Reviews about Books & Magazines

Katrena says "Waiting for Wings is Vivid, Colorful, and Fun" about Waiting for Wings

Katrena — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:13:39 GMT

Waiting for Wings [2001, Harcourt, Inc., ISBN: 0-15-202608-8], by Lois Ehlert, is a 36-page children's picture book about butterflies.

The story:

The book begins with eggs and continues through the life cycle until butterflies emerge amidst the beautiful flowers until they have eggs to lay. The story rhymes and the pages are interesting in that part of the pages are only partial pages and several portions of illustrations are used for multiple pages.

The end of the book shows four different butterflies and how to identify the caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly, and food for that type. The four butterflies identified are:

buckeye
painted lady
monarch
tiger swallowtail

It also shows the basic parts of a butterfly, a summary of the butterfly life cycle, how butterflies eat, and a guide to identify flowers on which butterflies like to feed.

This book is a little larger than a regular sized book and would work well for small groups if you wanted to read it to several children at once. Its short...

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catclan says "Wonderful read and exciting tales" about Down And Out Down Under

catclan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:32:33 GMT

Me and my kids love Geronimo Stilton books. We have Down and Out Down Under and all the others. We have the whole collection and they are great books for getting your kids read. I even love them. They have great detail about different places and exctigin tales that you can't imagine. They are wonderful books and can be found at any great book store. The price is about right and we have all the soft cover books in our collection. They are funny and keep your kids reading till the end. I sat down with these books and even had a hard time putting them down. They are fun places and he's so detailed. I'm sure the auther has been to these places, because he writes in such great detail. My eleven year old son and nine year old daughter read them like no tomorrow. We can't get enough. Even my four year old daughter likes me to read them to her and they have great pictures and funny names to with all the mice family of Geronimo's. Great fun!

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catclan says "Diary of A Whimpy Kid" about Jeff Kinney - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

catclan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:28:04 GMT

I can't say enough about the Whimpy Kid series. My eleven year old son lloves these books and he had them all. They are priced about right. They are chapter books so they keed my son reading and they are too funny. I have read them also and it's just so really funny. They are written well and relate to the kids so well. My younger daughter is getting into them now too. They are great and I love to see my kids reading. I love to read and love to see them enjoy a good book also. You can find these books at any good book store and well worth the read and the money. We have all the hard cover books and can't wait to get the next ones coming out. I highly recommend this book to anyone and especially anyone with kids that you want to get them reading. It's an easy read with not alot of big words that your child will have a hard time with. Go get it now, especially with Christmas right arund the corner. It's well worth it.

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FrancisColt says " full-cast dramas parody every cliche of the hard boiled genera " about Brick Mallery Private Investigator

FrancisColt — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:57:33 GMT

Billed as the "twisted lost episodes" these full-cast dramas parody every cliche of the hard boiled detective genera. There's the seedy office, wisecracking secretary, bad coffee, low-life snitches, and the squalid hangout. There are always the endless similes and metaphors. The introduction cautions the listener to get ready for "the more bizarre crimes that involve clones, aliens, mind control, identical half-twin brothers and sisters, and of course murder." The tales are equally off-the-wall with plenty of sound effects and original music to move them along. The cast strikes the right serio-comic tone and supplies plenty of odd-ball characterizations.

Winner of the Publishers Weekly "Listen Up" Award for Best Audio Mystery series and Best Dramatized Production.

to listen to audio samples

http://www.scenarioproductions.com/brick/episodeONE.html

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drummell says "Guilty Pleasures...hmm says it all" about Guilty Pleasures

drummell — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:44:10 GMT

Anita Blake, known as "The Executioner" in the vampire world, she works for Animators Inc raising zombies for different clients for different reasons.

Anita's best friend Catherine has a bachorlette party at a place called Guilty Pleasures. It's a local club run by vampires, owner Jean-Claude, a dreamy, romantic, sexy vamp that only needs to speak to make you want to melt.

Just so you have an understanding, in the world that Anita Blake lives in, vampires are known and roam with humans, along with werewolves and many other "creatures". Vampires have some rights and are slowly growing more power to be just like humans.

