130 - The Halloween Kid; Rhode Montijo

The Halloween Kid by Rhode Montijo is a story about a kid determined to save Halloween when some Greedy Goodie Goblins roll into town. The Kid along with his trusty stick horse,  Lone Ranger mask, is determined to get back at those who ruined Halloween. When the Kid finds his job a little tougher than expected,  the neighbors help out to reclaim the day and the fun.

This book is cute, especially the colorful  illustrations with a retro sort of look. The story too, is a cute one, but I had a issue with the terrible grammar which I'm guessing was meant to be cute, but just really bugged me.

"He wasn't afraid if nothin".

"In fact he done did such a good job at wranglin Halloween Hoodlums, that Halloween was just dandy for years".

If you can get beyond the writing style you most likely will enjoy this book.   Recommended for grades K-2.

Rating - 3.5/5 stars - Library Book

129 - Llama Llama Misses Mama; Anna Dewdney

In this sweet book, perfect for the preschool child, Llama, Llama Misses Mama demonstrates that the first day of school can be traumatic for even a llama.  The shy, but brave Llama goes off to school, along with all different types of animals dressed in their new school clothes. At first Llama is unhappy about having to leave his mama, but soon he is encouraged by the other animals to join in the fun activities at school, playing with the other animals.

The story is told in delightful rhyme, the illustrations and colors are extra cute, and it was heartwarming to see that in the end Llama Llama, still loves his mama, but he learns to love school as well.  I read this one through 3X, it is just so cute. There are a few other cute titles in this series which I hope to read at some point:

Llama Llama, Mad at Mama and Llama, Llama Red Pajama.

An excellent story for little ones as they prepare to leave mama for school. Highly Recommended

Rating - 5/5 stars

Library Book

Friday Fun ~

It's a long weekend coming up for me because of the Columbus Day holiday on Monday. BOY, am I looking forward to it.  I won't be able to participate in the Read-a-Thon as I did last year, but I will be thinking of all of you who do read to your hearts content, and will try and catch up on Sunday or Monday.  HAVE FUN!

I would like to leave you with something to chuckle about! I thought this was hilarious.

For those of you from outside of the US who do not know who Donald Trump is, here is a LINK to a biography, and also a photo of him with a similar hairdo to the one above!

see...they could be twins!

(Needless to say, I've never been a fan of "The Donald")



128 - Moonlight Mile; Dennis LeHane

I've been a big fan of Dennis LeHane for at least ten years, so naturally I was anxious to read his soon to be released (Nov/2/2010) thriller,  Moonlight Mile.  This novel is a sequel to his 1998 novel Gone, Baby Gone.

In the 1998 thriller, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro were involved in an  investigation to find a missing 4-year old girl named Amanda McCready. In that case the couple risked their lives searching the worst neighborhoods surrounding Boston, MA to find the girl. Once she was found, despite Angela's reservations, the girl was returned to her unfit, neglectful mother.

Now, 12 years later Patrick and Angela have married and have a little girl of their own. Patrick receives a frantic call from Beatrice, the aunt of Amanda McCready, now age 16. The aunt claims that Amanda, a brilliant and attractive young adult has gone missing once again. Patrick is reluctant to get involved--but does. Her druggie mother Helene claims the girl is NOT missing, which only complicates matters.

Along the way as they search for Amanda, the couple and their buddy Bubba (also from previous book), have run-ins with meth dealers, mobsters and other unsavory characters. Much of this makes the story feel a bit unrealistic at times. To say much more about the story would lead to spoilers. The story ended in a manner that makes it pretty clear that this is the end of this particular series.

Having read all of LeHanes novels, except the The Given Day, which I hope to read soon, I think this author has real talent. Mystic River, Gone, Baby Gone and Shutter Island were terrific and all were made into movies. His other books were very good as well, in their own right.  In my opinion, Moonlight Mile was good, but just not as good as some of his earlier works. LeHane's writing, wit and shady characters keep you interested in the story. I will still be anxious to read other books by him in the future. 

RATING - 3.5/5 stars

(review copy)

127 - Santa Fe Edge; Stuart Woods

In this latest Stuart Wood's release, Santa Fe Edge, Barbara Eagle Keeler, the ex-wife of Santa Fe Attorney, Ed Eagle is back in full force. This time she finds a way to escape from a Mexican prison. Her mission, once again, is to eliminate her ex-husband from the planet. Barbara has several men willing to assist her -- she is attractive, she uses sex to her advantage, and she is one of those people who always seems to make things work out to her advantage.

In this novel, Wood's followers will find several familiar characters resurfacing, including Holly Barker, Orchid Beach series, and Terry Fay.

In a nutshell, there isn't much to say or to like about this novel. Although the audio book reader, Michael Kramer was good, the story was just out there: not very well thought out, and it concluded with unresolved plot lines. I use to enjoy the early Stuart Woods novels, especially the Stone Barrington series, however the last few years he has been a big disappointment. I think my days with Woods are now a thing of the past. Sadly, I cannot recommend this book.

Rating 2/5 - Library audio book

Waiting on Wednesday - The Night Season

Hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine. Here's your opportunity to share what "coming soon book" you are anxious to get your hands on.

Here is my pick, book #4 of a series that I have enjoyed a lot.

The Night Season; Chelsea Cain

March 1, 2011

Chelsea Cain launches the next stage of her bestselling series as Archie Sheridan works to regain his life and Susan Ward steps in to share the spotlight in this electric thriller from one of today’s most talented suspense writers.

With Beauty Killer Gretchen Lowell locked away behind bars once again, Portland detective Archie Sheridan can finally rest. Meanwhile, the city of Portland is in crisis. Several people have drowned in heavy rains that have flooded the Willamette River. But the medical examiner discovers that in fact the latest victim was poisoned before she went into the water—she didn’t drown. A little detective work shows that so far three of those previously thought to be accidental drownings have actually been murdered. Portland has a new serial killer on its hands, and Archie and his task force have a new case. Meanwhile reporter Susan Ward is following up on an entirely separate mystery: the dramatic flooding has unearthed a skeleton, a man who might have died during catastrophic flooding more than sixty years ago that washed away an entire neighborhood and killed at least 15 people. As Archie follows the bizarre trail of evidence and evil deeds to catch his killer, he has to battle the rising waters of the Willamette first.

How about you? What's your pick this week.

Wordless Wednesday