Early Book Review: Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle by Erica Fyvie, Bill Slavin

Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle is a non fiction children's book written by Erica Fyvie and illustrated by Bill Slavin. It is currently scheduled for release on April 3 2018.

All the “stuff” that surrounds us has a life cycle: materials are harvested, the stuff is made and distributed, it's consumed and then it gets trashed or recycled. Using the typical contents of a child's school backpack (defined as water, food, clothing, paper, plastic, metals, electronics), this book explores those stages in detail, including lots of ways to reduce, reuse or recycle waste along the way. Children will gain new insight into the routine decisions they make about their own consuming and trashing or recycling practices. For example: How long does it take for a cotton T-shirt to decompose in a landfill? Can a bike helmet be made from recyclable materials? Which is better for the Earth, wrapping a sandwich in aluminum foil or plastic? By learning to use critical thinking skills to make informed choices, children will feel empowered by the important, constructive role they can play in the future health of the planet. It includes a glossary, resources, bibliography and index.

Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle is a solid explanation of how things are made, disposed of, and or recycled. Making the information more accessible, it is all related to the items a reader in the target audience might carry around with them in their school backpack. This makes it a little more interesting and relevant to their day to day life, so it is more likely they will want to learn the information and hopefully retain it. The use of every day objects in the explanations brings it all home. I like that the information is well organized; complete with info graphics, charts, and sidebars. I also like that the information is followed by how these processes impact the world around us, and how readers can effect change in big or small was with the choices they make. Empowering them to take action rather than just leaving them feeling lectured or blamed for the things they might have done in the past. I will say that the feel of the book was a little textbook like- for some reason the cover and set up reminded me of some of the older classroom books that get read as assigned, but not looked for otherwise. I think that would be a shame with this book, since it is so well done, but can see some students passing it by for that reason. However, in the same vein it could be a perfect go-to resource for elementary science and social studies classrooms.

Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle is a straightforward and accessible guide for young readers. The explanations of the cycle of  waste-including water, paper, food, plastic and more challenging types of materials. 

Book Review: Enchanted by the Highlander (A Highland Fairytale) by Lecia Cornwall

Enchanted by the Highlander is the forth book in the Highland Fairytale series  by Lecia Cornwall. It is the first book from the series that I have read, but I think that each book likely stands well on its own, but there must be some character continuation- because there clearly was back story for our main characters and the involved parties.

Gillian MacLeod is shy and quiet, the least likely of all her sisters to seek out excitement and adventure. But on a moonlit night at a masquerade ball, Gillian steals a kiss from a mysterious stranger, knowing she’ll never see him again. John Erly, disowned by his noble English father, started a new life in Scotland. Most people are suspicious of the foreign mercenary and he does everything is his power to avoid romantic entanglements. But he can’t forget the bewitching beauty who kissed him in the dark, and stole his heart, even though he has no idea who she might be. A year later, John is given the duty of escorting Gillian to her wedding and immediately recognizes her as the temptress he’s dreamed of for months. There’s not much he can do when she's promised to another man, but fate intervenes and this time, passion—and adventure—can’t be denied. Honor demands he stay away from the MacLeod’s enchanting daughter, but love has a very different ending in mind.

Enchanted by the Highlander is a historical romance with solid characters and some well done conflict. I connected with Gillian, with the way others assume she has nothing to say just because she rarely speaks up. As someone who normally holds her tongue unless I have something important to say, I found myself feeling much like her on many occasions in my life. I like that she is strong and more than capable, but is also caring and follows her heart. It is a nice balance. John is a strong character as well, but I felt a little less of a connection with him. His back story is well done, as is his honor and desire to do the right thing even if it is hard or not what he really wants at the moment. The touches of fairy tale troupes was cool, and I wonder if all of the stories I saw in the novel were intended or just the way the story evolved. I found the action and adventure of the story to be well done, the danger felt real and played out with a couple unexpected twists. However, I found myself frustrated with the last few, not because they were badly done, but because I was ready for the happy ever after and it felt like it was never coming.

Enchanted by the Highlander is a good historical romance with plenty of action, adventure, and angst. I liked the fairy tale touches, but found that it just went on a little too long.  Each twist was good, and well done, but I think some could have been saved for another adventure.

