Sunday, February 26, 2017

[BOOK REVIEW] My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman









Title:  My Little Sister Ate One Hare

Author:  Bill Grossman

Artist:  Kevin Hawkes

Genre:  Humor / Animals / Surrealism / Numbers

Year Published: 1996

Year Read:  2017

Publisher:   Crown Publishers, Inc

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Suggestive Behavior)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 







Now I have read a couple of children’s books where the characters in question for some bizarre reason want to eat strange things such as in “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” where the old lady spent most of the book eating various animals she comes across to.  Well, “My Little Sister Ate One Hare” which is written by Bill Grossman along with illustrations by Kevin Hawkes is pretty much a similar story that is just as crazy as “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly!”


This story is basically about a young girl who is the titular “little sister” being able to eat various animals which includes one hare, two snakes, three ants, four shrews, five bats, six mice, seven polliwogs and so on and so forth.  Then, when the little sister tried to eat ten peas…

Can the little sister eat the ten peas and what will happen once she does?

Read this book to find out!


Now, when I first saw this book, I will admit that I was a little curious to see what this book was all about (especially with the image of a little girl eating the hare on the cover grabbing my attention).  So, when I finally picked this book up, I was having a great time reading this really bizarre yet hilarious story!  Bill Grossman has done an excellent job at writing this story as the story is both hilarious and creative to read and I really enjoyed the scenes where we see the little sister eating various animals such as shrews, bats, polliwogs, and ants while performing these acts on a theater stage.  I like the fact that the little sister dressing up as various characters such as a magician and a snake charmer while she is eating the animals added a certain flair to the story as it makes seem like the little sister is in a stage performance while she is performing these tricks to the audience.  Kevin Hawkes’ artwork is extremely comedic and exaggerated as we see various shots of the little sister’s mouth going extremely wide as she is about to eat an animal character and it was entertaining seeing these images pop out towards the audience in an unconventional way!  Probably my most favorite images in this book are of the little sister dressing up in different costumes such as a magician, a snake charmer, a pirate and a cat while she is performing on stage as they give her performances even more creativity!



Parents should know that the scenes where the little sister eats up the animals alive might either be too disturbing or too gross for some small children to handle and they might want to read this book first to see if their child can handle a book where the main character eats animals alive.


Overall, “My Little Sister Ate One Hare” is a hilarious and bizarre story that children who love reading about characters who do weird activities will surely enjoy for many years to follow! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the scenes where the little sister eats various animals alive might either scare or gross out some children.






Read Diverse 2017 Challenge Sign Up!




Hello everyone! I'm joining in yet another reading challenge called "Read Diverse 2017" which is hosted by Read Diverse Books!  I've always wanted to read more books that has diverse characters and this challenge seems like a great way to dive into diverse reads!

So here are a couple of rules for this challenge:

RULES:

1. Read and review diverse books.
2. Link up your reviews on the blog.
3. Every review you link up will earn you 1 point. Once you link up 5 reviews, you will have earned the first badge!  A email will be sent every time you earn a new badge that you can add to your blog sidebar.

BADGES:


What does the Diverse Book Blogger Of The Year win?
A gorgeous badge and some neat prizes! 



  1. Books written by people of color or Native/Indigenous Peoples
  2. Books about people with disabilities (physical, neurodiversity, etc.)
  3. Books with LGBTQIA protagonists or about LGBTQIA issues 
  4. Books with practicing Muslim, Jewish, Hindu (i.e. non-Christian) MCs
    • Please prioritize #ownvoices for this category




The Sunday Post Meme (76)




Hey everybody! I am participating in a book meme called the Sunday Post which is being hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer!The goal of this meme is to share news you have  on various books and things you’ve read or received and also talk about what is coming up for your blog! Book hauls can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books and you can share these finds with other book bloggers!

Hello everyone! Man, was it a hectic last few weeks!  My laptop had broken down and I ended up having to get a new one to replace the old one.  It was such a hassle because I couldn't post my reviews on time due to my laptop being out and I had to wait for days for the Geek Squad to transfer the old data to my new laptop.  Well, here's to hoping that my new laptop won't be breaking down any time soon!  Meanwhile, on the reading front, I was able to read more books this month than last month which is a huge accomplishment for me and I hope that March turns out even better in terms of reading!



