Kimber here. Being all Magnificent and everything. I was a little out of it yesterday after spending most of the day at the vet.
The Official Kimber Bootie is to keep the bandage dry.
Mom took me to see Dr. Dan yesterday for emergency care on my paw. I don’t exactly remember how it happened. I must’ve stepped on something really sharp. But when Mom saw me limping after coming home from a walk, she checked my paw.
And about fainted.
Dr. Dan’s place.
Blood everywhere. Mom disinfected and got me bandaged. But “This is above my pay grade” she said.
So, “Hello, Dr. Dan? I need to bring Kimber in right away. She has a badly lacerated ped on her front paw.”
So off we went.
Dr. Dan and the nice nurse lady fixed me right up. Besides. They give Really. Good. Treats.
“No stitches,” said Dr. Dan. Apparently you can’t really stitch up a ped. “Keep her foot bandaged and keep the bandage dry and clean.” And “here are some antibiotics and pain meds.’ Mom gives them to me with peanut butter. She thinks I don’t know about the meds. But I do. (Hey, it’s me!)
“Let’s go home, Mom!”
After about 7 hours at the vet’s, Mom came to pick me up and take me home. I love Dr. Dan. But Dorothy got it right: There’s No Place Like Home.
I’m supposed to rest and let my foot heal. Mom is sticking to me like super glue. Won’t let me out of her sight. So annoying. But you know Mom.
“Wazzup?”
I’m home now, thank you very much. Doing better and resting comfortably today. In case you’re wondering. Mom, however, could use a sedative. Maybe two.
You know that feeling you get when you think no one remembered your birthday? Then you get home and a bunch of peeps suddenly jump out at you and yell, “Surprise!”? Totally unexpected. After you restart your heart, you go, “Well, I’ll be ‘et fer a tater.”
That’s kind of how Her Royal Momness and I felt after reading these books recently. They didn’t exactly jump out and yell, “Surprise!” But they weren’t what we expected, either. Like this:
If you”ve seen Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day and think you know D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, think again. Meticulous and very detailed, this incredible tale of courage and heroism is one of the most compelling stories of WWII you’ve probably never heard.
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen… But do you recall the greatest reindeer of all, Kris’s closest friend and protector, Cedric? He didn’t have a shiny nose, but Cedric shines bright in the pages of this expertly crafted blend of magic, myth, legend, and a betrayal that changed everything.
Masterfully told in the first person by the narrator, Rhangyl, The Greatest Reindeer is a heartwarming story about Northtown – you may know it as the “North Pole” – and the history of the man we know as “Kris” (Kringle). It’s also a fresh and creative tale about the origin of some of the best-known Christmas traditions and customs around the world.
Hiding that you lost your mom, live in a car, and that your Daddy has disappeared is no easy task as 12 y.o. Lulu and her little sis Serena find out in this powerful and poignant middle grade read.
At first Lulu isn’t worried. But as the days add up with no sign of Daddy, Lulu struggles to take care of the responsibilities they used to manage as a family. Lulu knows that just one slip-up means she and Serena will be separated and the good things happening in school will be lost.
But family is all around us, and Lulu must learn to trust her new friends to save those she loves and to finally find her true home.
A refreshingly real and biblically sound look at a thorny topic that’s too often misunderstood, mis-applied, or taken too lightly. This is the kind of book you’ll want to reach for again and again as you mull over the nuanced and multi-layered topic and grow your understanding of “forgiving like God.”
Weighing in at a whopping 829 pages, this is a prodigious read. It’s one of Chuck D.’s lesser-known works. And that’s too bad. Cuz it’s quite a story about compassion and kindness in the face of cruelty and corruption. Moves fast. And that’s really saying something for Dickens.
Since one of us is battling tendonitis today and it hurts to write, we’re gonna skip the usual book review prelims and dive right in. As long as the Alleve holds out. So let’s go:
Fiction can be a powerful tool to address or draw attention to real life issues and problems and raise awareness of same. (Hi, Chuck Dickens.) But it can also be tricky. Like, Where does the fiction end and facts/real life begin? What’s true and what’s not? How do you tell?
This is why some readers may find Yvonne M. Morgan’s Gypsy For God problematic.
For the record, we really wanted to like this book. In fact, one of us – I won’t say who – wanted to love it. (Except maybe for the parts about Rex the cat. Go figure.) It’s beautifully written and reads like non-fiction. At least for awhile.
This book is written like it’s the real-life, true story of a middle aged woman, Kathleen, who loses her accounting job. Struggles with involuntary early retirement. Becomes a travel agent. Travels with hubby Sam all over the world, ostensibly “doing research” for her travel clients. (This gets really old, by the way. How many taxi rides, souvenir shops, photo opps and dinner menus do readers have to plow through before arriving at something more meaningful? Yawn.)
