Catkwondo by Lisl H. Detlefsen: Picture Book Review

Title: Catkwondo
Author: Lisl H. Detlefsen
Publisher: Capstone
Publishing Date: September 1, 2020
For Ages: 4-7
Sensitive Content: None
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Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC of this cute book!

I picked out Catkwondo to request because of the adorable little kitty on the cover. While I did enjoy the illustrations throughout, I found the storyline a little lacking. This isn’t a book that all children will enjoy, but it is a book that children interested in martial arts will enjoy. I did appreciate the Korean words thrown throughout the story as well as the glossary of these words in the back of the book. This type type of diversity is needed in stories. Overall I gave this book a 3/5 just because it wasn’t a story for me, or for any child that I know as well as for being a little flat in the storyline. The pictures are adorable and I know if I ever have a child in my life that loves Karate or Taekwondo that I will get this book for them.

Spark by Sarah Beth Durst – Review

Title: Spark
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publishing Date: May 14, 2019
Genre: MG Fantasy
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars
Add It: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon

Synopsis

Spark is the story of a young girl, Mina, who lives in a world where dragons control the weather to make the weather perfect for their land. There are 5 types of beasts, Sun Beasts, Wind Beasts, Rain Beasts, Snow Beasts, and the most wild of them all, the Lightning Beasts. Mina is the quietest of her siblings. She doesn’t shout or make messes, she isn’t wild or brave. She is just quiet Mina. So when her egg hatches and a lightning beast whose name is Pixit appears, her family is in shock. They think that the egg was swapped and Mina was supposed to get a different egg. But Pixit reassures Mina that he is a reflection of her heart through their telekinetic link. Mina and Pixit are off to Lightning School where they will learn to control the storms and help protect her country. But there she learns that their perfect weather costs their neighboring countries more than they could ever imagine.

Review

Spark is about so much more than a girl and her dragon. Spark is about finding your voice and overcoming fear. Spark is about love, friendship, and family. Spark is a testament to all the quiet girls out there – that their voice matters.

In this book, I so strongly resonate with Mina, the main character, who is known to be very quiet. Although never confirmed or stated, Mina seems to suffer from social anxiety. She has a hard time getting herself into situations where she has to socialize with others or make friends, though once she does, she proves to be a good friend and happy with the chatter of others around her. She doesn’t say a lot, but when she says something, it is with purpose. Mina speaks best through written work which is something I totally relate to. I feel better about stating important things as well written documentation in some sort of way. I like to be able to think about what I want to say before I say it. Mina learns throughout the novel that she doesn’t have to be loud to be heard and that what she says, people listen to.

The world Mina lives in is amazing. At the beginning of the novel you learn about the different types of storm beasts and Mina seems to live in a sort of Utopia. She learns pretty quickly that their Utopia is at the cost of others – something we can all probably relate to in the real world. Those who live in prosperity seem to be living in it at the cost of someone else.

The storm beasts can communicate with their human through their mind which is a neat way for Mina and Pixit to still have a flowing conversation even though he is a dragon. Sarah Beth Durst’s writing also gives us great insight into the thoughts and emotions Mina feels even though there isn’t a tone of dialogue between her and other characters because she doesn’t speak much.

This book is fun, while still being thought provoking. I can only imagine the types of conversations I would have with my students with this book if they read it. I would recommend this book to middle grade readers, readers who love dragons, and fans of fantasy novels. I also found that this book has a really good anxiety representation which is not something that is often done well.

A huge thank you and shout out to the author Sarah Beth Durst who sent me an ARC of Spark to review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Spark Aesthetic Board

Rosetown by Cynthia Rylant

Title: Rosetown
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Publisher: Beach Lane Books
Publishing Date: May 8, 2018
Genre: MG Historical/Realistic Fiction
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Buy It: Amazon

Synopsis

This story centers around Flora, a Fourth grader who struggles with math, loves poetry, and is dealing with newly separated parents. The book store where her mother works is full of magic and new surprises. Her father lives five streets down from her mother and they share custody of Flora and Flora’s big, white, fluffy cat. Flora’s best friend Nessy is finding herself in music and she has a new friend, Yuri, from another country.

