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Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Emily and James participate in the latest challenge from Garrison Griswold, "unlock the rock," a large scale escape room game on Alcatraz Island.  Category: Juv Why I chose this book: Third in a series  My personal opinion: This one was pretty fun. It does have a few creepy elements, especially for beings stationed on an abandoned prison, but overall it was fun. I like how the puzzles are incorporated into the book.   Warnings Language:  None Violence: None (one character does get trapped by someone) "Adult" situations: None Death:  None Movie rating equivalent: PG (but there are some scary/creepy elements, e.g. dark places, someone getting trapped, inmate actors at the prison) Protagonist description:  Emily and James are great puzzle solvers and are eager to participate in this latest challenge.  Matthew - Emily's older brother who also wants to take part in the puzzle solving action. He gets blamed f...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Tales of the Norse gods  Category: Mythology    Why I chose this book:  I wanted to know the myths behind Thor and Odin and the other Norse gods without it being watered down by the movie industry.   My personal opinion: I enjoyed most of the stories, especially the introductory part about each of the gods and about yggdrasil (the world tree) and the nine worlds. My favorite story was of the Treasures of the Gods. It tells how Thor's hammer, Mjollnir, as well as many other "magical" items the god's use come to be.  Warnings Language:  Maybe one or two. Violence: Plenty, but dependent on the story.  "Adult" situations: Not a ton. One story talks about Loki tying a rope to his genitals for the entertainment of the other gods. Other stories may have mentioned things in passing, but I don't remember any other specific instances  Death:  Some, again dependent on the story.  Movie rating equival...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) : 16 heirs are given a chance to compete for the Westing House fortune.  Category: Juv/YA Why I chose this book:  Started it several times since I was in middle school but had never finished it My personal opinion : I liked the book well enough, but the ending wrapped things up too quickly for me and left too many holes. Many of the characters were not well developed and it left me wanting more. It's similar to the movie "Clue" where a bunch of characters are thrown together and have to solve a mystery.  Warnings Language:  None Violence:  Explosions with minor injuries, one character kicks others in the shin  "Adult" situations : None Death:  One, main character Movie rating equivalent : PG Protagonist description : There are 16 different characters and we only get enough information about each to help us know their relationship to each other and their standing in the game.  Point of ...

Category: Non-fiction on love in marriage relationships Why I chose this book:  Wanted to read it for a long time Book length:  Short Concept: Dr. Chapman proposes that there are five love languages: Words of Affirmation - specific, positive and encouraging language. Eg. - I appreciate that you took out the garbage or that you work so hard for us or Dinner was amazing tonight! Quality Time: Time spent together doing something at least one partner enjoys. Both partners are engaged without distractions. Eye contact is important. Receiving Gifts: Tokens that show your partner was thinking of you. Gifts can be expensive or free, made or bought. A homemade card or a feather found on a walk can be just as meaningful as jewelry or a new computer.  Acts of Service - performing or helping with tasks important your spouse. Can be house or yard work, but may also be helping with projects for work or church. Anything that is overwhelming, demanding, or repe...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Meredith has the perfect life- tons of money, a husband that adores her, and an enormous mansion. But then she disappears. Keys left in the ignition, purse and phone on the seat. Just disappeared. Her sister, Greer, flies out from NYC to search for her. That's as far as I got. Category : Fiction, mystery Why I chose this book : Amazon First Reads My personal opinion : This was going to be a good one. I like mysteries, but not really murders. So when a mystery involves something that is not murder (disappearance, in this case), I am usually interested. But the language and the sex scene... Boo. I should have stopped on page 1. I don't recommend this to anyone. Warnings Language: Yup, 3 f-words in the first 5 chapters Violence: Unknown "Adult" situations: The very first page drops the reader right into an intimate scene between a husband and wife Death: Unknown Movie rating equivalent : R Protagonist description : Didn't get far enou...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) : Ted loves playing escape the room games online, and he has a knack for figuring them out. When his great uncle dies and leaves Ted everything in his apartment it becomes a real life challenge for Ted. Category: Middle School   Why I chose this book:  Recommended for those who like The Westing Game  My personal opinion : The  first few chapters were good, but about the time that he breaks into his Mom's work it all turns down hill. The concept was interesting, but I don't think it was done in the best way possible.  Warnings Language:  The word hell is said once. Ted is makes fun of his Mom for never using curse words at least twice during the story and near the end she says, "You #$%# promised us" (direct quote). Also, near the end of the book, when one character gets angry the main character says, "His vocabulary seems to now to consist of entirely of words for body parts and bodily functions. - words my pare...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Kargan is the King of Ilea. Dion is King of Xanthos and the Free Men. Amos is First Consul of Phalesia, with a bunch of help from Chloe. Palemon is King of a city, but wants to rule the world, and he will do whatever needs to be done to get his people back from the Necropolis. That's a large stack of big names, all working against each other. Oh, and Eiric is King of Sindara, but his people are basically neutral. Category Fiction, fantasy Why I chose this book Next in series My personal opinion (the review) This was my least favorite of the series. The romance got a little too descriptive to allow my kids to read. There was still no bad language, and the rest of the story was generally clean and engaging. But that one scene... I don't recommend this one as highly as the rest. Warnings Language: None Violence: Frequent fighting "Adult" situations: One scene of passion, including description of a naked woman Death: Yes, and of major charac...