Back to the bachorlette party, Catherine's co-worker sets it up at Guilty Pleasures, and something goes terribly wrong. The co-worker was setting up Anita, knowing that she would do anything for her friend Catherine. And it all is planned out and setup by the Master of the City, Nickolaos, a centuries old vampire that looks like a sweet young child, but is nothing of the...

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wrightcw614 says "heartily recommend this book but with a few cautions." about Baby Wise

wrightcw614 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:09:59 GMT

This book has been a great guide for my 3 children and I recommend it to any new parent I come across, but I do like to caution parents to not take things too literally. Do not make the mistake of thinking this book is about hyperscheduling. It is not. This book does not support hyperscheduling, but I think some people think this book is about that. I think the best things I took away from this book is that:

1. Demand feeding is tiring and not best for you or baby! Hyperscheduling is also wrong, but a flexible schedule or a "parent-directed schedule" is best.

2. A cycle of: Eat, wake-time, then sleep time is best.

3. Babies sometimes need to cry a little before falling asleep and need to learn to fall asleep on their own without sleep props.

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drummell says "Bloody Bones - Book #5" about Laurell K. Hamilton - Bloody Bones

drummell — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:28:29 GMT

Anita Blake, necromancer, zombie raiser and vampire "executioner". In book 5, Anita is dating two "monsters" as she would call them. Boy her views have changed, and you will see more of this throughout the book! In many ways.

Anita is asked to go to the mountains near Bransom, to try and raise a huge unmarked grave site where a millionaire wants to build a resort. The land is in dispute between two families, the Kelly's and the Bouvier's because a family plot is said to be buried there, but they're not sure. They're asking Anita to raise the dead and ask who they are so they can resolve who's land it is. While checking out the cemetary to see if it's something she can do with her fellow zombie raiser, Larry; Anita gets a call to help assist the local police on the deaths of 3 young teenagers in a very gruesome and strange way! The locals have never seen anything like it.

A few new "creatures" come out in Book 5, things that even Anita have never seen. While balancing her love life and...

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VixenViewTreasures says "A unique twist to the traditional Cinderella story" about Luann McLane - Redneck Cinderella

VixenViewTreasures — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:42:01 GMT

Redneck Cinderella by LuAnn McLane is a story about a young woman and her father learning how to fit in after selling their farm and suddenly becoming well-off.

Jolie Russell and her Father are becoming the talk of the town - and not in a good way. They sold their farm at the instance of Cody Dean a wealthy land developer who convinced them that it would be good for them and that they could still live on a portion of their land. What they didn't know at the time was that they would have to fit in with the high-society folk, something they are quite unprepared to do.

Jolie lost her mother when she was just a young girl and having grown up with only her father as a role model, and lacking a mother figure, has grown into not only somewhat "backwards" but also very much a tomboy. She speaks her mind and feels at home with the "boys". However, Cody Dean has not escaped her eye and her feelings towards him are stirring her feminine side.

Along the way she meets Cody's brother, a local teacher...

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raggedgarden says "Easy read that keeps you interested with a cute sense of humor." about Fearless Fourteen

raggedgarden — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:03:45 GMT

I loved this book. I keep coming back to this series of books because the main character is someone who gets into trouble while solving crimes and catching bad guys. It also has a lot of humor and several romantic threads---it keeps you guessing who will Stephnie marry? What trouble will she get into next? Her sidekick Lulu---is just plain fun. I also love that her grandmother who is in her 80's dresses in mini skirts and trolls funerals for men to date. Besides that the car she drives keeps changing because it is blown up, stolen, trashed by bad guys---you name it one of her cars has met its end that way. She is a bounty hunter but half the time she carries her gun she has forgotten her bullets. She is a 20 something who has a pet hamster, eats olive and penutbutter sandwiches, and goes to her mother's house every Sunday for lunch. Even if you have not read other books in this series you won't be lost--she writes in such a way that you will enjoy Fearless Fourteen.

