It’s been a while since I wrote a Friday Firsts post. And yes, I realize it’s Saturday. But with the holiday this week, my days are mixed up! I intended to post this on Friday, and since today feels like Friday, here you go – a Friday Firsts! This month, I read my first cozy Christmas mystery, Death of a Toy Soldier by Barbara Early. I liked it so much that I immediately read the sequel, Murder on the Toy Town Express. Before I get into the books, let me answer the question you’re probably asking yourself…what is a cozy Christmas mystery?
Tag: Book Reviewer
Book Review: What Do You Do With a Problem? By Kobi Yamada
I love picture books. I loved them as a child, and I still love them as an adult. When I went back to school, one of the first classes I took was a Children’s Literature course. One of the things I learned in that course is that picture books are designed so that the pictures are for the kids and the words are for the adults. I can see how that’s true with several picture books. There are jokes in certain books that go over kiddos’ heads but manage to give the adults a chuckle.
But, as an adult, I have developed a real appreciation of both the text and the illustrations in picture books. It’s not just an appreciation of the art that goes into these books, though the art is often what makes a few words on a page come to life. But it’s more about the life lessons that picture books instill in children while offering a gentle reminder to adults as well.
One such picture book is What Do You Do With A Problem? by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom.
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Book Review: Revival by Stephen King
I recently took to social media to ask my fellow book lovers which of Stephen King’s many novels they would recommend for my very first Stephen King read. I got a lot of responses and many of them were similar. Many people suggested I go with his earlier works, and titles like The Shining, Carrie, and Christine came up multiple times. Some suggested I just close my eyes and grab one off the shelf because I couldn’t go wrong that way.
It is interesting to me that it has taken me thirty-five years to read Stephen King, one of the best-selling authors in the world. To be honest, I think the movie versions of his films are what kept me at bay for so long. I don’t like scary movies and I remember films like It and Carrie scaring me as a child and I thought, “No way would I ever read this book!” So I guess you could say that up until now, I’ve been too chicken to read his work.
For my introductory novel, I chose one of his recent releases, Revival. It was recommended to me by a few people and many were describing it as similar to his earlier work. I was assured by a friend that it wasn’t scary – creepy for sure and disturbing at times – but not scary. I decided it was a good place to start and started Revival on what turned out to be a very dark and stormy week in the northeast…how appropriate!
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Book Review: Differella by Jim and Kay Story
I love books. So when people I love write books that I love, life is pretty amazing! My aunt and uncle have joined together to produce an incredible children’s book, which offers a reminder that it is okay, even more than okay, to be a little bit different. I found Differella to be deeply moving, and I share it here in the hopes of encouraging others to read it, share it, and help spread awareness that different is not a bad thing. It’s just different.
Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A couple of weeks ago, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo started popping up all over my Instagram feed, and I became intrigued. The title alone is enough to pique one’s interest. At the bookstore last Friday, I came across this title and decided to see what all the fuss was about. After reading the synopsis, I was sold. I had to read this book!
Evelyn’s story takes place over several decades and falls into one of my favorite genres of books – the golden age of Hollywood. I love reading stories set in Hollywood from the ‘40s – ‘60s. I love watching old films and imagining what life was like for the movie stars who made them. I have read several celebrity autobiographies from that era, and they are always fascinating to me. Although Evelyn Hugo is a fictional character, I couldn’t wait to read her story.
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Book Review: Sisters One, Two, Three by Nancy Star
Sisters One, Two, Three is the first novel by Nancy Star that I’ve read, and I’ll be honest: my first impression was that I didn’t like it and wasn’t going to enjoy the book. The subject matter is emotionally heavy and rather depressing. The main character, Ginger, who takes us through her childhood and adult life, is somewhat irritating. She is always on the look-out for something bad to happen. The writing style wasn’t my favorite, with sentences sometimes feeling choppy and incomplete. All that being said, I ended up reading the first half of this book in one day. So, subject matter, irritating characters, and confusing writing aside, the story itself was intriguing and kept me turning the pages.
Book Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
This is one of those rare instances when I’d heard of a movie before I’d heard of the book it was based on. My hubby and I made a trip to the movies recently, and one of the trailers we saw was for a new movie about a young girl with a rare illness that prevents her from going outside. Basically, she lives as a girl in a bubble. But what happens when she falls in love with the boy next door? Will she risk everything to be able to go outside, to be a part of his world, of the world? The trailer looked great and reminded me of Me Before You, a great read about a relationship dealing with circumstances beyond their control. So imagine my joy when I heard the line, “based on the best-selling book.” I knew I had to read Everything, Everything!
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Kait's Bookshelf