Early Book Review: Mini Meadows: Grow a Little Patch of Colorful Flowers Anywhere around Your Yard by Mike Lizotte

Mini Meadows: Grow a Little Patch of Colorful Flowers Anywhere around Your Yard by Mike Lizotte is a nonfiction gardening book that is currently scheduled for release on March 5 2019. The word “meadow” conjures images of wide expanses of land, but a mini meadow, a kind of informal flower garden started with seed sown directly into the soil, can be any size. It can also be fun, easy to grow, and good for the planet. With as little as 50 square feet and for less than $20, gardeners can plant a colorful meadow that demands little in the way of space, mowing, or maintenance, uses less water than a traditional lawn, and provides habitat for pollinators, not to mention a natural exploration space for children. From choosing the right variety of seeds, preparing the soil, sowing evenly, and watering well, this book guides readers through the process of successfully creating a miniature meadow that suits their climate, soil, and growing goals, whether planting to beautify a hellstrip, halt erosion, fill a boggy spot, or establish a nesting area for bees and butterflies.

Mini Meadows is detailed and well organized, with a pleasant conversational feel. Towards the end ogf the book there are some regional planting guides that I found particularly helpful. I know my planting zone, but I think the regional breakdown is slightly more accessible.  I liked getting to know a bit about the author and his family as I learned about planting, planting, and caring for meadows. I love the look of fields of flowers, but I never thought my small yard and small gardens could be anything like a meadow.  This book offered me ideas and inspiration to take some of this space and enjoy some mini meadows. The fact that they can be so low maintenance fits in my my increasingly busy life, and how little I have been enjoying the summer heat each year. I like how the author gave additional resources in the endpages, including seed sources, gardens to visit, and further reading. 

Mini Meadows is a book that I will be looking to revisit in the late winter. It has given me many ideas, and I think it will help other gardeners looking for some information and inspiration.

Early Book Review: Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night by Mark Wilson

Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night by Mark Wilson is a children's nonfiction book currently scheduled for release on March 5 2019. Wildlife photojournalist and nature educator Mark Wilson presents a look into the mysterious lives of these distinctive birds. Images of the nineteen owl species of North America nesting, flying, hunting, and catching prey are accompanied by information about the birds’ silent flight, remarkable eyes and ears, haunting calls, and fascinating night life. Kids will learn how to spot owls; identify their calls, plumage, and pellets; and even carry on a hooting conversation with a nearby owl.

Owling is a well written book about owls. The pages are bright and bold, with full color photographs and diagrams. The text is broken into manageable portions, with fun questions and facts scattered through the pages to further engage readers. I really enjoyed seeing the differences and similarities between different kinds of owls. I also found the detailed information about each of the native North American owls to be well organized and written. I found the information on finding owls, and on how to make my yard and the environment in general, more owl friendly to be very helpful and responsibly done. I like getting information like this, which benefits the wildlife I love as much as myself. I also found the chapter on working with owls to be extremely interesting, since animal rehab or working in a zoo environment is likely to be in my daughter's future is current trends continue. The glossary and other resources in the endpapers were useful as well, and I think will help encourage young readers to explore further.

Owling is an interesting and well organized non fiction book for middle grade and older readers. I thought I knew a lot about owls, but I was glad to learn some new information here and will be using resources like ebird.org to help find owls with my children. 

Book Review: Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson) by Darynda Jones

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is the fourth book in the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones. I highly recommend reading the series in order, it is just much more fun that way. Trust me.

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is, well, grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple of months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above...or at least get dressed. It becomes clear something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. But the more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it. In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that the city of Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved.

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is exactly what I was hoping for as a follow up to book four, but still full of surprises. I like that while the heat and attraction between Reyes and CHarley is off the charts, they have not fallen into the trap of insta love and assumed partnership. Just like real relationship, they have to figure things out and deal with other issues. I found CHarley's investigation and dealing with her personal crises to be very well done, and how even when she is scattered and terrified Charley is still fighting to find the perfect come back or quip. I liked the amount of surprises and sub stories that tangled together. Some authors try to have this many storylines in a single book and it gets tangled and confusing, but Jones pulls it off beautifully. Anyone that has read this far in this series is likely to keep going, like myself, to see what befalls Charley next. 