Early Book Review: My Best Friend is a Goldfish by Mark Lee, Chris Jevons

My Best Friend is a Goldfish by Mark Lee, with contributions from Chris Jevons, is currently scheduled for release on April 1 2018.  After arguing with his best friend about which game to play, a boy decides its time to find a new best friend. So he tries to becoming friends with his dog, his cat, and his goldfish. He learns to eat on the floor with his dog, take naps with his cat, and watch the world from underwater with his goldfish. But none of these animals measure up to his true best friend, and he has to learn the very important lesson that being different from each other doesn't mean you can't still be the best of friends.

My Best Friend is a Goldfish is a fun story that show how two friends might not always agree, but they can still be best friends and enjoy each other's company. I like that the story is told equally through the illustrations and the text. It is in the illustrations that we see the boy and his friend playing, but not quite as happily as they had hoped. His journey of exploring the things he shares with his pets and how some things they both like, and others not so much. I enjoyed that it is a journey many kids could make, or have made, and not one that someone explained to him. I think this makes the lesson more accessible and acceptable to the young readers. I think the story is one that every one can relate to, and enjoy. It was a wonderful and fun read.

Book Review: Diaper Duty Vampire (Vampires of Amber Heights) by R.E. Mullins

Diaper Duty Vampire is the first book of the Vampires of Amber Heights series by R.E. Mullins. However, this is the second vampire series, and this one is certainly related to the first. I think those that have read the The Blautsaugers of Amber Heights series that proceeds this will definitely get more from the read than those of us that were newcomers to the author. 

During the Civil War, Union soldier, John Alden took a musket ball to the gut. As he gasped his final breath, he was turned into a vampire and started life anew in Amber Heights, Missouri. For over one hundred and fifty years, he's lived a rather solitary life as a vampire Enforcer. Young single mother, Joann Clarkson, needs a job and fast. Hoping to be rehired, she returns to Dr. Michaela Blautsauger's lab prepared to eat a hefty helping of humble pie. She comes to regret that decision when she's taken hostage. Things look grim but she'll never stop fighting to escape. Her son needs his mama. As an Enforcer, John must hunt down the vampire who kidnapped Joann. In his search, John winds up babysitting her toddler Cody. Changing diapers might be worse than getting staked, but nothing compares to how he feels when both mother and child fall into danger again.

Diaper Duty Vampire is a fast, fun read. I was greatly amused with John's efforts to tend to little Cody. The diaper blow outs and issue that come with taking care of a toddler had me giggling. Joann is not as fleshed out as I would have liked, but her character still had some spunk and that balanced it out a little for me. John is a more complex character, and I felt like I got more of his past and motivation than I did Joann's. The action was well done, and had me wondering what might happen next, but the romance felt a little flat.  I did not get all the types of vampires and drama that caused the danger and suspense elements of the story, but I think that fans of the author will already have that back ground story and get more from it than I did. I did enjoy the read, but I was not blown away by it or intrigued enough to hunt down the previous books for the back story, or to follow up on the really good tease for the next book in the series.

Diaper Duty Vampire is a good weekend read, but I think it will be more satisfying to those that have read previous books by Mullins. 

Early Book Review: Science Comics: Robots and Drones: Past, Present & Future by Mairghread Scott, Jacob Chabot

Science Comics: Robots and Drones: Past, Present & Future is a nonfiction graphic novel written by Mairghread Scott and illustrated by Jacob Chabot. This new volume in the Science Comics series is currently scheduled for release on March 27 2018.

From tea-serving robots in feudal Japan to modern rovers exploring Mars, robots have been humanity's partners, helpers, and protectors for centuries! Join one of the world's earliest robots, a mechanical bird named Pouli, as he explores where robots came from, how they work, and where they’re going in this informative and hilarious new book! Ever dreamt of building your own best friend? It might be easier than you think!

Science Comics: Robots and Drones: Past, Present & Future is another great addition to the Science Comics series. The art style and the combination of story and information works well to capture and keep the attention of readers from all age groups. I am admittedly a fan of the formula, but how can you argue with something that works to teach and entertain so well. I like that the information is given in short bursts, giving readers time to digest and understand before piling more on, and I really enjoyed getting more information on early robots. Automatons are such a staple in some of the steampunk that I have read that it was interesting to see them in historical context rather than as something fantastical. The explanations of the technology of robots and drones, and the differences between some devices that people often refer to interchangeably but are not, is very accessible and I learned quite a bit. 

Science Comics: Robots and Drones: Past, Present & Future is a book that will engage the mechanically inclined, and the not so adept. The information and story are fun and well paced, as I have come to expect. If this is the first of this series you have seen, I highly recommend checking out the entire series, or at least the volumes that touch on topics that might interest you and the children in your life. 

