Book Reviews: Book 81

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Book 81: Summer of Firefly Memories

This book is about finding what is lost and grabbing onto it with both hands.  It's searching for those flashes of memories, kind of like the lights of the fireflies.  Sammy misses her sisters, and spending time with them.  She misses their closeness but over the last twenty years they have drifted even farther apart.  Coming back to the lake her parents once took them to seems like the perfect place to see if they can reconnect.
She arrives earlier than they do and begins to unwind and rethink where she is and where she is headed. It's a good time to refocus, and relax.  Slowly her sisters begin to arrive and with each one a new set of trials and heartaches arrive to.  Will Sammy be able to reach them all, or is it just too late for that.

This was a great quick read, with lots of depth of insight into making things right in our worlds.

I'd give this book 5 stars.


Book 82: Down From the Clouds by Marilyn Grey
Gavin has spent his whole life trying to figure out why things never seem to happen the way he has planned.  Now he and fiancée Ella are on a wild goose chase to figure out his Grandpa's will. In the process his long lost dad shows up.  Not sure what to do, be begins to close down, even from Ella. Can she draw him back out and help him see that sometimes looking back and letting go is easier than staying where you are?

This book was filled with characters that came to life.  Characters that you found yourself want to succeed in what they were trying to accomplish.  Great story.

I'd give the book 4 stars.

Book Reviews: Books 70-80

 Books 70-80 The Sister Grimm Series by Michael Buckley

Wow!!  This series of 9 books, plus the complete guide to the Sisters Grimm is wonderful!!! Designed for kids, ages 9 and up is the range I would guess, it is perfect for adults too.

The premise is what if the Brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Anderson weren't  making up fairytales, but rather recording history.  With that it mind the author spins us into a web of fairytale characters that inhabit the earth.  The history behind the books is that the Sister's ancestors brought the fairytale people and creatures, they prefer the name Everafters, to the United States to escape the persecution they were beginning to feel in Europe. Once in the United States they settled into a town they named Fairyport Landing, just outside of New York City on the Hudson River. As time began to move on, humans began to move in to the town.  This started to cause problems and the no so good members of the Everafters decided to try and take over the world by starting a war led by the Scarlet Hand.  To prevent this from happening a spell was cast on Fairyport Landing trapping the Everafters in the town.  It also cast a spell on the Grimm family, causing them to always have at least one member of the family that would also have to remain in the town.

Years have gone by and Sabrina and Daphne have found themselves orphans.  Their parents disappeared 2 years ago, and the only clue was a Scarlet Hand left on he dashboard of their car. The police had no idea what the  hand print meant.  The girls were then shuffled between foster homes, all of which they needed to escape from. Finally, they have found themselves in Ferryport Landing (the name was changed over the years).  They are placed into the care of Relda Grimm, who claims to be their Grandmother.  They struggle to believe her, as their father told them she was dead.  Besides their father's story, she appears to be as crazy as the rest of the foster homes, this time claiming giants are attacking the town.

Little do the girls know when they first arrive in town that they will soon become the towns leading Fairy Detectives, searching out who is good and who is bad among the Everafters and trying to prevent the Scarlet Hand from taking over the world.

The books in the series are:
The Fairy Detectives
The Unusual Suspects
The Problem Child
Once Upon a Crime
Magic and Other Misdemeanors
Tales From the Hood
The Everafter War
The Inside of Story
The Council of Mirrors
and the guide book Sisters Grimm a Very Grimm Guide

I would love to write more about each book, and how the characters grow and develop and all of the different Fairytale characters that enter the books, however, doing so would risk giving too much away.  The stories are captivating, filled with mystery, misdirection and clues to solve the greatest puzzle of all, who is truly the leader of the Scarlet Hand.  The books took me less than a month to read, and my daughter is currently reading through them as well. Truth be told she started and I passed her, it's just the way I read!

I would give this series 5 stars...for each book!!! It is very much worth the time it takes to read them!!

Book Reviews: Book 69

Book 69: Completely Restored by Robert Kerr


I haven't had time to update my book reviews lately, but I have been really busy reading.  I'm trying to figure out how I've really had the time, but sneaking a chapter or two in during the evenings or while waiting for the kids to finish practices seems to provide the opportunity to get through books.

This book revolves around a 3 story Victorian house that is in need of some renovations.  The family Joe, and Linda Murphy and their kids begin the process of restoring it after Linda convinces Joe that it would be their dream house.  Finally, they are ready for the final step, the front door complete with the original door lock.  Joe installs it and thinks it will be good to wake up in the morning with nothing on his to do list.
Little does he know that his to do list is about to drastically change, because he is going to be waking up in 1909, instead of 2009.  The family now must figure out how to restore themselves to their correct time line, if that is even possible or begin to accept life in this era.  It's not an easy task for 2 teenage children and their little sister, but they try to accept it as best they can.  They make some new friends, including the Doctor who lives next door.  Learning the rules and customs of the times can be a bit tricky, but finally the family seems to be fitting in.  Will they stay there, or somehow make their way back home.

It was an intriguing book, with an interesting concept.  The author did a good job of transporting the characters into this different time period, and explaining all the things they were needing to do to figure out how to live there without being discovered. It did keep me turning the pages to discover if they would eventually find their way home.

I'd give the book 4 stars.