In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FROM NETGALLEY:

Paycheck Independence Day Learn How to Use Your Paycheck to Stop Needing a Paycheck by Thomas P. Rood

Review: Cozy Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Jack Wang, Holman Wang

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

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 Sawyer is 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

MY TAKE:
I read a few of the Cozy Classics books before and I knew I just had to read this one too.

In Cozy Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the story of Tom Sawyer is condensed into just a few words that represent important scenes in the book. The pictures make use of tiny dolls that show the scene the word is supposed to represent.

Just like with the other books, I liked this one as well. I particularly like the use of the novel's first page in the background of the first included image. The chosen words do represent some key scenes, so kids might get the gist of the story.

These books are a great way to introduce kids to new words and it may help them remember the words better if they associate pictures with the words. These books are a good book to read aloud to toddlers and younger children, but if you don't really know the original novel, you may have a hard time telling older kids what exactly happens in the included scenes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simply Read Books for the e-ARC. Publication date of Cozy Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is on May 23, 2014.

THE GOOD:

1. It's a good book to read to very young children.
2. The pictures and words are well-chosen.
3. It can help kids improve their vocabulary. 

THE BAD:

1. You may have a hard time explaining the story to older kids if you don't remember or haven't read the original novel yet. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

paint 

READ IT IF:

1. You are looking for books your very young child may enjoy.
2. You want to introduce your toddler to the classics.
3. You liked the novel version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. 

RATING:


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The Only Boy Book Blast and Giveaway

The Only Boy by Jordan Locke

Mary is stuck in Section One, living with three hundred women in a crumbling hospital. She wonders what life was like two centuries ago, before the Cleansing wiped out all the men. But the rules—the Matriarch's senseless rules—prevent her from exploring the vacant city to find out.

Taylor's got a dangerous secret: he's a boy. His compound's been destroyed, and he's been relocated to Section One. Living under the Matriarch means giving up possessions, eating canned food and avoiding all physical contact. Baggy clothes hide his flat chest and skinny legs, but if anyone discovers what lies beneath, he'll be exiled. Maybe even executed.

Mary's never seen a boy—the Matriarch cut the pictures of men from the textbooks—and she doesn't suspect Taylor's secret. If she knew, she might understand the need to stop the girls from teasing him. If she knew, she might realize why she breaks the rules, just to be near him. Then again, she might be frightened to death of him.

Taylor should go. The Matriarch is watching his every move. But running means leaving Mary—and braving the land beyond the compound's boundaries.

Amazon

Praise for The Only Boy

“It’s not a dystopia that does a good job—it’s a great book that happens to be a dystopia.”

Rachel Miller, Editor
“This book is one of the best of its genre I have read, it kept me gripped to its satisfying end.”

Janet Love, Amazon UK Reviewer
“If you like a different take on the dystopian genre then I would highly recommend this unique and amazing book.”

Tamara Bass, The Avid Book Collector



Author Jordan Locke

Jordan Locke lives in Connecticut with his wife, two lively daughters and a well-behaved whippet. A graphic designer by trade, his creativity spilled over into the literary world. After years of writing, reading and learning the craft, his fifth novel, The Only Boy, brought him offers of representation from two well-known agents. Now, after the dog is fed and the kids are in bed, you will find him tapping away at the keyboard.

Website * Twitter * Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 5/31/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Review: The Kitchen Magpie A Delicious Melange of Culinary Curiosities, Fascinating Facts, Amazing Anecdotes and Expert Tips for the Food-lover by James Steen

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

A feast of hundreds of food facts, mouth-watering myths and culinary curiosities to satisfy all appetites.
The Kitchen Magpie contains fascinating tips and expert know-how. How do you make the perfect pork crackling, the finest fried egg, or roast beef in an oven that’s not even switched on? How do you tell a ripe melon? Why is the belly of salmon better than the tail? The answers are here, the science explained.
The book also delves into the history of food through the ages and reveals who ate what, why, when and where. There’s the tale of swan (and horse) in the British diet, as well as that of crane in the Japanese diet – the bird’s blood was mixed with sake and then swigged by samurai warriors. Along the way we find out why on earth John Wayne kept his cow at a hotel, and who invented the fork.
Also featuring exclusive cooking tips from the celebrity chefs of today, The Kitchen Magpie is a book unlike any other; a must-read for curious cooks and food lovers everywhere.
Featuring exclusive contributions from chefs including:
Mary Berry
Michel Roux Junior
James Martin
Antonio Carluccio
Marco Pierre White
Pierre Koffmann
James Steen is a journalist and ghostwriter, having collaborated with great chefs such as Marco Pierre White (The Devil in the Kitchen), Raymond Blanc (A Taste of My Life), and Keith Floyd (Stirred But Not Shaken).

