Gripping, Suspenseful...Harlan Coben Delivers...Again!

When thinking of edge of your seat, page turning suspense-thrillers, the name Harlan Coben should be one of your top five authors. I was first introduced to Coben in 2001 with his novel Tell No One. I have been obsessed with his writing ever since.

I guess you could say I am a very lucky person. I got to meet Mr. Coben in 2012 during the Texas Library Association Annual Conference . Most recently I was selected as one of Penguin Random House First to Read members to preview The Stranger. This exciting thriller will be released March 24, 2015.

The Stranger
by Harlan Coben

I am purposefully writing my first impressions and review now because I do not want to provide any spoilers for those of you who will not be able to get your hands on this great spine chilling stand alone novel for another two weeks. I have approximately 80 pages left in the book and can hardly wait to finish reading. The suspense is actually driving me to write faster so I can get back to reading. That is what Coben does, he forces you to make a decision, turn the page and continue reading or take care of your every daily responsibilities...work, chores, family, etc. Sorry, family, but  I'm going to read just one more page, chapter...I'll see you when I have finished this book!

The Stranger (not only the title, but one of the characters) comes to you and reveals a secret (or lie), yours or that of a loved one. Is it more beneficial to you to allow your secret to be told or to pay to keep it hidden? Everything about this tale takes me back to Sir Walter Scott's epic poem Marmion and the line, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!" To what lengths would you go to protect a secret and your family? Little white lies, where can they lead? What are the consequences that must be faced when / if you are revealed?

I highly recommend reading The Stranger as soon as you can get your hands on a copy. It will not only keep you turning the pages through the night, but it will also keep your mind running, pondering choices and decisions you make every day.  It is a fabulous, quick read (because you don't want to put the book down!). I'm cutting this review short simply so I can go find out how the book ends.

*To comply with the guidelines set by the Federal Trade Commission, Penguin Random House, has provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is solely my opinion.

Dear Dragon Goes to the Aquarium

Dear Dragon Goes to the Aquarium
by Margaret Hillert
illustrated by Jack Pullan

The Dear Dragon series of books do not have the same appeal as classic children's books like Where the Wild Things Are, however my students love the books. The newest title, Dear Dragon Goes to the Aquarium, will be one that is quickly checked out from my library shelves. The bright, colorful illustrations, and fun Dragon will immediately appeal to young children eager to read of his next adventure. Reading Reinforcement activities included at the end of the book allow parents to interact with their child helping them to become a better reader. By creating a fun character, Hillert (a former first grade teacher) has encouraged young children to want to read and provided parents and caregivers tools to assist in the engagement of these emergent readers.  As long as Hillert writes Dear Dragon books I will by purchasing them for my young students because she knows how to produce a fun story which will not only entertain young children, but also motivate them to want to read more.

*To comply with the guidelines set up by the Federal Trade Commission, Norwood House Press, has provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is solely my opinion.

Luna's Red Hat: An Illustrated Storybook to Help Children Cope with Loss and Suicide

Last week had a the wonderful fortune of being a part of the Nerdy Book Club's post - Books That Make Us Cry (Part Two) Collect by Donalyn Miler. When tasked with locating a sad book, or book that makes us cry, I immediately came up with a number of titles that have made me cry while reading them and long after - interestingly the first two that came to mind were dog related - Where the Red Fern Grows (Wilson Rawls), Old Yeller (Fred Gipson), Where the Lilies Bloom (Bill & Vera Cleaver), The Fault in Our Stars (John Green), and 13 Reasons Why (Jay Asher), just to name a few. Although these are all great books, and I highly recommend all of them, along with a box of tissues, I wanted spotlight a new book. One that make me cry for an entirely different reason - the need for such a title.

Luna's Red Hat: An Illustrated Storybook to Help
Children Cope with Loss and Suicide
by Emmi Smid

Cover Not Final - Release Date: April 21, 2015

I could not think of a sadder book to share than Luna’s Red Hat. The extended title – An Illustrated Storybook to Help Children Cope with Loss and Suicide, immediately caught my attention. The story is beautifully told from the viewpoint of young Luna on the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death. Luna’s father allows her to express her feelings while explaining her mother’s death was not her fault, nor was it her mother’s fault. Only one phrase alludes to the possibility of Luna’s mother taking her own life, “Normally Mums don’t stop living when they want to and you have every right to be angry” (page 18 of the eBook provided by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, February 26, 2015). I believe if the title did not have the word suicide in it, the sentence would simply be a child’s view of loss through death.

