FRIDAY: A Family Guide to Paris

Another fun travel guide geared to families with tips for safe travel, navigating cultural differences, and seeing some of the lesser known sites around Paris.

Great resource for families planning a trip. Could also be a fun addition to a library for those who aren't planning a trip, but who want to do a little dreaming.

FRIDAY: Alien Diplomacy by Gini Koch

Summary
Kitty is adjusting to her new role on the diplomatic corps. Honestly, she would rather be fighting alien superbeings than enduring the diplomacy classes she is failing in a spectacular way. In reality, her whole team is struggling to feel at home in their new roles in the Centurian government. When Kitty and Jeff and the team discover there is an assassination plot in the works, and someone seems to be trying to kidnap or kill Kitty and her team, they will have to set aside their qualms about their new roles and figure out what is really going on in Washington DC.

Review
This book was a bit of a departure from the rest of the series for me - it feels like a transitional book, linking Kitty's "old" life with her new one. I usually have passages that I read over and over because Kitty is just so wonderfully in-your-face. But Kitty and the whole crew are feeling so out of place, there weren't a lot of fun moments like in other books. Also, Kitty has to be diplomatic in her new role. She can't just tear into someone like she usually does - and I so love those moments! But all of these changes are completely necessary for the evolution of the story and the characters. Now that Kitty and Jeff have a baby, their roles needed to change, and this is a great avenue for that change, and it really pushes Kitty in fun new ways. I enjoyed the story, and finished it in one night. I'm already looking forward to reading it again, along with the rest of the series (I bought all of the books in e-book form, too, so I can carry them all together!). Now, I just have to wait until December for Alien vs. Alien.

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: fans of the rest of the series, fans of science-fiction/romance

Cautions: language, adult relationships, alternate lifestyles

FRIDAY: Jesus Calling/Heaven Calling

A year ago I started hearing about a book called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It's a devotional written as though Jesus is speaking to the reader. It's beautifully done.


A few months ago I came across Heaven Calling. It's not written by Ms. Young, but the premise is the same. In this book, the pieces are written as messages from God.


Both have been nice resources for devotional times. 


Jesus Calling - 5 out of 5 stars
Heaven Calling - 4 out of 5 stars

FRIDAY: Letters to a New School Teacher

Summary
Letters from Teachers of the Year around the country to folks joining their ranks - words of encouragement, ideas for starting well, and stories from the classroom


Review
Great resource for new teachers - even seasoned teachers might enjoy it. I dog-eared more than half the pages to highlight some of my favorite pieces of advice.


4 out of 5 pages


Recommended for: gifts for new teachers/student teachers, resource for principals to keep on hand for new staff, teacher training programs.


Cautions: none

FRIDAY: A Writer's Book of Days

This was one of the books I set aside to read in January from my ridiculously overflowing To Be Read (TBR) pile. I am really enjoying it.


It's set up to be used over the course of a year. Each month includes writing instruction and recommendations as well as writing prompts for each day of the year. The book can easily be used over and over as the prompts are nicely open ended. 


If you are looking for a little structure for your writing life, check out A Writer's Book of Days.


4 stars out of 5

FRIDAY: Annotated Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth is one of my all-time favorite books for kids. The annotated version, however, is probably of more interest to adults. Includes lots of great background information on the author and illustrator as well as detailed notes on the text of the story. Hours and hours of great reading about this fun story!


5 out of 5 stars
Accelerated Reader level of 6.7 for the original story.


Recommended for: fans of the original story, teachers, writers and illustrators who like to read about the works of other artists.

FRIDAY: Harry Potter: Page to Screen

I bought this for my husband for Christmas back in October and had to almost sit on my hands to keep from diving into it as soon as it arrived at the house. Now that I can access it freely, I have hogged it.


Great details and pictures and background stories about the people who brought the seven Harry Potter books to life in eight movies.


I think this would be a great treat for fans of the books and the movies - hours of entertainment with the regular text as well as special sections, and picture captions. The book is divided into sections by movie.


5 stars!

FRIDAY: Skein of the Crime

Summary
Kelly Flynn is sleuthing again, this time looking into the death of a young woman with a drug problem. Most people wrote off her death as the natural consequences of a misguided life, but Kelly isn't convinced. Side plots include trouble in paradise with Kelly's boyfriend, Steve.

