they’re quite old enough to tackle the actual books.  I know that I read Tom Sawyer in middle school and I am sure that the whole class would have gotten a kick out of reading a Cozy Classic to go along with it as well!

About the Book

Give a kid a classic! Cozy Classics is the popular board book series that presents well-loved stories to children aged 0+ through twelve child-friendly words and twelve needle-felted illustrations. The Adventures of Tom Sawyeris Mark Twain’s timeless tale of childhood about an imaginative boy who’s always getting into trouble, and is one of the world’s most beloved classics. Now you can share this classic with children of any age. www.mycozyclassics.com

Book Review: Cozy Classics: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Katie May 12, 2014 0 Comments

Once again I get to check out a Cozy Classic! This time – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Finally,a story I know quite well in a cozy classic!  Although, the best part about these books is that even if you don’t know the story, Cozy Classics sums it up in 12 simple words with some great crafty illustrations to go along with it!  I bet you didn’t think the story could be told in 12 words or less – but it can!

 

About the Book

Give a kid a classic! Cozy Classics is the popular board book series that presents well-loved stories to children aged 0+ through twelve child-friendly words and twelve needle-felted illustrations. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is Mark Twain’s American masterpiece about one boy’s struggle of conscience as he ventures down the Mississippi River, and is one of the world’s most beloved classics. Now you can share this classic with children of any age. www.mycozyclassics.com

Book Review: I Come To You From The Future

Katie May 11, 2014 0 Comments

If you watched Last Comic Standing, you might be familiar with John Heffron.  While there aren’t many comics I actually enjoy (I’m weird, I guess) John Heffron is one of my favorites.  Recently he was offering up free copies of his book “I Come To Your From the Future: Everything You’ll Need To Know Before You Know It!” in exchange for a review of it on Amazon.  Obviously I jumped at the chance and since it took me so damn long to get around to reading it, I am writing an additional review here at the blog 🙂

While John is a comedian, a lot of his bits include advice so he decided to write a book with some advice.  Serious, yet comical at the same time, it has a lot of great information in it – stuff that you learn from living life but that people don’t really tell you to prepare you beforehand.  You can either read the book straight through or check out the table of contents and find what might speak to you in that particular moment.

The book is only 123 pages and is designed to be read in only one sitting – on the toilet!  I kind of wish I had figured that out before I kept putting off reading it. I’d have gotten around to this review a lot quicker! The book is only $5 for an e-book or $8 for a paperback copy and I think that it would be money well spent. (Says the girl who got it free. But really, that’s cheap for a book that packs so much great information in it!)

Have a laugh, learn a few things from someone who has already lived it.

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

About the Book

Hey, One day those condoms in your Pocket will turn to Tums…
During that journey, you might even realize wearing a Shirt with a random number on it, is kinda dumb. A lot of life question and trouble is headed
your way.
Comedian John Heffron and Topher Morrison may have just made your life a lot easier. by giving you the most important insight and tools you never knew you needed. The 2.5% of stuff that actually matters, that will net you the results you really want in life, whether you know it yet or not. It’s not a comprehensive, uber-philosophical treatise on becoming a superior 21st century man. – it’s a quick read (one bathroom trip may be enough) with a lot of answers you are going to need to know in one place.

I Come to You from the Future is all about fast and furious and sometimes funny strategic tips from guys who have been there and done that more times than you can count. My goal is to prepare you to meet your future; so the guy staring back at you in the mirror in 20 years isn’t some middle-aged douche wondering why his life sucks.
As a special “Thank you for buying”, inside there is an amazing bonus of 10 hours of vid that will cover:

* Overcome procrastination and fears that have been holding you back
* Create more CONFIDENCE and ENERGY for your life
* Rekindle the spark in relationships
* Develop and really enjoy a healthy diet/lifestyle
* Get more accomplishment and joy out of life
* Effective communication with your kids – and your parents

Book Review: The Greatest Star on Earth

Katie May 9, 2014 0 Comments

The Greatest Star on Earth is actually the 2nd book in a series.  I have not read the first and didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything because of it.  The book is about Sir Sidney’s Circus – which is the best in the world!  The Circus Times writer knows this – but as decided that she wants to try and figure out who is the greatest star in the show?  Sir Sidney finds out about this and that there is only one trophy and ends up giving himself a worry wart.  His doctor sends him off to rest and the performers start over thinking about what they want to do to win the trophy.

