Let me put it this way.  It took me about 2 weeks – their story hour was really only 15 minutes long each time – but they really enjoyed this.  That makes it a winner in my book.  Kids are choosy.  Even more than I am (yes that’s possible).

In terms of an adult reading this book to children, it was enjoyable.  I looked forward to it as much as they were.  And after reading books to kids every night, us parents have to enjoy the books as well. The book was written for children, but it gave parents places they could stop to bring up certain topics with their children. (bullying, friendships ect.)  So this book isn’t just a “good book” that you read once, but a good book that can help open discussions with your children.

Well done again Melissa.

There was a promising light, but it didn’t quite get there.  I think my biggest complaint is that towards the middle of the book it just became the cliche horror book.  The gore was there and the foul language was ever-present.  I was able to finish the book and I did enjoy the beginning a lot.  It just disappointed me as it went along.

Besides the gore and language, the plot had some holes in it that would have been better off filled in.  I would have also liked to see more of the good and evil fight actually being fought.  It seems as it was only represented by the man in the trench and people ripping each other apart.  The opposite side of the coin wasn’t developed very well, if at all.

In terms of spelling errors, there were a bit much than I would be able to overlook.  It is a bit distracting at times.

However, if the author is able to show restraint in the language and overuse of gore, he has a promising career in front of him.

Product Description

No more room.

It began with a power outage. A power outage that went beyond lights and televisions. Clocks stopped telling time. Cell phones no longer received signals. Cars became dead relics that wouldn’t start. As the world around them becomes darker, so do the inhabitants of the small town of Westmont, Illinois. A mysterious and evil presence has taken a hold over the village, making the once peaceful town a place of violence and despair. A small group of individuals, untouched by this presence, must uncover the mystery of why they remain normal and discover what (or who) is taking control of their town, one soul at a time. Because the Man in the Dark Coat is out there. Hunting them. And not everyone can remain untouched forever.

While an interesting book, this book is targeting church leaders and those that help make decisions.  I must say that although church expansion has always happened, bringing it into the internet is a new venture.  While it has been successfully used by some churches (as you will read in the book), it is not something I would like to see happen with smaller churches.  Opening up a brick and mortar sister church is great, but bringing it into the internet seems a little odd to me.

Like the book said, not everyone can make it into a church, and putting the sermons online is a great way to make them accessible to all, but it seems like everything is about numbers.  The bigger and bigger churches get, the less personalization they are trying to achieve will get.  At some point it may get too big and the whole reason they expanded may backfire.

Hopefully church leaders reading this book will realize that although it has worked with some churches, it is not for everyone.  I wish the book focused a little more on the pitfalls on doing this and how to cut back if it backfires.

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Loved it!  Loved the short stories, the poems made me smile (and at times cringe – “darkies”) and the sketches were awesome!  If you can get this book, run and get it.  There are limited copies and the price is just going to keep going up.

I must now go kick myself for not picking this up sooner.

Thank you Mr. Nolan.  I am a fan for life.

No no mommy.  This book stays here with me.  Leave it here because I like it.

For those of us with kids, you know how difficult it is to get them focused on one thing and having them like it enough to want to hold on to it.  Especially a book. So because of this I give the book high ratings.

As a parent, I liked this book because every child goes through the same things Iggy went through (being the new one in school and dealing with bullies and a crush.) If there is a way to make talking to your children about this fun, I am all for it.  No child likes to sit and listen to a parent tell them “Everything will be all right”.  An iguana saying it?  Oh yeah, they will listen.  I think Melissa Williams did a really nice job with this book.

Something else I liked about the book, which many people take for granted is the font.  It was big.  The perfect size for kids.  It seems like lately, unless it’s a baby book, the font has been getting smaller and smaller to fit more into the book.  Melissa decided to go the other route.  Instead of quantity she went for quality.  Very well done.

This book is getting added to my “kid party” gift bag list.

Product Description

Iggy the Iguana, inspired by the author’s love of a childhood pet, will touch the hearts of all readers. Kids relate well to the animal characters in this book, as Iggy and his new friends go through their school year together and experience many of the same things kids experience in fourth grade, today. Iggy learns how to adapt to the changes in his life and opens his eyes to realize that change can be pretty good. Each character in this story has a unique and even humorous personality of their own, making, Melissa M. Williams’, Iggy the Iguana, a fun book for all types of kids to read.

Alex Carrick talks about everything from family, to recycling, to death.  He writes in a way that he would speak to you if you were in front of you.  There are 78 short stories in total and not one of them is disappointing.  He writes about topics that interest each and every one of us, and topics that we all talk about with our friends.  He somehow manages to find the right mix to add that extra twist and make the reader laugh out loud.

If you want a good laugh (and who doesn’t) you MUST pick this book up.  MUST.

Product Description

This book contains more than just stories about the family. Some entries are dappled impressions of modern life. Some are comedy bits, with the odd gem of a punch line. Others are lighter than air and rise up like whimsy. Others still have a slightly more serious intent, with surprising twists. These funny, short original stories first appeared on the website: www.alexcarrick.com. Mr. Carrick has been a leading economist in the North American construction industry for over 30 years. In early 2008, he was asked by his employer to put together an economics blog. He approached this with a good deal of trepidation, worrying about whether he would have enough material and if he could do it justice. He quickly found he enjoyed the experience. So much, in fact, that he began to branch out with humorous lifestyle blogs he was composing on the weekends and at night, just for fun. It is these entries he would like to share with you.