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deannedeals says "A must-have for young New Yorkers" about TIme Out NY

deannedeals — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:54:12 GMT

I'm new to New York City and I am loving my subscription to Time Out NY. The magazine includes so much information of fun (and cheap) things to do, see, and hear in New York City you can never be bored. I think my only gripe is that it's sometimes information overload! This is a great place to look for reviews of new plans, restaurants, and bars. I also have been enjoying their profiles on different neighborhoods. This was my bible this summer as I had free time during the day and I wanted to take advantage of all the city had to offer. Time Out NY listed so many great festivals and outdoors events that I often had a hard time deciding what to do! The magazine would make a great gift for any New Yorker, but especially for someone new to the city and looking to explore the city and take advantage of everything it has to offer! I look forward to receiving the magazine every week and discovering something new!

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h3art2h0m3 says "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom will be loved by your little chick!" about Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

h3art2h0m3 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:10:15 GMT

Everybody loves Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! I love taking my kids to the library. My little boy one day stumbled across a great treasure, this book. After checking it out, re-checking it and asking for it every day I knew this would have to be a house hold book. Being cheap I purchased the paper copy, but reading that multiple times a day led to the upgrade of the hardcover book. It was a devastating day when we couldn't find the book a year later! Now that he was learning to read on his own I purchased the large print book with additional verses. My daughter was born a few years later. She is nothing like my son. While he can sit for hours to read she loves to run, run, run! In my son's saved baby clothes we found Chicka chicka Boom Boom the hard covered book.With it's bright colors and sing-song words she too became a quick fan. My son who is 8 will not let her touch the big book saying he's saving it for when the 3 year old can read. The hard cover one is always attached to her either...

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jcatblum says "too much processed food" about Hungry Girl

jcatblum — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:05:32 GMT

The recipes are for 1 serving many times. Also most recipes require certain brands of items that you might not be able to locate or eat. Such as Splenda gives me a headache. The cookbook really is best if you check it out at the local library instead of buying it first. I only found 7 or 8 recipes that I was interested in preparing. I copied them and returned the book. It is not a book I would consider opening again. You can also find many hungry girl recipes on recipezarr. Just such for HG or hungry girl.

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onyx95 says "Intersting take on a current problem" about Robina Williams - Gaea

onyx95 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:05:49 GMT

Worrying over the health and happiness of all the animals of earth, the goddess Gaea requests the Almighty Father, God of All, to allow her to teach mankind a lesson for mot taking care of her earth and all of the Lords creatures. By her side during this request is Quant, a seraph (an angel of the highest rank in the traditional Christian hierarchy) that likes to spend time on earth in the shape of a house cat. When God reminds Gaea that he is the only one that will hand out punishment and vengeance, Gaea takes the chance to offer a warning to mankind with the help of a family and friends. Always overseeing her actions is Quant with his optimism for the humans to learn, adapt and save the planet earth.

What a really strange mix. Religious God, Greek mythology, Leonardo Di Vinci, and dragons all have a place in this book. With such a wide variety of characters from so many different belief patterns, it is sometimes difficult to keep all the characters straight (between the gods, goddesses,...

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whatever4ever says "Twilight kept me up all night" about Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

whatever4ever — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:46:39 GMT

I was a bit skeptical to read this book at first. Everyone was reading it and I heard something about how the idea was originally borrowed from the Vampire Diaries. But then I had watched the movie out of boredom and I actually enjoyed it. Yes, the movie was abit slow but I found that the idea of immortal love and depth of love between Bella and Edward was fantastically portrayed. So I decided to read the book. I went to my nearest Walmart and picked up a copy for under 7.00$.

I began to read the book and I was interested by the minute. I ended up staying up all night reading it. I found it to be very romantic. The intensity of the love bella had for Edward was fantastically shown. This kept making me read more and more because I could not wait til the end of the book.

I will not ruin the book for those who have read it but I highly recommend reading it if you are a sucker for romance stories- because this is one story you would not want to miss. Its very romantic.

The book is even...

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sharoncookie says "Where's the meat?" about Vegetarian Times Magazine

sharoncookie — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:19:09 GMT

I bought the Vegetarian Times magazine a while back. I thought I would find some real good cooking without meat. That would be good for me, I have been told. It is a beauitful magazine. I have spent hour's looking for something that sounded good. Beauitful picture's and sometimes I find a dish that I would like to try. This month is for the Nov and Dec issue. Great, I'll make a dish that nobody in the family has heard of or tasted before. Every dish had at least one item I had never heard of before. But where do you find seitan mushroom's, unflavored rice milk, shroom stock, rice flour. Do you think my family would like tofu in their cranberry salad.

