The Warrior Maiden Book Review

Title: The Warrior Maiden

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling, Christian, Romance, Action/Adventure, Series

Plot: Mulan is 18 years old and resigned to the fact that she will have to marry someday to take care of her mother. But Mulan has big dreams to see the world and do more with her life than just cooking, cleaning and having babies. She wants a different existence than that of her long-suffering mother. So when the opportunity arises out of unfortunate circumstances, Mulan doesn't miss a beat and takes it. But will her risk be worth it or would it have been better to marry the butcher's son instead?

Wolfgang is the son of a duke but on the battlefield he is just a 20 year old boy trying to prove himself just like all the other soldiers. Like the short archer who nearly bested him in the competition, Wolfgang has his secrets and holds them close. But when he accidentally discover's Mulan's secret, will he be able to add it to his list of secrets or will everything collapse around him?

Likes/Dislikes: This is the 9th book in a series with an established world and characters peppered from previous books. That being said, this book reads like it is a stand-alone so we shouldn't get too lost. Unfortunately, this book was not at all what I was hoping to read. I adore the story of Mulan and really wanted a cool retelling where the character is just as butch, tough and feminine as the original. This version of Mulan is frustrating. She is the stereotypical unusual beauty who doesn't fit in with her little village and is clumsy. She overthinks the littlest things. Furthermore, the story itself was frustrating. They all meet up for some random competitions and then immediately go out to battle followed by another battle and then another one in such rapid succession that there is hardly any breathing room. In that span of that week, Mulan crushes hard on the only handsome dude around and her secret gets discovered by him.

Needless to say, this was not the right book for me to enjoy from all of these minor but annoying plot decisions and I did not finish the story.

Rating: PG-15 and up, mainly for reading level (nothing graphic)

Date Review Written: April 27th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Booklook Bloggers for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

How To Be A Happier Parent Book Review

Title: How To Be A Happier Parent


Author: K. J. Dell`Antonia

Genre: Nonfiction, Parenting, How-To, Toddlers, Teens,

Plot: Parenting is hard. It is a thankless job with a life-or-death element to it which keeps things interesting and is riddled with moments of bliss, fury, sorrow and disgusting mystery substances. Many parents cope till the college years by diving into a hobby, taking up recreational drinking or just waiting till that next kid-free vacation. But what if there was a way to be a happier parent that didn't involve smuggled chocolate, expensive counseling or even a whole lot of effort on our part?

Enter K. J. Dell'Antonia's amazing book, How To Be A Happier Parent. Drawing from years of experience writing parenting articles, interviews with over a thousand parents, loads of research and data, and her own experience parenting four rowdy kids in New England, Dell'Antonia targets ten problem spots in the family and gives grounded advice and tips for how to deal with these areas, make them more efficient and less of a struggle and thus, make you a happier parent.

Happiness is in reach for parents everywhere now. You just need a quick solo trip to the bookstore, a library or one day shipping to unlock the mysteries.

Likes/Dislikes: I loved this book! The cover was gorgeous, the writing style was very even paced without getting bogged by random facts or droning on and on about something useless, and the solutions for each problem area are real and actually something I can implement in my family. I especially enjoyed the chapters on chores, discipline and siblings. I have three girls and they are already driving me crazy with their sibling disputes. This book reassured me that these disputes are natural and (mostly) harmless. My kids are still at the age where they need to be constantly monitored but I'm looking forward to letting them handle their own arguments in the future. This book, while geared toward parents of older children and teens more than toddlers, gave me permission to parent the way I've been parenting and to "do me," as Dell'Antonia instructed.  Every parent needs to own and read this book!

Rating: PG-16 and up, mainly for reading level and content (it's a parenting book for parents)

Date Review Written: April 6th, 2019

August by Niki Giovanni

Apples fall   peaches harvested

One kind of pear is pickled

Blackberries turn your fingers blue

Some cucumbers get pickled

Biscuits bake or they are fried

Grits are cooked real slow

Green tomatoes in bacon fat

Then it's time to go

From Grandmother's country home

Back up to the city

I'd rather stay in the barefoot South

where everything is pretty

~ Love Poems by Niki Giovanni

Daughter Of The House Book Review

Title: Daughter Of The House


Author: Victoria Cornwall

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Series,

Plot: Twelve year old Evelyn Pendragon is young, spirited and curious about the world around her but hedged in by society's rules, expectations and opinions of her gender. She adores her gentle governess Miss Brown but longs for her parents' love and attention. Still, she is content with the company of her loving older brother Nicholas.

