Book Review - Hey! Don't Forget the Sunscreen - Kimberling Galeti Kennedy

Title:   “Hey! Don’t forget the sunscreen!”

Author:   Kimberling Galeti Kennedy

Review:  This is a cute, informative children’s book. It’s about a little girl who talks to a friend’s aunt in the grocery store and learns all about skin cancer. I read this to my kids and they all, surprisingly, enjoyed learning about skin cancer. They were full of inquiries once we finished the book, so readers beware of the plethora of questions to follow. It is a wonderful thing to have books like this on the shelves to help children understand important issues like staying safe in the sun without it being overly graphic or scary. The illustrations are wonderful as well and keep their attention with no problem. I especially liked the skin cancer cells and their angry faces. They looked like they were out to destroy. It was an apt drawing for kids to grasp.

Thanks Heather for this review.

Publisher: Tate publishing Children’s division

ISBN: 9781622956401

Copyright: 213

Pages:  22

Quick Review:  4 out of 5 stars

Why I Read It:   Sent for Review

Where I Obtained the Book:  sent from the publisher

Synopsis: Hey, Dont Forget the Sunscreen helps parents to gently instruct children on the grave dangers of unprotected sun exposure while stressing the importance of vitamin D. Author Kim Kennedy encourages families to take sun exposure seriously in order to avoid the consequences that so many have tragically suffered. She hopes that providing children with the knowledge needed for ultraviolet ray protection will better equip future generations of parents and children to be more proactive and prepared.

 

Author Biography: Ms. Kennedy has been writing short stories and children’s books for two decades. She became involved in her profession because of her flair for the artistic use of language and story-telling acumen. Ms. Kennedy attributes her many years of success as a writer to creativity and determination, and plans to continue writing for the foreseeable future.

Austin last weekend.

Right by the high school

Book Review - License to Thrill - Stephanie Bond

Title: License to Thrill

Author: StephanieBond

Review:  I love James Bond and have watched every James Bond film a dozen times or more, so when I heard Stephanie Bond wrote her own take on a Bond like character I had to read the book right away.  I was able to pick it up on a deal though Amazon for .99 and would have happily paid 2.99, full price, for this enjoyable beach read book.

The book starts off with Kat McKray a museum curator who is swearing off men because they are nothing but trouble.  However Kat comes face to face with James Donovan a former British secret agent.  James Donova is delivering a letter of historical significance to Kat's museum for a "dear friend" but we soon find out this friend is a former lover as well.

 

When James Donvan first meets Kat he tries everything to sweep Kat off her feet but no matter how sexy he might seem Kat resist his charm, until her best friend Denise convinces Kat to go on one date with the handsome James Donovan.

After dinner Kat sends James back to his hotel room alone which he isn't used to. Kat falls into bed regretting her decision to let James get away and soon falls into a dreamless sleep.  Kat is woken up to a call telling her that someone broke into the museum and had stolen the letter.  Kat arrives at the museum only to find herself as the lead suspect without any alibi. James decides to postpone his trip to New York and retirement to help Kat figure out who is setting her up for something she didn't do.  James is slowly swept away by Kat's charm and knowledge of art and life.  Kat finds James so charming, but she keeps thinking of all the other woman he has used those same British charms on.  While their romance heats up so does the mysteries of the missing letter, attempted murder and other valuable items Kat is in charge of.

Stephanie Bond wrote a fun homage to Ian Fleming's James Bond series.  The book carries the same fun themes of Bond along with sex.  Stephanie Bond wrote several sex scenes that even made this married woman to blush.  There is more sex in this book than I usually read but it's easy to skim over/skip if you so desire.  The romance in the story is fun and it does have you questioning will he stay or will he go even up until the final few pages.

The book had moments of will she fall to James's charms or will he fall for Kat's charms.  The author made James seem a little bit more Austin powers at certain times of the book and a little less James Bond but it also made for a fun and easy beach read.

The mystery of the book has you guessing until the very end and even I was kind of shocked by who done it. The twist and turns kept me from putting the book down until I had read every single page.

I feel Stephanie Bond did a great job paying homage to the James bond series and I very much enjoyed this fun quick read.

Thanks Heidi for this review.

Publisher:  Published November 8th 2011 by StephanieBond, Inc.

ISBN:  2940013566033

Copyright: 1997

Pages: Ebook

Quick Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: He wasn’t the man she wanted to trust…

When art curator Kat McKray is wrongly accused of stealing a priceless historical love letter, she has to rely on a sexy British agent to help her—no small feat when she’s his prime suspect. The man is infuriating, but when the stakes turn deadly, it’s nice to have a hard body up against hers…

She wasn’t the woman he expected to fall for…

Former British Agent James Donovan took this assignment to accompany a silly little letter to the States on a lark, but he didn't count on the trouble on the other end in the form of a curvy American temptress who has an alarming amount of secrets--and enemies. He feels bound to protect Kat even when all fingers point to her as the thief…and he has a bad feeling that a bulletproof vest isn't going to protect his heart this time!

 

Author Biography: Almost a Family and License to Thrill was originally published under the pen name of Stephanie Bancroft. Three Wishes was published in 2013 by Stephanie Bond, but it was originally published under the pen name of Stephanie Bancroft and titled Your Wish is My Command.