Book Reviews




 
Miscellaneous



Book Blogger Hop #16: February 24th - March 2nd














Fairy Tale and Folktale Fridays #19: Sootface









Blog Tour + Book Blitz: The Piper's Price by Audrey Greathouse




Blog Tour + Book Blitz: State of Allegiance by Summer Lane




Blog Tour + Book Blitz: Forfeit by Allyson Young and Lydia Michaels






  

Book Photo Sundays Meme!

 

Looking for New Guest Posts! 

 

My TBR List!

 

  

Comic Book Bingo Challenge 2017 Sign Up! 



 






One Word: ANNOYED!

 



 Check out Girlxoxo's discussion on "DOES GUESSING THE PLOT TWIST AFFECT HOW MUCH YOU ENJOY A BOOK?"

 

☆ Check out Feed Your Addiction's discussion on A Book Blogger’s Guide to Acronyms, Terms and Slang""

  

 Check out Lola's Reviews' recipe on Lola’s Kitchen: Garlic Naan Recipe""


☆  Check out (un)Conventional Book View's discussion on "Up Close and (un)Conventional – Why I Read Romance"




Well, that's the Sunday News for today and I will have more news for the various books I've read in the near future!
 
 
 
Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2017.

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Book Photo Sundays #20: February 26, 2017



Hello everyone! Welcome to "Book Photo Sundays" where you get the chance to showcase photos of your books, bookshelves and book conventions you have gone to!  The goal of this book meme is to basically just post up a photo of the various books you have read or your book hauls on your blog and link back here so that way everyone can check out your wonderful book photos!  You can get your book photos through your Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Iphone or any other account where you can get your photos!

So let's get started!



  
Here's my new book "All the Missing Girls" on top of my laptop!






Blog Tour + Book Blitz: Forfeit by Allyson Young and Lydia Michaels


Forfeit 

Allyson Young & Lydia Michaels

(Degrees of Separation Trilogy, #1)
Publication date: February 28th 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
The debut novel of a masterfully emotional, high stakes trilogy that will have readers forfeiting tradition to gamble with love…

December and Austin have a traditional, storybook marriage complete with defined roles. Married young, they’ve shared nearly a decade of passion and love. December’s submissive nature is perfectly suited for her husband’s authoritative, yet adoring personality and he seamlessly holds the indisputable role of head of the household.
But Austin harbors secrets, and the pressure of losing his job makes those festering skeletons impossible to ignore.

Turning to alcohol instead of his wife, Austin finally drives December into the arms of their closest friend, Cord, despite her intense loyalty. Cord has loved December since the day they met. His moral compass is challenged and lines are blurred when Austin steps aside and insists Cord take his place.

Forfeiting all, Austin must face a harsh truth. Take control of his life, or forever lose the woman he loves.


WARNING: This book contains subject matter suitable for mature reading audiences. Some content may be offensive to sensitive readers. Degrees of Separation is a ménage trilogy with many emotionally graphic encounters and challenging situations that break the rules of traditional romance.





She’d kept their home with equal pride, in a dated dynamic they both revered because it worked—until he lost his job.

With a shudder, she faced the present. Now Austin did nothing. No longer did she need to worry about being available to him, because he showed no interest in her, sexually or otherwise, not even in regard to her safety.

Something neglected and desolate snapped inside of her. Pressure built behind her eyes. The weight on her shoulders transcended to pressure in her chest. Unable to hold it all inside, she burst into tears.

“Hey, hey, hey, why are you crying? Shit.” Cord stood, clearly uncomfortable with her show of emotion. “Is it your head?”

He paced, searching for something in the kitchen, clattering objects across the counter, and returning with a paper towel and his keys. “I’ll take you to the clinic. Here, blow your nose. Stuff’s dripping out.”

She snagged the rough paper and blew. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “It’s just… He… The car… How many beer cans will I clean up tomorrow? It’s so quiet all the time. Mrs. Fields is a bitch! We have no fuel! The wood doesn’t burn right, because we used up all our seasoned supply. My toes are always fucking numb! And now my tires are bald…” The last of her tirade came out in a wail.

As she blubbered, muttering half thoughts and nonsense an outsider wouldn’t understand, she struggled to get her emotions under control. Reeling in her hiccups and sobs, she apologized for her outburst as Cord’s face morphed into utter panic.

She wiped her sleeve under her nose and sniffled. She was tougher than this and it surely was not the time or the place for a breakdown.

When she focused on his expression again, a wet laugh squeaked out. Poor guy. His eyes were wide with horror. She sniffed and repeated her apology, “Sorry. I’m just a little overwhelmed.”

