Tag: five star review

REVIEW: The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

An Introduction to the Enneagram. As a fan of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, I had heard about the Enneagram before. But its numbers instead of letters and star-like diagram made no sense to me. The MBTI was familiar and comfortable. I was content to stick with that.

Then The Road Back to You released last fall. I started to wonder if I was ready to tackle a new personality theory. A theory that would provide not only personal insights but a spiritual component as well.

This book introduces the general idea of the Enneagram, describing the 9 types in simple to understand terms.

Review

This is a fantastic book! The writing is conversational. There are some hilarious stories and examples. It’s a FUN, interesting read.

Originally, I was reading a copy from the library, but I got so drawn into the material, I knew I needed my own copy. It is full of underlining and highlighting now!

I feel like this book gave me enough information to start figuring out my “type.” But it also gives me insight into others. I loved the spiritual component. There’s also a strong emphasis on recognizing where my type can be detrimental and how to find grace and balance for myself.

I also bought the workbook. There are questions based on the three triads (8-9-1, 2-3-4, 5-6-7). The questions are geared toward helping you assess your type. There’s also information on a technique the authors recommend to help increase personal awareness and move to a more healthy expression of your type. There’s also an extensive list of recommendations for further reading. I’ll be digging into that list more this year, starting with Self to Lose Self to Find.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Boy is Back by Meg Cabot

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When Judge Stewart and his wife are arrested for trying to pay for their dinner with a $4 stamp, the family knows there’s trouble. Their three kids have different ideas about what they should do – nothing, blame it on eccentricity, or throw money at the problem.

Instead, they hire an expert who helps senior adults manage their space and belongings and downsize when necessary. It doesn’t sound very interesting, but when the expert is the younger brother’s ex whom he left 10 years earlier without a word, things start to get interesting very quickly!

Review

The description doesn’t do the hilarity of this story justice!

First, it’s told mostly through text, chat and email exchanges in addition to internet reviews and news articles. The middle brother’s issues with autocorrect alone were a riot! But there are lots of fantastic moments well told in this format. This also makes for a fast read.

Second, the Stewart family relationships are entertaining. Whether it’s the kid who always wears a costume, the sibling banter between the brothers, or the dynamics with the elderly parents, there’s a lot to keep readers turning pages.

There’s also the romantic relationship with the youngest Stewart and his ex. Can they overcome their past or are they destined to repeat it?

I read this one after pushing through a book I didn’t like. This one was so delightful in contrast that reading it felt like a treat – a reward for enduring the previous one! I would read this again because I had such a fun time with it.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

REVIEW: Framed: A TOAST Mystery by James Ponti

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

A Theory of Small Things Mystery.

Florian Bates. “Young Sherlock” and originator of TOAST, the Theory of All Small Things.  With observational skills like Shawn Spencer of the TV show, Psych, Florian uses TOAST to figure things out. Like the whereabouts of stolen paintings from an art museum. But a twelve-year-old gifted enough to work with the FBI is still a twelve-year-old. And a kid who puzzles things out from small clues can be misled by  well-placed small clues. And those kind of mistakes can lead Florian into danger!

Theory of Small Things mystery

Review

What a fantastic start to this mystery series!! Florian is a great character! He’s bright and creative as well as endearing and likeable. His best friend, Margaret, is a perfect match for him – smart enough to keep up with Florian yet with enough separation from the mystery to see danger potential. She has a mystery of her own to solve which starts in this book but will carry into a future story.

The mystery was really well done. Layers and red herrings keep the story going all the way to the end. Fun, laugh-out-loud moments added to the enjoyment. I look forward to reading MANY more TOAST mysteries in the future!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Friday Barnes, Girl Detective by R. A. Spratt

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Friday is a bright, bored middle schooler who puzzles out the solution to a bank robbery. The reward money lets Friday buy her way into a prestigious boarding school. While there, Friday uses her powers of observation and her crazy-high IQ to tackle some mysteries at her new school, too.

Brilliant Middle School Detective

Review

Wow, I liked this book! My first criteria for a “good” book is always the main character. Friday clicked for me from the start. Her family situation endeared her to me. But Friday handles her family’s quirks so matter-of-factly, I didn’t pity her.

Next, since this was a mystery, I needed the “cases” to be good. Friday is a bit Sherlockian in her methods and her brilliance. I didn’t feel like it was my job to solve the mystery before her. I didn’t have enough information. So instead I just got to sit back and watch Friday do her thing.

