Doctor Who: Silhouette

This is a review for Doctor Who: Silhouette by Justin Richards.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 stars, I liked it a lot.

Justin Richards is a rather prolific writer.  He has written quite a few Doctor Who novels and oversees many others in his role as Creative Consultant for the BBC licensed novels.  This is the first book I have read that was written by him but it is unlikely to be the last.

The Doctor and Clara are drawn into Victorian London when they observe a power spike that should not exist in that era.  The Doctor doesn't want to involve "The Great Detective" and sets out to investigate on his own.  Meanwhile Madame Vastra is working on an investigation of her own and Strax is trying to find the man who murdered his friend.  The three investigations lead them to the Frost Fair and the Carnival of Curiousities.  Coincidences are piling up all around them and as the Doctor knows, coincidences are rarely actually coincidental. 

Silhouette is new territory for me.  Twelve is fresh and new and a bit of an unknown but he worked well alongside Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Strax and Clara Oswald.  I felt that Richards' portrayal of the four regulars was very well done.  Clara's cheekiness, Jenny's accent, and Strax' inability to tell man from woman were all included in here and I could nearly hear their voices as I read. 

The villain in this story was a good match for the Doctor.  He was quick and clever and gave the Doctor a good challenge.  It was not immediately obvious to the reader who the true villain was or even what he was.  The Frost Fair was a good distraction to refocus both the Doctor and the reader and keep them in the dark.

All in all this was a good book.  The story kept me interested, the characters rang true and the length was perfect.  There were a few minor grammatical errors that bugged me but nothing that made the book unreadable.  I felt like the setting was borrowed from some other source material but the longer the story went on the more the author made it his own.  If you are a fan of Doctor Who you should definitely read this one.  If you are not a fan of Doctor Who....well why aren't you?

I received this book from blogging for books in exchange for an honest review.  You can find more information about this book here. 

 

My Irish Table

This is a review for My Irish Table by Cathal Armstrong & David Hagedorn.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 stars, I liked it a lot.

The main author, Cathal Armstrong, is a Dublin, Ireland native.  This book describes his journey from his Da's vegetable garden to owning his own restaurant in Virginia and all the steps in between.  Armstrong fondly reminisces about his childhood and the work ethic and love of food his parents instilled in him.  He doesn't shy away from mentioning his own mistakes.  He has come a long way but he isn't haughty or entitled about it.  This book is the work of a street smart, Irish lad with common sense and humility.

The recipes in this book range from the incredibly simple, basic staples of Irish food to the fancy, decadent dishes served in a fancy restaurant.  As you read through the book there are stories and anecdotes about all of Cathal's family.  You get a real sense of who he is and for me that makes trying his recipes all the more fun.

The recipes in this book cover all the Irish basics including fish & chips, beef stew, shepherds pie, rack of lamb, scones and a wide array of potato dishes.  I haven't tried all of the recipes in here but what I have tried has been delicious.  Each recipe includes detailed instructions.  There are recipes for people of all skill levels.  Every recipe uses ingredients that are readily available.  You may have to stop at more than one store but you should be able to find most everything you need if you live in a decent sized town.  You will need to track down a butcher for some things like sheep kidneys for steak & kidney pie and a few of the rarer ingredients have websites listed where you can look for things you may need as well.

If you like traditional Irish food or want a really well written recipe for something a little fancier you should check out this book.  If you want a mix of the two then this is definitely a book you should get your hands on!  This cookbook will be staying in my kitchen for years to come.

You can check out an excerpt of this book on the publisher's website here.

I received this book from blogging for books in exchange for an honest review.

Alice in the Country of Joker: Nightmare Trilogy 1: A Dream Before Dawn

This is a review for Alice in the Country of Joker: Nightmare Trilogy 1: A Dream Before Dawn

I give this book ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 3 stars, I liked it.

For those of you unfamiliar with this series here is a little background info.  Alice in the Country of books are based on a japanese video game series.  Alice was kidnapped by the White Rabbit and brought to the Country of Hearts.  The Country of Hearts is very different than the world Alice is used to, some of the inhabitants have animal ears, some of them have faces that are hard to see, violence is everywhere, and life is not considered precious because everyone can be replaced.  To return to her own world Alice has to fill a small vial, the vial fills with the medicine of heart every time she interacts with the strange inhabitants of the Country of Hearts.  The vial was filled and Alice chose to stay with her new found friends.  The Country of Hearts is a strange place and as soon as Alice got used to it everything changed and she found herself in the Country of Clover.  Some of her friends were missing in Clover but there were new people around.  Now in this series it is April Season and each area of the land is in a different season.  All of her friends are back and there is a circus with the enigmatic Joker in charge. 

Ok, background info out of the way, on to reviewing this actual book!
Alice has chosen to stay in Clover tower and has taken a job working for Nightmare.  He is weak and sickly and avoids work as often as possible.  The regular people in this world are scared of him but Alice thinks he is kind.  Nightmare doesn't seem to mind other people being scared of him but he really wants to impress Alice.  The results are disastrous for Nightmare but hilarious for the reader.

I really enjoy Nightmare as a character. I was hoping to enjoy this series more. I was put off by the sloppy art style compared to the other books in this same franchise. There are small variations between the various series in this franchise but most of them are more refined than this one. This one relies more heavily on exaggerated expressions and chibizations than some of the others. The story itself is still good and I am interested to see where it goes. One other thing that bugged me is the cover art/color pages; every other cover or color page that has had Nightmare he has been shown with grey or blue-grey eyes and suddenly this one he has red eyes. Not only did the artist not match with the other series, but also failed to match his eyes with their own previous art.