Stephanie Bond was seven years deep into a systems engineering career and pursuing an MBA at night when an instructor remarked that she had a flair for writing and suggested that she submit to academic journals. But Stephanie, a voracious reader, was only interested in writing fiction--more specifically, romantic fiction. Upon completing her master's degree and with no formal training in writing (her undergraduate degree is in computer programming), she started writing a romance novel in her spare time. Two years later in 1995 she sold her first manuscript, a romantic comedy, to Harlequin Books. In 1997, with ten sales under her belt to two publishers, Stephanie left her corporate job to write women's romantic fiction full-time. She now writes a sexy mystery series for Mira Books and romantic comedies for Harlequin Books. Stephanie lives in midtown Atlanta, Georgia.

Other Review:

Between the Sheets Review

Book Trailer:

Book Review - Ordinary Grace - William Kent Krueger

Title: Ordinary Grace

Author: WilliamKent Krueger

Review:  My neighbor is a huge fan of this author and so after it sat in my To Read Pile for a few weeks I asked if she would be willing to read this title and give me a review to publish.  She was thrilled and this is what she had to say about this book.

I was worried at first since this book seemed to be so different from the others I had read and enjoyed by this author.  My husband and I have been fans of Krueger since the beginning when we started with him while looking for Minnesota authors.  Well I have to say that I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book, even with it being so different from his other titles.

I found the writing to be smooth and what I expected, but the story was more.  Who knew Krueger could write such emotion about family ties and GRACE, God and individually given.  People will be people and yet some will surprise you.  I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone.  It is a crime drama; just not like Krueger’s others, it is more a story of life, loss and how we do it…this thing called living.  Read this book.

Thanks go to Eileen L. for this review.

Publisher:  Published March 26th 2013 by Atria Books

ISBN:  9781479397396

Copyright: 2014

Pages: 307

ISBN: 9781451645828

Quick Review:  5 stars out of 5.

Obtained Book from:  Sent by the publisher for review.

Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger comes a brilliant new novel about a young man, a small town, and murder in the summer of 1961.

New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were at the ready at Halderson’s Drug Store soda counter, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack. It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president. But for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum it was a summer in which death assumed many forms.

When tragedy unexpectedly comes to call on his family, which includes his Methodist minister father, his passionate, artistic mother, Juilliard-bound older sister, and wise-beyond-his years kid brother, Frank finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal.

On the surface, Ordinary Grace is the story of the murder of a beautiful young woman, a beloved daughter and sister. At heart, it’s the story of what that tragedy does to a boy, his family, and ultimately the fabric of the small town in which he lives. Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after that fateful summer, it is a moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.

 

Author Biography: William Kent Krueger is a multi award-winning American author and crime writer, best known for his Cork O'Connor series of books, which is mainly set in Minnesota. USA.  In 2005 and 2006, he won back to back Anthony Awards for best novel - a feat only matched by one other writer since the award's inception.

William Kent Krueger has stated that he dates his desire to be a writer back to the third grade, when a story he wrote called The Walking Dictionary was so well received by teachers and parents that he was inspired by their praise. Throughout an early life that saw him logging timber, digging ditches, working in construction, and being published as a freelance journalist, he never stopped writing.

He attended Stanford University but his academic path was cut short when he came into conflict with the university's administration during student protests of spring 1970.

He wrote short stories and sketches for many years, but it was not until the age of 40 that he finished the manuscript of his first novel, Iron Lake. A book which went on to win the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Barry Award for Best First Novel, the Minnesota Book Award, and the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award.

William Kent Krueger lives with his wife and family in St Paul, Minnesota.

Monday Musing - finals and books we have received

Finals are here and the push to get everything done is getting to me.  I have asked friends, family and anyone who has read a good book to give me a review so I can post it on the blog for all of our readers.  I have a few weeks left and then I can get back to reading myself.  I really miss reading something other than text books.

So if any of you have a book you read and would like to review...Please send it to me and I will post it...please keep it clean and appropriate.  A review of as little as 300 words would work...or give me another novel about the novel, either way would be wonderful.  Thanks so much.  
Randy the Raindrop is about a raindrop who loves to make friends with boys and girls and see them having fun on a rainy day.

Randy enjoys dropping by to make new friends and visiting those he already knows, wherever it may be raining. You never know where in the world he may land--on your front porch, in your backyard or in the park nearby. He loves to see children having a happy day, rain or shine.

To Randy the Raindrop, every boy and girl is a special friend.

Hey, Dont Forget the Sunscreen helps parents to gently instruct children on the grave dangers of unprotected sun exposure while stressing the importance of vitamin D. Author Kim Kennedy encourages families to take sun exposure seriously in order to avoid the consequences that so many have tragically suffered. She hopes that providing children with the knowledge needed for ultraviolet ray protection will better equip future generations of parents and children to be more proactive and prepared.

“My name is Isabel Cruz, and I’m nineteen years old, almost twenty. I go to Lincoln University where I’m majoring in English. I’m a straight-A student, and I know what I’m doing with my life, but things weren’t always that way. Or rather, I’ve always known what I wanted, and it just hasn’t always gone along with society’s views. In high school, I had an affair with my swim coach. I wanted him, and I took what I wanted. We were together until I graduated, but he had a wife and kids, and I left him behind to come here. I left everything behind to come here. At least that’s what I thought.”