Review
I really enjoy this series, but I didn't love this piece of it as much as I have others. The drug angle led to some sections of the book that felt a little preachy and repetitive. As always, the cast of long-time characters is fantastic. I enjoy reading about their ongoing relationships, and Sefton does a good job of using them to enhance the mystery rather than push it off stage completely. The ending really came together well and made the read worthwhile.

3 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: fans of the series, cozy mystery fans, knitters who like mysteries (although you don't have to be a knitter to enjoy Kelly and her friends).

Cautions: none other than my opinions expressed above.

FRIDAY: Heartless by Gail Carriger

Summary
Alexia is very pregnant and very tired of being targeted for murder because of her child. A plan to end the assassination attempts seems to be working when Alexia hears from a discombobulated ghost that the queen is in danger. Alexia decides she must put her personal drama aside and stop the plot against the queen - if only she can figure the plot out in time.

Review
If you are new to Alexia's story, you should know she lives in a world where vampires and werewolves roam free, and Alexia, who is the only person who can return a supernatural person to their human form just by a touch, works closely with the queen and the leadership of the two supernatural groups to keep everyone in line. But Alexia's "gift" makes some of the supernaturals very nervous - not to mention their fears about any child she might have. In this particular part of the story, Alexia is as spunky as ever. She is a great character - she tries to follow the rules for someone in her station, but reality and practicality often push her to take things into her own hands.



4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: fans of supernatural fiction or "steampunk." The series is often shelved in the science fiction/fantasy section of bookstores, so if you like that sort of story with a strong female protagonist, give Alexia a try. The first book in the series was Soulless. You can read about the series here.



Cautions: Romantic relationships described in some detail as well as references to alternate lifestyles.

FRIDAY: Lost and Fondue

Summary 
It all starts with a fundraiser to convert an abandoned winery with a mysterious past into a college. Charlotte Bessette and her family own a cheese and wine shop that is catering the event. When a body is found, and a friend is accused, Charlotte and her friends start digging in to discover the true guilty party.

Review

Good mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Chunky story with plenty of side plots.

3 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: cozy mystery fans


Cautions: None.


[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: A Pizza to Die For

Summary 
Eleanor and the crew of A Slice of Delight pizzeria have finally found a relatively peaceful routine in their individual and collective lives. but the threat of a rival pizza restaurant turns everything upside down. When the rival is killed, Eleanor and the gang put on their detective hats to find a killer before Eleanor and Maddy end up prime suspects.

Review

I actually figured out the "who" midway through the book, but I didn't get all the "whys" until the end. Great suspects you'll love to hate. Relationship stories for the sisters are a nice addition for depth. I'm fascinated by Eleanor's relationship with Art Young, a secondary character with a checkered past. I hope he will figure prominently in a future story.

3 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: cozy mystery fans


Cautions: None.


[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: Pepperoni Pizza Can Be Murder

Summary 
Eleanor Swift owns the A Slice of Delight pizzeria. She only has three people on staff - her sister, Maddy; the police chief's son, Josh (when his father isn't feuding with Eleanor); and their delivery man, Greg. It's a small crew, but they are more than co-workers. They are family. So when the police chief wants Greg on suspicion of murdering his brother, Wade, Eleanor and Maddy start sleuthing to protect one of their own. 

Wade lived a life of theft, lies and embezzlement. The suspects are plentiful. Maddy and Eleanor will need to stay on their toes if they are going to keep ahead of a killer.

Review

Great mystery! I picked the wrong suspect as my choice but the solution was right in front of me the whole time. I really enjoy the relationships the characters have - Josh's relationship with Eleanor despite his father's issues with her, the way Eleanor and Maddy watch out for one another, and the way the whole crew bands together for Greg. Check this series out!


3 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: cozy mystery fans

Cautions: None.


[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: Alien in the Family

Summary 
Kitty and Martini are engaged. The wedding is (slowly) being planned. But signs of an incoming invasion are making it very hard to focus on pre-wedded bliss. Looks like Kitty will have to pass some serious tests if she wants to marry into the royal family of Alpha Centauri, because Martini is in line for the throne.


