Ivy in Bloom by Vanita Oelschlager, illustrated by Kristin Blackwood

by Carol2 Comments
Ah, I understand how Ivy Van Allsberg feels. Winter wears long for me, too. I look forward to spring, "when the world is mud-luscious" and "puddle-wonderful." And March, especially, with it's glimpses of better weather, followed by snow, can get long. Ivy in Bloom is really cute. The author takes excerpts of classic poetry and weaves them into Ivy's world as winter turns to Spring.  It's a short story and the illustrations fit the flow perfectly. In the winter, the colors are dark and gray, but as spring comes, out come the yellows and bright greens and purples and pinks. All the pictures are cute, but the spring ones are especially happy and bright. As the blurb states, at the end each piece of poetry is identified by author and work. This makes a good introduction to poetry for younger children and can lead older siblings or parents to read the originals. It's one I would have enjoyed reading to Amber...
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Thursday’s Tale: Magic Words

by Carol2 Comments
I love books that expose kids to other cultures, to other ways of looking at this world. Magic Words is a good introduction to the Inuit people. It's a gorgeous book. I read the eBook, but wish I had the paperback. The illustrations are richly colored and imaginative and invoke the feeling of the Inuit culture. According to the book, the illustrations began as ink drawings that were retraced and softened with 6B extra soft charcoal pencil. You know, before Amber started drawing I think I was pretty sure all pencils were #2 and the directions on standardized tests to use a #2 were silly. Anyway, the finished drawings were scanned and colored digitally. They are vibrant and just gorgeous. The poem talks of a past time when people could become animals and animals could become people and they all spoke the same language. And the words they were powerful and could have unintended consequences - a good reminder to be mindful...
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Dead & Buried by Leighann Dobbs

by Carol3 Comments
Pirates and treasure hunts and cute guys with guns - an enjoyable read. It's light and short, a perfect in-between book for me. The Blackmoore sisters are a good group. They have close relationships with each other, but all have their own personalities, interests, and gifts. There's a touch of paranormal - a cat with way more than nine lives, healing crystals, visits with a dead grandma, but it doesn't take over the book. You could have the same story without the fantasy elements, but it wouldn't be as fun. I like the story, but a couple of things struck me as a bit odd. First of all, who exactly does Luke, Morgan's ex, work for. It was never explained quite well enough for me. Yes, he's on the Blackmoores' side, but I wish I could have been a little clearer on his motives. Second, I don't get the Sheriff's grudge against the sisters and why he is so outrageous in some...
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The Grand Babylon Hotel by Arnold Bennett

by Carol2 Comments
I love vintage mysteries, a bit old-fashioned, no gratuitous sex or violence. They're comfort reads for me. I read a short story by Arnold Bennett in Resorting to Murder from Poisoned Pen Press and enjoyed it, so I picked up the free Kindle version of The Grand Babylon Hotel and I'm glad I did. It's a light mystery, but full of intrigue and adventure and a plucky young woman who's not afraid of a bit of danger. The hotel was an interesting setting. The Babylon is a quite distinguished hotel and often hosts royalty, which is what leads to the sequence of events here. An equerry (an officer of a royal household who attends or assists members of the royal family) is found murdered. His body disappears. A prince fails to arrive for an important meeting in the hotel.  Rackham learns that his stellar staff is perhaps not quite as above-board as they appear. The story is a bit over the...
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Advent Illustrated: A Bible Journaling Challenge by Sara Laughed

by Carol3 Comments
I'm new to Bible journaling but I love the concept. Within the past six months or so, I've taken to carrying around a notebook to jot things down, quotes, things I need to remember, sermon notes. For me, Bible journaling is an artistic extension of that. It's another way of interacting with scripture, of responding to what I read, of highlighting what strikes me, of enjoying concepts or images. I'm not good at drawing, but that's not the point. Bible journaling is for me, not to impress anyone. Advent Illustrated is a good beginners book. She talks a bit about journaling and about basic supplies but I never felt like I can't do this. It's an encouraging book, even for those of us who are not as talented at drawing or painting as others. She makes it approachable. It is not a devotional, don't expect it to be. Each day has a short verse, usually a sentence or two, and a couple...
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Early Bird Special by Tracy Krimmer

by Carol1 Comment
I don't go Black Friday shopping, or Thanksgiving Day shopping for that matter, but I thought reading this short story that starts off with Francie and her family in line in the cold waiting for the store to open on Thanksgiving would fit the day. I know "Early Bird Special" is a short story, but at the end I was left with a "that's it?" feeling. I like Francie. Her parents seem nice enough and her brother has the potential to be interesting, but there were too many things brought up and just left off. I would have enjoyed it more if Krimmer had had a bit more time to develop the characters and story. I wanted a romance and I ended up with a woman deciding she needs to give men, and one in particular, a chance, which is not the same thing. I did enjoy it though. It was cute, it just didn't have that complete feeling I'm looking for...
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