This is the first book I have read by Tess Gerritsen. I have never seen the television show which is based on her long series of books about Rizzoli and Isles, so I had no idea what to expect in this book. I originally thought it was a mystery thriller but in reading the book, I would classify it as fiction/literature.
The story is told in two parts, one which is set in the near past in the United States and then Italy and one that is set in Italy in the time preceding and then part way through World War II.
Extreme Wonders | Color Art for Everyone – Leisure Arts (6763)
By: Leisure Arts
Rating: 5 of 5
There are 24 different extreme designs in this book. I don’t quite understand what the concept is with respect to the title. It may be because the designs cover the page and have many intricate details. The subject matter ranges from doodles to mandalas to buildings to flowers, so the subjects do not seem extreme in concept. The designs are all supplied by GMC Designs/Shutterstock, Inc. I don’t know if that means there are various designers within those companies or not, but there isn’t a specific artist mentioned.
The paper weight is nice and heavy very much a feeling of premium grade paper. The designs are printed on one side of the page (with the back side blank.) The pages are all micro-perforated so removing them from the book will be easy. The print quality of the design is excellent. There are parts of the designs which are rather intricate.
All of my markers and some gel pens have leaked through this paper. If using either media, I will either remove the page from the book or put some chipboard under the page I am working on to keep the ink from bleeding through.
There is information on the inside front and inside back page which explains color and shading techniques. I am very impressed with both the quality and the subject matter in the new line of Leisure Arts coloring books.
While I don’t understand the concept of the title, I do like the artwork in the book. These are designs that are not for the faint of heart. You will be coloring most, if not all, of each page. I will choose one when I want to work on something over the week rather than finish a design in a night or two. That’s my speed but others may finish much quicker. I like complex designs from time to time. They challenge my color palette and my sense of how a design works to make a whole.
Jungle Wonders | Color Art for Everyone – Leisure Arts (6766)
By: Leisure Arts
Rating: 5 of 5
There are 24 different jungle animal and flower/plant designs in this new book book by Leisure Arts. The designs range from a single animal (with very complex and intricate components) to collages animals and/or plants covering the page. The designs are all supplied by GMC Designs/Shutterstock, Inc. I don’t know if that means there are various designers within those companies or not, but there isn’t a specific artist mentioned. I have seen similar designs in other books that are associated with GMC Designs but I can’t verify if they are the same exact ones.
The paper weight is nice and heavy very much a feeling of premium grade paper. The designs are printed on one side of the page (with the back side blank.) The pages are all micro-perforated so removing them from the book will be easy. The print quality of the design is excellent. There are parts of the designs which are rather intricate.
All of my markers and some gel pens have leaked through this paper. If using either media, I will either remove the page from the book or put some chipboard under the page I am working on to keep the ink from bleeding through.
There is information on the inside front and inside back page which explains color and shading techniques. I am very impressed with both the quality and the subject matter in the new line of Leisure Arts coloring books.
These are beautiful designs to color and should be a lot of relaxing fun. I usually reserve the last hour of the evening for my coloring I find that it helps me go to sleep more quickly when I time it just so.
Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante: A Maggie Hope Mystery
By: Susan Elia MacNeal
Rating: 3.5 of 5
I’ve read the books in this series over the last few years. What has drawn me to them are that I love mysteries and I have enjoyed the World War II component. I enjoy many books and television series that revolve around this time (my favorite is Foyle’s War and the new series Home Fires.) Unfortunate, in this book, Ms. MacNeal has focused more on racial prejudices of the United States during the period than on the mystery or war efforts. While it was still a good read, it was not what I expected from a Maggie Hope Mystery.
This is a book of 45 beautiful and inspirational hand-drawn illustrations. Most of the designs have intricate elements to them. The artist is Ember Canada, who was on active duty with the United States Army prior to being medically retired in 2014. Her drawings show her deep passion for the glory of God’s creation.
Just looking through the designs is uplifting, so I know that coloring them will really take me to a place of spiritual relaxation and an appreciation for the promises of the Psalms. The verses used in this book are taken from The Passion Translation of the Bible. I’m not familiar with that translation but the words are beautifully expressed and the drawings give a visual enhancement to the words.