Emmi Smid accurately portrays the child’s mood throughout with a mixture of bold and muted colors. The roll and flow of the text across the page helps to demonstrate the ups and downs of Luna’s emotion. A guide for parents follows the story with information from bereavement specialist Dr. Riet Feiddleaers-Jaspers. It includes how children understand death, how to inform children of a person’s death, and possible questions to expect in the days following a parent’s death. What could be sadder than to know there is a niche this book fills? Thankfully this book will soon be available to those who need to share it with children who have to face such a difficult time in their young lives.

*To comply with the guidelines set up by the Federal Trade Commission, Jessica Kingsley Publishers has provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is solely my opinion.

Award Winning Author Does It Again

Sixteen years ago, my husband and I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Newbery and Caldecott Award Banquet during the American Library Association Conference in New Orleans. I don't remember the food or our dinner companions, but I do remember listening to the amazing speeches, especial that of Louis Sachar. We were fortunate enough to have the privilege of meeting Mr. Sachar following the dinner and I, of course, had him sign my copy of Holes.

Holes
by Louis Sachar

Holes is not the only fabulous book written by Mr. Sachar, in fact there are two additional books in the Holes series -- Stanley Yelnats' Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake (2003) and  Small Steps (2006). He is also the creator of the Wayside School series and Marvin Redpost series. His last book, The Cardturner was published in 2010.

I was beyond thrilled when I received word that I would get to read the next great work in this fabulous list of writings by Mr. Sachar, Fuzzy Mud. I was immediately engrossed in the writing. I loved the descriptions of his characters. He has a way of creating characters to whom the reader can relate, whether for the good or the bad. Chad, for instance, is not the nicest of characters, but there are pre-teens and teens who will see themselves. Maybe through his character development these young people will see they are not alone in their circumstances.

If Mr. Sachar continues his writing in the same vein as stated in his Newbery acceptance speech for Holes, "The book was written for the sake of the book, and nothing beyond that. If there's any lesson at all, it is that reading is fun" I applaud him, as always. I love the the subtlety of the math and science included in the book. This title will be one I will most definitely keep in mind when attempting to place the right book with the right reader. Fuzzy Mud is one of those books that you have to read in one sitting. The reader is "sucked in" (Sorry, I just had to do it!) and cannot get away. If one is inspired to calculate or discover something new because of the story, then it is a great side effect of wonderful writing.

Two thumbs WAY UP for Louis Sachar and Fuzzy Mud. Put it on your "To Be Read" list because you will have to wait awhile for this title. Delacorte Books for Young Readers shows the release date as August 4, 2015.

Fuzzy Mud
by Louis Sachar

To comply with the guidelines set up by the Federal Trade Commission, Delacorte Books for Young Readers has provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is solely my opinion.

November Challenge - Whatever Wednesday

November 24 - Whatever Wednesday

Since this is the last Whatever Wednesday post for this November Challenge, I am not going to focus on just one book. Instead, I am going to focus on a element of writing I have always found very intriguing and fun. I didn't do a great deal of research, just a little searching, but I could not find a specific word for this element. I'm sure there is one out there, and maybe someone can help me out. The element I am talking about - the use of ephemera (facsimile documents) within the book.

History Decoded: The 10
Greatest Conspiracies of All Time
by Brad Meltzer

The Griffin & Sabine Trilogy
by Nick Bantock

I recently picked up a copy of Brad Meltzer's History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time. As soon as I read about the publication of this book, I knew it would be one I HAD to read. When I got into my car with it earlier in the week, I could not wait to open it up and begin to read. I got so excited when I opened the first envelope to pull out the documents included on the chapter surrounding the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, I was taken back twenty years to the day I first came across Nick Bantock's Griffin and Sabine Trilogy. I was so engrossed in Griffin & Sabine I ignored everyone around me in order to enjoy it thoroughly from cover to cover. Granted the first book, Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence is only 48 pages long, but when you taken into consideration all of the little details taken into the writing of this book, just know I was in my very own bibliophile heaven for a few hours time.