Review

All is swell in this nostalgic 70’s historical fiction novel. And I don’t mean that in a good way. Books need conflict and Flora there is none because she seems to be stuck in the clouds in her perfect little world. Even her parent’s separation is amicable which I thought would provide a little turmoil to this novel. In short, nothing is wrong in Rosetown and therefore Rosetown is painfully boring. This book may be nostalgic and full of whimsy for someone that lived through the 1970s and enjoyed sitting a dusty old book shop leafing through antique photo books, but I cannot imagine recommending this to any current middle grade reader who is the intended audience for this novel. I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars.

Rosetown Asthetic Board

The Shadow Writer by Eliza Maxwell – Review

THE SHADOW WRITER

by

ELIZA MAXWELL

Genre:  Psychological Suspense / Domestic Thriller
Publisher: Lake Union Press

Date of Publication: May 1, 2019

Number of Pages: 348

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Every writer has a story. Some are deadlier than others. 

Aspiring author Graye Templeton will do anything to escape the horrific childhood crime that haunts her. After a life lived in shadows, she’s accepted a new job as protégé to Laura West, influential book blogger and wife of an acclaimed novelist. Laura’s connections could make Graye’s publishing dreams a reality. But there’s more to Laura than meets the eye. 

Behind the veneer of a charmed life, Laura’s marriage is collapsing. Her once-lauded husband is descending into alcoholism and ruin and bringing Laura nearer to the edge. 

As the two women form a bond that seems meant to be, long-buried secrets claw their way into the present, and the line between friendship and obsession begins to blur, forcing each to decide where her loyalties lie. Running from the past is a dangerous game, and the loser could end up dead.

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Eliza Maxwell lives in Texas with her ever-patient husband and two kids. She’s an artist and writer, an introvert, and a British cop drama addict. She loves nothing more than to hear from readers.

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Eliza Maxwell is the most underrated writer of this decade. I am continuously blown away by her writing and her novels. This was by far one of the best thrillers I have ever read, and don’t think I am just saying this, I truly mean it.

The Shadow Writer is dark, twisted, mysterious and enthralling. I was completely captivated by the mystery in the book and trying to figure out what characters did what. For the first time since college, I stayed up way too late past my bedtime to finish this book with more than 100 pages left. And then I couldn’t sleep because I was still reeling from the twists and turns in every chapter all the way to the end.

I pre-ordered this book months ago after knowing how much I loved The Widow’s Watcher last year and The Shadow Writer did not disappoint. The characters are so real and you feel empathy and sympathy for the majority of the book for a character that may or may not deserve it. Eliza Maxwell gives us every emotion possible to throw at one particular character that I cannot reveal because I don’t want to give too much away. You just need to pick up this book and read it. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars and recommend to any fans of thrillers.

The Shadow Writer Aesthetic Board

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

4/30/19	Audio Review	Hall Ways Blog
4/30/19	Review	Reading by Moonlight
5/1/19	Review	Momma on the Rocks
5/2/19	Review	Tangled in Text
5/2/19	Review	Bibliotica
5/3/19	Review	Forgotten Winds
5/3/19	BONUS Post	All the Ups and Downs
5/4/19	Review	The Book Review
5/4/19	Audio Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
5/5/19	Review	Kelly Well Read
5/6/19	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
5/7/19	Audio Review	The Clueless Gent
5/7/19	Review	The Love of a Bibliophile
5/8/19	Review	That’s What She’s Reading
5/9/19	Review	#Bookish
5/9/19	Review	The Page Unbound

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The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys Review

As soon as I picked up this book from this year’s TLA conference I knew I had to read it immediately. I am a huge fan of Sepetys novels. She writes so thoughtfully and you can tell how much research goes into each of her historical fiction novels.

Title: The Fountains of Silence
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Publishing Date: October 22, 2019
Publishing Company: Philomel Books
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Order It: Amazon

Synopsis

The Fountains of Silence takes place in Madrid, Spain in 1957. In the aftermath of World War II, most European countries are no longer under dictatorship, but Spain is still at the mercy of their ruthless Catholic dictator Francisco Franco. Most of the Red Republicans from the war have been arrested, sentenced to death, or worked in labor camps to death. Their children and relatives are still suffering under Franco’s rule and things aren’t as they seem.

