"The Awakening" by Nora Roberts (Book 1-The Dragon Heart Legacy)

The Awakening by Nora Roberts is about Breen who lives in two different worlds, ours and Talamh which is magical.  She was born in Talamh and is part human and Fei but her mother raised her in our world and Breen was never aware of have any magical power.  Her father went back to Talamh when she was quite young.  Now in her 20s, she discovered her mother was investing Breen's money that was sent by her father.  Breen took control of that money, and went to Ireland in search of her father.  Then things really get crazy!

This starts out kind of slow with all the world building and introduction of many different characters, but the adventure is worth waiting for.  The last third of this book really picked up for me when Breen learns how to use her magical powers and trains to fight.  I loved the ending of this book and look forward to continuing on in this series.  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review 3/13/24:
In The Awakening by Nora Roberts, Breen has a rough life, holding down three jobs to make ends meet.  Her mom does not like her and her dad left her when she was little.  One day she comes across a bank account in her name which she knows nothing about.  Her dad opened it for her and has been adding to it over the years.  She is rich!  She decides to go to look for her dad in Ireland.  So begins an adventure that will change her life!  

This is really good!  It's a fun-filled book that had me turning pages.  I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series!  (5++) stars)

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"Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt

In Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, the two main characters are Tova,  a 70-yr.-old woman who cleans an aquarium after visiting hours and Marcellus, a giant octopus.  They form a friendship and help each other.  This is a quick, cute, happy, fun read.  Marcellus was a great, fun character!  The ending was real good too.  I enjoyed this.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Miss Daisy Is Crazy!" by Dan Gutman (Book 1 of My Weird School Series)

Miss Daisy is Crazy! by Dan Gutman is the first in the Weird School Series.  This is a funny read that I really enjoyed, even though it is a children's book.  It's about A.J. who hates school and his 2nd grade teacher, Miss Daisy who says she hates school too!  This is the first book I read by this author and look forward to reading more.  It is a quick read and good for a laugh.  I think this is a great series for younger grades.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)  

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"The Reading List" by Sara Nisha Adams is About the Power of Books

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams shows how books can play a big part in your life.  I really enjoyed the two main characters:  an old man discovering the library for the first time, and a young girl who works at the library.  It is humorous and the story line kept me interested all the way.  I think this is a wonderful book that all ages would enjoy.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon" by Karen Romano Young and Jessixa Bagley

Every so often, I like to read a children's book for a change of pace, so I picked A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon by Karen Romano Young and Jessixa Bagley.  It is about two young girls who try to save a library from being shut down.  It's a pretty crazy book with good flow and not too kiddish.  I liked the raccoons!  (Gerard's review, 4 stars) 

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"The One and Only Bob" by Katherine Applegate

The One and Only Bob is the follow-up children's book to The One and Only Ivan by Katherin Applegate.  In this book the main character is a dog named Bob.  I thought this book started out a bit slow, but once Ruby and Ivan came into it, it picked up and stayed good the rest of the way.  I enjoyed the interaction between the animals and the story had a good pace to it.  I liked getting back to this world of talking animals.  More please!  I thought Bob was a good character and it was good to hear from Ivan again.  The ending was very good and I liked the funny moments.  (Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

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"Katt vs. Dogg" by James Patterson (Children's fiction)

Sometimes I enjoy a change of pace from what I usually read.  Katt vs. Dogg by James Patterson is one of those!  A cat and a dog get lost and have to find some way to survive before the forest is filled with predators!  Can they really help each other?  I liked Oscar and Molly very much!  The adventures these two got into were fun to read.  The book moved along quite well!
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)  

Teaser from page 63:  "We cats are nocturnal.  Means we stay up all night.  And since there's nothing good on TV this late--not to mention no TV out here in the trees--I decided I'd just hang out up here and watch you being miserable.  It's highly entertaining."

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"Queen of Sorrow" by Sarah Beth Durst (Book 3 in Queens of Renthia Series) Great Series!

Gerard's review:
The Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth Durst is the final book in the Queens of Renthia trilogy.  Queen Aleina wants peace for her land and now with Queen Naelin at her side, things look bright for the future!  But, when Naelin's children are taken by other spirits, she has reason to believe that Queen Merecot is behind it and Naelin wants her children back!  If it means war, then so be it.  This book is really, really good just like the previous two.  The writing is very good as well!  This is one you get into right away and hate to put down!  I loved the interaction among all the characters and was glad to see the wolf, Bayn, back in this one.  Love that wolf!  (5++ stars)


The Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth Durst is a wonderful finish to the Queens of Renthia trilogy, my favorite fantasy trilogy of all time! I loved this story so much, I was disappointed to see it end—even though I liked the ending. Queen Merecot had Naelin’s children kidnapped and brought to her castle in Semo and also got rid of the wolf Bayn, having her spirits chase him into the untamed lands! Merecot enters into a power struggle with the Queens of Aratay in the hopes of getting enough “spirit” power to change the spirits for good. We also meet Ven’s family, Queen Daleina’s sister, and Cajara, a new heir candidate. There is much death and some sadness in this but it is well balanced with joyful occasions, humor and happiness.