Book Review: Acting Lessons (Off Guard) by Katie Allen

Acting Lessons is the first book in the Off Guard series by Katie Allen. It's an offer she can't refuse. Two weeks of work for enough cash to quit her day job and focus on auditions is a dream come true for struggling actress Topher. All she has to do is play girlfriend to a wealthy friend, helping him secure his trust fund. Then she meets her friend's sinfully handsome, firmly off-limits uncle, and all bets are off. Not only is Uncle James surprisingly younger than imagined, he's charismatic and hot as hell. And there's something about the wounded veteran's hungry stare that has her thinking the feeling is mutual. Topher's determined to ignore Uncle Sexy, but the forbidden temptation is too much to handle, especially after James flashes his dominant side. But surrendering to temptation is easier said than done when the plot thickens. Even if Topher can manage to fool everyone involved, she's not sure she can fool her own heart—or the man she's definitely not supposed to be falling for.

Acting Lessons is a romance with touches of the ridiculous, and more than enough steam. Topher's act of a ditzy bad girlfriend is hysterical, and the fact that she is more endearing and entertaining than annoying despite her efforts. I loved the comments she made, and I will admit to giggling out loud several times during the read, prompting my children to ask me what was so funny- although I dare not share.  I got a kick out of Topher's character through the whole thing. The sparks between James and Topher were extreme, and although I do not always go for my main couple jumping into bed, it kind of worked here. The whole daddy/baby girl thing never did it for me, but James' strength and desire to take care of her worked. I also like that they actually discussed what they wanted to do or try, and set up a safe word so that if the play went too far Topher could stop it. Then there was the additional character building for the secondary characters, the danger and crazy family drama, and general likability once Topher let more of herself shine through the act is what really made the story. I could have passed on some of the age play stuff, but there are some readers that will love it. I still love the book, and will be checking out more from this side of the author.

Acting Lessons is an erotic romance with some kinks that never really did it for me, but fun dialogue that had me giggling and adults that had real conversations about what they were doing made the read wonderful. I loved it, and was delighted to discover that I was already a fan of the author, since Katie Allen is a pseudonym for Katie Ruggle. I cannot wait to get my hands on Baking Lessons, the second book in the series, which is scheduled for released in March of 2018. 

Early Book Review: Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest by Sarah Hampson, Kass Reich

Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest is a picturebook written by Sarah Hampson and illustrated by Kass Reich. It is currently scheduled for release on April 3 2018. Dr. Archibald Coo, an erudite big-city pigeon, is tired of the way people treat him and the other pigeons. They're always being shooed and swatted, and they're never admired the way the other birds are. As Dr. Coo tells his pigeon friends: It wasn't always this way. In ancient times, pigeons were known to accompany the gods. They brought news of the Olympic Games to all of ancient Greece. And more recently, they delivered messages and medicine to soldiers on battlefields. They were heroes! Surely, Dr. Coo reasons, pigeons can find a way to earn the admiration of people once again. And he's got just the bold plan to do it. 

Dr. Coo and the Pigeon Protest is a well written and illustrated picturebook. I found the artwork to be lovely, and to give extra details to the story. I liked that the pigeons not only noticed how other birds were treated in contrast to them, but that they came up with a solution that was about knowledge, awareness, and love rather than violence and causing problems for those that have treated them badly. I like the example about compromise and making changes happen. It is about diversity, activism, compromise, and co-existence. I like that the lesson is part of the story, but at no point did it feel like it was being forced. Also, children might learn something real about how our use and perspective of pigeons has changed over the years, and that the same could happen to any other group with the right conditions. 

Book Review: Sullivan (Rock Creek 6) by Linda Winstead Jones

Sullivan is the second book in the Rock Creek 6 series by Linda Winstead Jones. You do not read the series in order to understand the story, or the characters. While those reading the books as a series will get a little bit more from the read, newcomers will still be able to fully enjoy the story.

A half-breed bastard, Sinclair Sullivan knows he has no place in the world. Not with white men, not with the Comanche – and certainly not with Eden Rourke, the sister of one of his only friends. But when Eden meets him on the road to Rock Creek, she insists that he accompany her to town. With two orphaned waifs in her wagon, and enough determination to fell a much more stubborn man, Eden’s demand is irresistible  and once in Rock Creek, Sullivan finds himself unable to resist stealing more than one kiss. She’s certain that their love is written in the stars, despite her brother’s objections and yet, Sullivan must first convince himself that he’s the man his lovely Eden deserves.