So, knowing how much I enjoyed Griffin & Sabine and my love for history, you can see why I was thrilled when I got my hands on Meltzer's book. I was lucky enough to receive an electronic pre-publication version of History Decoded, but because of the formatting of the book, I was not able to enjoy it. I had to get my hands on the physical book. I think that is another reason I love these kinds of books so very much. It not only allows you to hold the "actual documents" and peruse them as if you were the recipient (of the letter, postcard, brochure, etc.) it also brings an entirely different experience to the reader.

I'm not going to say there is anything against reading on a device. I'm not going to say I HAVE to have the physical book because I want to hold it, turn the pages, and enjoy the smell of the pages. I'm simply going to say it is just different. I love the convenience of my e-reader. I love having books with me no matter where I am going or what I am doing. If I have my telephone, I have my books. It is like my security blanket. I also love to read physical books. I have a VERY hard time going into a book store and walking out of the store without at least one bag. However for books like History Decoded and The Griffin & Sabine Trilogy, the physical book is part of the adventure.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other books which fit into this same category for adults. I'm sure there are other out there, and I encourage you to pick one up and get a feel for the excitement of discovery through the pages of a book and the ephemera included.

November Challenge - Texas 2x2 Tuesday

November 25 - Texas 2x2 Reading List

My plan was to spotlight another great book from the Texas 2x2 Reading List for today's blog post. Then I realized this is my last for Texas 2x2 Tuesday for this 2014 November Challenge. I started to get very sad until I realized the power I have to share ALL of the titles (300 to date) ever named to the Texas 2x2 Reading List. Now, don't get all anxious. I am NOT going to review every one of the titles. I am merely going to provide you with a way to quickly obtain a list of all of the titles, authors, illustrators, and the year the book was named to the list. This is actually a document I began working on about seven years ago. I wanted to quickly be able to locate the authors and illustrators of the 2x2 books and be able to find out how many times a specific author or illustrator had been named to the list. There was no such document, so I (being the CDO person I am - yes, it is CDO - it MUST be in alphabetical order) created one.

All you have to do is scan this QR code in order to go directly to the Google shared document. If you cannot scan the code, that is fine. Here is the URL - bit.ly/Texas2x2ReadingList.

When you first scan the QR code, you will
be directed to an advertisement, just wait a few
seconds and you will be directed to the document.

If you have a young child in your life and you are looking for the very best books to read to them, or purchase as a gift, I suggest checking out the titles, authors, and illustrators on this list. It is interesting to note, a number of the books named to the Texas 2x2 Reading List in early January of each year by the Texas 2x2 Reading List Committee (a project of the Children's Round Table, a unit of the Texas Library Association), have also been honored with distinctions from the Association of Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. Some of these include - the Caldecott Medal and Honor, Geisel Award, and Notable Children's Books.

You can also view all of the Texas 2x2 Reading List titles on Shelfari.

November Challenge - Mystery Monday

November 24 - Mystery Monday - Scrapbook Mystery series by Laura Childs

A Scrapbook Mystery Series
by Laura Childs

When you have a hobby or passion you try to find your joy in all things you do in your life. One of my greatest passions in life is reading. I'm sure that is kind of obvious. There are other hobbies and interests I have too, including football and scrapbooking. So, when I discovered Laura Childs's (pseudonym of Gerry Schmitt) Scrapbook Mystery series I knew I was in heaven. Not only could I enjoy preserving my family memories through the use of beautiful papers, stickers, and of course my photos, but I could carry the enthusiasm for this creative hobby over into my reading.

Carmela Bertrand, the owner of a scrapbook store in New Orleans is the protagonist in this twelve (to date) book series. Although Carmela is constantly finding herself in the middle of a mystery, she still finds the time to create amazing scrapbooks. I love to read about her creations and only wish I had the skill and ability to replicate some of the cool techniques Childs describes in her books. If you are a crafty person, a lover of mysteries, or a fan of NOLA, I believe you will enjoy this series. 

Other series written by Childs includes The Teashop Mysteries and The Cackleberry Club Mysteries.

The Teashop Mysteries revolve around Theodosia Browning, the owner of the Indigo Tea Shop, and the mysterious and historical city of Charleston, South Carolina. The Cackleberry Club Mysteries are set in a fictional town in the Midwest. Three women in the mid-forties have launched an egg themed cafe which offers a yarn shop and a cozy book nook. This series provides the reader with great recipes and tips on cake decorating and knitting.

*I have written about another scrapbook mystery series in a past posts (July 2011 and November 2014)