The thing I noticed most about this book, though, was the fast, snappy writing. It’s like watching an episode of The West Wing – part of you knows that there’s a wordy-ness to the writing. But at the same time the words are essential – no fluff. They are establishing a fast pace to every scene. The words are sharp and clever. I think this would be a fun story to read out loud.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

If this sounds like a good read for you – or someone you love – be sure to have book 2, Under Suspicion, handy because this one ends on a cliff hanger. Books three and four are coming in 2017 and are pictured below.

REVIEW: Alien Nation by Gini Koch

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

First Lady, Kitty Katt-Martini, has negotiated the unexpected road to the White House fairly smoothly, all things considered. She’s foiled multiple bad-guy plans du jour. She spun the last attack so it blew back on the hateful aliens at the core of so many plots against them. She’s “Megalomaniac Girl,” and she knows how to think like the bad guys and figure out how to save the day!

But the Mastermind is still at large. Enemies from previous engagements are lurking, waiting to strike until they think they’ve been forgotten. And many humans around the world are still uneasy – if not downright hostile – about aliens being in charge of anything.

So when Kitty and the gang get the word that several previously unknown alien races are fleeing to Earth for asylum, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to triumph once again. So many things could go wrong. And if they can’t get things together on Earth, or manage the new arrivals smoothly, what’s going to happen when a ravenous horde of aliens follows the refugees with intent to devour everyone on Earth?

science fiction romance

Review

I have no idea how Gini Koch manages to churn out two 500+ page books a year in addition to her other writing, promotion, and personal activities! But I am so glad she does. These books are dense, chock full of action, sarcasm, humor, plots to foil and enemies to defeat. And I love every one of them!

This is book 14 in this science-fiction/romance/mystery/action series. I highly recommend reading them in order to get the most out of the character development and the “big reveals.”

My favorite aspect of this series is the characters. Kitty is one of my favorite characters of all time. She is sassy and smart. She defends the voiceless and the oppressed. She holds onto the hope that she can turn some of their enemies to the side of good – and she does. The cast around her is huge (another reason to read the books in order so you know who is who and how they connect to the main storyline), full of fantastic characters with their own well-defined skills and personalities. A lot of the humor in the stories comes from these relationships and the history between the characters, so the better the reader knows the characters, the more fun he/she has with the story.

This particular book is a celebration for long-term fans because some of the long-running plot lines seem to come to a satisfying conclusion. , Readers won’t know for sure, though, which enemies and plans are still in play until we see what happens in the next books in the series. Book 15, Alien Education, releases May 2, 2017 (release dates subject to change).

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Better Late Than Never by Jenn McKinlay

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

An overdue book mystery. It’s amnesty day at the library! That means anyone and everyone can return their overdue and damaged materials without repercussions. But no one expects to find a 20-year overdue book in the stack! And when Lindsey discovers the book was checked out by a patron who was murdered later that night, she has to find out where the book came from. And who the murderer is.

Overdue book mystery

Review

I loved the “cold case” twist to this book! It freshened up a series I already adore (this is book 7), taking it to a new level of awesome!

What do I love about this series? First, the main character is a librarian and the series centers around the library. As a former school librarian, there are a lot of familiar factors for me. And there are lots of book references which I enjoy.

Second, the core characters are fun! This book focused on Lindsey, Sully (love interest #1), Robbie (love interest #2), and a couple of the other librarians. The crafternooners (a crafting book club) make an appearance but aren’t a huge piece of this story. I love these characters. The author has done a great job of giving all of the main group some focus so they have clear personalities, distinct from one another.

Third, I love the mysteries. This one kept me guessing almost to the very end. And I loved the details of the case as Lindsey puzzled it out.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

This one can probably be read in any order, although it is easier to get to know the characters if you read them in order. I love the whole series. Book one is Books Can Be Deceiving.

 

REVIEW: The Charming Life of Izzy Malone by Jenny Lundquist

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Izzy Malone struggles to fit in. She can’t compete at home with a musical prodigy older sister. She can’t compete at school where the other girls pick their rowing team based on popularity rather than skill. Izzy knows she doesn’t fit the typical mold. And for the most part she doesn’t care. But when your mom is running for mayor, the pressure to conform is even higher. Izzy’s only hope is a correspondence charm school. If she can complete the assignments, maybe she’ll finally find her place in the world.