Sullivan is a historical romance with characters that tug at the heart strings. Eden is one of those people that always looks for the good in the world, and when reality offers hard choices she does what she can to make things better for everyone. Eden has collected to orphans, and a wounded Sullivan on her journey to Rock Creek. I  loved her take charge attitude and how she just kind of gets her way, not by trickery or calculated manipulation- but just by virtue of being thoughtful and typically right. Sullivan does not think much of his standing in life, and does not want to drag Eden into the less than perfect life he sees for himself. I like that the majority of the struggles between the pair are with their own perceptions- although there is real and significant danger at play as well too. I also like that Sullivan and Eden actually talk about the issues at hand, and avoid the trap of causing their own problems rather than facing them together. The danger is two fold, and kept me on edge through a good portion of the book, although I suspected some of the causes behind the problems. I think my favorite part is seeing the evolution of the town, and the characters, as the book and series continues on.

Sullivan is another read with well written characters and a compelling story, just as expected from a veteran author like Jones. 

Early Book Review: Peanut Butter and Jelly (Narwhal and Jelly) by Ben Clanton

Peanut Butter and Jelly is the third book in the Narwhal and Jelly series of easy reader level graphic novels by Ben Clanton. Each of this adorable books is able to stand on their own, but they are so cute that you will want to read them all. This volume is currently scheduled for release on March 27 2018.

Narwhal and Jelly are back and Narwhal has a new obsession, peanut butter! He's so obsessed he even wants to change his name to Peanut Butter! Ever-sensible Jelly isn't so sure that's the best idea, but is all for Narwhal trying new things (instead of just eating waffles all the time, no matter how delicious waffles are). In this third book, Narwhal and Jelly star in three new stories about trying new things, favorite foods and accepting who we are. Always funny and never didactic, this underwater duo charms again through their powerful combination of positive thinking, imagination and joyfulness.

Peanut Butter and Jelly is another fun collection of stories by Clanton. What kid (or adult) has not become a little too interested in a new food, hobby, or fandom? Narwhal takes it a bit to the extreme, as usual, but that is what makes the story so entertaining. I loved the interaction between Narwhal and Jelly (as usual) and the combination of learning about finding new things and moderation along side the wacky and fun ways Narwhal goes about things. It is a fun and delightful read that is never overwhelming or preachy despite the lessons inherent to the story. 

Book Review: Scorpio Hates Virgo (Signs of Love) by Anyta Sunday

Scorpio Hates Virgo is the second book in the Signs of Love series by Anyta Sunday. While I did read, and greatly enjoy, the first book in this series each book can stand on its own.

Percy Freedman is not grieving. Absolutely not, take that back at once. No, he’s entirely sure that selling his dead aunt’s home and leaving the neighbors he’s known for years is the sane thing to do. Who in their right mind would keep the house that smells like all the hugs he’ll never have again? Nobody, that’s who. Well, except his cul-de-sac neighbors. They all seem to think some paint and new furniture will clean the emotional slate. They all want him to stay. Even his nemesis, Callaghan Glover. Especially his nemesis, Callaghan Glover. Lured into a game of Sherlock Gnomes, Percy finds himself hanging out with his neighbors more than might be considered healthy. Along with juggling new and surprising verbal grenades from Cal, and his burgeoning friendship with Gnomber9, Percy is starting to wonder if selling might have been the grief talking after all.

Scorpio Hates Virgo is a wonderful slow burn romance, and it made me happy in a variety of ways. Percy is mourning the loss of the one family member that stood by him after he came out, the aunt that took him in when his parents turned their backs on him. Coming back is hard, and the accepting and caring nature of the neighborhood makes it even harder. I loved watching Cal and Percy dance around each other, trading barbs and innuendoes as they become friends. I enjoyed that everyone else seems aware of what is happening, and that Percy seems to be the last to know. The family and neighborhood dynamics were wonderful, and I enjoyed  watching them grow and become more acquainted with the characters since the first book in the series happened in other settings. Watching Percy come to terms with his loss, how it effected others, and the problems others are having was sometimes heartbreaking, and other time heart warming. I quickly came to care about the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the read. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, which is already waiting for my attention on my Kindle.

Scorpio Hates Virgo is a wonderful read, with well written characters and realistic actions and reactions. I love Sunday's writing style because of this realism, and will continue to explore their work.