Book Review: Crochet Stories: E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker

Crochet Stories: E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker

by Lindsay Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Experience the enduring charms of the holiday classic in an entirely different way! This version of the beloved tale is illustrated with full-color images of crocheted characters. Each chapter of the adventure ― from the Christmas Eve party to the fierce battle between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King to the visit to Toyland and beyond ― features complete instructions for crocheting charming representations of the story's personalities and props.

Twelve easy-to-follow patterns depict Marie and her Nutcracker, the Mouse King, the enchanted clock, a Christmas tree surrounded by wrapped gifts, and other festive figures. Well-illustrated instructions specify yarn colors, materials, gauge, and abbreviations for stitches; a Techniques section offers guidance to crocheters. All patterns specify yarns that are readily available in craft stores. The ideal gifts for all Nutcracker enthusiasts, these amigurumi figures are keepsake treasures that will brighten every holiday season.

Review:

This time around I'm reviewing something a bit different. I read tons of crochet books every year, but this is the first time that I'm actually reviewing one. I've been doing yarn-work for over 20 years and my collection of instructional and pattern books is immense. If this goes well, I may be tempted to review a bit more. As the holiday season rushes upon us I will be spending most of my time on handmade items for decorating and also as gifts to my friends and family. This generally means that the bulk of my upcoming reading will most likely be instructional books. Ok, so here goes.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley as a kindle download in exchange for an honest review. My main issues with the book are not content based. The rendering was horrible. Some of the words were cut off and some images (thankfully non that accompanied the patterns) appeared blank. Well, I supposed I shouldn't say blank as the background did come up. This is the only reason why this book did not get a 5/5 from me. Everything else was absolutely beautiful.

Urban Life

So it's been some time since I last posted, work definitely got the best of me. So after yet another weekend spent working, I've decided to dip back into the mode of getting some writing done every night. Hopefully this will put me back on track. I decided to go a bit light with my first post back and brows through some of my street photography. One of the perks of city living is never feeling like you're alone. Well, that's actually both a perk and a curse, but today I'm focusing on the positive side of the coin.

Street photography has long been a passion of mine. I chalk it up to my some-what voyeuristic nature. The following pictures are from my wanderings in New York City. I've segmented them by location.

Bryant Park

Reading in the Park

Last Snow

The Park

Book Review: Tiger Boy

Tiger Boy

by Mitali Perkins
My rating: 5 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

When a tiger cub escapes from a nature reserve near Neel’s island village, the rangers and villagers hurry to find her before the cub’s anxious mother follows suit and endangers them all. Mr. Gupta, a rich newcomer to the island, is also searching—he wants to sell the cub’s body parts on the black market. Neel and his sister, Rupa, resolve to find the cub first and bring her back to the reserve where she belongs.

The hunt for the cub interrupts Neel’s preparations for an exam to win a prestigious scholarship at a boarding school far from home. Neel doesn’t mind—he dreads the exam and would rather stay on his beloved island in the Sunderbans of West Bengal with his family and friends.

But through his encounter with the cub, Neil learns that sometimes you have to take risks to preserve what you love. And sometimes you have to sacrifice the present for the chance to improve the future.

Review:

I received this book through the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book gets a very loud RECOMMEND! The story touched me from the start. I initially chose it on NetGalley because I was looking for a book to share with my children. Sadly, I had to leave them behind as I got to the meat of this book. I still plan on going back to it and completing it with them, but I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The first thing that drew me into this book was the cover art. It is both simple and beautiful. The use of bold, ethnic colors keeps with the themes of strength, and nature conservation which throughout the book.

Book Review: Garden of Dreams and Desires

Garden of Dreams and Desires

by Kristen Painter
My rating: 3 out of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Tourists are disappearing at an alarming rate. While Augustine and his lieutenants attempt to find them, Harlow and the evil spirit possessing her remain Augustine's true focus. Freeing her from the spirit's grasp is all he can think about, especially with no real solution on the horizon.

Then he discovers the tourists are disappearing because the witches are stealing souls to cast a dangerous chaos spell. Before he can stop them, Harlow becomes their victim. Now he must race the clock to set her free and end the witches' machinations before the chaos spell strips every fae in New Orleans of their power and bring fae rule to an end…

Book Review: I Am: Why Two Little Words Mean So Much

I Am: Why Two Little Words Mean So Much

by Dr. Wayne Dyer and Kristina Tracy
My rating: 5 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

I AM teaches kids a simple but profound message: God is not far off in the distance, or even merely beside us. In other words, we are not separate from God-we are God! Knowing that God's love and strength is a part of everyone can help kids grow to meet their greatest potential in life.

