Medical Issues

Just wanted to post a quick update. I haven't been blogging lately due to medical issues. Seems like I just can't win this year. First my parents, then my mother in law, then my parents again and again and again oh and again, then my husband, then my father AGAIN, and now me. I have what is known as a diabetic ulcer on my leg. At times it is very very very painful (like someone is stabbing me in the leg with a flaming knife). It makes it really hard to sit at the computer and type. I haven't really had the concentration to read and worst of all I haven't been reading to my son. What compounds it is I have a job where I am on my feet the entire time and that makes it even more painful. This past weekend I worked two 9 hour shifts and had to walk a mile home from work. By the time I was home I was literally sobbing from the pain.

So I apologise to those authors who have sent me books for review and that I have not gotten to yet. I WILL read the books I promise. I am just putting my health and comfort ahead of my blogging. I am healing (very very very slowly) and hope to be myself sometime soon.

What upsets me most about this is that I was planning on doing NaNoWriMo this year and I don't know if it will be possible. If I can get my laptop up and running again I'll be good with both blogging and NaNoWriMo. Anyway, here is to hoping that I'm back to my normal self.

WOW: What I'm waiting on this week

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

From Goodreads:

The Crown's Game

by Evelyn Skye (Goodreads Author)

Hardcover, 416 pages

Expected publication: May 17th 2016 by Balzer + Bray

4.07 of 5 stars

Vika Andreyev can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the Tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the Tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love . . . or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear . . . the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.

From Goodreads:

Ollie and the Wind

by Ronojoy Ghosh

Hardcover, 32 pages

Expected publication: March 1st 2016 by Random House Australia

4.0 of 5 stars

A beautifully told story about ingenuity and friendship from a wonderful new author-illustrator talent

Ollie and the Wind is about a small boy who lives—seemingly alone—on an island. The wind keeps stealing away Ollie’s hat and his scarf—but is the wind naughty, or does it just want to play?

WOW: This week I'm waiting on Ruined by Amy Tintera and The Dragon's Toothache by Annie Besant

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


I've decided to make a slight change to my WOW. Since I review children's books on here as well I'll be doing two WOWs each week. One book for me and one book for what I'm waiting to read to my son.

From Goodreads:A revenge that will consume her.

A love that will ruin her.
     Emelina Flores has nothing. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war. She lacks the powers of her fellow Ruined. Worst of all, she witnessed her parents’ brutal murders and watched helplessly as her sister, Olivia, was kidnapped.
     But because Em has nothing, she has nothing to lose. Driven by a blind desire for revenge, Em sets off on a dangerous journey to the enemy kingdom of Lera. Somewhere within Lera’s borders, Em hopes to find Olivia. But in order to find her, Em must infiltrate the royal family.
     In a brilliant, elaborate plan of deception and murder, Em marries Prince Casimir, next in line to take Lera’s throne. If anyone in Lera discovers Em is not Casimir’s true betrothed, Em will be executed on the spot. But it’s the only way to salvage Em’s kingdom and what is left of her family.
     Em is determined to succeed, but the closer she gets to the prince, the more she questions her mission. Em’s rage-filled heart begins to soften. But with her life—and her family—on the line, love could be Em’s deadliest mistake.

Hardcover, 368 pages

Expected publication: May 3rd 2016 by HarperTeen

From Goodreads: What could be stranger than a dragon's toothache? A motley crew comes to the rescue of the dragon in pain, but do they manage to help him? Annie Besant's quirky humor and Rayika Sen's imaginative illustrations make this book a joy to read over and over again. (less)

Hardcover, 36 pages

Expected publication: February 9th 2016 by Karadi Tales Picturebooks

Thursday's Tale: Don Joseph Pear by Thomas Frederick Crane

Don Joseph Pear is a fairy tale from Italy. It is in Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Frederick Crane. I had never heard of this one before but thought it looked interesting.

Three brothers own a pear tree. They notice that someone keep picking their pears. So one by one the brothers stay over night by the tree. The first two fall asleep but the third one, Don Joseph, stays awake and catches a fox trying to steal their pears. The fox convinces Don Joseph to set her free and that she will have the king's daughter marry him.

Two times the fox hunts and brings a large amount of game to the King. He visits the king a third time and asks for a measure so the King will think Don Joseph is rich. 

Eventually Don Joseph marries the King's daughter and goes to live in castle that used to be owned by an Ogress. The fox kills the Ogress by convincing her to hide in the well when Don Joseph and the kingsmen ride up to the castle.

One day Don Joseph throws dust on the foxes head and the fox threatens to tell his wife everything. Don Joseph throws a clay pot at the fox killing her. Don Joseph is left with all of his riches and his wife after killing the fox who got it all for him.

This story was really fascinating. You can't help but feel bad for the fox in the end since she did all the work and Don Joseph just kills her and still gets to keep everything. It's frustrating when people who don't deserve things win them anyway. But that is how the real world works all the time. 

Thursday's Tales is hosted by CarolsNotebook. Feel free to join in and read a tale of your own!

Book Review: Mug Meals: Delicious Microwave Meals by Dina Cheney

My stepdaughter is heading off to college next year. So when I saw this book on *Netgalley I decided to look into it. As I'm sure she will be eating many a microwave meal.

Mug Meals is a recipe filled book that shows the microwave is not just for leftovers. With just a mug and some simple ingredients you can microwave up a variety of delicious meals.

This book is great. I was right that this book is perfect for people like my stepdaughter. Mouthwatering recipes with pictures that leave you drooling. It covers all meals of the day from breakfast through dessert. I loved that there were also vegetarian recipes included.

The biggest problem with the book is when it comes to some of the lunches and dinners which required cooked rice/pasta. For people living at home that is not an issue but for those who are in a dorm food like that is not readily available. But you can use some leftovers to accomplish these recipes.

All in all I would get it 4 out of 5 stars.



*I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: Ten Zany Birds by Sherry Ellis

I recently received a signed copy of this book. The only problem is I can't remember where I got it from. I've searched through all my email records and through the contests I've entered and still have no clue how I got this book. So I either received a copy for review or I won it through a contest.

In Ten Zany Birds, 10 birds get together. One by one they dwindle down to the last bird as each bird flies off for  different reasons.  There are striped birds, spotted birds, and one with purple polka dots. Only one bird will be left standing.

This book was very cute and was in the vein of Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. It counts down to the last bird and uses some repetitive rhyming. Both my son and I loved the illustrations. The colors are very kid friendly and my son was asking me how it was drawn. He was obsessed with the spider that was on nearly every page and had a fun time finding it each time we turned a page.While this was a bit more for younger readers my son really enjoyed it and I have a feeling this one will get a couple of readings in our house.

5 out of 5 stars


*I received a signed copy of this book but do not know if it was in exchange for a review. Either way this has not influenced me and I have given an honest review
** This book was read with my 8 year old severely learning disabled son and reflects his opinion and how he did with the book.

WOW: I'm waiting on The Steep & Thorny Way

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Ok I just stumbled upon this one on Goodreads this very morning. I started doing the pee pee dance. A retelling of Hamlet set in the 1920's where the main character is mixed race.....oh yes please bring on to me!

From Goodreads:

A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Steep and Thorny Way tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten.

1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him—who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather.

The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haint” wandering the roads at night. (less)

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: March 8th 2016 by Amulet Books