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BarbaraLyn says "One quilt, seve blocks, lots of possibilities" about FLOWER POTS

BarbaraLyn — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:55:27 GMT

One quilt from seven blocks and flowers that never die is what you will get in FLOWER POTS. Using these blocks, you can create the quilt that Ms. Lammon intended. Or you can be even more creative and make a combination of your own with one, two or three (or more!) of the blocks.

Six pages of basic instructions begin FLOWER POTS. Things like pressing, folded triangles and ways to do appliqué are found here. The pattern begins with a materials list that will create the whole quilt. Each block pattern gives the cutting list for that block along with a finished photo of the block.

Instructions on how to put the block together follow with large, easy to follow graphics. The assembly of the quilt has its own cutting list and how to assemble each row. The final pages provide all the templates needed to create your flower blocks and even better, they are full sized so no need to enlarge them. The final page is a short bio of Ms. Lammon.

This small book gives you lots of possibilities...

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BarbaraLyn says "Space, Aliens, First Contact" about ACID BATH (CD)

BarbaraLyn — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:28:38 GMT

This is a short story of a futuristic time. There is a battle between humans and a "Steel Blue" species. The Lone Watcher is working at his post when the Steel Blues land. How to stop them from this invasion until help can arrive is the big question.

With all the techniques for creating sounds and voice, it would have been nice to be able to better understand the first voice of the Steel Blue. The musical background and effect sounds are not bad but the volume could be turned down a bit. I would also have enjoyed this better if the plot had been more developed.

The reader is definitely British and for the American listening it can be a bit of a challenge. Just as with any language difference, the pronunciation of words made me stop and think what was being said rather than just being able to enjoying the story.

For the fact that the story was written with the knowledge of 1952 space, it isn't bad but it would be a great book if it were just updated with today's knowledge and...

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Fardreamer says "Bowden sheds light on Battle of Mogadishu in this masterpiece" about Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

Fardreamer — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:20:48 GMT

"It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell." - William Tecumseh Sherman

For all my interest in all things related to the military and especially military history, I have never lost sight of two very important concepts.

One, of course, is the obvious reality that war is never something to be undertaken lightly, It doesn't matter, in the long run, whether we choose to go to war or it is forced upon us, but the whole endeavor is, by its very nature, messy, cruel and unpredictable.

The other concept I try to always remember is that we Americans, as a society, seem to have a tendency to not understand the military, its culture and its very important role in our Republic. Right now, only those who serve (or have served) in the active duty and reserve units of the various armed services and their families know just what wearing the American uniform entails, especially...

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jennbillbreanne says "this book will suck you in and never let go" about Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

jennbillbreanne — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:49:54 GMT

where do I start? I never had intrest in this book at all. I started picking up my cousin from high school and had nothing to do for 20 minutes while sitting in her school parking lot so I decided what the heck let's give it a try. Within the first 3 pages I was addicted. i ended up reading the book in 2 days and the other 3 in one week. I have read all 4 books 4 times. this is honestly the best story line and plot I have ever ran across. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the new moon movie. If you have not read this book you r missing out. please don't the vampire plot turn you from reading this. this book is so much more than a vampire novel. this is a timeless story!

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j1029d says "I want to love it, but it's hard to." about Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)

j1029d — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:42:46 GMT

I'm an avid reader and I LOVED the books in this series. I finally picked up these books after lots of recommendations from my students. I really couldn't understand what all of the fuss was about. I especially wasn't in to reading about vampires. However, I tore through the first 3 books in less than 2 weeks and braved the Christmas Eve crowds at Border's to go get this book. However, it wasn't nearly as good as the others. There were some major events in this story, but I couldn't really connect to Belle and Edward. Maybe things were too good for them. And there daughter was imprinted on by Jacob?! Blah, blah, blah. I think it's important to read this book so that you can find some type of closure (although not much). There have been rumors of a fifth book coming out and I'm waiting to read it, but as for Breaking Dawn, save your pennies, dust off your library card, and return it when you are done.

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