The Owl Goddess by Jenny Twist

 

You know me, I hate to reveal too much about a book in a review. I promise, no big spoilers but I’ve got to tell you something this time…

… the owl goddess, her name is Athena and she lives on a spaceship.

Talk about food for thought!

Let’s just say that when I start out a book and “regular” people are named Zeus and Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite, there are expectations and ideas that pop into my head. When those “regular” people met some other mostly regular but more stone-age-ish other people and they have names like Atlas and Prometheus and Pandora… More ideas occur.

As it turns out, I meet a character named Pandora, I just hold my breath the whole time waiting for the you-know-what to hit the fan, because you know it has to… it’s Pandora! You don’t even need any extra foreshadowing when you have a name like that!

For the first part of the book I wasn’t a very good reader. Instead of just putting my faith in the story and letting it flow, I couldn’t stop wondering what the author was up to and guessing how what I knew about those names was going to fit in.

Then there was a turning point about halfway through the book. Suddenly both the characters and I had a grasp on what was going on and I finally settled in and enjoyed the unfolding of the tale.

Would I recommend it? The author did a really nice job crafting her story around Greek mythology yet writing something totally new. I think this will not only be a hit with young adults who already know and love Greek mythology but also an excellent way to introduce kids, who would rather read about space travel than where olive trees came from, to the classic tales.

Rosie's Book Review team 1

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I discovered this book because I’m a proud member of Rosie’s Book Review Team!

 

Reinforcing Bad Habits

One morning I (after, of course, staying up far too late the night before) woke up, completed the mostly unpleasant task of getting two of the girls to school, put breakfast in front of the crying and volatile third and went out to take care of morning chores.

My dog (always watching out for me because he’s, you know, perfect) alerted me to the presence of an intruder underneath the brooder house.fox under the chicken coop

I pondered the situation, took a picture (who am I kidding, I took five, then my camera battery died), showed Jane what a fox looks like (he was much further away than he appears in the picture) and then made a decision.

The chickens stayed locked up, the dogs were put in the basement and Jane and I went back to bed.

When I woke up, the fox was gone and the rest our daytime visitors were cheery-looking (okay, so the bluebird looks grumpy but I’m pretty sure he was actually super happy) winged creatures.

honey bees
male bluebird
female bluebird
male rose breasted grosbeak

Today was probably terrible reinforcement of my napping and avoidance habits, not to mention my problem with procrastination…

But hey! I had a great day- the second go around!

 

The Black Orchid By Celine Jeanjean

Reviewing a sequel is always a little bit challenging. I’ve begun to think of it as advice on if it’s worth it to start reading the first book of the series.

In this case the answer is yes.

You’ve got to start with The Bloodless Assassin (previously title The Viper and the Urchin) where you will meet the assassin that reminds me of Eyore and the street urchin who teams up with him.

And then, for sure, you’ve got to continue on to The Black Orchid.

Hands down my favorite part of these books is the characters. In the first book it was the witty dialogue between the two. In this sequel the focus shifted away from the dialogue (don’t worry it was all still fun and fantastic) and onto some major character development. I won’t spoil anything with details but let’s just say things have changed quite a bit and watching the two main characters adjust to their new position in life is to watch some great writing at work!

Would I recommend it? Yup. Yup. Yup! Just don’t forget you need to start with The Bloodless Assassin to make the story even more enjoyable! And then please keep reading because I think this one might be even better than the first!

Rosie's Book Review team 1

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I discovered this book because I’m a proud member of Rosie’s Book Review Team!

How Do You Do It?

“How do you do it?” is a question that gets posed to me on a semi-regular basis.

It’s usually when I’m out in public where my three girls always behave closer to something resembling angels than the screaming devils I know them to be within the confines of our home. And it often follows on the heels of me talking about bees, or chickens, or blogging, or just having three children dressed and out of the house.

And though I’ve been hearing this, likely, rhetorical question for years now, it shocks me a little bit every time. Why is someone asking me that?

How do I do it?

With caffeine, alcohol and under eye cream.

With a deliberate lack of sleep, a great husband and good friends.

With afternoon naps, good books and morning tea.apple blossom

How do I do it?

I don’t care what the kids wear so long as they’re dressed.

Ditto for myself.

I don’t care if the girls have brushed their hair so long as they can see where they are going.

Ditto for myself.

I don’t care if the kids have shoes on unless we are in a restaurant or grocery store.

Ditto for myself.apple blossom

How do I do it?

I blog and bake and read.

I raise chickens and bees and pigs.

I workout and canoe and play capoeira.apple blossom

How do I do it?

With snuggly mornings, hugs in the afternoon and I love you’s at bedtime.

With book reading, coloring and baseball games.

With giggles, smiles and overly loud whispers in my ear.apple blossom

How do I do it?

My house is messy – and I can live with that.

My truck is a disaster area – and I can live with that.

I haven’t gotten a week’s worth of decent sleep in ten years – and I’m still alive.apple blossom

How do I do it?

I do it the same way you do.

I do it one day at a time.

One smile at a time.

One screaming tantrum at a time.

One stolen moment of peace and chocolate in the bedroom closet at a time.

One sustaining hug from my husband at a time.

One phone call to a friend at a time.

One moment of wonder at a time.apple blossom

And so, when someone asks me how I do it I tend to trip over my tongue and mumble a bit. I don’t know what to say, and I’m not sure why they are asking me. Because I do it the same way everyone else does, no matter what they have chosen to fill their lives with.. Some days I do it poorly and some days I do it well and some days it’s all I can do just to do it.

Just like you.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dinnertime

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dinnertime

One evening, right around when I should have been fixing dinner, I couldn’t go inside. I was stuck on the deck, captivated by all the different kinds of bees flying through a patch of scilla looking for their own dinner.honey bee flying

The girls and I laid on our bellies and watched honey bees, bumble bees, mason bees and assorted flies until our own dinner was severely delayed.honey bee on scilla

We couldn’t tear ourselves away from the show until I discovered how to use the time lapse feature on my camera, then to keep our shadows out of the picture, we walked away.

When we returned, ten minutes later, dinnertime for the bees seemed to be over and we finally headed inside to start on our own.

 

 

 

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley and Book at the Door Winner

This month’s Book at the Door winner is… I won a Book at the Door with Behind the Willows

… Jenny from Life with Three Boys and a Splash of Purple!

Jenny correctly identified the first line of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and will get a copy of the book and the first line art mailed to her!

I still highly recommend you find your own copy of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

While the book starts out dire…

"It was as black in the closet as old blood. "

“It was as black in the closet as old blood. “

…it quickly becomes apparent that the eleven year old girl locked in the closet has been stuffed there by her sisters.

Flavia is no ordinary eleven year old though. No, she’s a grand chemist with a passion for poisons and when she’s not conducting experiments she’s busy solving murders and harassing adults with her precociousness.

Would I recommend it? Of course! I’d also recommend that you then look for the next one in the series.  There are seven adventures with Flavia published (with an eighth to come out later this year) and I have loved them all!

Book at the Door winner was chosen using a random number generator from http://www.random.org 

Artists of all kinds (Yes, you photographers and you who says you can’t draw and you who just wants to practice hand lettering and you who is selling paintings online and…all of you!) if you are interested in providing a small piece of work that includes a first sentence I would love to hear from you!  

Authors, have I read your book and tagged it as a recommended read? Would you like to donate a hard copy? Let me know!