Daniel is recently 18. His dad is an oil tycoon in Texas and expects Daniel to follow suit with a petroleum degree from Texas A&M. Daniel loves photography and wants more than anything to travel the world and photograph the truth. He is applying for a prestigious scholarship to his dream photography program, much to the chagrin of his father who does not believe photography is the right career path for Daniel. Daniel’s mother is a native Spaniard so for Daniel’s last summer between high school and college Daniel’s mother takes them to the new Hilton hotel in Madrid.

The maid assigned to Daniel’s family is Ana who is around Daniel’s age. She is mysterious and beautiful. She is also the daughter of a Republican and lives in extreme poverty with her older sister, a seamstress, and her husband and their daughter as well as her brother who is a gravedigger by day and aspiring bull fighter promoter by night.

Review

This story is told in many alternating points of view which helps us get a good grasp on the mysterious backstory of both Ana and Daniel and their extremely different families. Though Ana and Daniel are the main characters we do get POV from many of their family members and friends in addition to their chapters. Sepetys also gives us snippets of documentation of the history of Spain during this time to help support the historical part of this novel.

Ana and Daniel were both very relateable characters. I was very excited about Daniel’s character in the beginning because he is from a Texas oil family (much like I am) and is suppose to be attending Texas A&M (my alma mater). He also loves photography which is one of my hobbies. I love the way the author would describe his photographs. Even though you couldn’t see them in the book her imagery made you be able to picture what his photographs must look like. Ana is also very relateable even though the majority of the readers of this book probably won’t be living like Ana. She is empathetic, hardworking, smart, courageous, and a typical teen who falls head over heels in love for the wrong boy.

There is so much mystery in the plot of this book sometimes you feel like you have no idea what is going on, but the author does a good job at giving you pieces of the answer to the mystery one at a time. I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the final twist in this book until the moment it was revealed. Even though the main twist is heart wrenching, there are also many smaller plot mysteries happening in this book that make you unable to put down this book despite the length.

I 1000% think everyone needs to pick up this book. I will not reveal the historical terror that this book is based upon because it will most likely give away the ending, but this is a piece of history I knew nothing about and don’t think many people do, because even though this happened in the 1950s the documentation of the horrible events in this book did not come about until the 2010s. You need to read this! Seriously, I gave this 5 stars.

Panic Point Book Blog Tour

PANIC POINT
Pepperman Mystery Series
Book Two

by

BILL BRISCOE

Genre: Mystery / Crime Fiction / Stand-Alone

Publisher: self-published

Date of Publication: March 26, 2019

Number of Pages: 248

Scroll down for Giveaway!

When Earl’s bride Morgan vanishes in the Smoky Mountains on their honeymoon, the former Navy SEAL is certain she’s been abducted. The park rangers disagree, and after a storm washes away any potential evidence, they call off the official search. Then another man loses his daughter in the same area. Can one last lead help Earl find Morgan before he loses her forever?WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER

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Bill grew up in the oil and gas refinery town of Phillips in the Texas Panhandle. After graduating from college with a master’s degree, he spent most of his career working for a major insurance company as an agency manager and consultant.

As his retirement was on the horizon, he had an idea about a book. That story, Pepperman’s Promise, became the prequel to The Pepperman Mystery Series, and Perplexity and Panic Point, the next two books in the series, are now available.

Bill and his wife of fifty years live in West Texas.

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Grand Prize: Autographed Copies of the Full Pepperman Mystery Series
Two Winners: Autographed Copies of Panic Point

April 16-26, 2019

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Although Panic Point is the second book in this series by Bill Briscoe, this novel works really well as a standalone novel. I did not read book one in this series but had an easy time following the story line and did not feel like I was missing much of the back story of the characters.

I really enjoyed this story for so many reasons. The chapters are in easily digestible chunks which makes it easy to put down and pick back up for many of you who I know like to read in 5 to 10 minute chunks here and there. The characters were relatable people with generally good personalities but inevitable flaws. The story was told from one point of view – Earl’s – which made the story easy to follow, but in parts when it was slow on his view point of the kidnapping, it would have been interesting to get alternating chapter’s in Morgan’s point of view. However, I did appreciate the mystery, well remaining a mystery. Most of the time I can easily predict the ending of the book and I did not see the plot twist coming in this one from an unexpected place.