Great books for kids

Review

This book was outstanding! I loved Izzy from the start. Earnest, confident and caring, Izzy just wants to be accepted for who she is. But she doesn’t feel that acceptance at home or at school.

The correspondence charm school is terrific. The tasks are simple at the outset, but nothing ever goes quite right. The letters give Izzy a chance to tell someone what’s really on her heart – and she feels affirmed and accepted in some ways for the first time.

The family dynamics are fascinating. As an adult, I could infer what’s going on with Izzy’s mom. For kids, this would be a great dynamic to discuss to help build empathy and understanding for others. The evolution of that relationship was satisfying – no magic solution, but progress, which felt realistic.

The heart of this story is what drew me in, compelled me to finish it in one sitting, and keeps me thinking about the characters and the story even after the book is closed. This is a book I will keep and read again. And one I will talk about with kids any chance I get.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: A Dark and Stormy Murder by Julia Buckley

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Lena became a writer because she has loved the books by Camilla Graham her whole life. So when she has a chance to work for her writing idol, Lena jumps at the chance. But her dream job in Indiana unfortunately comes with a dead body. And some suspicious characters around town. Pretty soon, Lena is writing, defending a new friend from the local gossip, and dodging assailants!

cozy mystery about authors

Review

Wow! This was an excellent mystery! The author does a great job introducing her characters so you know who is who without difficulty. I felt like I had read other things with Lena and Camilla because I was so comfortable with them immediately. The mystery for this book was great – I kept getting surprised by what happened. All my theories were wrong. I loved getting to be surprised by a well-plotted mystery!

I felt like I got a bonus with this book because there’s an over-arching mystery that comes up early in the book, carries throughout, and is the primary focus of the last chapter after the main mystery for this book was done. And the over-arching mystery will carry readers right into book 2. Death in Dark Blue  is currently scheduled to release on May 2, 2017 (release dates subject to change).

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

A fantastic Christmas story! Lauren grew up in a string of foster homes. At 20, she longs for a family – for a place to be known, a place to belong. On a whim one night, Lauren takes a drive and ends up in a town named Grandon. Little by little, the town and its people start drawing her in. But a nice town and nice people may not be enough to overcome a lifetime of pain and disappointment….

Christmas story about hope

Review

Oh, how I adored this book! Even now, a month after finishing it, I remember all the things that made this a special holiday read! This might be my favorite Christmas story ever (after the original, of course!).

Lauren is a fantastic character. I hurt for her past and hoped with her for the future.

I enjoyed how different threads of the book slowly worked together – the girl with a heart defect, the grocery store bagger (my FAVORITE character), the parks and recreation manager, the waitress – all the pieces with potential to help Lauren’s dream come true.

This story begs for an epilogue. Just to see how everything works out.  Just to spend more time with these characters. I think this book would be a perfect story to read each year to kick off my holiday season. I love the theme of hope and the message that God is at work even when we don’t see it.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

REVIEW: Madly (The Potion Diaries) by Amy Alward

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Samantha comes from a long line of alchemists – potion makers without magic but with a gift for mixing and creating potions for whatever ails you. When the princess gets a bad potion, all the alchemists in the kingdom are summoned to join the hunt for a cure. The one who can make a potion to cure the princess wins gold and magic! Too bad for Samantha that her grandfather refuses to join the hunt. She’s just an apprentice. What can she do?

madly potion-diaries

Review

Ever since I first saw the cover for The Potion Diaries, I have wanted to read it. I thought about it all summer long, counting down to the October release date.

Then in September I realized that it’s not a new book, but a re-packaged book. My local library had had Madly, the same story but with a different title and cover, all along!!

The story is fantastic. The potion/magic pieces create the world, but the characters are the story. Stephanie and her family are great. I especially like how the world is set up with magic users and “ordinary” folks. Stephanie has a pretty easy time figuring out the ingredients thanks to her family gift. But actually obtaining those ingredients is another whole story!

The characters made this story for me! And the adventures in getting the potion ingredients kept me turning pages.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

royal-tour

I read book 2, The Royal Tour, right after I finished Madly. It sagged at spots in the middle for me, but it was still enjoyable. I’m glad I pressed through the slow spots. The characters continue to be terrific. I loved seeing more of the princess and Sam’s sister in this book. Major cliffhanger at the end sets up book 3 to be a doozy!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