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Net Galley
Monthly Archives: January 2018
The English Wife: A Novel
Interesting and well-developed new historical novel
By: Lauren Willig
Rating: 5 of 5
I’ve read a number of Lauren Willig’s earlier books and enjoyed them. When I read “The English Wife”, I was happily surprised at how much the author has grown in her ability to weave a multi-level story and keep my interest riveted throughout the book.
In this book, the story switches back and forth between events in the past and those in the present time of the story (1899.)
Posted in Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
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Cute Doodle Creatures plus feel good messages – 32 designs printed one side of the page
Lovin’ the Good Vibes! A Coloring Book with Positive Messages for Adults and Kids: (Improve Confidence, Self Worth, Doodles)
By: Illustrator: Lily Chioe/Publisher: Julia Rivers
Rating: 5 of 5
I enjoy coloring in both doodle creature coloring books and in positive thoughts books. Until now, I had never come across a book that was both in one. “Lovin’ the Good Vibes” has lots of cute little doodle guys that put a smile on my face surrounding a message that makes me feel happy as well. In this book, Lily Chioe is the illustrator.
It appears that Okami Coloring and Storytroll publishing companies are somehow connected as they list both publishers books at the end of this book. I really appreciate the quality of their artists though the CreateSpace paper always leaves something to be desired. I also appreciate that they have included the actual artist’s name though they seem to be developing a specific name (Julia Rivers) to cover the coloring books they deliver. This is similar to what another publisher has done with the name Jade Summer.
The designs are detailed but do not, for the most part, include intricate elements with lots of tiny spots to color. By the nature of doodle creatures, there is a lot to color and you can use a lot of different colors – it’s one of the things I like most about the genre.
Posted in Adult Color Books
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47 Psalms inspired designs – printed one side of the page (verse cite on the reverse of page)
Psalms to Color and Soothe the Soul
By: Felicity French
Rating: 5 of 5
This is a coloring book of 47 designs inspired by the book of Psalms. The designs are very pretty but do not generally reflect the verse. The words themselves are part of the design and are meant to be colored. In some cases, the words are, in fact, the design. The verses are all cited but the translation used has not been given an attribution. The designs are quite detailed and in some spots, intricate and small to color.
This is one of the nicest coloring books of Psalms that I own. The verses are given the prominent position on the page and the designs are very pretty to color. I think about the verse and how it applies to my life as I color the design. It takes a restful activity and adds an element of worship for a more meaningful experience.
Posted in Adult Color Books
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Interesting second in series about murder in a small town in Scotland
Scones and Scoundrels: The Highland Bookshop Mystery Series: Book 2 (Highland Bookshop Mysteries)
By: Molly MacRae
Rating: 4 of 5
This is the first book I have read by Molly MacRae. It is also the second book in this series. I felt a little lost as far as the many characters in this book and I feel that had I read the first book in the series, I might have understood who was who and why they were in the story.
After getting through that bit of a hump, I enjoyed the story. There are references to the last book but not so much that it gives away the plot line of it.
In this story, a prodigal daughter returns home again to the small town in Scotland where she was raised. She is a famous author who has been living in the wilds of Canada. Literally, the wilds. She lives in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. While she is not an appealing individual, as the story evolves, one discovers why she acts as unpleasant as she does.
Posted in Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
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Hidden Paradise: Artist Edition
By: Cris Lopez
Rating: 5 of 5
This is my first coloring book by artist Cris Lopez. I’m very impressed with the skill with which the designs have been drawn and look forward to many happy hours with this book.
There are lovely maidens, handsome men, fairies, animals, mermaids, fun creatures and even a dwelling place. It is all about the variety of fantasy in this land that the artist calls “hidden paradise”. The level of detail varies by design with some slightly less detailed, most what I consider a good amount of detail and a few that have smaller and/or more intricate areas to color.
Once again, Phoenix Amulet (the publisher) has set a high bar for other publishers to emulate. Not only is the paper a good heavy weight, it also has great tooth, is printed one-sided, has excellent perforations and, best of all, has a covered spiral binding that makes opening and laying this book flat a breeze.
Posted in Adult Color Books
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Lovely Nativity for Christmas but some pieces are a little difficult to make stand straight
Make and Play: Nativity
By: Author – Nosy Crow; Illustrator – Joey Chou
Rating: 4 of 5
This is a lovely book to have for the holidays. While it is intended for toddlers and young children (my grandkids are 2 and 4 years old respectively), it is also a fun way to display a cute Nativity no matter what your age is. Along with the nativity, there are several pages of activities and songs at the back of the book to help bring the Christmas story to life for kids.
The only problem I ran into was with the both the palm trees and the various people with feet. It took a little bit of effort to make the feet level one to the other for the people to stand straight and not topple over easily. The palm trees were a bit difficult to get to stand without falling over. In the end, I tilted them slightly backwards and that seemed to work. Both getting these to stand and pushing the pieces out are probably better left to an adult or older child as both take a delicate touch (even with a bit of care, I still managed to tear a slight bit of the design off of one of the bull’s legs.
Posted in Childrens
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