I liked all of the queens in this book and enjoyed their negotiations and scheming as well. I was pleased with Naelin’s decision in the end and enjoyed her journey! What a trip! I am normally not one for politics, but really was drawn into the political aspects of this book. I really hope the author comes up with some more books about Renthia! I want to know what happens with Merecot, Arid, Ven and Naelin, Hannah and of course, Queen Daleina. The characters are so well developed and the writing is amazing! I liked that it has so many characters without being confusing. Sarah Beth Durst has officially become my favorite fantasy author!
(Karen's review 3/22/19, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 32: As she flew, she flung her mind out like a net, catching every spirit within fifty miles and driving them toward Semo. SAVE MY CHILDREN! ATTACK!

See our other reviews for this series:  The Queen of Blood and The Reluctant Queen

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"The Wonky Donkey" by Craig Smith

The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith with illustrations by Katz Cowley if a cute, funny early childhood book that has been on the best seller list.  That is why Gerard wanted to read it.  I saw this video on Facebook one day so I decided to read it too.  It is very repetitive and could be used to help little children exercise their memory skills.  I thought it was very cute and not just for children as you can see by this video, the grandma was enjoying it as much if not more than the little boy.  It's a quick read for sure--this grandma read the entire book in just over 4 minutes.
(Karen & Gerard, 5 star for children)


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"Horizon" by Scott Westerfeld (UPDATED)

Horizon by Scott Westerfeld is about eight young teens left to fend for themselves when the plane they were on crashed.  All the rest of the passengers are gone!  They are on land but don't know where because they were flying over the arctic, but when the plane crashed, they found themselves in a jungle! There is good action in this and I enjoyed all the characters.  There is going to be six more books in this series--should be interesting!

Note:  We went to play the game at scholastic.com/horizon, but couldn't figure out where the "jump" key was to get over the obstacles, nor did we see any explanation of how to play the game--very lame.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Horizon by Scott Westerfeld is a mystery about eight teens who seem to be the only survivors of a very strange plane crash in the arctic.  Four of them were on their way to a robotics soccer championship in Japan.  The other 500 passengers on the plane are missing.  The teens find themselves in a jungle where strange things happen.

This is an interesting, fun read that leaves you with questions at the end.  Apparently this is only the first book in a series of seven.  It has adventure and lots of mystery in it that made me want to keep reading.  I was not satisfied with the ending because it only answered one of the questions that was raised--where are they?   I think kids would really like this one a lot!
(Karen's review, 4 stars) 

My favorite character was Yoshi.  If you've read this, who was your favorite character? 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 Crown" by Kiera Cass (5th Book of The Selection Series)

I loved The Crown by Kiera Cass, the fifth book in The Selection series because Eadlyn grows up quickly when her mother has a heart attack and shows both maturity and compassion for others, finally!  This was a really fun series and I was not disappointed at all in this last book!  She picked the one I thought she should and I loved how she became so caring about the feelings of the selected.  I do not want to spoil anything because if you are reading this series, you have to read this one too!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)


I should have dressed up to do these videos--thought of it too late! 

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"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)

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

"Heartless" by Marissa Meyer is a Fun Read

In Heartless by Marissa Meyer, Catherine is one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, but all she wants to do is open a bakery and make people happy with her baked goods.  The king of Hearts wants her to be his Queen, but she runs away and falls for another man.  Will the King get his way?  Will Catherine marry or just run a bakery?  This was a fun read that I didn't have to think a lot about the plot.  I enjoyed my time in Wonderland and the characters were really good!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars) 

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"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" by J. K. Rowling (video review included)

Love Crankshooks!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling is the third book of this series and another enjoyable fun read!  In this book, there are surprises and a very cool map that has been handed down from former mischief makers to current mischief makers at Hogwarts school.  I thought the classes were really interesting and was happy Hagrid got to be a teacher on care of critters.  The class on Defense of Dark Arts was also fun.  There are so many great scenes in this book that I didn't want to put it down.  I cheered when Hermione bought herself a cat named Crankshooks who has sort of a big part in the story chasing after Ron's rat, Scabbers and causing tension between Ron and Hermione.  Snape and Malfoy continue to resent Harry and cause trouble.  Of course, Harry is amazing in this book too and I enjoy rooting for him!  I loved this book and enjoyed it very much.  It has lots of action and funny things throughout.  I look forward to continuing this series.
(Karen's review7/15/15, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 7/9/16 (5 stars):
It's always good to get back to a Harry Potter book!  In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black is loose and the word is out that he wants to get at Harry in the worst way! I thought this book was very good.  I enjoyed the various storylines throughout the book and Ron and Hermione are good in this one too!  I especially liked the unexpected ending and the great writing!

