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Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Dan Hendricks is a seasoned hunter of people. Usually, the contract is to find someone and hand them over to whoever pays him, but he has no problem with taking anyone out. Someone in Sweden dies protecting someone else, and Dan's company figures out quickly that he isn't who he claimed to be. He was a hunted man, with a secret. Dan has to figure out the dead man's secret before the big, crooked government agency does. Category Mystery, Thriller Why I chose this book Kindle First My personal opinion (the review) I liked the story, and even though there's a ton of killing (10 in one day, Dan estimates at one point), I mostly enjoyed the book. But I can't recommend it. The language was too frequent. It added nothing to the story, I don't understand why it was included! Warnings Language: one character, Charlie, used terrible language, but no one else did Violence: frequent "Adult" situations: a coupl

Concept: A guide to using herbs and spices in cooking. Author : " Jill Norman created the Penguin Cookery Library in the 1960s and 1970s, bringing many first-class authors to the list. She... is a leading authority on the use of herbs and spices." Goodreads  Food type: Herbs and Spices Monologue score  (1-10) (how entertaining, not the recipes): 3 - This book ended up being more of a reference book than and actual cookbook. However the pages did have interesting information like how it is harvested, what parts of the plant are used, how to store them, a description of what it tastes like, and flavors it would pair well with.   Difficulty level:  Difficult - many of them require uncommon or  specialty  ingredients. Most of the dishes given are ethnic dishes.  Approximate percentage of recipes I would be willing to try: 3% - Overall there were not very many recipes in this book. Mostly it told what herbs and spices might pair well with what meats or other spices and h

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Since his mother's death two years ago, Magnus has been living on his own on the streets of Boston. He is tracked down by and Uncle who tells him he is descended from one of the Norse gods. Magnus doesn't want to believe it but when put face to face with a fire giant Magnus is set on a course to find out just how much truth was in what his Uncle was telling him.  Category: YA Why I chose this book: Written by a favorite author My personal opinion (the review): Rick Riordan is known for being cheeky. It's part of what makes his books fun. However, in Sword of Summer he took it too far. Honestly I felt like it was less about teaching Norse Mythology and more about how many pop culture references he could through in. (And many of those references are going to loose their meaning in the coming years making this book passe very quickly). Overall, I was very disappointed.  Warnings Language: One or two actual cuss words, but many many referenc

Concept: All recipes are 400 calories or less per serving Author : Two Mormon Mom's who started a food blog.  Food type: Mostly lunches and dinners  Monologue score  (1-10) : 7.5. Best part is the side bar categories.  Difficulty level: Easy Approximate percentage of recipes I would be willing to try: While I was surprised that there were more recipes than I expected to like, I still was probably only interested in 20-30% of the recipes.  Sample recipes I'm interested in trying: English Muffin Breakfast Pizza Chipotle Chicken Corn Chowder Spaghetti Soup Honey Balsamic Drumsticks Hawaiian Sloppy Joes Chocolate Crepes Cremes with Bananas and Caramel 

Summary: Tells the story of the invention of the Ferris wheel.  Attention Span/reading level: Ages 8+, small paragraph on each page.  Good uses for book in teaching: About the invention of the Ferris Wheel, the Eiffel Tower, and the Chicago World's fair.  Favorite part: I learned that the cars were enclosed with velvet seats and windows. Also, Walt Disney's father worked at the Chicago World's fair and would tell Walt about all the inventions. This was some of the inspiration he used to build Disneyland.  Least favorite part?  W arnings/negative feedback?: Nothing really. Some of the sentences felt really choppy but but that is just a minor technical detail.   Review: Fairly simple and upbeat explanation of how the first "Monster Wheel" or Ferris Wheel came into being. Pretty illustrations. Good mix of story plus facts. 

Concept: Breakfast and brunch ideas Author : Bobby Flay - Famous Chef on Food Network. He has several restaurants and several accolades in the food world. One of the things I really like about him is that while he is competitive he isn't mean about it. When someone else does a good job he acknowledges it goodnaturedly. (Yes, I made that word up).  Food type: Breakfast and brunch ideas  Monologue score  (1-10) (how entertaining, not the recipes): 4 Difficulty level: Medium to difficult Approximate percentage of recipes I would be willing to try:  I was disappointed that half or more of the recipes here have alcohol in them. I know alcohol is a popular thing, but being a person who doesn't drink at all that made more than half the recipes inside out of the question for me. I understand that cookbooks will have recipes with alcohol but it was frustrating that the percentage was so high.  Also, I'm not the biggest fan of breakfast foods...  Though I am only intere

