Mom and I love good books! We love good books so much that we do not do lousy books. You know. The kind that top our DNF list.
Look, Cupcake
One of us used to feel a wee bit guilty about our Did Not Finish list. But then I says to Mom, “Look, Cupcake. We get zillions of requests for book reviews every day. We don’t have time to slog through sludge! “
“Yeah, but…” sputters Mom.
“Oh, c’mon Mom! Our time is valuable. Why waste it on sludge? Or stuff that’s so grimy and gross, it belongs on the bottom of a bird cage. Or the kitty litter box.”
“You may have a point there,” concedes Mom. (“A point? Really. More like, Game. Set. Match!”)
We used to slog through sludge cuz we felt duty-bound to finish every book that came our way.
Not anymore.
One of us realized that if a book doesn’t grab us in the first few chapters, we’re unlikely to keep going. Or if we do, it’s through gritted teeth. (Hi, Mom.)
Well. Life’s too short. I mean, really. Who wants to waste their time on sludge? Especially when there are so many other good books around. Nowadays, we don’t bat an eye at consigning a book to our DNF pile. (For more, see 4 Reasons Why We’re World Champion ‘Book Bailers.’)
Anyway, here’s the short list of our usual criteria for sludge that’s headed for DNF pile ignominy. Followed by a list of recent inductees:
“A red thread connects soulmates, linking them forever so they can always find one another…
The cord may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.”
Kimber here. You know Mom and I read a lot of historical fiction. Think truckloads. We’ve read so much historical fiction lately, we were getting kinda burnt out on it. Especially WWII-ish historical fiction. So when we were asked to read and review The Red Thread, we weren’t exactly turning cartwheels. In fact, we were kind of reluctant to take it on.
Hold on to your leis and your Lanes for this fast-moving adventure through time and space!
The fourth book in the Time Box saga, The Refugeis set in 1941 Hawaii. A modern family of seven has transported itself back in time to escape the deadly clutches of a former technocrat and employer Robert Deveraux. He’s also nuts. The Lanes are being chased through time by an assassin hired by Devearaux.
“I release you. With a full heart, for the love of him you once were. May you be happy in the life you have chosen!”
Belle Endicott’s goodbye to her fiancé, Ebenezer Scrooge, is perhaps one of the best known farewells in all literature. But what happened to this couple? Who was Belle? How did she meet Ebenezer? How and why did the two fall in love?
A delightful new prequel to the Dickensian Christmas classic reveals the untold story “of how the young lovers found and then lost each other. And how their doomed union stayed with Scrooge daily and ultimately prepared the way for his famous redemption.”
Olive the Lionheart: Lost Love, Imperial Spies, and One Woman’s Journey into the Heart of Africa (St. Martin’s Press, 2020)
By Brad Ricca
Non-Fiction/Biography
In 1910, a strong-willed, flame-haired Scottish woman travels to Africa in search of her missing fiancé. Olive MacLeod was engaged to Boyd Alexander, one of the most famed naturalists of his time. When Boyd’s work leads him to Africa – and he goes missing – Olive teams up with explorers Mr. and Mrs. Talbot and sets out to find him.
What follows is the true story of the Talbot expedition across 2,700 miles of Africa. It made history.
Large chunks of the story are told by Olive herself through the extensive use of her diaries and correspondence. Included are detailed, vivid descriptions of Africa – its flora and fauna, tribes and villages and mind-melting heat. Bats. Rampaging hippos and crocodiles. Snake bites. Villages and chiefs and colonial powers vying for control.
Mr. Toadley Smith of Toad’s Hollow is a “jolly but eccentric man toad with a talent for finding trouble or creating trouble when there was none to be had.” He’s also obsessed with chemicals, experiments, blowing stuff up, and sarcasm. The latter is a thing of beauty.
Toadley reluctantly hires an orphaned mouse named Vernon as a laboratory assistant. Later, Toadley grudgingly deems Vernon a fine mouse when Vernon saves his life. But when the plucky little mouse is kidnapped by the renegade Four Fingered Raccoon clan, Toadley and his lady toad friend, Maria Ponderly, hop off to rescue Vernon.