That said; if you enjoy this franchise and like Nightmare you should pick this one up

Dear Luke, We Need to Talk. Darth

This is a review of Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth.

I give it ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ 2 stars, I disliked it.

The Author, John Moe, is a radio show host of a nationally syndicated show.  His show is called "Wits."  He is also a columnist for McSweeneys.net where his column is called "Pop Song Correspondences."  

This book has a lot of celebrity and comedian endorsements, because of this I expected it to be funny.  It was not very funny.  There were a few occasional humorous sections but the vast majority of it was not funny.  Perhaps my sense of humor is just different than intended for this book, or perhaps I expected too much out of it because of it's endorsements.  Either way I just didn't enjoy it very much. 

The parts that I found funny were great.  Dorothy Gale's letter to the Good Witch was pretty spot on, though a bit heavy on the work "fuck" somehow I doubt a 1920's girl would have used that as much as we do in 2014.  The Walking Dead walker forum was a humorous look into the mind of a zombie.  

The sections I didn't enjoy were ones that have been on the internet for years as memes.  Yes, Popeye seems to be some weird Navy experiment and Spinach seems more like a drug than a vegetable on that show.  Yes, all of the aliens encountered on Star Trek The Original Series were basically humans with make up or funny hair cuts who spoke perfect English.  Those things are funny the first time you notice them but they don't hold their humor very long.

If you haven't spent much time on internet meme sites you will probably enjoy this book.  If, like me, you have read them all you probably won't enjoy this book a whole lot.

I received this book free from blogging for books in exchange for an honest review.

Reasons My Kid Is Crying

This is a review for Reasons My Kid is Crying by Greg Pembroke.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

Author Bio via the publisher: Greg Pembroke is the father of two sons (and the husband of one wife) from Rochester, NY. He works part time as radio advertising copywriter three days per week and stays home with his young sons two days per week. 

This book is absolutely hilarious, more so if you are a parent or around small children a lot!  It is a glimpse into the life of a parent or caregiver.  Children are brand new to this planet and they are unfamiliar with it's ways and customs.  They don't quite understand our speech and we definitely don't understand their logic.  This book is a testament to all of those things.

I personally loved this book.  My son is past this age, his tantrums are generally rooted in reason now but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of it.  I was reminded of the days when a broken piece of cheese, a refusal to let him explore something dangerous or allowing him to dress himself could result in a sobbing fit on his part and complete disbelief on mine.  I also found that along with all of the hilarity of this book it is a reminder to me as a person that everyone has their own perspective.  Even between adults a comment or action can be interpreted differently by everyone involved.   It is a small reminder to take a moment and think about the people around me each day and remember that everyone has their own thoughts, troubles and joys that I may not even know about.

You can find out more about this book on the publisher's website here.
You can watch a trailer for this book below.

I received a copy of this book from blogging for books in exchange for an honest review.

Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

This is a review for Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle by George Hagen.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 stars, I liked it a lot.

Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle is the story of nearly twelve year old Gabriel.  His father is missing and has been for 3 years, his aunt is sure he will be back someday, he is missing, not dead.  Gabriel and his talking raven friend Paladin travel to Aviopolis to search for his father.  Every step they take they are faced with riddles, good thing Gabriel has been learning riddles his whole life.  They have to solve every riddle they are faced with or they have no hope of finding Gabriel's father or fighting the evil that is holding him!

This is George Hagen's first novel for children.  It is a very good story.  Gabriel Finley is a fairly loveable lead character.  He is everything that a good role model should be; brave, strong, honest and trustworthy.  He isn't perfect, he definitely has his faults but they serve to make him a well rounded character.  His best moments come when he faces his faults and overcomes them. 

I enjoyed this book quite a lot.  The story moves along at a good pace.  The characters are interesting and likeable.  The villain is sufficiently scary but not an inhuman monster who is completely alien.  Children reading this book can learn many valuable lessons from Gabriel and his friends.  "Don't assume you know what someone's home life is like."  "Spying on people will hurt both you and them."  "Being kind to someone is free and you may make an unlikely friend." 

If you are a fan of books such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson you should check this book out.  You can find more information about this book on the publisher's website here. 

I was given a copy of this book by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oliver and the Seawigs

This is a review for Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

 Oliver and the Seawigs is the story of a 10 year old boy who has been raised by his world explorer parents on the road.  He has spent all 10 years of his life living in their explorermobile.  His parents have finally explored everything in the world and they are going to settle down in a real house and Oliver is going to go to a real school.  Oliver is very excited to do things that normal kids do.  All of the plans go awry when his parents discover several new islands in the ocean next to the little town where they are going to live from now on.  They rush out to explore them while Oliver unpacks and settles into his new bedroom for the first time.  The islands disappear along with Oliver's parents and he sets out to save them.  Along the way he finds a talking albatross, a near-sighted mermaid and a living island.  The seas are a little more unexplored than Oliver and his family realized!

Philip Reeve mixed a charming blend of reality and fantasy in this story.   The level headed Oliver who just wants to live in a real house and go to a real school is a charming main character.  Sarah McIntyre's adorable and whimsical illustrations are the perfect match for this cute story. 

This book is a great story with a good lesson that I know will be read over and over again in my house!  Oliver teaches kids that they are not powerless.  They can be brave and strong and maybe even save their parents!  It also teaches them that just because they are a little different doesn't mean they aren't just as good as anyone else around them.

I received this book free from netgalley for review purposes.  You can learn more about this book from the publisher right here.