Sunday Salon: A Review or Two

There should always be a day just to sit back, relax with a great cup of coffee (tea or any beverage of your choice) and browse through new books to enjoy.

Today I’m offering several reviews for your reading pleasure. Normally I like to feature reviews one at a time, sometimes two. On this occasion I’m offering four. I apologize now for the length of this post, but I have a good number of reviews to post this month as well as numerous wonderful authors who are gracious enough to guest blog here. The reviews will include a children’s book, a graphic novel (a sequel), a spiritual reference guide, and a mystery thriller.

DINGLE by Audrey Kinsella

This 24-page paperback book will be a delight for youngsters. It is beautifully illustrated by Susan Anderson-Shorter.

Dingle is a lovable dog owned by Aunt Reeny, a cantankerous older lady who wants to do everything herself. The only problem is, Aunt Reeny is wheelchair-bound and does have some limits to what she can do. Dingle isn’t a trained service dog but wants to help.

It’s a hot summer and Aunt Reeny, along with family, spend a lot of time at the nearby ice cream stand. Dingle looks for a way to help out. With the help of Aunt Reeny’s nephew, Roddy, Dingle creates the perfect saddlebags to wear so he can help carry the ice creams in the heat.

DINGLE, THE HELPFUL ICE CREAM CONE DELIVERY DOG is a great way to teach children about helping others and maybe, at the same time, show some resistant people with disabilities its okay to accept a little help from others. 

Audrey Kinsella's website is http://www.dingleenterprises.com/  



Dingle, The Helpful Ice Cream Cone Delivery Dog by Audrey Kinsella, Illustrated by Susan Anderson-Shorter, AuthorHouse, @2010, ISBN: 978-1-4490-8362-5, Paperback, 24 pages

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TINKER BELL AND THE WINGS OF RANI   

This is the second of four full-color Disney Fairies graphic novels from Papercutz.

This 80-page paperback contains five delightful stories, plus a special preview of a story from the Disney Fairies #3. It is beautifully illustrated with vibrant colors.

In the first story, ‘Colors of Friendship,’ you meet Bess. Prilla and Bess search for colors to use in an art contest Queen Clarion is holding.

The second story, ‘The Lost Fairy,’ introduces Lily with the Never-Ever -Flower. This very special flower only blooms once every thousand moons.

The third story, ‘The Most Beautiful Dress,’ features Beck and true beauty. Beck and Vidia are having a hard time finding the right dress to wear to the Festival of Dazzling Colors where the prettiest dress wins a prize. When Vidia takes the dress Beck wanted, the butterflies come to her aid.

The fourth story is ‘The Wings of Rani.’ This features Rani, a wingless water-talent fairy who helps Beck when a practical joke threatens her life. Rani recalls how and why she lost her wings.

The fifth story, ‘Barefoot’ highlights a new fashion trend in Pixie Hollow. The fairies forgot to pickup Queen Clarion’s shoes from the polishing-talent fairies and she must go to the Gazebo without shoes.

This book will quickly be a favorite of older children, who might have to share with the adults in the household as well.

Tinker Bell And The Wings Of Rani (Disney Fairies Graphic Novel #2), Papercutz, @ 2010, ISBN: 978-1-59707-226-7, Paperback, 80 pages

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PERSONALITREES by Joan Klostermann-Ketels

This could be called a coffee table book except it is small, light weight and has only 112 pages. It does, however, feature a subject that would be perfect for causal conversation - trees with personalities. Through the book, author Joan Klostermann-Ketels guides the reader to experience the personality of various trees.

A brief synopsis of the book says: “Enjoyed for pure fun or treasured as a spiritual reference guide of personality traits that make our human existence meaningful, the reader will never again look at trees in the same way.”

I have to agree. Once you view the beautiful photographs in the book and read the quote with each, trees will look a little different to you next time you stroll through the woods or even the park.

PersonaliTrees: Let the Human Spirit Awaken in the Presence of the Trees by Joan Klostermann-Ketels, Findhorn Press, @2010, ISBN: 978-1-84409-191-1, Hardcover, 112 pages

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FEVER DREAM by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston

It begins with a safari in Africa where Helen Esterhazy Pendergast is accidentally killed by a lion with a red mane.

Twelve years later her husband, Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast of the FBI, makes a startling discovery. When he finally takes a close look at the gun Helen was using on the lion hunt, he find blanks had been substituted for the real bullets. Her death was no accident, but cold blooded murder.

Pendergast is determined to find his wife’s killer. He enlists the help of his friend, NYPD Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta. The search takes them to Africa and back, as well as numerous locations throughout the U.S.

Pendergast learns his wife, a medical researcher, had been searching for a lost painting by John James Audubon called the ‘Black Frame.’ He finds there were many secrets his wife was keeping from him.

Their investigation draws attention and soon key witnesses are murdered. An attempt is made on Pendergast, but D’Agosta is shot instead. While D’Agosta is hospitalized, Pendergast joins forces with NYPD Captain Laura Hayward, D’Agosta’s girlfriend.

The adrenaline rush of the search will hold you captive from the first leg of the investigation until the very end. There is never a dull moment and the action is fast pace. There are several surprises along the way and unexpected twists that take the reader on a roller coaster ride of excitement.

The only odd part of the plot is a side story about Constance Greene, Pendergast’s ward. She returns to the U.S. by ship and she allegedly threw her baby overboard before the ship docked. Her story has no real bearing on the hunt for Helen’s killer.

The story ends with a number of questions still left unanswered and the perfect lead-in to another spine tingling thriller featuring Pendergast. This is a stand alone book even though are other books in the Pendergast series. Having listen to this book, I now want to see how Pendergast and D’Agosta became friends and why Captain Hayward dislikes Pendergast so.

Fever Dream by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston, Read by Rene Auberjonois, Grand Central Publishing, @ 2010, ISBN: 9781607881940, Unabridged, 12 Discs, Run time 14 hours

FTC Full Disclosure - Each one of these books were sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review them. However, receiving the complimentary copies did not influence my reviews.