One by one under the instruction of the new ringmaster Barnabas, the stars start getting injured because they are trying to impress the writer in order to win the trophy.  Meanwhile, Barnabas isn’t that great at managing the crew so 2 of the mice start telling him what to do by writing him a book and making up rules for him to follow so they won’t be fed goop!

Who ends up the star of the circus? Does Sir Sidney’s worry wart go away? Find out all this – and more! In The Greatest Star On Earth.

This was a super cute kids book, with a great moral to the story.  I had been putting off reading it for quite some time because it was over 100 pages – but it actually went super quick as the book is part text, part comic with illustrations and thought bubbles and a few of the letters and book chapters and newspaper clippings are included as well.  I think I ended up reading it in under an hour – so this would be a great weekend read for your young reader!

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

About the Book

The rascals from the world’s friendliest family circus are back in the second installment of this “smafunderful”* fully illustrated series.

Everyone knows Sir Sidney’s Circus is the best in the world. But who’s the star of the show? The Circus Times is having a contest to find out. Just thinking about it gives Sir Sidney a worrywart, and it’s quickly clear why. Soon after he goes off to rest, the performers start thinking too much about winning the trophy and not enough about putting on a good show.

Meanwhile, it looks as if ringmaster-in-training Barnabas Brambles might need some help managing the crew, so Bert and Gert, the sly brother-and-sister mice who travel with the show, set out to write a book to teach him how it’s done.

Does Bert and Gert’s plan work? And who is the star of the circus? All will be revealed in The Greatest Star on Earth.

Book Review: iRules

Katie May 9, 2014 0 Comments

iRules: What every tech-healthy family needs to know about selfies, sexting, gaming and growing up.  I don’t have any kids but I am always curious about these books and how they are warning kids about technology.  And to be honest, a lot of these rules should be given to some over-sharing adults as well.  Part1 of the book focuses on RESPECT.  Awareness and Action as well as The Golden Rule are the chapters.  Part 2 is about RESPONSIBILITY Manners Matter, Work!, Sex and Technology are what it focuses on and Part 3 is all about LIVE FULLY – Be Present, Technology is Fun and Eyes Up and Heart Open. There is also a workbook, glossary, popular social netweoking sites and popular abbreviations for online communication.

The book starts with a contract given to the authors oldest son, Gregory, when he got his first iPhone.  While I love this idea – it makes me crazy that 13 year old kids have smartphones! I got my first cell phone when I graduated high school and smart phones didn’t exist.  Maybe I’m just jealous and old fashioned but I don’t see why kids need fancy phones like that when they are so young.  A simple one should due. (Although I do know that these are becoming harder and harder to find.)

Otherwise – if I get over this issue that I have, I think that the book makes some great points about using respect and being responsible.  This should go for everything – not just technology usage.  If you have young kids who are starting to or already have been using technology, this book will probably have some techniques for you to think about when allowing your children to use these devices.  I like the authors use of contracts with the children and she seems to have an open relationship with her kids and tries to talk to them about things and being respectful and getting them to think about technology from all aspects – how it will affect them, their friends, their family and their friends families, etc.

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

About the Book

As Janell Burley Hofmann, mother of five, wrapped her 13-year-old’s iPhone on Christmas Eve, she was overwhelmed by questions: “Will my children learn to sit and wonder without Googling? Should I know their passwords for online accounts? Will they experience the value of personal connection without technology?”

