"The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise" by Colleen Oakley

In The Mostly true Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley, we meet Louise, an old woman who takes a fall in her home and her family insists she get someone to look after her.  We meet Tanner, a 21-yr.-old girl who the last thing she wants to do is look after an old woman.  She would rather wear sweatpants and play video games!  Sound like a match to you? 

I thought this book was really good.  Louise and Tanner are both good characters and the byplay between them is entertaining.  There are some twists and turns.  I thought I knew how it would play out, but I was surprised!  I recommend this book if you are looking for something light and entertaining to read.  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Dream Daughter" by Diane Chamberlain was a Big Hit for Both of Us!

In The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain, Carly is going to give birth, but the doctor tells her it does not look good for the long run.  Her brother-in-law comes up with a wild solution, but will Carly go for it?  If she does, will it work?  This is a wild book to say the least!  Carly is a great character and you have to pull for her.  Some good twists and turns that I did not see coming kept me involved!  I especially loved the last part of the book!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

Karen's review, 11-30-18:
In The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain, shortly after Carly gets news that her husband was killed in Vietnam only weeks after he left in 1970, she learn she is pregnant.  Early in her pregnancy, she receives bad news that there is something wrong with her baby's heart and that it is fatal!  Carly is so devastated by the news, that she is willing to do anything to save her child--including time travel to the year 2001 so she can try fetal surgery!  Her brother-in-law, Hunter, who she met when she was his physical therapist was a time traveler from 2013 and talks her into giving it a try.

I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it to women.  It's a combination of contemporary and science fiction.  I don't think men would enjoy it as much.  It certainly has adventure but centers around Carly's fight to save and get to know her child, Johanna.  It has touching scenes and lots of unexpected twists along the way.  I was a little disappointed when it ended.  It even has two dogs in it and some funny parts as well.  I found it to be thought-provoking too and had trouble putting this down.  I really looked forward to getting back to it!
(5 stars)

Teaser from page 25:  "It doesn't matter.  What matters is that during her studies, she discovered it's possible to travel forward and backward in time."

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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Warcross" by Marie Lu (UPDATED)

Warcross by Mari Lu is teen science fiction that had my head spinning trying to figure out how everything worked.  This is about a worldwide, popular virtual reality game with tournaments that people actually attend!  Emika Chen is what is referred to as a bounty hunter who helps the cops capture bad guys, primarily ones who illegally bet on Warcross games.  She is a hacker who got an offer to work for the creator of Warcross, Hideo Tanaka, to figure out who was sabotaging his security system for the games.  Emie lives in NYC, travels by skateboard, has a big debt and is being kicked out of her apartment for not paying rent when she gets his offer.  She accepts and her life changes completely!

I liked this book, but there is a lot of things I really don't understand about how all this advanced technology works.  Sometimes it seems as though the players are physically in the game and other times as though it is their avatar playing.  This is fast-paced and very interesting, but a lot of things just didn't make sense to me.  I like Hideo and think Emie should stick with him, but have a feeling she is going to defect to the other side.  I like his big invention too!
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review, 11/8/17, 5++ stars:
Warcross by Marie Lu is about the game played worldwide called Warcross.  It is an obsession to most people.  When one young down on her luck girl, Emika, hacks into the opening game of the tournament, she becomes known to all.  When she gets a call from the game's creator, she does not know what will happen to her.

Teaser from page 10:  I fire the stun gun once more, this time at close range.  It hits true.  His body goes rigid, and he collapses on the pavement, trembling.

Marie Lu knows how to write and it is on full display with this book!  I was engaged from the get go!  Emika is a great character and it was a joy to follow her.  There is good action and an ending that leaves everything up in the air!  Do not miss it!!

See our review of the sequel:  Wildcard

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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Selection by Kiera Cass is a Fun Read!

