Stuff happens

I've been a bit behind here but sometimes life gets in the way. My youngest kid started a new job this week(yay!) but it's two hours away and he has no place to live yet (boo!). We have family and friends nearby so he has places to stay and we will figure it out. He's enjoying a few days with his favorite cousin in his college apartment. I'm glad I'm not a fly on one of those walls! A little bit of illness and family stuff has also kept me out of the loop. Now I need to catch up a bit. I have reviews coming right up and a giveaway or two. I really need to clean my shelves and share some of my books. They are piling up! And I need to visit my friends here in blogland.

We had a long winter and a few weeks ago we suddenly had beautiful hot days in the 80s. Some of my flowers finally blossomed and I had my annual "ceremony" to put out The Hammock. (I really need to name that thing, it's like one of my children or maybe just a really, really good friend.) We apparently skipped right over spring and jumped straight into summer. For a week. Then last weekend it got cold again and we had SNOW for a few minutes. Ugh. Yesterday spring came back and we have sunshine and sandal weather. I'm reading a great book and I'm heading outside.

I hope you had a very happy Mother's Day! All of my boys and the grandkiddos were here for a casual day and Hubby made a terrific dinner for us all. I also have the very best mom in the whole world! I'm a lucky lady!!

This is how we set the table at my house! The Princess and Monkey Boy helped Grandpa with dinner.

Saturday Snapshot

 Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home with Books. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
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 Last Spring my mom had to have her beautiful Golden Retriever, Mickey, put to sleep after he developed cancer in his back leg. He was a sweetie and we were all broken-hearted. I was thrilled that she wanted to get another puppy because it was just too quiet without him. In July she brought home another Golden Retriever fluff ball, Moe, and he's a sweetie too. He's also quite the ham and has let me photograph him to record how fast he's grown. You can almost see his body stretching!

Little Moe  (July '12)

Big Moe (April '13)

First time at the new pool (early Aug. '12)

Butt is already too big for the pool (mid Sept. '12)

Boy walking the dog or dog walking the boy?

Review: The Big Bad Wolf Goes On Vacation by Delphine Perret

The BIG BAD WOLF is back—and funnier (but not scarier) than ever!
 




Doesn't a wolf deserve a vacation, too? Bernard, the clever, cookie-munching hero of Delphine Perret's award-winning book, certainly thinks so. So when he learns that his pal Louis is vacationing by the sea with his grandpa, Bernard wants to go too. Soon they're off on a wacky road trip that ends with the perfect day on the beach. This much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning The Big Bad Wolf and Me is every bit as delightful as the first…and well worth the wait.
(Goodreads.com)
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Review

This story is just in time for warm weather and vacation season. Told in short chapters by a little boy who is taking a trip with his secret best friend (a wolf) and his grandfather. The Big Bad Wolf isn't quite so scary when he's going to the beach! In fact, in this book he's full of all kinds of surprises. Almost every page has multiple illustrations - line drawings in comic book style.  The text is fairly simple and silly describing their adventurous day. Somewhat long by children's book standards (64 pages) this book is enjoyable for the young and young at heart. It made my granddaughter and I both giggle!

Author Delphine Perret has numerous books published in France. Her first book in the U.S. was published seven years ago. I'm happy she decided to do a sequel!

The Big Bad Wolf and Me
 




Author-illustrator
Thank you to Sterling Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange of my honest review.

Release date: 3/5/13
Publisher: Sterling Children's Books
Pages: 64 (hardcover)
Type: children

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Mari Reads this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
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During this last week I've finally been able to sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy a book. Finally! I haven't dared put up the hammock yet but I did sweep off the porches and get most of the outdoor furniture set up. It feels so good to feel the sun and breath the fresh air while I read. I can't wait for the trees and hills to turn green! I hope you are having a terrific Spring and plenty of good books have found their way to your home!