To address her concerns, she outlined boundaries and expectations in a contract for her son to sign upon receiving his first cell phone. When Hofmann’s editor at The Huffington Postposted the contract, now known as iRules, it resonated on a massive scale and went viral, resulting in a tsunami of media coverage and requests. It quickly became apparent that people across the country were hungry for more.
In iRules, Hofmann provides families with the tools they need to find a balance between technology and human interaction through a philosophy she calls Slow Tech Parenting. In the book, she educates parents about the online culture tweens and teens enter the minute they go online, exploring issues like cyberbullying, friend fail, and sexting, as well as helping parents create their own iRules contracts to fit their families’ needs. As funny and readable as it is prescriptive, iRules will help parents figure out when to unplug and how to stay in sync with the changing world of technology, while teaching their children self-respect, integrity, and responsibility.

Book Review: Skinny Bitch Gets Hitched

Katie May 9, 2014 0 Comments

Skinny Bitch Gets Hitched is another book in the Skinny Bitch series. (I had previously reviewed Skinny Bitch In Love.) The book starts with Clementine Cooper running her own restaurant and making a cake for the wedding of a relative of her boyfriend’s. While she is at his place working on the cake, she finds an engagement ring and thinks that Zach is going to propose to her.  When she sees a different proposal at the wedding, with the ring she thought was hers, she gets upset and goes to her kitchen to bake.  However, as the title suggests, Zach does later propose to Clem.  The rest of the book is following her meeting Zach’s family and planning the wedding.

On top of the wedding planning, she is also waiting for a New York Times reporter to come to the restaurant and check out her food and hopefully get a mention in the Sunday Travel section.  Her future mother-in-law is all about planning the wedding but seems to be coming up with all sorts of ideas that Clem wants nothing to do with.  It seems that she barely has time to breathe and then she decides that she is going to open up another restaurant as well.  Meanwhile, Zach’s Aunt sends her a marriage bucket list and she and her roomie Sara (also newly engaged) decide to try and complete them all!  Whew. Just trying to remember all that tired me out  – and I’m sure there’s some I’m missing!

I really enjoyed this book and the author’s writing style.  It was a quick and easy read and an enjoyable story, despite all the  stress our main character is under! There are a lot of different characters in this book – some new and some old and I found that the author did a great job telling us about each of them so that we feel like we know them and their relationships with the other characters.  Put aside half a day and you’ll have no problem reading this chick-lit book in one sitting!

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

About the Book

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING VEGAN, SOMETHING BLUE . . .

For the second time in just a few short months, Clementine Cooper’s professional reputation hinges on one restaurant review. Clementine’s No Crap Café is poised to score the Holy Grail of publicity—a mention in the New York Times Sunday travel section—if Clem’s veggietastic lasagna can bowl over the food critic.

Clem has no time for distractions. Or surprises. But when her meat-eating millionaire boyfriend Zach Jeffries shocks her with a sweet and romantic marriage proposal, of course she says yes! Now she has to plan the most important menu of her life while fending off her domineering future mother-in-law’s extravagant plans for the wedding.

As if there wasn’t enough on her plate, Clem decides to open a second restaurant on her parents’ farm—Clem’s No Crap Outpost— against Zach’s advice. Just when she needs his support the most, Zach grows distant. The only person who really seems to understand is Clem’s friend and biggest competition, the cute vegan chef Alexander Orr. Putting out fires in the kitchen is easy—but in her relationship? Suddenly, her time with Alexander feels . . . hotter . . . than usual, and Clem starts to wonder if the charming carnivore she’s engaged to is really the man she should spend her life with.

Book Review: Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves

Katie May 7, 2014 2 Comments

Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves is a collection of short stories by Dianne Ascroft.  I liked the book because if I wanted to I could read one story at a time when I had a few free minutes and not have to worry about forgetting what was going on in the story because in a few minutes I could read one whole story. (Or, if you’d rather read the whole thing in one go – the stories are all different enough that you won’t be getting them mistaken for one another – lots of different characters although most of them have an Irish connection.)