In the course of her globe-trotting to Abu Dhabi, India, Kenya, Nepal and elsewhere, “Kathleen” sees childhood poverty and neglect first hand. Her heart is touched. Kathleen later meets with a church friend, Helen, and then her pastor to discern God’s new purpose for her life. After much prayer and consideration, she decides she wants to help these children. And sets up a web site/projects to fight human trafficking and help destitute children.
Wow! Talk about a compelling story! A potent combination of travelogue and an epic journey of self-discovery, all beautifully told in the first person. Like Kathleen was really there. Really traveled to all the places mentioned. Really saw those desperate young faces. One of us was on the edge of her seat!
But it’s fiction. Kathleen isn’t real. She is a character apparently invented by the author to try to convey the main theme. Pity, that. Because this may leave some readers wondering: If Kathleen is fiction, what else in this book falls into the same category?
For example, the events in Chapter 26 per 15 y.o. neighbor and sometimes cat sitter Sophie. This whole chapter and story arc feel contrived. Artificial. Made us wonder what else in this book is contrived and artificial. Like, is ANY of this true? How much? Are “Helen” and “Pastor John” and their conversations with “Kathleen” also imaginary? That’s unfortunate. Cuz this faith-flavored read makes some really good points elsewhere.
See how this works?
Overall, this is a strong story with an important, much-needed message. It just hit us wrong. Like, it would’ve been a lot better if “Kathleen” was a real person. And her story was all true.
Our Rating: 3.5
***
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Via Blog Tour.
As an author and blogger, Yvonne M. Morgan writes stories to help deepen a relationship with God. On a personal level, she was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Author Yvonne M. Morgan.
She is a wife, mom, and grandmother, but most importantly, Yvonne is a child of God who is passionate about prayer and missions. Her passion is to share stories of trusting the Lord and watching Christ in action. As a faithful prayer warrior, she trusted God when he called her to help orphans after losing her son.
Her Grumpiness was cruising through the “14th Annual Goodreads Choice Awards” the other day. It says it’s “The only major book awards decided by readers.”
What?
So. Not. Impressed. Here’s why (the short version):
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Her Grumpiness speaketh:
I had two distinct reactions to this book. It’s the true story of a pit bull puppy left to die on the side of a road in winter and the woman who adopted the dog while recovering from stage three breast cancer.
On the one hand, Incredibull Stella is an uplifting, heartwarming read about the power of love and second chances. Robust and engaging, it’s told with great honesty and empathy.
On the other, it too often reads like an overlong soap opera, careening from one cataclysmic, heart-rending event to the next with nary a dog’s whisker in between. Think Lassie meets As The World Turns.
“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.”
Are you or your kids battling the winter blues? If so, check out these Juvenile Fiction and Young Adult titles.
You may not have heard of these books. But they’re all good, solid stories. Even better, they come highly recommended by The Momster and Kimber. (We love historical fiction. But we love well-written juvenile and YA fiction too. That probably means something. Can we get back to you on that?)
Anyway. Grab a hot cuppa. Put your feet up. Stoke up the fireplace or crank up the furnace. Get ready to warm up your winter with these excellent Mom-Tested, Kimber-Approved reads:
Kimber here. Coming to you from my Purrell-slathered secret bunker. Laying atop my small mountain of T.P. Waiting for the world to end.
NOT!
But I am ready for winter to end!
I’m also waiting for another thing to be gone.
It seems like a lot of humans are freaking out over a virus thing-y. Maybe it’s the face masks?
Mom says be pro-active. Be responsible. But keep a level head. Don’t let fear and panic run your life.
I’m not.
In the meantime, if you’re stuck at home waiting for spring to show up, you might check out these titles (some of my favorites. Not that I’m biased or anything.)
“First published in 1940, Lassie Come-Home has become a cultural phenomenon and one of the best-loved dog stories in the world, inspiring several movies and TV shows.”
“Danny, a trapper’s son, knows more about the woods, trapping, and hunting than he does about the big city or dog shows, but when Red’s owner sees seventeen-year-old Danny’s love for the dog, he entrusts the boy with training the champion Irish Setter. A much-loved classic.”
“When Andy Evans stumbles upon the snow-covered wreckage of a small plane, he’s shocked to find a survivor. Should he put the gravely injured dog out of his misery? The look in the animal’s eyes says he’s not ready to die. It turns out that Kävik’s a champion sled dog, and soon he makes a full recovery. When his rightful owner finds out Kävik is alive, he wants the dog back. But Kävik has other ideas.”
Ten year old Opal goes to the supermarket – and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. It’s because of Winn-Dixie that Opal begins to make friends. And it’s because of Winn-Dixie that she finally dares to ask her father about her mother, who left when Opal was three. In fact, just about everything that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie.
Pages & Paws 