"Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls--Essays, Etc." by David Sedaris Is One I Should Have Passed Up

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls Essays, Etc. by David Sedaris was disappointing to me. The title is very misleading because I thought I'd learn more about Diabetes and wondered what the owl connection was. Then in small print on the cover it said "Essays, Etc." which is really what is in this book. It's a collection of 25 short essays on topics from doctors, to his dad, politics, traveling, etc. There are some humorous lines and I did enjoy the ones about the dentist and not buying a cell phone. I also found his relationship with his dad to be sad but interesting. However, most of the essays did not interest me and I did not like how he put his dad down. I read most of it but finally got tired of plowing through this and switched to something else before I finished. This is the last book I'll read by this author and cannot recommend it.

If I had realized this was the same author who wrote Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, I would not have gotten it.
(I started Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk because I like animals and thought the title was funny, but gave up half way through and didn't want to waste any more time on it because it wasn't at all like I expected. The language was very rough and the animals were not portrayed in a good light at all. The "fables" seemed long to me. This book got so much hype but I did not see why. I liked Animal Farm much better!)

I do feel bad that the author's dad did not support or show him the love and acceptance every kid should have from his dad. However, I agree with his dad's opinion mentioned on page 39:

Number one on the Times list doesn't mean that your book is good--just that a lot of people bought it that week, people who were tricked, maybe, or were never too bright to begin with.

I am very thankful my dad was nothing like his and that is one of the reasons I wrote My Funny Dad, Harry in his memory shortly after his death. I think people would like reading about a happy family and a good family man once in awhile instead of about all the bad childhoods people had.

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!

"Anything You Ask" by Lynn Kellan is a Sweet Humorous Romance Novella

Image Source: author's blog

Anything You Ask by Lynn Kellan is a fast-moving romance about Dani, a widowed professor with two sons, who is left with a run-down farm and huge debts.  Facts about her late husband come out gradually when she turns to Hale, her brother-in-law for help with the farm.  He is more than willing to help her out because he secretly loved her all along so jumps at the chance to prove himself to her. 

I got into this book quickly and liked both the main characters so couldn't help but root for them to fall in love with each other.  The story line was unique and kept my interest.  I looked forward to seeing what would happen next!  It was over before I knew it but I liked that it didn't drag along at all.  I recommend it if you are looking for a light romance!
(Karen's review)

For more about the book, watch the trailer:

Visit Lynn Kellan's blog at www.forloveorfunny.com

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!

3 Tuesday Teasers: 1 Romance and 2 Non-Fiction

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 (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
• 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.   

Karen's:

"Yes, you can bunk with me. If we're really going to do this, I have only one request."

From Loc. 519 on Kindle of Anything You Ask by Lynn Kellan. (My review will be up tomorrow.)

Some who had been practicing witchcraft even brought their books and burned them in public. These books were worth 50,000 silver coins.

From Acts 19:19 of the Contemporary English Version of The Holy Bible.

Gerard's:

Meanwhile, Charlie's supervisor informed him that he would be put on indefinite paid leave, effective immediately. That didn't sound so bad, being paid not to work, until he sat home in his basement apartment, thinking, depressed, wondering if they'd come for him or if he should set it up so he could be a tragic suicide in jail, as he had after breaking into Michelle's apartment.

From page 50 of The Good Nurse--A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber.

I hope you will check out a teaser from the book I wrote:  My Funny Dad, Harry

Happy Reading!

"Warrior Girl" by Matt Lazar and Amanda Thomas

Warrior Girl by Matt Lazar and Amanda Thomas is about a young girl from Korea who goes to Oxford to better herself. I enjoyed reading about the people who she met and the plot is pretty good too. I got into it right away and it goes quick! It's very well written.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)


(We received a review copy of this book which did not influence our opinion in any way and received no compensation for this 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!

Great Memorial Weekend Read: "Frozen In Time" by Mitchell Zuckoff

WOW!  What an amazing story Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff is!  It is "an epic story of survival and a modern quest for lost heroes of World War II."  I always really enjoy a true story that I am not up to speed on at all and this book fits the bill! 

In 1942 a cargo plane crashed into a Greenland ice cap.  A rescue plane followed and it crashed too!  Then another follow-up plane went out and vanished!  Do I have your interest yet?  It's all true! 

The research the author did is amazing and his writing gave me the feel I was right there.  I really enjoyed this book a lot and can't wait for Mitchell Zuckoff's next book because his first two have been great!  I also read and liked his first book, Lost in Shangri-La. (See my review of this one too--click the link.)
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SERVED OUR COUNTRY IN THE MILITARY!  

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

 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!