Title: Merryll Manning: The Health Farm Murders
author: John Howard Reid
publisher: Lulu Press, Inc.
isbn: 978-0-557-01006-6
genre: Fiction, Mystery
Source: Author

Going on vacation to the world down under is a dream for most of us, but Merryll Manning not only gets to travel to Australia but to a health farm to learn about healthy living. A dream come true?
Miami is the home of police sergeant, Merryll Manning who finds himself in his mother's homeland of Australia on a week long vacation to a health farm. He is first seen on a train with various other colorful characters also attending the farm. Each person brings his own fears and idiosyncrasies to the Blue Mountains. However, Merryll Manning soon finds himself in the middle of several murders and in the cross hair of the local Sergeant, George Lambert. The colorful characters all seem to be hiding something and it looks like it is up to Sergeant Manning to solve the crime. A local, who had an affair with Sergeant Lambert's wife seems to be the most likely suspect, but is he just the scapegoat for the affair? Can Sergeant Manning solve this crime before he loses his own life?
This book was first published in Australia and England and had a great following and finally a decade later it is being released in the United States. The story travels through roads that I have yet to tread and this author makes me want to visit with his vivid descriptions of the land. He even makes the desolate areas sound intriguing. I was a bit confused at the start of the story because of all of the people involved in the story so I really appreciated the cast of characters at the beginning of the book to keep them straight. This is a book you have to follow through to the final word. You never know when one character will reach out and just surprise you with something they did or had done to them. After I started to figure out who was who, the story flew and kept me interested until the very last page. I did find my vocabulary was greatly enhanced by the time I finished the book. It was an enjoyable read and I'd recommend this for anyone who is up for a challenge of who done it.
I hope Mr. Reid gets to share some other adventures of Merryll Manning with the folks here in the U.S.

5 family thumbs up out of 7

This book was provided to me through the author for reveiw. The opinions expressed are solely mine and I received no other compensation for this review.

The View from Brindley Mountain

Title: The View from Brindley Mountain

author: C. Eugene Scruggs

publisher: BookSurge Publishing

ISBN: 9781439261316

genre: Nonfiction, Memoir

Received: From Author

Imagine taking a trip to a far away land where soda is a nickel and candy is a penny. This book will take you on that trip and teach you so much more.

The narrative starts with the dreams of a young boy when he finds an arrowhead left behind by native Americans in the area. It then goes into detail about how this forested land in Alabama became a town. It spans two decades, the 40's and the 50's and encompasses a world war and the immigration of many displaced German foreigners. It is a story of simpler times but in some ways harder and the growth of a small town and a small boy.

Grab a lemonade and your rocking chair and let Mr. Scruggs take you on a journey to yesteryear. A place where things were slower and people didn't lock their doors. When I first got the book I was a little daunted at the size (over 500 pages), but once I started reading, it was really hard to put down. A good feature of this book was the chapters were chronological for the most part, but you could pretty much just open the book anywhere and find a story. If you grew up in that era, you will find yourself either laughing or be in agony over the memories. If you didn't grow up in that era, like myself, it is still very enjoyable to find out what your parents and grandparents and perhaps even great-grandparents went through in their day to day lives. I did find a few of the chapters repeating a previous thought or scene. However, if you like to just pick up a book and read a chapter or want a book to share with others, the repeating within the chapters actually help. I also loved the addition of different lines of poetry by various authors, including the author himself. It gave yet another picture of the scene that was being set.

If you are in the mood to take a step back, I highly recommend this book. This book is a pretty simple read that even a young child could enjoy a chapter or two and know that things weren't quite the same as they are now.

This book gets 5 thumbs up out of 7

This book was given to me by the author and all opinions in this review are solely mine. I recieved no other comensation.

Ten on the Sled

(Yep, more children's books!)