Watch my review I did for "Booktube":

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"The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown

In The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, a crate is washed up on a remote wild island.  Robot Roz escapes from the crate.  How will the robot adopt to the island?  How will the many animals that call the island their home see this new object?

Okay, I get that this is a children's book, but I will tell you that I think any age would enjoy this book.  The way the robot and the animals got along was so good!  The story kept my interest all the way and it went really fast!  Take a chance and be a kid again--read this and enjoy the story when nature and technology collide.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown is a children's book I enjoyed for a break from heavy topics and intense mystery novels. This is a light, fun read about animals on an island who become friends with Roz, a robot who got washed up on their island in a crate.  Roz befriends the different animals along the way and they grow to like her in return.  She adopts a little gosling and learns to be a good mother.  I think children would enjoy this one very much.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling--Both of Us Loved it!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling is the second book of this series which is about Harry’s second year at Hogwarts. I loved the action in this book and the relationships with Harry, Ron and Hermione. The ending had me on the edge. This was a page turner to the very end.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling.  It's about Harry's second year at Hogwarts and is quite the mystery with adventures of an elf named Dobby, a flying car, changing into other people, attacking trees and huge spiders, and an attack on Harry's life!  Harry proves to be very brave and very nice once again in this book.

I don't understand though why he just didn't keep that invisible cloak on when he went into the forbidden forest.  It would save him a lot of trouble.  Anyhow, I really like Hermione and felt sorry for her when her magic potion didn't work so well for her and when she got petrified.  This is a very fun read and I plan to continue on with more of this series.
(Karen's review 6-1-15, 5 stars)

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"What the Dog Said" by Randi Reisfeld

What the Dog Said by Randi Reisfeld is a fun little YA read about a 13-yr-old girl, Grace, who is grieving the death of her father who was a cop and was shot on his way to her softball game. When they go to pick out a shelter dog to train as a service dog, she pics a mutt named Rex who actually talks to her! The plan was for her sister to be able to write about training a service dog for her college entrance essay. When Grace hears the dog talk, she wonders if she’s going crazy, but Rex helps her resolve the mystery of who shot her dad and helps her through a difficult time.

This is a good story about doing the right thing even if it’s hard. It’s a quick, enjoyable read that also shows what service dogs get trained to do and the different people service dogs can help—they are not only for the blind!
(Karen's review, 4 stars)


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"Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard is an Exciting, Fun Read! (UPDATED)

We both Loved this one!

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is a YA novel about a young girl named Mare.  She is a "Red" who lives in a world that is controlled by the "Silvers."  One day Mare is captured and it turns out that she has powers that a Red is not supposed to have.  The Silvers quickly take her under their wing so that this is not discovered by the world. Mare wants to help her people, the Reds, even though it puts her in danger. 

 WOW!  This book has tons of action with lots of twists that I did not see coming.  LOVED it a lot!  Will read book 2 for sure.  This is my new book of the month!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

 Karen's review:
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is an interesting cloak and dagger fantasy about humans with silver blood and super powers (Silvers) ruling over poor, down-trodden humans with red blood and no super powers (Reds).  Some Reds band together, calling themselves “The Red Guard” to try to change things for the better.  Mara is a Red, but is different.  She is an excellent pick pocket who discovers, by accident, that she has a super power in spite of her red blood. 

It’s not often I hate to see a book end, but with this one, I did!  I enjoyed this book with action, brother rivalry, lying and betrayal very much.  I liked the main character and couldn’t help pulling for her despite all odds.  I was disappointed to see this is just the first book of a series.  Now I have to wait for the next book to come out.  This book is similar to Cinderella and Divergent is some ways.  If you like adventure, fantasy and interesting relationships, I highly recommend Red Queen.  

(Karen's review 3-18-15, 5 stars)

 

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"Rascal" by Sterling North (Updated)

Image from Amazon

Rascal by Sterling North is about a young boy who after his dog digs up a raccoon’s nest, takes a baby raccoon for a pet and names it Rascal.  This is a fun read for young readers and older people who are young at heart.  Rascal and his young owner, Sterling, get into all kinds of mischief.  I enjoyed it very much!  
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Karen's review, 3 stars:
Rascal by Sterling North is a cute read about a 12-yr.-old boy and his pet raccoon during World War II.  It has some very funny parts and when he goes camping for two weeks, I felt I was right there with him.  This isn't by any means a page turner though and parts of it seemed to drag a bit, but it's short and I enjoyed the connection the boy had with the raccoon.  I enjoyed the illustrations as well.  

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!