Review
My summaries are getting shorter and shorter because I don't want to give anything away from book to book. Really enjoyed this one. There's a chess analogy that is brilliant (and I don't even play chess, but I could follow along without trouble). Great new characters, plenty of interesting family dynamics for both Kitty and Martini, and some religious references and insights in this volume that I thought really added great detail to the story. Terrifically intricate plot pulls the reader from page to page. So many "people" and circumstances in this one are not what they seem to be, making for a great stay-up-all-night-to-finish story.
4.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: Readers who like paranormal/science-fiction stories with romance and great characters.

Cautions: Adult romantic relationships described in detail.


[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: Alien Tango

Summary 
Kitty, Martini and the rest of the Alpha team are on their way to Kennedy Space Center to investigate a strange incident with three astronauts who had been on a mission. By the time Kitty figures out what's going on and gets her team out of Kennedy, she will face an obsessive ex-boyfriend, an anti-alien plot to kill her team, bombs (plural), a psycho stalker, and an alien intelligence far more powerful than anything they have ever encountered. And those challenges are nothing compared to meeting Martini's family.




Review
Another winner from Gini Koch. There were whole chapters I read twice because they were so perfect. Kitty continues to be one of my favorite characters ever. She is strong, intuitive, sarcastic and loyal. Great secondary (?) story line about alien and human relationships in this volume. This is a chunky story. There is a lot packed into these pages. Just when you think things are wrapping up, you realize how much more book you have to go. As I mentioned in the review for book one, adult romantic relationships are detailed, but easily skipped for readers who want to get back to the story.


4.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: Readers who like paranormal/science-fiction stories with romance and great characters.

Cautions: Some language. Adult romantic relationships described in detail.


[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: Touched by an Alien

Summary 
Kitty is just minding her own business, relieved to be done with jury duty and ready to go back to work when the fender bender happens. It's all pretty standard traffic stuff... until one driver sprouts wings, turns into a monster, and starts destroying people and buildings in the immediate area.


Rather than running away, Kitty instinctively runs into the chaos, destroying the monster and attracting the attention of some extremely handsome men in Armani suits. Those men happen to be part of an alien group on Earth to help with the monsters. And that's only the beginning of what Kitty will discover - about herself, her family, her new friends and the universe.





Review
I thoroughly enjoyed this story (first in a series - book 3 came out in April). Kitty is sassy, funny, and courageous. Kitty's love interest is flirty, persistent and protective. The storyline deals with prejudice, exile and persecution in a paranormal/otherworldly sort of way. The author does a fantastic job of world building without doing a "data dump" in the beginning of the book. I found the "voice" of the story to be completely delightful. Kitty is relate-able, believable, and engaging. The banter during one of the big battle scenes made me laugh out loud. I kept reading sections to my husband because I thought they were so funny and well-written. Romantic scenes are detailed, but easily skipped over if a reader isn't interested. As soon as I finished this book, I picked up the next in the series. These are library books, but I will be buying my own set very soon!


5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: Readers who like paranormal/science-fiction stories with romance and great characters.

Cautions: Adult romantic relationships described in detail.


[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: Too Pretty to Die

Summary 
Andy Kendricks, the "debutante dropout," would prefer to keep her distance from botox-and-plastic-surgery "Pretty Parties." But she goes as a favor to a society-reporter friend. This puts her in a perfect place to help Miranda DuBois who's having a really bad night. Miranda blames the botox-wielding Dr. Madhari for the disfigurement that costs her her job and connections - and she plans to even the score with a gun.

Miranda's shot goes awry and Andy whisks her back to her house before she can cause any more trouble. Andy leaves her sleeping on the couch and goes home. The next day, Miranda is dead. The police think it is suicide, but Andy isn't so sure. With the help of her boyfriend, her mother, the society reporter and a flirty private investigator, Andy will keep digging until she finds out what really happened to Miranda.

Review
Good mystery. I didn't see the solution coming at all, which is something I like in a mystery. I would have liked more dialogue in parts. Some sections felt like a lot of musing on Andy's part. I also would have liked the feisty Andy to tell off the society reporter "friend." She annoyed me and didn't feel like the sort of person Andy would have considered a friend. This book was a labor of love for the author who underwent significant personal trials during the writing. I believe this might be the final book in this particular series. If you like cozy mysteries, you should check out the whole Debutant Dropout series. [The author has written several other books since this one, some for young adults. I haven't gotten to check any of those out. If you have, I'd love to hear about them.]


