Children Playground: Eye to Eye by Vanita Oelschlager

Eye to Eye: A Book of Body Part Idioms and Silly Pictures by Vanita Oelschlager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have reviewed various books from Vanita Oelschlager. What I love the most about this author is her capacity to develop unique ideas for her books. Today, I am reviewing Eye to Eye.

One of the things that can be challenging in a language is the figurative language. Figurative expressions are unique expressions in a language that are used to explain something. In this book, the author seeks to present some of these expressions in a very simple way for children to understand. I see this book as a useful teaching tool. That is why Eye to Eye is a good addition for classrooms. This book takes a friendly approach to show kids how to interpret figurative language they listen to on a daily life.

They art in this picture book is charming. Robin Egan illustrated this book in a colorful
bright way. Illustrations are playful and funny making the learning experience fun for any kid.

*Book provided by publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

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Graphic Saturday: Monstress

Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Monstress was a gift from my husband. I have been reading graphic novels again and he thought I would love this one. After all, he is the one who buys Saga for me. Enough about Saga and let's discuss some details about Monstress that makes this graphic novel worth reading.

The art on this graphic novel is amazing. Beautiful and full of details. The colors are perfect for the artist style. Also, the art on this book helps in creating the atmosphere of that fantastical world. The story is good. At the beginning the story was slow and have to confess I was about to stop reading it. The art (which sometimes reminds me of Battle Chasers) kept me interested until the story gets really interesting. The main character is full of surprises and I think it will proof to be versatile. The heroine is unpredictable and strong. Certainly, her actions propel the story forward with dynamism. The ending of this volume is great. Now I want to know more about this author's world. This is a series I plan to follow.

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Monument 14: The book I decided to finally pick

Monument 14  @ my kindle app

Well, I have been not much of a bookworm lately. After a long day I suddenly wanted to read and found Monument 14 on my Kindle App. I had bought the book a long time ago and forgot about it. So I finished reading Monument 14 yesterday and today I got to work on my review.

Monument 14 is a book from 2012 by author Emmy Laybourne. It is a story about a group of kids dealing with catastrophic nature events. While nature unravels, a store becomes a safe haven for these kids during the events. With no adult supervision or help they try to make the most of the experience by using the resources the place offers for their survival.

Monument 14 is a simple and an entertaining read. I read it quickly because it keep me interested. One thing I have to emphasize is,  I got tired of the story when I noticed girls were characterized as caregivers or as hormonal creatures. Girls can be leaders too and this author lost the opportunity to showcase that. Josie is the one character who fights that a little.  In one scene, she requires to be included on the information they were receiving and also  in the decision making. That is why although she is always the caregiver, I give her credit for making herself heard.

The setting is a good one. The store is a practical place to survive a cataclysm.  Food, water, weapons and shelter can be easily found in a department store. On the other hand the natural events  that propel the kids to take refuge need more development and to be believable, Nevertheless I simply decided to ignore that for the sake of entertainment.

If you like quick reads about natural disasters and cataclysm go ahead and read it, but these circumstances won't be the main event in the book. A little spoiler: There is a chapter called Blood Types. That chapter adds something interesting in the mix. I wonder, how does the author develops this idea in the other books of the Monument 14 YA series?

In the end, it entertained me so it can entertain you too.

Embracing a new year!

Hello Readers Everywhere:

Today is December 31st, 2014.  This year is ending and 2015 is full of new opportunities for all of us. I want beautiful significant experiences for all of you.  Also, I wish for a year abundant in inspiration, creativity and projects. 

This year I have to say, I have not been a proliferous reader.  I think just 19 books were read this year.   Never had time for reading, so this year I plan to change that.  My book jar is laughing because it won.   I had plans to read 55 books this year! So this year I won't get crazy with challenges but I will try my best to read those 55 books.

To all of you I say: 

Enjoy this day and embrace the adventure that 2015 represents for all of us.  Make sure 2015 is not the space between 2014 and 2016 like this smart image.  Make it relevant and most of all, an interesting chapter of your personal story.  Happy New Year!

Image credit to Geralt

  

What I am reading right now? Eating Sarah

Just a few short lines to say hello.  

I'm reading Eating Sarah by author Jaret Martens. I have read 39% of this book on my kindle and apps. The title is direct and suggesting of what this book has in store for you. The design is one of the things that made me choose this book, the other was the synopsis. I'm reading this and loving the horror in the story. Some would say this is a Young Adult but I considered it  a horror new adult. Characters are complex, which I appreciate in a story. The main character is smart. I expect a lot from her in the developing of the story.

Hope you look for this book.  Right know is at a great price. I'll stop know...back to reading Eating Sarah.

Look for this title at Amazon and add it at goodreads.
Tweet Tweet Jaret Martens @FadingDream97
Visit  author site

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Audio review: Cerulean by Anna Kiss

Cerulean by Anna Kyss
Narrator Melissa Moran
Audio format
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Visit author  Anna Kyss at her site
Look for this audiobook at Audible
*Copy provided for an honest review purpose

Cerulean has affinity to the audio format. The story has a good pace and intrinsic rhythm which is fantastic for the audio. This audio seemed short to me. While listening to Cerulean I was immerse in the story.I have to confess that I was truly surprise with the evolution of the story. At first I thought it was about mermaids but it evolves into something new. The main character lives in a totalitarian society where she feels constrained by lack of choices and diversity on her life. Chey is a young girl with many questions. That is why she ends finding answers that change life as she knows it.

Cerulean is narrated by Melissa Moran. This narrator has a beautiful voice, perfect for this audiobook. The narration is single voiced and Moran is a skillful narrator. To help the listener differentiate genders, she changes her voice tone. Melissa Moran provides momentum to this audio by giving a strong voice to the main character. She translated the emotions depicted by author Anna Kiss into the audio, which is great.

Recently I have been disappointed with some audiobooks, So, it has been a pleasure to find a good audio. Audiobooks are deeply affected by their narrator’s performance. Melissa Moran puts a lot of effort on this audio performance. She maintains an adequate pace and the plot flows without unnecessary interruptions. The sound quality in Cerulean is really good and this is a factor that completes the delightful experience of listening to Cerulean.

I earnestly recommend Cerulean. The audio format will give you a really good listening experience, so look for it.

Enjoy your audio!

To know more about great audiobooks visit http://www.audiobookjukebox.com/

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Feature and Follow

Feature and Follow is a feature from Parajunkee and Alison Can Read

Before blogging (dark times people!) how would you find out about new books or did you?

Since I opened the first book on my Mom's bookshelf I haven't stop reading.  So I guess that during those dark times I had my bookish news at my Mom's bookshelf.  At high school, I used to browse around until I could find something with good synopsis and interesting cover.  I read a lot of Isabelle Allende from the school's library.  During that era of the dark times, magical realism was essential.

Keep with Jessy's Bookends by