Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women

Goodreads Says:    Biography tracing the fascinating life of Louisa May Alcott from her happy childhood in Pennsylvania and Boston to her success as a writer of such classics as Little women.















My Thoughts:

-    I didn't know Little Women was based on Louisa May Alcott's life. There were so many similarities!

-    The story was only interesting because I was learning about a beloved author. It was pretty slow and boring for most of the time. Most of the book was telling and not showing. 

-    Woo! Another Newbery read!

Be a Wolf!

Goodreads Synopsis:    Horrible monsters are taking a bite out of the kingdom! Who you gonna call!?When Joe Talbot's backpack is confiscated, Wishbone and Joe Talbot must confront a scary neighbor with a Big mean dog to get it back.

This reminds Wishbone of the old English tale Beowulf. Imagining himself as the great hero Beowulf, Wishbone must defeat a series of monsters who are ravaging the kingdom.

A lifetime of adventure takes him on a collision course with his greatest foe yet. And this time, it will take more than courage to defeat this monster. It will take a hero with four legs and the heart of a warrior!

My Thoughts:

-    When I was a kid, I LOVED Wishbone. I watched his show religiously every day. I bought all the Wishbone books I could from the book orders in school, and I've held on to all my Wishbone books.

-    I decided to share Wishbone with Gnome. We started watching episodes from Youtube, and Gnome enjoyed it. Now we've started reading my old Wishbone books. 

-    This one was really fun. I've never read Beowolf, but I might. I don't remember reading this one, and it isn't a Wishbone episode, so the story was new for me too. 

-    Gnome and I both enjoyed the book. We liked picturing Wishbone take down the monsters and doing fun things. 

-    We also enjoyed Joe's story with the scary old lady. 

-    Even after all these years, I'm still a big Wishbone fan!

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I've Given Up On

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Top Ten Series I've Given Up On/Don't Plan to Finish

Plans change, so I might end up finishing some of these, but others are a definite NO.

 
 
 
 
 

Heir to the Jedi

Goodreads Synopsis:    A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . . 
 
A thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and—for the first time ever—written entirely from Luke Skywalker’s first-person point of view.

My Thoughts:

-    The title is a little misleading. I thought the story would be more about Luke learning about the Jedi and the force. Luke does use the force a few times in the book, but nothing huge.

-    This was a fun adventure with Luke. I liked seeing him do missions for the Rebels. I liked seeing him grow and become the Luke we see in Empire Strikes Back.

Fan Art Friday: James and the Giant Peach

Since Gnome and I finished James and the Giant Peach recently, I thought I'd showcase it today.

I found a lot of great stuff. I tried to get pictures that weren't based on the movie.

I love the last two. I like the different cast of characters, and the art style on the first one. The last one, I really love the colors, and the could men were Gnome's favorite in the book.

Which is your favorite?

Click on the pictures to see more from these artists.

The Dam Keeper

From Goodreads:    Life in Sunrise Valley is tranquil, but beyond its borders lies certain death. A dangerous black fog looms outside the village, but its inhabitants are kept safe by an ingenious machine known as the dam. Pig’s father built the dam and taught him how to maintain it. And then this brilliant inventor did the unthinkable: he walked into the fog and was never seen again.

Now Pig is the dam keeper. Except for his best friend, Fox, and the town bully, Hippo, few are aware of his tireless efforts. But a new threat is on the horizon—a tidal wave of black fog is descending on Sunrise Valley. Now Pig, Fox, and Hippo must face the greatest danger imaginable: the world on the other side of the dam.

Based on the Oscar-nominated animated short film of the same name, The Dam Keeper is a lush, vibrantly drawn graphic novel by Tonko House cofounders Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi.

My Thoughts:

-    I hadn't heard about this book until I went to my library's Best Books of 2017 event. I remember wanting to read this really, but I don't remember what the librarian said about it.

-    I think this is a great beginning to what I hope is a great series. 

-    The illustrations were perfect. They were so cute, but captured the mysterious feel of the story very well.

-    There was so much mystery surrounding the MC and the town. I want to know more!!

-    I'm excited for the next book!

Mr. Knightley's Diary

Goodreads Synopsis:    Relive Jane Austen's Emma- from Mr. Knightley's point of view. 

Between managing his estate and visiting his brother in London, Mr. Knightley is both exasperated and amused by his irresistibly beautiful, outrageously mischievous neighbor, Emma Woodhouse, whose misguided attempts at matchmaking are wreaking havoc in the village of Highbury. 

But when a handsome newcomer arrives and catches Emma's attention, Mr. Knightley is shocked by his reaction. Amusement gives way to another emotion entirely-for his unreasonable dislike of the handsome newcomer seems suspiciously like jealousy.

My Thoughts:

-    I randomly picked this up from the library, and it was a story that I needed at the time. I had been reading some blah things, and I wanted something fun, warm, and familiar. This fit the bill!

-    Emma is my favorite Austen novel, and I loved getting the story from Mr. Knightley's perspective. I loved his inner turmoil about Emma and Frank Churchill. I liked that I knew what was happening on Emma's side, but Knightley didn't. He didn't know about some of Emma's shenanigans until she told him about it, or he heard from other sources.

-    I love that the author stays so true to the original work. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Top Ten Books to Read by the Pool/at the Beach

Since I don't like books around water and sand, I'm going with the alternate option of this being my summer TBR list.

 
 
 
 
 

Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood

Goodreads Synopsis:    Red is not afraid of the big bad wolf. She’s not afraid of anything . . . except magic.
But when Red’s granny falls ill, it seems that only magic can save her, and fearless Red is forced to confront her one weakness.

With the help of a blond, porridge-sampling nuisance called Goldie, Red goes on a quest to cure Granny. Her journey takes her through dwarves’ caverns to a haunted well and a beast’s castle. All the while, Red and Goldie are followed by a wolf and a huntsman—two mortal enemies who seek the girls’ help to defeat each other. And one of them just might have the magical solution Red is looking for. . . . 

My Thoughts:

-    I know I'm posting this after Grump, but I promise I read this first. I just had to get Grump's post up because I was assigned a date.

-    I really enjoyed this one. I liked the references to Rump, and I really liked the variety of fairy tales that were used. For some reason, I just love fairy tale mash ups.

-    I'm glad Red got her own book. She was such a fun character in Rump, and it was fun to get to know her story.

-    I loved Red's character development. She went through a lot, and she had to learn so much. It was good to see her stretch and grow.

-    I really liked Red's relationships and interactions with the other characters, especially Goldie. 

-    I loved the message of this book. It is something everyone could benefit from. It talks about grief and not wanting the people we love to die. It was so good, and it tackled the topic is a great way for a middle grade book.

Fan Art Friday: Emma

Today I'm showcasing my favorite Jane Austen novel.

I wish I could have found pictures of other characters. There were a lot of Emma. I also wish there had been more scenes from the book. Oh well, I'm happy with what I found.

The last one is my favorite. It is the closest to the characters I picture in my head, and I like the anime style. It is also one of my favorite scenes in the book.

Which one is your favorite?

If you liked a certain artist, feel free to click on the picture and view more of their work.