In My Mailbox

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

FROM NETGALLEY:

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

How to Travel the World For Free by Michael Wigge

The Lean A Revolutionary (and simple!) 30-Day Plan for Healthy, Lasting Weight Loss by Kathy Freston

Love Good Food by Sophie Michell

Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay

Review: I Dream of An Elephant by Ami Rubinger

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

I Dream of an Elephant takes readers through a wondrous world where they will encounter elephants of many colorful shades that sing, dance, and play - each in its own way! These illustrations provide the hints needed for children to chime in and complete the missing word (the color) from each rhyming couplet. I Dream of an Elephant teaches children about colors with an interactive, fill-in-the-blank challenge that encourages participation.

MY TAKE:

Children's books that are part activity books are such a good idea.

In I Dream of an Elephant, the narrator is saying how he or she dreams of different colored elephants. What's great about this book is that the colors are left blank and the child fills in the missing word based on the color of the elephants in the image and what completes the rhyme.

It's a fun way for kids to learn about colors and rhymes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Abbeville Kids for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It's funny.
   
2. It's a creative way for kids to learn something new.
3. The illustrations are cute.

THE BAD:

1. There's really only so much you can do with colors.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

The animals all love

a rockin' routine!

I dream of an elephant

whose color is ...

READ IT IF:

1. Your child likes elephants.
2. You're teaching your kids about colors.
3. You like activity books.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?

Review: Cat Girl's Day Off by Kimberly Pauley

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Never listen to a cat. That will only get you in trouble.

Actually, scratch that. Listening to cats is one thing, but really I should never listen to my best friend Oscar. It's completely his fault (okay, and my aspiring actress friend Melly's too) that I got caught up in this crazy celebrity-kidnapping mess.

If you had asked me, I would have thought it would be one of my super-Talented sisters who'd get caught up in crime fighting. I definitely never thought it would be me and my Talent trying to save the day. Usually, all you get out of conversations with cats is requests for tummy rubs and tuna.

Wait . . . I go back to what I said first: Never listen to a cat. Because when the trouble starts and the kitty litter hits the fan, trust me, you don't want to be in the middle of it.

MY TAKE:

I'm not sure exactly why I chose to request this book, but I'm glad I did.

Cat Girl's Day Off is about Natalie Ng, a teenager with the ability to talk to cats. It seems like a useless Talent, but after stumbling into a kidnapping plot, her ability could very well save her.

This book is sort of Nancy Drew meets Sky High. Nat, along with her friends Oscar and Melly, sets out to find out who is behind the kidnapping of a famous blogger. I wouldn't say it was the best mystery I've ever read, but it was a pretty interesting plot and it did keep me guessing.

Nat is an interesting character, but I found her friends a little bit annoying sometimes. Her love interest Ian, though, is a charming guy.

My favorite characters in the book aren't the people, though. I like the cats. Rufus and Meep are hilarious. If you like cats, this is a definite must-read.

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

THE GOOD:

1. Creative story.
2. It's a fun, almost campy read.
3. The cats are funny.

THE BAD:

1. There are some cliche parts.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

I am Purr Daddy. You can call me PD. The humans here call me Pebbles.

READ IT IF:

1. You are a cat person.
2. You are curious what cats might be thinking.
3. You like Nancy Drew books.

RATING:

SOUNDS INTERESTING?

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

MY TAKE:

I adore this book so much!

Grave Mercy is the story of Ismae, St. Mortain's daughter. As the daughter of the god of death, Ismae has talents and skills that will come in handy as she carries out the tasks given to her by her convent and St. Mortain himself.

I like this current trend of kick-butt heroines. Following in the tradition of Lady Alanna, Lady Keladry and Katniss, Ismae puts damsels-in-distress, who spend more time flirting than helping, to shame.

The story is set in Brittany, at the time when Anne was not yet formally the Duchess of Brittany. I really like historical fiction and this book was no exception. LaFevers artfully mixes fiction with reality, and I was thoroughly entertained and couldn't get enough.