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
For review from Crown Publishing (arc excerpt)

Arclight by Josin L. McQuein
For review from HarperCollins (arc)

The Breath of God by Jeffrey Small
Free from Barnes & Noble Free Friday (ebook)

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich
For review from William Morrow (arc)

The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
For review from LibraryThing Early Reviewers (paperback)

The Ghost and the Graveyard by Genevieve Jack
Bought from B&N (ebook)

The Emperor's Knife By Marzarkis Williams
Free from B&N Free Friday (ebook)

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
For review from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (arc)

Saturday Snapshot

 Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home with Books. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
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FINALLY! My first flower of the spring arrived! Three years ago I bought different colored pansies and planted them in pots and arranged them around my porches. A few must have escaped because since then I find pansies popping up in all kinds of places around my house. I rescue them and transplant them into a flower bed. These purple beauties keep coming back and this year they were the first to make an appearance at my house. Welcome - and it's about time!

And here's a few special effects, just because it's fun to play with!

Mini Review - Real Mermaids series by Helene Boudreau

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings (Real Mermaids #1) 
First zit. First crush. First…mermaid’s tail?
If she hadn’t been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?
Most. Embarassing. Moment. Ever.
Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But this revelation raises a serious question: if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?
Jade is determined to find out. But how does a plus-sized, aqua-phobic, mer-girl go about doing that, exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend Cori, and her crush, Luke?
This summer is about to get a lot more interesting…

Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath (#2)
Jade begins her summer confused. Yes, there's that whole "will this be a leg-day or a tail-day" kind of confusion, but Jade's got even bigger problems: it's been three weeks since Mom returned to the ocean with no news of her whereabouts. Plus, it's been twenty-one days since Jade first kissed her mer-boy Luke and now-nothing.
Will Mom find the enchanted tidal pool that will allow her to become human? And why is Luke acting so weird?
The SEAquel to Helene Boudreau's critically acclaimed Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings is as energetic and fresh as a salty sea breeze.

 Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels (#3)
The only thing that terrifies Jade more than the ocean is dancing at the Fall Formal. Because Jade has two left feet—er, flippers. Who knew being a high school freshman is even more awkward than being a plus-size aqua-phobic mer-girl? At least her only drama is of the human variety...
Or not.
The Mermish Council has just declared that all land-dwelling mers but return to the ocean. Pronto. But there's no way Jade is going to let her mom, or Luke, her...boyfriend? mer-guy-friend?, disappear into the deep, dark ocean. Again. After all, a girl's got to have a date to her first dance.
If Jade can stop mer-mageddon, finding a plus-size dress that doesn't look like a shower curtain should be a piece of cake.
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Mini Review
 What a cute series! Do I believe in mermaids? Not really. Would I like to? Sure! 
I won these three books recently from In the Hammock and started leafing through the first book the day they arrived. Although I have plenty to read already I couldn't put it down. It was just the right book at just the right time. A cute, quirky, light, easy read. When I finished the first book I immediately read the next two in the series.  The characters are likeable and their little town is interesting and has plenty of action. I would have loved this series as a kid and I'm happy to say I still enjoy it now. I look forward to reading the next book (and more from this author!) coming out later this year.

 Real Mermaids Don't Sell Sea Shells (#4) 
 Release date: fall 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabborwocky
Type: Middle Grade/ Young Adult

Author
Publisher
 

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Mari Reads this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
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We are having a rainy April but that's an improvement. It's time for muddy boots, muddy dogs, muddy everything. April showers bring May flowers! (If they don't get washed away first.) But any weather is good for reading and I have lots of goodies. I hope you have beautiful weather and great books to keep you happy too!

 Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Won from Just Another New Blog (ebook)

My Half of the Sky by Jana McBurney - Lin
Won from Just Another New Blog (ebook)

Eolyn by Karen Rita Gastreich
Won from Just Another New Blog (ebook)

Storybound by Marissa Burt
Free from Barnes & Noble Free Friday (ebook)

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
For review from NetGalley (ebook)

Angel's Ink by Jocelynn Drake
Free from B&N Free Friday (ebook)