Cursed by Casey Odell

Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Source: I received a copy from BookBub. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Claire lives a fairly boring life. Her mother owns a Tavern. Her job is simple; stay behind the bar, wash the dishes and clean up.  One night after Claire has gone to bed she is awoken by her mother. Her mother helps her dress quickly and ushers her out of their house. Their town is ablaze. Then the real terror begins. Clare sees the Centaurs who are determined to destroy the people of her town. Her mother runs with her through the fields. She gives her a dagger and tells her to run into the forbidden forest, known as the Cursed Forest. This is where her journey begins. Found by an Elf, she had no idea existed she is taken to the palace and presented to the King.  She discovers a mark on her hand and arm that begins to glow blue. From here she is forced into a mission With two Elves, Aeron and Farron. What do they want with her and where are they going?

This book was full of twists and turns. Claire doesn’t know who to trust and it seems her companions don’t either.  The world building is awesome. Each city they visit is described in a way that you can imagine it in your mind. The hint of magic that runs throughout the story lends an element that keeps you reading.  The ending was one I had not seen coming.  I can’t wait to read the other three books in this series. 

I Love My God-Given New Baby Sibling: How to Be A Big Sister by Lamb Library Press

Genre:  Children's Picture Book

Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

A young girl grows up having so much fun. Then one day she realizes it would be a lot more fun if she had a brother or sister to play with.  She tells her parents she wants a sibling. Eventually her mom has another baby and the little girl is thrilled. This is where real life sets in. The baby cries a lot and needs a lot of time and attention from the mother. The little girl feels left out. Mom sits her down and explains that her sibling is a gift from God. From that point on the girl takes special care of God’s gift.  A wonderful way to let children know how special they are, and that all children are a gift from God.

Four More Picture Books by Various Authors

 Genre: Picture Books                    Source:  Purchased

Books for Benjamin by R.G. de Rouen

I absolutely loved this book. Benjamin is a worm. Unlike his family who lives on the rotten fruit and vegetables the store owner throws out, Benjamin prefers reading. He slips into the store one night to hide inside a paper. His idea is to be taken to a home where he can read books. Instead he is almost eaten by a parrot. Read this wonderful adventure to see if he succeeds in finding books to read. Cute, while showing the value of reading. There is extra information at the end of the book about libraries.

Night Cats by Pippa Pralen

This is the story of cats that are homeless. One day when the author left a restaurant she saw a hungry cat and decided to feed it. That was the beginning of her adventure.  I loved this book because of the humorous pictures. At the end she has pictures of the cats she takes care of. I could understand. We inherited five semi-feral cats from a gentleman across the street. He had been feeding them and took them to the vet to be fixed. When he passed he left them to us in his will. We still have four of them.  I couldn’t imagine not helping them.

 

The Unusual Penguin by Madeleine MacRae

I loved this book.  A penguin finds a lone egg on the ice with no one around. She takes it home and cares for it. When it hatches she proudly takes care of her son. When he begins school it is quite apparent he doesn’t fit in. He can’t seem to do what the other penguins do. He doesn’t even look like them.  There is a reason for this, but I won’t tell.  A great book about being proud of who you are and not worrying if you aren’t like each other.  We need to celebrate our differences.

 

This is Not Enough by Anna Kang

Two friends try to find gifts for each other to show how much they care.  Neither of them think what they have chosen or made is enough.  However as we learn, when it comes to friends, the love they show us in whatever form is always enough.  Cute little book about friendship.