Chalk man

This is a spoiler-free review of "The Chalk Man."

Although C.J Tudor's "The Chalk Man" is set in an English village, the novel isn't an old-fashioned cozy-style mystery. Instead, Tudor treats us to a very contemporary psychologically-driven suspense novel featuring a Generation X perspective, some graphic content, and a few nightmares that momentarily seem to nudge the novel into supernatural territory. There are some very disturbing scenes and surprises buried within. Indeed, if this were a film, it would definitely be rated "R."

The strong characterizations help make this novel work. While the story seems to have been inspired by Stephen King's "Stand By Me," the characterizations of the lead characters are vivid and all contain a British sensibility about them. As the novel skips back and forth between 1986 and 2016, there are multiple opportunities to compare these characters' childhood personalities to their somewhat somber and melancholy adult attitudes. All the lead characters nurse a sense of regret about their actions in their younger days, and this colors much of the "2016" storyline.

Tudor also knows where and when to emphasize atmosphere and sociological details. The "1986" portions of the novel, thankfully, do not reek of Eighties nostalgia, and the "2016" portions often use a backdrop of dementia and being an adult caregiver to great effect. While there is a subplot involving the media exploitation of tragedies, Tudor wisely avoids turning this subplot into a distracting media satire.

It's worth your while to check this out.

Fliers

'Fliers' by Nathaniel Russell is a collection of original "lost and found" type posters that have a creative spin to them. When I originally saw this book I knew I had to get it because this is the exact type of humor my graphic designer husband LOVES. And it did not disappoint!

There are 20 fliers included in the book. Each page is pretty thick, like card-stock paper. The author created them this way so that the pages can be torn out and used as posters also. You can get a good feel of what this compilation is all about by looking at the cover of the book since it includes one of the pages from inside. The jacket can also be taken off of the book and used as a poster, which is a nice touch.

The fliers I thought were really funny included the "So bummed right now" and "Feeling Tired?" ones. My husband really liked the "Burn Your House Down" one.

This is a fun, conversation starting, coffee-table book to have around the house. I think our friends would get a kick out of it whenever they come by. I really enjoyed it.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Girl next door

I’m finding the YA genre an extremely worthwhile addition to current literary offerings. Although these books tend to be light on eroticism and heavy on gutter language and/or violence, it is my perception that they deal honestly with the real traumas present-day young people experience.

“A Short History of the Girl Next Door” by Jared Reck has our narrator-protagonist Matthew suddenly coming to the realization that his best friend and almost-sister Tabby is dating Liam, a senior and star basketball player in their high school. It is immediately obvious that Matt also loves Tabby as more than a friend, but is helpless to deal with the impact of this shift in the emotional landscape. What Matt goes through from this point on, and the extremely wise and sensitive intervention of his grandfather when the inevitable crises occur, elevate this novel from the “good story” to the “superlative narrative” level. Highly recommended, despite the somewhat disturbing ongoing use of some of the less pleasant obscenities from which, it seems, one cannot escape anywhere except on prime-time TV, where frequent bleeping may replace what we all know is being said.

Come as you aren't

This isn't a book... or a game... it is a way to role play with your partner when you aren't feeling super into being creative yourself. The box is cute and has a very nice matte finish. The insides include cards and an envelope. I feel like his would be extremely easy to recreate at home with the right materials. 

Joy

this journal was nice. It has many different things to do in it, although, I did find it to be a semi religious book, which I probably should have known, considering the title and such. I feel like this book would have been a lot more usable if it were longer than one month... although they would need to rename the whole book, lol.
If you are bored and need something to do, I would recommend you get this. I would also recommend a wreck this journal over it though.
Will this book bring you joy? I don't think so, I feel like you will need more than this book if you are very sad.

