Early Book Review: Weird Dinosaurs: The Strange New Fossils Challenging Everything We Thought We Knew by John Pickrell

Weird Dinosaurs: The Strange New Fossils Challenging Everything We Thought We Knew by John Pickrell is a new non fiction book that is currently scheduled for release on March 7 2017. From the outback of Australia to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and the savanna of Madagascar, award-winning science writer and dinosaur enthusiast John Pickrell embarks on a world tour of new finds, meeting the fossil hunters working at the frontier of discovery. He reveals the dwarf dinosaurs unearthed by an eccentric Transylvanian baron; an aquatic, crocodile-snouted carnivore bigger than T. Rex, which once lurked in North African waterways; a Chinese dinosaur with wings like a bat; and a Patagonian sauropod so enormous it weighed more than two commercial jet airliners.  Other surprising discoveries hail from Alaska, Siberia, Canada, Burma, and South Africa. Why did dinosaurs grow so huge? How did they spread across the world? Did they all have feathers? What do sauropods have in common with 1950s vacuum cleaners? The stuff of adventure movies and scientific revolutions, Weird Dinosaurs examines the latest breakthroughs and new technologies radically transforming our understanding of the distant past. Pickrell opens a vivid portal to a brand new age of fossil discovery, in which fossil hunters are routinely redefining what we know and how we think about prehistory’s most iconic and fascinating creatures.

Weird Dinosaurs is a well researched and written book for readers that have always loved dinosaurs, or have had their interest revived by other dinosaur lovers in their lives, or the news of new information and discoveries in the field. The. book is written with a nice blend of information and narrative text, giving life to the discoveries and the people involved in uncovering them. I was fascinated by the information, but am a reader that likes my non fiction more simply stated than narrative, I found myself wandering a bit.  However, this was an issue with my personal preference and reading style rather than anything the author did wrong. I really enjoyed discovering about the changing and growing knowledge and concepts that surrounds dinosaurs and our planet's history. The new techniques that the scientists are using, and the discoveries they have made possible are simply amazing. 

Weird Dinosaurs is an informative and entertaining text with a nice blend of narrative and scientific fact. Readers that do not like a little narrative to entertain and dramatize the facts a bit might not enjoy this as much as others. However, the facts and information included are simply fascinating. 

Early Book Review: Bless this Mother-Effin Home: Sweet Stitches for Snarky Bitches by Katie Cutthroat

Bless this Mother-Effin Home: Sweet Stitches for Snarky Bitches by Katie Kutthroat is a combination of sugar and spice in cross stitch samplers that is currently scheduled for release on March 7 2017. Laugh out loud fun through crafting is found in these biting yet precious patterns. Katie Kutthroat's warped and witty cross stitch has taken the internet by storm and has been featured on TV shows like HBO's Girls. Cute but snarky, each cross stitch pattern featured in Bless This Mother-effing Home evokes laughter and irony. Perforated pages allow for readers to hang up or share favorite entries, spreading the cross stitched love. 

Bless this Mother-Effin Home: Sweet Stitches for Snarky Bitches is a collection of off color cross stitch work. They are well done and snarky. The combination made this sarcastic crafter’s heart very happy. There are no patterns or charts, but a versatile crafter can figure out how to make their own by following the images, and making them their own a little. Not an in-depth book, but the introduction gives a nice bit of background information and get the reader curious and inspired. I can think of several friends that would really appreciate this style of gift, and I enjoyed flipping through the book.

Early Book Review: Strong is the New Pretty: A Celebration of Girls Being Themselves by Kate T Parker

Strong is the New Pretty: A Celebration of Girls Being Themselves by Kate T Parker is a book of photography that is currently scheduled for release on March 7 2017. It is a celebration of strong girls being 100% themselves in 175 gorgeous photographs. The images show girls being strong in every way, being fearless, being silly, being wild, stubborn, and proud. 

Strong is the New Pretty is a wonderful collection of photographs and text. The text is made up of quotes from girls and women about their lives, particularly moments when they had to stand up for themselves and be themselves in the face of other people's expectations. The combination of words and wonderful photographs had me tearing up within the first ten pages. It inspired me to be more of what I want than what other people expect, and to encourage the girls and women in my life to do the same. I hope to show my daughter that being yourself is beautiful, regardless of who that might be, and what pursuits that includes.

Strong is the New Pretty is a perfect gift for anyone that thinks that being true to yourself and following their dreams is beautiful. While it will move many girls and women that have the chance to read it, I think anyone that loves another trapped by the gender or other social expectations of the world will appreciate the message and gain something from taking the take to look and read.

Book Review: Under the Ashes by Cindy Rankin

Under the Ashes by Cindy Rankin is a middle grade work of historical fiction. Elizabeth "Littlebeth" Morgan thinks she is the smartest, bravest eleven-year-old in Paso Robles. She loves sharing stories of the outlaws Frank and Jesse James and shows no fear when she whacks the head off a rattlesnake. But she is not the proper lady her family wants her to be so they send her to live with her maiden Aunt Sally in San Francisco to be tamed and refined. While Aunt Sally's life is unlike anything Littlebeth has experienced in the country, the pain of being sent away runs deep. Then Littlebeth meets Mr. Steinberg, Aunt Sally's Jewish neighbor. He treats her like a person, not just a little girl, and Littlebeth finds a friend in him. Mr. Steinberg is sweet on Aunt Sally and takes the two of them to see the famous opera singer, Enrico Caruso, perform. But Littlebeth doesn't understand the religious differences keeping Aunt Sally and Mr. Steinberg apart. Before she can meddle in their personal lives, the earthquake hits. Littlebeth is separated from them in the chaos of the streets. She must use her wits and bravery and trust in a few unlikely friends to locate Aunt Sally and Mr. Steinberg. But will Littlebeth be able to survive the disaster and be reunited with her family?

Under the Ashes is a touching story about a young girl that feels disconnected and unwanted by her family. I like that Beth is an adventurous girl, as quick to help others as she is to speak her mind. I think that her family is shown to really love her and what what is best for her, and while I think readers can relate to how they make Beth feel, they can also see that underlying love. I did find that the book took awhile to get to the action. By the time the earthquake hit, I felt like the book was already more than half over, although that information we read in the first part of the book was important it just felt like we took too long to get there, and then the action was a bit crammed together. I think the portrayal of human nature, both before and after the quake, was sadly accurate. The ugliness of selfish people, prejudice, and fear were well exhibited, but so were the kindness and innocence that can be found. I think acknowledging that that sort of attitude existed (and still does) and how pointless it is, is extremely important. 

Under the Ashes is a solid work of historical fiction for middle grade readers. I think it is a good book for encouraging empathy and understanding the fears and actions of adults.