Expertly. Ms. Bradford has managed to write a heavy subjected book in a way that we feel sadness, happiness and shock all at the right spots.  I like that she was able to pull back just when you thought your emotions were going to burst.

For a first novel Cindy Bradford has scored one out of the park.  Patrick (main character) becomes your friend.  You want to be right there next to him as he goes through the highs and lows of his life.  You want to laugh with him at times, and at other, you want to wrap your arms around him and never let go.

Once you pick up this book, you will want to cancel all your plans just to be able to finish it.

Product Description

Keeping Faith is a story of love found, lost, and found again, of betrayal, forgiveness, redemption and healing. Most of all it holds the bitter truth of how the selfish actions of individuals far transcend the moment. As a ten year old, Patrick O’Brien is abused by his priest. Ashamed and afraid no one will believe him, for years he carries the unspeakable act alone, allowing it to eat at the recesses of his heart, destroying relationships one by one. Finally he is confronted by the one person who is determined to get to the truth no matter what the cost. She has waited almost two decades to unravel his lies, to break down his barriers, and to find out why he was more interested in saving souls than claiming her. When she appears at his door he can no longer run; there’s no escaping the past, even if it destroys him.

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This was my first exposure to what is known as Arthurian literature, so I must admit I was a little nervous to dive into it.

I found myself enjoying it, not only was it a quick read, but found that although it has an exotic sounding genre, it’s somewhat generalized.  However, knowing this is a YA book, I must caution this may not be a good book to begin reading this genre with. I got the impression those with knowledge of Arthurian lit, were getting a lot more jokes and inside details than someone who is starting fresh.  That could be a minus for this book.

The writing was a bit heavy, and while it was a quick ready, it most certainly wasn’t an easy afternoon read.  Readers will most certainly have to work at this book in order to plow through the descriptions of characters and world.

While I do not know much about this genre, I certainly know about reading, and this was not one of the easiest ones to follow or enjoy.  I would classify this as niche read.  Those that are used to this genre, I am sure will eat it up, those just starting with it may find themselves putting it down, never to try the genre again.  I am going to give this book a middle grade as I am sure part of it is that I am not familiar with this genre.  However, I think no matter what the genre, YA readers should be able to pick up a book without having to do heavy research beforehand.

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This is the first in a series of four Beautiful Dead books by UK author Eden Maguire. Each book will focus on one of the Beautiful Dead (Jonas, Phoenix, Arizona and Summer), whose mystery will be solved with the help of Darina, Phoenix’s girlfriend.

I liked this book.  It had one element, which while it seems really small, made an impact on me.  Each of the dead classmates was given wing tattoos in the spot that killed them.  This was unique as I haven’t seen that in other books.  Each time it’s mentioned it draws you closer to the characters as you are reminded each time just how horribly they died.  Each character is there to bring justice to their very specific death, and it’s nice the author treats each of them as individuals.

I really like the plot for this series. The Beautiful Dead are brought back from limbo to solve their murders and gain some closure, and are neither living nor dead. This has the potentional of becoming a “Night of the Living Dead” type, but it really is written quite nice and with a purpose.

The one thing I do wish there was more involvement with was Darina.  I wanted to study her a little more without her being attached to Phoenix.  Although I must admit, without Phoenix there is really no point in her character.

The book cover is out of this world (ha! get it).  It’s beautiful and relevant.  Whomever designed the cover deserves praise.

Overall I would recommend this book to any YA reader.  It was fun, sad, exciting, passionate.  Plus it grabs you just right that you want to get your hands on the next installment as quickly as possible.

Product Description

Something strange is happening in Ellerton High. Phoenix is the fourth teenager to die within a year. His street fight stabbing follows the deaths of Jonas, Summer and Arizona in equally strange and sudden circumstances. Rumours of ghosts and strange happenings rip through the small community as it comes to terms with shock and loss. Darina, Phoenix’s grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can’t escape her intense heartache, or the impossible apparitions of those that are meant to be dead. And all the while the sound of beating wings echo inside her head…And then one day Phoenix appears to Darina. Ecstatic to be reunited, he tells her about the Beautiful Dead. Souls in limbo, they have been chosen to return to the world to set right a wrong linked to their deaths and bring about justice. Beautiful, superhuman and powerful, they are marked by a ‘death mark’ — a small tattoo of angel’s wings. Phoenix tells her that the sound of invisible wings beating are the millions of souls in limbo, desperate to return to earth. Darina’s mission is clear: she must help Jonas, Summer, Arizona, and impossibly, her beloved Phoenix, right the wrong linked to their deaths to set them free from limbo so that they can finally rest in peace. Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free?

Today, we tend to forget the people that made such historical achievements.  In this book we follow some African American football players that played in a time where it wasn’t popular to do so (‘45-’55).  Not only does it describe the superficial dilemma they had to endure, but the mental, emotional and physical ones as well.  There are no holds barred in this recounting of these trailblazing heroes. The players re-tell their experiences with death threats and outright racism thrown their way every day while they were simply trying to do something they love.

Anyone interested in history and sports should read this book.  While diversity is a common sight on fields now-adays, it’s important to know and understand how that came to be.

Product Description

One year before Jackie Robinson broke the color line in major league baseball, four black players joined the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams to become the first African-American pro football players in the modern era. Players who began their careers from 1946 to 1955 reminisce about the violence they faced on and off the field, the world of segregation and the violence it brought, but also of white players and coaches who assisted and supported their careers.