Review:

Yet another home run! This was the second book written by Dr. Dyer that I read with my children. The first was purchased but this one was a gift from a dear co-worker. After reading “the Unstoppable Me!” I knew that I wanted to read more by this author. You can imagine my happy surprise to find it sitting on my desk with a handwritten note to my daughter telling her that she is special and to never stop being herself. This book is beautifully written and illustrated. It probes and answers some pretty heavy philosophical questions that I may not have been able to broach with my little one. It’s very important to give children and anchor, especially in this generation where morals often take a back seat, and our little ones are bombarded by social media. This book is a great tool to help us remind them that not only are they a part of God, but also, the God is a part of them and they are never alone.

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Book Review: The Unstoppable Me!

The Unstoppable Me!

by Dr. Wayne Dyer
My rating: 5 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

In Unstoppable Me! Dr. Dyer teaches children how to hold on to the no-limit thinking he believes they were born with, rather than just trying to “fit in.” In doing so, they can learn to truly enjoy life and become unstoppable as they strive to attain their dreams…

Review:

This book is absolutely awesome. For my family it’s a golden oldie. My daughter (9yo) and I still re-read it whenever she needs a little pick me up. Both the artwork and the writing are amazing. The lessons are easily understood by early and mid-level readers. I plan to start reading this book to my son (4yo) very soon and anticipate reading it to my youngest (1 yo) as well. In this book Dr. Dyer speaks of not just fitting in to society but being true to yourself. He also touches the issues surrounding the value of taking risks and embracing change, overcoming anxiety and just plain learning to enjoy life for all that it has to offer. I love the Q&A topics at the back of the book; they act as great conversation starters for you and your child.

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Book Review: Pines

Pines

by Blake Crouch
My rating: 5 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off.

Review:

I received this book through the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This fell into the category of books I couldn’t put down. I gobbled it up in one day; and it was worth every minute. I never stopped to think how eerie it would be to exist in a Norman Rockwell painting. In the opening chapter of the book we meet our main character as he struggles to make sense of the seemly idyllic town, Wayward Pines, which he has been thrust into. As an added twist, he also seems to be suffering from a serious bout of amnesia. Through various interactions with the citizens, he realizes that something strange is going on. From that point on, the entire ride is surreal

Book Review: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

by Paige McKenzie and Alyssa B. Sheinmel
My rating: 4 of 5 hearts

Review:

I received this book through the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. At first, I was somewhat skeptical about this one. I wasn’t sure that a book based on a YouTube series was going to be any good. However, after viewing reviews from some of my favorite authors (Wes Craven and R.L. Stein) I decided to give it a go. I’ve got to say that I’m so happy that I decided to read this book. It was great! The plot was well developed and there were virtually no grammatical or spelling errors. While I don’t agree with the reviews that this book was scary, it was definitely filled with thrills and suspense. The use of more descriptive language would have evoked more raw fear. Still, it was most definitely creepy. As each scene unfolded the general feeling of creepiness grew. The character development was perfect.

Book Review: Shadow Shadow

Shadow Shadow

by V.B. Marlowe
My rating: 4 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Harley receives a mysterious gift on her sixteenth birthday--a shadow box. The box gives her the power to trade someone to the shadows, meaning they will disappear and cease to exist. Harley can't imagine doing such a horrible thing and is warned that using the box comes at a price. Unfortunately, not using the box can be even more costly. Harley must make this life-altering decision as she discovers frightening revelations about the town she calls home

Review:

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I thought this book was awesome. I literally devoured it. The cover art is beautifully sinister. It evoked a sense of impending dread and darkness. Beyond that, both the plot and writing style were great!

I was hooked from the first bit of prose. The situations that occurred were captivating. Can you imagine getting such a heavy gift/burden at such a young age? Being able to make anyone who crossed you disappear into oblivion? As a teenaged misfit, I would have probably disappeared half the town. There were a few moments that were mildly predictable, but for the most part I was left guessing. The story is told from the perspective of two very different female characters. The author handled the switch been the characters’ voices very well.

Book Review: The Clockwork Heart

The Clockwork Heart

by Lilliana Rose
My rating: 2 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Haunted by a past lover and left with scars so deep Libby gave up her life as an explorer, she spends her days trying to avoid bad memories by training ruthlessly with Helen, the woman she hired to teach her self-defense. Helen is beautiful, appealing, and could be what Libby needs to climb out of her past once and for all.

Until the past returns and threatens to destroy Libby, and all that she holds dear, once and for all...

Review:

I received this book through the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was immediately drawn to the cover of this book both for its subject matter and its simplicity. Sadly, the book cover was all I liked.

I hate it when I finish a book and can’t express how I feel about it. This is one of those books. I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t like it either. It wasn’t so much the story content as the author’s writing style. The sentences were short and the felt clipped. It also could use some more editing love. My displeasure doesn’t stop there though. The book as a whole is a bit boring. Although the story was about an adventurer and was packed with combat training and a horrific sadistic kidnapping it was still dry. The genre was not clearly defined, I never got “Steampunk” from any of the text until a car chase near the end of the book.