MY TAKE:
This book has a little bit of everything.

In The Kitchen Magpie A Delicious Melange of Culinary Curiosities, Fascinating Facts, Amazing Anecdotes and Expert Tips for the Food-lover, readers get to read about food history, recipes used in the old days, and cooking tips. There are also some interesting essays written by noteworthy chefs.

I like books that teach me a lot of new things. This book taught me a lot of useful things that will be very helpful in the future. Some of the things I learned were how to perfectly cook poached and fried egg, and how to estimate water temperature based on the appearance of bubbles.

There were plenty of quotes from old books and documents, as well as some really old recipes. There were also useful tips like picking wine, best hangover cures, and how to store food without refrigeration.

The book is written in a conversational tone, like you're speaking with a sarcastic, witty foodie friend. I like this approach because it keeps the material from becoming dull.

Thanks to NetGalley and Icon Books for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. You'll learn something new.
2. You'll learn something useful.
3. The tone used isn't boring.

THE BAD:

1. Not all of the topics and anecdotes will be interesting for everyone. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

David Jacques, from the University of Buckingham, said people living there thousands of years ago were eating a 'Heston Blumenthal-style menu'. 

READ IT IF:

1. You think you're a foodie.
2. You like learning new things.
3. You enjoy trivia books.

RATING:


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Scents and Senses Book Blast and Giveaway

Scents and Senses: Supernatural Friends. What the fairy tales didn’t tell you

Playing the role of a knight in shining armor is more complicated than it seems in the storybooks, as sixteen-year-old Joy discovers when she repeatedly comes to the rescue of a fifteen-year-old human. But when she meddles in the girl’s social life, Starra sends her packing.

Starra is determined to completely dissociate herself from the subterranean creature that has manipulated her life and cast her into the limelight. However, her resolve is soon tested when she becomes involved in a critical situation where supernatural assistance can enable her to carry out a daring plot.

Eventually, Starra’s involvement with her new other-wordly friends extracts a heavy price when she is beset by challenges that range from the down- to-earth struggles of a typical teenage student, to the realm of the fantastic. Nothing prepares her, however, for the ultimate challenge.

Amazon * Smashwords

Excerpt

Joy

Ever since I’ve been old enough to kick off on a condor with my own two chicken feet, I’ve been drilled to mind my own business.

Mind your own business, the first of the American Ten Commandments.

It’s not one I subscribe to, even though in our community, not minding my own business means more than social suicide; it’s a crime when we ascend above ground.

For thousands of years we deeems have kept away from the creatures running over our heads with their five-toed feet. So if anyone in my community gets wind of the risky job I’m on these days, I’m practically a goner. But that doesn’t stop me from shadowing a certain teenage fivetoe.

There’s also a totally different occupational hazard involved in this position I’ve created for myself, one I’m suffering from right now: this job occasionally makes school seem relatively stimulating. Yawn. I’ve played too many Angry Condor games to count since Starra got involved in some fantasy book a couple of hours ago and lost contact with the real world. Even if I knew how to become visible to the fivetoe eye and suddenly revealed myself, I bet she wouldn’t notice me, the cute teen perched on her windowsill.

Time simply refuses to advance, and I have to resort to counting the spider eggs cocooned in their nest on a nearby tree branch. A sudden sigh interrupts my lame occupation. There’s a starry look in the big eyes, and I notice the novel is slipping out of Starra’s dreamy grip. This is my window of opportunity! I finger the starchy edge of the book jacket and coax the book forward.

