Green Anoles and Other Pet Lizards by World Book

The book gives a nice overview of anoles, but it is very vague on many parts. It talks about how to take care of an anole as a pet and what you should have prepared for them when you get one. It doesn't get into the specifics, such as the methods of providing proper nutrition to your anole or the type of tank you should hold your anole in. Overall, it is a good introduction for anyone, but if you are serious about raising an anole, a more in-depth book is needed.

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Amber and Blood by Margaret Weis

This book seemed rush, and it definitely shows. It is riddled with spelling mistakes, extra words, and missing words. In addition to this, there are many inconsistencies, some between this book and the previous and others in different chapters. The chapters felt disconnected, as if the author took long breaks between them. The whole book was a mess, and the ending was not very satisfying. It feels like there is so much more to learn about Mina, but many things are still left unknown (or explained vaguely) so it is not possible to care much for her.

Interested? Get a preview and buy it here.

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Just Like Other Daughters by Colleen Faulkner

Just Like Other Daughters is a book about Alicia and her daughter Chloe, who has Down syndrome. It details the struggles both of them experience through many events that occur. It is hard for both of them without their father Randall, who left them to pursue other interests.

The story is told from the first-person perspective of Alicia, a mom in her fifties who is struggling through life between work and trying to raise her Down syndrome daughter by herself. It is a nice decision to have chosen this point of view; it makes things seem much more interesting. As an added bonus, sometimes the reader gets to hear things from Chloe's perspective, written the way she would talk.

It was nice to hear all of Alicia's thoughts, and it made you feel for her and the struggles she went through. Her personality did seem a little stale through further progression.

When beginning this book, dealing with Chloe's character was a very annoying experience. It was annoying enough to almost stop me from reading the rest of the book, until I realized how it had enhanced the experience instead of damaged it, like I had previously thought. You feel as if you were experiencing the same things Alicia is - annoyances, times of the laughter, and everything else.

Everything was well written, with a perfect amount of detail given. Sometimes the characters felt a little underdeveloped though. The plot was always had some interesting twists throughout, although things did seem to move rather slow.

Just Like Other Daughters may not appeal to everyone, especially to those who are not used to reading about children with Down syndrome and other mental disabilities. The book perfectly captures their essence, but may do so too well to make the book seem a little annoying. Some parts may feel a little rushed, but that does not deter the overall fact that it is an interesting read.

Interested? Get a preview of the book and buy it here.

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The Great Hawk by Karl F. Hollenbach

The Great Hawk is a book about a boy named Jimmy who spends the summer with his grandparents. He becomes interested in falconry and asks his grandparents to help prepare him to learn his new hobby.

The book might seem like a simple story that a child might enjoy, but it is rather gruesome. The author has a definitive way of writing very detailed, which is definitely something that enhances the story. This means that the gruesome parts of the story are always very detailed, which may not appeal to everyone, especially children.

The book tells a short story of a child who wishes to learn a new skill, but ends up learning a lesson in return. There are many unpredictable twists throughout, even in the beginning. The story takes place in the depression era, which might not appeal to everyone. The story moves rather slow because everything is so detailed. In some chapters, it feels as if little was accomplished, probably because it leans more to detailing many conversations other books would simply skip over.

The Great Hawk is an interesting short story that has limited appeal. The detailed writing is a nice change from standard writing styles, but sometimes makes the story seem to move too slow.

Interested? Get a preview of the book and buy it here.

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Bruce Edwards Words and Music Tour 2013 by Bruce Edwards

This audio book was acquired free from the author in exchange for a review.

Bruce Edwards Words and Music Tour 2013 is a sample of the author, Bruce Edwards, reading excerpts from his book The Age of Amy: Bonehead Bootcamp. This audiobook was an experiment to see how reading his book would seem being read with a musical score in the background. The CD has about fifteen minutes of the reading of the beginning of the book.

The premise of this was to keep the reading of a book interesting, instead of being a droning sound (the author's voice). The music chosen is rather cliché, but sounds good. Edwards does a fair job without the music in the background, which does little to enhance the experience. It is too often executed early so that you know what will happen next. A character may finish a sentence only to have sad music play immediately afterward. From this, you know that the story is going to suddenly turn sad.

Bruce Edwards Words and Music Tour 2013 was a bold experiment that tests the boundaries of the common format of audiobooks. While the music does little to enhance the experience, perhaps it is a good enough idea to keep experimenting with.

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