Right as her life is about to drastically and tragically change, Evelyn makes a new friend. Drake Vennor is a year older than Evelyn with ambitions to become the greatest landscape gardener of the century. To accomplish this, he becomes an apprentice gardener on the Pendragon estate and slowly falls in love with the lonely daughter of the house.

As the years crawl, creep and fly by, society and the expectations of a bygone era will test Evelyn and Drake to the breaking point.

Likes/Dislikes: I'm not entirely sure what I expected from this book and am still not completely sure I liked what I got. The bulk of the story occurs when Evelyn and Drake are teenagers, laying the foundation for the rest of the story but making me wonder when they would grow up and fight back like adults. Once that happened, the sense of timing was weird. They really should have waited a day or two before trying to elope - they probably would've succeeded with more planning in that regard. And the final twist at the end with Mawgan was predictable. I also didn't care for the cliche of one night together leads to a baby but I liked how it tied in with all the other dads and babies running around in the story. All in all, while it is not my favorite story, it wasn't a bad story either.

Rating: PG-17 and up, mainly for reading level and content (one rather mildly graphic sex scene and lots of implications and suggestions sprinkled throughout)

Date Review Written: April 12th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Choc Lit. Publishers and wasn't required tow rite a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

Book Girl Book Review

Title: Book Girl

Author: Sarah Clarkson

Genre: Nonfiction, Christian, Reading, Educational, Books, Reading Lists, Family

Plot: Influenced from a young age to love books and reading, Sarah Clarkson became a book girl. Now, in her own book with a little book girl of her own on the way, Sarah explores what it means to be a book girl and how to apply the lessons learned in her books to everyday life.

The book is divided into ten chapters with their own little theme and two or three accompanying book lists which fit that theme. There is a chapter on making reading lists with advice on ways to maximize your reading (don't just binge on all those yummy mysteries or romances―throw in some poetry, nonfiction and a biography or two). There are also chapters on taking action in life, cultivating the soul and healing the soul after a great grief.

For each chapter, Sarah draws on her own experience and what books taught her about life before giving her recommendations for our own future reading.

Likes/Dislikes: This book strongly reminded me of my childhood and teen years wrapped up in the classics and devouring everything I could find. I'm a bit more picky about what I read now though I do binge-read whatever attracts my interest at the time. I liked a lot of the reading lists in here, especially the one for children and the one on books to help navigate the current culture. I did have a tricky time reading this book though as it is very obviously written by someone who is college educated and used to writing very long wordy and repetitive essays to convey her point. This type of format is all fine and dandy but not my preferred format of reading and I zoned out several times as she went on and on about something she had already mentioned several times before. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book.

Rating: PG-14 and up, mainly for reading level

Date Review Written: April 4^th, 2019

Book Love Book Review

Title: Book Love


Author: Debbie Tung

Genre: Nonfiction, Graphic, Teens, Bookworms, Art, Comic, Books

Plot: The love of books has fueled an entire industry for centuries but more importantly, it has fueled the imaginations of readers all over the world. Books inspire us, connect us to complete strangers, provide conversation starters, distract us, inform us and force us to expand our horizons and consider other worldviews and whole worlds. Books comfort us when we are feeling blue or in need of some companionship in a lonely point of our lives. Books can be our shelter or the diving board of life. And you are never too old or too young to pick up a book and dive in.

Through her beautifully drawn artwork, Debbie Tung visually captures what it means to be a book lover, to value reading real books in a digital world and what the definition of book love really is. This is one book that every book lover should have on their shelves.

Likes/Dislikes: I told my husband he has to buy me a copy of this book and he said, "You want a book about reading books?" I enthusiastically said yes and shoved it in his face to look at but he was more amused than interested. Fingers crossed that I get a new book for Mother's Day. In the meantime, this book is perfect. The size is adorable and very travel friendly, the artwork is beautiful while still being accessible to non-artistic people like me and it exactly captures what every reader goes through. Plus, it smells amazing! You have to buy this book!

Rating: G-all ages. Highly recommended

Date Review Written: March 25th, 2019

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, lost that digital copy and found it at my library. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.