Childhood Innocence

Adults are obsolete children...
- Dr. Seuss

As a mom of 3 I love taking pictures of my little ones … but what mom doesn’t. Children have a way of interacting with the world in a carefree fashion that we, as adults, have long lost. Nothing can match the excitement and wonder of viewing something for the first time. Capturing my children allows me to experience those feelings again. The following are some of my favorites.

My Littles

Who I Am

Window Watching

Happiness

Book Review: Vector

Vector

by Vaun Murphrey
My rating: 4 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Homecomings usually involve burgers, fries and apple pies; but that's not on the menu for Cassandra and Silver. They're launched into assassination attempts, bar brawls, and relationship drama just in the first 24 hours. Can they protect everyone they love from all comers before it explodes in their face? Find out in VECTOR, Book Three of the Weaver Series

Review:

In short, I loved this book. Not being familiar with this series, I was lost in the first half of this book. However, the author does bridge enough of the gaps to answer the most important questions my mind created. This created a sort of truce between me and the characters’ history. Once I felt like I was caught up on the back story, I thoroughly enjoyed this installation.

Book Review: 2020 Season 1 The Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Series

2020 Season 1 (Episodes 1-6)

by Paul Moxham
My rating: 3 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Who thought that January 1, 2020 would be the start of the end?

Not Logan Pollock. He only had one thought on his mind on that fateful morning, and that involved his bride to be, but in one instant, in one second, all that changed as he, along with everyone else, witnessed something so horrific and terrifying that life would never be the same ever again.....

Review:

I originally gave this book a 4 heart rating. However, I had a horrible time writing a review for it. I've finally figured out why. I don’t think I liked the story as much as I thought I did. Yeah, I know that sounds weird, but there’s no other way to say it. I found that I was unable to really get “into” the story until about 50% of the way through. Once I did get into it, I was absolutely hooked. I couldn't put down the book.

Episode 1 starts off with a bang (literally) and the action doesn’t stop from there. The plot had some predictable moments but was, for the most part, engaging. My biggest issue is that the likelihood of any of the presented situations actually occurring was zero; the outcomes were even less credible. The book is separated into 2 arcs which follow the paths of brothers, Logan and Kenneth, 3 weeks after an alien invasion. One is a love/rescue story and the other a Nike/race to the bittersweet victory story. Both arcs were full of gaps that never get filled. I feel like there is a great story at the core of this book that’s begging to be told; I don’t think that the desire was truly fulfilled in this work. Aside from my various plot issues, the writing style wasn’t bad. There were quite a few grammatical errors, but not enough to detract from the core story… well, once I got into it.

I saw many reviews where character development in this book was deemed shallow. I disagree with that. I thought the characters were well developed, they were just shallow (and some, not likable) people. It sort of mirrors life, not everyone is a complex human being. I did, however, find fault with the development of the aliens. There’s a huge (picture Grand Canyon) plot twist around the aliens that’s thrown at us and never fully explained. Once that was uncovered, I felt that the aliens were just way too weak. The chase scenes and gun fights between the aliens and the humans felt like comic relief as in Mars Attacks. Even their weakness (considering the planet they decided to attack) was comical.

I think I’ve settled into a 3 heart rating for this book. I will definitely have to be picky when recommending this book. If you’re new to this genre, then this may be the book for you. For hard-core fans of post-apocalyptic/dystopian fiction, this is not the book for you.

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Book Review: To Catch A Wolf

To Catch a Wolf

by Lynn Red
My rating: 2 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Isabel Taylor was more than a little frustrated when she answered a very vague job ad to be the personal assistant of a mayor in a town she didn't know existed. That was two years ago. Curvy, tough and with more than a little bit of a naughty streak, Izzy has long since gotten used to the weirdness of everyday life in Jamesburg... but she's fallen hard for Erik's rough charm....

Review:

Phew, I can't believe I actually made it through this book. At about 12% I had already given up on there actually being a coherent story line. Since I haven't read a book of this genre since high school (by way of Harlequin) I wasn't really sure what to expect and gave it a chance. Luckily, I'm not one to shy away from a challenge so I stuck it out to the end.

This book turned out to be another of the, what I call, glutton for punishment books. I haven't read a book this bad since Glamour. The primary difference between the two being that the latter was mainly plagued by editing issues. Nothing detracts more from an already failing story than a string of missing and misspelled words. To Catch a Wolf, suffered from much more than just a need for heavy editing. The plot in this book was predictable and not well developed. Although this was a fantasy novel many of the situations were highly unbelievable. I'm new to the world of shape-shifter books, however, I was always under the impression that once a wolf mate, his selected is his mate for life. In this book, Erik, the leading male character speaks of past "mates". This detracted from the main goal in the story. Why is it important that he hasn't made Isabel (Izzy) his mate if she's just one in a string? Granted, great effort is made trying to convince us that past mates were just booty calls and Izzy is the real thing... I didn't get that. It felt like the underlying storyline was just there to fill in the gaps between the steamy sex scenes. The lack of development on the storyline was seconded by a distressing lack of character development.