Unblinking, he watched her cautiously. “Was that some sort of female exorcism? I didn’t understand a word you said, but you should know that’s my last napkin. After that, all I can offer you is a coffee filter.”





Allyson lives in cottage country, Manitoba, Canada with her husband of many years and numerous pets. She has written for many years and after reading an erotic romance, quite by mistake, decided to try her hand at penning one. She has now published three series and several stand alones in contemporary, sci fi, fantasy and suspense genres. Allyson will write until whatever is inside is satisfied, until the heroes man up and the heroines get what they deserves. Love isn’t always sweet, and Allyson favours the darker side of romance.

Links:


Lydia Michaels is the award winning author of 30 romance novels. Her novels from the darkly compelling Surrender Trilogy were iBooks Bestsellers and her work has been featured in USA Today. In 2015 she was the winner of The Best of Bucks Award and she has been nominated as Best Author in the Happenings Magazine two years running [2015 & 2016]. She is a four time nominee for the prestigious RONE Award. Her books are intellectual, emotional, haunting, always centered around love.

Links:




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Blog Tour + Book Blitz: State of Allegiance by Summer Lane


State of Allegiance 

Summer Lane

(Collapse #9)

Publication date: February 24th 2017
Genres: Dystopian, New Adult
Be brave. Be vigilant. But above all, be loyal.
In the wake of a dangerous but successful mission to Yukon City in Alaska, Cassidy Hart now finds herself back in California, at the naval air station in San Diego. Together, she and Chris now face their most terrifying threat yet: nuclear destruction.

Surviving in a world gone nuclear is easier said than done. Faced with the prospect of being wiped off the face of the earth by Omega’s nuclear arsenal, Cassidy, Chris and their fellow rebel friends stage an incredible, daring journey into the Pacific Rim with the hope that they will be able to seize a weapon that could turn the tide of the war in the militia’s favor.

The clock of the apocalypse is counting down.

Choices must be made. Relationships will be strained. True love will be put to the ultimate test.

It’s militias versus Omega. Hope versus destruction.

Where does your allegiance lie?

Choose carefully.


Interview with Author Summer Lane

How does it feel to publish the 9th installment of the Collapse Series – and your 16th overall?

It feels unreal! When I was a kid, I always pictured myself as an author, sharing my stories with readers, but I admit I didn’t really think that would materialize until I was much older than I am right now. I’ve been really blessed – and I’ve worked really hard!

What’s a typical day in your life like?

I do manage a business, so while I do a lot more than simply write manuscripts, writing certainly is the base of everything that I engage in. I just got a German Shepherd puppy named Kona, and she gets me up early in the morning (earlier than usual, haha!), and I’ll start work then. If I have a good day, I’ll be done with work around 2:30 or 3. If it’s a long day, I’ll be working until 6.

What is State of Hope going to be like – and is it the last book in the series?

State of Hope is going to be long, intense and flushed with adrenaline. There are so many secrets to be revealed, so many character plots to be tied up neatly, and most importantly: Cassidy’s conclusion in this apocalyptic war. While Hope is indeed the final installment in the Collapse Series, it is not the last book in the Collapse universe. I certainly do have some plans for Cassidy in the future – they may not be as huge as Collapse, but trust me: I have plans.

How do you stay motivated and healthy in your career as a writer?

I stay motivated by keeping my eye on the prize: I remove negativity from my life, because nobody needs that. I try to surround myself with people who really care about me and support what I do. Staying healthy, for me, at least, is actually really difficult. My profession requires a lot of sitting, so I have to make an extra effort to get up, walk and move. It’s also tempting to snack on junk food working in an office (am I right?). I try hard to indulge only with healthy snacks: I have celery sticks and apples in the fridge, I like cheese, and any gluten-free cracker in combination. I also just discovered baked parmesan crisps. Oh, my heart!

Advice to aspiring authors?

Don’t let anybody bring you down. Never take no as a final answer. Work hard, and it will pay off, one way or another.




Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of the Collapse Series, Zero Trilogy, Bravo Saga, Collapse: The Illustrated Guide and the adventure thriller, Unbreakable SEAL.


Summer owns WB Publishing. She is an accomplished journalist and creative writing teacher. She also owns an online magazine, Writing Belle, where she has interviewed and worked with countless authors from around the globe.


Summer lives in the Central Valley of California with her husband, where she enjoys reading, collecting tea, visiting the beach and the mountains, and counting down the days until she has her very own puppy (if you’ve read Bravo: Apocalypse Mission, you’ll understand).





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