The stories were all previously published on their own – but have all been put together in this wonderful collection of heartwarming stories about life.

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves Book Summary:

Book Review: 201 Killer Cover Letters

Katie May 6, 2014 0 Comments

If you’ve spent any time looking for a job lately (like I have been) you know about the importance of not only a great resume – but a great cover letter.  201 Killer Cover Letters gives you a lot of tips and information not only on how to write a killer cover letter – but also where you should be looking for work and how you should be networking to try and find work.  While the basis of the cover letter has been the same for ages – the book also has information about more modern technologies such as email, social media and online postings.  I know that I do most of my networking on Facebook – but another popular site is LinkedIn.  I haven’t made the plunge for a personal professional account on that site yet, but I do have one for this blog which has brought me a few connections since I set it up just a couple of months ago (and that’s without me doing much work on my own to find connections.)

In addition to cover letters – this book should be able to help my fellow bloggers write pitch emails to companies as well. You want to be able to sell yourself and your assets to make sure that you will get the product reviews and sponsorship you are looking for and I think that the tips in this book can be used for that as well as if you’re looking for a job.  There’s also tips on writing Thank You letters which really can go for anyone, not just after a job interview. This is a great resource.

If you are looking for a job or think that you may want to start looking in the not so distant future – you should definitely check out this book and brush up on the tips and make sure that your cover letter makes you stand out against all the other applicants for a job.  I know there is often a lot of competition out there for positions so you want to make sure that you can do all you can to show that you are the best person for the job! This book will definitely help with that.

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

About the Book

The bestselling guide to writing cover letters that make you stand out from the competition

Updated with important new insights into email, social media, and online postings

For anyone applying for a job, networking, requesting a reference, or writing a thank-you letter, this new edition of the go-to guide addresses new developments in technology and communication and how they affect the cover letter writing process.

New content includes how and when to use email and/or “snail mail”; how social media and other technologies have transformed the job search process; and new letters/e-mails for innovative industries such as IT, social media, branding, cybersecurity, and website design.

Sandra Podesta is President of eBusinessWriting.com and the founder and host of live, online ResumeRoom.com workshops, through which she helps job hunters craft high-quality resumes.
Andrea Paxton is a recruiter and human resources executive who has worked extensively with every phase of the interview, selection, hiring, and training processes.

Book Review: Assured Destruction: With Zombies

Katie May 5, 2014 0 Comments

I have to say that I am totally bummed that this is the last Assured Destruction book. I absolutely loved these book and the characters and am sad that it is over! (You can check out my reviews of Books 1 and 2 on the blog)  The book once again follows Janus and everything that she’s got going on in her life.  Right now her mom is in the hospital, she’s still banged up with injuries from the book before this one but is still trying to keep her family business afloat.  She realizes that before her Dad left, he had quite a few more customers than they have now, so she decides to try and get in contact with them to see if they’ll come back so that she can make more money for her family.  Meanwhile, a crazy virus seems to be taking over everywhere, Jan’s network, the school network, all over Ottawa seems to be affected by this Zombie Worm.  The more that Jan digs, the more that she realizes that she might be in trouble.  This of course becomes completely evident when she wakes up to find that the building was set on fire.

Jan ends up in the hospital and insurance thinks that she set fire to the building so they won’t pay.  It is now that Jan realizes who her friends really are, as while she is in the hospital her boyfriend and other friends put together a kickstarter campaign to help build everything up again.  But will it matter if Jan and her mom can’t pay the mortgage for December and January?