Brief synopsis (no spoilers):  Princess Cimorene lives in a very proper kingdom where everyone fulfills their expected rolls. Everyone except Cimorene that is. Between all her normal lessons she sneaks away to secret lessons with the castle fencing teacher, cook, and wizard. Each time her parents find out about these secret lessons they put a stop to them and tell her to be more normal. So, to make her life a bit more exciting she runs away and becomes Princess (housekeeper/helper) to Kazul the Dragon. Once there, she gets wrapped up in a case of intrigue among the Wizards.   Category:  Middle-school - teen fantasy Why I chose this book: Found it on a list of 25 books one should read in their lifetime  My personal opinion (the review): I immensely enjoyed this book. It has a bit of a feminist bent to it, but it's not overbearing. I don't really agree with the whole running away aspect, but I do like that Cimorene wants more out of life and she seeks after it. I like the C

Summary:  Author David J. Smith has found clever devices to scale down everything from time lines (the history of Earth compressed into one year), to quantities (all the wealth in the world divided into one hundred coins), to size differences (the planets shown as different types of balls). Accompanying each description is a kid-friendly drawing by illustrator Steve Adams that visually reinforces the concept. By simply reducing everything to human scale, Attention Span/reading level: Ages 10+ - to really understand this book you have to have some what of a concept of a space, time lines, and quantities and the things the author compares them too.  Good uses for book in teaching: Science, history, quantities, Favorite part: Mine; A few of the pages I found really interesting were about the size of the continents, number of species of living things, energy, and life expectancy.  Least favorite part: None. W arnings/negative feedback: A few pages mention evolution and

Summary: In 1710, a girl and her mother in Lyme, England, prepare a blackberry fool, picking wild blackberries and beating cream from their cow with a bundle of twigs. The same dessert is prepared by an enslaved girl and her mother in 1810 in Charleston, South Carolina; by a mother and daughter in 1910 in Boston; and finally by a boy and his father in present-day San Diego.   Attention Span/reading level: Probably 6+. My four year old sat through it, but lost interest and didn't really "get it." Good uses for book in teaching: Changes in food, technology, lifestyles, and families have changed throughout American History. Favorite part: Mine: The recipe at the end and the idea that I could recreate this recipe with my family.  Least favorite part?  W arnings/negative feedback?: None.  Review: This book had a really interesting concept. It was cool to see the changes in technology and cooking methods over time for making the same dessert.  It makes one li

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Natalie Barns is a college student and the oldest child in her struggling farmer family. In an effort to earn money to pay tuition, she takes a job at a costume shop. In time, she learns the shop holds a mysterious door, and the rest of the shop workers protect it with their lives. Category Fiction, Fantasy Why I chose this book Kindle First My personal opinion (the review) This book was great! I really enjoyed it. Plenty of action, plenty of believable human struggle, but also plenty of fantasy. I'll definitely buy the next book, when it comes out. Warnings Language: None Violence: Regular, but not graphic "Adult" situations: None Death: None Other: the main antagonists are arachnid-like creatures Movie rating equivalent PG Protagonist description Natalie is independent, she cares very much about her family, and she is focused on her future Point of view of story Third, focused on Natalie Book length Medium S

Brief synopsis (no spoilers):   Following the life-altering events at the conclusion of  The Unwanteds , the stark world of Quill and the magical haven of Artimé are now home to whoever wants to live there, whether they are Wanteds, Unwanteds, or Necessaries. In Artimé, Alex Stowe and his friends continue to hone their artistic magical spells while welcoming newcomers, wondering how long this peace between Quill and Artimé will last. Alex is stunned when Mr. Today comes to him with a very special request—one Alex questions his readiness for, until circumstances offer a dramatic answer. And back in Quill, Aaron Stowe, Alex’s twin, faces a very different path. Devastated by his loss of status after Justine’s defeat and seething with rage toward Alex, Aaron is stealthily planning his revenge and return to power. (Amazon) Category: YA Why I chose this book: Second in a series My personal opinion (the review): After being so pleased with the first book, I was severely let down by thi

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) The adventure continues with the ultimate soldier, Brent, leading the ultimate squad to fight the ultimate battle against the ultimate enemy: Satan, himself Category Fiction Why I chose this book Next in the series My personal opinion (the review) I spent two years in southern California. The weather was always perfect- too perfect. All the blasted time.. I got sick of it, and was so ready to go back home to storms and temperature fluctuations. Same with this series. Brent is just unstoppable. Yeah, he battled Satan, but (spoiler alert) there was never any doubt he would win. Yawn. Warnings Language: Not really Violence: Some, but not very graphic "Adult" situations: Romance between a married couple Death: Some, but not graphic Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagonist description Brent is practically perfect Point of view of story Third, from the perspective of Brent Book length Medium Story flow Fine Grammar and spel

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Alice has a secret. She's marked with evidence of a deadly plague, but she's not dead. One group of people is hunting her, convinced she is the source of the plague. Another group is trying to protect her, unaware of her secret. Another group just might be able to provide a home for her. Category Fiction, post-apocalyptic Why I chose this book Recommended by Amazon My personal opinion (the review) The book was excellent! I'm excited to continue the series. It wasn't a cliffhanger, but it left plenty of loose ends, to lead into the next book. I noticed one inconsistency, or at least a confusing part. Near the very end, one person appears to finish off the major antagonist, but in the next section, it appears someone else did. Warnings Language: none Violence: regular, but not very graphic (it's a post-apocalyptic novel) "Adult" situations: kissing, reference to previous relationships Death: yes, and of major c