Cherry Bombe by Kerry Diamond & Claudia Wu

 Cherry Bombe celebrates the fusion of women and food. It is an outstanding and artistic women-centric food magazine; so, I had high expectations for their first cookbook. The cookbook is gorgeous, as expected, but I was really struck by the variety and approachability of the 100 recipes. This cookbook will be in regular rotation in my kitchen. It also would be a beautiful gift.  Cherry Bombe is a beautiful cookbook chock full of beautiful and delicious recipes. They range from simple recipes with as few as four ingredients to complex multi-step masterpieces, but each and every recipe is given star treatment with gorgeous photos displaying a pop art sensibility that challenges the shabby-chic dominance of contemporary food aesthetics.

With more than one hundred recipes from more than one hundred women who are head chefs at famed restaurants, food bloggers, food stylists, and food companies. Coming from many different areas of the food industry, each recipe comes with a short introduction explaining its origin or inspiration. Some are family recipes, some are original creations. All of them look beautiful and most of them sound beautiful—except the ones with beets, but that’s an issue of personal animus toward that benighted vegetable.

I like Cherry Bombe a lot. The authors, Kerry Diamond and Claudia Wu recruited a wide range of contributors who offer a brilliant variety of recipes. I love that they focus on ingredients that won’t take a trip to a specialty store, though the soda bread really should have currants, not raisins, in my opinion. I don’t think currants are that unusual an ingredient. They have them at WinCo. However, valuing ingredients that ordinary people have in their homes without making a trip to the store is something I value highly.

There are recipes from all over the world, Scandinavian hash, Haitian pumpkin soup, Filipino chicken wings, and American burgers. While there are many super healthy recipes using wheat berries, barley and other complex grains, there are also decadent desserts and indulgent meat dishes. Variety is the North Star in this cookbook, so there is more than one something for everyone.

What I love more than anything though is the visual aesthetic. I have mentioned in other cookbook reviews that I am tired of the messy table with herbs and flour and mess sprinkled all over—a sort of shabby chic look-at-the-mess-I-made style that everywhere. Cherry Bombe is clean, the photos are spare and clean. It’s very op-art, visually strong and powerful. It all looks delicious, and the bold forms of a knife in a brisket, a teal plate against a white background are inviting and visually inviting. I love the color aesthetic, too. Pink is not a color I associate with foodies, but it works. It’s very Sixties, recalling the days of Melmac® and those bold anodized aluminum tumblers that never insulated your hands from the icy cold water they held, so perfect on a hot, humid summer day.

I received a review copy of Cherry Bombe from the publisher through Blogging for Books.

Another journal!

This is your typical 5 year journal. I do not know if I would describe it as lie changing or amazing. It is quite religious based, which I probably should have known from it being called "spiritual" but hey! It's good to try new things. If you are looking for something to help you alone with your day to day, I say try this. But remember-- it only will help if you are actually participating and thinking about the questions and answers.

This keepsake daily journal prompts you to record what is happening in your heart and spirit. The short questions at the top of each page are quick to answer—but their impact could be life changing! You’ll go back and answer the same question a year later for five years in a row, creating a time capsule of soul transformation.
 
With questions about…

·  your view of yourself (“What three words would people use to describe you?”),
·  your view of God (“What attribute of God are you thankful for today?”),
·  your current circumstances (“Who do you wish you could talk to today?”)

…this journal keeps a beautiful record of your hopes, thoughts, and spiritual journey. 

My color

When it comes to coloring books, I am like a three year old. Disney princess coloring books are still my favorite type of coloring book. Okay, not really. I do like normal coloring books that aren’t for young kids.
When I got this book in the mail, I wanted to drop everything I was doing and color. I mean, a coloring book just came in the mail for me! I am being serious! I kept looking through all the pictures, trying to pick out which picture I would color first.
Can you guess that I love this coloring book? All the pictures are so amazing! My favorite part about this book is that there are no faces. Something weird about me (I know that many things are weird about me) is that I like pictures that have just a silhouette or ones where you can’t see the face. I don’t want to say, “where their heads are chopped off” because that would be weird. But I just like it where you cannot see the person’s face.
The cover is just great! It pretty much is an example of what the rest of the pictures will be like. I am going to give it 5 stars (obviously). Because if I didn’t like the cover, which is just like the rest of the pictures, I would I be writing so many good things about this book. Also, it is a purple (ish) cover, with the pink outline of the pictures. Purple is my absolute favorite color! So, of course the cover is awesome for that reason too!
This coloring book deserves more than 5 stars! I just love it! Anybody who enjoys coloring (especially, if you like color clothing), you should definitely get this book. It is worth every penny! You won’t be disappointed!