Besides some slow points in this story, I did enjoy the writing style, the plot, and the characters and would be happy to pick up another one of Bill Briscoe’s books. I think we all need some mystery and action in our lives and Bill Briscoe delivers exactly that. I would recommend to fans of adult mystery novels and those who enjoy military type scenarios in books. I gave this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

4/16/19	Book Trailer	Texas Book Lover
4/16/19	Notable Quotable	Hall Ways Blog
4/17/19	Excerpt	Chapter Break Book Blog
4/17/19	Excerpt	The Clueless Gent
4/18/19	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
4/19/19	Review	#Bookish
4/20/19	Scrapbook Page	All the Ups and Downs
4/20/19	Character Interview	Max Knight
4/21/19	Review	That’s What She’s Reading
4/22/19	Author Interview	Forgotten Winds
4/22/19	Series Spotlight	Book Fidelity
4/23/19	Review	Reading by Moonlight
4/24/19	Promo	Books and Broomsticks
4/25/19	Review	The Page Unbound
4/25/19	Review	The Love of a Bibliophile

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Spindrift and the Orchid

In a world full of magic, there is only a handful of items that can grant the owner full and complete power: the Orchids. Spindrift is a girl who lives with her grandfather above his shop full of curious magical items. She knows her parents died when she was a baby in a shipwreck and somehow that she was sent away from the ship in a small boat with a glass ball. She doesn’t know much else about her parents until her grandfather pulls out a box full of letters that were written by Spindrift’s mother. Together they read the letters one by one in the evenings. As she finds out the secrets that led Sprindrift’s mother to her death, Spindrift has a decision to make: does she let the Orchid’s control her or does she let them go, once and for all?

There were many elements to this book that I absolutely loved. This world has a sense of magic that is unlike most and the ideas behind the orchids was absolutely beautiful. I liked Spindrift as a character, but most of the other characters fell flat for me. They just didn’t have much of a personality. The twins, Spindrift’s friends, could have been interchangeable because they both had the same personality which was that they didn’t have a personality. Spindrift’s grandfather as the secondary character in this novel should have had more of a presence but even he had some major flaws and conflicting story lines.

There were many moments in this book where the writing was clumsy or a little awkward. When I finished I thought for sure that this was a debut novel because the writing style just didn’t seem developed enough to be from an author who has had more than a dozen books published.

I gave this book 3 out 5 stars. I would recommend this to middle grade readers who like a fantasy adventure book with a female protagonist.

Title: Spindrift and the Orchid

Author: Emma Trevayne

Publishing Date: May 8, 2018

Amazon Purchase: Click Here

#FeatureFriday – Enchanted Fandom

Enchanted Fandom is one of my all time favorite companies! I love the passion that is driven into each and every project that Jess, the owner, throws herself into. She is fiercely loyal to her followers, reps, team of artists, and her customers. She is one of the creative minds behind the Fiver Friday sales on Bookstagram and is always striving for the best services for her fans and customers.  I am honored to have been featured in one of her past boxes and to have gotten to know Jess through the last couple years as a fellow business owner. I am thankful that Jess let me interview her for this week’s #FeatureFriday! Make sure you read through to get a 10% off coupon at the end of the interview.

Victoria (LittleMouseBookShelf) and Jess (EnchantedFandom) at Beaulitfulcon2019

Jess: Enchanted Fandom came to be as a way to fill a gap I had seen. I spent a lot of time looking for merch on Fandoms I loved. But it seemed like they were forgotten or there was little to nothing for them.

Jess: My favorite box so far has to be our Labyrinth one time box. This is one of my favorite Fandoms and it was so exciting to work with vendors I love and have items based off this movie made.

Jess: What I love the most about running a small business is being creative. I love that I can use my creative outlet to bring joy to others.

Wine glasses available at the Enchanted Fandom Etsy Shop

Jess: Advice: Start off small. Don’t Bite off more than you can chew. When people see you excited over even one item they will be excited also. You can always grow from there.