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) : In this fantasy world when children come of age (11) they take a drink of Nectar and see if they will bond with a spirit animal. This spirit animals give guidance and physical/mental strength to those they bond to. The four main characters bond to special animals, The Four Fallen. With this event the Devourer returns and a new age is begun. These youth must decide if they will join in the fight.   Category: Junior/ Young Adult Why I chose this book: Been on my list for a while, the author (who I actually had confused with another author, Brandon Doman), it's like other multi-author young adult books I've read in the past (39 clues, Infinity Ring, etc) My personal opinion (the review): I expected this to be a bit cheesy, bonding with animals and all, but it actually turned out pretty cool. I like that the author didn't make everything easy for the characters.For example, Meilin is frustrated that her spirit animal isn't more of a fight

Summary: A history of how quidditch came to be, famous teams, rules, fouls, and history of the broom,.  Attention Span/reading level: 8-10+. - Short chapter book. Full of wit that some kids may not understand.  Good uses for book in teaching: Nothing Favorite part: (Mine and/or Child): Mine: The evolution of quidditch section. Also, the description of the Snidget.  Least favorite part?  W arnings/negative feedback?: None.(It does talk about a few ways to get fouls and things that are violent or of questionable nature. but it's totally passive).   Review: This was a funny, witty history of quidditch. I love that J.K. Rowling wrote this book especially for the charity Comic Relief. This organization's mission uses positive entertainment to raise money to help poverty around the world. Seeing that it was written for an organization like such as this, it's easy to see where the whit comes of the book comes from. It was interesting to read about the evol

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Everyone's families are tragically dead. Evelyn, Jared, Colin- anyone of any significance in the story. Evelyn enters college in a town far from home. Her parents and sister were recently killed, and she grieves for them. She gains friends and starts her new life. Category Fantasy, YA Fiction Why I chose this book Kindle First My personal opinion (the review) Frankly, this feels like a photocopy of the Twilight books. A new girl starts school a little late, falls in love with a perfect, "special" guy. He only has eyes for her. He glows, sometimes. A guy friend of Evelyn/Bella is interested in her, but can't take the hint that he's in the Friend Zone. Big, beefy "brother" of Jared/Edward is fun and likes to fight. The parallels go on. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent novel and I'll probably buy the sequel. But don't expect originality. No vampires in this one, but plenty of other magical beings. If you

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Brent Venturi is the former captain of the elite Phantom Squad military task force. He left the group after a particularly challenging and scarring mission, and settled into a job as head librarian in a sleepy town in Florida. Soon enough, he learned of a family secret, and gained a family enemy. He must protect his secret and his girlfriend Chloe. Category Fiction Why I chose this book Suggestion from Amazon My personal opinion (the review) The book is clean, so that's refreshing. But it's also a bit cheesy and it jumps around in the story, to connect dots. It won't win "best series of the year", but I'm going to read the next one, and it was worth the $2 I paid for it. Warnings Language: None Violence: Nothing graphic "Adult" situations: Referenced only Death: Yes Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagonist description Brent is a walking contradiction. He is ex military, very black ops. But he's also a b

Concept: Kids healthy cookbook Author :  Barten Seaver Food type: Mostly dinners, but also healthy lunches and a few treats Monologue score  (1-10) (how entertaining, not the recipes): 8.5 - super bright colors, lots of pictures, interesting facts. My favorite part of the whole book was the family challenges in each chapter; There was a fruit salad challenge, a  left overs challenge, fun quizzes and challenges with seeing how many greens or proteins you can add into a meal with points for each category. Each section  corresponded  to a month of the year with recipes appropriate for that month. I loved that one section was a heritage section and talked about how family history and genealogy can be done through family recipes.  Difficulty level: Easy to medium for kids (overall easy for adults).  Approximate percentage of recipes I would be willing to try:  Probably 30%. This cookbook didn't really hit it out of the park as far as actual recipes, but I got a lot of great ide

Summary: " The game under the tree looked like a hundred others Peters and Judy had at home. But they were bored and restless and, looking for something interesting to do, thought they'd give Jumanji a try. Little did they know when they unfolded its ordinary-looking playing board that they were about to be plunged into the most exciting and bizare adventure of their lives." (Goodreads) Attention Span/reading level: 5+ Good uses for book in teaching: Imagination  Favorite part: (Mine and/or Child) : In general I just like the concept of the board game bringing things to life. However if I were forced to choose, I liked when the Lion first appears and the kids start to realize what they have gotten themselves into.  Least favorite part: None W arnings/negative feedback: Two kids are left home without supervision, the house gets torn apart by animals, one kid falls asleep under a sleeping spell but wakes up when the dice are rolled again.  Revi