"Animals Welcome" by Peg Kehret

Love the Cover too--What a sweet, caring lady!

Animals Welcome--A Life of Reading, Writing, and Rescue by Peg Kehret is a delightful, heartwarming read that I recommend to any animal lover. This is a quick read about the different animals Peg rescued after building a cabin with her husband when they retired. I especially enjoyed reading about her cats, the wildlife and her interesting facts about some of the animals.

She has written lots of children’s books and is a warm and caring person that I would love to have for a friend. The author reminded me of my dad who also fed stray cats in the neighborhood and gave some a home to those willing to come inside. The difference is he didn’t give them the vet care she did. The quote that shows her love for the animals best is “’My hobby is rescuing cats, I said. ‘It’s no more expensive than playing golf or shopping.’”

Animals Welcome is definitely one of my favorite books I read this year! I look forward to reading her books that she co-authored with her cat, Pete in his memory: Trapped, The Stranger Next Door, and Spy Cat.

I discovered this book through The Conscious Cat 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Tuesday Teasers: 3 Non-Fiction Teasers For You

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser.   

Gerard's:

Back on the Bainbridge, before the last shot rang out, Gary grabbed Musi and slammed him onto the deck.
"You're going to jail," he said. "Your buddies are dead. You're useless to me now."

From page 97 of No Easy Day--The Autobiography of a Navy Seal by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer (click the link to see my review).

Karen's:

The trouble began immediately. The cats, who had gotten along splendidly when they were all outdoors together, were suddenly mortal enemies when they occupied the same house.

From page 6 of Animals Welcome by Peg Kehret. (My review will be up tomorrow--this animal lover loved it!)

Don't you find it interesting that God didn't form woman from the dust of the ground, as he did man and beast? No, woman was formed from man's side, demonstrating our commonality with men as human beings and yet our unique and separate creation as females.

From page 12 of The Power of a Positive Woman by Karol Ladd.


Happy Reading!

"No Easy Day" by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer

No Easy Day--The Autobiography of a Navy Seal by Mark Owen is the true story of the killing of Osama Bin Laden and what a riveting tale it is! I got it done in just two days. Seal Team Six is awesome! I was impressed with all the training they go through. The last part about the operation that got Bin Laden is really something to read! Seal Team Six, I thank you for your service and God bless!
(Gerard's review, rating 5++ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had” by Tony Danza (UPDATED)

Update 9/22/12:
This non-fiction book was a whole lot better than I thought it would be! I always liked Tony Danza from his TV shows. In this book, it's the kids that steal the show. That's not to say that Danza isn't good, he is. I enjoyed this book very much—it made me realize how difficult teaching actually is. I sure wish I could have seen the A&E show about his class, but this book will have to do. Loved it! 
(Gerard's review, rating:  5+stars)

 
I’d Like to Apologize To Every Teacher I Ever Had—My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High by Tony Danza is an eye opening read that shows what a hard job teaching is. When pushing 60, Tony Danza realized he was running out of time and seriously considered a change of direction. He looked into Teach For America and found out that technically, he qualified. He was approached about making a reality TV show using his class which he and the school agreed to reluctantly. He made it clear there would not be a script to add drama. All he had to teach was one English class for a double period, but that was plenty challenge for him. He also assisted in rounding up students for class and was an assistant football coach. He said his year of teaching was the greatest year of his life because he learned more and worked harder than he ever had. As he engaged his students in learning, he won their respect and grew to really care about them as individuals. I loved the exuberance he felt at the end of the year.

Having been a substitute teacher myself and having taught Sunday School for many years, I really enjoyed this book. I liked how he actually went into what went on in his class and shared his innovative ideas as to how he tried to engage the students. I also liked seeing him grow as a teacher and gain the respect of not only the students, but also the veteran teachers and administrators. It is an inspiring read that anyone connected with education would probably enjoy.
(Karen's review)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Light From a Distant Star" by Mary McGarry Morris

Coming-of-age story with family drama

Light From A Distant Star by Mary McGarry Morris is told by Nellie, a tween girl, who has an older step sister and a younger brother. Nellie tries to do the right thing which sometimes actually gets her into trouble. Her parents struggle financially and Nellie knows more than they give her credit for. When she becomes a star witness in a murder trial, she feels pressure not to tell the whole truth which she knows is wrong. I enjoyed this book very much because of all the interesting relationships Nellie had with a wide variety of characters including the bully, an unpopular girl, her family, her grouchy old sick grandfather, Max, the ex-con, and their tenant the stripper. I really liked the ending!  This reminded me of To Kill a Mocking Bird.
(Karen's review, my rating: 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!