Changing of the guard...

I have had this blog with my book reviews, and the other two blogs tied to it, for aw long time, but I no longer use the email that I set these blogs up with.

After much thought and consideration, I have decided to move my blogs over to my new email address.

Yess, this will be a lot of work and it will take a great deal of time, but i am trying to move all the book review posts over to the book review blog.  All personal posts will move to a personal blog, and all work posts will move to a work blog. A little more organized.  I am also planning to organize the past book reviews with added links to each other as i move them, making them easier to find and to move from one to the other for people.

The new book blog will be at this address:  http://tammommyblogs.blogspot.com/

The new name will be TAMMommy Blogs on Books

Thank you for bearing with me during this change and i hope that it will be better for everyone in the long run!

Thanks!!

Harry Potter: The Prequel by J.K. Rowling BOOK REVIEW

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Harry Potter: The Prequel by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a short couple of paragraphs that tell us of one antic that James and Sirus get into after school and before James is killed.

It is so short, but yet it just re-enforces that bond you knew was there between the two, the friendship and the trouble that they got into during school. This shows that they didn't stop when school was over, they managed to continue to get into trouble again after school, possibly after James and Lily married.

There is no real time frame to when this occurs, but you know it was after school was out. It's just a hint at more to the characters than what we ever got to see in the original books.



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Harry's First Christmas by G. Norman Lippert BOOK REVIEW

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Harry's First Christmas by G. Norman Lippert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

J. K. Rowling may have given Harry Potter life and a voice, but G. Norman Lippert has given voice to the previous generation in this booklet, James and Lily, Sirus and Remus and to the next generation in the James Potter series. He follows the original perfectly without a catch in the voice, you would swear it was the same author!

This small book gives a little insight into the first Christmas, just before James and Lily were killed. You see the deep friendship between James, Sirus and Remus. You can understand Pettigrew's seduction into being tempted to give them up, and there is a brief encounter with Lily and Servus.

It just fills in what you have probably already imagined in your head would have been happening, but it is enjoyable to read it.

This is fan-fiction, which means that this book is free to anyone. You can download it from Goodreads or from the authors website for free, http://www.harrysfirstchristmas.com/  he can not sell it. Also all of his James Potter books are free because they are fan fiction, thus it takes him longer to write them since he still has to pay the bills somehow. So this is my soapbox speech, if you read any of the fan-fiction and enjoy it, support the author and buy some of his other works so that he can continue to give us the fan-fiction. I do, and I really want more James Potter books.

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Sleepyhead Shares a Secret by Maureen Reil BOOK REVIEW

Sleepyhead Shares a Secret by Maureen Reil
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this book through the Goodreads First-Reads program.

I sat down with it when I first received it and tried to read it, really I did. The main character is just so whinny. I ended up having to put it down. And of course there I let it sit for the longest time.

Last week I was looking through some books, and realized I had a couple of books from the First-Reads that I had not reviewed yet, so I sat down and tried to read the book again.

I confess, I only got about half way through before I threw the book across the room. Not only is the main character whinny, she talks about having Sleep Apnea (note to the author...it is spelled APNEA not APENOA) like it is some horrible dreaded thing that will ruin her life. I for one have sleep apnea, and I have never experienced anything like this character does, nor have I ever went through any treatments like she describes or tests. The more I read, the less I liked the book, and the harder it was to keep reading.

Even the blossoming friendship or whatever it will be between Sabrina and the Dr can not save this book.

Maybe if I came at the book with no knowledge of sleep apnea, maybe I could have read it, but then again i would hate knowing it was out there and people are thinking this of me.

It's well-written, the grammar and structure is great, but I can't do the story. sorry.

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Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur BOOK REVIEW

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this book up at the Book Fair thinking it would be good for my daughter, and of course that means that I need to read it first. I like to know what they are reading so that if they ask me something I can talk with them about it.

This is a coming of age story about a girl, Elsie, who is entering middle school and turning 12, and all the horrors that come with that. My daughter entered the junior high school last year, and this book captures some of that girl drama perfectly, although there is so much more in real life.

It is also about her finding herself, and who she is in a unique way since her parents are not around and she lives with her aunt and uncle. It is a really well written story. I enjoyed it even as an adult. I have passed it on to my daughter and I look forward to discussing it with her. I am hoping that the story will help her to deal with some of the girl drama at school that she has had to deal with this year.

I would recommend it to any girl to read the summer before they move up to the middle school or junior high school. Not to scare them, but to let them know, if this happens, it's ok. This is what you do, not this. I think it is the perfect book to help get parents and girls talking about the troubles and bullying at school and issues of who am I and what is my purpose that this age brings.

Well done!

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The Roar (The Roar #1) by Emma Clayton BOOK REVIEW

The Roar by Emma Clayton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this book up at the Bookfair thinking it would be something my kids would like, and of course that means that I am going to read it before I pass it on to them. I like to know what they are reading and to be able to discuss it with them.

The Roar takes place on Earth in a future time when all the people on Earth live on 1/3rd of the planet behind a huge wall because of something called the Animal Plague. The world is all concrete and buildings and depressing really, and this is just the way it has to be, or so they think.

Ellie, Mika's twin sister disappears one night, and the family is told she died, while being her twin Mika refuses to believe that. We follow Mika as he tries to carry on, and we learn that he is right, Ellie is alive, but life isn't any more fun for her.

It's a young adult, teen book in that the main characters are 12 to 13 year olds. They are dealing with issues of life that are probably older than they should be dealing with, but they have grown up in a strange world. It is well written for that age group, and I definitely think anywhere from the 8 to 15 age range can read this and enjoy it.