The creeps

I had no idea that Fran Krause’s Deep Dark Fears would have a follow up when I read it earlier this month, so I was beyond excited to find out about this newest collection. Here he brings readers more of the creepy, funny, and idiosyncratic fears they love illustrated in comic form–such as the fear that your pets will tell other animals all your embarrassing secrets, or that someone uses your house while you’re not home–as well as two longer comic short-stories about ghosts.

I definitely recommend reading The Creeps at nighttime, similar to how you would watch a scary movie in the dark, to get the most out of it. However, since I’m a scaredy cat I didn’t really let the fears mentioned in this collection sink in because I like my sleep and my sanity. But as expected even that didn’t really work in my favor because I ended up having trouble falling asleep thanks to those creepy “someone’s standing at the window” illustrations. (I sleep near a window.)

So when I woke up in the middle of the night and was too scared to even open my eyes… not going to lie, it made me a bit resentful towards the collection. But on the other hand, it’s a job well done from the author. And I’m grateful for those handful of comical moments included to lighten the mood a bit.

rad

This little journal is in the same style as the Rad Women books (Rad Women Worldwide, Rad Women A-Z) and is a great way to help young ladies connect their lives to the lives of these awesome role models. Colorful, illustrated pages draw you in and the questions scattered throughout help guide the journal writing to focus on personal growth. There is plenty of space to just right what you feel, but the questions are what really tie this to the Rad Women books. These questions help a young person realize that they can live extraordinary lives too, filled with accomplishments and fulfill their dreams. I think it is probably best aimed at middle-schoolers, old enough to really give some of these questions real thought and young enough to let these personal reflections shape their futures. I will be showing the journal to my high school students next week and see what their take on it is.

Tokyo

This is another classy coloring book for my collection. It is so nice that I had to break out my new set of Papermate Flairs with the new summer colors.It is filled with fashion, both new and Japanese traditional, plus Japanese landscapes and buildings. I colored three pages the day I received it. And when I was done coloring, there is an elastic strap that will keep my book closed. This means I can take it with me and not have to worry that the pages will get bent, twisted or torn. There are very few words in this coloring book. In fact, the only words are under Japanese ideograms, as translations of the symbols. All in all, a very satisfying coloring book.

Diary

The thin paper covered journal is a week planner than allows users to write not only their to-do list but there dreams and launchpad for ideas. The planner can be used whenever as the dates can be filled in by the user. Each month is denoted with a beautiful decorated quote. The beautiful decorated planner is illustrated by Brooklyn based self taught illustrator, Meera Lee Patel. A charming gift for any planner in your life or beautiful enough to keep for yourself.

Deal or duel.

With the latest Hamilton craze, this game is sure to be a delight.

The game was fun when playing with friends who enjoyed history and this kind of stuff. If you're not a fan of educational games, then I'd say it's a pass. I really liked the idea of the game, and since I'm a history nerd, it was right up my alley.

Another review!

A couple of years back I bought two low cholesterol cookbooks at a used book sale; one of them was put out by the American Heart Association. But since it was written in 1989, it was before the invention of "trans fats". So I decided to spring for another.

I didn't want the Kindle version for $9, nor the paperback for $13. I went all out and bought the hard covered book for $26. If I'm going to use it much, the paperback will have a hard time surviving 5 years, and I find it hard to just flip through e-books and read them, especially cookbooks, where I want to flip back and forth. Just give me a real book and a pad of post-its, thank you.

