A Winner of the Alex Award, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction, named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco ChronicleThe Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything--instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends. But when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls. Rendered with irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave.
THIS BOOK. First off the cover, it's simple but amazing in one distinctive way, it glows in the dark. Yes all those little yellow books glow in the dark. Go ahead hold it up to a light bulb for 30 seconds and go to a dark space. ( told you) Overall this book is good. Not amazing, but well worth the read. Who doesn't want to read a book about a bookstore? Anyways, not much to say that wont spoil this so just go read it and find out.
For Jews in Nazi-occupied Paris, nowhere is safe. So when Odette Meyer’s father is sent to a Nazi work camp, Odette’s mother takes desperate measures to protect her, sending Odette deep into the French countryside. There, Odette pretends to be a peasant girl, even posing as a Christian–and attending Catholic masses–with other children. But inside, she is burning with secrets, and when the war ends Odette must figure out whether she can resume life in Paris as a Jew, or if she’s lost the connection to her former life forever. Inspired by the life of the real Odette Meyer, this moving free-verse novel is a story of triumph over adversity.
Its hard to find books written in free verse, especially in the historical fiction genre. This one is great. Set in world war two and based on a true story, it's a hard to put down kind of read, but I feel like it was toned down a bit as far as the graphic parts of the war. But it is for middle school or younger. Overall I really liked it and was worth the read. It's short and written in verse so its a fast read.
A dazzlingly beautiful coloring book for all ages, The Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock–inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by the internationally best-selling Korean artist Daria Song. Journey through the doors of a mysterious cuckoo clock into its inky innerworkings to discover a magical land of clock gears, rooftops, starry skies, and giant flying owls—all ready for you to customize with whatever colors you can dream up.Cuckoo . . . cuckoo . . . cuckoo . . . When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll wonder, was it all a dream?The Time Garden features extra-thick craft paper, ideal for non bleed-through coloring, and the jacketed cover with flaps is removable and colorable. Special gold-foil stamping on the cover and spine and a To/From page make it perfect for gifting to adults and kids alike.Then, explore the magical world outside the clock through the eyes of a fairy in the sequel, The Time Chamber: A Magical Story and Coloring Book!
An amazing color book! Complex but not to complex pictures fill the pages of this book and get your imagination spinning.
I recieved this book for review from blogging for books.
In September of 1884, Robert Louis Stevenson, then in his mid-thirties, moved with his family to Bournemouth, a resort on the southern coast of England, where in the brief span of 23 months he revised A Child's Garden of Verses and wrote the novels Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
An intriguing combination of fantasy thriller and moral allegory, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde depicts the gripping struggle of two opposing personalities - one essentially good, the other evil - for the soul of one man. Its tingling suspense and intelligent and sensitive portrayal of man's dual nature reveals Stevenson as a writer of great skill and originality, whose power to terrify and move us remains, over a century later, undiminished.
I don't really know why, but I really like this. It is a strange but thrilling story. I feel like if I didn't know the story before reading it that it would make it better, but I did. So that's life. Overall I really enjoyed it and am so glad to have crossed this off of my classic tbr list.
What moves you?Beauty?“God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good!” (Genesis 1)Worry?“It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Philippians 4)Injustice?“God was moved to compassion when he heard their groaning.” (Judges 2)Suffering?“Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes. They had their sight back that very instant.” (Matthew 20)The Bible tells a story about moving―people moving from place to place, from good times to hard times to good times again. But more than anything, it’s a story of a God who is moved by love, and who moves―and who moves us―to make the world a better place.Here in The Message 100 is the whole Bible―every single, moving word of it―laid out in 100 readings and arranged to reflect the unfolding story. Move through it at your own pace, and discover how God may be moving right there on the page, right here in your life.
I was very leery about getting this for review, at first I wasn't really sure what it was. (Was it a Bible or a devotional?) The answer is both! It has a short introduction to each of the 100 reading's then the reading. Its not in Biblical order, from what I can figure out it's in chronological order. ( Which the Bible isn't) I really love the way its written, basically in a poetry type of writing, made to be read like a novel instead of like a textbook. Overall I am very impressed and would look into it for your personal Bible time but not as an all the time Bible to take to church since it is not in chronological order.
I received this for review through Tyndale House Publishers.
"We've all got a story. It's either our own, or someone else's." But, what if there really was only one Story and you were created for it? Wouldn't you want to know it? And more importantly, if you had the opportunity to join it, wouldn't you want to sign up? Fran Sciacca's new book, So, What's Your Point? tackles the tough questions of: "Who do I say that I am?" "What's my point?" and "What's my place?" Or put another way, the questions of Identity, Purpose, and Mission. If you're tired of the storylines of our day, and want to understand how your passions, gifts, longings, and your very being find their fulfillment in the One Story, So, What's Your Point? will take you there. Just make sure your seats and tray tables are in the upright and locked position!
So, I really wanted to get into this and just love it, but I cant. I did read the whole thing mind you but didn't enjoy it very much towards the end and here is why. History. I love History but there is a little to much back history or word history to explain all the tiny parts of the story he was telling. Also after awhile I felt like it was starting to drag, a lot. Its only 254 pages if you don't read the extras in the back. But it started dragging after around 160 or so. Not saying it was horrible, but it was not by any means my favorite.
I received this for review through Tyndale House Publishers
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—& even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—& a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
I was very leery of this book. I have picked up similar books like this and they were much to sci fi for me, but this one is different. The sciencey stuff is all explained in a way my non science major brain can understand (mostly) and not feel like an idiot. I loved how this was written and Mark makes this book so much better by being very sarcastic the whole time. It was a well thought out plot and had enough good and bad things happen to Mark that it didn't feel unrealistic. Like not everything was bad or everything good happened either, it had a good mix of both. Overall, a great story told with a lot of humor and had a good ending and was overall a great read, just not everyone's piece of cake.
I recieved this book for review through Blogging for Books.
A Winner of the Alex Award, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction, named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle
