Hippochondriac: Humorous Short Story by Micky Morag
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I read this short & very interesting book with an open mind, and while some of the language and humor is fun, the story began to feel forced. The illustrations were fun, but due to the formatting, they can be challenging to read on certain types of readers (I had trouble on my kindle, but it worked well on my tablet). It is important to note, this is NOT a children's story. It is humorous, There were some clever parts with well written sarcasm - I laughed at parts of the story, but there were also parts that did not hold my interest. The author poked fun at not only individuals who seem to 'catch' any illness they hear about, but he also challenged the culture of fear that many people have about contagious illnesses. Humor is very subjective, and while I did find humor in this story I would only rate this book as Okay.
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Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The story of a young woman of privilege who wants more out of life than simply attending fancy dinner parties, Lilly gets into an argument with her parents and leaves home. In her desire to do more for the war effort, she volunteers for the first ever female unit of the army. The author focuses mainly on the romance between Lilly and Robbie, a surgeon and friend of her brother. Lilly manages to get herself assigned to the very same hospital unit where Robbie is stationed. The author does a great job of describing life during the war, and she introduces some great characters, but she fails to fully develop the characters and the story. I enjoyed the book, but felt like there were many missed opportunities to make it even better.
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Randy Bamboo in Chicken City by R.C. Beaird
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A very cute children's story, written in an easy-going style, with fun, colorful illustrations, Randy Bamboo is a typical city boy who moves to the country to raise chickens. Randy soon learns that chickens take a lot more patience and hard work than he realized, and readers will celebrate with Randy as he finally gets his first egg. Children will enjoy following along with Randy's adventure and parents will love the messages about hard work, patience and perseverance.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review
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An Inconvenient Year by Yvonne Joye
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A beautifully written memoir that shares the authors experience with breast cancer. The story is honest and compelling. Starting out as naive and overwhelmed, we follow along as she endures and takes on a new, more jaded outlook, ultimately re-capturing the joy that cancer has threatened to take from her. I really enjoyed the author's viewpoint, being completely open and honest about her ordeal, but not in a sad or morose way. I would strongly recommend this book, especially if you or someone you know and love is dealing with breast cancer.
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Regarding Anna by Florence Osmund
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book, I found myself drawn into the mystery of Anna, as Grace tries to unravel her past. The book has a few good twists and turns of the plot, but I began to get tired of keeping up with a few too many new characters introduced to the plot. The main character Grace is likable and some of the secondary characters like Minnie and Naomi are a lot of fun. The bad guy is extremely one-dimensional, and it feels very artificial and forced that Grace won't use any of the Irish money because she doesn't feel right about it. Overall this was a fun mystery and I would recommend this book.
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Kevin and the Seven Lions by Martin Tiller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this fun little story about Kevin, a young boy who often finds himself distracted in wonderful daydreams. Kevin is used to getting in trouble for his daydreams, but a very wise teacher helps Kevin to explore those dreams and write them down. Having a daughter with ADD, I really enjoyed the way this author shed a positive light on the challenges of being distracted. I am sure that children will identify with Kevin. The illustrations are fun and add well to the story. I would highly recommend this book for all children, especially children with ADD and other attention problems.
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