Their grand adventure includes evading ravenous Hognose snakes who are expert at bureaucratic bumbling (who knew?), escaping bloodthirsty lisping bats, enduring the plucky but inept 99th Royal Fusiliers, and surviving their most hair-raising encounter of all: a human child with grubby fingers and a glass jar.
Hotly pursued by pretty much everyone, Toadley faces a double-challenge during the final climatic battle: He must not only outwit multiple enemies simultaneously, but Toadley must also battle his own shameful secret first. Will the toads’ daring rescue mission succeed or wind up killing them both?
Great green globs of algae!
Public domain
This captivating, imaginative romp features writing that’s jolly and quick. It also has a warm, homespun flavor reminiscent of E.B. White. Generously dosed with wry wit, the prose is clever and colorful. It’s chockful of memorable phrases like, “The moment lingered like a head cold” and “His pride was running a low grade fever.” The plot is redolent with memorable characters like Snidely Axelrod, Grand Theft Otto, Mabel Syrup, T. Benictus Smith, and Finnegan Dawdler the box turtle.
Indeed, the scene in chapter eight in which Toadley acts as his own legal counsel while defending himself and Maria from a bunch of voracious Hognose snakes is worth the price of admission alone. (I laughed so hard!)
But then, all’s fair in ponds and puddles.
Young readers and the young at heart will fall in love with this enchanting story and its loquacious hero as they discover that sometimes a keen wit, an expansive vocabulary and a burlap rucksack are invincible. Or pretty darn close.
Never underestimate a toad. Or this delightful story. I can’t wait for more!
Kylie Hannigan is being held prisoner by a secret. It’s a secret she only shares with her horses.
Once upon a time, the twelve year-old and her horse trainer mom dreamed of starting a rescue horse ranch. But that dream has gone up in smoke as Mom’s behavior has become so erratic, Kylie barely recognizes her. She doesn’t understand why her mom’s acting so weird. It’s embarrassing.
When Mom quits taking an interest in the horses, Kylie knows something is wrong. Something big. But what? How can she find out? Who can she talk to? Or should she?
Kylie can’t even talk to Joey ”the human vacuum cleaner” McLagan, her neighbor and best friend since childhood. But if Kylie doesn’t speak up to another person, who’s going to help Mom? How long will fear and shame keep Kylie captive? As Kylie’s life begins to spin out of control, she wonders if she’ll ever feel safe again. Will her life ever get back on track? How?
Looking for uplifting, thoughtful stories you can read aloud to the kids or grands that are both enjoyable and engaging? Check out Fred Olds’Read Aloud Stories With Fred.
Stories begin with a question for the reader and/or listener to ponder as the story unfolds. Each tale also includesan age-appropriate message and is hemmed with themes like kindness, honesty, or friendship.
Stories are lively and relatively short so as to keep the interest of little ones and not over-tax young attention spans. Vivid imagery and colorful illustrations combine with expert pacing and edifying themes to communicate specific, positive character traits or virtues.
June is Great Outdoors Month. I love this month because… well… um… I love June because Mom loves June. And I love everything Mom loves. (Except broccoli. Gag me with roughage!)
Back to June. Check it out: Hiking! Frisbee tossing! Swimming! Canoeing! Frisbee chasing! Kayaking! Fishing! Frisbee-ing! Picnicking! Biking! Frisbees! The beach, the mountains, the desert, the plains!
Did I mention Frisbees?
Anyway, when it comes to books about The Great Outdoors, Gary Paulsen titles top our list. Every time.
Mom says Paulsen’s a three-time Newberry Award-wining author. I have no idea what that means. Can you eat it?
More importantly, Paulsen is a super duper dog lover. Told you he’s brilliant.
Paulsen’s writing style is spare and lean to the point of terse. No excess fat. Brisk as an autumn breeze. Quick as a greyhound. Or me.
Reading any of the Paulsen books below would be a great way to celebrate Great Outdoors Month. You still have time to knock out a couple or more this month.