Title: Ten on the Sled

Author: Kim Norman

Illustrator: Liza Woodruff

Publisher: Sterling

ISBN: 978-1-4027-7076-0

Received from: The Library

Synopsis:

A cute backwards counting book that entails a moose, a squirrel, a fox and all sorts of other animals. Along to the tune of "Ten on the Bed", the animals find themselves going on a thrilling sled ride and one by one they all fall off until..... (well, you'll just have to read the book)

What made me smile:

I'll start by mentioning the illustrations. They are adorable! Each animal has it's own personality as they fall off the sled. The story itself, with all of the rhymes is really neat. It goes very quickly and all too soon you are at the end of the book! My favorite line is: "Great Thunder! Duck Under!" A very imaginative take on "Ten on the Bed".

What I didn't like:

Well, except for the fact that the song is now rolling around in my head I found nothing I didn't like!

In Summary:

I would highly recommend this book for some cold weather reading! A great book to snuggle up to and watch the snow outside and just imagine what the animals in your backyard might be doing!

The Author:

Not only is Kim Norman a talented writer, she is also an artist and a storyteller. Her website is full of pictures of her talented self as well as a cute get to know the author by the kids who love her books!

This book gets 7 thumbs up out of 7

All views expressed in here are entirely my own.

Kylie Jean Rodeo Queen

When the monkey appears on my blog...it will only mean one thing. It's time for a children's book review. Reviewed by myself and one or more of my monkeys.

Title: Kylie Jean Rodeo Queen

Author: Marci Peschke

Publisher: Capstone

ISBN: 978-1-4048-6616-4

Publication date: 1.1.11

Age Group: 6-9 yr old

Format: Paperback early chapter book

Synopsis:

Kylie Jean is a second grader who wants to be the queen of all, and in the process learns a few things. Rodeo Queen is Kylie Jean's journey to become the queen of the rodeo by learning rodeo tricks. She has to figure out where her talents lie and how hard it is to work to try and succeed.

My Review

What made me smile:

The instant I saw the cover I got a smile on my face. She is an adorable eight year old. The book was written simply enough for a new chapter reader to read but had a few challenge words that makes an older reader keep interest. Kylie Jean kept the suspense through the whole book as she stumbled from one problem to the next. Not only did she learn to deal with let downs and the bright side, the book teaches kids good etiquette. Ms. Peschke is a children's librarian and I thought the whole book was made just for a little girl to pick up and love. She has really put a lot of thought about keeping a child's interest while reading into this book. The illustrations by Tuesday Mourning were fabulous. They really captured the storyline well. I also loved the fact that there was a glossary at the end of the book for words that everyone might not know. It also features a book talk page to talk about the book with parents after the child is done. Best of all? The recipe included!

What didn't work for me:

The only thing negative was ......Nothing! I loved this book. Well other than the fact that I can't buy them for my daughter until after Christmas.

In Summary:

If you have a young girl who is learning to read, pick up this book. If your young reader liked "Fancy Nancy" or "Pinkalicous" she's sure to love Kylie Jean who loves everything pink! I can't wait to pick up this or any of the other Kylie books that are due out in January.

Author Information:

I couldn't find out much about the author other than she is a elementary librarian and loves to write. If anyone knows of a website, please let me know.

This book gets an impressive 7 family thumbs up out of 7

The reviews expressed in this review are entirely my own. This book was shared with me by Capstone through NetGalley and I received no compensation for this review.

Sierra's review is coming (I read faster than she does)

"Legacy of Lies" Book Review

Title: Legacy of Lies
Author: Jill Elizabeth Nelson
Publisher: Harlequin
IBSN: 978-0373444083
Received: Winner from GiveawayGal



This book starts with an argument with a daughter and her grandma about changing their store for the current market. Little did they know that within the day the old and new would soon become entwined in more than one way. A murdered body found in the rose garden soon has the whole town of Ellington up in arms and accusing a very trustworthy family. The hero and heroine, a cop and a widow of a cop must come to terms with their relationship and the fact that the truth might have unhappy consequences throughout the story. Rich and Nicole must wade through all the untruths that have kept a town in the dark all those years and find a way for everyone to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

My Review:

What made me smile:
I loved the storyline. The kidnapping angle isn't widely done in the Inspirational categories and this was very well done. I really liked the fact that it incorporated the old with the new. I have never read anything by Ms. Nelson before and was glued to the page late at night with the descriptive prose she uses. The story flowed from one scene to another in a logical sequence and nothing seemed forced. While I did figure out who done it pretty quickly, the twists and turns on the reasoning behind the scenes kept me going for more. The romance story added for a sweet emotional impact to the storyline.