There are 45 designs and, for fun, there are a number of hidden symbols within the drawings. While there is a listing of the items, to find the answers as to where they are, you will either find them in the drawings or visit the publishers website.
The designs are printed on white paper that is a nice quality but thin. The designs are printed on only one side (with the back left blank.) The paper is acid-free and is not perforated but the publisher states that the pages are easy tear-outs. I assume that is from the glue binding but have not removed one as yet.
All of my markers and some of my gel pens leak through the page. Not a problem, as I can put a heavyweight paper behind the page I am working on to keep the ink from messing up the rest of the book.
I am really happy to see inspiration Biblical adult coloring books being made. I plan to spend many hours with this book and hope to see more in the future.
“Some Like It Scot” is the final tale of the the siblings of the MacLawry clan. In the story, Munro “Bear” MacLawry finally meets his match is a feisty red-haired young woman who is on the run from her own clan.
Bear is the youngest of the family and his two brothers and sister have married and started their families. They think that he should, too, but he has other ideas. He likes the idea of love them and leave them until he meets Catriona MacColl. Cat is hiding out in an abandoned abbey on MacLawry land and is hiding her half-sister away from a horrible proposed marriage to a much older and reported sadistic man. Or that is what Cat is letting those in the know think. She has her own reasons for hiding out and Bear wants to find them out.
“Saving Sophie” is a mix of action thriller, political thriller, and legal procedural all mixed into one. Between a familial kidnapping, a huge cash embezzlement and a plot to kill thousands of innocents, the book has it all.
Sophie is the daughter of Jack Sommers, a recent widower who is getting over his wife’s recent and unexpected passing. Sophie is kidnapped by her maternal grandparents who abscond into Hebron where Jack has no chance of recovering her. What would a father do to get his daughter back home again safely? That is the story this novel tells.
Creative Haven Enchanted Fairies Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)
By: Barbara Lanza
Rating: 5 of 5
This is a coloring book filled with 31 beautiful pictures of fairies and flowers. I love the look of these lovely fairies. I have another Creative Haven coloring book by this artist, Barbara Lanza called Christmas Trees and I have enjoyed it so much, I knew that ordering this book would be an easy decision. I also looked a little further and discovered that Ms. Lanza has written several book about coloring and drawing fairies, so it seems that this may very well be her specialty in drawing.
All of my gel pens and markers bleed through on Creative Haven books to varying degrees. I use chip board, cardstock, or freezer paper in between the sheets (if I am keeping it in the book) or under the page if I remove it from the book.
There are 31 designs in this coloring book which are printed on bright white perforated paper that is a fairly heavy stock. The designs are printed on one side of the page only. I usually like to remove my projects from the books to work on and I love that Creative Haven always makes it easy for me to do so.
This is the second book I have read by Diane Chamberlain, the first being “The Silent Sister”. I have been thoroughly engrossed by Ms. Chamberlain’s writing – she makes me think about things in a new a different way. Her stories are not feel-good books but instead, they are books that make you feel emotions.
In “Pretending to Dance”, we are introduced to Molly Arnette, a lawyer in San Diego who is on the verge of adopting a child as she and her husband are unable to have one of their own. As the story progresses, we discover that Molly has not told her husband about her past, including the fact that she was part of an unusual open adoption. It appears that she has not told him much and that some of what she has told him are lies.
“Sky High” is the second book in the Nicki Valentine mystery series by Susan O’Brien but it is the first book that I have read by this author. It was certainly very easy to pick the series up with the second book but I will be sure to go back and read the first book as I think it provides a lot of background on several character. I do think that there are some very real spoilers in the second book for regarding the action of the first one, so if you are thinking about the whole series, I suggest you read the first book first.
This is the first book I have read by Tess Gerritsen. I have never seen the television show which is based on her long series of books about Rizzoli and Isles, so I had no idea what to expect in this book. I originally thought it was a mystery thriller but in reading the book, I would classify it as fiction/literature.