“Kimber, we’re in a reading rut” Mom says the other day. “We need something new.”
And that’s how we wound up with a bunch of new historical fiction from The Reading Place. We’ll get to two recently read titles in a min. But first, I have a question: Why is so much “historical fiction” set during major conflicts? Ever notice that? Like, there’s enough HF set during WWII to sink a battleship.
So we looked around for a different historical setting. Someone who shall remain nameless recommended a couple new books. The first is Redcoat. The second is The Rebel Killer.
Things aren’t lookin’ good for George Washington and his rag-tag Continental Army. In fact, Philadelphia, the cradle of liberty, has just fallen to the lobster backs. Families and fortunes are split on both sides of the war. Between loyalists to the British crown and patriots fighting for their independence. Anything could happen. And it does.
Told from both British and American points of view, the story unfolds through the eyes of Sam Gilpin and young Jonathon Becket.
Sam is a British private who joined King George’s army along with his twin brother, Nate. They’re as different – and sometimes as alike – as day and night. And that could get one of them killed.
Jonathon is a patriot from Philadelphia who rides better than he walks. He’s also desperate to free himself and his sister, Marlene, from the clutches of his loyalist uncle. There are also lots of Hessians and Hussars. Sons of Liberty. Brandy. Fog and smoke. “Camp followers.”
As the city settles in for winter, Washington’s army teeters on the verge of collapse. He retreats to a frozen refuge called Valley Forge. As the freezing months wear on, one side dreams of victory and the other of liberty. Meanwhile, Sam dreams of a forbidden love. Who will win, and at what cost?
This is a well-written story with sturdy, three-dimensional characters. The author’s expertise with the subject matter and all things military and strategic is impressive and immense. A fast-paced, action-packed historical fiction novel, Redcoat is also full of surprises. Just about the time you think you know where the story’s headed, the author drops in a U-turn. You better hold tight for the next plot twist. It’ll keep you hopping from start to finish.
There’s a lot of intriguing Revolutionary War history here and a lot of action to keep readers engaged. But Mom found the graphic accounts of savagery and sadism (Hi, Sergeant Scammell) too much to swallow. The needless use of profanity got old pretty fast, too. Hand over the Pepto!
Forget the Pepto. Hand us some industrial strength Dramamine. Or Nauzene. Because. Barf.
The main character in this revenge soap opera is Briton Jack Lark. He fights his own internal battle as the U.S. Civil War rages around him. Consumed with hate, this bloodthirsty automaton is “a mercenary; a man with nothing in his heart but a cold, remorseless desire for revenge.” Think Edmond Dantes comes to Virginia. On steroids. Cuz Jack is a “hardened, lonely killer” who’s “better at hating than he was (is) at loving.”
Be still my heart.Pardon us, Jacko, but you’re hardly the kinda of fella we want to spend any real time with. Certainly not four hundred+ pages. (At least Martha Joseph was a pleasant reprieve. Coulda used more of that.)
Oh, and Jack is also a consummate fake. He’ll impersonate anyone and do anything to extract revenge on the Confederate major who killed Rose. So Torquemada Jack sets out on an “epic journey” across the Confederacy disguised as a Confederate captain. This after he ran from a prior battlefield disguised as a Union officer. Before that he was a Redcoat. And so on.
The narrative, though crisp, is savage. Dripping with butchery and brutality. It’s enough to gag a camel. Probably worse is the cruelty Jack the Jerk inflicts on animals.
So done with you, bub.
The Rebel Killer is historical fiction that you’ll either really like or really won’t. The title has a double meaning. The author exhibits a masterful command of military history. The story is briskly paced and there’s plenty of action. If you can call killing people every twelve seconds “action.”
The U.S. Civil War wasn’t a garden party. Got it. No need to beat us over the head with it. Or continuously drag us around bloody battlefields knee-deep in carnage.
Bottom line: This book isn’t a party, either. If we’d known going in that its mountains of violence and profanity push the outside envelope of “R,” we wouldn’t have bothered. Not our cup of Kool aid.
Pages & Paws 