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet is another highly entertaining book with enough heat and feels to keep me up well past my bedtime. Now on to book five!

Book Review: Rattlesnake Rules by Conrad J. Storad, Nathabiel P. Jensen

Rattlesnake Rules by Conrad J. Storad is a children's non fiction picturebook. Rattlesnakes have rules?! If these babies shake their rattles, you had better pay attention! Misunderstood, rattlesnakes have gotten a bad rap over the years.  This book demystifies the world of rattlesnakes and introduces children to such topics as who, when, and what rattlesnakes eat. It shows readers why rattlesnakes have rattles and what it means if you hear one. You will learn how the snakes forked tongues help them survive. The delightful and colorful illustrations of Nathaniel P. Jensen help bring the story alive.

Rattlesnake Rules is a good introduction to rattlesnakes and their behavior. I like that it offers the rules rattlesnakes live by to survive, and the rules people should follow when exploring the outdoors. The illustrations are cute, and I like the realistic colors used in the snakes and the landscapes, but it did not wow me with detail work. The text of the story is told in rhyme, and is easy to understand and remember. My favorite aspect of the book is the additional information and resources included at the end of the book. There are some interesting facts that were new to me, and some activity and craft ideas for caregivers, parents, or teachers to take part in with young readers to get them more engaged and interested in the story and information. 

Rattlesnake Rules was an informative read, and I think it could be very useful in teaching young children how to behave in rattlesnake territory, and to understand rather than fear them. I found the story itself to be alright, but the picturebook portion did not stand out or wow me in any way.

Book Review: Calm the F@ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life by Sarah Knight

Calm the F@ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life by Sarah Knight is a self help book for those with too much anxiety in their lives. It is a no-f*cks-given guide to taming anxiety and taking control of your life. Do you spend more time worrying about problems than solving them? Do you let unexpected difficulties ruin your day and do "what ifs" keep you up at night? Sounds like you need to CALM THE F*CK DOWN. Just because things are falling apart doesn't mean YOU can't pull it together. Calm the F*ck Down explains:The Four Faces of Freaking Out--and their Flipsides How to accept what you can't control, Productive Helpful Effective Worrying (PHEW)The Three Principles of Dealing With It, and more.

Calm the F@ck Down is a down to earth, honest book that acknowledges the reality of both anxiety disorders and the situational anxiety. I like that the author not only recognizes the existence and validity of the anxiety readers might be struggling, but makes it clear that she has been there and not only understands what readers might be feeling but makes it clear that those emotions are real, and not something that ignoring or pretending that they do not exist will help. Knight has struggled with anxiety and found tools that work for her, and shares those tools, her experiences, and hope with readers that they can find tools that will work for them. 

I really enjoyed the blunt and honest talk, and thought the regular reminders that she is not a doctor but is sharing what works for her in hopes it can help others with plenty of support for seeing a professional for help was well done and might give someone the encouragement to seek help if they need it. This balance of suggestions and support is pretty perfect. I also enjoyed the humor that is liberally sprinkled through the book, I find the ability to laugh at myself, and situations, to be helpful to me and it seems that Knight feels the same way. I think this book is a helpful and fun read for those that deal with anxiety (both capital A and lowercase, situation anxiety) to focus their energy and effort in productive ways. 

Book Review: Unwritten by Tara Gilboy

Unwritten by Tara Gilboy is a middle grade fantasy. Twelve-year-old Gracie Freeman is living a normal life, but she is haunted by the fact that she is actually a character from a story, an unpublished fairy tale she's never read. When she was a baby, her parents learned that she was supposed to die in the story, and with the help of a magic book, took her out of the story, and into the outside world, where she could be safe. But Gracie longs to know what the story says about her. Despite her mother's warnings, Gracie seeks out the story's author, setting in motion a chain of events that draw herself, her mother, and other former storybook characters back into the forgotten tale. Inside the story, Gracie struggles to navigate the blurred boundary between who she really is and the surprising things the author wrote about her. As the story moves toward its deadly climax, Gracie realizes she'll have to face a dark truth and figure out her own fairy-tale ending.