What didn't work for me:
Only two things came to mind as I started this review for what I didn't like, one was the fact that Nicole seemed to want to start a relationship too soon after her husband's death. I would have been more comfortable if she would have dealt with her feelings on that subject a little more deeply than just in passing a few times. The other was the lack of faith talk, I really didn't find many places where Nicole and police chief Rich talked about their faith or lack of.

In Summary:
If you like a great simple suspense novel, I suggest you pick up a copy of this book. If you are looking for a great love story, you won't find it in 'Legacy of Lies' but you will find a sweet romance that can leave you with a smile on your face and hope in your heart.

Author information:

Jill Elizabeth Nelson has written several books including 3 other books for the Love Inspired series with Harlequin. As she has written on her website she writes what she likes to read, faith-based tales of adventure seasoned with romance.

I haven't come up with an unique rating system yet. So for now this recieves 6 family thumbs up out of 7!

The reviews expressed are solely mine and have no reflection on the fact that this was a 'won' book sent to me by the author.

Love Finds You In Liberty, Indiana

Title: Love finds you in Liberty, Indiana

Author: Melanie Dobson
Publisher: Sunnyside Press
Pub. Date: June 2009
ISBN:10: 1934770744
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Received: Purchased



Synopsis:
This not your average sweet romance. This is a step into the history books in a way that will teach you something not often taught in school. Liberty, Indiana is a stop on the Underground Railroad. Anna Brent and her father who under the radar, help many runaway slaves traveling toward the freedom in the north. They know they have to be careful, because the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 can cause them serious trouble. Anna, who already had started denouncing slavery under a pen name, comes face to face with an outspoken editor, Daniel Stanton and has to hide her true feelings on the subject of slavery for fear of being found out. The whole town becomes involved in the argument of the day and lines are crossed. Anna needs to trust someone, but who can be trusted in this dangerous era?



What made me smile:

Making me smile actually didn't happen too much in this book. The book was a deep dark look into a very bad part of our history and Ms. Dobson did it justice. Looking toward God and knowing the right path and doing the right thing can sometimes be hard, but Anna took the Lord's promise and laws to heart and followed the best she could. Even if you don't know much about that part of history, this book will fill you in on so many details of the mid 1800's. I learned so much, but was entertained so it never felt like I was in history class. Even though this is a 'romance', I found much more suspense than actual romance. The suspense kept me so interested I finished the book in a day. I had to know what was going on and Ms. Dobson kept throwing surprises in my face left and right.


What I didn't like:
Although I really liked the book it was a little dark for this particular Love Finds You line I thought. The other books I have read in the series have been light hearted stories and this one was so much deeper.


In Summary:
Highly recommend this book, but keep in mind it is a dark, sad romantic tale. I especially encourage those that love history to see this part of our history. Let your teens read this book and learn what our ancestors were made of before the vampire craze came along!

Author Information:

Melanie Dobson is a prolific writer with a number of books on the market and some to come. She's a mom to 2 adopted daughters and has worked with Focus on the Family. She has a degree in journalism and loves to explore back roads and ghost towns. You can find more of Malanie here.

This book gets a 6.5 family thumbs up out of 7!

The reviews expressed are solely mine and I was not paid for a positive endorsement.

THE FAMILY THAT READS TOGETHER

I've decided on my 'voice' for the blog. This will be not only a family friendly blog, but will also include reviews from my kids for YA and children's books as well. Since I have a child that read children's books, one that reads pre-teen, three that read YA and a couple of toddler nieces, I think I'll have enough reviewers! I'll review them along with the kids so parents know what to expect as well! So...now....on to the reviews!