I’ve heard so much about The Selection series by Kiera Cass that I finally gave in and started it. The first book of the series, Selection, is a fun, light read about the rags to riches story of America Singer, a teenage girl. This is set in a future time where what once was America is now the country of Illéia. There is a royal family who rules and a caste system in place. America’s family are “fives” which are made up of musicians and artists. Just one level above “sixes” who are servants which is the caste Aspen is in. Aspen and America are in a serious relationship but have to keep it secret since they are in different castes. One day America gets a letter that could change her life forever, inviting her to apply to be Prince Maxon’s princess. Thirty-five girls will be selected for him to get to know and choose his princess from. During the selection process, their families will be compensated for allowing their daughters to participate in the selection. This first book is about the girls being selected and the process of Prince Maxon trying to narrow down the number.

I enjoyed this book because it is entertaining and reminded me of the show, The Bachelor. Prince Maxon, however, is a nice guy and not a sleeze at all. I like the humor throughout the book and how America slowly discovers that Maxon is not the snob she expected him to be. In fact, he is nothing but exceptionally nice to her! The love triangle that develops between her, Aspen and Maxon gets a push when Aspen is drafted as a guard at the palace and is assigned to guard America’s room. This is a quick read and I am anxious to continue on with this series. This is a pretty uplifting read with lots of happy moments.
(Karen’s review, 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

I linked this up to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop in response to the book review prompt.  You can too!

"In Need of a Good Wife" by Kelly O'Connor McNees

Light and Entertaining

In Need of a Good Wife by Kelly O'Connor McNees is a post-civil war historical fiction novel about mail-order brides seeking a new start. When Clara sees an ad for wives needed in Nebraska, she sees it as a business opportunity and becomes matchmaker for women in Manhattan who want a new start and are willing to go to Nebraska. She contacts the mayor of the Nebraska town, Destination, and when the gentlemen seeking wives write, she tells the women about them and they correspond for months before their trip. The story focuses on Clara, Elsa, an older lady who was a laundress most of her life who never married and Rowena, the prettiest in town who is a broke widow with a father in an asylum in need of money to take care of him.

I loved this book because it is unpredictable and filled with interesting characters. Some of the marriages panned out nicely while others did not, but the plot thickens when Clara was unable to deliver what she promised and the gentlemen without brides want their money back and charge her with fraud! My favorite character was Elsa. This one has discussion questions in the back and would make for a good book club selection.

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!

The Hunger Games Movie Does Not Disapppoint

source:  Amazon.com

We went to see "The Hunger Games" movie today and both of us thought it was very good!  It followed the book really closely and my favorite scenes in the book were all in the movie too.  It cut out a bit of the beginning so the relationship between Katniss and Gale didn't seem as close as it was in the book.  Other than that, it moved along as I pictured it and was captivated throughout.  Gerard was on the edge of his seat and didn't get bored for 2 1/2 hours!


I couldn't imagine how the movie was going to capture the awesomeness of the fire costumes for District 12 but it did!  It really was fun to watch the book actually come to life. I felt sorry for him when he said he had no chance to win it.  The actors and actresses were all excellent!  We absolutely LOVED watching this!

I don't know if it would be better to see the movie before reading the book or not.  I'd love to hear from someone's thoughts on the movie who hasn't read the book.


The biggest plus for the books I think over the movie is that in the movie, we don't really know Katniss's thoughts like we do in the book, but the movie is GREAT!  If you want a peek, here is the link to the Official Hunger Games Movie Trailer.  We, of course, look forward to seeing the next movie of this series based on Catching Fire.

Please share your thoughts about the movie in the comments; we'd like to know what you thought about it.

Our review of the book.

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during March to the American Cancer Society.

"Dear Sparkle: Cat-To-Cat Advice" by Sparkle the Cat

Dear Sparkle: Cat-to-Cat Advice from the world's foremost feline columnist by Sparkle the Cat is a fantastic book that entertains while imparting great information on how to solve some problems that cats and humans have. Sparkle answers the letters from cats with humor and many good suggestions, including some cat owners can learn from as well. It has cute pictures of cats included too and shares bits of cat wisdom! I read it on my Kindle and highlighted many passages. I highly recommend this for any cat owner and am sure your cats will enjoy it too! Ours did.


Sparkle is also a blogger who I visit regularly at www.sparklecat.com. She is a sweet cat!
(Karen's review: My rating: 5 of 5 stars )

Spunky Doodle and Manny's review

This is our favorite book yet!  The best book ever!  If you live with a cat, you must read this one!  It's pawsome!