As a parent reading it, I was able to understand it, I also was able to remember my childhood and the distrust of adults that lead to some of the issues that we see in the book, but I think everyone has done that at some point in life, and I think it makes the book real and believable. I got the story and understood it.

It has a message beyond the story about life and character and what we do with what we have, morals and values and friendships. And I thought it was kind of a bummer of an ending until I got on to do the review and found there is a second book. I think it is well worth letting your child read.

I have already passed it on to my kids.

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The Magic Knot (The Magic Knot #1) by Helen Scott Taylor BOOK REVIEW

The Magic Knot by Helen Scott Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I grabbed this book through a swap on a whim, without really reading much about it except the Irish of it, so I wasn't sure what to expect, or if it would be good. I was pleasantly surprised.

The book is well written, and somewhat believable in the mixing of human life with folklore and legends in the tales of pixies and fairies, and even leprechauns in the book.  It makes for a good read, and for me it was a quick read, which is what I was looking for at the moment I sat down with this book.

We are introduced to Naill and his twin Michael O'Conner. Very Irish, very traditional and steeped in legend and lore. They are half fairy we learn later. They both talk with an Irish accent and speech pattern that feels right in this book. It's not too heavy and I don't think the characters would have been as believable without it. Well done on the author's parts because the accent and speech pattern can easily overwhelm a book.

The trouble comes in the form of Rose Tremain, who thinks she is a human woman about a normal job. All is not as it would seem.  Through out the book, we learn of the truth of Rose's mother, and the betrayal of her father and what he really is, and the truth as to what she is and what her birthright is.

It's a clever and fun story, and I enjoyed it.  It stands quite well on its own, and I feel complete having read it. Only just realized this is  a series and it continues. Not sure if I will search it out or not, but I have a number of books in my to-read pile right now, maybe later.



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Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth BOOK REVIEW

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Insurgent is the follow-up to Divergent, and I am ever so happy that I picked both up at the store the day I got Divergent. I finished Divergent in one day and was ready to move on and see what happened next.

Insurgent follows Tris and Tobias, along with some others as they continue the fight between the factions, trying to figure out what is really going on and why the fighting is occurring. What is the real truth. There are hints at more than what meats the eye to their lives as they know them, but this book is a little slower and harder to read than the first. I was so into the first, but there is so much misunderstanding and mistrust between Tris and Tobias that the relationship is really fractured and it is hard to read at times. Other relationships all seem to be fracturing as well, because of the fighting or the unknown, but it really slowed the book and made it move less.

The factions are fighting, at least three are and the factionless are in the battle, but they have their own motive, they want to take over and make a completely new government. There is still the underlying cause, why was the fighting started in the first place, and why the mystery of the Divergents anyway. Why do the Eurdites dislike them and think they are something to be afraid of?

As this book moves along, things have a way of working themselves out, answers are found and the fighting ends, but the answers are not what anyone in the society would have ever thought they would have been. This book ends on a cliffhanger, in that the truth is revealed, but how will everyone react to that truth is another story, and I am eager to find out in the third book. Luckily I started this series late, so I don't have long to wait for the last book.



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Divergent by Veronica Roth BOOK REVIEW

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Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was walking through the store looking for a book to read while I was waiting on my daughters to get out of theater practice, and I had a book in mind, but of course they didn't have it, when I spotted this book. It sounded interesting, so I picked it up, and I am ever so glad I did.

In Divergent, the world is basically the city of Chicago with a huge fence around it. Everyone, for the most part except the farmer, or the faction called Amity, live inside the fence. Society is broken into factions, and based on how you perceive and process information you are placed in one of the factions to live. The placement happens at age sixteen, and this is where the book begins, as Beatrice Prior is about to go through the testing to determine what faction she is best suited to live in.

The book follows her journey as she changes factions, from the faction of her birth to the faction she feels is most like her. As she undergoes the initiation process and learns startling information. There is unease among the factions, or at least among two of the five factions, and it seems to be building, but why and what does it have to do with her and her life and future.

Beatrice makes friends and enemies in her new faction, starts a life and then has to deal with the changing world they live in. It is part coming of age novel, part alternative society novel, and altogether exciting and enjoyable to read. It was well written and I could hardly put the book down until I finished it.

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Breakfast Green Smoothies by Terry Hatfield BOOK REVIEW

Breakfast Green Smoothies 40 Easy Delicious Green Smoothie Recipes for by Terry Hatfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Breakfast Green Smoothies is written by Terry Hatfield. Terry is a culinary trained chef, who has worked in a number of upscale restaurants, and has been focused on healthy eating for the past 15 years. He is currently a personal chef and has two other healthy eating books published.

The first major plus of this book is that Chef Terry explains why we all need to eat more green, leafy vegetables. Not just the plain bullet points you hear on the news, but explains the different vitamins and nutrients that we get from them, and why they are important. For instance, the fact that our body can not make or absorb the vitamins from any other source. It is a great start to the book, and focuses on why this is important, which is better than any book out there I have seen.

The second major plus is that Chef Terry explains the different leafy greens to you, what you get from them, and differences in tastes. I really loved this part because I am not familiar with some of the greens, and this really helped me to know which to start with and which to save for later. He also explains about starting slow, with things you are used to eating and then branching out. This is good advice, too many people jump into the smoothie revolution with both feet and find it hard to swallow. Taking small steps makes it a lifestyle change for good.

The recipes and pictures were great. The pictures done well, making you want to try them. In fact there are a couple I think I might be able to sneak in on the kids tomorrow. Although the title says breakfast smoothies, these can be drunk at anytime of the day. There is an apple pie one that would make a great desert after a meal.

This is the first smoothie book that has made me want to try them, and since I have kids, this is something that is important to me. Getting a better, more healthy diet into my children. Couple that with the fact that it was written by a real chef, and this is just an overall winner in my book.

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