Jess: Do your homework. Make sure you really know what the company stands for. Check out past reps to get a feel for who they have used in the past. Make sure to read what is expected of you as a rep.

Jess:  Favorite Fandom….. Labyrinth. but really there are so many.

Jess: We love working with small shops. This is something we incorporate into every box. We tend to build great relationships with each vendor and just want to work with them again. A lot of these vendors are versatile. Meaning they make an item but can change it up, for example: We work with ElissaJDesigns. She is a Fandom Jewelry maker. But she makes necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bookmarks, tea strainers, wine glass charms, and key chains. So each month we can feature a different item.

Jess: With great planning. I carry a huge planner around with me, Also the app Trello helps! I make sure I stick to a schedule and give myself realistic goals. Down time to read, watch shows, and just have family time is a must. This helps me come back and feel better.

Saturday Morning Cartoons Box Unboxing (Past Box)

Jess: I collect Pez dispensers I probably have over 500 of them. I won 1st place painting awards for my county 2 years in a row. (I don’t show my painting side but I feel it helps with the creative process) I remember my dreams. I always said if someone to harvest my dreams there would be some great books/show made from them!

Jess: This year our goal for Enchanted Fandom was to do more one time boxes based off only one Fandom at a time. We also launched our Drinking Vessel box in November 2018. We are currently in the works for a side project but its all hush hush right now.

February Drinking Vessel Box: Peter Pan/ Alice in Wonderland Mug

Jess: We really believe in our motto “No Fandom Left Behind”. Enchanted Fandom is also the only box on the market to have a monthly quiz based off each months box theme and every box comes with a Recipe card.

 

Please make sure to follow Enchanted Fandom on Instagram and to shop their website and Etsy store. You can use the code BiblioBlog to save 10% on boxes!!

 

Wizards and Witches Box (Past Box) 

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson

This was such a fantastic middle grades read. Jacqueline Woodson never disappoints. Harbor Me is the story of 5 preteens in New York who are a little lost and not the best students. They have been pulled into what seems like a remedial class outside the normal 7th grade classes. They each have different stories and backgrounds but this story is about what they find in common despite being different, how they connect, and in the bigger picture… how the human race should find ways to  connect to one another. What I loved: – TIMELINESS. These kids are dealing with every known social issue in the United States at this time – The characters were so believable. As a teacher, I wanted to hug all these students. – The teacher who trusted them. In this world, as a teacher, it is hard for us not to make decisions based on what is best for the kids instead of liability. Would I leave 5 preteens in a room unsupervised? Probably not. But it is interesting to think how healing that could be for them. – the whole phrase Harbor Me, and what it means What I didn’t Love: – This book was too short. I need more! – IS this going to be relevant in 5 years, or 10. I don’t think this one will withstand the test of time so read it now while it is EXTREMELY relevant   Overall: 4/5 Stars   Buy Link: Hardcover from Amazon

 

Review: Legend of the Silver Skinner

Title: The Legend of the Silver Skinner
Author: John Mowbray
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publishing Date: 2016
Number of Pages: 302
Amazon Link:     Kindle   Paperback

The Legend of the Silver Skinner is the story of a young man,Haroway, who has a run in with a witch at the beginning of the story who predicts Haroway’s demise. Haroway ends up running into the despicable character, Conrad, who ultimately becomes his friend and together they join Captain Black’s crew of likable pirates. Haroway has many adventures on Captain Black’s ship – including slaughtering mysterious creatures, getting lost in a jungle, and meeting the girl of his dreams.

John Mowbray has a very unique writing style that is comparable to the classics I have read in my past. He completely separates himself as the narrator from the characters and gives an unbiased view of the plot and characters as the story progresses. I was impressed with the story line and the complexity of the plot in this story. My only problem with this story was the complexity of the characters – or lack thereof. For the majority of the book, I kept getting the characters confused because their individual personalities were extremely similar which was a problem since the three main characters were all suppose to be completely different ages and come from different parts of this world as well as have different backgrounds and stories. This problem seemed to get better and better throughout the book and overall was well done for a debut novel.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy pirate stories or the classics. Overall I gave this book 3 of 5 stars.