Romance-wise, this book did not disappoint. I am a sucker for guys who can fight. Gavriel is not only an excellent fighter, he also has ideals and morals, which is very attractive in a guy. The tension between Gavriel and Ismae is so intense and had me screaming so many times at the screen so they would just get on with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin for the eARC.

THE GOOD:

1. It's historical fiction at its best.
2. Awesome world-building.
3. Hot love story.

THE BAD:

1. The next book doesn't come out until next year!

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

St. Arduinna, the patron saint of love. Is that what he thinks is between us?

READ IT IF:

1. You like historical fiction.
2. You like tough heroines.
3. You like war stories.

RATING:

SOUNDS INTERESTING?

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!

No. I'm attractive because I'm powerful; I'm powerful because I'm wealthy; and I'm confident because I'm both.

Review: The Dog Walker by Corwyn Alvarez

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

If there are guardian angels among us, surely Benny is one of them. Gently challenged and benignly observant, he lives with his long-suffering mother in the quirky and charming town of Mayfield. Benny is qualified for only one job: walking dogs. At that task, he is without peer. But Benny is more than a simple friend to the town’s canines; he brings the same guileless compassion to the people around him. Sweet and honest, offering poignant loyalty, he changes their lives.

MY TAKE:

This book's summary sounded interesting, which was why I grabbed it from NetGalley.

The Dog Walker is about Benny who is, obviously, a dog walker. He lives in a small town and the book tells of his adventures there and how he interacts with his neighbors.

Benny is a somewhat endearing guy. I liked how he interacts with the dogs. It's like watching The Dog Whisperer. The thing is, though, the dogs aren't as much of a focus. Yes, he's a dog walker, but his human friends are more prominent in the book. Another thing I found odd was the fact that at the beginning of the book, it was emphasized that Benny was a special needs kid. I didn't see that at all. The narrator's voice was simple, sure, but hardly what you would expect from a special needs kid. Although, to be fair, it wasn't specified to what degree his disability was.

Plot-wise, I wasn't too keen on the whole thing. It was well-written, but I didn't feel any connection with the other characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bell Bridge Books for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. Benny is endearing.
2. The plot and the characters' interactions are realistic.
3. The dogs are very sweet.

THE BAD:

1. It might be boring for some.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

He began to acquire a varied clientele of dogs and their equally interesting owners, some of whom bore a disturbing resemblance to their dogs.

READ IT IF:

1. You like dogs.
2. You like realistic plots.
3. You like straightforward storytelling.

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?

Review: MOMumental by Jennifer Grant

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

A longtime former writer for the Chicago Sun-Times and now a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, Jennifer Grant is no stranger to the common reader. MOMumental is a foray into the enormously amusing, creative, and taxing process of raising a family and a starkly honest memoir that mothers everywhere can identify with. With narrative that is chock-full of humorous, poignant stories drawn from her everyday adventures as a mother and wife, Grant presents an entertaining and inspirational book that will give readers uncommon insights about being an intentional parent.

MY TAKE:

Moms everywhere know how tough it is to raise kids. If you're not a mom yet, it might seem like an easy enough thing to manage.

In MOMumental, Jennifer Grant shares anecdotes of her life as a mom. She tells readers about her struggle to perfect her parenting style and raise well-adjusted kids.

Jennifer's writing style is very conversational. It's like listening to your aunt's stories during afternoon tea. Her anecdotes are not only funny, they're also poignant. Every now and then, she quotes from the Bible to illustrate a point. It's not distracting, though, even if you're not a Christian.

Thanks to NetGalley and Worthy Publishing for the e-ARC. Publication date of MOMumental is on May 8, 2012.

THE GOOD:

1. It's funny and poignant.
2. It's not preachy.
3. It gives you a look into the good and not-so-good times of motherhood.

THE BAD:

1. It's a little bit long.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

"Think of all the times you didn't lose your temper. Think of all the times you handled things right. What matters is most of the time."

READ IT IF:

1. You're a mom.
2. You like kids.
3. You wonder what it's like to be a mom.

RATING:

SOUNDS INTERESTING?