3 New Books for the Kiddos perfect for Spring

Kaia and the Bees; Maribeth Boelts and Angel Dominguez (Illustrator)

Candlewick Press - 2020

Kaia is a sweet young girl who is very brave when it comes to most things. Her dad, however, is a beekeeper and ever since Kaia stepped on a bee one day and was stung, she is now afraid of bees.  Her dad tries to educate her on the importance of honeybees as he teaches her about making honey and the jarring process.  As Kaia tries to overcome her bee phobia, she can't seem to forget that bee stings hurt.

I liked this book a lot, it addresses fears, teaches children about the importance of bees and beekeeping and, it also has a racially diverse family. The illustrations are colorful and fun as well.

Hike; Pete Oswald
Candlewick Press - 2020

Hike takes young readers on an outdoor journey through pictures.  A young boy and his father plan a day of hiking through the mountains and forest.  Their journey is detailed through lovely, colorful illustrations as the two explore nature, aloneness enjoying the  outdoors and all it has to offer.  At the end of the day they return home to all the is familiar and of comfort.

I know some parents struggle a bit making the most of a parent/child reading experience when a book has no words but, I think this book offers a lot through pictures to make for some lively conversation along the way.

The House That Wren Built; Randi Sonenshine and Anne Hunter (Illustrator)
Candlewick Press-2020



Nature lovers will enjoy this sweet springtime book about Carolina wrens. A mama and papa wren prepare a nest for the newborn hatchlings about to arrive.  Papa hunts for food for the newborn once the hatchlings arrive so that they are strong enough to fledge in just 14 days after their birth. 

Although this book uses some words that might be unfamiliar to a PRE-K-7 year old: rootling, fledgling, burr, spider sac and more, there is a nice glossary at the end of the book with some fun facts about wrens that I thought was well done.  The book is beautifully and intricately detailed. I loved the earth tone illustrations. A perfect spring time choice.


NOTE: These books were sent to me by Candlewick Press in exchange for my unbiased review.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Redhead By the Side of the Road; Anne Tyler

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros,  hosted by Yvonne@Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book they are reading or plan to read. Feel free to join in.

Redhead By the Side of the Road; Anne Tyler

Knopf - 2020

"You have to wonder what goes through the mind of a man like Micah Mortimer. He lives alone; he keeps to himself; his routine is etched in stone.  At seven fifteen every morning you see him set out on his run.  Along about ten or ten thirty he slaps back the magnetic TECH HERMIT sign onto the roof of his KIa.  The times he leaves on his calls will vary, but not a day seems to go by without several clients needing his services.  Afternoons he can be spotted working around the apartment building; he moonlights as a super. He'll be sweeping the walk or shaking out a mat or conferring with a plumber.  Monday nights before trash day, he hauls the garbage bins to the alley; Wednesday nights, the recycling bins.  At ten p.m. or so the three squinty windows behind the foundation plantings go dark. (His apartment is in the basement. It is probably not very cheery.)"

I plan to begin the audiobook tomorrow; thank you to Penguin Random House Audio for providing me with a download.

Based on the intro would you read more or pass?

Book Review - Eight Perfect Murders; Peter Swanson

TITLE:  Eight Perfect Murders

AUTHOR:  Peter Swanson

PUBLISHER:  Harper Audio / William Morrow

PUB. YEAR: 2020

SETTING: Boston, MA - ME
FORMAT: eGalley/audio combo
RATING: - 5/5

Malcolm (Mal) Kershaw is the owner of Old Devil's Bookshop in Boston.   It's a bookshop that specializes in old, hard to find books and Mal knows mysteries better than most in the business. Years earlier this mystery lover wrote an article in which he compiled a list of murder mystery book titles which he believed to be the perfect murders and impossible to solve.

When an FBI agent appears at the bookshop one day asking him lots of questions, he learns she is working on unsolved cases that appear to be based on the list that Malcom had created years earlier. The more the agent digs, the more we learn about Mal and the secrets he's kept along the way.

Peter Swanson is a mystery author that hasn't disappointed me yet and this book was another winner. It was the perfect reading/listening experience for me (my husband found it quite engaging as well). I loved how the protagonist's personal life gets exposed the more authorities dig into unsolved cases. Malcolm is a terrific, flawed, fully-fleshed-out character. This book had it all for me: intelligent mystery, lot's of clues, twists, a memorable protagonist and walk around Boston and New England and even a bookstore cat named Nero.  I came out feeling exhilarated because now I have a list of some great mystery classics to try as well.  The audio book was read by Graham Halstead and it was pitch perfect audio experience. 

For mystery lovers interested in the perfect murders list ---

• ABC Murders; Agatha Christie
• Strangers on a Train; Patricia Highsmith
• Death Trap; Ira Levin (a play)  (saw the play)
• Red House Mystery; A.A. Milne
• Malice Aforethought; Francis Iles (AKA: Anthony Berkeley Cox)
• Double Indemnity; James Cain
• The Drowner; John MacDonald
• A Secret History; Donna Tartt (read it)

Sunday Once Again and April in Review

Outside…

It's been a sunny weekend with 60-70 degree temps so we've really been enjoying it as it's going to get cooler again. A few days of rain coming this week as well.  It's been a little bit noisy around our condo as they replaced our wooden deck with Trex which looks great so it was worth the noise - no more slivers.