3 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: cozy mystery fans


Cautions: some language and adult situations..

[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: A Crafty Killing

Summary 
Katie Bonner has lost a lot lately. Her husband raided their savings to buy a share in an artists community he was a part of, cutting into Katie's dream of buying an old house and turning it into a Bed and Breakfast. The fight they had over the money drove her husband from their home. Then he died in a car accident. So much loss.

Chad's death makes Katie part owner of Artisans Alley, no matter how resentful she is of the place. Then, the suspicious death of her new business partner puts her in charge of the failing business and its quirky bunch of artists.

If Katie ever hopes to put her own future together, she'll have to at least get Artisans Alley solvent again. And to do that, she really needs to figure out who killed her partner before she is hauled in as the primary suspect!

Review
This was a good mystery! I liked Katie, although I was frustrated that she put up with her horrible boss at her other job for as long as she did. Boy, was he a monster! [Maybe he will get to be a victim in a future book in the series! I'd snatch that story up in a minute!] I liked watching Katie discover her confidence and start taking charge of her life. I started leaning toward the right suspect about 3/4 of the way through the story, but had no idea how the motive would tie things together, so I was kept guessing until the end. Looking forward to the next book in the series!


4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: cozy mystery lovers


Cautions: none
[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Summary 
"The world is changing in a way that is going to push all of us, reluctantly or not, towards being at least semi-vegetarian; our current rate of meat and fish consumption simply cannot be justified, and that's not going away."


This is part of the introduction to How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food. Includes everything from key items to keep in your kitchen/pantry for meat-less meal planning, cookware, cooking techniques and TONS of recipes.

Review
I was really pleased with this book - enough so that I would like to buy it so we can take our time with the information and the recipes inside it. More and more I am hearing stories of people trying "Meatless March" or "Meatless Mondays." I have friends who gave up meat for lent and some are just going to keep going once Easter has arrived (others, though, are counting down the days to a Quarter Pounder). Our family has enjoyed more meatless meals lately and this book has been a great resource for us. If you are looking for ideas and information and recipes, check it out.


4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: anyone looking for information and ideas for meatless meals and/or a meatless lifestyle.


Cautions: none
[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: The Sherlockian

Summary 
1900 - Arthur Conan Doyle and his friend, Bram Stoker, are drawn into a real life mystery when someone sends Doyle a letter bomb and a young bride is murdered.

2010 - Harold White, a Sherlockian, is drawn into a real life mystery when another Holmesophile is found dead before he can share with the world the holy grail of their movement - a missing Doyle diary.

Review
The missing diary, of course, is for the time period covered in the book by the story from 1900. There are lots of twists and turns in this one. The mystery is well-written. I described it to others as "compelling." I'm not sure I loved it, but I had to finish it to know what happened and how it all works together. Even though it wasn't a good fit for me, I can recommend it to others as it is a well-crafted story


4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: Sherlock Holmes fans, mystery lovers (this is not a "cozy" mystery),

Cautions: some language and violence

[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

FRIDAY: Made to Crave

Summary 
While "everything is permissible, not everything is beneficial." (1 Corinthians 6:12. This is one of the foundational ideas behind Made to Crave. The author's premise is that we fill our craving for God with other things - in this case food - and that puts our lives out of balance. When we realign our focus, our attention, our time, and our "craving," we can put food - or whatever else distracts us - in its proper place. Each chapter includes questions for further thought. There are also materials for group study of the book. You can go here to read the author's blog, here to get some free materials related to the book and here to sign up for a 21 day series of emails to encourage you on your journey.


Review
I have really enjoyed reading this book. It is both challenging and encouraging. I found that the principles, while specifically about food and eating, can also be applied to other areas of life. This is not a diet book. The author does not outline an eating plan. Each reader, in consultation with his or her physician, should work out a plan that works for the individual's needs and health. This book is more about your relationship with food and how you think about food and where God fits in your eating life.


4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: anyone looking for encouragement or resources to help with healthy eating and exercise. Good for group study and discussion.

 Cautions: none

[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]