Review of The Christmas Owl by Angela Muse

The Christmas Owl  is a sweet picture book that tells the story of an owl that has fallen out of his perch.
He is hurt and cannot fly so he seeks out refuge in other animals homes.

Each animal is leery of this owl but eventually allows him to come in and shares their meal. The owl stays the night but moves on until he is eventually healed and can return home.

On Christmas Eve as he returns home he stops at each of his new found friends and returns with gifts of gratitude.
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The illustrations by Helen H. Wu were phenomenal. The looked like each had been painted and came straight out of a Saturday Evening Post Card from Hallmark. Each intricately portraying the animal's home being told.

The story is written in rhyme and has an even flow to it. Angela Muse tells the story of each flawlessly. She manages to get the point across to the reader that kindness goes a long way and gratitude is key to happiness.

I loved this story book. It gets 5 stars.
~Naila Moon

Disclosure: I received a Kindle version of this book for my open and honest opinion. The views expressed here are 100% my own. This review was also part of the Mother Daughter & Son book tour.
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Where to find Angela Muse:

Amazon
Goodreads

Review of There Once Was A Man From the USA-50 State Limericks by Joshua Kraushar

Today I received the book There Once Was A Man From the USA to read and review.
Since it was a short book, I thought I would just go ahead and review it today as well.

I am a history buff by nature and thought this book would be interesting in that it was reviewing all 50 states in rhyme and tell a little about each one. After all, the author is a now retired high school social studies teacher and should know what he is talking about. Right? At least, that is what I thought.

The fact is, I was far from what I thought. In fact, this book was indeed about all 50 states but other than the name of the state, that is where it begins and ends. The author, Joshua Kraushar, introduced each state and then made up a limerick for each one. Most of the time the limerick has absolutely nothing to do with the state itself.

Disappointment number one!

To make matters worse, the very first state that was in the book had the 'character' killing someone. The book just went downhill from there.

Disappointment number two!

If this book was meant to be for children to remember states then Mr. Kraushar missed the mark. This book should not be read by young children at all as some of the wording and subject matter is very adult and could only be understood by an older student or adult. One could certainly not memorize states this way.

Disappointment number three!

In essence, I wasted the whole five minutes of my time it took me to read this book. Obviously, I do not recommend this book at all. I am generously giving this book 2 stars only because the limericks did rhyme.

~Naila Moon

Review of An Ordinary Toad's Extraordinary Night by Joanne McGonagle

I am really happy that I was asked to read and review An Ordinary Toad's Extraordinary Night by Joanne McGonagle. I want to discuss the illustrations before I get into the meat of the book.

Her illustrator, Rachael Mahaffey, took Ms. McGonagle's words and turned them into a life of her own. The animals in the story and the surroundings of the toad's journey were brought to life as if the reader was right there on the paths journey. Rachael Mahaffey also managed to highlight  Joanne McGonagle's words through the use of scrolls placed in locations that seems natural for the illustrated surroundings. Amazing!

Moving on now to the actual read of the book. This is the story of Andrew, an ordinary toad with a not so ordinary name, who thinks his life would be better if he had been a frog.

He takes his first lone journey to visit his grandpa. Along the way he meets animal characters that show him why he is lucky to be who he is and yet, has some of those same traits as his close relatives of  the amphibian nature.

Throughout the book the author portrays the different animals with the natural elements they would have in real life and gives homage to the concept of preserving all creatures for the greater good.  This is all due to the fact that Joanne McGonagle has a love of nature and has a Masters in Zoology which is evident in her writing. It adds to the flavor of this book.

Coupled with Rachael Mahaffey's illustrations and the writing of Joanne McGonagle this book is appropriate for ages 3 plus. Younger children will love the pictures while the older child will love to read the book.
This book is a double whammy win and deserves the 5 stars it is receiving from me!

Where to find the author and illustrator:
Joanne McGonagle  
Amazon
Facebook
Goodreads

Rachael Mahaffey
Facebook
Amazon

Review of Differential Equations by Julian Iragorri and Lou Aronica

BLURB:
This evocative, moving, and gorgeously detailed novel is the story of Alex Soberano, a contemporary man in crisis. A tremendously successful New York businessman, Alex finds it difficult to embrace joy and accept love. When his life threatens to boil over, he escapes for a brief respite on the West Coast. What waits for him there is something he never could have imagined.

MY REVIEW:

When I first received the copy of Differential Equations, I was intrigued right off the bat with just the book cover. Here is a man at the edge of a mountain looking out over New York. His appearance at first thought is desperation. Or is it a breath of fresh air with his arms outstretched.

Getting into the book the reader is introduced to Alex, a 21st century, hard core business man who has made his mark not only from his great intelligence but his uncanny ability to read people. The story opens just as he has backed out on a business deal, argued with an ex-wife, has disappointed a current girlfriend and decides to go visit an ashram. This is all just in a few short pages.

As you continue to read on in chapters you are introduced to three other people in different time periods.

There is Vidente, a mysterious but well respected woman of her community who can read people through visualization of color. She learns of a trip that she must take that will alter her existences forever.

Then there is Khaled, a man who leaves his country for a better life for his family. He is hard working and establishes his own. However, tragedy seems to befall him but life smiles on him too.

Finally, there is Dro. A young man who arrives in the U.S. in order to start his life as a student at M.I.T. He is extremely intelligent in mathematics and economics. His story is complex and at times heart breaking but his tenacity and hard work always move him forward. Or does it?

At first when I started reading, Differential Equations I was confused as to what these other characters in years gone by had to do anything with Alex. It really made absolutely no sense but I kept reading! 

The way the stories flowed, I could not help but get immersed in these characters. As I went on, I came to understand exactly what they had to do with each other. That very immersion happens when Alex goes to the ashram. What he thinks is going to be just a relaxing time, turns out to be oh so much more. For me, it was a mind bender.

I wish that I could indulge this book to you, my readers, but to do so, would give away the interesting plots and intrigue this book brings.

If you want to read an excellent fictional book, then this one is the one for you. It was for me as I read it in one day.

This book is 5 stars, hands down!
~Naila Moon

Disclosure: I was give a copy of this book for my open and honest opinion. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own. This review was also part of the Providence Book Promotions Tour.
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Where to find Julian Iragorri and Lou Aronica.
Amazon
Lou's Facebook

Giveaway: $50 Amazon or Paypal Cash on behalf of author, Angela Muse

This is a shared giveaway of which I have a link it on behalf of author, Angela Muse. My review of her book, The Christmas Owl is forthcoming. Stay tuned! a Rafflecopter giveaway