Early Mother's Day Baskets

                                                             Reviews this Week: 

            Reviews Needed

                                                            Currently Reading/listening to:

Watching…

We watched and enjoyed (3) terrific movies this week: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) - I'm admitting to never having seen this movie before and OMG, did I LOVE every minute of it! We also watched Dan in Real Life (2007) which I've seen four times but I just love it. It was filmed in Rhode Island, beautiful setting and has a great cast - just a nice movie. We also watched Regarding Henry (1991) this was about the fourth time I saw this one as well and such a heartwarming film as well.

 

Exercise and other highlights…

We managed to walk 4 times this week. We had a brief outdoor visit from my daughter with some beautiful flowers for an early Mother's Day. It was nice to see her and our (2) April birthday girl granddaughters.  We also received 2 new decorative masks to keep us safe.

Another good Instacart experience this week - this time a delivery of wine and spirits. Who would have thought we'd enjoy having personal shoppers so much?

Today’s To Do List…

A long walk, reading outdoor and dinner preparation.

Retail Therapy...

Nothing new this week

Looking forward to…

This week is our anniversary so hoping to have the dress up for dinner and cocktails evening I mentioned previously. We are still under a shelter in place order - only essential business are opened - even dentists are only opening for emergencies. Most restaurants are closed but,  a few do have take out, salons closed, banking is by appointment or drive up...the list goes on.

April Reading Results 

(7) books read - (35) YTD

                                                             Favorite Book in April

1. Sea Wife; Amity Gage - 4/5 - (eGalley/April)
2. The Red Lotus; Chris Bohjalian - 4/5 (eGalley/audio combo - April)
3. 142 Ostriches; April Davila - 4/5 - (eGalley/April)
4. You Are Not Alone; Hendricks and Pekanhen - 4/5 - (audio-April)
5. Weather; Jenny Offill -  4/5 (audio/April)
6. Eight Perfect Murders; Peter Swanson - 5/5 (eGalley/audio combo/April) - review in progress
7. The Dilemma; B.A. Paris - 2/5 (eGalley/April) review in progress

                                                  How are all of you doing?

Book Review - You Are Not Alone; Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

TITLE:  You Are Not Alone

AUTHOR:  Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

PUBLISHER:  Macmillan Audio

PUB. YEAR: 2020

SETTING: NY
FORMAT: audio
RATING: - 4/5

In this psychological thriller Shay Miller is a young woman, who is searching for love and a more exciting life. One day she witnesses what appears to be a suicide by a woman on the subway tracks in NY.  It's a tragic incident that causes an obsession with Shay. She needs to find out everything she can about the victim, a young woman named Amanda.

She decides to attend the woman's funeral and meets sisters Cassandra and Jane. These young women seem to have the glamorous, fun life Shay has longed for. Naturally, she is thrilled when they befriend her pulling her into their circle but, little does Shay realize the sisters really don't want a new friend, they have ulterior motives.

The audio book is read by Barrie Kreinik who did a great job. The writing style has sort chapters and alternating POVs that worked well. Shay makes for an easy victim because she was lonely and searching for friendship and love.  I love that Shay kept what she called a "data book", a journal peppered with fun facts and statistics that are shared in a timely manner.  Overall, I really liked this psychological thriller; it is dark, twisted, manipulative and fast-paced.  It got slightly bogged down at times with back stories but, I was still very happy I read this one.  This is my third book by these authors having previously enjoyed: The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl.

Book Review - Weather; Jenny Offill

TITLE:  Weather

AUTHOR:  Jenny Offill

PUBLISHER:  Random House Audio

PUB. YEAR: 2020

SETTING: NY
FORMAT: audio
RATING: - 4/5

Lizzie is a wife and mother who works in a library in New York . Lizzie has no formal library degree since she's been busy trying to help her own mother as well as her brother, who struggles with addiction. She has a good share of anxiety as she constantly worries about climate change and seems easily overwhelmed by daily stresses.

This is a pretty short novel that was clever and well written but, it's not the type of story that will not appeal to all readers. The writing is rather fragmented, almost a stream of consciousness style. The story never felt depressing and at times it was kind of funny. It was the kind of book that seemed appropriate for the stressful times many of us are finding ourselves in right now. I don't think the print version would have worked as well for me as the audio which was read by Cassandra Campbell who really did a fabulous job.

Book Review - 142 Ostriches; April Davila

TITLE:  142 Ostriches

AUTHOR:  April Davila

PUBLISHER:  Kensington

PUB. YEAR: 2020

SETTING: CA - Mojave Desert
FORMAT: eGalley
RATING: - 4/5

Tallulah Jones hasn't had much stability in her young life, as a result of an irresponsible mother.  However, when she was 13, her grandmother Helen, came to her rescue and live with her.  Helen had an ostrich farm in the Mojave desert and, truth be told, she needed help so Tallulah filled that need.  Now in her early 20s, Tallulah has decided she wants more out of life an has accepted a job in Montana which she is to begin in a few weeks. However, when her grandmother dies unexpectedly, Tallulah has the birds, a farm, and a house to deal with before she can just pack up and leave.

142 Ostriches was a unique coming of age story. It's a story steeped in family dysfunction and, it's also a story about ostriches - (I never realized the size and power this amazing creatures possess.)  There are some sad and even violent moments in this story but, there are also moments of joy as well. I liked the protagonist and found her character well-developed. This was ultimately a different kind of coming of age story with a nice ending as well.