Princess Posey and the Perfect Present

Title: Princess Posey and the Perfect Present  Author: Stephanie Greene  Pages: 85  Genre: Children's Fiction

Posey is a first grader that loves school. She is Princess Posey when she puts on her favorite pink tutu. She gets told in school that it's her teacher's birthday the next day and she wants to get the perfecct present. The flowers she has helped take care of in her yard are just the right thing right? What happens when your best friend gives flowers too? Now she has to find a new perfect present for her teacher to let her know she likes her the best! 

This book is a quick read. I read it in a couple days with my twins. It has a great lesson in it and its a cute story. It even had me choke up a bit with how cute it was. It is something that young kids can relate with. I enjoyed reading this with my kiddos :)

What Waits in the Woods

Title: What Waits in the Woods  Author: Kieran Scott  Pages: 273  Genre: suspense

Callie has never been camping but at 16 if you don't do what your friends do, you are  a wimp, so camping she goes with her friends and boyfriend. Things start happening that puts everyone on edge, first and foremost they get on the wrong trail and meet up with a stranger who happens to have a cabin nearby...or does he? There are also small tidbits of journal from the killer along the way that helped move it in their mind as well. 

I am not one to typically do the suspense/horror books but in light of Halloween I thought I would give it a try. I read half the book in one evening. It is very well written and kept me at the edge of my seat. If you aren't fond of camping this is definitely a book I would recommend or its going to change it so you don't want to go camping ever again. Happy camping!

A Discovery of Witches

Title; A Discovery of Witches  Author: Deborah Harkness  Pages: 579  Genre: Fantasy

Diana wasn't your typical witch (if she was would their be a book?) She lost her parents at a young age and didn't want anything to do with magic even though her Aunt tried to get her to. It's not until she is an adult working at a college in England where the twists start. She gets a manuscript that changes everything and to top it off a Vampire is watching her. The vampire Matthew turns into a great ally and friend to keep Diana safe from the new foes that come around because she brought out this manuscript that has the beginning of time of how the creatures were created. From this all of Diana's powers start letting themselves be known and there are a ton of creatures she has to face alone and with Matthew to survive.

I absolutely loved this book. It was recommended to me by a friend and I hated being an adult and having work and kids and responsibilities where I had to put the book down. It got my attention pretty early on and caught my attention more and more as the story was reaching its climax. Deborah did a wonderful job of the story, characters and imagery. I really hope I can find the second book soon so I can continue this story to see what happens next! 

The House on Pooh Corner

Title: The House on Pooh Corner  Author: A. A. Milne  Pages: 180  Genre: Children's Fiction

This is the second installment of the Winnie The Pooh series. It is more stories of the adventures of Pooh and his friends. This book does include Tigger along with the others. 

Again, I grew up on Winnie the Pooh and I wanted my kids to have the same thing. I will reread this series until I can no longer read. It is one of my all time favorites! Saying that I am an adult with 3 kids and still obsessed with all things Winne the Pooh and Tigger :) If you haven't read this for yourself or to your kids I urge you to do it now!

After Disasters

Title: After Disasters  Author: Viet Dinh  Pages: 266  Genre: Fiction

4 gentlemen run towards the disaster that happen and go to help those less fortunate when a natural disaster happens. 

I was not a fan of this book. The images came to life and it made you feel like you were there but to me it jumped from point of view to point of view and it jumbled in my head how it was going and how I got there. It was a wonderful idea and out of my normal books but this isn't one I don't think I can recommend. 

Winnie the Pooh

Title: Winnie The Pooh  Author: A.A. Milne  Pages: 161  Genre: Children's stories

Winnie the Pooh is a bear of very little brain but he goes on some grand adventures with his friends. In this book he goes on 10 different adventures that you start to get to know the characters in the Hundred Acre Woods. 

Winnie the Pooh is a classic in my household. My twins just hit kindergarten and as a "homework" they need to read for 20 minutes a night. This is the first book that came to mind for me and they loved it as much as I did. Even got my 3 year old to sit down for a few minutes each night to hear about Pooh bear and his friends. This is one book I can read over and over again.

The Loner

Title: The Loner  Author: K.R. Grace  Pages: 408  Genre: Fantasy

Star dealt with a devastating loss. In high school she lost the love of her life. Or so she thought. It wrecked her life having him dead while she was still alive. After months of her parents hoping she would turn around her life and end the depression, they moved her. Not just to another town but another state. She acts like a normal teenager that way and hates it. Then she meets the bad boy that every girl wants. He comes like you expect, tall, dark and handsome. She is drawn to him in ways she never expected and can't get enough of him. What's more...he is the same with her. Drake is a Supreme Alpha shifter and is falling head over heels for Star. He will do anything he can to protect her, even if it means he will die. 