Thud. The book falls to the floor, and the movement seems to bring Starra back to her senses. At last she grabs a hoodie and sets out, probably for one of her night excursions on the Vista Del Mar Path. Are we running or biking tonight?

Running it is. I jog behind her, finding the excursion by the shoreline an improvement to watching her read. At least we are moving.

She runs for half an hour, at a speed faster than the sea turtle pace usual for fivetoes. Then she slows to a stop at a jagged rock, half-submerged in the ocean. I groan quietly and contemplate leaving. From experience, I know she’ll climb to the top of her rock and dream away. I start backing off, but when I’m some fifty feet away, I look back. Starra makes a pretty picture there, her silhouette perched high on the rock. Her long legs are tucked under her, and her head hangs back as she keeps her gaze on the stars above. If only she would let loose the heavy dark mane of hair she always twists up at the back of her neck, she would truly look like a mermaid risen from the sea.

Something pulls me back to her. I can’t explain it, but I have a feeling trouble is lurking nearby, waiting to snatch her in its net.

My chicken feet make an about face and follow Starra home as she takes the shorter route through town.

Tour Schedule

Author Loren Secretts

Loren Secretts was raised in a book-filled home, in a sleepy east coast suburb of the US. These factors are undoubtedly responsible for her early design of a number of exciting imaginary worlds that she could escape to from time to time during her childhood.
In her teen years, between schoolwork and lending an ear to her friends, Loren had less opportunity to go AWOL. Instead, her experience as a confidant to others inspired her to major in psychology in college and earn her M.A. in the field on the west coast.
As an adult, Loren has found fulfillment in her work with children and families for more than a decade. Her passion for writing was revived when she discovered that she enjoyed delving into the human psyche to write psychological reports.
But clients' reports are safe with Loren, who guards secrets fastidiously. Indeed, one of her aspirations is to work as a psychotherapist for the CIA, but since she now lives with her family in Canada, that dream will have to await its turn…

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Pinterest

Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 5/27/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Allow your kids to get creative and concoct a new recipe of their own.

Review: The Art of Plants vs. Zombies: A Visual Retro Retrospec Book by Various

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Get the story of the mulchifying super hit Plants vs. Zombies from the zombies' point of view!
The Art of Plants vs. Zombies is part zombie memoir, part celebration of zombie triumphs, and part anti-plant screed, as well as a treasure trove of rare concept art, sketches, and more covering Plants vs. Zombies, Plants vs. Zombies 2, Plants vs. Zombies Adventures, and Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare.
It's a must-have for any fan and an insider's view of zombies with some Wall-nutty surprises and never-before-seen awesome art. Even Crazy Dave wants a copy — if only to learn more about his fun-dead foes!
KEY SELLING POINTS:
• The original Plants vs. Zombies game has been installed over 100 million times and boasts over 16 million monthly active users!
• Part art book — part zombie memoir
• Eighty-eight pages of “behind-the-leaves” material!

MY TAKE:
Does the game Plants vs. Zombies still need an explanation?

In The Art of Plants vs. Zombies: A Visual Retro Retrospec Book, readers can see drawings (concept sketches, etc.) of their favorite plants and zombies characters. There are also commentary from the zombies interspersed throughout the book.

After playing the game, I developed a deep dislike of certain zombies, like the ones which steal random plants. As such, I was more interested in seeing the different plants and the concept sketches for the different characters. There were plenty of those, but I still felt like it lacked something, specifically more text.

The zombies' commentaries were what you'd expect from zombies, but they were typically short text and I felt like there wasn't enough narrative to tie the contents of the book together.

It is a nice book to look at, however, if you're a big fan of the game.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dark Horse Comics for the e-ARC. Publication date of The Art of Plants vs. Zombies: A Visual Retro Retrospec Book is on May 27, 2014.

THE GOOD:

1. There are character concept sketches.
2. You get to see your favorite characters from the game.
3. You get to see the game's developments.

THE BAD:

1. It feels like there's not enough narrative to make the content flow better.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

This art guy drew a comic.
We posed for it.
He asked cause
he very smart and
we very pretty.

READ IT IF:

1. You're a fan of the game.
2. You like seeing concept and development sketches.
3. You like relatively cute zombies.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?