Unwritten started of as a hard read for me, be quickly changed to an engaging adventure. When readers meet Gracie she already knows that she came out of a fairy tale along with some others, and that the author is coming to visit a local bookstore. I found all the information to be a little overwhelming and it felt a bit like a recap so I felt like maybe I had missed a previous book . However, once the major action got moving I was fully engaged i the story and it worked much better for me. I liked the struggle of the main characters in dealing with the two sides of themselves and their two stories. I really liked the idea of how we can overcome what is written, or destined, for us by taking the time and care to make the right choices. I found the secrets and lies to be good plot devices, and realistic for people to cling to in situations like the ones they faced. The thoughts and ideas about people and characters shared by Winters (the author in the story) were profound, although a little heavy handed at times. I liked the general feel of the characters, and how the interacted. I also like the fairy tale world building and character building that was done. So much really worked, but when the story was finished I had mixed feelings. I liked it, but I did not love it, and could come up with no definable reason why. 

Unwritten is a solid fantasy, with good amounts of action and character development. There is room for a sequel, but still a satisfying conclusion- so who knows there could be moren in the future.

Book Review: Last Night With the Earl (Devils of Dover) by Kelly Bowen

Last Night With the Earl is the second book in the Devils of Dover series by Kelly Bowen. I did read the first book in this series, but think that while some of the characters and situations are set up and developed in the first book, they can be read alone as well.

Earl. War hero. Notorious rake. After the Battle of Waterloo, Eli Dawes was presumed dead-and would have happily stayed that way. He's no longer the reckless young man he once was, and only half as pretty. All he wants is to hide away in his country home, where no one can see his scars. But when he tries to sneak into his old bedroom in the middle of the night, he's shocked to find someone already there. Rose Hayward remembers Eli as the arrogant lord who helped her late fiance betray her. Finding him stealing into her art studio doesn't correct her impression. Her only thought is to get him to leave immediately. Yet the tension between them is electric, and she can't help but be drawn to him. He might be back from the dead, but it's Rose who is suddenly feeling very, very much alive.

Last Night With the Earl is an engaging read and I found myself very interested in the characters and what makes them tick from the very beginning. Eli might have once been a golden boy and a rake, but war and life have forced him to grow up, and he wants to do better, be better. He is reluctant to face his demons, but does what he must to gain what he wants. Rose has been hurt, and has emotional scars, but has turned her lesson into fodder for art and helping others see themselves as they truly are rather than how society talks about them. She still has her own issues with taking her own advice, but does the best she can. When these old friends come together they have to face those demons and issues, as well as betrayals. I like how honest and open they were with each other, and how hard they each had to work with their own issues, and helping each other face up to the things they did not really deal with. That pushing each other and coming to terms with their own faults, wounds, and worries was very well done. I thought Eli and Rose were well matched, and complemented each other, and challenged each other, almost perfectly. I enjoyed the read, and was glad that I picked this one up. I think I will be continuing the series, mostly because of my curiosity about just what is going on with Rose's brother Harland. 

Last Night With the Earl is an entertaining read. I enjoyed returning to a good group of characters, and am curious about what will happen next.

Book Review: Rabbit & Bear: Rabbits Bad Habits by Julian Gough, Jim Field

Rabbit & Bear: Rabbits Bad Habits was written by Julian Gough and illustrated by Jim Field. This is the first book in what promises to be a series about Rabbit and Bear. When Bear wakes up early from her hibernation, she decides to build a snowman. Her grumpy neighbor, Rabbit, decides to build an even better one. Talk of gravity, avalanches, and eating habits lead to some interesting moments and an unlikely friendship. 