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!

Movie Review: "Hotel For Dogs"

This humorous, light, dog movie was just what I needed to life my spirits after watching another disappointing loss by the Cleveland Browns.  “Hotel For Dogs” has parallel story lines going:  the first is a bunch of stray dogs that no one wants to find a home, the second is a brother and sister who have been bounced around in the foster care system in search of a real family.  I love that both story lines have happy endings.   

It’s not very realistic, but very amusing and entertaining.  When the brother and sister find an old, unused hotel, they convert it into a shelter for dogs with all kinds of very nice amenities such as an automatic feeding machine, simulated car rides, treadmills for exercise, a vending machine containing “chewables,” and an automatic clean up bathroom facility.  I thought this was a very cute movie and loved all the dogs that were in it.   Parts were touching and I even shed a few tears of joy at the end when the dogs were being introduced to the community in a last ditch effort to let them stay in the hotel and keep their home.  Thanks to a dedicated social worker, the kids found a good home in the end too.

The only thing I did not like about “Hotel For Dogs” was that the main boy and girl stole things and scammed people to get money at the beginning.  I think that part could have been omitted except it served to show how they changed from being selfish brats to actually caring about others and becoming responsible.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves dogs and kids.  I think kids would like it because the boy and girl were underdogs who acted on their passion and made a difference with the help of some like-minded friends.  The beginning starts off a bit slow, in fact, my husband gave up on it, but it gets good so stick with it.  After I told him how good it was, he felt bad for giving up on it and decided to watch the rest of it after all.

(Karen’s review)

We got this on a DVD from the library that also contains extra information about the making of the film.

Related Posts:  You Must See "Hotel For Dogs" (by Abby our dog) and What A Cat Thought Of "Hotel For Dogs" (by Manny our man cat)

"The Sherrif's Surrender" by Susan Page Davis

A Western with Ladies as the Heroins

The Sheriff's Surrender is a western about an old mining town whose sheriff is killed and replaced by one of the ranchers.  A serial killer continues to strike and the women decide to learn to shoot from Gert, an expert shooter and form a Ladies’ Shooting Club which helps out the sheriff.  I enjoyed this book even though it seemed far-fetched.  It was an entertaining read with a bit of romance and Christianity tossed in. 

I liked the subplot of how the women became closer and helped each other as they got to know one another better through the shooting club.  It has a good theme--that friends are good to have and we should get to know all kinds of people.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

By reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett I learned a lot about the unwritten "rules" that maids were expected to follow and that segregation was quite extreme in Mississippi during the 1960s.  For some reason, I thought that the mistreating of blacks as low life was longer ago in slave days.  The main story line is that one of the white ladies, Skeeter, gets the maids to share with her what it's like being a maid and how they feel about things so she can write a book about it.  The author actually grew up in the south and had a maid.  

I was fascinated by this book which revealed a very different community from what I am used to.  I liked how Abileen, the maid who took care of a little white girl used to tell her "secret" stories that were teaching her that people are people, whether black or white.  It is entertaining to read what the maids thought of the families who employed them and is a thought-provoking book.
(5/13/10--KAREN'S REVIEW)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett has been on the best sellers list for a long time so I just had to find out for myself if it was that good--it is!  The writing is superb!  This is a novel, but you would think that the characters were actually real.  It is about the early 60s when white people in the south had black maids and a young girl decides to write a book from the maid's perspective. 

I enjoyed this book very much!  It went fast and I was into it from beginning to end.  I'd love to see this book made into a movie--it would be outstanding!  Read this one, you won't be disappointed! (5+++ stars)
 GERARD'S REVIEW (3/18/10)

See also: Bloggin' bout Books review:  The Help A Pitch-Perfect Southern Masterpiece
The Parchment Girl

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Big Little Life" by Dean Koontz

First off, this is a MUST READ for all dog lovers.  Big Little Life is a true story of the author, Dean Koontz, who gets a C.C.I. dog by the name of Trixie.  You will know what kind of special dog these are when you read the book.  you will fall in love with Trixie and also learn things about Dean Koontz that you did not know.  The book moves pretty fast and I found it very entertaining.  Enjoy!

(Gerard's review 9/21/09)