Book Review: The Cracked Slipper

The Cracked Slipper

by Stephanie Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

When Eleanor Brice unexpectedly wins the heart of Gregory Desmarais, Crown Prince of Cartheigh, she's sure she's found her happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, Prince Charming has a loose grip on his temper, a looser grip on his marriage vows, and a tight grip on the bottle...

Review:

What happens when "Happily Ever After is just "Ever After"? All fairy tales promise that idyllic, all-elusive "Happy Ending." As girls growing up we all listened, completely enraptured, to these narratives. We grow up seeking that happily ever after and don't stop until we believe we have it in our grasp. But what happens when the silver tarnishes, when our Prince Chaming falls short of his gallant steed? Or, even worse, what happens then when we find our true prince in someone else? We've all imagined how the saved princesses live wonderful lives later on the happily ever after. This book completely shatters that notion.

Spring Beauties

This Spring produced some really beautiful flowers. Even with my hay fever I wasn’t able to pass by a patch without snapping a shot or two. I was able to capture them from many different places. These are some of my favorites from my two biggest haunts.

Bryant Park Beauties

Tulips

American Phlox

Begonias

Purple Flowers

Book Review: Freedom, Spiced and Drunk

Freedom, Spiced and Drunk

by M.C.A. Hogarth
My rating: 4 of 5 hearts

Synopsis

Kediil wants only to remain neuter and learn the secrets of herbs from its beloved Mardin... but at its second puberty, it turns female, and is forced to decide between accepting its new roles among the family... or something unspeakable.

Review

Set on an alien world, this poignant coming of age tale doesn’t fail to impress. We follow Kediil, a Jokka, as it has to endure puberty not once but twice. While this story is very short and reads more like epic poetry; the two main characters and their dilemmas are thoroughly developed. There are no moments of wasted words or scenes. You can feel the anguish born of Kediil's impending decision from the start of the story straight to its bittersweet ending. There were moments when I was cheering for Kediil and others when I felt that it should be chastised for its selfishness.

Book Review: Rampant Damsels

Rampant Damsels

by Michael H. Kelly
My rating: 3 out of 5 hearts

What do you do when your home is in danger of invasion by a nearby rival and his demon buddies, and your leader the target of a grand assassination plot? You call on a rag-tag bunch of the bawdiest females in your town. Where do you find them? At the local pub of course! Armed with beauty, strength and a great pair of tatas; they fearlessly (or naively depending on how you interpret it) head out to right the wrongs they believe will be visited by their compatriots…through mind blasting, psychotically violent feats.

The best word to summarize this book is – what!? Being the first of its genre (coined ‘gutter fantasy’) that I’ve read, this book threw me for a loop. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first and admittedly the utter ridiculousness that danced across the pages had me constantly scratching my head. Lusty gnomes and killer squirrels are the first of a string of off the wall characters you encounter. I knew that was going to be taken for a ride, I just wasn’t sure of the destination or if I wanted to go.

Book Review: An Evil Shadow (Val Bosanquet Mystery #1)

An Evil Shadow

by A.J. Davidson
My rating: 3 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

The first in a series of books, each one taking a different crime as its theme.

Val Bosanquet, a former New Orleans detective, is offered a job as Chief of a campus PD. A Haitian child killer he helped convict for the murder of her mother has just been enrolled at the university. Val stumbles across new evidence linking the ten-year old murder to a disgraced cop and one of America’s most popular sportswear companies. Corporate corruption and Voodoo make for a volatile mix in the deep south….

Review:

This was another from my stash of free kindle books. I'm happy to say that it was a great book. An Evil Shadow is an easy read and kept me completely immersed. I would definitely recommend it as vacation crime reading.

I only gave it a 3/5 stars because at only 228 pages, I feel like it could have been a bit longer and the editing was shady.

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First picture sold!

I'm incredibly excited! Late last year, I decided to start sharing some photos I took. I have to say that I can see the awesome progress that I make and I find myself growing prouder and more confident with each photo. So, to feed this new obsession I started and Eyeem page and a few others. Well it turns out that I was able to submit some of my photos to the Getty stock images site and after months of no activity I received an email message saying that I had sold a picture! Although it wasn't for a large sum I was extremely happy that someone (other than myself) thought the picture was awesome. Here it is! It's part of a series that I call "The Human Condition". Here are some of my favorites from the collection. Oh! and in case you're wondering picture #3 is the one I've sold.

Sandman 2

Sadness

Sandman 1

Reading

Check out my album on Eyeem