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bugabusu's Reviews (248)
Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship by Chitra Soundar was a delightful, pleasant book. Each story tells a different tale but they are all interconnected. The stories were a great light hearted version of fables, lessons learned but without being overly moralistic. I really enjoyed the friendship between Prince Veera and Suku and their relationship with the King. I like how Veera and Suku work together to solve the problems of every day people. I thought the stories showed how much Prince Veera cares about his friend Suku and the citizens of his kingdom. The illustrations were simple and appealing. I can imagine reading the stories being read out loud and any child enjoying them.
The Mystery of Ireland's Eye by Shane Peacock was an outstanding read. I was completely captivated by the opening scene of Dylan and his parents kayaking in open waters. I loved the flashbacks of how Dylan won his parents over and convinced them to let him join them on their holiday. It really came through how much hard work pays. Shane Peacock’s descriptions of the landscapes was wonderful. I can imagine kayaking the waters between islands or running through the woods or peering into the abandoned buildings. The build up of Dylan’s questionable experiences on Ireland’s Eye made me turn every page with trepidation, waiting for the big reveal. I really enjoyed this dramatic tale of one young man’s summer adventure and was excited to learn there are other stories in this series.
The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley was another wonderful Flavia de Luce murder mystery. It starts of at Feely’s wedding where a finger is found in the wedding cake. It just gets better from there. Dogger and Flavia are working together in their private detective company. They are hired to solve their first mystery and on the side they work together to solve how the finger ended up in the cake. Dogger’s character plays more of role and Flavia seems to have grown up a little. Undine is even brought a little more into the fold. The reader gets to see another side of Cynthia. The new characters are just what we’ve come to expect from a Flavia mystery, crazy, cooky, and filled with secrets. It’s pure delight. This story is amazing with everything you could want, a little bit of romance, humor, history, botany, and chemistry lessons, and of course bizarre murders.
I absolutely loved reading these two Valentine themed Leslie Meier murder mysteries back to bak in Valentine Candy Murder. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the cold Maine winters and I think that added to the harshness of the murders. Lucy Stone is such a fun character who seems to lead a normal life but is whip smart and solves crimes on the side. Leslie Meier describes the scenes so that the reader feels like they’re standing next to Lucy. The description of the first murder scene in Chocolate Covered Murder was so vivid I could see the fishing lure and line wrapped around the body. These two stories are devily delicious and make me want to read more of Leslie Meier stories.
Botched 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton is a captivating and fun tale of Sophie Kimball solving the murder of a local board member with help from her mother aka the woman who is the center for all gossip in Sun City West, Arizona, the bocce ball team, the book club, and of course the private detective firm she where she works. It has a dash of thriller and romance thrown in with humor, making this not-so-cozy murder mystery a hard book to put down. Who knew board meetings and bocce ball could be so exciting. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions and even though I came into the Sophie Kimball series late, J.C. Eaton does a wonderful job of explaining backstories. The details J.C. Eaton uses for describing the scenery and the background knowledge engages the reader further. If you’re looking for an engaging mystery to nestle up and read, this is it.
How Rude . . . by Clare Helen Welsh and illustrated by Olivier Tallec is a cheery, upbeat fable without the heavy morals. Dot has a friend, Duck over for a tea party. Duck is not polite, everything from throwing the door open into Dot’s face to eating all the food even after proclaiming it “ew”. After attempting to be on one’s best behavior Dot finally bests Duck at the rudeness game. They both realize they have hurt each other’s feelings and apologize. The illustrations are fun, colorful, and do a wonderful job conveying the story, whether its displaying Duck’s poor manors or the look of surprise on Dot’s face with each horrendous action. The story is simple and direct, easy enough for even the youngest among us to understand and at the same time light-hearted and funny.