I don’t want to say too much more because I really love these books and definitely think you should read them.  The book has a LOT of action it in and I love how it is written with each chapter starting with a Tweet from one of Jan’s personalities. (Or is it?) It’s a pretty quick and easy read (I knocked it out in 2 hours but I’m a bit crazy with reading, if you couldn’t tell by the sheer volume of reviews I post here!) and I know you’ll be sucked in just as much as I am!  I love Jan and if she we real I know for sure we would be BFFs.  (In fact, I put some coding I was frustrated with aside to read this book in hopes that some of Jan’s smarts would rub off on me.  It must have worked because shortly after finishing the book I managed to get the code I was working on to actually work! Hooray! Thanks Jan!)

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

About the Book
The final book in the Assured Destruction series! Those requesting this book will receive a followup email with the first two books in the series attached.

Jan Rose may already be expunged from the police department’s High Tech Crime Unit. Her mother’s hospitalized, and Assured Destruction’s on the cusp of bankruptcy. But Jan doesn’t wait on anything, she seeks out the customers who used to keep the family business afloat. That’s when everything starts to go wrong.

A computer virus–aka the Zombie Worm–threatens not only her school and Shadownet, but the entire city. A skull with a chain running through its socket links a powerful gang to her former customers, and holds the secrets to why her father left and the identity of her mother’s boyfriend.

To save her family and the business, Jan must determine who is friend and who is foe. And decide what type of hacker she wishes to become: Gray, white, or black. Not only her life hangs in the balance.

Book Review: Knowing Vera

Katie May 4, 2014 0 Comments

Knowing Vera is the 3rd book in the Chance for Love series (I had previously read and reviewed Hidden Under Her Heart and Broken Build).  This book follows some characters who we were introduced to in earlier books – Zach and Vera.  Zach and Vera are casually dating – but then Vera realizes that the woman that Vera believes that her father killed was Zach’s mother.  Zach lost his leg in an accident and is dealing with going from being an Olympic athlete to learning how to do things with his prosthetic leg.  But are they falling for each other?  It sure seems that way – but she doesn’t know what will happen when Zach realizes that it was her father who killed his mother.  Or was it?

That of course brings the murder mystery aspect into the picture.  Vera was with her father when he jumped from the bridge, but at only 7 years old she doesn’t remember what happened.  When she starts getting postcards, text messages and comments on her YouTube page that seem like they are coming from her father – she decides to investigate things.

Similar to the other books there is an on again off again with Vera and Zach.  She isn’t ready for a commitment, he is, or is he? and that adds some drama to the story as well. (Which some may argue is not needed.)  Vera also believes that Zach is a player and has a fiance so that of course is not helping matters with her trying to distance herself from him.

Vera ends up kidnapped and when Zach comes to her rescue it seems that he has been set up.  Vera is determined to find out who killed Zach’s mother if not her father to get him off the hook and get answers for Zach.  Will they figure it out in time and end up happily ever after?

Of the 3 books in this series, this one was probably my second favorite (behind Broken Build), the books are all very well written and are quick reads that you just get enveloped in and want to read until you can finish – or in my case – until your Nook battery dies!

Also worth nothing – this is a series but you don’t have to read them in order if you don’t want to.  HOWEVER – there are certainly some spoilers in this book in relation to things that happen in the other two books so if you think you might want to read them all – its probably best to start with Hidden Under Her Heart.  If you’re just looking for a one-off book then certainly consider Knowing Vera on its own.

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

About the Book

Vera’s dating Zach, casually, not committed, when she discovers her long-departed father is the killer of Zach’s mother many years ago.

Meanwhile, Zach reevaluates his life after losing his leg in a tragic accident and realizes he’s falling in love with Vera.

Can their timing be so wrong? Vera knows the relationship is doomed, but she cannot resist the tugging of her heart and Zach’s panty-melting grin.

Caught in a web of family secrets and hidden agendas, Vera and Zach must depend on each other for survival. A dangerous killer is on the loose, and Vera must find the truth, wherever it leads, even if it destroys her chance for love forever.

Knowing Vera is a suspenseful, cross-cultural romance mixing an unsolved murder, adventure, and hot, steamy love scenes