If you put aside the legend being Cherokee and just enjoy the story this book is wonderful. I love that Star isn't really a hero. She is just your typical broken hearted girl just trying to get by. It is a typical story of love can conquer all...or can it? I enjoyed this book and I hope to enjoy the next from K.R. Grace. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts 1 and 2

Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two  Author: J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne  Pages: 343  Genre: Screen Play

Harry Potter is all grown up, married and has kids. His youngest kid is just about to head off to Hogwarts and he hates to be called "Potters kid" He doesn't like living in his Dad's shadow so of course they are always butting heads and they just can't connect. One summer before school starts a vistor comes asking Harry to break all sorts of wizarding laws to bring his son back, Harry refuses and Albus (his youngest) decides he needs to fix this himself. Albus and his best friend Scorpius go on an adventure to try and fix past mistakes of Harry Potter and find themselves in quite a mess. 

I really really enjoyed this book. I am not one for screenplays most of the time but this was written and a quick read. I had a very hard time putting it down. The three authors have really outdone themselves and all Harry Potter fans I think will enjoy reading the book that tells them that even Harry can mess up being a parent :)

First Year of Marriage

Title: First Year of Marriage   Author: Marcus and Ashley Kusi  Pages: 134  Genre: Self Help

~Asked to review by author~

The book has a lot of pointers and ways to check where your marriage stands and how to get it to where you want it to be. We all come from different backgrounds but when you get married you need to have a direction to go as a couple and as a new family unit. 

While I read this book I felt like I was sitting in a comfortable room talking to them like you would your friends about the ups and downs about marriage. They even open up about some of the trials they had at the beginning of their marriage and how they overcame them and became a stronger couple and unit for their kids and how they communicated and changed and adapted to each other and grew! I very much enjoyed this book and it is a high recommendation for everyone to read. It isn't something I read and just put on a shelf. It is something I will read again to make sure I am where I want to be in my marriage and life. 

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Title: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff  Author: Richard Carlson PH.D.   Pages:  248   Genre: Self Help

This book has a lot of great points. If you let the person that cuts you off while you are driving and you let it ruin your day. You are letting the small stuff control you. This book gives you suggestions on how to make it so those little things aren't so big anymore. How to appreciate what you have and how to be more positive. 

With all that said, there is a lot of repetition. "think of a person you want to thank today" "write a letter of appreciation to someone that has helped you" The chapters are little but there is a lot of repetition and a lot of what I believe is common sense. 

Naked In Death

Title: Naked In Death    Author: J.D. Robb   Pages: 306   Genre: Fiction

Eve Dallas is a great detective, the best New York could get when the world isn't the only place anymore since its in the future and they have space stations. After wrapping up one case she gets thrown into a homicide case. A note says one of six. The leads take her each which way but the most prominent one keeps pointing her to a self-made billionaire named Roarke that every girl wishes she could have. The cases also make Eve remember childhood past that she thought she had forgotten. Is this billionaire so into power he is doing the killings? Is Roarke the person Eve can depend on to help her with her feelings and finally coming to accept the terms of her past?

I had read one of these before and enjoyed it emmensly and decided I needed to start from the beginning. So, here I am reading book one and going to go through the whole series! I loved the relationship that builds between Roarke and Eve and how the case unfolds and how the truth comes out about the killer! Highly recommend this series to everyone that reads or wants to read! 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets  Author: J.K. Rowling  Pages: 341  Genre: Fantasy

Harry is back at Hogwarts for another year, however getting there was a bit of a trick since a house elf tried to stop him. That however is just the beginning, Students are now being petrified and everyone is scared. It is up to Harry, Ron and Hermione to find out who is doing this and put it to an end. 

I loved reading these as a kids and enjoy them now as an adult. Nothing like a good sit down with a book you could read over and over. It makes it better when it is a series. I will be on my deathbed and still rereading this series. Highly recommended.

Big Book of Little Stories and New Spring

Title: Big Book of Little Stories By: Various Authors  Pages:  359 Genre: kids

There are some great stories in this book. From Gingerbread Man to Pinocchio. My kids loved having a small bed time story. It was short and funny and held their attention and they couldn't wait to read another story.

Title: New Spring Author: Robert Jordan Pages: audiobook  Genre: Fantasy

This story is how the world is changing and a new hero is about to be born. Moiraine is set out to find the baby before the dark power can.

I enjoyed this book. It is the first I have read/heard from Robert Jordan. I have been meaning to read Wheel of Time for a while now just haven't gotten to it with so many other books out there! It was a great thing to hear with my husband on our roadtrip with our kids in the car as well :)

My 3 Fights

Title: My 3 Fights  Author: Kyle J. Adams  Pages: 50  Genre: Autobiography

 ~I was asked to review this by the author~

This is a small memoir about how what you do in certain circumstances can make or break you. As a young boy Kyle got into 3 fights that has helped make him into the man he is today. He describes how he got into the fights in a fun way which made me laugh and I felt like I was there with him. 

All Over The Place

Title: All Over the Place Author: Serena Clarke  Pages: 252 Genre: Fiction

Livi was just looking for her happy ending when her life got turned upside down with media in the middle. She moved to the other side of the world to avoid the embarrassment. Coming home from a long day she runs into a wonderful American and can't get him out of her mind. Accidentally keeping his bag, her friends put her on an adventure to find true love. The love is found but in the least likely of places. I enjoyed this book for the most part but I believe some of the time line was funny and it should have been more clear. It made me laugh and put me on the edge of my seat at others and I have to say I was quite happy with the ending.