Rabbits Bad Habits is labeled a chapter book, but I think it would fit better as an easy reader or transitional chapter book for younger or struggling readers. Although some of the humor with surely entertain the older readers as well. Bear is a calm, cheerful, and hungry character that has woken up early to discover the food she has stored was stolen. So, she goes outside to have a little fun and build a snowman. Rabbit is a grumpier character, who also likes to share knowledge about gravity, avalanches, and why rabbits eat their poo. Much is said about the poo, but the other information actually comes in handy when a wolf makes an appearance. THe story had some good moments, and some that made me say why. However, I liked the development of the characters, and how they went from acquaintances to friends. 

Rabbits Bad Habits is a fun, interesting read. I think it is a book that most will love or hate, but I somehow landed in the middle.

Book Review: Third Grave Dead Ahead (Charley Davidson) by Darynda Jones

Third Grave Dead Ahead is the third book in the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones. I highly recommend reading this series in order. While there are explanatory asides to help newcomers and those that have gone too long between reading books, there is a lot of ground to cover and it is much more fun if you already know the major players when you start reading. 

Paranormal private eye. Grim reaper extraordinaire. Whatever. Charley Davidson is back! And she's drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because, every time she closes her eyes, she sees him: Reyes Farrow, the part-human, part-supermodel son of Satan. Yes, she did imprison him for all eternity, but come on. How is she supposed to solve a missing persons case, deal with an ego-driven doctor, calm her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle gang hellbent on murder when the devil's son just won't give up? 

Third Grave Dead Ahead is a solid continuation of Charley's story. She wants to help Reyes, but they are still fighting with a serious trust issue and no matter what she does she cannot seem to sleep without a visitation from him. Her battles with sleep left me wondering a couple times what was real and what was dream, and Charley had the same concerns. I like Charley's dedication to finding the truth and helping people, even when it would have been easier to ignore the fishy missing person's case and focus on the drama unfolding with Reyes and her family. While not as funny as the previous books, because there was so much danger and so many crises involved, there were still some witty moments and plenty of humorous asides from Charley. Again, the book offers a good wrap up and some unexpected twists, but still left me eager for more.  

Third Grave Dead Ahead is another great installment of this series, which blends humor, danger, and emotion pretty close to perfectly. My binge reading will continue...

Book Review: Misfits (Royal Academy Rebels) by Jen Calonita

Misfits is the first book in the Royal Academy Rebels series, a follow up to the Fairy Tale Reform School series, by Jen Calonita. While you do not need to have read the first series to enjoy this one, I think it would help and be well worth it since the first series was wonderful.

In the magical fairytale kingdom of Enchantasia, becoming a legendary Prince or Princess doesn't happen overnight. Enter Royal Academy, the training ground for the fairytale leaders of tomorrow! But reluctant-future-princess and new-student Devin has some reservations about RA, especially when it comes to the Headmistress. Olivina seems obsessed with preparing students for possible villain attacks. But when Devin asks when they're going to learn how to actually rule a kingdom, Olivina becomes enraged. Something isn't right with this lady, and what Devin discovers could change the fairytale world forever.

Misfits is another delightful read about young characters that do not quite fit in finding their way. Devin knows what she wants, but the world is pushing her to be someone very different. I liked following her development and walking the line between following rules, meeting expectations, and being yourself.  She is trying to find her place in a new school, with new people, and unfamiliar rules. There is the obligatory mean girls, because every school has at least one, and the group of friends that might seem like an odd mix but works. However, new friends and experiences keep on her toes as they all discover not everything as it seems. I do feel like there was a lot of groundwork laid down in this book, setting the scene for the rest of the series. However, the read was still entertaining and went really fast. I was not ready for it to end, and am very interested in where Devin's story will take her group of friends and readers. 

Misfits is an engaging read, and my only real complaint is that I was not ready for it to end when it did. I am looking forward to continuing this series.