So I got this last Wednesday, and spent about 6 hours reading it. This is a huge cookbook, at around 700 pages. Maybe 450 to 500 pages are recipes, and the rest is verbiage about healthy eating and so forth. It's nearly twice the size of the earlier version which I have, with many more recipes, but it does lack some very vital information which was in the earlier version, such as how saturated fats translate into cholesterol in the body, and recipes for things like lowfat mayonnaise, and how to replace staples of life with healthier alternatives. This book, for example, instead of telling you that you can beat nonfat evaporated milk for a good whipped cream substitute, tells you to use the nonfat whipped topping from the freezer case at the supermarket (which tastes like vaseline to me). These are some serious flaws.

The recipes seem to rely upon really amping up the spices to make up for the missing salt; also, many, many, many of their recipes call for bell peppers, to which I am allergic. If lots of peppers are vital for flavor, I'm kind of sunk. However, I have tried a couple of their recipes, and those were pretty good. If you're not a fan of spicy hot food, be very careful with the use of red pepper flakes, which also seem to be a staple of this cookbook.

Overall, this cookbook does a pretty good job of telling you how to cook heart healthy meals. Long and short of it: Good, but not great.

Here and gone

This was an interesting on the edge of your seat book to read. Right from the beginning the reader knows what is going on. The people that don't know are the other characters in the book. A woman, Audra, is trying to get herself and her children away from the clutches of an abusive husband and father. After traveling for four days, she and her children are pulled over by a cop in a very deserted part of Arizona. He arrests her and sends her children off with another cop. When she gets to the jail and she asks where her children were taken, he looks at her and says, "What children?". The rest of the book is Audra trying to keep her sanity when trying to tell the FBI what happened to her children while they just want to tell them where she dumped their bodies. It is a story that you root hard for Audra because you know she is right, but things just don't seem to be going her way.

This is the story that in many ways people have been dealing with for years. Back years ago, a family could make a request to their doctor that a woman, many times, be put in a mental asylum and she is admitted to rot there for years. Once locked up in such a place, nothing they do or say will get the keepers to change their minds and release them. Many divorce cases in the child custody issues, can be settled in favor of the first one to get to tell their story or file charges. Then there are the depraved people of the world that will do anything to earn a buck and those who will pay any amount so that they can get their jollies. The author does an excellent job of showing just how bad the anguish can be when you know you are innocent and no one believes you or is willing to stick up for you. There may be references to things in the book that may turn off some potential readers, but at the same time these sorts of things happen, so you need to choose whether or not you want to try to read the book. I can't say more without getting a spoiler alert charge on me. I'm just glad that as I mentioned before, from the beginning of the book, we see and know what is going on. The surprises are all on the actions of other characters.

The tea planters wife

I loved reading about the country Ceylon and the description was very good of the trees , lakes , people etc. Reading about the history of the country before their independence was very interesting , however I thought the book was a little two drawn out . All the emotions became a little tiresome .

Arena

If you're looking for a book with a strong female main character, this is it. In a future world where virtual reality gaming is the new celebrity sport, Kali is one of the few upper echelon female players. But the story isn't about that, and that's one of things I really like about it. It's one small bit of what drives her, but she's not trying to prove a point. Mostly she's just a gamer through and through, doing what she loves and trying to deal with the pressures and demands of the fame it brings. I also like a book with a strong story and character arc, and this one came through, unlike a lot of the other books I've read lately.

642 things to write about.

I have decided to start filling out the book 642 things to write about. I think it would be fun to share some of my answers here.... so that's what I will be doing!
 The first prompt? "What can happen in a second" Here it goes I guess.


Breathe.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Relax.
Life happens every second of everyday and it can be overwhelming.
Don't let it overwhelm you.
Enjoy the little things
Feel the wind on your skin
The sun on your face
Listen
Listen to the trees, the birds, the kids playing.
You only get this second once.
And once you have it, it's gone.



I think this book will be a good way to get me back into writing. Hopefully you enjoy tagging along my random little journey!